it is 8:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. i just broke my 12 hour fast with banana 'pancakes'. it's 2 eggs and one banana and a splash of cinnamon. they are actually pretty filling. the dogs had their morning oatmeal and milk. i ended up sharing my pancakes with them, too. i am now enjoying a cup of my new favorite tea, Bengal, by celestial seasonings. it has a very strong cinnamon taste. i find that i need to add almond milk. i couldn't stand it at first and now I'm addicted. it's yummy.
tonight is the 11th anniversary of my mom's passing. i want to buy some treats for the guys at the yeshiva so that they can say blessings on her behalf. i thought about buying the customary fried donuts, that we eat at Chanukah time, but it will be a small fortune to buy 20. i think i'll go with nuts and dried fruits and chocolates. it is also a custom to eat dairy. i toyed with the idea of baking a cheese cake this morning, but quite frankly, I'm too tired. i am waiting to hear from the kids if i can go to them for Shabbat.
i bought tons of LOL, marvel and fortnite toys for the kids. i spent a true fortune. while i was in the hospital a month ago, i bought a fortnite monopoly set for $60. the LOL stuff was just as expensive. i can't wait to see the kids and give them their gifts. i have an out Shabbat this week from the yeshiva and i don't have to work on Thursday or Sunday. i want to get out of 'dodge' as soon as possible. we are expecting another addition to the clan soon and this might make or break my chance of seeing the grown up kids this week. i am trying to be as zen as possible and not sweat it. it is what it is.
the world as i knew it, is no longer mine. i am an alien. i am an antique. i am pushing 70 and i ain't cutting it at all. i am still able to cook at the yeshiva but i am too tired to do anything afterwards. i pulled out most of my costumes to help my friend, who is doing a play. most of them were too small and not appropriate for her. i think she was annoyed that i wasted her time. whatever she rejected, i threw away. i am tired of storing all of this crap. i did keep a few things and the kids' costumes from last year. the daughter-in-law recycles them and hands them out to her sister's kids or friends.
some of these things i used to wear when i was skinny, back in the day. i have finally lost the extra 20 pounds that i gained last year, when the kids moved away from safed. i am not aiming for being thin, again. i just want to be able to navigate without the huge stomach and behind and fit into my clothes. most of my skirts are a bit loose. i am not interested in weighing myself or checking out my dress size. in fact, the outfit i wore in the picture on my blog, was from my son's engagement party. that was nearly 11 years ago. it fits again, but i gave it to my friend. i am not really a navy blue kind of gal. i wore the skirt on Rosh Hashanah but i am not mad about it. i need to buy some new things.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Tired In Safed
it is 8:15 p.m. in the holy city of safed. i just got back home from work. i left for work pretty late today. i was in a taxi several feet from the yeshiva when i got an s.o.s call from the manager. he sounded a bit alarmed that i wasn't there already. i didn't even shower this morning. i was that tired. i was still on the phone at 1:00 p.m. with my friend and didn't feel like moving. i quickly threw on my jeans skirt over my pajamas and called a cab. i was at work at 1:30 p.m.
i had defrosted some leftover pea soup from last week, the night before. i added water but i think i thinned it out too much. i quickly made a bunch of little tuna patties and cooked up three bags of thin spaghetti. i made an Asian dressing for the pasta. i added a vinaigrette dressing to the leftover cut veggies from breakfast and threw in a can of mushrooms and a can of chickpeas for good measure. i put out a tub of chumus and went back into the kitchen. i leave Friday's breakfast for the guys as well as a cold pasta salad for their lunch and i make the Shabbat lunch, too.
i took two pots and boiled 60 eggs. i left 30 eggs for their Friday lunch with a container of cut veggies and i made an egg salad for Shabbat day with the remaining 30 eggs. i then made the meat stew that sits on the eclectic platter all Friday night. i threw in about 20 small potatoes and about two giant sweet potatoes, a bag of barley and 3 cans of chick peas. it cooked up pretty fast and i started on the eggplant salad. i threw the eggplants into the oven as soon as i arrived at work. i had to cut up 4 packages of herring into little tiny pieces and add hot peppers and onions. that took quite awhile.
i didn't check on them and i didn't prick them first and suddenly i heard a large boom and the oven door blew open. there was exploded eggplant all over the oven. i took the ones that hadn't exploded and mashed them and added mayonnaise and garlic. i then cleaned the oven and the oven racks. i think i might just burn the yeshiva down one day. anyway, i then opened two enormous cans of tuna and added a lot of mayonnaise. i still had to make supper for tonight. i cut up a lot of sweet potatoes into chunks and roasted them. i threw the remainder of the breakfast oatmeal into two kilos of chopped turkey, added tons of spices and five eggs and made a pretty large meatloaf.
while it baked i cooked up 5 bags of macaroni to make two different pasta salads. i added mayonnaise and curry powder to one with chopped veggies and i made an Italian dressing for the second. there was macaroni all over the place. i sliced up tomatoes and onions and added seasoning for their supper. i made a cooked beet salad yesterday. i did the washing up which took about 45 minutes and i washed the floor. i put the beef stew into the fridge and i cabbed it home. i didn't go to the market. i was too tired. i didn't have dinner. i grabbed a tuna patty from lunch and a tomato and called it a night.
i will go to the supermarket in the morning. i need a few things for Shabbat. my friend is coming over again. neither one of us wants to be alone. it is supposed to rain again. we had a pretty terrific storm before i came home; lighting and thunder, the whole package. how do those weather people know that much before hand so that they can predict the exact nature of the storm.? i will take the dogs out for their nightly outing and get back into my robe. i have been sleeping on a mattress in the t.v. room under the wall heater. i haven't felt like sleeping in the master bedroom. i will have my new tea when i return. Shabbat shalom!
i had defrosted some leftover pea soup from last week, the night before. i added water but i think i thinned it out too much. i quickly made a bunch of little tuna patties and cooked up three bags of thin spaghetti. i made an Asian dressing for the pasta. i added a vinaigrette dressing to the leftover cut veggies from breakfast and threw in a can of mushrooms and a can of chickpeas for good measure. i put out a tub of chumus and went back into the kitchen. i leave Friday's breakfast for the guys as well as a cold pasta salad for their lunch and i make the Shabbat lunch, too.
i took two pots and boiled 60 eggs. i left 30 eggs for their Friday lunch with a container of cut veggies and i made an egg salad for Shabbat day with the remaining 30 eggs. i then made the meat stew that sits on the eclectic platter all Friday night. i threw in about 20 small potatoes and about two giant sweet potatoes, a bag of barley and 3 cans of chick peas. it cooked up pretty fast and i started on the eggplant salad. i threw the eggplants into the oven as soon as i arrived at work. i had to cut up 4 packages of herring into little tiny pieces and add hot peppers and onions. that took quite awhile.
i didn't check on them and i didn't prick them first and suddenly i heard a large boom and the oven door blew open. there was exploded eggplant all over the oven. i took the ones that hadn't exploded and mashed them and added mayonnaise and garlic. i then cleaned the oven and the oven racks. i think i might just burn the yeshiva down one day. anyway, i then opened two enormous cans of tuna and added a lot of mayonnaise. i still had to make supper for tonight. i cut up a lot of sweet potatoes into chunks and roasted them. i threw the remainder of the breakfast oatmeal into two kilos of chopped turkey, added tons of spices and five eggs and made a pretty large meatloaf.
while it baked i cooked up 5 bags of macaroni to make two different pasta salads. i added mayonnaise and curry powder to one with chopped veggies and i made an Italian dressing for the second. there was macaroni all over the place. i sliced up tomatoes and onions and added seasoning for their supper. i made a cooked beet salad yesterday. i did the washing up which took about 45 minutes and i washed the floor. i put the beef stew into the fridge and i cabbed it home. i didn't go to the market. i was too tired. i didn't have dinner. i grabbed a tuna patty from lunch and a tomato and called it a night.
i will go to the supermarket in the morning. i need a few things for Shabbat. my friend is coming over again. neither one of us wants to be alone. it is supposed to rain again. we had a pretty terrific storm before i came home; lighting and thunder, the whole package. how do those weather people know that much before hand so that they can predict the exact nature of the storm.? i will take the dogs out for their nightly outing and get back into my robe. i have been sleeping on a mattress in the t.v. room under the wall heater. i haven't felt like sleeping in the master bedroom. i will have my new tea when i return. Shabbat shalom!
Friday, December 6, 2019
Cooking Up A Storm
it is 11:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. i got up at 6:00 a.m. to take the pooches out. it rained last night and tiny came home with mud. this red mud does not wash out . i threw out plenty of sheets last year after the winter. i hosed him off outside in the yard. he did not particularly , like this. oh well.... i just finished washing the floors. i used plenty of bleach. the floors were black. winter here is a wreck. my dishes and coffee cups from the whole week are still in the sink. i had to unclog the sink drain, which i use for meat dishes. it didn't take too long but it was a huge pain because i had to remove everything from underneath the sink. i went to the local market near work last night. i was exhausted and needed to get home fast. i wasn't sure if we were going to have more rain today and i didn't want to risk having to run out to the supermarket to buy food for shabbat ; in a storm.
i bought a large chicken to make soup. unfortunately, they were out of cilantro and celery and even, carrots. i bought a package of dill and a package of frozen carrots. i also bought a fennel root. it has the same crunch as celery. i think i bought a small gourd. the soup will be piping hot. that's the main idea. i wanted to buy a noodle kugel but i didn't have the strength to walk to the bakery. i left work at 7:00 p.m. and after eight hours on my feet, i was trashed. i had made the Friday breakfast as well as the Shabbat lunch for the yeshiva. and of course, i also made their supper, too. i bought eggs to make a kugel but i didn't buy noodles or any potatoes. i did buy a package of couscous. what can i say? i was tired and not all that focused.
i went down to the tel aviv area on Wednesday to do a CT of my lungs. half a year ago, after my routine pet scan, they thought they 'saw' something. my oncologist told me to do a CT. he wasn't having my doing it in safed, either. my medical insurance carrier wasn't going to let me do it in tel hashomer. afer all, they have a brand new machine, right here in safed hospital. i wasn't taking no for an answer and finally got my clearance form. i have learned how to play hardball with them over the years.
i cooked for about seven hours on Tuesday and left two meals for Wednesday. i took a taxi to a nearby town to catch an express bus to tel aviv. i got there in less than 21/2 hours but i still had a 50 minute bus ride to the hospital. it is about a 15 minute cab ride but the price is exorbitant. i got to the hospital about an hour or more early. i went to the small shopping maul to look around. they have an orthopedic shoe store that i like. sadly, they had nothing on sale in my size. i am a 9. i couldn't eat anything in the food court because i needed to be on a two hour fast before the CT. i drank a yogurt drink on the bus at noon. i had some oatmeal in the morning but i would have liked to have something more when i got there.
i was taken to the test relatively, on time, and was out by 4:00 p.m. i stopped back at the shopping maul to buy a fortnight monopoly game for my grandson. it was quite expensive but i know he will adore it. i plan to go there for the first night of chanukah. now i need to buy some LOL dolls for the granddaughter. are we having fun yet?
my friend will be coming over for Shabbat. i need to get the soup on. i defrosted the leftover cholent from last week and i have two giant pitas in the freezer waiting to be heated up. i bought prepared beets and cabbage salad. i have a couple of lettuces and i even bought alfalfa sprouts. i think i bought some chumus. we will be fine.
i bought a large chicken to make soup. unfortunately, they were out of cilantro and celery and even, carrots. i bought a package of dill and a package of frozen carrots. i also bought a fennel root. it has the same crunch as celery. i think i bought a small gourd. the soup will be piping hot. that's the main idea. i wanted to buy a noodle kugel but i didn't have the strength to walk to the bakery. i left work at 7:00 p.m. and after eight hours on my feet, i was trashed. i had made the Friday breakfast as well as the Shabbat lunch for the yeshiva. and of course, i also made their supper, too. i bought eggs to make a kugel but i didn't buy noodles or any potatoes. i did buy a package of couscous. what can i say? i was tired and not all that focused.
i went down to the tel aviv area on Wednesday to do a CT of my lungs. half a year ago, after my routine pet scan, they thought they 'saw' something. my oncologist told me to do a CT. he wasn't having my doing it in safed, either. my medical insurance carrier wasn't going to let me do it in tel hashomer. afer all, they have a brand new machine, right here in safed hospital. i wasn't taking no for an answer and finally got my clearance form. i have learned how to play hardball with them over the years.
i cooked for about seven hours on Tuesday and left two meals for Wednesday. i took a taxi to a nearby town to catch an express bus to tel aviv. i got there in less than 21/2 hours but i still had a 50 minute bus ride to the hospital. it is about a 15 minute cab ride but the price is exorbitant. i got to the hospital about an hour or more early. i went to the small shopping maul to look around. they have an orthopedic shoe store that i like. sadly, they had nothing on sale in my size. i am a 9. i couldn't eat anything in the food court because i needed to be on a two hour fast before the CT. i drank a yogurt drink on the bus at noon. i had some oatmeal in the morning but i would have liked to have something more when i got there.
i was taken to the test relatively, on time, and was out by 4:00 p.m. i stopped back at the shopping maul to buy a fortnight monopoly game for my grandson. it was quite expensive but i know he will adore it. i plan to go there for the first night of chanukah. now i need to buy some LOL dolls for the granddaughter. are we having fun yet?
my friend will be coming over for Shabbat. i need to get the soup on. i defrosted the leftover cholent from last week and i have two giant pitas in the freezer waiting to be heated up. i bought prepared beets and cabbage salad. i have a couple of lettuces and i even bought alfalfa sprouts. i think i bought some chumus. we will be fine.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Thanksgiving Every Day
it is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. i got up at 6:00 a.m. to take the dogs out. i ran to the supermarket at 7:30 a.m.to get challah, milk products, oats, almonds and frozen fruits. i need a shake. the gas technician was coming at 8:00 a.m. my grandkids are in safed and supposed to visit sometime this morning. i didn't think i would manage. i ran over to the bakery. not one challah was left.
i moved the gas switch from one end of the kitchen to the opposite wall. i thought that they were installing a slender copper wire about 1/4 inch.under the kitchen cabinets. i nearly plotzed when i saw the ugly yellow coated copper wiring they used which was an inch wide. it is pretty upsetting to me. i don't do changes well but this blew my mind. i thought the wiring wouldn't be seen. well, i thought wrong. i also didn't notice the color of the stove that i bought. they didn't have any white ones. i bought a silver colored oven. i didn't realize that the bottom was shiny blue. there is a tiny sliver of a drawer on the bottom.
i had a gas balloon in my shed and apparently, this is not allowed anymore. the kitchen is downstairs and a guest apartment, at this time. I'm glad that i don't need to look at it every day. the man said i could paint the plastic coating white. I'm thinking about painting it silver or gold; just one more thing to add to my list of projects to do sometime. my friend 'sponsored' the new stove. it is also pretty ugly. the selection was pretty limited and i didn't want to spend a lot of her money. it didn't even come with a rubber hose to insert into the gas nob. i am not a consumer. i hate to shop. i never buy online and i hate stores. i guess i could have gone to another store but i had very limited time to do this.
i am dead tired in the morning and i can't get myself together until around noon. i then go straight to work until around 6:00-7:00 p.m. i can hardly drag my tired old body to the bus. i usually take a taxi home. i get home and rush to take the dogs out. i give them leftover food from the yeshiva and i usually grab something to eat. last night i missed supper. i don't eat after 7:30 p.m. and i got home at 8:15 p.m. i wasn't really hungry. i ate a ton of scrambled eggs from the breakfast meal. i got pretty sick in the evening and didn't know if i could finish cooking.
i made falafel balls, salads, tahini and frozen fires for their lunch. i made the usual, 30 boiled eggs and cut veggies for their Friday breakfast and pasta salad for their lunch. i made eggplant salad, tahini, tuna salad, and quinoa salad for their Shabbat lunch; as well as a beef stew that stands all night on the platter. i was planning on making a ground turkey stir fry with rice for their supper last night. one of the yeshiva guys told me that they wanted to make stuffing. i guess they felt homesick for thanksgiving. it really isn't celebrated much, here.
i told the guys that i could make a stuffing. it really isn't that much harder than making a meatloaf; except for the dicing and sautéing of the onions and celery. i took a loaf of bread and slightly toasted it. i threw in a small bag of craisins. i made a broth out of the water from the bag of cholent meat, that i parboiled and added some celery leaves, parsley, onions and carrots. i didn't have any turkey spices like rosemary, thyme, or sage but the parsley worked well. i added a bit too much broth but the guys were stoked and very satiated. i made garlic roasted potatoes, sweet carrot kugel with cinnamon and corn salad and the guys had a taste of thanksgiving.
we had a water outage for a couple of hours so cleanup was very long and exhausting. when i saw that the water was merely trickling out, i ran outside to fill up several pots. i had the exact amount to finish up the cooking but nothing left to wash the pots and serving bowls and utensils. i finished working at 7:45 p.m. i caught a cab home and passed out for a few hours. i fell asleep on the very uncomfortable t.v. couch with my legs dangling over the edge. i didn't do a 10:00 p.m. dog run. i couldn't move. the dogs didn't seem to care. the little one made in the house but the big one didn't.
i am not making Shabbat food today. i will go to the in-laws for dinner and catch my friends at shul. the kids are here now and doing their own thing. i haven't eaten yet. i want to make banana almond flour muffins and a fruit shake. i bought oats and chopped blanched almonds to grind into flour. all is well.
