it is 300 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just got back from work. i had a long weekend this week. yesterday, was a fast day so i didn't have to go to work. i offered to come in and make a pot of soup to break the fast, but i was told it wasn't needed. the young man in charge of the kitchen, when i'm not there, prefered breaking the fast with cake. a friend came over and we blabbed all afternoon long.
i stayed an extra couple of hours on thursday, to make two cakes. i made an eggless chocolate cake and an eggless banana-squash cake. the young man also put up a vat of prepared frozen fish sticks. i'm glad they had what to eat. i had left a watermelon for them also, but he didn't cut it up. i served it this morning at breakfast. i don't know why these kids aren't mad for melons.
i fell asleep yesterday evening, just before the fast ended. i woke up at 8:30 p.m. i broke my fast with a whole wheat pita and a couple of boiled eggs. i then had cookies, grapes, and iced tea. i drank some coffee so i couldn't fall asleep. i finally passed out at about 4:00 a.m. i was a real hot mess this morning.
i got up at 6:00 a.m. and took the dogs down the street for a quick walk. i showered and got ready to leave early. my neighbor offered me a ride to town. i had to go to the produce store to buy eggs and veggies for the week. i bought way too much. luckily, as it turns out, they will be having a shabbaton at the yeshiva this week; so there will be plenty of produce for the young men.
i dragged two flats of eggs, a couple of green cabbages, and some tomatoes back to the yeshiva. that entailed climbing down quite a lot of steep steps. there were plenty of cucumbers left in the fridge, so i made a huge amount of salad. i didn't have the patience to dice everything into tiny pieces to make an 'israeli' salad. instead, i sliced the tomatoes into rounds and sliced the cucumbers into thin strips. i didn't make a dressing, either.
i quickly boiled about 20 eggs and made a huge pot of oatmeal. it was hardly touched. the vegan is apparently, fasting all week long during the day. i am a bit upset about him. i know that i worry too much. i want to speak to the rabbi about him, anyway. i don't want him to know that i'm determined to speak to someone who can set him straight. he only let me know so i wouldn't go to the trouble of preparing anything extra for him. he is such a sweetheart.
i diced up a bunch of potatoes and parboiled them. instead of oven roasting them, like i usually do, i threw them into a lot of eggs and fried onions and made almost, a fritta. it was more like scrambled eggs than a fritata, but it was the same kind of principal.
i made an inexpensive type of fish fillet, in a spicy 'morracan like' tomato sauce, for lunch. i cooked up a bunch of tiny macaroni and left it pretty plain. i coated it with olive oil and oregano and garlic. i made another batch of chunky tomato and cucumber salad. this time, i added lemon and made some tahina as a dressing. i made a pot of spicy chicken wings with turkey meat balls for supper. i cooked some plain rice and made a pot of spicy green cabbage and zucchini. i don't think that rice and veggies will sustain the vegan after fasting all day. i didn't make anything else for him, either. he'll just have to eat some bread and tahina. there is always peanut butter. i should have made him an eggless cake. i was so tired and hot. i just wanted to get out of the kitchen and go home.
i sure hope that the kids liked the fish. the director, the rabbi, and the yeshiva manager, all sat down to lunch, too. i hoped they saw first hand, what i am doing for them. more important, they approve of what i am doing there.
my niece and family are returning to india today. i thought that they had more time here. i am so sad. i never got to buy any gifts for the kids and i did want to give them a contribution. perhaps, i'll get some energy to visit them later tonight.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
A Long Day
it is 8:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just got home. i took the dogs for a quickie stroll and am ready to crash. i got up as usual, at 6:00 a.m. took the dogs out for a walk and went back to bed. i decided to wash the floors. i finished my 'sponger' at 8:00 a.m. i took a fast shower and ran out to catch the 8:45 a.m. bus to town. i made a mad sprint and caught the bus as it turned the corner. surprisingly, i didn't have a heart attack. i've been doing this sprint all week long.
got to work at 9:15 a.m. i got a bus card for seniors' even though i'm only 61. for about $15 a month, i have unlimited bus rides. i don't have to search my tsedukah boxes for busfare anymore. i feel so free. i don't have to catch a ride to town anymore, either. enough of those dirty looks first thing in the morning!
i made a flat of boiled eggs for the yeshiva boys and defrosted a nice loaf of whole grain bread for breakfast. i didn't feel like making any quinoi, today. i made a huge cucumber salad and sliced up a lot of tomatoes. i put out some humus and pickles and olives. i cooked up a vat of potatoes and another one of spaghetti for the other 2 meals. the boys weren't back on time, so i took off for the seniors' center.
i met my new friend and neighbor in town and brought her to the center. i introduced her to the key personnel because she wants to play music for the seniors. i went back to my group and spent the morning dancing and singing for the elders. i felt great. i have been eating only chocolate and icecream and sugar for the past couple of months, since i started cooking full time at the yeshiva. i seriously, have to put an end to this awful regimen. i am walking around with a huge stomach and i think i am suffering from a urinary tract infection. it is all from the sugar, i bet.
i left the center at 1:00 after i helped feed someone. i stopped off at the supermarket to buy a few things for shabbat. i also bought more whole wheat flour and a small box of cocoa for the yeshiva. i decided to make a couple of cakes for sunday to break the fast at night. i am not going to work on sunday. i offered to come in to make a meal for after the fast, but one of the older guys said they'd rather break the fast with cake. i stayed until 5:00 p.m. today to make the cakes.
