it is 3:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i have been fighting off a viral infection for weeks but finally succumbed. i feel awful. it's hard to swallow, my throat is sore and i have a dry cough. my head aches and my eyes hurt. i tried swallowing a cold tablet last night. once again, it proved impossible to get a pill down. i was utterly put off by the whole process. half of the family was on antibiotics. the other half is still coughing. i felt so bad yesterday that i actually wanted to see a doctor. i didn't have cab fare and i didn't have the strength to walk to the bus stop so it was a no go. my son did go and was told that it was a cold..
i went off my diet a couple of weeks ago and consumed a ton of sugar. i think i put back the six pounds that i lost, if not more. i think that was the reason that i got sick. i don't know if i'm coming or going. i spend most of the day in bed, sleeping and watching television. reading is out of the question. it hurts my eyes even to blog. i still have the kids with me and it is hard to cope. my daughter-in-law was sick and home bound for a few days so she had the kids with her downstairs. i did a couple of night babysitting stints but it was really hard and i refused to help out last saturday night. i had had my fill of the kids all of shabbat. i know that it is not a very nice thing for a grandma to admit.
i made shabbat meals but it was a bit of a struggle. last week the house was trashed. all of the dishes were in the sinks from the entire week. i had run out of dish washing soap and didn't have the energy to go down to the supermarket. the floors were filthy. the dogs had pishied all over the house and one dog had thrown up in every room. the floors were covered in dog hair and sand from the kindergartens. it was horrible. i had to choose between cleaning the house or going out and shopping at the supermarket. i chose washing the floors. i stood up somehow and started filling the bucket.
i spent about 3 hours doing all the rooms. i spilled tons of soapy water all through the house. i was exhausted afterwards. i didn't have to deal with the kids that day. i never made it to the supermarket. the daughter-in-law shopped for the items missing for the shabbat. she bought some fish, a few veggies, the drinks and milk. i had some chopped chicken and a small piece of beef to cook. i made a soup with the broth from the sheep's head but it nauseated the big kids. i think it was a bit rich for me , too. i made a cholent out of barley, potatoes, sweet potatoes and beef. that came out pretty good. i took eggs from downstairs and made a noodle kugel, a date loaf and some egg salad. i had some cabbage and made some slaw. i made two beet dishes. one was baked beets cubed with lemon and the other was a raw beet slaw. i took back the empty bottles on friday morning and with the returned cash bought some sunflower seeds and beer.
i haven't made it over to the bank all month. i didn't get any phone calls yet about returned checks so i'm hoping i'm okay. one of these days i'll face the music. i don't have any income coming in besides from my welfare /disability check. i'm in a whole. i don't know what will be. i haven't paid the water bill yet or the real estate taxes. i can't really pass about any more checks right now. i can't take out any more bank loans either. just thinking about it makes my head ache.
i just signed up for an all day trip next week to some religious sites. i have never been to hebron and i haven't been to kever rachel in years. i hope i'll be physically up to the trip. i was just at the kotel last month and would love to skip it but it is an integral part of the trip. i can't imagine being out all day and night. the last time i went to the kotel with my friend we were home by 9:00 p.m. i don't think i'll get home before 2:00 a.m. i don't know how i'll really survive the trip. it is also a bunch of money. and money that i don't really have. i guess i can always cancel. i'll think about it another day or two.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
The End Of A Chag 2014
it is 7:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. our week long holiday of sukkot finally ended. we had our barbecue this afternoon. once again, we ate way too much meat. i didn't even put out half of what i bought. i had well over 2 pounds of steaks, half a pound of lamb chops, a package of hot dogs and 2 pounds of chicken wings for 4 adults and two little kids. the daughter-in-law doesn't like meat. i put back two pounds of kabobs and 2 pounds of chicken liver into the freezer. it was just overkill.
one of my gal pals was supposed to join us for the barbecue. she came up last night and was very turned off by the, soon to be, three year old granddaughter's behaviour. something was bothering the girl. she cried a lot and screamed in pain for most of the meal. she kept complaining about her tush burning and then it was everything form her stomach hurting to her big toe burning. i tried rubbing vasoline onto her anus but it didn't soothe. the daughter-in-law didn't help things any by trying to squeeze pus out of a hang nail on the little girl's big toe. at one point she was screaming blood curdling noises.