i moved the gas switch from one end of the kitchen to the opposite wall. i thought that they were installing a slender copper wire about 1/4 inch.under the kitchen cabinets. i nearly plotzed when i saw the ugly yellow coated copper wiring they used which was an inch wide. it is pretty upsetting to me. i don't do changes well but this blew my mind. i thought the wiring wouldn't be seen. well, i thought wrong. i also didn't notice the color of the stove that i bought. they didn't have any white ones. i bought a silver colored oven. i didn't realize that the bottom was shiny blue. there is a tiny sliver of a drawer on the bottom.
i had a gas balloon in my shed and apparently, this is not allowed anymore. the kitchen is downstairs and a guest apartment, at this time. I'm glad that i don't need to look at it every day. the man said i could paint the plastic coating white. I'm thinking about painting it silver or gold; just one more thing to add to my list of projects to do sometime. my friend 'sponsored' the new stove. it is also pretty ugly. the selection was pretty limited and i didn't want to spend a lot of her money. it didn't even come with a rubber hose to insert into the gas nob. i am not a consumer. i hate to shop. i never buy online and i hate stores. i guess i could have gone to another store but i had very limited time to do this.
i am dead tired in the morning and i can't get myself together until around noon. i then go straight to work until around 6:00-7:00 p.m. i can hardly drag my tired old body to the bus. i usually take a taxi home. i get home and rush to take the dogs out. i give them leftover food from the yeshiva and i usually grab something to eat. last night i missed supper. i don't eat after 7:30 p.m. and i got home at 8:15 p.m. i wasn't really hungry. i ate a ton of scrambled eggs from the breakfast meal. i got pretty sick in the evening and didn't know if i could finish cooking.
i made falafel balls, salads, tahini and frozen fires for their lunch. i made the usual, 30 boiled eggs and cut veggies for their Friday breakfast and pasta salad for their lunch. i made eggplant salad, tahini, tuna salad, and quinoa salad for their Shabbat lunch; as well as a beef stew that stands all night on the platter. i was planning on making a ground turkey stir fry with rice for their supper last night. one of the yeshiva guys told me that they wanted to make stuffing. i guess they felt homesick for thanksgiving. it really isn't celebrated much, here.
i told the guys that i could make a stuffing. it really isn't that much harder than making a meatloaf; except for the dicing and sautéing of the onions and celery. i took a loaf of bread and slightly toasted it. i threw in a small bag of craisins. i made a broth out of the water from the bag of cholent meat, that i parboiled and added some celery leaves, parsley, onions and carrots. i didn't have any turkey spices like rosemary, thyme, or sage but the parsley worked well. i added a bit too much broth but the guys were stoked and very satiated. i made garlic roasted potatoes, sweet carrot kugel with cinnamon and corn salad and the guys had a taste of thanksgiving.
we had a water outage for a couple of hours so cleanup was very long and exhausting. when i saw that the water was merely trickling out, i ran outside to fill up several pots. i had the exact amount to finish up the cooking but nothing left to wash the pots and serving bowls and utensils. i finished working at 7:45 p.m. i caught a cab home and passed out for a few hours. i fell asleep on the very uncomfortable t.v. couch with my legs dangling over the edge. i didn't do a 10:00 p.m. dog run. i couldn't move. the dogs didn't seem to care. the little one made in the house but the big one didn't.
i am not making Shabbat food today. i will go to the in-laws for dinner and catch my friends at shul. the kids are here now and doing their own thing. i haven't eaten yet. i want to make banana almond flour muffins and a fruit shake. i bought oats and chopped blanched almonds to grind into flour. all is well.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Still Tired In Safed
it is 7:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. i just got back from my morning walk with the dogs. i didn't run into any other four legged creatures this morning. tiny pulls me and kicks mud on my feet and teeny cuts in front of tiny and nearly trips me every time. it is ridiculous. i look like a crazy lady walking two dogs. i go out in my track suit, which i sleep in, with a long robe over it. i am too tired to get into a skirt in the morning. they wake me up every day around 6:00 a.m. today they started nudging me at 5:00ish. i couldn't get up. i finally took them out at 5:45 a.m. we were out for a while today.
i got home from work at 7:00 p.m. last night. it is quite cold and extremely windy here. i have been taking taxi's to work and back every day. i am planning on going to Jerusalem for a few days to see the kids. i haven't seen the grandkids since Rosh Hashanah. i have a few treats and some toys to schlepp with me. i always buy a few things for each time they visit. since they cancelled twice, i have a small take on bag filled with goodies.
my house is a wreck. i ran out of floor cleaner. i still haven't bought a new shower head. the pigeons are back upstairs on the veranda and i think i have a rat in the hallway. i just haven't found the time to get to the hardware store. i am going to try this morning. who knows? i just might get it together to go to town before work. i have to do my dishes and wash the floors. i need to cook 4 meals today because I'm travelling tomorrow. i am a bit anxious. i haven't been to Jerusalem in a long while. i am not always received so well when i come for Shabbat. the kids are always pressured. of course, the grandkids can't wait to see me. this time i am needed to baby sit while the parents go out, so i will be quite the welcomed guest.
yesterday, i found a pot of cooked squash in the fridge from the night before; untouched by the students. i blended the squash and added onions and fresh tomatoes and made a huge pot of tomato soup for lunch. i added soy milk to give it a creamier texture. the squash looks here looks like zucchini but the texture is like pumpkin and the inside is quite bitter and very fibrous. it needs a lot of cooking. i have been using it for cakes and kugels. i also made some corn fritters and a challah bread pudding to go with the soup for lunch. there was plenty of cut up veggies from breakfast so i added an onion and made a light dressing. some of the guys have been skipping lunch but by dinner time the leftovers are all gone.
i made shepherd's pies for their supper and a container of very spicy beets. first, i tried to pickle them. my friend sent me the recipe. she said it took around two hours. about a half an hour before i left, they were still pretty crunchy so i boiled them for awhile. i like crunchy veggies but I'm not so sure the guys do. i also made a carrot kugel and a corn bread for today. i usually make a vegan cornbread but yesterday, i had no time to play around and so i added eggs. there are 20 students and one vegan and the vegan will be leaving soon, so I'm taking it a bit easy. actually, there is nothing easy about the job. the clean up takes about an hour and my hands are wrecked and my legs hurt.
i have a lot of cooking to do this morning. i am planning on making couscous and veggies for lunch and stuffed peppers and rice for dinner. i plan on serving the corn bread tonight. i froze it so it would be fresh for today. i will make a mushroom and barley soup for lunch tomorrow and serve the carrot kugel. i think i will make a meatloaf for Thursday's supper and make carrots and sweet potatoes for a side dish. i might also make a bit of pasta. i also need to make a cake for their afternoon moshiach class. yesterday, a student asked me to bake cookies or cakes every day for that class. i blew him off. i then compromised and told him that on Thursdays, i would serve a cake.
i won't be back on sunday evening to make their dinner so the manager can make pasta and hot dogs. i will be returning on Monday morning at noon time. i hope to get to see my friend on Friday morning for brunch. she has a root canal on sunday so i doubt that she will be up for meeting for coffee. the kids will be at school so Friday morning is the best time to meet. my son asked me to come around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. usually, i am told not to come there before 7:00 p.m. the daughter-in-law does a frantic apartment cleaning after work and she doesn't tolerate foot prints. i do as I'm told. life is grand!
12:00 p.m. i just got off the roof fop veranda. it was a bad scene. at least 4 or 5 pigeons were roosting. i went into action immediately. i searched the house for plastic ties, the ones they tie up prisoners with. i couldn't find them or the bamboo twine that i used for sukkot. i searched everywhere for string. i finally found some elastic in my sewing kit and i spent two hours tightening the mesh around the bars. i hope this will at least slow them down until i return home on Monday. are we having fun yet? now i got to get to work.
i got home from work at 7:00 p.m. last night. it is quite cold and extremely windy here. i have been taking taxi's to work and back every day. i am planning on going to Jerusalem for a few days to see the kids. i haven't seen the grandkids since Rosh Hashanah. i have a few treats and some toys to schlepp with me. i always buy a few things for each time they visit. since they cancelled twice, i have a small take on bag filled with goodies.
my house is a wreck. i ran out of floor cleaner. i still haven't bought a new shower head. the pigeons are back upstairs on the veranda and i think i have a rat in the hallway. i just haven't found the time to get to the hardware store. i am going to try this morning. who knows? i just might get it together to go to town before work. i have to do my dishes and wash the floors. i need to cook 4 meals today because I'm travelling tomorrow. i am a bit anxious. i haven't been to Jerusalem in a long while. i am not always received so well when i come for Shabbat. the kids are always pressured. of course, the grandkids can't wait to see me. this time i am needed to baby sit while the parents go out, so i will be quite the welcomed guest.
yesterday, i found a pot of cooked squash in the fridge from the night before; untouched by the students. i blended the squash and added onions and fresh tomatoes and made a huge pot of tomato soup for lunch. i added soy milk to give it a creamier texture. the squash looks here looks like zucchini but the texture is like pumpkin and the inside is quite bitter and very fibrous. it needs a lot of cooking. i have been using it for cakes and kugels. i also made some corn fritters and a challah bread pudding to go with the soup for lunch. there was plenty of cut up veggies from breakfast so i added an onion and made a light dressing. some of the guys have been skipping lunch but by dinner time the leftovers are all gone.
i made shepherd's pies for their supper and a container of very spicy beets. first, i tried to pickle them. my friend sent me the recipe. she said it took around two hours. about a half an hour before i left, they were still pretty crunchy so i boiled them for awhile. i like crunchy veggies but I'm not so sure the guys do. i also made a carrot kugel and a corn bread for today. i usually make a vegan cornbread but yesterday, i had no time to play around and so i added eggs. there are 20 students and one vegan and the vegan will be leaving soon, so I'm taking it a bit easy. actually, there is nothing easy about the job. the clean up takes about an hour and my hands are wrecked and my legs hurt.
i have a lot of cooking to do this morning. i am planning on making couscous and veggies for lunch and stuffed peppers and rice for dinner. i plan on serving the corn bread tonight. i froze it so it would be fresh for today. i will make a mushroom and barley soup for lunch tomorrow and serve the carrot kugel. i think i will make a meatloaf for Thursday's supper and make carrots and sweet potatoes for a side dish. i might also make a bit of pasta. i also need to make a cake for their afternoon moshiach class. yesterday, a student asked me to bake cookies or cakes every day for that class. i blew him off. i then compromised and told him that on Thursdays, i would serve a cake.
i won't be back on sunday evening to make their dinner so the manager can make pasta and hot dogs. i will be returning on Monday morning at noon time. i hope to get to see my friend on Friday morning for brunch. she has a root canal on sunday so i doubt that she will be up for meeting for coffee. the kids will be at school so Friday morning is the best time to meet. my son asked me to come around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. usually, i am told not to come there before 7:00 p.m. the daughter-in-law does a frantic apartment cleaning after work and she doesn't tolerate foot prints. i do as I'm told. life is grand!
12:00 p.m. i just got off the roof fop veranda. it was a bad scene. at least 4 or 5 pigeons were roosting. i went into action immediately. i searched the house for plastic ties, the ones they tie up prisoners with. i couldn't find them or the bamboo twine that i used for sukkot. i searched everywhere for string. i finally found some elastic in my sewing kit and i spent two hours tightening the mesh around the bars. i hope this will at least slow them down until i return home on Monday. are we having fun yet? now i got to get to work.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Alll Alone By The telephone
it is 6:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. i just got back from walking the dogs. tiny woke me up at 5:50 a.m. he didn't wake me up yesterday because i had accidently locked him out on the bedroom veranda. it is getting harder each day to keep track of these two dogs. someone is getting locked in a room each day. the puppy, aka, teeny, ran off during our stroll. she ran into the street and nearly got hit by a car. it was a tense few minutes. i am glad to be back home. my throat hurts because i kept yelling for her to return to me. i am not good at raising dogs. they never listen to me. i give out desperate vibes to them, i guess.
i came home from work yesterday in a bad way. i had worked roughly seven hours and had not taken a break to drink, eat or even, pee. i felt like i might collapse. i borrowed money to get a taxi. i walked down the street from the yeshiva and found one. i noticed that i was not walking exactly, in a straight line. i thought that maybe, the brain tumor was kicking in. when i got home i couldn't find the fifty shekel note that i had borrowed. i felt just dreadful. i thought that i had lost it in the street. i had a vague memory of putting it in my pocketbook. i was so tired and nervous at that moment. the driver gave me his phone number and told me to pay him another time. he was such a mensch.
i got inside and searched every nook and cranny of my pocketbook. i finally found the money in the slot where you insert credit cards. i never, ever, put money there. i called the driver back and he was luckily, still in the area. i was relieved to pay him before Shabbat. fifty shekels is really not a lot of money but i earn only thirty shekels an hour. i have to stand on my feet and cook for an hour to pay for a ten minute taxi ride. some economics, heh!
i got inside and i needed to sit down. i also needed to pee and i also needed to have a cup of tea. the dogs wanted to go out but they also wanted some people food. i put on my Australian cooking contest and went to the kitchen to boil up some hot dogs and some instant mini sweet potato raviolis. i was ready to have a non gluten roll with my hot dogs but i decided to eat a few raviolis instead. i haven't really eaten any pasta in a while. i sat down on the couch and had a cup of tea. when the show ended, i took the dogs out for their nightly stroll. i felt pretty strange. my legs hurt and my right leg felt like wood. my head was tingling and my ears were ringing.
i needed to make a few phone calls but i couldn't concentrate to find the numbers in my phone book. i was zapped. i think i fell asleep on my t.v. couch. i can't remember when. i called my son somewhere in between, to check if they were coming to safed for Shabbat. i needed to buy some veggies and fruits for the Shabbat lunch. as it turns out, they aren't coming . the Sephardi grandparents and three of my daughter-in-laws siblings went down to Jerusalem for Shabbat to be with them. this is monumental. i was planning on going there next Shabbat, as i have an off Shabbat at the yeshiva and don't need to cook their Shabbat lunch. i hope i am still welcome to visit. i haven't seen the grandkids since Rosh Hashanah.
i got to work yesterday at 12:30 p.m. i immediately, threw the eggplants into the oven to make a spread for their shabbat lunch. i put up about 30 eggs to boil for their Friday lunch. i quickly started to cook a large pot of pea soup for their lunch. i also prepared about 6 pounds of sliced potatoes with turmeric for the lunch and roasted a bunch of zucchini, too. i cooked a small amount of carrots to prepare a sweet carrot kugel for their dinner. i cooked up a large pot of rice for their supper. i was planning on making turkey burgers. i also cooked up three bags of pasta to make an oriental pasta salad for their Friday lunch. i cooked up a pot of beets with vinegar and turmeric for their Shabbat lunch. i made a cucumber and onion salad to go with lunch and set out the potatoes, zucchini, pea soup and salad in the lunch room at 2:15 p.m. i had brought some leftover cake that i had frozen, for the guys. it wasn't much but they devoured it. one was a chocolate yeast cake and the other was a spelt carrot cake that i had made for sukkot. i tasted the chocolate icing. it was very tasty.
at 4:00 p.m. i checked to see if there was any leftovers from lunch. there was a small amount of soup left and i put it in the freezer. i thought that i would take it home on sunday for my dinner. i started to make the beef cholent stew for their Shabbat lunch and i cooked a package of quinoa to make a salad for their Shabbat lunch. i opened two industrial sized cans of tuna and added a bunch of mayonnaise for their Shabbat lunch and i blended the baked eggplant and made a salad. i usually add tahini and lemon juice but i didn't have the patience to open up a container and whisk up some tahini sauce. i added mayonnaise, instead. i had tons of pots and pans and bowls to wash. i looked up at the clock and it was already close to six and i hadn't made the hamburgers yet. i was feeling desperate.
i scrambled to do the washing up. i frantically washed all of the pots and serving utensils and bowls that i had used all day. i threw soapy water on the floor. i threw all of the turkey mince into a large skillet and added every spice i had and an onion and some tomato paste and sautéed it all up i then incorporated it into the rice; leaving a portion of plain rice for the vegan. and voila! i finished supper for them. i quickly washed down the counters and stove top and mopped the floor. i cut up some veggies for their Friday breakfast and put the carrot kugel and rice and turkey 'stir fry 'on the electric hot plate for their supper. i then left and caught a taxi to go home.
i need to go down to the supermarket to get a few things for my Shabbat. i need challah rolls and fruit. i haven't had a fruit shake in days. i need to lie down for a bit. i feel a bit shaky. my eyes are burning. i will probably be lone for Shabbat. i hope i get to the synagogue for services. i haven't made it out for the past two sabbats. wishing you all a Shabbat shalom!
i came home from work yesterday in a bad way. i had worked roughly seven hours and had not taken a break to drink, eat or even, pee. i felt like i might collapse. i borrowed money to get a taxi. i walked down the street from the yeshiva and found one. i noticed that i was not walking exactly, in a straight line. i thought that maybe, the brain tumor was kicking in. when i got home i couldn't find the fifty shekel note that i had borrowed. i felt just dreadful. i thought that i had lost it in the street. i had a vague memory of putting it in my pocketbook. i was so tired and nervous at that moment. the driver gave me his phone number and told me to pay him another time. he was such a mensch.
i got inside and searched every nook and cranny of my pocketbook. i finally found the money in the slot where you insert credit cards. i never, ever, put money there. i called the driver back and he was luckily, still in the area. i was relieved to pay him before Shabbat. fifty shekels is really not a lot of money but i earn only thirty shekels an hour. i have to stand on my feet and cook for an hour to pay for a ten minute taxi ride. some economics, heh!
