it is nearly 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just came back from the dental clinic in rosh pina. i hired a driver to take me there because i was under pressure to get back as soon as possible. the clan wanted to do a day trip today. the plan was that i would get the two kids and watch them until the parents returned from eilat some time tonight. anyway, i got to the clinic at 9:00 a.m. and waited to see the head technician. he told me to come back on sunday. it would take about 2 hours to fix it. i actually got confused and was outside for twenty minutes, waiting for the driver an hour early. i was just about to call him to find out where he was when i noticed that it was only 8:00 a.m.
the first technician said that the clasp on the other side was about to break, too. that's $50 cab fare each way and $50 to fix each clasp. what a racket!!! anyway, i ran like a banshee into the street to catch a shared taxi back to zefat. i didn't call the original driver back because i was so pressed for time. i got a mouth full yesterday from the moroccan safta about my ruining their precious day trip before 2 of the clan kids go off to another city for school. my having to go to the dentist first thing this morning, wasn't any concern for them. it was just another instance of my screwing up.
the fact that i never made up with anyone to take the kids on thursday was of no consequence. i was asked by my son before he went off to eilat, if i could pitch in and help with the kids in case i was needed. i agreed to that. nothing specific was set up. i was called yesterday by my son to ask if i could take my grandson for the day and then have the two kids on thursday. i was exhausted from the previous day's journey and hospital visits. i didn't give him a definitive answer.
like a fool, i called the other grandma to set something up with her. both the house phone and cellphone were shut off. i spent the entire day trying to reach her. she finally called me in the evening. i explained that i had to get to the dentist to fix my bridge and that i would be back by noon. that is when i got the mouth full. she had set it up with her daughter who hadn't set it up with me. no one ever speaks directly to me. it's been years of this. i'm fed up with it. my son calls me from work to ask if i can help the daughter -in -law downstairs. it doesn't occur to her to ask me directly.
i know i over react to these things. my buttons are pushed and i react angrily. the other grandma and my zefat sister are one in the same. they have the same mot is operandis. they both are last minute people who get the job done causing me the most aggravation. they really know how to push the old buttons of mine. just when i think i've moved on i find myself sliding years backward. there is nothing like an old fool!
i need to get to the supermarket but there is no way to shlepp there with with 2 kids. i'll have to go down first thing in the morning. i'm expected to make shabbat for the kids again. and now i have to go to rosh pina on sunday morning. and i'l have a 2 hour wait down there. i'm the cancer survivor and the one running around with the brain tumor. doesn't anyone care?????
.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Good News Rough Day
it is 3:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i am still recovering from my all day trip to the hospital in tel aviv yesterday. i hardly slept the night before. i was exhausted from having babysat all week. i got up at 6:30 a.m. and let the dogs out. i put on the sprinklers and went to lie down. the night before i had binged on ice cream and cheesecake. i got up at 7:00 a.m. to get my medical papers in order. i could not find the referral and payment voucher forms any where for the gyn oncologist visit. i had been to town last week and spent hours waiting for the doctor and voucher to come in.
it is not like me to lose important papers. i searched every nook and cranny of my house. my sister decided to come with me to the hospital. i told her that i would stop off at the clinic up here to get copies of the referral. i jumped into the shower at about 7:30 a.m. and the water was just about a trickle. i realized that i had forgotten to turn off the sprinklers. what a waste of good water and money! the grass is brown and balding in spite of the little water i give it. i ran outside in a robe and saw the driver waiting for me already.
he had come a good 15 minutes early. i skipped my shower and quickly got dressed. i put in my denture and the acrylic clip snapped right off. i was in shock. it was too uncomfortable wearing it that way so i left without my 'teeth'. thank the Lord, that i still have all of my front teeth. never the less i felt, quite uncomfortable without it.
i got to the clinic and the referral and payment voucher forms were not on the computer. the young and inexperienced receptionist suggested that i go to the clinic in town. i got irate. i told her that i was on my way to tel aviv for a 10:30 a.m. appointment. it was already late. a few other nurses and office ladies came out to help. they know my medical history. both doctors at each clinic were not present. i went into a crying jag and said that i didn't care any more. i didn't want another internal exam any way. i told them that all i did was spend my money and time going back and forth to doctors for papers for doctors appointments and that i was tired of it all.
i could hardly speak in hebrew. i said i wasn't crazy. i told them that i hadn't imagined getting the papers last week. and i ranted something about having a brain tumor. one nurse came running out to give me a cup of water. i just kept on crying and ranting. the driver came inside to see what was going on. he was under pressure to get me to tel aviv by 10:30 a.m. it was already past 8:30 a.m. and we still needed to pick up my sister.
an experienced office worker found a voucher from may that i hadn't used because i didn't go for my gyn oncologist visit. i had gotten the radiologist to exam me with a female gyn doctor. they had sent me appointments all summer long and i had refused to travel to see the gyn oncologist as long as i could hold out. last week the dingbat secretary, that had scewed me up for months, called my sister and promised if i came in before my neurosurgeon appointment, she would get me in early to see the doctor.