i know that it wasn't pleasant to listen to it or be around it. i was getting more uptight by the minute. my friend asked me if this was how it was all the time and on every shabbat. i didn't answer. i felt like i was being judged. i didn't like her assumptions about my life. to be perfectly honest, i never really accepted invitations to families with a lot of kids throughout the years. i also, do not like a lot of noise. i don't like crowds, either. but this was not the usual at the shabbat/holiday table for us. it is usually more pleasant.
the kids usually play around the house while we eat. i try to feed them a bit early,too. they make noise but they don't usually scream all night. when the little girl gets tired she usually falls asleep at the table in her mother's arms. my friend was frustrated with what she perceived as poor judgement on my daughter-in-law's part. according to her the kids should have been fed and put to bed earlier. she was also very hungry and it was taking a bit too long to get the kiddush going. we had all eaten a late afternoon meal knowing that we would be home from services late so we weren't starving. my friend lives on coffee and cigarettes. i felt very pressured and internalized her discomfort.
the little girl finally went to the bathroom for the umpteenth time and came back smiling. she was no longer in pain. who knows what transpired. maybe she finally passed a stone, or laid an egg? what matters was that she was no longer suffering. my friend wanted to leave right after the meal. i offered to escort her out of the neighborhood. my grandson wanted me to stay home and sleep with him. i was rather tired but i walked my friend to the top street. when i got back my grandson was playing cards with my other friend.
my other friend was angry at my daughter-in-law for picking at the little one's toe all evening. she blamed her for all of the commotion. we both tried telling the daughter-in-law that she should soak the toe in warm salty water to draw out the pus. i explained that a cotton ball soaked in warm water would help the situation but of course, she ignored me, as usual. i can only imagine how much it hurt the granddaughter as she squeezed the infected toe. anyway, it was only the four adults for the barbecue this afternoon.
both grand kids are sick. the grandson is officially on antibiotics for a throat infection. the granddaughter has been coughing all week long. both have runny noises. i'm just waiting to collapse from some ailment, too. i invited another gal pal from the neighborhood to join us for the barbecue but her husband had warned her about the rabbinical difficulties in making a barbecue on the holiday. she is getting ready to go to the states soon and i think she just really wanted to rest and diet away the remaining time here. to each his own.
we all woke up late this morning. my grandson usually wets the bed around 6:00 a.m. or so. i was shocked to see that it was already 8:30 a.m. the services start at 7:30 a.m. at the Sephardi shul. my son left around 9:15 a.m and came home to get the boy. they put all the boys under a huge tallis on simchat torah and bless them and they get a bag of goodies. they didn't make it to shul on time but the boy got the goodies anyway. i didn't get to see the kids under the tallis and i got down. i started judging my own kids for their lack of tradition. what a way to celebrate simchat torah with so little joy. i decided to pray by myself while i was waiting for the service to end.
we all went to the kiddush in the shul except for the daughter-in-law. by then i was calmer and in a better mood. after a few pieces of herring and a handful of cashews and pistachios, i was a happy camper. it started raining but ended pretty fast. i went home with my friend and granddaughter and the grandson stayed in shul with his dad. the weather cleared up enough to be able to grill. the steaks were still frozen and the coals weren't getting hot enough so my son started blaming me. i guess he had a few l'chaims at shul because he started being nasty. anyway, it all worked out. the big kids had words between them but it never escalated into a full fledged argument.
after lunch i took my grandson with me over to the chabad bomb shelter minyan to say the prayers for the departed souls of my parents. he was very good and not wild at all. we were there for about an hour and then we went home. the big kids went downstairs for an early evening nap and both little kids went to bed with me. somehow, after a lot of kicking and fussing and pushing, we all fell asleep for a short time. the big kids came upstairs to make havdallah and everyone went downstairs, once again. tomorrow is shabbat and i think that i might have enough leftover beef and meatballs to make it through the meals. i just need to make some new salads and some side dishes.
i should take down the sukkah tomorrow. i'll have the kids with me so it might be rough. it might also rain. we'll just have to see what happens. anyway there are no more holidays until chanukah. i think i feel relieved. we made it through the holidays. whoopee! i'm still a bit miffed about my girlfriend. 'let it go' as the popular song says, i guess. if my current life style isn't her cup of tea, so be it. different strokes for different folks. amen!