i got back a bit late and didn't have enough time to make a hot lunch. i used the cooked potatoes and made a vinagrette sauce. there are at least two guys there who don't eat mayonnaise. i made good use of the canned goods that arrived, while i was out. i made a quick corn salad and opened up 2 huge cans of tuna. one would have been enough. while the guys were eating, i 'semi' deep fried some prepared fish sticks. i was dreading making them but the guys wolfed them down. i even had a few. they honestly, weren't bad.
i fried up some canned mushrooms with onions and added it to the spaghetti. the poor spaghetti was sitting in water all day. it tasted like noodles. when i added olive oil, it kind of became one giant blob. oh well! i don't have to deal with it. i'm off tomorrow and sunday. i overheard a couple of the boys talking about different yeshivas. they asked each other how good the food was. one of the kids said, 'nothing as good as this yeshiva's food'. i'm getting a swelled head to go with my huge swollen chocolate and sugar belly. oh, the price of fame!
as i was returning home on the bus, i drove past a simcha. the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue was having a selebration for the new sefer torah. i stopped by my friend's house and we walked over together. it was lovely. the huge mitzvah tank camper was out and the yeshiva boys were waving huge moshiach flags and dancing. there was taped music. the younger boys were holding huge flares for candles. it was very joyous. i'm glad, though to be finally, home.
got to work at 9:15 a.m. i got a bus card for seniors' even though i'm only 61. for about $15 a month, i have unlimited bus rides. i don't have to search my tsedukah boxes for busfare anymore. i feel so free. i don't have to catch a ride to town anymore, either. enough of those dirty looks first thing in the morning!
i made a flat of boiled eggs for the yeshiva boys and defrosted a nice loaf of whole grain bread for breakfast. i didn't feel like making any quinoi, today. i made a huge cucumber salad and sliced up a lot of tomatoes. i put out some humus and pickles and olives. i cooked up a vat of potatoes and another one of spaghetti for the other 2 meals. the boys weren't back on time, so i took off for the seniors' center.
i met my new friend and neighbor in town and brought her to the center. i introduced her to the key personnel because she wants to play music for the seniors. i went back to my group and spent the morning dancing and singing for the elders. i felt great. i have been eating only chocolate and icecream and sugar for the past couple of months, since i started cooking full time at the yeshiva. i seriously, have to put an end to this awful regimen. i am walking around with a huge stomach and i think i am suffering from a urinary tract infection. it is all from the sugar, i bet.
i left the center at 1:00 after i helped feed someone. i stopped off at the supermarket to buy a few things for shabbat. i also bought more whole wheat flour and a small box of cocoa for the yeshiva. i decided to make a couple of cakes for sunday to break the fast at night. i am not going to work on sunday. i offered to come in to make a meal for after the fast, but one of the older guys said they'd rather break the fast with cake. i stayed until 5:00 p.m. today to make the cakes.
i got back a bit late and didn't have enough time to make a hot lunch. i used the cooked potatoes and made a vinagrette sauce. there are at least two guys there who don't eat mayonnaise. i made good use of the canned goods that arrived, while i was out. i made a quick corn salad and opened up 2 huge cans of tuna. one would have been enough. while the guys were eating, i 'semi' deep fried some prepared fish sticks. i was dreading making them but the guys wolfed them down. i even had a few. they honestly, weren't bad.
i fried up some canned mushrooms with onions and added it to the spaghetti. the poor spaghetti was sitting in water all day. it tasted like noodles. when i added olive oil, it kind of became one giant blob. oh well! i don't have to deal with it. i'm off tomorrow and sunday. i overheard a couple of the boys talking about different yeshivas. they asked each other how good the food was. one of the kids said, 'nothing as good as this yeshiva's food'. i'm getting a swelled head to go with my huge swollen chocolate and sugar belly. oh, the price of fame!
as i was returning home on the bus, i drove past a simcha. the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue was having a selebration for the new sefer torah. i stopped by my friend's house and we walked over together. it was lovely. the huge mitzvah tank camper was out and the yeshiva boys were waving huge moshiach flags and dancing. there was taped music. the younger boys were holding huge flares for candles. it was very joyous. i'm glad, though to be finally, home.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Pay Day
it is nearly 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. my grandson is in the next room watching 'dora' on nick jr. i didn't pick him up from daycare this afternoon. i was feeling really ill this morning and told the kids that i wasn't available. i actually, told my son that i was sick. i've regressed. i simply cannot say that i am not available without giving an excuse.
i picked up sahar at noon on friday. luckily, i got a lift right to the daycare. he was with me until nearly 7:00 p.m. candlelighting was at 7:20 p.m. i was busy doing laundry all morning long. i finished washing the floors at 11:00 a.m. i was already feeling under the weather, by then. i kept on throwing in loads of laundry until right up to candlelighting.
i called the kids to pick up their son at around 5:30 p.m. my daughter-in-law was at home all morning. she was with the baby and busy making shabbat meals for the three of them. i was on my own, as usual, of late. i didn't get a chance to make a cake. i took sahar with me to the local supermarket but i had to carry him there. he was exhausted. he was nearly falling asleep in my arms.
i quickly bought a few pitas and rolls, a bag of milk, some cans of tuna, half a watermelon, and a package of delicatessan. sahar had a roll and some chocolate pudding before he took his nap. i had to call a cab to take us home. he was very tired and very crabby. he started having a fit in the super because i didn't buy him candy. i was ready to leave him there alone.