we left zefat after 9:00 a.m. but we managed to get to the 10:30 a.m. appointment on time. i did however, wait more than 1 1/2 hours. we threatened to leave more than once. the specialist did give me an internal and told me that it was looking good. he sent a pap smear to the clinic and hopefully it will come back clean, please G-d. at the beginning of my treatment he told me that we were considered to be 'engaged'. yesterday, he told me that we had a 'catholic' relationship now. i guess he found someone he liked better.
i hustled over to the other side of the hospital in the blazing heat. there were no cabs outside. i only waited for about half an hour. there was no change in the size of the tumor. the neurosurgeon determined that it was most likely benign. he warned me of the rare danger signs of a bleed and told me to come back in november to do another mri. he feels that the longer i heal from the radiation, the stronger i will be for surgery. he said that it was a long surgery because of the precision of the microscopic tools. anyway, i'd be totally put out, so what was time to me? he upped the anty. now we are talking about a 4-5 day minimum hospital stay and a month long recovery period. how fun!
i need to see the radiologist in september, and the gyn oncologist in november, do another mri and see the neurosurgeon again, too. he's talking december/january surgery. i can wait longer, believe me. i am still mostly a -symptomatic. i tried to schedule an appointment for the mri while i was there, but no could do. i have to call them. i was hoping to be able to do the oncologist and mri on the same day to eliminate a trip. we shall see. i still haven't been reimbursed for any of the many taxi rides yet.
in the meanwhile, i got proposed to. the guy that i have been seeing, decided it was time to ask me to marry him. please refrain yourselves from screaming mazal tov. i didn't say yes,yet. i went into sheer panic mode. i'm not ready to commit. i'd like to believe that the prospect of starting a marriage off with brain surgery, simply doesn't do it for me. the picture of waking up all bandaged, groggy, and possibly nauseous with the new hubby being the first person to greet me and let me know that i m not a veggie, also doesn't do it for me, either. hustling to make a small wedding reception and having the upcoming jewish holidays together so that i can prepare a million meals, doesn't seem all that idyllic. but all these excuses doesn't make it the real truth. i guess i need more time to heal, get stronger and really have total clarity that this is the man i want to spend the rest of my life with. i'm just not there yet. i'm not really ready for intimacy yet, either. i don't want to keep this lovely man hanging but i can't rush into this, now.
my son called me hours ago to ask if i could take my grandson today and the both kids tomorrow. i made an appointment to have my dental plate fixed in the morning. i can't do it in zefat. i need to travel to the clinic in rosh pina at 8:30 a.m. and wait for nearly 2 hours. there is no way that i can take the boy to the clinic on the bus with me. there is no way that i can take the boy to the clinic in a taxi, either. i decided to take care of zelda first today. that is a new thing. i don't want to put off my teeth for anyone. i'm the one with a brain tumor and i'm the one who spent 2 months getting radiation treatments for cancer . i did try to call the other grandma to let her know that i could help out tomorrow after i return from the dentist. her phone was busy all day long. oh well.......
it is not like me to lose important papers. i searched every nook and cranny of my house. my sister decided to come with me to the hospital. i told her that i would stop off at the clinic up here to get copies of the referral. i jumped into the shower at about 7:30 a.m. and the water was just about a trickle. i realized that i had forgotten to turn off the sprinklers. what a waste of good water and money! the grass is brown and balding in spite of the little water i give it. i ran outside in a robe and saw the driver waiting for me already.
he had come a good 15 minutes early. i skipped my shower and quickly got dressed. i put in my denture and the acrylic clip snapped right off. i was in shock. it was too uncomfortable wearing it that way so i left without my 'teeth'. thank the Lord, that i still have all of my front teeth. never the less i felt, quite uncomfortable without it.
i got to the clinic and the referral and payment voucher forms were not on the computer. the young and inexperienced receptionist suggested that i go to the clinic in town. i got irate. i told her that i was on my way to tel aviv for a 10:30 a.m. appointment. it was already late. a few other nurses and office ladies came out to help. they know my medical history. both doctors at each clinic were not present. i went into a crying jag and said that i didn't care any more. i didn't want another internal exam any way. i told them that all i did was spend my money and time going back and forth to doctors for papers for doctors appointments and that i was tired of it all.
i could hardly speak in hebrew. i said i wasn't crazy. i told them that i hadn't imagined getting the papers last week. and i ranted something about having a brain tumor. one nurse came running out to give me a cup of water. i just kept on crying and ranting. the driver came inside to see what was going on. he was under pressure to get me to tel aviv by 10:30 a.m. it was already past 8:30 a.m. and we still needed to pick up my sister.
an experienced office worker found a voucher from may that i hadn't used because i didn't go for my gyn oncologist visit. i had gotten the radiologist to exam me with a female gyn doctor. they had sent me appointments all summer long and i had refused to travel to see the gyn oncologist as long as i could hold out. last week the dingbat secretary, that had scewed me up for months, called my sister and promised if i came in before my neurosurgeon appointment, she would get me in early to see the doctor.
we left zefat after 9:00 a.m. but we managed to get to the 10:30 a.m. appointment on time. i did however, wait more than 1 1/2 hours. we threatened to leave more than once. the specialist did give me an internal and told me that it was looking good. he sent a pap smear to the clinic and hopefully it will come back clean, please G-d. at the beginning of my treatment he told me that we were considered to be 'engaged'. yesterday, he told me that we had a 'catholic' relationship now. i guess he found someone he liked better.