one of my gal pals was supposed to join us for the barbecue. she came up last night and was very turned off by the, soon to be, three year old granddaughter's behaviour. something was bothering the girl. she cried a lot and screamed in pain for most of the meal. she kept complaining about her tush burning and then it was everything form her stomach hurting to her big toe burning. i tried rubbing vasoline onto her anus but it didn't soothe. the daughter-in-law didn't help things any by trying to squeeze pus out of a hang nail on the little girl's big toe. at one point she was screaming blood curdling noises.
i know that it wasn't pleasant to listen to it or be around it. i was getting more uptight by the minute. my friend asked me if this was how it was all the time and on every shabbat. i didn't answer. i felt like i was being judged. i didn't like her assumptions about my life. to be perfectly honest, i never really accepted invitations to families with a lot of kids throughout the years. i also, do not like a lot of noise. i don't like crowds, either. but this was not the usual at the shabbat/holiday table for us. it is usually more pleasant.
the kids usually play around the house while we eat. i try to feed them a bit early,too. they make noise but they don't usually scream all night. when the little girl gets tired she usually falls asleep at the table in her mother's arms. my friend was frustrated with what she perceived as poor judgement on my daughter-in-law's part. according to her the kids should have been fed and put to bed earlier. she was also very hungry and it was taking a bit too long to get the kiddush going. we had all eaten a late afternoon meal knowing that we would be home from services late so we weren't starving. my friend lives on coffee and cigarettes. i felt very pressured and internalized her discomfort.
the little girl finally went to the bathroom for the umpteenth time and came back smiling. she was no longer in pain. who knows what transpired. maybe she finally passed a stone, or laid an egg? what matters was that she was no longer suffering. my friend wanted to leave right after the meal. i offered to escort her out of the neighborhood. my grandson wanted me to stay home and sleep with him. i was rather tired but i walked my friend to the top street. when i got back my grandson was playing cards with my other friend.
my other friend was angry at my daughter-in-law for picking at the little one's toe all evening. she blamed her for all of the commotion. we both tried telling the daughter-in-law that she should soak the toe in warm salty water to draw out the pus. i explained that a cotton ball soaked in warm water would help the situation but of course, she ignored me, as usual. i can only imagine how much it hurt the granddaughter as she squeezed the infected toe. anyway, it was only the four adults for the barbecue this afternoon.
both grand kids are sick. the grandson is officially on antibiotics for a throat infection. the granddaughter has been coughing all week long. both have runny noises. i'm just waiting to collapse from some ailment, too. i invited another gal pal from the neighborhood to join us for the barbecue but her husband had warned her about the rabbinical difficulties in making a barbecue on the holiday. she is getting ready to go to the states soon and i think she just really wanted to rest and diet away the remaining time here. to each his own.
we all woke up late this morning. my grandson usually wets the bed around 6:00 a.m. or so. i was shocked to see that it was already 8:30 a.m. the services start at 7:30 a.m. at the Sephardi shul. my son left around 9:15 a.m and came home to get the boy. they put all the boys under a huge tallis on simchat torah and bless them and they get a bag of goodies. they didn't make it to shul on time but the boy got the goodies anyway. i didn't get to see the kids under the tallis and i got down. i started judging my own kids for their lack of tradition. what a way to celebrate simchat torah with so little joy. i decided to pray by myself while i was waiting for the service to end.
we all went to the kiddush in the shul except for the daughter-in-law. by then i was calmer and in a better mood. after a few pieces of herring and a handful of cashews and pistachios, i was a happy camper. it started raining but ended pretty fast. i went home with my friend and granddaughter and the grandson stayed in shul with his dad. the weather cleared up enough to be able to grill. the steaks were still frozen and the coals weren't getting hot enough so my son started blaming me. i guess he had a few l'chaims at shul because he started being nasty. anyway, it all worked out. the big kids had words between them but it never escalated into a full fledged argument.
after lunch i took my grandson with me over to the chabad bomb shelter minyan to say the prayers for the departed souls of my parents. he was very good and not wild at all. we were there for about an hour and then we went home. the big kids went downstairs for an early evening nap and both little kids went to bed with me. somehow, after a lot of kicking and fussing and pushing, we all fell asleep for a short time. the big kids came upstairs to make havdallah and everyone went downstairs, once again. tomorrow is shabbat and i think that i might have enough leftover beef and meatballs to make it through the meals. i just need to make some new salads and some side dishes.
