taying Busy

it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  i got up at 6:00 a.m. this morning and took the dogs out for their walk.  i do not go far with them. i am fearful of running into loose animals at that hour.  we go around the block until they do their thing.  i came home and put in a batch of laundry.  i am nearly caught up with all of the bedding.  i mopped the floors and cleaned the fridge and the stove top.  i put away the pots and pans and washed some tea cups. i put all the dried sheets and pillow cases in the linen closet. i put up a pot of turkey neck, black bean and lentil soup.  tomorrow is shabbat and i wanted to get a head start in case i spend time at the pool. 

 i am debating on going now to the pool.  it is only in the 70's and looks like rain.  i prefer to go later in the day when it will be warmer and sunny.  the kids start to come about 2:00 p.m. and it gets noisy.  yesterday they had a group until 1:00 p.m. so we elders couldn't do our laps at 10:00 a.m. i also haven't had my breakfast yet.  i usually eat earlier but i had supper last night at 9:00 p.m. it was a an avocado sandwich and a bowl of oats, almond milk and blueberries. i fast for a minimum of 12 hours daily.

the pool used to open at 9:00 a.m. but they had trouble getting lifeguards.  the indoor pool opens at 7:00 a.m. but it is pretty far away if one doesn't have a car.  i prefer an outdoor pool. there is air and there isn't a strong smell of clorine. i basically go to cool off on a hot day.  i am not a swimmer.  i can dog pladdle my way back and forth of a lane.  i read today that dog paddling builds uppper core body strength, which i sorely, lack.  so i guess, i don't feel totally lame.

i read on facebook this morning that a friend's 21 year old son in australia was in a serious motor bike accident and undergoing knee surgery.  i wish them well but it gives me the shakes.  my neighhbor's nephew was killed in an accident many years ago and his older brother was left a parapalegic; a few years later.  i wish they were outlawed. israelis are pretty wild drivers but the ones on motor bikes, are the scariest of the lot of drivers.

i don't hink i am ready to plunge into a pool of cold water.  i am already pretty  tired. i have been on my feet for the past 4 hours.  i think i will have a large green salad and a cup of chai tea with almond milk.  then i will do my 45 minute walk and do a bit of shopping.  i am well stocked with lettuce, brocoli and kale for the moment.  i have lovely pink lady apples and mini plums from a local neighborhood tree.  i want to buy a decorative laundry bag; if there is such a thing and a suction hook to hang my extension cord on the wall. right now i have it hanging onto a bucket over the dogs' food and water bowls.  i also need a new salad bowl. i accidentally knocked mine over resulting in hundreds of shards and pieces of porceline all over the kitchen floor.  it took me forever to sweep it all up and i am still finding pieces.

 there was a bad odor of  sewerage in my kitchen.  i suspected it was coming from the washing machine.  i opened up a home perfume sticks bottle of patchuli and vanilla and placed it on my floor next to the sewage pipe and opened the window.  it didn't really help. i hesitantly, pushed the pipe of the washing machine further into the swer pipe and it seemed to do the trick. one less problem averted.  my soup looks a bit thin so i might add a potato.  i will take my walk after i have my salad.