Getting Expensive

it is 8:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed.   yesterday I spent the day plastering walls.  I also stained my bookshelf darker.  it doesn't really go with the other furniture and doors.  they are mostly mahogany.  the stain I used was a dark teak which creates streaks.  I like it better dark and the stain only took a little time.  it would take hours to seriously repaint it.  I also varnished part of the pergola on the front porch.  I couldn't reach most of it and didn't want to climb a ladder on the porch. .the house is wrecked.  I lost a couple of days doing pesach cleaning and I was genuinely shocked to hear that it was already Wednesday.  I don't know if the kids are going to want to come for Shabbat.  I'm not so keen about cooking.  the house reeks of varnish. I didn't finish the kitchen.  I still have two drawers and 2 closets to clean.

I washed the kids' rug from the living room and it is still damp.  I never put back the covers on the couch and it's pillows.  the front of my house looks like a tornado hit it.  it's a hot mess.  I have a ladder outside and the kids toys are everywhere.  the living room floor is covered in lego and dust and dog hair.  I haven't had the kids all week.  something tells me that it will change tomorrow.  I got to get the house in order for Shabbat.  pesach cleaning will just have to wait.  I polished the antique silver spoons last night while I watched  something on YouTube. 

I washed the cutglass and chactchkas and all of the wine glasses in the cabinet.  I rearranged pictures.  I took down the pictures of my mom from grade school and world war II.  I think she would have been 100 years old now if she hadn't died.  I think it's enough.  I put up pix of the grandkids.  the room has more life in it now.  how long can I live in the past??

I couldn't stand being in my house another minute today.  I didn't want to do one more task so I went to a friend in the neighborhood at 2:00 p.m..  I drank a couple glasses of tea and made my way to the big supermarket.  I spent a couple of hours buying oils, grape juice, paper goods, cleaning supplies,  more chicken, dairy chocolate bars, potato chips, prepared cakes, bottled water and flavored seltzer for pesach.  I spent about $200.  that didn't include fruits and veggies, eggs, nuts, matzo or wine.  it just seems endless.  what can one do?   during the week of pesach I make a ton of fries and eggs.  I bought palm oil and although its production, supposedly destroys the rain forest; it makes the best French fries ever.

it's still early in the pesach game and a lot of products aren't out yet.  I couldn't find any bags of  unshelled walnuts or almonds.  I take on the stringency of using unshelled nuts.  I buy prepared cakes and cookies for the kids and grandkids but I don't eat them.  I will be happy eating my banana pancakes which is just eggs and bananas.  I bought pesach cereal for the kids and some soup nuts.  I might make some brownies if I have the time.  they aren't the best thing around.  I don't do sponge cakes with ten or twelve eggs.  I don't whip egg whites, either.  I  couldn't find coffee or herbal tea yet. 

since the seder night comes out on a Shabbat night this year, I will be making a traditional Shabbat meal.  instead of my usual pesach mashed potatoes I will make a kugel.  I think i'll also make a chicken soup.   I might fry tilapia fillets. I bread them with potato starch.  I don't use matzah meal.  for lunch i'll make a cholent of meat and potatoes.  I don't use spices on pesach and rely on onions, salt and whole peppercorns to give things taste.  I make orange chicken with honey and fresh ginger and meat with wine.  the trees are in full bloom so I will have plenty of lemons and oranges for pesach. 

last year I made a sort of moussaka with chopped meat, eggplant and fresh tomatoes.  I don't use canned goods or veggies that I can't peel.  the moussaka wasn't such a hit.  we spend so much money and expend so much time and pesach is just one week long.  it always flies by so fast.  we don't get the chance to really enjoy our spick and span shining houses and then it's over.  we count 50 days and then we have Shavuot and make cheesecake and lasagna.  and the beat goes on.