i should take down the sukkah tomorrow. i'll have the kids with me so it might be rough. it might also rain. we'll just have to see what happens. anyway there are no more holidays until chanukah. i think i feel relieved. we made it through the holidays. whoopee! i'm still a bit miffed about my girlfriend. 'let it go' as the popular song says, i guess. if my current life style isn't her cup of tea, so be it. different strokes for different folks. amen!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Living In Huts
it is 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. we are in our 4th day of the festival of sukkot. we had holiday meals on wednesday night, thursday day, and of course, our shabbat meals, on friday night and saturday day. i was invited out for all of the meals. that's right, zelda didn't cook. i did make a small pot of rice for friday night. i didn't bake either. i brought store bought cookies to one host family and a few Bacardi breezers to the other.
i did have the kids with me every day last week. they were under the weather today and their mom came home early from work and whisked them away to some kiddie show. good for her!. as for me, i'm just plain tired. i had to walk home on both nights and it took me forever to make the half an hour walk home. it has been hot once again. i do not know why i'm so tired. i haven't been running around with the kids. they have been tired and very happy to lay around the house and watch television all day.
i haven't had my family in my sukkah at all. i spent several hours decorating it and making it really nice. i didn't hang up the shiny metallic apples this year. i chose to string up the plastic grapes to imitate a vine. i had plastic vines on all corners of the sukkah and i strung up some individual fruits onto those vines. i did hang up a few plastic pomegranates and estrogs. i had everything really clean and organized and then we had a major monsoon. it was like a tornado in my backyard. i screamed for my son to come outside as the sukkah was flying away. the wind was too strong to get hold of the sukkah. i had tied it down in some places which made it worse. the sukkah looked like an accordion folding in and out..
my son got caught inside and the weight of the entire sukkah was on his arm. i couldn't get a grip on the rest of the sukkah to relieve him. i told him to just let it go. suddenly the wind stopped and the rains began. we quickly moved the sukkah to stand up against the wall. it looked terribly twisted. actually, i think only one of the metal bars is truly bent out of shape. luckily, the bamboo sheets which constitute the roof, didn't blow away. i had reinforced them with bamboo twine. after the storm was over, the sukkah remained in tact. and even the decorations were, for the most part, still hanging.
by the time we sat down at the in-law's for dinner, the rain had totally stopped and the air was really fresh. they had dropped a huge tarp to cover the roof of the sukkah so it was nice and dry inside. their sukkah looked amazing. it felt like we were inside a house instead of outside in the patio. it is really lovely on sukkot that all the neighbors are outside in their sukkahs. it is such a great feeling of community. i love walking home and checking out all of the sukkahs along the way home. our sukkah is just metal bars making up the frame and material all around it. it is not really strong like the wooden sukkahs. one day i would love to have a wooden one.
i'm lucky, as it is, that my son erected the metal frame for me. he also strung up the special sukkah material, too. it took in total, about an hour to do all this and an additional 3 hours for me to decorate it. some things never change. the kids usually celebrate simchat torah with me and we do not use the sukkah for that holiday. we have until wednesday to eat the meals in the sukkah. i had breakfast with the kiddies this morning in the sukkah. it was pretty hot. i tried getting them to take a nap in the sukkah but it wasn't meant to be. i didn't make any food today for dinner. i don't know if the kids will eat out after the show. no one really told me anything.
i was too tired to get to the supermarket in the afternoon. forget about making it to town this week, too. i need to buy veggies for the upcoming holiday on wednesday night and for shabbat. i have guests for simchat torah. i'm planning on making some meat in sweet wine and beef meatballs in tomato sauce. i am counting on my son to do a barbecue on thursday afternoon. i bought a ton of things during the summer. we still have a kilo of steaks, lots of hot dogs, a package of chicken steaks and one of chicken wings, loads of beef kabobs and a package of liver. if it doesn't get used i'll make some liver pate for shabbat. i'll make piquant fish and chicken cutlets for friday night. i'm thinking of making a cholent for saturday lunch. basically, that's a beef stew with barley and potatoes. i have a couple of noodle kugels in the freezer. i made a sweet pineapple one and a savory zucchini and onion one. the kids like 'spaghetti' kugels. i guess i'll cook up some more rice. i also have tons of buckwheat groats in the freezer to make.
i would like to do most of the cooking on tuesday. i have a chocolate cake and honey cake in the freezer. i'd like to make a cheesecake for simchat torah. if i can get to the store tomorrow i will be able to start cooking early. i also need to buy challah rolls and freeze them. i have some wine and beer but i probably need to buy drinks, too. i don't know if i'm up for all of this. i guess i got to be. after this we are free until chanukah. i hope i'll survive.
