it is 2:00 p.m. i have been wanting to get out of the house for a while now. i have been inside the house, scrubbing and cleaning away for a couple of weeks. we have had some sunny days but i have been cooped up inside doing laundry. we are scheduled for some rain so i am taking advantage of the dry and windy weather and hanging out my winter jammies, robes and sweaters on my porch. i am pretty much caught up with the linens and towels. i have managed to toss out a lot of things this week. old glass dishes, cruelled works , an oil painting, sheets and table cloths and a vase; all had to go. i suddenly, could not look at these things any more and i certainly, did not want to waste any more time cleaning them. most of these things were nearly 40 years old and some even older.
i also have been rearranging the pictures on the walls. i do this every year before pesach. my sister professionally, staged my house a few years ago. i didn't move a thing for years and suddenly; i got the 'bug'. i reframed a few choice pictures and i am happy with the results. i washed all of the curtains and slip covers of the beds, chairs and sofa. i have been doing everything in my bathtub except for the towels. the Sephardi grandma has a washing machine downstairs. mine has been put in storage. it is an old maytag and truthfully; it doesn't do the deed anymore. after pesach; i plan to bring in a plumber and have a small machine installed up here in my house. that would be ideal. i don't dare bring my dirty, soiled, doggie haired sheets downstairs. i have my pride. i keep a few separate sheets in the master bedroom for my son and wife. the dogs are not allowed on these.
i have pretty much run out of money this month. pesach will do that to you. the kids want to do the seder up here. i am planning on making a modest meal of chicken soup, chopped liver and a piece of beef in wine. pesach comes in on a saturday night following a long shabbat. you can imagine how much food is consumed on saturday day. last year i was by myself and just had soup. i finished the last part of the seder and went to sleep. i usually make chicken for seder night but i think the kids would prefer the beef. i traditionally, do not use spices for pesach. i basically, use salt and freshly ground pepper and a lot of fresh ginger, oranges, onions and lemons. i don't use garlic. i know that the grandkids would not like this.
i am dreading having to eat so late at night. i have been pretty much; eating my main meal around 5:00 p.m. and fasting. i usually make mashed potatoes on seder night but the Sephardi grandma makes a dish of mashed potatoes and hard cooked eggs for the shabbat lunch. they all love this. i can't look at it. i have to figure out what i can make instead. i peel all my fruits and vegetables on pesach. i do not use peppers or cabbage or spinach. i even peel tomatoes, celery and dates. it is a lot of work. i have a pesach toaster oven but it is stored in a place that i can't get to by myself. i was thinking of buying a small one so that i can make a potato kugel. i don't know if i should go into debt for this. i need to do all the cooking on friday so latkes are out. they would be just awful; reheated on saturday night.
i haven't completed one room yet. i have been pretty erratic in my cleaning. i see something in another room that i want to fix, or change and i leave the project at hand to do something completely different and more interesting. this is not how one should clean for pesach. we still have a full week left to clean for pesach. we check our homes next thursday for any bread or cake crumbs that we may find but we still have to eat bread until saturday morning. this is a bit tricky. i am just going with the flow. it is already getting cold and i don't know if i will make it out. i want to buy some gnocchi i saw in the local supermarket that is kosher for pesach. the kids always want some when they visit. i need to shower and feed the dogs and run out. to be continued..............
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