i hustled over to the other side of the hospital in the blazing heat. there were no cabs outside. i only waited for about half an hour. there was no change in the size of the tumor. the neurosurgeon determined that it was most likely benign. he warned me of the rare danger signs of a bleed and told me to come back in november to do another mri. he feels that the longer i heal from the radiation, the stronger i will be for surgery. he said that it was a long surgery because of the precision of the microscopic tools. anyway, i'd be totally put out, so what was time to me? he upped the anty. now we are talking about a 4-5 day minimum hospital stay and a month long recovery period. how fun!
i need to see the radiologist in september, and the gyn oncologist in november, do another mri and see the neurosurgeon again, too. he's talking december/january surgery. i can wait longer, believe me. i am still mostly a -symptomatic. i tried to schedule an appointment for the mri while i was there, but no could do. i have to call them. i was hoping to be able to do the oncologist and mri on the same day to eliminate a trip. we shall see. i still haven't been reimbursed for any of the many taxi rides yet.
in the meanwhile, i got proposed to. the guy that i have been seeing, decided it was time to ask me to marry him. please refrain yourselves from screaming mazal tov. i didn't say yes,yet. i went into sheer panic mode. i'm not ready to commit. i'd like to believe that the prospect of starting a marriage off with brain surgery, simply doesn't do it for me. the picture of waking up all bandaged, groggy, and possibly nauseous with the new hubby being the first person to greet me and let me know that i m not a veggie, also doesn't do it for me, either. hustling to make a small wedding reception and having the upcoming jewish holidays together so that i can prepare a million meals, doesn't seem all that idyllic. but all these excuses doesn't make it the real truth. i guess i need more time to heal, get stronger and really have total clarity that this is the man i want to spend the rest of my life with. i'm just not there yet. i'm not really ready for intimacy yet, either. i don't want to keep this lovely man hanging but i can't rush into this, now.
my son called me hours ago to ask if i could take my grandson today and the both kids tomorrow. i made an appointment to have my dental plate fixed in the morning. i can't do it in zefat. i need to travel to the clinic in rosh pina at 8:30 a.m. and wait for nearly 2 hours. there is no way that i can take the boy to the clinic on the bus with me. there is no way that i can take the boy to the clinic in a taxi, either. i decided to take care of zelda first today. that is a new thing. i don't want to put off my teeth for anyone. i'm the one with a brain tumor and i'm the one who spent 2 months getting radiation treatments for cancer . i did try to call the other grandma to let her know that i could help out tomorrow after i return from the dentist. her phone was busy all day long. oh well.......
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Back To Normal
it is 8:30 a.m in the holy city of zefat. i just went outside to take a glimpse of what the neighbors are doing on their house. i saw a crew of workers come yesterday. i heard a bit of noise but as it was pretty hot outside, i refrained from going out to snoop. not that i really have the money to build, but i was none the less, going to ask these guys for an estimate for stairs. anyway, when i did slip out this morning, i was rather surprised at what i saw.
i noticed that their pergola was down and there was three stories of scaffolding. i didn't know if they were painting or adding jerusalem stones. i saw my neighbor and started to ask when i finally noticed that the garden between our houses that served as a green wall was completely gone. these jerks, without any permission cut down shrubs and trees.
i spent friday morning cooking, baking and washing the floors. i felt pretty tired by late afternoon. it was like i couldn't move at all any more. it was hot and i probably over did it. by the time my son came home from synagogue, i was too tired to serve. my daughter-in-law came up with the kids and i kept up with them. i rose to the occassion, as usual, like i always did before i got sick. my grandson didn't spend the night with me. i think i looked rather pale, and my son suddenly became protective of me. he kept on asking me if i felt faint.
i wasn't dizzy or faint. i was just plain tired and tuckered out. i think i went to sleep right away. i was too tired to read. my grandson came up about 6:00 a.m. or maybe 7:00 a.m. i was too groggy to really notice. i got up at once to give him milk and date honey and some cheesecake. his father came up next, followed by his mother and baby sister. my son started asking me again, if i was okay. i guess, i was still looking a tad pale. he even asked me if i over did it. that must have been a first for him. he's gotten so used to me putting out for them, that i think it finally got to him that i may not be as strong as i used to be.
the kids left today for eilat. they will be gone until friday. i volunteered to watch the grandson for a couple of days. what was i thinking?? there are a group of teenagers at the other family, way more energetic, than myself to chase after a 4 year old. after all, i did have the pleasure of his company almost everyday last week. i had him for 14 hours on wednesday and 14 hours on thursday. i also had my share of the kids during the fast. i guess it's back to normal for me, being the shlepper. i will have to take him back to the clan tomorrow before my concert. i have to travel to tel aviv on tuesday to see the neurosurgeon. i think i offered to keep him on wednesday and thursday, too. what was i thinking??????
i noticed that their pergola was down and there was three stories of scaffolding. i didn't know if they were painting or adding jerusalem stones. i saw my neighbor and started to ask when i finally noticed that the garden between our houses that served as a green wall was completely gone. these jerks, without any permission cut down shrubs and trees.