i got inside and i needed to sit down. i also needed to pee and i also needed to have a cup of tea. the dogs wanted to go out but they also wanted some people food. i put on my Australian cooking contest and went to the kitchen to boil up some hot dogs and some instant mini sweet potato raviolis. i was ready to have a non gluten roll with my hot dogs but i decided to eat a few raviolis instead. i haven't really eaten any pasta in a while. i sat down on the couch and had a cup of tea. when the show ended, i took the dogs out for their nightly stroll. i felt pretty strange. my legs hurt and my right leg felt like wood. my head was tingling and my ears were ringing.
i needed to make a few phone calls but i couldn't concentrate to find the numbers in my phone book. i was zapped. i think i fell asleep on my t.v. couch. i can't remember when. i called my son somewhere in between, to check if they were coming to safed for Shabbat. i needed to buy some veggies and fruits for the Shabbat lunch. as it turns out, they aren't coming . the Sephardi grandparents and three of my daughter-in-laws siblings went down to Jerusalem for Shabbat to be with them. this is monumental. i was planning on going there next Shabbat, as i have an off Shabbat at the yeshiva and don't need to cook their Shabbat lunch. i hope i am still welcome to visit. i haven't seen the grandkids since Rosh Hashanah.
i got to work yesterday at 12:30 p.m. i immediately, threw the eggplants into the oven to make a spread for their shabbat lunch. i put up about 30 eggs to boil for their Friday lunch. i quickly started to cook a large pot of pea soup for their lunch. i also prepared about 6 pounds of sliced potatoes with turmeric for the lunch and roasted a bunch of zucchini, too. i cooked a small amount of carrots to prepare a sweet carrot kugel for their dinner. i cooked up a large pot of rice for their supper. i was planning on making turkey burgers. i also cooked up three bags of pasta to make an oriental pasta salad for their Friday lunch. i cooked up a pot of beets with vinegar and turmeric for their Shabbat lunch. i made a cucumber and onion salad to go with lunch and set out the potatoes, zucchini, pea soup and salad in the lunch room at 2:15 p.m. i had brought some leftover cake that i had frozen, for the guys. it wasn't much but they devoured it. one was a chocolate yeast cake and the other was a spelt carrot cake that i had made for sukkot. i tasted the chocolate icing. it was very tasty.
at 4:00 p.m. i checked to see if there was any leftovers from lunch. there was a small amount of soup left and i put it in the freezer. i thought that i would take it home on sunday for my dinner. i started to make the beef cholent stew for their Shabbat lunch and i cooked a package of quinoa to make a salad for their Shabbat lunch. i opened two industrial sized cans of tuna and added a bunch of mayonnaise for their Shabbat lunch and i blended the baked eggplant and made a salad. i usually add tahini and lemon juice but i didn't have the patience to open up a container and whisk up some tahini sauce. i added mayonnaise, instead. i had tons of pots and pans and bowls to wash. i looked up at the clock and it was already close to six and i hadn't made the hamburgers yet. i was feeling desperate.
i scrambled to do the washing up. i frantically washed all of the pots and serving utensils and bowls that i had used all day. i threw soapy water on the floor. i threw all of the turkey mince into a large skillet and added every spice i had and an onion and some tomato paste and sautéed it all up i then incorporated it into the rice; leaving a portion of plain rice for the vegan. and voila! i finished supper for them. i quickly washed down the counters and stove top and mopped the floor. i cut up some veggies for their Friday breakfast and put the carrot kugel and rice and turkey 'stir fry 'on the electric hot plate for their supper. i then left and caught a taxi to go home.
i need to go down to the supermarket to get a few things for my Shabbat. i need challah rolls and fruit. i haven't had a fruit shake in days. i need to lie down for a bit. i feel a bit shaky. my eyes are burning. i will probably be lone for Shabbat. i hope i get to the synagogue for services. i haven't made it out for the past two sabbats. wishing you all a Shabbat shalom!
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Still Getting It Together
it is 10:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I got the dogs walked at 6:00 a.m. right now they are lounging in the sun outside in the yard. tiny is still secured on a cable. I'm sure that they are wanting some people food but I will wait to feed them when I return from work. they can always have dog kibble if they are hungry. I started tackling a huge pile of papers on my kitchen table. I sorted out the paid bills and doctor's reports. I paid the water bill online. that was a small accomplishment. I needed to go to the family doctor last week to get the paper work done for my upcoming lung CT in December.
apparently, enemy missiles are being fired on tel aviv; as well as other southern regions. I guess I can always reschedule the CT. I will wait in the meantime to see how this plays out. I went through my medical folder and weeded out the numerous referral forms. I also chucked a folder of my parent's Aliyah papers. it was a bit difficult but they have both been gone for over ten years. I think less is more these days. I used to save all of my paid bills but I started throwing them out,too. my recent mantra is "throw it out". I found an old picture of myself in Hebrew school back in the 60's. I guess. it is amazing how I always thought that I was a chubby teen. I have always hated my 'fat' arms, too. looking at the picture, I realize, that I was quite trim and that my arms were actually, slender. so much for body imaging.
my 'cholent' remade into barley soup; turned out to be a big success. yesterday I made a couscous soup but because we didn't have any couscous on board; I blended it and called it pumpkin orange soup. I think that I was dehydrated yesterday. I felt quite awful when I finally got myself out of bed. I was feeling dizzy for a few days and after I took the dogs for their run; I collapsed back into bed. I felt fluish again. I don't know how I made it to work. I had to take the dog to the vet to check on her recovery from being neutered. I spent about $25 in taxis. I left work at 6:00 p.m. and taxied back home to get the puppy. it was cold and very windy. I couldn't deal with waiting for the busses. and of course, i wanted to catch my Australian cooking contest.
i taxied it home to pick up the puppy and went straight to the clinic. it was pretty cool outside and very windy. I was nervous about taking the puppy on a bus. she can be a handful. she started chasing cats the other day and now yipes and barks at other dogs. she still gets into the bathroom and runs off with multiple rolls of toilet paper. she loves to shred them. i am constantly retrieving half rolls. I truly adore this puppy. my 4 year old, tiny the medium sized dog, has regressed and jumps onto my lap like a puppy. the real puppy is catching on about toilet training,now.
i am still making my fruit shakes with frozen fruits and enjoying my homemade almond flour banana muffins in the morning. also, i am still doing the intermittent fasting regimen. i finish all food consumption at about 7:30 p.m. i haven't lost a lot of weight but my clothes are definitely looser. the waistbands of my skirts are also looser and my stomach no longer looks like a basketball. i don't look pregnant anymore. I am aiming to hit the hardware store this morning and buy a new shower spray. who knows? i might just achieve this. baby steps, right?
apparently, enemy missiles are being fired on tel aviv; as well as other southern regions. I guess I can always reschedule the CT. I will wait in the meantime to see how this plays out. I went through my medical folder and weeded out the numerous referral forms. I also chucked a folder of my parent's Aliyah papers. it was a bit difficult but they have both been gone for over ten years. I think less is more these days. I used to save all of my paid bills but I started throwing them out,too. my recent mantra is "throw it out". I found an old picture of myself in Hebrew school back in the 60's. I guess. it is amazing how I always thought that I was a chubby teen. I have always hated my 'fat' arms, too. looking at the picture, I realize, that I was quite trim and that my arms were actually, slender. so much for body imaging.
my 'cholent' remade into barley soup; turned out to be a big success. yesterday I made a couscous soup but because we didn't have any couscous on board; I blended it and called it pumpkin orange soup. I think that I was dehydrated yesterday. I felt quite awful when I finally got myself out of bed. I was feeling dizzy for a few days and after I took the dogs for their run; I collapsed back into bed. I felt fluish again. I don't know how I made it to work. I had to take the dog to the vet to check on her recovery from being neutered. I spent about $25 in taxis. I left work at 6:00 p.m. and taxied back home to get the puppy. it was cold and very windy. I couldn't deal with waiting for the busses. and of course, i wanted to catch my Australian cooking contest.
i taxied it home to pick up the puppy and went straight to the clinic. it was pretty cool outside and very windy. I was nervous about taking the puppy on a bus. she can be a handful. she started chasing cats the other day and now yipes and barks at other dogs. she still gets into the bathroom and runs off with multiple rolls of toilet paper. she loves to shred them. i am constantly retrieving half rolls. I truly adore this puppy. my 4 year old, tiny the medium sized dog, has regressed and jumps onto my lap like a puppy. the real puppy is catching on about toilet training,now.
i am still making my fruit shakes with frozen fruits and enjoying my homemade almond flour banana muffins in the morning. also, i am still doing the intermittent fasting regimen. i finish all food consumption at about 7:30 p.m. i haven't lost a lot of weight but my clothes are definitely looser. the waistbands of my skirts are also looser and my stomach no longer looks like a basketball. i don't look pregnant anymore. I am aiming to hit the hardware store this morning and buy a new shower spray. who knows? i might just achieve this. baby steps, right?
Monday, November 11, 2019
Getting It Together
it is 11:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I have the local repair guy downstairs fixing my toilet. I also have a leak in my master bedroom's bathroom sink. it's never ending when you own a house. I was able to catch up on some laundry while I waited for him to come. I even did my dishes. I guess I am feeling a tad better today. I need to get to work soon. I think it will be chili hot dogs and rice for lunch. I will probably make a pea soup for supper with some kind of kugel.
yesterday, I took some left over Shabbat stew and turned it into a barley soup by adding some fresh vegetables and a lot of liquid. I wonder if the guys caught on. I also made them a bread pudding which I call 'challah kugel'. one of the guys had a birthday so I baked a white cake with chocolate frosting. it didn't turn out the best but yeshiva guys aren't so fussy. I smeared a bunch of chocolate spread and some strawberry jelly on top. Israeli's use this chocolate spread to make their children sandwiches for school. I have primarily, used it for cakes. back in the day, when my son was in school; I probably gave him tuna or peanut butter sandwiches.
I was pretty health conscious back then. that is, before I got sick. after I underwent chemotherapy and radiation, I could not eat anything healthy. I couldn't stomach organic green tea nor could I look at whole wheat bread. I actually, became addicted to coca cola for awhile. I never drink soda or carbonated drinks. I was a soda junkie for several months. I had to literally, detox from soda. I am ashamed to say, that I am not that health conscious with the grandkids. if they want chocolate spread on bread, that's what I give them.
it is a beautiful day. the sun is out and it is vey cool. I took the dogs out at 6:00 a.m. that is a pretty safe time to not run into any loose dogs. I do say a silent prayer each time I take them; not to run into any large or vicious dogs. teeny, the puppy, loves dogs. she actually got free and chased a cat up the stairs, yesterday. I was so happy to finally have a dog that didn't hate cats, but no such luck. my dogs are cat haters. there, I said it.
I have been catching snippets of 'the view' lately. those ladies are real witches. they are so self righteous but they are truly evil. my new thing is to comment on YouTube. it is my passion these days. I sometimes get answers. talk about your validation! I have to find a moment to buy a new hand spray for my shower. last week we had a water 'break' and when I came home, each bathroom was slightly flooded. the shower spray in the master bedroom flew off and broke from the pressure when the water was turned back on. it is always something. I have several, little, annoying repair jobs to do.
the repair guy seems to be struggling with the bathroom sink leak. it is pretty clogged up. he usually solves the problem, eventually; bless him. I think I will have to pay him with a 'head' check. I think my account is running low this month. he is pretty compliant with the payments. I will receive my salary in a couple of weeks so all is well.
yesterday, I took some left over Shabbat stew and turned it into a barley soup by adding some fresh vegetables and a lot of liquid. I wonder if the guys caught on. I also made them a bread pudding which I call 'challah kugel'. one of the guys had a birthday so I baked a white cake with chocolate frosting. it didn't turn out the best but yeshiva guys aren't so fussy. I smeared a bunch of chocolate spread and some strawberry jelly on top. Israeli's use this chocolate spread to make their children sandwiches for school. I have primarily, used it for cakes. back in the day, when my son was in school; I probably gave him tuna or peanut butter sandwiches.
I was pretty health conscious back then. that is, before I got sick. after I underwent chemotherapy and radiation, I could not eat anything healthy. I couldn't stomach organic green tea nor could I look at whole wheat bread. I actually, became addicted to coca cola for awhile. I never drink soda or carbonated drinks. I was a soda junkie for several months. I had to literally, detox from soda. I am ashamed to say, that I am not that health conscious with the grandkids. if they want chocolate spread on bread, that's what I give them.
it is a beautiful day. the sun is out and it is vey cool. I took the dogs out at 6:00 a.m. that is a pretty safe time to not run into any loose dogs. I do say a silent prayer each time I take them; not to run into any large or vicious dogs. teeny, the puppy, loves dogs. she actually got free and chased a cat up the stairs, yesterday. I was so happy to finally have a dog that didn't hate cats, but no such luck. my dogs are cat haters. there, I said it.
I have been catching snippets of 'the view' lately. those ladies are real witches. they are so self righteous but they are truly evil. my new thing is to comment on YouTube. it is my passion these days. I sometimes get answers. talk about your validation! I have to find a moment to buy a new hand spray for my shower. last week we had a water 'break' and when I came home, each bathroom was slightly flooded. the shower spray in the master bedroom flew off and broke from the pressure when the water was turned back on. it is always something. I have several, little, annoying repair jobs to do.
the repair guy seems to be struggling with the bathroom sink leak. it is pretty clogged up. he usually solves the problem, eventually; bless him. I think I will have to pay him with a 'head' check. I think my account is running low this month. he is pretty compliant with the payments. I will receive my salary in a couple of weeks so all is well.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Almost Shabbat 2019
it is 3:00 p.m. in the holy city of Shabbat. teeny the puppy, joined us for our evening walk last night. she seems much better after her surgery. she finally pooped, too. I hand fed her banana and made organic oatmeal with frozen raspberries this morning. she also had some of my salmon fillet. tiny the dog is lying outside in the yard on a long cable. he is no longer allowed to run free and chase cats and children and other innocent pedestrians. it took me awhile to get it.
I made two salmon fillets for Shabbat but I ate most of it. I am finishing up a bean and meat stew for tonight. it was supposed to be a cholent and stand on the electric platter all night ; but I decided to have some for Shabbat evening. I didn't have any barley or potatoes to make it authentic cholent so it is now a bean and beef stew. I used a packet of dehydrated fried onions. I didn't have any veggies to add. I ran down to the supermarket to buy bananas and frozen fruits to make my smoothies and didn't really think about veggies. I bought a few packets of minced almonds and ground them into a flour and made banana muffins.
it was very hot this morning. I quickly washed down the hallway where teeny has been relieving herself. I was pretty tired today. I cooked for nearly seven hours yesterday. I made falafel balls, salads and french fries for lunch. I used up two bottles of oil. I made boiled eggs and cut veggies for their breakfast today and left some tahini. I made turkey burgers, rice and carrot kugel for their supper. I made a huge oriental cold pasta salad for their lunch today and I made eggplant salad, pickled beets, quinoa and beef stew for their Shabbat lunch. on my way out of the kitchen, I quickly mashed up two industrial sized cans of tuna with a lot of mayonnaise. it took me about an hour to clean up the kitchen. I cabbed it home and was able to catch my Australian cooking contest on television. I passed out shortly after I walked the dogs around 8:00 p.m.
I need to watch my stew now. it is almost done. I mistakenly added hot paprika instead of the sweet paprika and I think it will be too spicy for the dogs. I burnt the rice and I burnt the string beans and I also burnt the pot of water with lemon salt; that I left on the fire to loosen the burnt remains. I sometimes think that I may have early onset dementia. I got off the phone with my friend and I smelled a chemical like smell. I also noticed that the house was a grayish color. I thought that we might be under a chemical attack when I realized it was coming from my kitchen. I quickly opened up all of the windows to air the house out. oh well.... all is well. I didn't burn the house down today. Shabbat shalom!
I made two salmon fillets for Shabbat but I ate most of it. I am finishing up a bean and meat stew for tonight. it was supposed to be a cholent and stand on the electric platter all night ; but I decided to have some for Shabbat evening. I didn't have any barley or potatoes to make it authentic cholent so it is now a bean and beef stew. I used a packet of dehydrated fried onions. I didn't have any veggies to add. I ran down to the supermarket to buy bananas and frozen fruits to make my smoothies and didn't really think about veggies. I bought a few packets of minced almonds and ground them into a flour and made banana muffins.
it was very hot this morning. I quickly washed down the hallway where teeny has been relieving herself. I was pretty tired today. I cooked for nearly seven hours yesterday. I made falafel balls, salads and french fries for lunch. I used up two bottles of oil. I made boiled eggs and cut veggies for their breakfast today and left some tahini. I made turkey burgers, rice and carrot kugel for their supper. I made a huge oriental cold pasta salad for their lunch today and I made eggplant salad, pickled beets, quinoa and beef stew for their Shabbat lunch. on my way out of the kitchen, I quickly mashed up two industrial sized cans of tuna with a lot of mayonnaise. it took me about an hour to clean up the kitchen. I cabbed it home and was able to catch my Australian cooking contest on television. I passed out shortly after I walked the dogs around 8:00 p.m.
I need to watch my stew now. it is almost done. I mistakenly added hot paprika instead of the sweet paprika and I think it will be too spicy for the dogs. I burnt the rice and I burnt the string beans and I also burnt the pot of water with lemon salt; that I left on the fire to loosen the burnt remains. I sometimes think that I may have early onset dementia. I got off the phone with my friend and I smelled a chemical like smell. I also noticed that the house was a grayish color. I thought that we might be under a chemical attack when I realized it was coming from my kitchen. I quickly opened up all of the windows to air the house out. oh well.... all is well. I didn't burn the house down today. Shabbat shalom!