when we got back, he had a fit, because he didn't like the teaspoons i had. i offered him about 10 different ones. he couldn't get a handle on the pudding. i took the pudding out of his hands and added milk and let him drink it as a chocolate shake, with a straw. he had 2 of these drinks, and a package of chicken deli. while he napped, i hung out more laundry downstairs.
i was completely exhausted by the time they came to pick him up. i took a shower and lit my candles and went off to the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue. i spastically, coughed, all through the service. i was bummed out. neither kid wished me a 'shabbat shalom'. sahar had his usual fit in their car. after 7 hours with safta zelda, he doesn't make the transition very well back to his home. i get the wrath of the kids. i never get a thank you. it puts me in a bad mood.
i woke up on saturday coughing. i felt like heck. i couldn't make it to services. i had some coffee and i wanted a cookie or a piece of cake. i was too miserable to bother a neighbor for some. i ate icecream cones sans the icecream. i used to give them to sahar when he was a toddler. the watermelon was rotten. i was too 'heady' to daven. i read a book about a woman's miraculous survivial from nazi poland. a friend form the neighborhood, came by to visit. i felt terrible. i had nothing to offer her. no almonds, fruit, or cake. that was a first for me. all i had was tuna fish and pitas. she wasn't ready to have lunch.
after she left, i fell asleep for a little while. i finished my book and davened at around 3:00 p.m. i then made kiddush on wine and had a tuna sandwich. what a shabbat meal! i bentched and went back to sleep. my throat was very sore. i was miserable. i didn't have the energy to leave the house. i let the dogs outside in the garden. i was very upset about erev shabbat. all the resentment of the last few months, seemed to come up in my mind, again.
i know i went backwards a bit. i got too involved ih helping my daughter-in-law again. i started feeling like a dish rag again. i decided to pull in the reins again. i cancelled babysitting today. i was at the bus stop at 3:00 p.m. when i got spotted by my daughter-in-law. i felt like i got caught in a lie. i wasn't so sick to miss work, but here i was, outside in the world. i got enlisted and didn't have the strength to refuse. i took the bus to my son's house and here i am, with my grandson, instead of resting in my bed. soon i bathe him and get him ready for sleep.
i got paid today. a whole $500 for cooking 3 meals a day, 5 days a week. it came out to $4 an hour. what kind of fool am i?????
i picked up sahar at noon on friday. luckily, i got a lift right to the daycare. he was with me until nearly 7:00 p.m. candlelighting was at 7:20 p.m. i was busy doing laundry all morning long. i finished washing the floors at 11:00 a.m. i was already feeling under the weather, by then. i kept on throwing in loads of laundry until right up to candlelighting.
i called the kids to pick up their son at around 5:30 p.m. my daughter-in-law was at home all morning. she was with the baby and busy making shabbat meals for the three of them. i was on my own, as usual, of late. i didn't get a chance to make a cake. i took sahar with me to the local supermarket but i had to carry him there. he was exhausted. he was nearly falling asleep in my arms.
i quickly bought a few pitas and rolls, a bag of milk, some cans of tuna, half a watermelon, and a package of delicatessan. sahar had a roll and some chocolate pudding before he took his nap. i had to call a cab to take us home. he was very tired and very crabby. he started having a fit in the super because i didn't buy him candy. i was ready to leave him there alone.
when we got back, he had a fit, because he didn't like the teaspoons i had. i offered him about 10 different ones. he couldn't get a handle on the pudding. i took the pudding out of his hands and added milk and let him drink it as a chocolate shake, with a straw. he had 2 of these drinks, and a package of chicken deli. while he napped, i hung out more laundry downstairs.
i was completely exhausted by the time they came to pick him up. i took a shower and lit my candles and went off to the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue. i spastically, coughed, all through the service. i was bummed out. neither kid wished me a 'shabbat shalom'. sahar had his usual fit in their car. after 7 hours with safta zelda, he doesn't make the transition very well back to his home. i get the wrath of the kids. i never get a thank you. it puts me in a bad mood.
i woke up on saturday coughing. i felt like heck. i couldn't make it to services. i had some coffee and i wanted a cookie or a piece of cake. i was too miserable to bother a neighbor for some. i ate icecream cones sans the icecream. i used to give them to sahar when he was a toddler. the watermelon was rotten. i was too 'heady' to daven. i read a book about a woman's miraculous survivial from nazi poland. a friend form the neighborhood, came by to visit. i felt terrible. i had nothing to offer her. no almonds, fruit, or cake. that was a first for me. all i had was tuna fish and pitas. she wasn't ready to have lunch.
after she left, i fell asleep for a little while. i finished my book and davened at around 3:00 p.m. i then made kiddush on wine and had a tuna sandwich. what a shabbat meal! i bentched and went back to sleep. my throat was very sore. i was miserable. i didn't have the energy to leave the house. i let the dogs outside in the garden. i was very upset about erev shabbat. all the resentment of the last few months, seemed to come up in my mind, again.
i know i went backwards a bit. i got too involved ih helping my daughter-in-law again. i started feeling like a dish rag again. i decided to pull in the reins again. i cancelled babysitting today. i was at the bus stop at 3:00 p.m. when i got spotted by my daughter-in-law. i felt like i got caught in a lie. i wasn't so sick to miss work, but here i was, outside in the world. i got enlisted and didn't have the strength to refuse. i took the bus to my son's house and here i am, with my grandson, instead of resting in my bed. soon i bathe him and get him ready for sleep.
i got paid today. a whole $500 for cooking 3 meals a day, 5 days a week. it came out to $4 an hour. what kind of fool am i?????