i spent friday morning cooking, baking and washing the floors. i felt pretty tired by late afternoon. it was like i couldn't move at all any more. it was hot and i probably over did it. by the time my son came home from synagogue, i was too tired to serve. my daughter-in-law came up with the kids and i kept up with them. i rose to the occassion, as usual, like i always did before i got sick. my grandson didn't spend the night with me. i think i looked rather pale, and my son suddenly became protective of me. he kept on asking me if i felt faint.
i wasn't dizzy or faint. i was just plain tired and tuckered out. i think i went to sleep right away. i was too tired to read. my grandson came up about 6:00 a.m. or maybe 7:00 a.m. i was too groggy to really notice. i got up at once to give him milk and date honey and some cheesecake. his father came up next, followed by his mother and baby sister. my son started asking me again, if i was okay. i guess, i was still looking a tad pale. he even asked me if i over did it. that must have been a first for him. he's gotten so used to me putting out for them, that i think it finally got to him that i may not be as strong as i used to be.
the kids left today for eilat. they will be gone until friday. i volunteered to watch the grandson for a couple of days. what was i thinking?? there are a group of teenagers at the other family, way more energetic, than myself to chase after a 4 year old. after all, i did have the pleasure of his company almost everyday last week. i had him for 14 hours on wednesday and 14 hours on thursday. i also had my share of the kids during the fast. i guess it's back to normal for me, being the shlepper. i will have to take him back to the clan tomorrow before my concert. i have to travel to tel aviv on tuesday to see the neurosurgeon. i think i offered to keep him on wednesday and thursday, too. what was i thinking??????
Monday, July 15, 2013
Feeling Well
it is 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. in another 2 hours we start a major fast. this one is about 24 hours. i went to the doctor yesterday hoping that he'd tell me not to fast. although he is not a rabbi, never the less, he told me to at least start the fast. i have been eating all day long. i had eggs and toast in the morning, two glasses of milk, a tuna sandwich, sweet potato ravioli in cream sauce and two bowls of lentil soup. quite frankly, i am too stuffed to eat anything more. i will have a green salad and russian dressing for the meal before the fast.
i wasn't planning on preparing anything today at all. the kids usually go to the in-laws for tisha b'av. i asked my gal pal what to eat today. she said pasta and bread. i remembered making soup for the pre fast meal for many years. this morning my son asked if i could watch the grandson. poor kid has been cooped up all day in front of the t.v. it is pretty hot and very humid outside. way too hot for me to hang out at the little park. problem is that they build these parks without any trees for shade.
i made him a bubble bath a little while ago. he was going bonkers and hitting me with his tee shirt. the bath chilled him out. i even took a shower to cool off. i managed to wet mop the floor while i was cooking. i had to run to the supermarket this morning to get food for the pre fast. i bought frozen sweet potato ravioli, pitas, cooking cream, and various veggies to throw into a lentil soup. i also bought a can of diced tomatoes for the soup. i even baked a vanilla loaf cake.
everything is ready to go. the salad needs to be dressed. as soon as the daughter-in-law returns from work, we can feast. i bought tickets for a concert next monday night. the popular male singer, yakov shweki, is coming to zefat. i took the kids to hear him a couple of years ago. the next day i have to go back to the hospital in tel aviv to see the gyn oncologist and the neurosurgeon. yes, a double header! it will be a very long day, for sure. hours of travelling and hours of waiting. i am amazingly calm. i guess it's the heat.
i have put on nearly 10 pounds. there went my svelte body. i really have to cool it now. i have to stay away from the carbs and sugar. they're doing me in. i seem to lose it on some days and binge all day. i'm pretty inactive still, so i'm not exactly burning up the calories. i seem to crave the unhealthy milk chocolate treats. the 70% dark chocolate doesn't do it for me anymore. i guess, i don't care what i eat anymore, either.
i went to town yesterday to see the doctor and buy the concert tickets. i was lucky to get the referral forms the same day, for a change. i don't need to go back to the clinic next week. i didn't want to speak with the social worker in person. i wanted to save myself the trip, but i tried calling her and she didn't return my call. i am impatiently, waiting to be reimbursed for all my travel expenses. the amount is staggering. i put in a claim for my sister, also. they will only reimburse her one way. whatever we can get is still helpful.
the store selling concert tickets wouldn't take credit cards or checks. my account was overdrawn so i jumped on a bus and returned to the neighborhood. i actually asked for half price, for the first time. they didn't even ask for i.d. i went over to my friend's for cash. i then jumped on a bus back to town to buy the tickets. a half hour later, i was once again, back on the bus with the tickets. mission accomplished! i hung out with my friend until 5:30 p.m.
i felt rather well today. i think being out of the house yesterday really was beneficial. it's an hour away to the fast. the kids have had their ravioli downstairs. if they prefer to have the soup downstairs, it's fine by me. i washed the floors because the bottoms of my feet were black. i cleared off the dining room table. too. i heard that drinking straight lemon juice is a sure way to beat the fast. i'm having lemon in my water. an easy fast everyone! may the moshiach come now!!!!
m
i wasn't planning on preparing anything today at all. the kids usually go to the in-laws for tisha b'av. i asked my gal pal what to eat today. she said pasta and bread. i remembered making soup for the pre fast meal for many years. this morning my son asked if i could watch the grandson. poor kid has been cooped up all day in front of the t.v. it is pretty hot and very humid outside. way too hot for me to hang out at the little park. problem is that they build these parks without any trees for shade.