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Thank Goodness It's Thursday
it is 7:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. you know, for a very small and remote town in the upper galilee region of Israel, we have many spellings of it's name. I use the arab version. I think it is the nicest looking. you will usually see tzfat or zefat listed online. it is biblically, one of the five cities of refuge and one of the four holy cities.. anyone living here has his 'story'. we live on a mountain and the altitude is quite high. baking is always a challenge at first. I still don't get it completely right.
I don't know what started me on a safed rant. I've been here since 1984. I guess i'm really tired. I had the puppy neutered on Tuesday and I've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the television nook; since she can't jump onto my bed, yet. I haven't been able to turn off the television without moving her and I've had pretty poor sleeping. yes, I know about the invention of the remote control, as you might be thinking. I've just been too tired to keep it close by.
I finally did my dishes yesterday morning before I went to work. I am too tired and wet when I return home from cooking. the cleanup there takes about an hour. I usually wait for half an hour for my bus and after being on my feet for 5-6 hours; I'm truly beat and don't feel like cooking for myself and doing the wash up. I sometimes eat at the yeshiva. yesterday, I helped myself to a huge plate of pasta. I have been hitting the carbs pretty hard lately. it's the change in weather that effects our appetite. I usually have a fruit shake for dinner. the intermittent fasting keeps me from doing more damage to my weight.
I am in the middle of watching the tenth season of 'my kitchen rules, an Australian cooking competition.' I sometimes take a taxi home to get back in time to see it at 6:00 p.m. if I miss it I can catch it at midnight but I try to go to bed before that. I have been passing out lately, pretty early. today, I usually cook 4 meals. I do lunch and dinner, and Friday's lunch and Saturday's lunch, too. it takes about six hours. thankfully, Thursday is the end of my work week. I could go in and cook the Shabbat food tomorrow morning, but I prefer to be home instead. I can catch up on my laundry.
I am planning on making falafel balls and chips with salad for lunch and something with chop meat for supper. maybe, i'll do pea soup and hamburgers. rice is a good side dish. the guys like rice. I usually do pasta salad for their lunch on Friday. I make a beef like stew with barley and potatoes that stays on the electric platter all night. I then have to make a few salads for their Shabbat lunch. I'm thinking eggplant salad, pickled beets, cold quinoa and a corn salad. and i'll open some tuna fish. just thinking about doing all of this makes me more tired.
my head hurts this morning. the changes in the barometric pressure is killing me. the mornings are still warm but it cools off drastically at night. I schlepp a coat with me every day. I am not really feeling like going to work but I have the rest of the morning to rest. I can always cab it to work. as long as I get in by noon, I have a good shot of finishing up by 6:00 p.m. as soon as I get in, i'll put up the rice and pasta to cook. i'll throw the eggplants into the oven and i'll then peel a bag of potatoes and get the chips ready for frying. I'm thinking of round chips today. i'll start cutting up veggies. hopefully, it will go smoothly and I won't cut myself today.
I don't know what started me on a safed rant. I've been here since 1984. I guess i'm really tired. I had the puppy neutered on Tuesday and I've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the television nook; since she can't jump onto my bed, yet. I haven't been able to turn off the television without moving her and I've had pretty poor sleeping. yes, I know about the invention of the remote control, as you might be thinking. I've just been too tired to keep it close by.
I finally did my dishes yesterday morning before I went to work. I am too tired and wet when I return home from cooking. the cleanup there takes about an hour. I usually wait for half an hour for my bus and after being on my feet for 5-6 hours; I'm truly beat and don't feel like cooking for myself and doing the wash up. I sometimes eat at the yeshiva. yesterday, I helped myself to a huge plate of pasta. I have been hitting the carbs pretty hard lately. it's the change in weather that effects our appetite. I usually have a fruit shake for dinner. the intermittent fasting keeps me from doing more damage to my weight.
I am in the middle of watching the tenth season of 'my kitchen rules, an Australian cooking competition.' I sometimes take a taxi home to get back in time to see it at 6:00 p.m. if I miss it I can catch it at midnight but I try to go to bed before that. I have been passing out lately, pretty early. today, I usually cook 4 meals. I do lunch and dinner, and Friday's lunch and Saturday's lunch, too. it takes about six hours. thankfully, Thursday is the end of my work week. I could go in and cook the Shabbat food tomorrow morning, but I prefer to be home instead. I can catch up on my laundry.
I am planning on making falafel balls and chips with salad for lunch and something with chop meat for supper. maybe, i'll do pea soup and hamburgers. rice is a good side dish. the guys like rice. I usually do pasta salad for their lunch on Friday. I make a beef like stew with barley and potatoes that stays on the electric platter all night. I then have to make a few salads for their Shabbat lunch. I'm thinking eggplant salad, pickled beets, cold quinoa and a corn salad. and i'll open some tuna fish. just thinking about doing all of this makes me more tired.
my head hurts this morning. the changes in the barometric pressure is killing me. the mornings are still warm but it cools off drastically at night. I schlepp a coat with me every day. I am not really feeling like going to work but I have the rest of the morning to rest. I can always cab it to work. as long as I get in by noon, I have a good shot of finishing up by 6:00 p.m. as soon as I get in, i'll put up the rice and pasta to cook. i'll throw the eggplants into the oven and i'll then peel a bag of potatoes and get the chips ready for frying. I'm thinking of round chips today. i'll start cutting up veggies. hopefully, it will go smoothly and I won't cut myself today.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Home Alone Simchat Torah 2019
it is 3:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I got up pretty early today because I didn't nap on Saturday afternoon. the weather was truly lovely and I sat in my sukkah with my friend all day. I didn't feel like being alone in the sukkah on Shabbat so I called my friend to come. she recently returned from the states and has been coughing up a storm. I had a pot of chicken soup ready made and I quickly made a beef cholent. I had only one potato left but I had a bag of wheat so we had a feast. it was cold on Friday night so we ate pretty fast and retired to the dining room for tea and fruit.
I made it to synagogue in the morning but I felt dreadful. my head ached and my eyes were burning. I didn't stick around to see if they were doing a Kiddush at the end of the service. the cholent was waiting for me and it was quite yummy. I added just a tad of cinnamon. it was so airy and pleasant outside. I read Ecclesiastes out load and broke into the tune of the birds :turn, turn, turn' when I chanted "there is a season to live and a season to die', etc. my friend was not familiar with the megillah. she did know the song.
the kids were supposed to come today for the holiday. I didn't prepare any food because they said we were going to the Sephardi grandparents tonight and the sister's tomorrow for a barbecue. I was planning on serving the rest of the chicken soup when they arrived and make a package of mini sweet potato raviolis. I had tons of salad left and I ran out to the supermarket to buy fruit and fresh rolls. I think I left the fruit at the supermarket. I went to the large supermarket by bus. I bought fresh whole wheat baguettes and a package of non gluten rolls. the grandkids and I love them with hotdogs. I bought a container of non dairy ice cream and a few tuna steaks. and I bought two packages of chocolate eggs. you know, the ones that have the toys inside.
I also bought some lamb kabobs and beef hotdogs for the said barbecue. I had already purchased chicken hotdogs, beef burgers, chicken wings and lamb kabobs. I ran to the pharmacy next door to get acamol for my headache and some anti fungal eye cream for the infection. I couldn't buy the cream without a prescription. I then went to the nut store and bought fresh sunflower seeds, a mix of natural nuts and raisins, dried figs, pineapple rings and dates. I then took a taxi down the road to the discount store to find some toys for the kids. I always have something for them when they arrive. I had been planning on going to town this morning. I needed to buy a pay card for my cell phone. I don't have a line. when I got to the bus stop I realized that I had left the phone home.
I was planning on going back to Jerusalem on Monday night with the kids; after the holiday ended. and of course, I needed my phone. I intended to contact my girlfriend, once I got there, and set a time to meet. I spent quite a bit of money today. when I got home my son called to cancel. I wasn't really upset. I decided to have a quiet holiday with my friend. I felt bad that she might be alone. she wasn't interested in coming out. rain is predicted tomorrow. I quickly took out a piece of beef and threw it into a pot with onions and beer. I added some sweet chili sauce. I then cooked a couple of tuna steaks and a small pot of buckwheat groats.
tonight, we go to the synagogue and watch the men dance with the sefer torahs. I have been doing this for 35 years here. I am not as enthusiastic as I used to be, but I still strive to go. my eyes are burning . we say farewell to the sukkah this evening. we eat in the home tonight. it is customary to have a small meal before the holiday starts. we jews like our food!. the house is clean and i'm pretty much ready for the holiday. I have lost some weight and my clothes are beginning to be loose in the waist. I don't know what i'll wear tonight. I am relieved not to have to walk home late, tonight in the cold from the in-laws. it is a bit unnerving to be alone. it is what it is. happy holidays!
I made it to synagogue in the morning but I felt dreadful. my head ached and my eyes were burning. I didn't stick around to see if they were doing a Kiddush at the end of the service. the cholent was waiting for me and it was quite yummy. I added just a tad of cinnamon. it was so airy and pleasant outside. I read Ecclesiastes out load and broke into the tune of the birds :turn, turn, turn' when I chanted "there is a season to live and a season to die', etc. my friend was not familiar with the megillah. she did know the song.
the kids were supposed to come today for the holiday. I didn't prepare any food because they said we were going to the Sephardi grandparents tonight and the sister's tomorrow for a barbecue. I was planning on serving the rest of the chicken soup when they arrived and make a package of mini sweet potato raviolis. I had tons of salad left and I ran out to the supermarket to buy fruit and fresh rolls. I think I left the fruit at the supermarket. I went to the large supermarket by bus. I bought fresh whole wheat baguettes and a package of non gluten rolls. the grandkids and I love them with hotdogs. I bought a container of non dairy ice cream and a few tuna steaks. and I bought two packages of chocolate eggs. you know, the ones that have the toys inside.
I also bought some lamb kabobs and beef hotdogs for the said barbecue. I had already purchased chicken hotdogs, beef burgers, chicken wings and lamb kabobs. I ran to the pharmacy next door to get acamol for my headache and some anti fungal eye cream for the infection. I couldn't buy the cream without a prescription. I then went to the nut store and bought fresh sunflower seeds, a mix of natural nuts and raisins, dried figs, pineapple rings and dates. I then took a taxi down the road to the discount store to find some toys for the kids. I always have something for them when they arrive. I had been planning on going to town this morning. I needed to buy a pay card for my cell phone. I don't have a line. when I got to the bus stop I realized that I had left the phone home.
I was planning on going back to Jerusalem on Monday night with the kids; after the holiday ended. and of course, I needed my phone. I intended to contact my girlfriend, once I got there, and set a time to meet. I spent quite a bit of money today. when I got home my son called to cancel. I wasn't really upset. I decided to have a quiet holiday with my friend. I felt bad that she might be alone. she wasn't interested in coming out. rain is predicted tomorrow. I quickly took out a piece of beef and threw it into a pot with onions and beer. I added some sweet chili sauce. I then cooked a couple of tuna steaks and a small pot of buckwheat groats.
tonight, we go to the synagogue and watch the men dance with the sefer torahs. I have been doing this for 35 years here. I am not as enthusiastic as I used to be, but I still strive to go. my eyes are burning . we say farewell to the sukkah this evening. we eat in the home tonight. it is customary to have a small meal before the holiday starts. we jews like our food!. the house is clean and i'm pretty much ready for the holiday. I have lost some weight and my clothes are beginning to be loose in the waist. I don't know what i'll wear tonight. I am relieved not to have to walk home late, tonight in the cold from the in-laws. it is a bit unnerving to be alone. it is what it is. happy holidays!
Monday, October 14, 2019
Festival Of The Ingatherings 2019
it is 8:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. we are currently in the second day of the festival of tabernacles. I put up my portable sukkah last Friday. I wasn't planning on bothering this year. the kids stayed in Jerusalem and I stayed put in safed. women are not obligated to eat or sleep in the sukkah but traditionally, they do. I had two gal pals come for the evening meal on sunday night. I kept the menu simple. I made a small piece of beef and a small amount of beef meatballs. I had some leftover sweet noodle kugel and I made string beans, beets and a mixed green salad. I also had tahini and chumus.
I went to the bakery on Friday to buy challahs for the holiday but forgot them at the supermarket. luckily, I had some whole wheat raisin challah in the freezer from Rosh Hashanah. I was able to freshen them up in the oven. I actually, baked a spelt carrot cake. it is in the freezer, virtually untouched. I may bring it to the yeshiva when the break is over. my baking is not what it used to be. it has been quite hot here, once again, in the middle east. I rigged up a fan in the sukkah. it has been cold at night but not during the holiday.
I walked my friend, nearly home, on sunday night. it is about an hour from my home. it was very windy and sand was flying in our eyes. I returned home to find my sukkah had moved and the bamboo 'roof' covering almost blown off. I was quite desperate. I made several attempts to secure the sukkah in it's place but most, unsuccessfully. the noise from the wind storm was quite alarming. it was hard to sleep. it sounded like the end of the world. living on a mountain does that. I awakened to find that most of the posters I had pinned to the material walls of the sukkah were gone. the fake plastic clusters of grapes were intact. go know!.
I was able to have my festival lunch in the sukkah with my friend. we sat in the part of the sukkah that was still intact. I fixed the sukkah last night after the festival ended. I tried to secure it to the metal fence. right now it looks like it is going to storm. nothing worse than a soggy and wet sukkah. there is a memorial service and meal at the synagogue for a lovely lady who recently passed last month, later this afternoon. I wonder if it will be rained out. oh the pressure of sukkot is great. building the sukkah is traditionally, a man's job. last year my neighbor did it for me. the year before my grandson helped. this time I did it myself and it wasn't my best effort. my neighbor did roll out the bamboo roof covering for me. it was too heavy for me. I didn't secure it very well.
I don't think that I will be hosting anyone this week. perhaps my friend will join me for Shabbat, weather permitting. I was planning on doing a barbecue but we shall see how it turns out. I am still a bit bummed out. I shouldn't be. for the moment the sukkah is standing upright and looks okay. the bamboo covering is still in place. on Sunday night, we celebrate the holiday of simchat torah. we do not go back to the sukkah for our meals. the kids are supposed to be coming to me for that. I could save the barbecue for Monday.
I am currently a bit under the weather. I am exhausted and not feeling well at all. I ate too much yesterday and my eye looks inflamed. I am too tired to schlepp to the pharmacy for dexamol and eye cream. I will stay put for now. I am so glad that I did the washing up last night instead of waiting for this morning to do the dishes. the kitchen is straightened up and I am in no shape to do anything right now. I just might have a cup of tea and some dry toast for now.
I went to the bakery on Friday to buy challahs for the holiday but forgot them at the supermarket. luckily, I had some whole wheat raisin challah in the freezer from Rosh Hashanah. I was able to freshen them up in the oven. I actually, baked a spelt carrot cake. it is in the freezer, virtually untouched. I may bring it to the yeshiva when the break is over. my baking is not what it used to be. it has been quite hot here, once again, in the middle east. I rigged up a fan in the sukkah. it has been cold at night but not during the holiday.
I walked my friend, nearly home, on sunday night. it is about an hour from my home. it was very windy and sand was flying in our eyes. I returned home to find my sukkah had moved and the bamboo 'roof' covering almost blown off. I was quite desperate. I made several attempts to secure the sukkah in it's place but most, unsuccessfully. the noise from the wind storm was quite alarming. it was hard to sleep. it sounded like the end of the world. living on a mountain does that. I awakened to find that most of the posters I had pinned to the material walls of the sukkah were gone. the fake plastic clusters of grapes were intact. go know!.
I was able to have my festival lunch in the sukkah with my friend. we sat in the part of the sukkah that was still intact. I fixed the sukkah last night after the festival ended. I tried to secure it to the metal fence. right now it looks like it is going to storm. nothing worse than a soggy and wet sukkah. there is a memorial service and meal at the synagogue for a lovely lady who recently passed last month, later this afternoon. I wonder if it will be rained out. oh the pressure of sukkot is great. building the sukkah is traditionally, a man's job. last year my neighbor did it for me. the year before my grandson helped. this time I did it myself and it wasn't my best effort. my neighbor did roll out the bamboo roof covering for me. it was too heavy for me. I didn't secure it very well.
I don't think that I will be hosting anyone this week. perhaps my friend will join me for Shabbat, weather permitting. I was planning on doing a barbecue but we shall see how it turns out. I am still a bit bummed out. I shouldn't be. for the moment the sukkah is standing upright and looks okay. the bamboo covering is still in place. on Sunday night, we celebrate the holiday of simchat torah. we do not go back to the sukkah for our meals. the kids are supposed to be coming to me for that. I could save the barbecue for Monday.
I am currently a bit under the weather. I am exhausted and not feeling well at all. I ate too much yesterday and my eye looks inflamed. I am too tired to schlepp to the pharmacy for dexamol and eye cream. I will stay put for now. I am so glad that I did the washing up last night instead of waiting for this morning to do the dishes. the kitchen is straightened up and I am in no shape to do anything right now. I just might have a cup of tea and some dry toast for now.