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
It's 11:00 P.M Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?
it's 11:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just got home from babysitting the grandkids. i picked up sahar from daycare at 3:30 p.m. i had wanted to visit my niece who is visiting from india. just as i arrived, sahar was being changed. he had pished through his clothes. there weren't any extra underware or pants at the maon. i had come by cab because it was very hot and i returned by cab too because, sahar was nearly naked.
as usual, i got up at 6:00 a.m. cloey the pincher, wakes me up every morning. i don't remember taking them out. it's possible that i simply opened the front door for them and went back to sleep. i probably, took them for a walk around 7:30 a.m. i caught a lift at the next block with a van that goes to the seniors' center. i was at work by 8:45 a.m.
i serched the fridge and discovered that last night's dinner was virtually, untouched. i think there are only a handful of boys left at this point. apparently, they don't want to eat grains. i heard this through the grapevine, this morning. i took out last night's tomato and cucumber salad and boiled some eggs. i also made quinoi.
i left the yeshiva to go to a torah class for an hour and a half. i returned about noon and made lunch and dinner. i boiled up a bunch of potatoes but had no time to oven roast them. i merely added them to the left over bulgar and carrots that i made the day before. i cut up a red cabbage salad but it didn't get touched. i made a vat of sesame spaghetti and went to pick up my grandson.
we played together in the sprinklers for awhile. sahar didn't want to go back inside even though his lips were turning blue. i left him downstairs, naked and crying. when he soiled himself, i carried him back in. i made him a huge bubble bath. he didn't want a bath so i let him transfer most of the bubbles into the toilet for awhile. he then got in and didn't want to get out. he was humming away and talking to himself. he was quite the happy camper.
i was on the phone with a friend and he was on the bed in the computer room, coloring. after a while, i noticed magic marker all over sahar and the sheet. i tried my best to scrape off the marker from sahar and let him watch television. we took the dogs out for a short stroll and sahar was pleased with himself for climbing down a lot of steps. he asked if we were going back to his house and was happy to note that we were going back to grandma's house.
he had a large roll and a lot of milk laced with date honey. we both hit the chocolate pretty hard. my son came over at 8:00 p.m. he was not a happy camper like his son. he was furious. he had just had a scene with his mother-in-law. he left his young bride with the sephardi mommy dearest and waked over to his mommy's house. after 'venting' to me he went off to a torah class, leaving me with sahar. gal was home and had her hands full with the baby. i had to carry sahar home because, once again he had wet his pants and i had no replacement clothes. i did have a pair of over sized jeans that kept on falling off him.
when i got to gal's, she asked if i could babysit while she took a walk. i tried to put sahar to sleep and nearly succeeded, when shenhav baby started crying. i scooped her up and put her on my lap. she was restless and it kept sahar awake. i finally dumped her in her carriage in another room so i could get sahar to settle down. she cried herself to sleep and he took almost another hour to fall asleep.
zvi returned and continued his tirade against his mother-in-law. it was a bit of poetic justice for me. the kids overpaid for electricity at their store rental. the owners are not being very straight. it's kind of ironic. the amount they overpaid is precisely the amount they stiffed me, back in the winter. and let's not forget the thousands of shekels for electricity that they left me to pay by myself. it's divine retribution at it's clearest moment, i think.
as usual, i got up at 6:00 a.m. cloey the pincher, wakes me up every morning. i don't remember taking them out. it's possible that i simply opened the front door for them and went back to sleep. i probably, took them for a walk around 7:30 a.m. i caught a lift at the next block with a van that goes to the seniors' center. i was at work by 8:45 a.m.
i serched the fridge and discovered that last night's dinner was virtually, untouched. i think there are only a handful of boys left at this point. apparently, they don't want to eat grains. i heard this through the grapevine, this morning. i took out last night's tomato and cucumber salad and boiled some eggs. i also made quinoi.
i left the yeshiva to go to a torah class for an hour and a half. i returned about noon and made lunch and dinner. i boiled up a bunch of potatoes but had no time to oven roast them. i merely added them to the left over bulgar and carrots that i made the day before. i cut up a red cabbage salad but it didn't get touched. i made a vat of sesame spaghetti and went to pick up my grandson.
we played together in the sprinklers for awhile. sahar didn't want to go back inside even though his lips were turning blue. i left him downstairs, naked and crying. when he soiled himself, i carried him back in. i made him a huge bubble bath. he didn't want a bath so i let him transfer most of the bubbles into the toilet for awhile. he then got in and didn't want to get out. he was humming away and talking to himself. he was quite the happy camper.
i was on the phone with a friend and he was on the bed in the computer room, coloring. after a while, i noticed magic marker all over sahar and the sheet. i tried my best to scrape off the marker from sahar and let him watch television. we took the dogs out for a short stroll and sahar was pleased with himself for climbing down a lot of steps. he asked if we were going back to his house and was happy to note that we were going back to grandma's house.
he had a large roll and a lot of milk laced with date honey. we both hit the chocolate pretty hard. my son came over at 8:00 p.m. he was not a happy camper like his son. he was furious. he had just had a scene with his mother-in-law. he left his young bride with the sephardi mommy dearest and waked over to his mommy's house. after 'venting' to me he went off to a torah class, leaving me with sahar. gal was home and had her hands full with the baby. i had to carry sahar home because, once again he had wet his pants and i had no replacement clothes. i did have a pair of over sized jeans that kept on falling off him.