i made him a bubble bath a little while ago. he was going bonkers and hitting me with his tee shirt. the bath chilled him out. i even took a shower to cool off. i managed to wet mop the floor while i was cooking. i had to run to the supermarket this morning to get food for the pre fast. i bought frozen sweet potato ravioli, pitas, cooking cream, and various veggies to throw into a lentil soup. i also bought a can of diced tomatoes for the soup. i even baked a vanilla loaf cake.
everything is ready to go. the salad needs to be dressed. as soon as the daughter-in-law returns from work, we can feast. i bought tickets for a concert next monday night. the popular male singer, yakov shweki, is coming to zefat. i took the kids to hear him a couple of years ago. the next day i have to go back to the hospital in tel aviv to see the gyn oncologist and the neurosurgeon. yes, a double header! it will be a very long day, for sure. hours of travelling and hours of waiting. i am amazingly calm. i guess it's the heat.
i have put on nearly 10 pounds. there went my svelte body. i really have to cool it now. i have to stay away from the carbs and sugar. they're doing me in. i seem to lose it on some days and binge all day. i'm pretty inactive still, so i'm not exactly burning up the calories. i seem to crave the unhealthy milk chocolate treats. the 70% dark chocolate doesn't do it for me anymore. i guess, i don't care what i eat anymore, either.
i went to town yesterday to see the doctor and buy the concert tickets. i was lucky to get the referral forms the same day, for a change. i don't need to go back to the clinic next week. i didn't want to speak with the social worker in person. i wanted to save myself the trip, but i tried calling her and she didn't return my call. i am impatiently, waiting to be reimbursed for all my travel expenses. the amount is staggering. i put in a claim for my sister, also. they will only reimburse her one way. whatever we can get is still helpful.
the store selling concert tickets wouldn't take credit cards or checks. my account was overdrawn so i jumped on a bus and returned to the neighborhood. i actually asked for half price, for the first time. they didn't even ask for i.d. i went over to my friend's for cash. i then jumped on a bus back to town to buy the tickets. a half hour later, i was once again, back on the bus with the tickets. mission accomplished! i hung out with my friend until 5:30 p.m.
i felt rather well today. i think being out of the house yesterday really was beneficial. it's an hour away to the fast. the kids have had their ravioli downstairs. if they prefer to have the soup downstairs, it's fine by me. i washed the floors because the bottoms of my feet were black. i cleared off the dining room table. too. i heard that drinking straight lemon juice is a sure way to beat the fast. i'm having lemon in my water. an easy fast everyone! may the moshiach come now!!!!
m
Sunday, July 7, 2013
It's Hard To Say Goodbye
it is 5:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. my older sister just left for our cousin's home in yavne. she returns to california tomorrow. my brother left on sunday last week. we had one heck of a reunion! psychodrama til 5:00 a.m. every night. most of the ranting and drama was done by me, zelda. my siblings patiently stayed up all night to calm me down. my buttons were being pushed at all times by our baby sister, who lives in zefat.
i did all of the cooking and washing up. that's because, according to all of my siblings, i am a control freak. no one really wanted to go out or eat in restaurants. my non -coffee drinking younger sister wanted to go out for a coffee in town. the time was always wrong. we couldn't coordinate the four of us to meet during the day. our younger sister would come at night. i managed to hold my own for the first week. i didn't join them on a day trip to amuca and meron. i needed bed rest. i completely shut down after my brother left. i couldn't get out of bed except to make meals.
my grandson was a handful, too. he was put off by my non hebrew speaking siblings. he was at his most awful behavior all week long. my siblings from america couldn't relate. my brother the child psychologist, didn't put up a great effort to relate to this 'horroble four' year old. either. my sister, the light sleeper, suffered the most when my grandson was around. it was a lot of pressure for me to be a good and loving sister and a good and doting grandma at the same time.
after my brother left, i wasn't allowed to give over any more 'war stories', as my older sister calls them. you all know how i love to milk a story about my every day living here. horror stories or 'war stories' are my medium. they don't call me 'ranting zelda ' for nothing. i admit that i am obsessed by my stories and rants. i once went on one of my 'rants' to my friend's brother. he lives in canada. he couldn't take my rap. he told me that if it was so horrible here, i should leave.
some people, just can't take a rant. mazal tov on our finally catching the elusive rat on erev shabbat! for weeks now, my son has been calling me downstairs to help in catching the rat. we enlisted the pincher, who seems far more interested in killing pigeons on the third floor roof top apartment. on friday, as i was cooking for shabat, my daughter-in-law called me downstairs several times to help catch the rat. i was exhausted by the time my son came home from work. i still had things to cook and a cheesecake to bake. the rat was hiding in the tray underneath the fridge. we finally had a good chance to catch him. even the pincher stepped up to the plate and helped kill it. this seems to be a family bonding time, catching and killing rats.
i now believe that the he rat was a she rat. i think she was just a hard working mother rat, who started a family in our downstairs laundry room.. we have since caught a couple of smaller rats in the one trap that still works. it is going to be a long hard summer.