Friday, September 27, 2019
shana tova 2019
it is 12:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got home from the neighborhood supermarket. I ran out to buy some chicken. I am craving chicken soup for Shabbat. I bought a ton of meat for the holiday but I was truly fantasizing about chicken. I ended up buying wings. I think it will make a decent soup. when the kids arrive on sunday, just before the holiday; they may be hungry. I usually give them tuna salad. they might just want a bowl of soup this time. my son is recuperating from a sinus infection, so chicken soup might be just, the remedy.
as it turns out, the kids will only be joining me for one evening meal. I have decided to keep the menu simple. no kugels this year. I just bought noodles to make a sweet kugel but they can be used for the soup. I thought about making a bulgur pilaf instead of rice. I bought only a few mini potatoes and sweet potatoes. I think i'll just bake them. I decided not to make tsimis. I throw it out every year. I didn't buy apricots or prunes. they are a trigger for a sugar binge for me. I'm still on my no sugar diet and dipping every thing in honey is not an option for me. I have been putting dates in my smoothies but I haven't gone off the wagon completely.
I made 4 honey cake loaves to give out. I used coconut oil and spelt flour this time. I hope they came out okay. I don't think i'll be having any. I wanted to hit the health food store to buy chickpea flour to make a non gluten honey cake for myself but it was just too hot to get there. I was lucky to have gotten a ride home from the supermarket. I might just head out early on sunday morning to buy challahs and get the flour and a vanilla scented perfume at the pharmacy, that I liked. we shall see. the holiday comes in early. I would cook today for the holiday but the kids prefer freshly cooked food.
I have to prepare a small amount of the traditional foods that are omens for a good year. they include: beets, leeks, gourds, fish head, pomegranate, dates, carrots, apples, black eyed peas and of course, the honey. I bought precooked beets and a bag of the beet leaves, which everyone loves. I bought these strange shriveled up looking string beans, that contain the black eyed peas. I bought a small chunk of pumpkin. they have a green squash that looks like a gourd but is very bitter. I try to avoid it. I bought a quince that I cook up every year for a new fruit. no one likes it. I usually have it all to myself. I also bought a star fruit which basically has the same texture and taste as a red pepper, but slices into stars. I bought a few 'prickly' pears which we call sabras, which grow out of cactus trees. my daughter-in-law likes them.
I bought a ton of fruit last week but I ate it all. I have been coming home late from work and making fruit shakes instead of having dinner. I have been 'sampling' my food at the yeshiva and hitting the carbs pretty hard. I know that I lost weight because the waistbands of my skirts are looser but I don't think it is ten pounds yet. my friend, who is doing the 16 hour intermittent fasting, has dropped over twenty pounds. I'm holding at 12-13 hours of fasting with the occasional 14-16 hours.
I desperately need to wash the floors with bleach today. I am too tired right now. I am waiting for a boost of energy. I just had a fruit shake and two salmon fillets. I'm still tired. I worked until 8:00 p.m last night. I left food for today, tomorrow and for sunday afternoon. I don't have to go in before the holiday to cook. I made them an eggless chocolate cake and a honey cake. I left turkey schnitzels and carrot kugel in the freezer. I even froze a tin of couscous. I hope it is enough. we are down to ten students but I cook more treats for them. the other evening I made flourless tahini and peanut butter cookies.
I wish you all a good Shabbat and a very happy new year.
as it turns out, the kids will only be joining me for one evening meal. I have decided to keep the menu simple. no kugels this year. I just bought noodles to make a sweet kugel but they can be used for the soup. I thought about making a bulgur pilaf instead of rice. I bought only a few mini potatoes and sweet potatoes. I think i'll just bake them. I decided not to make tsimis. I throw it out every year. I didn't buy apricots or prunes. they are a trigger for a sugar binge for me. I'm still on my no sugar diet and dipping every thing in honey is not an option for me. I have been putting dates in my smoothies but I haven't gone off the wagon completely.
I made 4 honey cake loaves to give out. I used coconut oil and spelt flour this time. I hope they came out okay. I don't think i'll be having any. I wanted to hit the health food store to buy chickpea flour to make a non gluten honey cake for myself but it was just too hot to get there. I was lucky to have gotten a ride home from the supermarket. I might just head out early on sunday morning to buy challahs and get the flour and a vanilla scented perfume at the pharmacy, that I liked. we shall see. the holiday comes in early. I would cook today for the holiday but the kids prefer freshly cooked food.
I have to prepare a small amount of the traditional foods that are omens for a good year. they include: beets, leeks, gourds, fish head, pomegranate, dates, carrots, apples, black eyed peas and of course, the honey. I bought precooked beets and a bag of the beet leaves, which everyone loves. I bought these strange shriveled up looking string beans, that contain the black eyed peas. I bought a small chunk of pumpkin. they have a green squash that looks like a gourd but is very bitter. I try to avoid it. I bought a quince that I cook up every year for a new fruit. no one likes it. I usually have it all to myself. I also bought a star fruit which basically has the same texture and taste as a red pepper, but slices into stars. I bought a few 'prickly' pears which we call sabras, which grow out of cactus trees. my daughter-in-law likes them.
I bought a ton of fruit last week but I ate it all. I have been coming home late from work and making fruit shakes instead of having dinner. I have been 'sampling' my food at the yeshiva and hitting the carbs pretty hard. I know that I lost weight because the waistbands of my skirts are looser but I don't think it is ten pounds yet. my friend, who is doing the 16 hour intermittent fasting, has dropped over twenty pounds. I'm holding at 12-13 hours of fasting with the occasional 14-16 hours.
I desperately need to wash the floors with bleach today. I am too tired right now. I am waiting for a boost of energy. I just had a fruit shake and two salmon fillets. I'm still tired. I worked until 8:00 p.m last night. I left food for today, tomorrow and for sunday afternoon. I don't have to go in before the holiday to cook. I made them an eggless chocolate cake and a honey cake. I left turkey schnitzels and carrot kugel in the freezer. I even froze a tin of couscous. I hope it is enough. we are down to ten students but I cook more treats for them. the other evening I made flourless tahini and peanut butter cookies.
I wish you all a good Shabbat and a very happy new year.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Cleaning Up My Act
it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I just finished washing the kitchen and dining room floors, yet once again. the place reeks of pish. the puppy is incorrigible. I threw in a load of laundry and just put in a batch of duvet covers. I am just trying to clean up my act. I also scraped off a bunch of slime from the yeshiva's kitchen floor yesterday. I am on a mission. the kids are coming to safed for Shabbat. I don't know if they will be sleeping here but i'm sure they will be leaving their toy Yorkshire puppy with me. it will be sheer pishie pandemonium with the two untrained female puppies and my male 4 year old male dog, tiny.
yesterday I ate at the yeshiva. I seldom have a meal there. I made tabouli salad, hash brown potatoes, red lentil dahl, Israeli salad and ratatouille. I had a yogurt drink on the taxi ride home and I didn't have anything else. I haven't broken my fast yet. I made rice and hot dogs for the dogs this morning. I might just have a hot dog sandwich before I go to work. I am waiting for a gas canister delivery. I need to clean the downstairs apartment. we are going to have my grandson's birthday party on Saturday night. I already ran out yesterday to the party goods store to buy spiderman balloons, banners, napkins, party bags, and disposable table cloths.
I skipped the plates because they were exorbitant in price. they didn't have matching cups so I bought a bunch of red and blue plates and cups. I think it will be swell. I ran to rosh pina to buy him a very expensive collectible 'it' clown doll. I actually waited an hour for the bus to get here and it was full. I was lucky to find a seat. I ended up buying two dolls so I decided to save one for Chanukah. I didn't buy any candy for the party. I spent enough on the gift and party goods. I hope they don't cancel on me. I don't know if they are planning to have Shabbat lunch here with me so I will buy some food just in case. everything is always a last minute decision. I don't work that way.
I usually would have already shopped for rosh hashannah but I still don't know the plans this year. who knows? perhaps they are staying in Jerusalem for the holidays. one must be flexible. at 68 years old, this is not an easy feat to do. I have no idea as to what I will make for lunch today. I didn't seem to lose any sleep over it yesterday. I watched an old movie and went to bed at 2:30 a.m. I have been catching up with movies lately. and my favorite cooking contest from Australia is currently viewing. yeh!
8:30 p.m. : the guys came with the gas balloons but they didn't take a credit card. I had absolutely no cash on me and haven't picked up my checks at the bank. luckily for me, my neighbor was home and lent me the money. I just came home from work and stopped off at an ATM machine to repay my neighbor. I had to take a taxi home. I was wasted. I was ready to finish up my cooking around 5:00 p.m. when the manager came in to let me know they were expecting 35 for dinner. they were apparently, hosting a meal for a bride and groom and I had already prepared enough for my usual group of about 17.
I quickly, defrosted another 2 pounds of chop turkey meat to add to my meatball mixture and broke up 2 bags of spaghetti into tiny pieces to make a noodle kugel. I sliced up a dozen or more egg tomatoes and made a salad with onions. I had already baked a carrot kugel and eggless chocolate cake and cooked white rice and green lentils. I didn't finish until 7:00 p.m. I stopped off at the party goods store and got more things for the birthday. I got home and ate a cold hot dog and that's it for tonight's food intake. I had a tuna patty and a couple of lentil patties at work before I left. that's quite enough of food today.
yesterday I ate at the yeshiva. I seldom have a meal there. I made tabouli salad, hash brown potatoes, red lentil dahl, Israeli salad and ratatouille. I had a yogurt drink on the taxi ride home and I didn't have anything else. I haven't broken my fast yet. I made rice and hot dogs for the dogs this morning. I might just have a hot dog sandwich before I go to work. I am waiting for a gas canister delivery. I need to clean the downstairs apartment. we are going to have my grandson's birthday party on Saturday night. I already ran out yesterday to the party goods store to buy spiderman balloons, banners, napkins, party bags, and disposable table cloths.
I skipped the plates because they were exorbitant in price. they didn't have matching cups so I bought a bunch of red and blue plates and cups. I think it will be swell. I ran to rosh pina to buy him a very expensive collectible 'it' clown doll. I actually waited an hour for the bus to get here and it was full. I was lucky to find a seat. I ended up buying two dolls so I decided to save one for Chanukah. I didn't buy any candy for the party. I spent enough on the gift and party goods. I hope they don't cancel on me. I don't know if they are planning to have Shabbat lunch here with me so I will buy some food just in case. everything is always a last minute decision. I don't work that way.
I usually would have already shopped for rosh hashannah but I still don't know the plans this year. who knows? perhaps they are staying in Jerusalem for the holidays. one must be flexible. at 68 years old, this is not an easy feat to do. I have no idea as to what I will make for lunch today. I didn't seem to lose any sleep over it yesterday. I watched an old movie and went to bed at 2:30 a.m. I have been catching up with movies lately. and my favorite cooking contest from Australia is currently viewing. yeh!
8:30 p.m. : the guys came with the gas balloons but they didn't take a credit card. I had absolutely no cash on me and haven't picked up my checks at the bank. luckily for me, my neighbor was home and lent me the money. I just came home from work and stopped off at an ATM machine to repay my neighbor. I had to take a taxi home. I was wasted. I was ready to finish up my cooking around 5:00 p.m. when the manager came in to let me know they were expecting 35 for dinner. they were apparently, hosting a meal for a bride and groom and I had already prepared enough for my usual group of about 17.
I quickly, defrosted another 2 pounds of chop turkey meat to add to my meatball mixture and broke up 2 bags of spaghetti into tiny pieces to make a noodle kugel. I sliced up a dozen or more egg tomatoes and made a salad with onions. I had already baked a carrot kugel and eggless chocolate cake and cooked white rice and green lentils. I didn't finish until 7:00 p.m. I stopped off at the party goods store and got more things for the birthday. I got home and ate a cold hot dog and that's it for tonight's food intake. I had a tuna patty and a couple of lentil patties at work before I left. that's quite enough of food today.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Shabbat Shalom
it is 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. it is about a half an hour from candle lighting. I made Shabbat lunch for about 35 people at the yeshiva. I prepped most of the food yesterday and came in this morning to finish. I made two separate pots of traditional beef stew that stays on the electric platter all night. I got canned garbanzo beans and navy beans which made the job easier. I added barley and white potatoes and at the end I threw in some sweet potatoes. I kept on tasting the stew and it was sweet so I kept on adding salt. I finally realized that I wasn't really adding salt. I had grabbed a bag of sugar instead. oh well...
I made a huge amount of pasta salad and a quinoa salad with craisins and roasted peanuts. I also made an egg salad and a large amount of tahini sauce. I mashed up two industrial sized cans of tuna with some mayonnaise. I cut up several packages of herring into bite sized pieces and added hot peppers. I couldn't do anymore so I left the raw vegetable salad for the manager to do. I cabbed it home at 4:00 p.m. I worked for 4 1/2 hours. I was truly tired. yesterday I worked for 6 1/2 hours. the yeshiva guys were happy to see me today. they expect an exceptional lunch. sorry to say that I made very basic Shabbat food and nothing exotic today. I would have liked to make a cake but I simply ran out of time.
at home, I broiled two chicken bottoms for myself and the dogs and made a piece of salmon in the toaster oven. I cooked some fresh string beans, white rice and a pot of black beans. they are actually still cooking. they take so much time. I am ready to shower and relax. I will pop off to bed early tonight. that's if the new puppy lets me sleep. she is very hyper on the bed. wishing you all a good Shabbos.
I made a huge amount of pasta salad and a quinoa salad with craisins and roasted peanuts. I also made an egg salad and a large amount of tahini sauce. I mashed up two industrial sized cans of tuna with some mayonnaise. I cut up several packages of herring into bite sized pieces and added hot peppers. I couldn't do anymore so I left the raw vegetable salad for the manager to do. I cabbed it home at 4:00 p.m. I worked for 4 1/2 hours. I was truly tired. yesterday I worked for 6 1/2 hours. the yeshiva guys were happy to see me today. they expect an exceptional lunch. sorry to say that I made very basic Shabbat food and nothing exotic today. I would have liked to make a cake but I simply ran out of time.
at home, I broiled two chicken bottoms for myself and the dogs and made a piece of salmon in the toaster oven. I cooked some fresh string beans, white rice and a pot of black beans. they are actually still cooking. they take so much time. I am ready to shower and relax. I will pop off to bed early tonight. that's if the new puppy lets me sleep. she is very hyper on the bed. wishing you all a good Shabbos.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Back To School
it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. summer is definitely over although we are still experiencing hot weather. I went to the local pool yesterday but it was empty and I didn't have a gal pal around to hang with. I left after about an hour. I am not one to do laps or serious exercise so it was boring for me. I cooled off a bit and then stopped off at the supermarket to get some fruit. I bought two packages of ground almonds to make non gluten blueberry muffins. the recipe called for a cup of greek yogurt. I had eaten chicken and traditionally wait six hours until eating dairy; so I used orange juice. I only added a bit of maple syrup so they were not sweet. I am still on a non sugar regimen. they actually kept their shape and resemble real blueberry muffins.
I had an ice coffee shake one day at the pool and a yogurt, peanut butter and date smoothie in Jerusalem last week. and except for the fruit flavored yogurts I had, that is all the sugar I've consumed in months. I don't think that I have dropped a lot of weight but my waistline is definitely smaller and the jelly belly is going down. I am still doing the intermittent fasting regimen. it is my only safeguard against overeating. it is like second nature to me now. I do not feel deprived. there really isn't anything much that tantalizes me. I could benefit greatly by portion control but I am not there yet. I still enjoy a full appetite.
I need to go to work today. I had a two week, non paid, break from the yeshiva. I think there are only about ten guys presently there. I just had the repairman come and finish repairing the screens. it is wonderful having new screens. I feel so grateful. unfortunately, the pigeons returned to the upstairs balcony with a vengeance. I repaired the netting as best as I could but I didn't shovel up the poo yet. what a drag! speaking of poo; I just got a new puppy. my grandson's friend, on the next block, had a Chihuahua/pincher that I fell in love with. I offered to babysit the puppy because I really loved it.
last week, the mom of the little boy, called to ask me to keep the puppy. apparently, she can't cope with work and three small children and a puppy. I offered to hold onto the dog until she wants it back but she didn't want it back. I forgot how hard it is to have a puppy in the house. I am constantly tripping over her and her pee. I take her for walks but she doesn't know how to poop outside. she finally peed on a diaper pad outside the house this morning but still poops in the living room. she is also hyper. she has a lot of toys to play with. my big dog, 'tiny', isn't thrilled with having a puppy in the house. he has eaten all of her puppy chow and doesn't let her near the water dish. she wants him to play with her. it is very exhausting.
my biggest fear is that she will run away. she is very tiny right now. her name was 'stay' but I call her 'teeny', now. I had three Chihuahuas in the past, and one was the love of my life. he died young. another one, I gave away to a great family because my female pincher was torturing him. he had a very happy life and recently died. the third one was on loan from my son and she was horrible. thankfully, she was returned to the breeder. I will have to have teeny fixed soon. I will not have the male dog castrated. it is against jewish law.
I forgot how expensive it is to have puppies. I am not one of these people who spends tons of money on a dog. I will have to buy her a sweater. in the meanwhile, she is chomping away on a giant chew bone of tiny's and has been eating his large dog chow, while he ravages her puppy chow. does anyone else see a certain irony in this?
my grandson will be turning ten in two weeks. I hope they will come to safed for his birthday, which falls out on Shabbat. they stayed with me for about five days during their break. we spent a lot of time at the pool and the cheap toy stores. I blew my salary on them. we went to an arcade in rosh pina and I blew over a hundred dollars that evening. I also lost my cell phone that afternoon on the way to said, arcade. I took them back to Jerusalem at the end of the week and stayed for a couple of days. their mom had to go back to work. we went to see the new 'dora' movie and I took them to a maul the next day. we met up with my girlfriend and had a pizza. the next day I went to meet my friend alone and we saw a really bad action movie and then had an early dinner.
it was unbearably hot last week and I felt wasted each day. it was good to get home, but I couldn't move for a couple of days. I went to the pool on friday with my friend and we stayed in the water til about 3:00 p.m. it was so refreshing. I don't really swim well but I love being in the water. I did start swimming across the width of the pool with my friend. I am not motivated by myself. I cannot believe that Rosh hohsanna is just a month away. it's time to buy honey and start making cakes. I am not so inspired with the family being in Jerusalem. I am trying not to stress out over the plans. I will be happy not having to make any holiday meals. last year I was invited to join the kids in Jerusalem and I made a mistake and stayed in safed, it was the worst holiday I have ever experienced without the grandkids. I hope this year will be more festive.