when i got to gal's, she asked if i could babysit while she took a walk. i tried to put sahar to sleep and nearly succeeded, when shenhav baby started crying. i scooped her up and put her on my lap. she was restless and it kept sahar awake. i finally dumped her in her carriage in another room so i could get sahar to settle down. she cried herself to sleep and he took almost another hour to fall asleep.
zvi returned and continued his tirade against his mother-in-law. it was a bit of poetic justice for me. the kids overpaid for electricity at their store rental. the owners are not being very straight. it's kind of ironic. the amount they overpaid is precisely the amount they stiffed me, back in the winter. and let's not forget the thousands of shekels for electricity that they left me to pay by myself. it's divine retribution at it's clearest moment, i think.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Will You Still Need Me When I'm 64
hello again! it's 3:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i haven't had the energy to blog in a very long time. we just got though an excrutiating heat wave. it was like living in a sauna. zefat is typically, hot and dry. not this year. it is muggy! the heat wave officially broke, before last shabbat. we suddenly had a breeze. it was so liberating.
i've been doing 7 hour work shifts at the yeshiva. that's seven hours, straight, standing on my poor feet. i can't work sitting down. i don't know how ladies cut veggies sitting at the table. i don't take breaks. i work until i finish and go home. i get back home and collapse on the t.v. sofa. i usually pass out. i have had to run over to my son's to babysit a few times, recently. the next day, i usually feel like i've been run over by a truck.
i had it out with the heads of the yeshiva last week. they expected me to come in on fridays and make a shabbat meal. they wanted me to give them three fridays out of every month, in addition to the 5 days that i put in, already. they weren't planning on paying me any more, either. i first, agreed to come in and then i refused. enough is enough!
i emailed them that the job was already taking me 7 hours a day to do. i let them know that this was border line exploitation. i told them that for what they were paying me i could only give 2 meals a day. they quickly found someone else to do the shabbat meals. they asked how much more i required but i refused to work another day.
i am currently suffering from back pain, leg pain and hip pain. i have inflammation of the right ankle. it is hard to walk. i started going in to work a little later. i had been coming in at 7:30 a.m. but i didn't leave until after 2:00 p.m. breakfast is served at 10:30 a.m. and lunch is served at 2:00 p.m. i decided to come in at 9:00 a.m. i lose my rides in to town now. i just can't get myself out before that anymore.
the dogs wake me up every day at 6:00 a.m. and i take them for a walk. i come back in and go back to bed. i'm not alive until 8:00 a.m. i can catch the bus at 8:45 a.m and i'm in the kitchen by 9:00 a.m. this morning i found a bit of leftovers, so i was ready for breakfast pretty fast. i served cucumber and tomato salad, chopped eggs and fried onions, and the last of the bread pudding from last night's supper. i also made corn fritters from the left over corn.
i made a tray of oven roasted potatoes and a pot of spicy red lentils for their lunch. i left a huge pot of bulgar with steamed carrots and onions with a salad for their supper. one of the guys had a birthday so i stayed an extra hour and baked him an eggless banana, chocolate and peanut butter cake. i bake eggless cakes because one of the boys is a vegan. i don't want him to miss out on the cakes. when i serve kugels, i usually make some rice or oatmeal for him. i know, i am a pushover for these kids.
i really like the boys. most of them are in their 20's. they are so sweet. they are very helpful,too. they actually thank me after each meal. one boy told me this morning, that since he has been eating my food, he has developed self esteem. i nearly cried. the birthday 'boy' turned 39 today. he's my helper in the kitchen. he's a chef and could well do my job himself, but he's not motivated to work that hard. he's been learning hebrew in school and has been busy all day long. he makes me coffee every day. for that alone, i'm indebted to him. he will do the floor when i ask him to. he is living there and helping out in lieu of rent. the problem is that i always have to ask. he lacks initiative.
i had a birthday last week. i turned 61 and not 64, as in the blog title based on the beatles' song. i didn't feel like celebrating this year. i didn't have the energy to invite anyone over. i didn't have the money, either, to do anything. i knew that the kids were busy and i didn't want to bother them to come over. my sister had wanted to go out with me but i was simply, too tired. i didn't get her message until late that night. i collapsed in bed as soon as i arrived home. i didn't even take the dogs out.
my friend came to the yeshiva last week, right as i was preparing breakfast, to celebrate my birthday. i was pretty busy and not in the mood to be seranaded with 'happy birthday'. i had already been on my feet for hours and the boys were due in for breakfast. she left a large gift package under the work shelf and left in a huff. i didn't have a moment to open it up. and besides, it was a day early. my birthday wasn't until the next day. i know this sounds so petty, when i relate the story. alas, i found the lovely piece of mousse cake, that was crammed into the package, too late. i had to toss it. so much for birthday surprises.
tonight, the same friend, is having a birthday party for several of us women, who all have birthdays in the jewish month of tamuz. she hasn't spoken to me since last week. we sort of had a falling out over cigarette smoke. i hate it and can't be around it. she thinks that i am being controlling by not sitting in her apartment while she smokes. i said that i wouldn't come around anymore because of the smoking issue and she told me to have a good life. "friendship, friendship, what a perfect blendship".