i go to tel aviv tomorrow, to do another MRI of my head. the neurosurgeon wants to have two pictures to compare the tumor . i then go to see him again in another two weeks. i am hoping that he will tell me that it isn't urgent to operate. i am hoping to schedule it in the winter after all of the holidays and chanuka have passed. this year chanuka starts on thanksgiving day. i do not want to have an operation right now. i hope that i will be able to put it off. i am surprisingly, calm and not the bit , nervous about tomorrow.
we still have a pigeon problem upstairs. i made a lot of progress but not enough. the heat wears me out. i cannot function when it's hot. i can run up and down the stairs all day long, but walking distances, is still not doable. i think i don't realize how fragile i still am until i'm back in bed. i recently went on an over eating binge. i gained over five pounds since the siblings came. i need to chill out now. i'd hate to get heavy again. it's all concentrated in the belly area. i seriously, need to stop the ice cream and chocolate runs to the supermarket.
i did all of the cooking and washing up. that's because, according to all of my siblings, i am a control freak. no one really wanted to go out or eat in restaurants. my non -coffee drinking younger sister wanted to go out for a coffee in town. the time was always wrong. we couldn't coordinate the four of us to meet during the day. our younger sister would come at night. i managed to hold my own for the first week. i didn't join them on a day trip to amuca and meron. i needed bed rest. i completely shut down after my brother left. i couldn't get out of bed except to make meals.
my grandson was a handful, too. he was put off by my non hebrew speaking siblings. he was at his most awful behavior all week long. my siblings from america couldn't relate. my brother the child psychologist, didn't put up a great effort to relate to this 'horroble four' year old. either. my sister, the light sleeper, suffered the most when my grandson was around. it was a lot of pressure for me to be a good and loving sister and a good and doting grandma at the same time.
after my brother left, i wasn't allowed to give over any more 'war stories', as my older sister calls them. you all know how i love to milk a story about my every day living here. horror stories or 'war stories' are my medium. they don't call me 'ranting zelda ' for nothing. i admit that i am obsessed by my stories and rants. i once went on one of my 'rants' to my friend's brother. he lives in canada. he couldn't take my rap. he told me that if it was so horrible here, i should leave.
some people, just can't take a rant. mazal tov on our finally catching the elusive rat on erev shabbat! for weeks now, my son has been calling me downstairs to help in catching the rat. we enlisted the pincher, who seems far more interested in killing pigeons on the third floor roof top apartment. on friday, as i was cooking for shabat, my daughter-in-law called me downstairs several times to help catch the rat. i was exhausted by the time my son came home from work. i still had things to cook and a cheesecake to bake. the rat was hiding in the tray underneath the fridge. we finally had a good chance to catch him. even the pincher stepped up to the plate and helped kill it. this seems to be a family bonding time, catching and killing rats.
i now believe that the he rat was a she rat. i think she was just a hard working mother rat, who started a family in our downstairs laundry room.. we have since caught a couple of smaller rats in the one trap that still works. it is going to be a long hard summer.
i go to tel aviv tomorrow, to do another MRI of my head. the neurosurgeon wants to have two pictures to compare the tumor . i then go to see him again in another two weeks. i am hoping that he will tell me that it isn't urgent to operate. i am hoping to schedule it in the winter after all of the holidays and chanuka have passed. this year chanuka starts on thanksgiving day. i do not want to have an operation right now. i hope that i will be able to put it off. i am surprisingly, calm and not the bit , nervous about tomorrow.
we still have a pigeon problem upstairs. i made a lot of progress but not enough. the heat wears me out. i cannot function when it's hot. i can run up and down the stairs all day long, but walking distances, is still not doable. i think i don't realize how fragile i still am until i'm back in bed. i recently went on an over eating binge. i gained over five pounds since the siblings came. i need to chill out now. i'd hate to get heavy again. it's all concentrated in the belly area. i seriously, need to stop the ice cream and chocolate runs to the supermarket.
Monday, June 17, 2013
It Takes A Lot Of Patience
it is nearly 12:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i have been sleeping all morning long. i spent yesterday in bed too. i slept away the entire day. i couldn't even talk to friends. the 9 hours of laundry on thursday and the 2-3 hours of washing the floors on friday, proved to be too much. at least, i am not in pain. i am just worn out. as long as i eat a lot, i suffer less.
i didn't bother to check for weight gain. i haven't taken a pain pill in two days. i am able to move the old bowels, more or less. i can't do anything more with myself right now. i haven't gone upstairs since friday to check out the pigeon problem. last i looked, there was a pigeon or two roosting in a far away part of the roof. i probably need a professional roofer and exterminator. it's only more money to spend. money, that i don't really have right now, unfortunately.
the rat is still running around downstairs. we have been trying to catch him at all hours of the night. he usually appears after 11:00 p.m. he has been spotted in the children's bedrooms, the laundry room and in the kitchen. the dog had him cornered at one point, but he made a mad dash to beind the closet. it is beyond frustrating.
the electrical outlet in the laundry room is shorting out the electricity in the house. that's the one that he electrician played around with last week, when he checked out the maytag. he is scheduled to come a little later. i have been literally, stranded in pitch dark rooms, a few times this week. it isn't pleasant. i have a larger problem in the guest bathroom. i believe a pipe is leaking under the floor. my sister and brother are coming next week for a visit. i need the spare guest room and i most definately, need the spare shower.