I had an ice coffee shake one day at the pool and a yogurt, peanut butter and date smoothie in Jerusalem last week. and except for the fruit flavored yogurts I had, that is all the sugar I've consumed in months. I don't think that I have dropped a lot of weight but my waistline is definitely smaller and the jelly belly is going down. I am still doing the intermittent fasting regimen. it is my only safeguard against overeating. it is like second nature to me now. I do not feel deprived. there really isn't anything much that tantalizes me. I could benefit greatly by portion control but I am not there yet. I still enjoy a full appetite.
I need to go to work today. I had a two week, non paid, break from the yeshiva. I think there are only about ten guys presently there. I just had the repairman come and finish repairing the screens. it is wonderful having new screens. I feel so grateful. unfortunately, the pigeons returned to the upstairs balcony with a vengeance. I repaired the netting as best as I could but I didn't shovel up the poo yet. what a drag! speaking of poo; I just got a new puppy. my grandson's friend, on the next block, had a Chihuahua/pincher that I fell in love with. I offered to babysit the puppy because I really loved it.
last week, the mom of the little boy, called to ask me to keep the puppy. apparently, she can't cope with work and three small children and a puppy. I offered to hold onto the dog until she wants it back but she didn't want it back. I forgot how hard it is to have a puppy in the house. I am constantly tripping over her and her pee. I take her for walks but she doesn't know how to poop outside. she finally peed on a diaper pad outside the house this morning but still poops in the living room. she is also hyper. she has a lot of toys to play with. my big dog, 'tiny', isn't thrilled with having a puppy in the house. he has eaten all of her puppy chow and doesn't let her near the water dish. she wants him to play with her. it is very exhausting.
my biggest fear is that she will run away. she is very tiny right now. her name was 'stay' but I call her 'teeny', now. I had three Chihuahuas in the past, and one was the love of my life. he died young. another one, I gave away to a great family because my female pincher was torturing him. he had a very happy life and recently died. the third one was on loan from my son and she was horrible. thankfully, she was returned to the breeder. I will have to have teeny fixed soon. I will not have the male dog castrated. it is against jewish law.
I forgot how expensive it is to have puppies. I am not one of these people who spends tons of money on a dog. I will have to buy her a sweater. in the meanwhile, she is chomping away on a giant chew bone of tiny's and has been eating his large dog chow, while he ravages her puppy chow. does anyone else see a certain irony in this?
my grandson will be turning ten in two weeks. I hope they will come to safed for his birthday, which falls out on Shabbat. they stayed with me for about five days during their break. we spent a lot of time at the pool and the cheap toy stores. I blew my salary on them. we went to an arcade in rosh pina and I blew over a hundred dollars that evening. I also lost my cell phone that afternoon on the way to said, arcade. I took them back to Jerusalem at the end of the week and stayed for a couple of days. their mom had to go back to work. we went to see the new 'dora' movie and I took them to a maul the next day. we met up with my girlfriend and had a pizza. the next day I went to meet my friend alone and we saw a really bad action movie and then had an early dinner.
it was unbearably hot last week and I felt wasted each day. it was good to get home, but I couldn't move for a couple of days. I went to the pool on friday with my friend and we stayed in the water til about 3:00 p.m. it was so refreshing. I don't really swim well but I love being in the water. I did start swimming across the width of the pool with my friend. I am not motivated by myself. I cannot believe that Rosh hohsanna is just a month away. it's time to buy honey and start making cakes. I am not so inspired with the family being in Jerusalem. I am trying not to stress out over the plans. I will be happy not having to make any holiday meals. last year I was invited to join the kids in Jerusalem and I made a mistake and stayed in safed, it was the worst holiday I have ever experienced without the grandkids. I hope this year will be more festive.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Living Life In The Fast lane part 3
it is 3:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. we have another 4 hours left to this fast. I am feeling better than I thought I would but I still haven't made it out of the house. I've been in bed for most of the day. I did manage to wet mop the kitchen and dining room areas plus the two back bedrooms. I have been watching holocaust survivor documentaries all day. I just turned off a documentary about how the nurses and doctors of the third reich murdered so many innocent people with physical and mental defects. I had had enough. at least, the survivor stories are hopeful in spite of the immense brutality.
I can't wait for this fast to end. I am thirsty and a bit hungry. it is too hot for me to travel to town to go to the yeshiva. I don't feel like taking a taxi, either. I left food and hopefully it is enough. the manager can put out cakes if any are left from Shabbat. let him improvise. I am staying put. I think last year the other manager called for pizza.
I didn't catch a Shabbat nap yesterday. I was afraid of being up all night, fasting. I usually can't sleep on Saturday night. I finished my novel about a knitting club and the main character succumbed to ovarian cancer. definitely a bummer! but good to be in sad mode before the fast of Tisha B'av began. I couldn't fall asleep and looked for a good holocaust film. I settled on Spielberg's, 'Munich'; the one about the Mossad's revenge murders of the masterminds who killed the Israeli athletes at the '72 Olympics. I finally hit the bed before 3:00 a.m. I stayed in bed for a good while this morning.
I have my blueberry cornbread and a salmon steak ready for me to break the fast. last night I had a tuna sandwich on a whole wheat roll with humus for my pre fast meal. I could have had chicken but I didn't feel like eating any. I didn't have any for lunch, either. I stuck with the salon steaks. I gave most of the chicken to my dog. I finished off the package of kale. I really love it. I hope they still have some left at the supermarket. I am tempted to run down to the store now but I don't feel like getting dressed. perhaps it would be good to take a small walk. every inch of me hurts.
tomorrow night is the first night of the three day klezmer music festival. I think that the daughter-in-law might come with the grandkids. I wish I was already on vacation. I can't wait to return to the outdoor pool. it's been 9 days already. I want to jump in the water right now. these last three hours are going to be a killer.
8:00 p.m. fast is over. yahoo! don't know which was harder; not eating and drinking or not watching videos and regular broadcasting all day.
I can't wait for this fast to end. I am thirsty and a bit hungry. it is too hot for me to travel to town to go to the yeshiva. I don't feel like taking a taxi, either. I left food and hopefully it is enough. the manager can put out cakes if any are left from Shabbat. let him improvise. I am staying put. I think last year the other manager called for pizza.
I didn't catch a Shabbat nap yesterday. I was afraid of being up all night, fasting. I usually can't sleep on Saturday night. I finished my novel about a knitting club and the main character succumbed to ovarian cancer. definitely a bummer! but good to be in sad mode before the fast of Tisha B'av began. I couldn't fall asleep and looked for a good holocaust film. I settled on Spielberg's, 'Munich'; the one about the Mossad's revenge murders of the masterminds who killed the Israeli athletes at the '72 Olympics. I finally hit the bed before 3:00 a.m. I stayed in bed for a good while this morning.
I have my blueberry cornbread and a salmon steak ready for me to break the fast. last night I had a tuna sandwich on a whole wheat roll with humus for my pre fast meal. I could have had chicken but I didn't feel like eating any. I didn't have any for lunch, either. I stuck with the salon steaks. I gave most of the chicken to my dog. I finished off the package of kale. I really love it. I hope they still have some left at the supermarket. I am tempted to run down to the store now but I don't feel like getting dressed. perhaps it would be good to take a small walk. every inch of me hurts.
tomorrow night is the first night of the three day klezmer music festival. I think that the daughter-in-law might come with the grandkids. I wish I was already on vacation. I can't wait to return to the outdoor pool. it's been 9 days already. I want to jump in the water right now. these last three hours are going to be a killer.
8:00 p.m. fast is over. yahoo! don't know which was harder; not eating and drinking or not watching videos and regular broadcasting all day.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Living In The Fast Lane Part2
it is 6:05 p.m. in the holy city of safed. it is an hour before Shabbat candle lighting. I have already washed the floors for the coming of the messiah. there is a custom to clean the house in the afternoon of the big fast on sunday. I will never have the strength to do such a task then so I took the liberty of doing it now. I will probably be in bed for most of the fast, watching holocaust movies. I believe it is an 24 hour fast. this one hurts. I'm sure most women washed their floors for Shabbat but I figure that it can't get so dirty by sunday.
I stayed late at the yeshiva yesterday preparing food for the 20-25 guys to break the fast. I made vegetarian patties with chick peas, cracked wheat and split peas. I had a lot left over from the stuffed peppers that I made for their supper. I also made rice, carrot kugel and vegan corn bread. perhaps, I should have made more but I had been cooking all day long preparing: couscous and veggies, tabouli salad, quinoa salad, pasta salad, egg salad, and tuna salad for their Friday breakfast and lunch and a pre fast meal on Saturday afternoon. the fast starts before 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
we have not eaten meat or chicken for the past week but can indulge on Shabbat. it has been a lot of frying patties and chips and falafel for me. and of course, cooking a lot of pasta. I even made a shepherd's pie with tuna fish. it actually, was very yummy. I covered it in mushroom sauce before I added the mashed potatoes. I also made breaded fried eggplant several times and the guys loved it. it will be great to start cooking chopped turkey and beef dishes on Monday.
I made grilled chicken for myself for Shabbat. I only made two chicken quarters. one is for each meal. I also broiled salmon steaks. I have been eating quite well while I do my intermittent fasting. I had a kale and blue cheese platter for breakfast with green grapes. I just had a salmon steak for lunch and a hunk of freshly baked blueberry corn bread. I remembered the corn meal this time but didn't have any flour. I was thinking non gluten anyway, and found a packet of ground almonds in the pantry. it worked but I didn't have any baking powder or soda. luckily, a neighbor was watering her garden so I got some. I only added a couple of teaspoons of real maple syrup. it isn't sweet at all.
I bought some fruit to break the fast. I couldn't carry a half of watermelon home so I will have to survive without one. I need to step up on my water consumption. I haven't really been drinking enough. I hope it doesn't get hotter on sunday. the evenings have been fine with lovely breezes. I slept with a comforter last night. I think that I have done okay today. wishing everyone a good Shabbat and an easy fast.
I stayed late at the yeshiva yesterday preparing food for the 20-25 guys to break the fast. I made vegetarian patties with chick peas, cracked wheat and split peas. I had a lot left over from the stuffed peppers that I made for their supper. I also made rice, carrot kugel and vegan corn bread. perhaps, I should have made more but I had been cooking all day long preparing: couscous and veggies, tabouli salad, quinoa salad, pasta salad, egg salad, and tuna salad for their Friday breakfast and lunch and a pre fast meal on Saturday afternoon. the fast starts before 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
we have not eaten meat or chicken for the past week but can indulge on Shabbat. it has been a lot of frying patties and chips and falafel for me. and of course, cooking a lot of pasta. I even made a shepherd's pie with tuna fish. it actually, was very yummy. I covered it in mushroom sauce before I added the mashed potatoes. I also made breaded fried eggplant several times and the guys loved it. it will be great to start cooking chopped turkey and beef dishes on Monday.
I made grilled chicken for myself for Shabbat. I only made two chicken quarters. one is for each meal. I also broiled salmon steaks. I have been eating quite well while I do my intermittent fasting. I had a kale and blue cheese platter for breakfast with green grapes. I just had a salmon steak for lunch and a hunk of freshly baked blueberry corn bread. I remembered the corn meal this time but didn't have any flour. I was thinking non gluten anyway, and found a packet of ground almonds in the pantry. it worked but I didn't have any baking powder or soda. luckily, a neighbor was watering her garden so I got some. I only added a couple of teaspoons of real maple syrup. it isn't sweet at all.
I bought some fruit to break the fast. I couldn't carry a half of watermelon home so I will have to survive without one. I need to step up on my water consumption. I haven't really been drinking enough. I hope it doesn't get hotter on sunday. the evenings have been fine with lovely breezes. I slept with a comforter last night. I think that I have done okay today. wishing everyone a good Shabbat and an easy fast.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Pretty Lazy
it is 4:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I am having a pretty lazy day. I can't do laundry because we are in a traditional 9 day period of mourning for the holy temples. I couldn't go to the pool for the same reason. we are not allowed to swim for pleasure. if I needed to go for therapeutic reasons, it might be allowed. it is hot but not deadly. it cools off at night. I didn't need to wash the floors because I did them during the week. my good friend came to safed for a couple of days. I wanted to take her to the pool for night swimming but she was too beat from travelling. I made us some salmon for dinner and we had some baccardi breezers and chatted until about 1:00 a.m. the following morning we went to the pool. it was a real scorcher that day and the pool was incredibly refreshing. I had to leave for work at 3 :00 p.m. but she stayed until 5:00 p.m. with our mutual friend.
after I made dinner for the yeshiva guys I bought some special rolls and salads. we were having a barbecue that evening. my other friend was manning the barbecue. she's from California and barbecuing is second nature to her. I thought by the time I returned home, the food would be on its way or nearly done. no such luck. they had a late start and we didn't eat until nearly 9:00 p.m. I defrosted everything the night before and marinated the food before we left for the pool. I didn't realize the amount of food I left out for her to cook. there were two types of kabobs, a package of hot dogs, two packages of boneless chicken thighs, a package of chicken livers, 2 packages of steaks, and two packages of chicken wings. I decided not to take out the hamburgers. the steaks didn't get done because we ran out of hot coals. I broiled them on my electric grill but they never got served.
I invited my married friends who live in the neighborhood. I practically go there every Shabbat for lunch. they live across the street from the big Sephardi synagogue. my friend goes to bed quite early. she is not a night owl like the rest of us. she is hell bent on getting thin and doesn't eat anything after 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. she is the one who told me about intermittent fasting. she is happy to go 14-16 hours a day without food. I am at 13-14 hours now but on some days I do only the usual 12 hours. it is truly an easy way to diet. and the more I read, the more I am convinced that is a healthy way to live. it was quite an ordeal for her to be up until 10:00 p.m. and to eat so late.
there were tons of leftovers so every one got a nice size doggie bag. none of us had to cook shabbat meals today. the steaks just needed a bit of tweaking so everyone got a couple. I broiled the little remaining liver and a couple of small steaks and with the salads I bought, I'm all set for Shabbat. I made a salmon fillet for Shabbat lunch and some boiled eggs. we do not eat meat during these nine days except for Shabbat so no one really wanted to cook a whole chicken. it's not worth it. it is a bit strange having little to do on friday. in all honesty, I'm truly beat so I should just enjoy being lazy. I feel a bit lonely. afer having company this week it is hard to readjust to being alone. it is what it is.
after I made dinner for the yeshiva guys I bought some special rolls and salads. we were having a barbecue that evening. my other friend was manning the barbecue. she's from California and barbecuing is second nature to her. I thought by the time I returned home, the food would be on its way or nearly done. no such luck. they had a late start and we didn't eat until nearly 9:00 p.m. I defrosted everything the night before and marinated the food before we left for the pool. I didn't realize the amount of food I left out for her to cook. there were two types of kabobs, a package of hot dogs, two packages of boneless chicken thighs, a package of chicken livers, 2 packages of steaks, and two packages of chicken wings. I decided not to take out the hamburgers. the steaks didn't get done because we ran out of hot coals. I broiled them on my electric grill but they never got served.
I invited my married friends who live in the neighborhood. I practically go there every Shabbat for lunch. they live across the street from the big Sephardi synagogue. my friend goes to bed quite early. she is not a night owl like the rest of us. she is hell bent on getting thin and doesn't eat anything after 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. she is the one who told me about intermittent fasting. she is happy to go 14-16 hours a day without food. I am at 13-14 hours now but on some days I do only the usual 12 hours. it is truly an easy way to diet. and the more I read, the more I am convinced that is a healthy way to live. it was quite an ordeal for her to be up until 10:00 p.m. and to eat so late.
there were tons of leftovers so every one got a nice size doggie bag. none of us had to cook shabbat meals today. the steaks just needed a bit of tweaking so everyone got a couple. I broiled the little remaining liver and a couple of small steaks and with the salads I bought, I'm all set for Shabbat. I made a salmon fillet for Shabbat lunch and some boiled eggs. we do not eat meat during these nine days except for Shabbat so no one really wanted to cook a whole chicken. it's not worth it. it is a bit strange having little to do on friday. in all honesty, I'm truly beat so I should just enjoy being lazy. I feel a bit lonely. afer having company this week it is hard to readjust to being alone. it is what it is.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Living In The Fast Lane
it is 7:00 p.m. in the hoy city of safed. we have another hour left of the fast. tonight starts the beginning of the three weeks, which is traditionally a time of mourning for the destruction of the temples. it is not a lucky time for the Jews. it is a time of danger and we are not supposed to take unnecessary risks. I hit the wrong button on Friday and obliterated my post. it didn't help that I had injured my right pointer finger while washing the dishes. I had made a nice Shabbat dinner for myself and had a few glasses in the sink. apparently, one broke in my hand and sliced open my finger. I heard the breaking glass before I saw my injury. I don't think I felt it at first. I applied cold water and then pressure to stop the bleeding. it was about a half an hour before candle lighting.
