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.