i've been doing 7 hour work shifts at the yeshiva. that's seven hours, straight, standing on my poor feet. i can't work sitting down. i don't know how ladies cut veggies sitting at the table. i don't take breaks. i work until i finish and go home. i get back home and collapse on the t.v. sofa. i usually pass out. i have had to run over to my son's to babysit a few times, recently. the next day, i usually feel like i've been run over by a truck.
i had it out with the heads of the yeshiva last week. they expected me to come in on fridays and make a shabbat meal. they wanted me to give them three fridays out of every month, in addition to the 5 days that i put in, already. they weren't planning on paying me any more, either. i first, agreed to come in and then i refused. enough is enough!
i emailed them that the job was already taking me 7 hours a day to do. i let them know that this was border line exploitation. i told them that for what they were paying me i could only give 2 meals a day. they quickly found someone else to do the shabbat meals. they asked how much more i required but i refused to work another day.
i am currently suffering from back pain, leg pain and hip pain. i have inflammation of the right ankle. it is hard to walk. i started going in to work a little later. i had been coming in at 7:30 a.m. but i didn't leave until after 2:00 p.m. breakfast is served at 10:30 a.m. and lunch is served at 2:00 p.m. i decided to come in at 9:00 a.m. i lose my rides in to town now. i just can't get myself out before that anymore.
the dogs wake me up every day at 6:00 a.m. and i take them for a walk. i come back in and go back to bed. i'm not alive until 8:00 a.m. i can catch the bus at 8:45 a.m and i'm in the kitchen by 9:00 a.m. this morning i found a bit of leftovers, so i was ready for breakfast pretty fast. i served cucumber and tomato salad, chopped eggs and fried onions, and the last of the bread pudding from last night's supper. i also made corn fritters from the left over corn.
i made a tray of oven roasted potatoes and a pot of spicy red lentils for their lunch. i left a huge pot of bulgar with steamed carrots and onions with a salad for their supper. one of the guys had a birthday so i stayed an extra hour and baked him an eggless banana, chocolate and peanut butter cake. i bake eggless cakes because one of the boys is a vegan. i don't want him to miss out on the cakes. when i serve kugels, i usually make some rice or oatmeal for him. i know, i am a pushover for these kids.
i really like the boys. most of them are in their 20's. they are so sweet. they are very helpful,too. they actually thank me after each meal. one boy told me this morning, that since he has been eating my food, he has developed self esteem. i nearly cried. the birthday 'boy' turned 39 today. he's my helper in the kitchen. he's a chef and could well do my job himself, but he's not motivated to work that hard. he's been learning hebrew in school and has been busy all day long. he makes me coffee every day. for that alone, i'm indebted to him. he will do the floor when i ask him to. he is living there and helping out in lieu of rent. the problem is that i always have to ask. he lacks initiative.
i had a birthday last week. i turned 61 and not 64, as in the blog title based on the beatles' song. i didn't feel like celebrating this year. i didn't have the energy to invite anyone over. i didn't have the money, either, to do anything. i knew that the kids were busy and i didn't want to bother them to come over. my sister had wanted to go out with me but i was simply, too tired. i didn't get her message until late that night. i collapsed in bed as soon as i arrived home. i didn't even take the dogs out.
my friend came to the yeshiva last week, right as i was preparing breakfast, to celebrate my birthday. i was pretty busy and not in the mood to be seranaded with 'happy birthday'. i had already been on my feet for hours and the boys were due in for breakfast. she left a large gift package under the work shelf and left in a huff. i didn't have a moment to open it up. and besides, it was a day early. my birthday wasn't until the next day. i know this sounds so petty, when i relate the story. alas, i found the lovely piece of mousse cake, that was crammed into the package, too late. i had to toss it. so much for birthday surprises.
tonight, the same friend, is having a birthday party for several of us women, who all have birthdays in the jewish month of tamuz. she hasn't spoken to me since last week. we sort of had a falling out over cigarette smoke. i hate it and can't be around it. she thinks that i am being controlling by not sitting in her apartment while she smokes. i said that i wouldn't come around anymore because of the smoking issue and she told me to have a good life. "friendship, friendship, what a perfect blendship".
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Don't Stop Me Now
it is 11:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just went down to see the new tenants. i was babysitting for the kids, when they arrived. the daughter in law went for a walk and the son went out to dinner with a friend. i put the grandson to sleep and watched a bit of t.v. i just got back and already i had 'requests'. more hangers and dish towels were needed. who dries the dishes nowadays, anyway? and then we had the remote control questions and where is the key question.
i have been very worn out from the job lately. i usually fall apart as soon as i come home. yesterday, i caught up with my laundry. i needed to do most of it before the folks settled in, today. i was in the middle of the washing cycle, when my son called to ask if i could babysit. they had a wedding to go to. i had no time to hang out the wet clothes. i left all of the undies on the washing machine to dry.
i put the grandson to bed at 9:00 p.m. i left the baby in the living room in a toddler seat, watching t.v. she wasn't ready to sleep. i gave her a bottle and a little while later she was fast asleep. i also, passed out on the sofa, while watching 'law and order'. the kids got back at 1:00 a.m. i got a ride home. i live about a five minute walk from the kids, but i was exhausted. i ate about a hundred sandwich cookies at the kid's home.
i got up at '6:00ish' and walked the dogs. i then went downstairs and mopped the entire apartment. i didn't dare start with buckets of water. i threw in another load of laundry. i hung it all out to dry. i brought up all of the other clothes. i still need to put it away. the laundry rack is standing in the hallway, right now.