I was pretty tired and I couldn't cope with all the blood. I reached for the little bottle of alum talc that I have had in the kitchen drawer since my son's bris, thirty two years ago. I then remembered that aloe vera also stops bleeding and ran outside to get some from the garden. I didn't have any paper towels to wrap around my finger so I used a baby wipe. the wet wipe didn't really keep in the blood. I wrapped some aloe vera plant around the wound and kept it in place with a sterile patch. I ended up adding more alum and more bandages. it started hurting very much. I couldn't really get changed for Shabbat.
I had gone to the pool in the morning and had a lovely few hours with a friend. I made some chicken breasts and a small piece of meat with wheat for dinner. I even managed to make a small eggless corn bread. I actually remembered to add the cornmeal this time. I couldn't wait to eat so I could go to sleep. I was wiped. I hit the bed at 9:00 p.m. and pretty much passed out. I didn't sleep very well. I had a couple of disturbing dreams. I did make it to synagogue and had lunch with my friends. I napped and spent most of the day reading a novel. I kept on eating until 2:00 a.m. because of the fast this morning. it was a huge mistake. it made the fast much harder. I have been intermittently fasting and not eating after 9:00 p.m. for awhile. I did not feel well all day long. I think I strained both arms trying to swim at the pool.
I didn't make it to work. I felt dizzy all day. I haven't removed the bandages yet. I am dreading seeing the injury. I think it's too late for stiches. I think the bleeding has mostly stopped. there seems to be a bit of seepage on the bandages. I thought about going to the nurse but I couldn't get up today. I need to buy a blue elastic finger cover tomorrow. they are quite pricey. oh well.....
I was pretty tired and I couldn't cope with all the blood. I reached for the little bottle of alum talc that I have had in the kitchen drawer since my son's bris, thirty two years ago. I then remembered that aloe vera also stops bleeding and ran outside to get some from the garden. I didn't have any paper towels to wrap around my finger so I used a baby wipe. the wet wipe didn't really keep in the blood. I wrapped some aloe vera plant around the wound and kept it in place with a sterile patch. I ended up adding more alum and more bandages. it started hurting very much. I couldn't really get changed for Shabbat.
I had gone to the pool in the morning and had a lovely few hours with a friend. I made some chicken breasts and a small piece of meat with wheat for dinner. I even managed to make a small eggless corn bread. I actually remembered to add the cornmeal this time. I couldn't wait to eat so I could go to sleep. I was wiped. I hit the bed at 9:00 p.m. and pretty much passed out. I didn't sleep very well. I had a couple of disturbing dreams. I did make it to synagogue and had lunch with my friends. I napped and spent most of the day reading a novel. I kept on eating until 2:00 a.m. because of the fast this morning. it was a huge mistake. it made the fast much harder. I have been intermittently fasting and not eating after 9:00 p.m. for awhile. I did not feel well all day long. I think I strained both arms trying to swim at the pool.
I didn't make it to work. I felt dizzy all day. I haven't removed the bandages yet. I am dreading seeing the injury. I think it's too late for stiches. I think the bleeding has mostly stopped. there seems to be a bit of seepage on the bandages. I thought about going to the nurse but I couldn't get up today. I need to buy a blue elastic finger cover tomorrow. they are quite pricey. oh well.....
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Day Off
it is 4:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got home from the pool. that's right. I had the day off from the yeshiva and decided to go to the pool with my friends. I have never gone to a pool without taking a kid along. maybe back in the day but not in the last 20 years. I had a good time. I don't know why I have resisted going to the neighborhood pool. we had a small pool downstairs for the kids and I would stay wet all day in lieu of not having air conditioners; but you couldn't really do laps. I cannot swim well but I do love being in the water. I manage well under water. it is very clean and they do not let the kids get too wild. I used to go only on women's' hours but as a senior, I am not that strict, anymore. we had the entire pool to ourselves for most of the time there, when the kids were playing and eating.
it is only about a 7 minute walk there and it feels good to move. my friend's husband came to pick me up to take me there in his golf cart. it was so nice to be with adult friends. I don't know why I feel guilty that I went without the grandkids. I never take a day off from work and I never do anything fun for myself. yesterday, after I was halfway through preparing supper; I was informed that the guys were all going to a local wedding. the manager told me that I could leave it for today's lunch and he would put it out. I was actually given the day off, without pay, of course, but still I was free. I didn't have to make supper for the guys tonight because it was an off Shabbat. I thought about going to Jerusalem to see the grandkids, but I decided that I needed a mini vacation just for myself.
last night I went with my friend to town for a ladino festival. I was exhausted but I wanted to do something for a change. we found a location of music in the artist's colony and sat on concrete steps. it was actually very pleasant. we didn't schlepp around at all because it was pretty crowded and we were both tired. I don't do crowds anymore. there was a large food court set up but I had eaten at home before I left. I did bring along some cherries and nuts to nash. I also brought a Bacardi breezer to share with my friend. we stayed until midnight. we did have to walk a bit back to the main bus station to get a taxi home but it was a good night out.
I just might go back to the pool tomorrow morning. I don't think I will go back to town tonight for the festival. it was nice but not great. it has ben good for me to have a little action. I usually go to work in the early afternoon and return home at night. I eat my supper quickly because I'm on the intermittent diet plan and usually have a little time before I stop eating at 9:00 p.m. this morning I didn't eat until 11:00 a.m. I read that women should fast for 14 hours every day. I have only been doing 12 hours for the past two months and I have been eliminating sugar. my friend lost 13 pounds doing this and I am hopeful that I will be successful, too.
it is only about a 7 minute walk there and it feels good to move. my friend's husband came to pick me up to take me there in his golf cart. it was so nice to be with adult friends. I don't know why I feel guilty that I went without the grandkids. I never take a day off from work and I never do anything fun for myself. yesterday, after I was halfway through preparing supper; I was informed that the guys were all going to a local wedding. the manager told me that I could leave it for today's lunch and he would put it out. I was actually given the day off, without pay, of course, but still I was free. I didn't have to make supper for the guys tonight because it was an off Shabbat. I thought about going to Jerusalem to see the grandkids, but I decided that I needed a mini vacation just for myself.
last night I went with my friend to town for a ladino festival. I was exhausted but I wanted to do something for a change. we found a location of music in the artist's colony and sat on concrete steps. it was actually very pleasant. we didn't schlepp around at all because it was pretty crowded and we were both tired. I don't do crowds anymore. there was a large food court set up but I had eaten at home before I left. I did bring along some cherries and nuts to nash. I also brought a Bacardi breezer to share with my friend. we stayed until midnight. we did have to walk a bit back to the main bus station to get a taxi home but it was a good night out.
I just might go back to the pool tomorrow morning. I don't think I will go back to town tonight for the festival. it was nice but not great. it has ben good for me to have a little action. I usually go to work in the early afternoon and return home at night. I eat my supper quickly because I'm on the intermittent diet plan and usually have a little time before I stop eating at 9:00 p.m. this morning I didn't eat until 11:00 a.m. I read that women should fast for 14 hours every day. I have only been doing 12 hours for the past two months and I have been eliminating sugar. my friend lost 13 pounds doing this and I am hopeful that I will be successful, too.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Gone Fishing
It is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I have been cleaning and mopping and doing laundry for hours. I am now having a watermelon and mint smoothie. I took the day off. I spent seven hours cooking at the yeshiva yesterday and eight on sunday to cover today's lunch and supper and lunch for tomorrow. the kids are coming tonight and I want to take them to the pool tomorrow and not be pressured to rush back to the yeshiva to cook. the kids were there with me last week for less than 2 hours and they were bored. they also wanted to go to town to buy toys. I think I'm covered this time.
I got pretty sun burnt last time sitting near the pool, totally dressed; watching the kids play in the water. it was very downcast and cool and that's the worst time to be in the sun. this time I bought sun tan lotion. my Sephardi grandchildren also got burnt. I think I will enter the pool this time. I will wear a long shirt and dancer's tights. I don't own a bathing suit. if it is crowded I won't go in the pool. the schools are out so I guess the neighborhood kids will be there. I don't go to mixed swimming but the kids do.
I am going to the family bris, out of town, this afternoon. I have a ride. I will return home with my son and family. he and his wife are going away for a couple of days to chill. we will all go to the Sephardi family for Shabbat dinner and I will make lunch. I stopped off at a small mini market last night to get staples. I bought non gluten potato rolls. the kids loved them at pesach. I want to make soy hotdog sandwiches for the pool. the kids were starving the last time. I will bring drinks and they can get ice cream popsicles there. the pool is $30 for the three of us.
I will go soon to the neighborhood supermarket to buy the rest of the things for shabbat. I got paid yesterday so the sky's the limit! the kids love ravioli and gnocchi and belgian waffles so i'll load up on them. I bought hotdogs, hamburgers, kabobs, chicken wings and small steaks to make a birthday barbecue tomorrow evening. I was thinking about going to a Japanese restaurant but I think it will be too much of a schlepp. I want to buy a watermelon and a festive cake. of course, we need marshmallows for the barbecue. are we having fun yet?
I got pretty sun burnt last time sitting near the pool, totally dressed; watching the kids play in the water. it was very downcast and cool and that's the worst time to be in the sun. this time I bought sun tan lotion. my Sephardi grandchildren also got burnt. I think I will enter the pool this time. I will wear a long shirt and dancer's tights. I don't own a bathing suit. if it is crowded I won't go in the pool. the schools are out so I guess the neighborhood kids will be there. I don't go to mixed swimming but the kids do.
I am going to the family bris, out of town, this afternoon. I have a ride. I will return home with my son and family. he and his wife are going away for a couple of days to chill. we will all go to the Sephardi family for Shabbat dinner and I will make lunch. I stopped off at a small mini market last night to get staples. I bought non gluten potato rolls. the kids loved them at pesach. I want to make soy hotdog sandwiches for the pool. the kids were starving the last time. I will bring drinks and they can get ice cream popsicles there. the pool is $30 for the three of us.
I will go soon to the neighborhood supermarket to buy the rest of the things for shabbat. I got paid yesterday so the sky's the limit! the kids love ravioli and gnocchi and belgian waffles so i'll load up on them. I bought hotdogs, hamburgers, kabobs, chicken wings and small steaks to make a birthday barbecue tomorrow evening. I was thinking about going to a Japanese restaurant but I think it will be too much of a schlepp. I want to buy a watermelon and a festive cake. of course, we need marshmallows for the barbecue. are we having fun yet?
Friday, June 28, 2019
Keeping It Simple
it is 4:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. a friend is coming for Shabbat. I already warned her that I am pretty tired and may not be able to schmooze all night. they bless the new month in synagogue tomorrow and I would like to be there. I turn 68 on Thursday. where did the time go? I made a pretty simple Shabbat dinner. I worked at the yeshiva yesterday for nearly 8 hours. the guys went on a hike and I had to prepare about 40 sandwiches. lucky for me, there were prepared soy schnitzels in the freezer. I baked them and covered each sandwich with ketchup. while the schnitzels were baking, I boiled about 30 eggs and cooked 3 pounds of pasta for their Friday lunch.
I had to prepare hamburgers for their evening barbecue and used about 5 pounds of ground beef. I made veggie kabobs and it took forever. I think I marinated the vegetables too long until they were soggy. if they were a total disaster, I wasn't informed. at around 4:00 p.m. I gave up. I had been working steadily and on my feet since 9:00 a.m. last year I made dozens of kabobs and it took hours. I had to cut up the herring into tiny pieces and add hot peppers and onions for their Kiddush on Shabbat. I also opened an industrial sized can of tuna and added a bunch of mayonnaise. I then cut up peppers and cucumbers and tomatoes for their breakfast this morning.
it took me about half an hour to clean the kitchen and pack up the food for the barbecue. it normally takes a full hour to do the washing up, mop the floor and clean the stovetop and counters. I didn't actually cook much yesterday. I wonder if I am a bit slow but I know that I can get a meal together in record time. I just keep the menus easy when I'm tired. my quick food items are baked potatoes, grains, pasta and lentils. I haven't been up for making kugels lately. it takes me almost an hour to get all the veggies ready when I make a soup for couscous. I'm chopping up potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes. and then there's all the peeling. the soup takes under an hour to cook and the couscous is pretty much instant. if I come in at 1:00 p.m. or later, it's pasta or rice and some kind of fried patties.
if I come in around 1:30 p.m. it's canned tuna and tabouli salad and scrambled eggs. if I want to make falafel I need to come in at 12:30 p.m. it takes an hour just to bake the frozen French fries. frying up about 160 falafel balls takes a good hour. I then have to cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles and onions and make a large bowl of tahini. I often fry up eggplant slices. it's a cheap lunch for the yeshiva but it takes me hours. right now I am only cooking for 18 guys. I try to make a bit more. some times the rabbis eat something. there is always leftovers.
today, I made some chicken legs and meatballs in a red sauce. I had 5 legs in the freezer and a small package of ground beef. I didn't even add breadcrumbs to the beef. luckily, it held together. I bought precooked beets, the greatest invention to date. I made two salmon fillets. my friend doesn't eat fish. I made a small amount of chopped liver. I had a small package of broiled liver in the freezer. I had some leftover sweet noodle kugel in the freezer from last Shabbat. I bought chumus and made tahini. I baked spelt corn muffins with soy milk. I used a different recipe and they turned out brownish. I also made spelt chocolate brownies. the recipe called for milk. I made some 'tahini milk' and hopefully, they'll be edible.
aftermath: turns out that the brownies are just cake and not great cake, either and I forgot to add cornmeal to the corn muffins so I have vey bland small brownish muffins with raisins. oh well.......
I had to prepare hamburgers for their evening barbecue and used about 5 pounds of ground beef. I made veggie kabobs and it took forever. I think I marinated the vegetables too long until they were soggy. if they were a total disaster, I wasn't informed. at around 4:00 p.m. I gave up. I had been working steadily and on my feet since 9:00 a.m. last year I made dozens of kabobs and it took hours. I had to cut up the herring into tiny pieces and add hot peppers and onions for their Kiddush on Shabbat. I also opened an industrial sized can of tuna and added a bunch of mayonnaise. I then cut up peppers and cucumbers and tomatoes for their breakfast this morning.
it took me about half an hour to clean the kitchen and pack up the food for the barbecue. it normally takes a full hour to do the washing up, mop the floor and clean the stovetop and counters. I didn't actually cook much yesterday. I wonder if I am a bit slow but I know that I can get a meal together in record time. I just keep the menus easy when I'm tired. my quick food items are baked potatoes, grains, pasta and lentils. I haven't been up for making kugels lately. it takes me almost an hour to get all the veggies ready when I make a soup for couscous. I'm chopping up potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes. and then there's all the peeling. the soup takes under an hour to cook and the couscous is pretty much instant. if I come in at 1:00 p.m. or later, it's pasta or rice and some kind of fried patties.
if I come in around 1:30 p.m. it's canned tuna and tabouli salad and scrambled eggs. if I want to make falafel I need to come in at 12:30 p.m. it takes an hour just to bake the frozen French fries. frying up about 160 falafel balls takes a good hour. I then have to cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles and onions and make a large bowl of tahini. I often fry up eggplant slices. it's a cheap lunch for the yeshiva but it takes me hours. right now I am only cooking for 18 guys. I try to make a bit more. some times the rabbis eat something. there is always leftovers.
today, I made some chicken legs and meatballs in a red sauce. I had 5 legs in the freezer and a small package of ground beef. I didn't even add breadcrumbs to the beef. luckily, it held together. I bought precooked beets, the greatest invention to date. I made two salmon fillets. my friend doesn't eat fish. I made a small amount of chopped liver. I had a small package of broiled liver in the freezer. I had some leftover sweet noodle kugel in the freezer from last Shabbat. I bought chumus and made tahini. I baked spelt corn muffins with soy milk. I used a different recipe and they turned out brownish. I also made spelt chocolate brownies. the recipe called for milk. I made some 'tahini milk' and hopefully, they'll be edible.
aftermath: turns out that the brownies are just cake and not great cake, either and I forgot to add cornmeal to the corn muffins so I have vey bland small brownish muffins with raisins. oh well.......
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Travelling Man
it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I am truly tired and resting before I go to work. I have already had a slice of salmon and a lot of fresh cherries. I have been travelling a lot lately. I hardly ever leave safed but I had to get to the hospital near tel Aviv for two very important appointments. last Tuesday, I went to Sheba hospital to do my brain MRI. my appointment was at 5:15 a.m. the last bus to bnei brak was at 10:00 p.m. which would have gotten me near the hospital at around 1:00 a.m.
I would have had a huge wait in the lobby and there is nothing open at the hospital at that time. I had gone to an end of school production that evening. the two young girls of my manager were in the production. they come to the yeshiva almost every day after school to schmooze and eat something. they are like surrogate grandkids. my friend was taking photos of the production and came to stay over to watch the pooch. we got back at 9:30 p.m. and I was wrecked. I was too tired to try to catch a bus. I found someone to drive me to the hospital and wait for me to finish. he turned out to be a kid and looked to young to be driving miss zelda.
however, the price was right. the taxi company wanted double what he asked for. I really didn't want to spend the $150 but I needed to. the kid ended up waiting for me for three hours. I finished at 8:00 a.m. and was back at home by 10:00 a.m. I crashed and slept most of the day. I wasn't able to sleep after the show nor did I snooze in the car on the way to the hospital. at one point he got lost and I was too nervous to relax. I cannot fall asleep in a waiting room, either. I am too distracted by the noises. the reception desk actually, closed until 7:30 a.m. and I thought that they had forgotten about me. I wanted to leave. I had no more patience. the ride home was quiet and hot. the kid's jalopy wasn't air conditioned. we were both too tired to speak.