there is always water on the floor. it took me a while to figure out that it wasn't from taking showers. the shower stall needs to be re corked. however, the water eventually dries out with the aid of a towel. i kept on noticing that the towels were getting even more wet after a couple of days. and yet it still didn't register that i was in trouble.
i called in my plumber yesterday, he couldn't determine where the water was coming from. i tried explaining to him the real situation. he said that i needed to get in touch with my insurance company. i have been paying through the nose for years. i have never called the company , even when i should have. when mom was alive, she simply paid for damages by herself. she never thought about going through the insurance company.
i called the insurance man who is my second cousin. his cell only took a message. i was in the middle of sending him an email when i lost my internet connection. my son had internet downstairs through my server so i was very frustrated. he didn't want to come up for a moment to help me. he never has a moment to help me. he lives here for free and doesn't lift a finger to help out. he finally agreed to check my computer out. i had my connection back in a moments' time.
after all that fuss, the email came back. so did my grandson for a couple of hours. i finally escorted him downstairs at 10:00 p.m. we then had another rat sighting so i ran downstairs for a little while. my son gets nasty when he's frustrated and tired. someone flicked the switch to turn on the laundry room light, and i was once again, trapped in a dark room for a moment. i spoke with my brother at about 11:00 p.m. he mentioned that our cousin was out of the country. i thought that i was screwed. as soon as i hung up with my brother, my cousin called. he had just gotten back in the country and had received my message.
i haven't spoken with my cousins since i got sick. he was concerned that i might be worse off than i am. he was relieved to hear that i was okay. i called him a little while ago. he had just gotten into the office. he arranged for the company to dispatch a plumber from zefat to come over tomorrow. now i will be at the mercy of a local yokel. i can't use my own man. and i really respect and trust my plumber guy. he is a family friend.
so that's the story. i don't think that i'll be able to clean up the third floor roof top apartment by next week. my siblings and i will have to camp down here together. brother is only going to be here for a week, so hopefully, he'll cope. i'm in no shape to offer them a pesach cleaning this time around. i will not get to do windows and sills before they come. i will not get the water damaged walls re plastered and repainted, either.
i read an article on line about cancer patients and survivors. it is quite normal to want to get all these nudgy problems taken care of when we finish out treatment. the lists of 'things to do' weighs heavily on our minds. we just don't have the stamina to deal with them all at one time. it takes a lot of patience to let it go.
i didn't bother to check for weight gain. i haven't taken a pain pill in two days. i am able to move the old bowels, more or less. i can't do anything more with myself right now. i haven't gone upstairs since friday to check out the pigeon problem. last i looked, there was a pigeon or two roosting in a far away part of the roof. i probably need a professional roofer and exterminator. it's only more money to spend. money, that i don't really have right now, unfortunately.
the rat is still running around downstairs. we have been trying to catch him at all hours of the night. he usually appears after 11:00 p.m. he has been spotted in the children's bedrooms, the laundry room and in the kitchen. the dog had him cornered at one point, but he made a mad dash to beind the closet. it is beyond frustrating.
the electrical outlet in the laundry room is shorting out the electricity in the house. that's the one that he electrician played around with last week, when he checked out the maytag. he is scheduled to come a little later. i have been literally, stranded in pitch dark rooms, a few times this week. it isn't pleasant. i have a larger problem in the guest bathroom. i believe a pipe is leaking under the floor. my sister and brother are coming next week for a visit. i need the spare guest room and i most definately, need the spare shower.
there is always water on the floor. it took me a while to figure out that it wasn't from taking showers. the shower stall needs to be re corked. however, the water eventually dries out with the aid of a towel. i kept on noticing that the towels were getting even more wet after a couple of days. and yet it still didn't register that i was in trouble.
i called in my plumber yesterday, he couldn't determine where the water was coming from. i tried explaining to him the real situation. he said that i needed to get in touch with my insurance company. i have been paying through the nose for years. i have never called the company , even when i should have. when mom was alive, she simply paid for damages by herself. she never thought about going through the insurance company.
i called the insurance man who is my second cousin. his cell only took a message. i was in the middle of sending him an email when i lost my internet connection. my son had internet downstairs through my server so i was very frustrated. he didn't want to come up for a moment to help me. he never has a moment to help me. he lives here for free and doesn't lift a finger to help out. he finally agreed to check my computer out. i had my connection back in a moments' time.
after all that fuss, the email came back. so did my grandson for a couple of hours. i finally escorted him downstairs at 10:00 p.m. we then had another rat sighting so i ran downstairs for a little while. my son gets nasty when he's frustrated and tired. someone flicked the switch to turn on the laundry room light, and i was once again, trapped in a dark room for a moment. i spoke with my brother at about 11:00 p.m. he mentioned that our cousin was out of the country. i thought that i was screwed. as soon as i hung up with my brother, my cousin called. he had just gotten back in the country and had received my message.
i haven't spoken with my cousins since i got sick. he was concerned that i might be worse off than i am. he was relieved to hear that i was okay. i called him a little while ago. he had just gotten into the office. he arranged for the company to dispatch a plumber from zefat to come over tomorrow. now i will be at the mercy of a local yokel. i can't use my own man. and i really respect and trust my plumber guy. he is a family friend.
so that's the story. i don't think that i'll be able to clean up the third floor roof top apartment by next week. my siblings and i will have to camp down here together. brother is only going to be here for a week, so hopefully, he'll cope. i'm in no shape to offer them a pesach cleaning this time around. i will not get to do windows and sills before they come. i will not get the water damaged walls re plastered and repainted, either.
i read an article on line about cancer patients and survivors. it is quite normal to want to get all these nudgy problems taken care of when we finish out treatment. the lists of 'things to do' weighs heavily on our minds. we just don't have the stamina to deal with them all at one time. it takes a lot of patience to let it go.
