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.