i quickly showered and got dressed and caught a ride to town. i was locked out of the kitchen. i left my keys and uniform at home. the good can opener was in the uniform. i bought another good opener on my way in to work. i woke up one of the yeshiva guys and he found the duplicate keys. i went into mass food mode. there were a lot of leftovers. perhaps, they are getting sick of my food. i found a bag of apples and a few oranges.
i wanted to make an apple cake. i wanted to make an apple kuchen. there was no sugar. we were low on eggs. there was no salt. i got a buchor to buy me salt. i decided on makimg a sweet noodle kugel. i used up the last of the spaghetti. i threw in about 12 eggs, so this sucker, wasn't dry. i made a fruit salad out of the apples and oranges. i cooked up a ton of quinoi. no one touched it. i didn't bother cooking eggs today. i made a sweet tahina paste, using a bit of someone's personal stash of honey.
the boys were all out and about. the tables and chairs had been left outside last night. i simply left the food on the counter, and ran over to the seniors' center. i returned at 1:00 p.m. and decided to prepare a cold lunch. i opened 2 huge cans of tuna and cut up pickles and added mayo. i also opened a huge can of corn but left it in a mustard vinagrette sauce. the vegan doesn't eat eggs during the week. i heated up the barley mushroom soup from last night, but no one except the rabbi, partook of it. i also heated up the rest of the spaghetti from the night before. that went.
i cooked up a vat of diced potatoes and added it to the vat of bulgar, left over from last nite. i couldn't care less if they eat it or not. the thrill is gone! i made a cabbage salad and split. i don't work on fridays. thank the Lord!!!! i told one of the boys to clean up after i left. i also had them put away the supplies that had just been left in the hallway. in the past, i would have stayed to deal with it. not any more, baby.
my son called to ask me to pick up my grandson from gan. i caught the bus and scrambled to pick him up on time. i taxied us home. i let him play with water outside in a little pool. he peed in his pants and pooped in the front yard. he was rather proud of not pooping in his underpants. i felt a bit pressured to finish up downstairs but i didn't panick. when he left at 5:00 p.m. i went back into work mode.
i brought down all of the kitchen items from the upstairs apartment, and washed the kitchen floor. the tenants were thrilled at the cleanliness. they will be out for shabbat, thankfully. i hope to get paid tomorrow.
the kids are coming for shabbat meals. i am not bothered at all. cooking for 3 is a breeze. i will hit the supermarket in the morning. i also need to do a real cleaning job upstairs. i hope my energy will last a little while longer.
i have been very worn out from the job lately. i usually fall apart as soon as i come home. yesterday, i caught up with my laundry. i needed to do most of it before the folks settled in, today. i was in the middle of the washing cycle, when my son called to ask if i could babysit. they had a wedding to go to. i had no time to hang out the wet clothes. i left all of the undies on the washing machine to dry.
i put the grandson to bed at 9:00 p.m. i left the baby in the living room in a toddler seat, watching t.v. she wasn't ready to sleep. i gave her a bottle and a little while later she was fast asleep. i also, passed out on the sofa, while watching 'law and order'. the kids got back at 1:00 a.m. i got a ride home. i live about a five minute walk from the kids, but i was exhausted. i ate about a hundred sandwich cookies at the kid's home.
i got up at '6:00ish' and walked the dogs. i then went downstairs and mopped the entire apartment. i didn't dare start with buckets of water. i threw in another load of laundry. i hung it all out to dry. i brought up all of the other clothes. i still need to put it away. the laundry rack is standing in the hallway, right now.
i quickly showered and got dressed and caught a ride to town. i was locked out of the kitchen. i left my keys and uniform at home. the good can opener was in the uniform. i bought another good opener on my way in to work. i woke up one of the yeshiva guys and he found the duplicate keys. i went into mass food mode. there were a lot of leftovers. perhaps, they are getting sick of my food. i found a bag of apples and a few oranges.
i wanted to make an apple cake. i wanted to make an apple kuchen. there was no sugar. we were low on eggs. there was no salt. i got a buchor to buy me salt. i decided on makimg a sweet noodle kugel. i used up the last of the spaghetti. i threw in about 12 eggs, so this sucker, wasn't dry. i made a fruit salad out of the apples and oranges. i cooked up a ton of quinoi. no one touched it. i didn't bother cooking eggs today. i made a sweet tahina paste, using a bit of someone's personal stash of honey.
the boys were all out and about. the tables and chairs had been left outside last night. i simply left the food on the counter, and ran over to the seniors' center. i returned at 1:00 p.m. and decided to prepare a cold lunch. i opened 2 huge cans of tuna and cut up pickles and added mayo. i also opened a huge can of corn but left it in a mustard vinagrette sauce. the vegan doesn't eat eggs during the week. i heated up the barley mushroom soup from last night, but no one except the rabbi, partook of it. i also heated up the rest of the spaghetti from the night before. that went.
i cooked up a vat of diced potatoes and added it to the vat of bulgar, left over from last nite. i couldn't care less if they eat it or not. the thrill is gone! i made a cabbage salad and split. i don't work on fridays. thank the Lord!!!! i told one of the boys to clean up after i left. i also had them put away the supplies that had just been left in the hallway. in the past, i would have stayed to deal with it. not any more, baby.
my son called to ask me to pick up my grandson from gan. i caught the bus and scrambled to pick him up on time. i taxied us home. i let him play with water outside in a little pool. he peed in his pants and pooped in the front yard. he was rather proud of not pooping in his underpants. i felt a bit pressured to finish up downstairs but i didn't panick. when he left at 5:00 p.m. i went back into work mode.
i brought down all of the kitchen items from the upstairs apartment, and washed the kitchen floor. the tenants were thrilled at the cleanliness. they will be out for shabbat, thankfully. i hope to get paid tomorrow.
the kids are coming for shabbat meals. i am not bothered at all. cooking for 3 is a breeze. i will hit the supermarket in the morning. i also need to do a real cleaning job upstairs. i hope my energy will last a little while longer.