Friday, June 14, 2013
To Catch A Rat
it is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of zefat. i am wiped out. i was relatively pain free yesterday during the day. i called a local repair guy because the 'maytag' washing mahcine kept shorting out the electricity. it kept happening before the rinse cycle. i have been paying through the nose for years to keep this machine alive.
i had two referrals from my sister and close gal pal for repair guys. i couldn't find the number for a real maytag repair service. parts are very expensive here. i somehow knew, that the rat was the cause of my problem. i called the guy who my girlfriend recommended. he was suppossed to come over at 10:00 a.m. i tried doing a batch of laundry before he came. it worked without any problems. i did another batch on another cycle and it seemed fine. i called the guy to cancel.
i gathered up all of my laundry and threw in the mother of all loads. before it even got to rinse cycle, all of the electricity blew. the water didn't drain and i was left with a huge amount of soaking wet sheets. i somehow, managed to get it all out of the machine. it left a small flood all over the laundry room and kitchen area. i called the repairman back and he came right over. he seemed to be able to navigate a maytag washer. it wasn't as 'mystical' as the anglo repairman had led me to believe for years.
i was shocked to see what was inside the machine. tons of rat droppings, assorted socks and panties, and a lot of doritos. apparently, the rat stole a bag of doritos out of the daughter-in-laws' hand bag. he or she, apparently, is also, into socks. i was disgusted. thank goodness, the rat didn't do serious damage. it did shake up some wires. no fancy over priced imported part was needed. i paid the man for his time and found out that he was also, an electrician.
i asked him to replace the outside garden lights. i had bought new fixtures a couple of years ago. it isn't easy to find repair guys to do little jobs. electricians here are all so 'dear'. it took the guy quite a while to finish. he had to climb up and down from his ladder a lot. in the middle of this, he got an emergency call to come to the local school. he did return a little bit later to finish the job. unfortunately, the special pencil thin halagon bulb that came with the fixture, was broken. we have only one functioning outside light now. i have to go to town to get another one and then i have to get my son to replace the bulb. so small feat!
there wasn't enough light in the laundry room for the the repair guy to work. i enlisted him to take a fluorescent bulb out of a fixture in the t.v. room and replace it in the fixture in the laundry room. i have been nagging my son for the past two years, to buy another fluorescent bulb for the laundry room. again, no small feat. at first the bulb shorted out the electricity. it needed new starters. i reached into the drawer where i had put the starters years ago. i had also nagged my son to put in new starters. it still shorted out. i spent the morning running up and down the steps to turn on the electricity.
the repair guy played around with the fixture until it was working. that is how i found out that he was also an electrician. anyhow, i spent the entire day doing laundry. to be exact, i worked for about 8 hours. i hung it all outside in the sun. i still have a bunch to take down. it was too cold at night to finish. i can't move today. my back started burning in the evening. i have had these pains for a month. i took a pain pill at 800 p.m. i was finally comfortable and fell asleep. my son woke me up to help catch the rat. it was now in my grandson's bedroom.
i brought down the pincher and she went into hunting mode. i went through all of the toys, bedding, and clothes closets, looking for the rat. he had gone back to the laundry room. at one point, the dog had him cornered. he made a mad dash for the washing machine but was temporarily, blocked off by a wooden board. he then climbed up the wall and hid behind a clothes closet.
in the meanwhile, i cleaned out an empty closet, that was covered in droppings. my son was beside himself. he was mad at the dog for having had the rat elude her. he was mad at me for cleaning rat droppings and accused me of not being more involved. my back was inflamed and it was midnight and i was tired. the daughter-in-law got back from work and brought home a pizza. we were all starving. the pizza was awful. we all felt horrible.
apparently, the supermarket where she works, is going under. she hasn't been paid in a while. they were liquidating the merchandise last night. she and another gal went there to collect their wages. my son was in a rage. he wanted her to take money from the cash register. i had to explain to him that it was considered theft and that she could be jailed. luckily, she is more practical than my son. he is a royal pain in the neck. his living here is making me crazy. i do love being with the grandkids.
a little while ago, he woke me up by looking through my closets for cookies. who has cookies? i have fish, chicken, and string beans in the freezer. there are no cookies here. i am not a cookie person. i eat yogurt, whole wheat rolls and eggs. i like cottage cheese and cherries. i sometimes like a piece of cake. i never indulge in margarine. i have enough stomach pain without going in that direction.
i asked my son to help me trash this enormous mattress that was standing in front of the empty closet in the laundry room. guess what? he wasn't interested in doing it just right now. the laundry room looks like a tornado hit it. you need to minimize the boxes and clutter in order to catch a rat. you need to put all food stuffs inside the closet. you need to keep the counters free of food stuffs. you need to shut all the closet doors. you need to grow up!
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