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.