Monday, June 4, 2012
We're Having A Heat Wave
it's 9:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. my grandson and son just left. they came to visit for a short amount of time. i was in no condition to babysit. i went to work at 7:00 a.m. this morning. i didn't finish until 2:00 p.m. i can't seem to get everything done in less than 7 hours. i am only getting paid for part time work. i am working full time.
it is pretty hot. cooking and baking all day is hard. i am on my feet all day long. i never sit or take a break. i drink my coffee standing up. i eat my food standing up. i am getting pretty fed up. i don't think i can do this much longer.
i got in this morning to: no electricity/no vegetables or produce/and no bread. i have been demanding bread for 2 weeks. the guys need bread. i can't keep on making cakes and kugels to stuff them up. we need bread! i was planning on making a couscous cake and a potato kugel. i wanted to leave early. i was planning on taking my tenant to the winery for lunch. there were no potatoes to use. there was only a bit of flour left. the oven was out of order.
i quickly, started to make corn latkes. i only have a small fry pan so i could only do about 4 at a time. it took close to an hour to get them all done. i wanted to use the left over spaghetti to make a kugel. i tried making a pan kugel but it didn't work. i served scrambled eggs and noodles. i took yesterday's quinoa and added a good amount of couscous to fill up the pot. i added more spices and a few cranberries. they raved about it.
the new kids are quite easy. they're not serious health food fanatics. they love can corn, and tuna and macaroni salad. they like the mayo, too. i make egg salad every day. they especially, love my spaghetti. most of the health food freaks are gone. the eggless vegan guy loves everything. he'll eat potatoes and corn and pasta as long as i don't add eggs.
i try to make eggless cakes for him. the other guys love the sweets. i made a pumpkin, banana and peanut butter loaf on sunday. it was a bit raw but the guys wolfed it down, anyway. today i made a vat of red lentils and bulgar for lunch. i made a salad with the few veggies i had brought in on sunday. i took the rest of the lentil soup from last night and used it for a base to make veggie chili. i added a lot of kidney beans and chick peas. it took forever to cook up.
i am spent. i am truly tired. i don't know how much longer i can keep this job up. it is a lot of work. the boys are wonderful. they really love my food. they are so thankful. that keeps me going. i need more money. they are going to have to come up with a better plan. or perhaps, they will go back to catering greasy food. i need help. it is really hot in the house. i had the fan on before, but i started having the chills.
i went off my diet and have been binging since shavuot. i can't look at food. all i want to eat is icecream and cookies. what a shame. i've put on quite a bit of weight. i was finally getting down to my ideal dress size. i don't know how to turn it around. i am not a happy camper.
it is pretty hot. cooking and baking all day is hard. i am on my feet all day long. i never sit or take a break. i drink my coffee standing up. i eat my food standing up. i am getting pretty fed up. i don't think i can do this much longer.
i got in this morning to: no electricity/no vegetables or produce/and no bread. i have been demanding bread for 2 weeks. the guys need bread. i can't keep on making cakes and kugels to stuff them up. we need bread! i was planning on making a couscous cake and a potato kugel. i wanted to leave early. i was planning on taking my tenant to the winery for lunch. there were no potatoes to use. there was only a bit of flour left. the oven was out of order.
i quickly, started to make corn latkes. i only have a small fry pan so i could only do about 4 at a time. it took close to an hour to get them all done. i wanted to use the left over spaghetti to make a kugel. i tried making a pan kugel but it didn't work. i served scrambled eggs and noodles. i took yesterday's quinoa and added a good amount of couscous to fill up the pot. i added more spices and a few cranberries. they raved about it.
the new kids are quite easy. they're not serious health food fanatics. they love can corn, and tuna and macaroni salad. they like the mayo, too. i make egg salad every day. they especially, love my spaghetti. most of the health food freaks are gone. the eggless vegan guy loves everything. he'll eat potatoes and corn and pasta as long as i don't add eggs.
i try to make eggless cakes for him. the other guys love the sweets. i made a pumpkin, banana and peanut butter loaf on sunday. it was a bit raw but the guys wolfed it down, anyway. today i made a vat of red lentils and bulgar for lunch. i made a salad with the few veggies i had brought in on sunday. i took the rest of the lentil soup from last night and used it for a base to make veggie chili. i added a lot of kidney beans and chick peas. it took forever to cook up.
i am spent. i am truly tired. i don't know how much longer i can keep this job up. it is a lot of work. the boys are wonderful. they really love my food. they are so thankful. that keeps me going. i need more money. they are going to have to come up with a better plan. or perhaps, they will go back to catering greasy food. i need help. it is really hot in the house. i had the fan on before, but i started having the chills.
i went off my diet and have been binging since shavuot. i can't look at food. all i want to eat is icecream and cookies. what a shame. i've put on quite a bit of weight. i was finally getting down to my ideal dress size. i don't know how to turn it around. i am not a happy camper.
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