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.