I had wanted to give him a tip for waiting so long but the atm machines were all out of service. I think he made out okay without the tip. his young friend had driven the car to the hospital so he had just the 3 hour wait and the 2 hour ride back to safed. even though he had to pay for gas he still made out. I had to work and stand on my feet for 20 hours to pay for that trip. whatever.... sometimes we have to shell how money to survive. I had to stay at work to make extra meals for the day I missed. on Wednesday, the daughter-in-law came to safed with the kids. she had a bat mitzvah in a nearby town. the kids wanted to sleep here. they came over at around 9:30 p.m. they had been at their cousins' home nearby. we arranged the mattresses on the floor of the t.v. room and we all passed out around 11:00 p.m.
I took them to the pool which is about a 5 minute walk from my house. I thought that it was too chilly to swim but they wouldn't take no for an answer. my friend goes every day to do laps so I knew that it was relatively, empty in the morning. most kids are still in school here. the kids haven't been to a real pool in ages. my friend stayed in the water with them. I wasn't dressed for pool. I ran back to the bakery near my home to buy barekas for us to eat. the pool snack bar was closed. at 12:30 p.m. I taxied back with the kids to the yeshiva. I only stayed for about an hour and a half. I think I made franks and pasta for lunch. it was an out Shabbat so I didn't need to make supper. the kids wanted to go back to the pool. we stopped off in town to buy little toys and I became truly tired. I didn't realize how burnt I had gotten at the pool. we went home. I thought that the daughter-n-law wanted to leave early.
I was invited to go to Jerusalem for Shabbat. I cooked savory chicken bottoms and made a sweet noodle kugel with raisins and an eggless spelt chocolate cake for my friend. I bought prepared beets and made tahini. I used a recipe which called for mayonnaise for the cake. I decided to use up the pesach mayonnaise and forgot that it was made with olive oil. I tasted the cake and it was a bit bitter. I ended up melting in half of a very good chocolate bar.
I forgot how tiring it is to be with kids. their mother showed up at 9:00 p.m. she called to let me know that she was going food shopping. I showered the kids to get them ready. I was getting agitated. I am always afraid that she might fall asleep at the wheel. we left safed at 9:30 p.m. but made it back to Jerusalem in only two hours. the kids and I passed out immediately. we all overslept the next morning and the daughter-in-law quickly got us up and the kids dressed and to school in just moments. an hour later we went to my grandson's end of school party.
I was thinking how I probably won't be around for other major events in the kids' lives. I couldn't stop crying during the class song. cheery, I know. I asked my grandson why he was so quiet at school. he is usually very outgoing at home. he got upset with me and told me I had ruined his day. I never learn to keep my mouth closed.
I managed to visit with my friend and we had lunch with her son. my son took me to his work and we met there. her son drove us back but they couldn't visit because the daughter-in-law was resting. oh well..... I didn't move on Shabbat. it was warm but I was exhausted. the kids played outside for most of the day. I didn't even get dressed. I managed to pray. we tried to play monopoly but the kids had to leave. I took a long nap by myself. we had lunch and it was not serene. it was not a great morning. the evening was a bit better. we had a quick meal before Shabbat ended. the big kids thought about going to a movie. the little kids wanted to be alone with me. I also wanted a moment of quiet. we ended up going to sleep at 9:30 p.m. as soon as Shabbat ended and I showered the kids.
the next morning I caught an early bus to downtown Jerusalem. my friend met me there for lunch. while I waited for her, I went shoe shopping. I love buying shoes there. we had a simple breakfast because I got a bit ill after eating at a fancy restaurant on Friday morning. I caught the 1:00 p.m.bus back to safed and was at the yeshiva at 4:00 p.m. I quickly made supper and taxied home. I was tired. on Monday, I made two extra meals for Tuesday. each meal has three elements. for supper I made a meat loaf, mashed potatoes and spicy carrots. for lunch I made soy schnitzels, quinoa and a sweet noodle kugel.
I left the house at 7:30 a.m. on uesday morning to catch the bus to rosh pina in the neighborhood. I caught a taxi on it's way to tel aviv. they ended up leaving me off at the hospital for $50. I was trying to save money but it was really hot outside and it was a real pleasure to be driven directly there. I ate something at the food court and had a cup of tea. I was two hours early for my appointment. I spied out shoes and bathing suits at the mini maul. I ended up waiting an additional hour for the surgeon. he spent an entire five minutes with me. he told me that when I decide to do the brain surgery, I know where he is. apparently, there was no change in the tumor.
I caught the bus back to tel aviv right away at 1:45 p.m. and an hour later caught the bus to rosh pina. there was a bit of traffic and I got home via taxi at 6:00.p.m. hence, I am still sitting at my computer not ready to go to work.
I would have had a huge wait in the lobby and there is nothing open at the hospital at that time. I had gone to an end of school production that evening. the two young girls of my manager were in the production. they come to the yeshiva almost every day after school to schmooze and eat something. they are like surrogate grandkids. my friend was taking photos of the production and came to stay over to watch the pooch. we got back at 9:30 p.m. and I was wrecked. I was too tired to try to catch a bus. I found someone to drive me to the hospital and wait for me to finish. he turned out to be a kid and looked to young to be driving miss zelda.
however, the price was right. the taxi company wanted double what he asked for. I really didn't want to spend the $150 but I needed to. the kid ended up waiting for me for three hours. I finished at 8:00 a.m. and was back at home by 10:00 a.m. I crashed and slept most of the day. I wasn't able to sleep after the show nor did I snooze in the car on the way to the hospital. at one point he got lost and I was too nervous to relax. I cannot fall asleep in a waiting room, either. I am too distracted by the noises. the reception desk actually, closed until 7:30 a.m. and I thought that they had forgotten about me. I wanted to leave. I had no more patience. the ride home was quiet and hot. the kid's jalopy wasn't air conditioned. we were both too tired to speak.
I had wanted to give him a tip for waiting so long but the atm machines were all out of service. I think he made out okay without the tip. his young friend had driven the car to the hospital so he had just the 3 hour wait and the 2 hour ride back to safed. even though he had to pay for gas he still made out. I had to work and stand on my feet for 20 hours to pay for that trip. whatever.... sometimes we have to shell how money to survive. I had to stay at work to make extra meals for the day I missed. on Wednesday, the daughter-in-law came to safed with the kids. she had a bat mitzvah in a nearby town. the kids wanted to sleep here. they came over at around 9:30 p.m. they had been at their cousins' home nearby. we arranged the mattresses on the floor of the t.v. room and we all passed out around 11:00 p.m.
I took them to the pool which is about a 5 minute walk from my house. I thought that it was too chilly to swim but they wouldn't take no for an answer. my friend goes every day to do laps so I knew that it was relatively, empty in the morning. most kids are still in school here. the kids haven't been to a real pool in ages. my friend stayed in the water with them. I wasn't dressed for pool. I ran back to the bakery near my home to buy barekas for us to eat. the pool snack bar was closed. at 12:30 p.m. I taxied back with the kids to the yeshiva. I only stayed for about an hour and a half. I think I made franks and pasta for lunch. it was an out Shabbat so I didn't need to make supper. the kids wanted to go back to the pool. we stopped off in town to buy little toys and I became truly tired. I didn't realize how burnt I had gotten at the pool. we went home. I thought that the daughter-n-law wanted to leave early.
I was invited to go to Jerusalem for Shabbat. I cooked savory chicken bottoms and made a sweet noodle kugel with raisins and an eggless spelt chocolate cake for my friend. I bought prepared beets and made tahini. I used a recipe which called for mayonnaise for the cake. I decided to use up the pesach mayonnaise and forgot that it was made with olive oil. I tasted the cake and it was a bit bitter. I ended up melting in half of a very good chocolate bar.
I forgot how tiring it is to be with kids. their mother showed up at 9:00 p.m. she called to let me know that she was going food shopping. I showered the kids to get them ready. I was getting agitated. I am always afraid that she might fall asleep at the wheel. we left safed at 9:30 p.m. but made it back to Jerusalem in only two hours. the kids and I passed out immediately. we all overslept the next morning and the daughter-in-law quickly got us up and the kids dressed and to school in just moments. an hour later we went to my grandson's end of school party.
I was thinking how I probably won't be around for other major events in the kids' lives. I couldn't stop crying during the class song. cheery, I know. I asked my grandson why he was so quiet at school. he is usually very outgoing at home. he got upset with me and told me I had ruined his day. I never learn to keep my mouth closed.
I managed to visit with my friend and we had lunch with her son. my son took me to his work and we met there. her son drove us back but they couldn't visit because the daughter-in-law was resting. oh well..... I didn't move on Shabbat. it was warm but I was exhausted. the kids played outside for most of the day. I didn't even get dressed. I managed to pray. we tried to play monopoly but the kids had to leave. I took a long nap by myself. we had lunch and it was not serene. it was not a great morning. the evening was a bit better. we had a quick meal before Shabbat ended. the big kids thought about going to a movie. the little kids wanted to be alone with me. I also wanted a moment of quiet. we ended up going to sleep at 9:30 p.m. as soon as Shabbat ended and I showered the kids.
the next morning I caught an early bus to downtown Jerusalem. my friend met me there for lunch. while I waited for her, I went shoe shopping. I love buying shoes there. we had a simple breakfast because I got a bit ill after eating at a fancy restaurant on Friday morning. I caught the 1:00 p.m.bus back to safed and was at the yeshiva at 4:00 p.m. I quickly made supper and taxied home. I was tired. on Monday, I made two extra meals for Tuesday. each meal has three elements. for supper I made a meat loaf, mashed potatoes and spicy carrots. for lunch I made soy schnitzels, quinoa and a sweet noodle kugel.
I left the house at 7:30 a.m. on uesday morning to catch the bus to rosh pina in the neighborhood. I caught a taxi on it's way to tel aviv. they ended up leaving me off at the hospital for $50. I was trying to save money but it was really hot outside and it was a real pleasure to be driven directly there. I ate something at the food court and had a cup of tea. I was two hours early for my appointment. I spied out shoes and bathing suits at the mini maul. I ended up waiting an additional hour for the surgeon. he spent an entire five minutes with me. he told me that when I decide to do the brain surgery, I know where he is. apparently, there was no change in the tumor.
I caught the bus back to tel aviv right away at 1:45 p.m. and an hour later caught the bus to rosh pina. there was a bit of traffic and I got home via taxi at 6:00.p.m. hence, I am still sitting at my computer not ready to go to work.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Why I Love Fridays
it is 5:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. Shabbat candle lighting is at 7: 20 p.m. I made a Shabbat meal for myself. I ate a bit of it already. I got up early but couldn't really do anything. my back and legs were pretty stiff. I have been walking a bit lately. nothing truly strenuous. ten-fifteen minutes here and there. it is a shame as I was an avid walker. I really let myself go this past year. my feet swelled up from the intense heat and my back has gone a bit sciatic. I am trying to lose the weight. I started eating more recently. I was doing the south beach for about three weeks and I kind of lost my appetite. well, it came back with a vengeance with my puffy stomach. I started eating bread and I guess, I don't do well with carbs.
I went down to the neighborhood supermarket to buy some fruit. I got hooked on eating frozen grapes. I bought cherries, honey dew melon and grapes. they were no near as tasty as what I bought for Shavuot. I only had a bit of fruit on Shavuot because I couldn't deal with the sugar content after doing the south beach. I must say that I got over that and ate a lot of grapes the other night. I think I will go back to the south beach on sunday for another two weeks. I also stopped drinking a lot of water. I am consuming way too many calories to lose weight. I am still doing the intermittent fasting at night and it has saved me from binging a few times already. by the time I return from work I hardly have much time to have a proper dinner. I have been stopping to eat by 9:00 p.m. I know that most people do not eat at that hour. I can go all night long and I usually go to bed around 2:00 a.m.
I made 2 chicken breasts with fresh mushrooms for Shabbat night. I used fresh lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. I already ate one of the breasts. I am actually stuffed. I also made a salmon fillet. I had one for lunch and I had a slice of whole wheat raisin challah with cream cheese for breakfast. I also ate a small box of cherries. I have beets for later. is there any wonder why I don't lose weight? I heard from a couple of people who got thin that they increased their fat intake and did away with the carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, seriously. I will get back on the wagon next week. at least, I didn't indulge in any cheesecake or tiramisu over the holiday and I didn't eat any lasagna. I stuck to the cheeses and veggies and olives. I tried to stay away from salt because my ankles were so swollen but a girl has to eat. I still haven't had any butter on my bread. I have not had more than two slices of bread a day. I've had one slice in the morning and another slice for supper. next week there will be no bread.
I just did a couple of loads of laundry. I have a huge amount of bedding to do from pesach. I didn't feel like going outside to hang it as it was very hot. I am very tired today. I worked almost 7 ours yesterday. the heat is debilitating and the yeshiva kitchen is airless. I am thoroughly depleted. I must drink more fluids. I have been frying a lot of foods lately. I made nearly two hundred falafel balls and about 2 pounds of French fries the other afternoon. I made tons of corn fritters and hamburgers, too. my legs are caving in on me.
the daughter-in-law invited me to come for Shabbat next week. we spent a lot of time together talking on Shavuot. they are coming next week for a bat mitzvah in the next town and will spend the night. I went out to buy treats, chocolate milk, eggs, and more cheeses and fruit. I bought more gifts last week. I still have frozen waffles for the kids. I better buy a few veggies on sunday. the daughter-in-law likes her salad. and I guess, I need some bread. I bought apple juice concentrate for the kids. my friend comes to baby sit my dog and I have to keep the freezer full for her. I have frozen grapes and watermelon. she loves her shakes. I also have lots of chicken and hamburgers. I left a piece of lasagna and a piece of tiramisu, too.
this year my lasagna was stellar. I used mozzarella and ricotta for the first time here. it was so much better than cottage cheese. the sauce wasn't runny. I also used Italian tomatoes. the tiramisu also turned out great. I made it alcohol free and used all natural almond extract which tasted like marzipan. only one friend didn't like it because she is not a marzipan fan. I tempered the egg yokes over a double boiler this time. even the teriyaki salmon was a hit. the only thing not touched were the cheese blintzes. I put them back in the freezer. my grandson had one but then he ate anything in sight. all in all it was a lovely holiday. I forgot how exhausting watching kids is.
I went down to the neighborhood supermarket to buy some fruit. I got hooked on eating frozen grapes. I bought cherries, honey dew melon and grapes. they were no near as tasty as what I bought for Shavuot. I only had a bit of fruit on Shavuot because I couldn't deal with the sugar content after doing the south beach. I must say that I got over that and ate a lot of grapes the other night. I think I will go back to the south beach on sunday for another two weeks. I also stopped drinking a lot of water. I am consuming way too many calories to lose weight. I am still doing the intermittent fasting at night and it has saved me from binging a few times already. by the time I return from work I hardly have much time to have a proper dinner. I have been stopping to eat by 9:00 p.m. I know that most people do not eat at that hour. I can go all night long and I usually go to bed around 2:00 a.m.
I made 2 chicken breasts with fresh mushrooms for Shabbat night. I used fresh lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. I already ate one of the breasts. I am actually stuffed. I also made a salmon fillet. I had one for lunch and I had a slice of whole wheat raisin challah with cream cheese for breakfast. I also ate a small box of cherries. I have beets for later. is there any wonder why I don't lose weight? I heard from a couple of people who got thin that they increased their fat intake and did away with the carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, seriously. I will get back on the wagon next week. at least, I didn't indulge in any cheesecake or tiramisu over the holiday and I didn't eat any lasagna. I stuck to the cheeses and veggies and olives. I tried to stay away from salt because my ankles were so swollen but a girl has to eat. I still haven't had any butter on my bread. I have not had more than two slices of bread a day. I've had one slice in the morning and another slice for supper. next week there will be no bread.
I just did a couple of loads of laundry. I have a huge amount of bedding to do from pesach. I didn't feel like going outside to hang it as it was very hot. I am very tired today. I worked almost 7 ours yesterday. the heat is debilitating and the yeshiva kitchen is airless. I am thoroughly depleted. I must drink more fluids. I have been frying a lot of foods lately. I made nearly two hundred falafel balls and about 2 pounds of French fries the other afternoon. I made tons of corn fritters and hamburgers, too. my legs are caving in on me.
the daughter-in-law invited me to come for Shabbat next week. we spent a lot of time together talking on Shavuot. they are coming next week for a bat mitzvah in the next town and will spend the night. I went out to buy treats, chocolate milk, eggs, and more cheeses and fruit. I bought more gifts last week. I still have frozen waffles for the kids. I better buy a few veggies on sunday. the daughter-in-law likes her salad. and I guess, I need some bread. I bought apple juice concentrate for the kids. my friend comes to baby sit my dog and I have to keep the freezer full for her. I have frozen grapes and watermelon. she loves her shakes. I also have lots of chicken and hamburgers. I left a piece of lasagna and a piece of tiramisu, too.
this year my lasagna was stellar. I used mozzarella and ricotta for the first time here. it was so much better than cottage cheese. the sauce wasn't runny. I also used Italian tomatoes. the tiramisu also turned out great. I made it alcohol free and used all natural almond extract which tasted like marzipan. only one friend didn't like it because she is not a marzipan fan. I tempered the egg yokes over a double boiler this time. even the teriyaki salmon was a hit. the only thing not touched were the cheese blintzes. I put them back in the freezer. my grandson had one but then he ate anything in sight. all in all it was a lovely holiday. I forgot how exhausting watching kids is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