backyard. i screamed for my son to come out when the sukkah was flying away.
backyard.
i did have the kids with me every day last week. they were under the weather today and their mom came home early from work and whisked them away to some kiddie show. good for her!. as for me, i'm just plain tired. i had to walk home on both nights and it took me forever to make the half an hour walk home. it has been hot once again. i do not know why i'm so tired. i haven't been running around with the kids. they have been tired and very happy to lay around the house and watch television all day.
i haven't had my family in my sukkah at all. i spent several hours decorating it and making it really nice. i didn't hang up the shiny metallic apples this year. i chose to string up the plastic grapes to imitate a vine. i had plastic vines on all corners of the sukkah and i strung up some individual fruits onto those vines. i did hang up a few plastic pomegranates and estrogs. i had everything really clean and organized and then we had a major monsoon. it was like a tornado in my backyard. i screamed for my son to come outside as the sukkah was flying away. the wind was too strong to get hold of the sukkah. i had tied it down in some places which made it worse. the sukkah looked like an accordion folding in and out..
my son got caught inside and the weight of the entire sukkah was on his arm. i couldn't get a grip on the rest of the sukkah to relieve him. i told him to just let it go. suddenly the wind stopped and the rains began. we quickly moved the sukkah to stand up against the wall. it looked terribly twisted. actually, i think only one of the metal bars is truly bent out of shape. luckily, the bamboo sheets which constitute the roof, didn't blow away. i had reinforced them with bamboo twine. after the storm was over, the sukkah remained in tact. and even the decorations were, for the most part, still hanging.
by the time we sat down at the in-law's for dinner, the rain had totally stopped and the air was really fresh. they had dropped a huge tarp to cover the roof of the sukkah so it was nice and dry inside. their sukkah looked amazing. it felt like we were inside a house instead of outside in the patio. it is really lovely on sukkot that all the neighbors are outside in their sukkahs. it is such a great feeling of community. i love walking home and checking out all of the sukkahs along the way home. our sukkah is just metal bars making up the frame and material all around it. it is not really strong like the wooden sukkahs. one day i would love to have a wooden one.
i'm lucky, as it is, that my son erected the metal frame for me. he also strung up the special sukkah material, too. it took in total, about an hour to do all this and an additional 3 hours for me to decorate it. some things never change. the kids usually celebrate simchat torah with me and we do not use the sukkah for that holiday. we have until wednesday to eat the meals in the sukkah. i had breakfast with the kiddies this morning in the sukkah. it was pretty hot. i tried getting them to take a nap in the sukkah but it wasn't meant to be. i didn't make any food today for dinner. i don't know if the kids will eat out after the show. no one really told me anything.
i was too tired to get to the supermarket in the afternoon. forget about making it to town this week, too. i need to buy veggies for the upcoming holiday on wednesday night and for shabbat. i have guests for simchat torah. i'm planning on making some meat in sweet wine and beef meatballs in tomato sauce. i am counting on my son to do a barbecue on thursday afternoon. i bought a ton of things during the summer. we still have a kilo of steaks, lots of hot dogs, a package of chicken steaks and one of chicken wings, loads of beef kabobs and a package of liver. if it doesn't get used i'll make some liver pate for shabbat. i'll make piquant fish and chicken cutlets for friday night. i'm thinking of making a cholent for saturday lunch. basically, that's a beef stew with barley and potatoes. i have a couple of noodle kugels in the freezer. i made a sweet pineapple one and a savory zucchini and onion one. the kids like 'spaghetti' kugels. i guess i'll cook up some more rice. i also have tons of buckwheat groats in the freezer to make.
i would like to do most of the cooking on tuesday. i have a chocolate cake and honey cake in the freezer. i'd like to make a cheesecake for simchat torah. if i can get to the store tomorrow i will be able to start cooking early. i also need to buy challah rolls and freeze them. i have some wine and beer but i probably need to buy drinks, too. i don't know if i'm up for all of this. i guess i got to be. after this we are free until chanukah. i hope i'll survive.
backyard. i screamed for my son to come out when the sukkah was flying away.
backyard.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Back To The Mundane
it is 7:00 a.m. in the holy city of zefat. my grandson joined me in bed a little while ago. i let the dogs out even though they had already made in my hallway. i was surprised to see that it had rained. we had endured a hot and muggy shabbat. i was delighted to see the entire courtyard wet. i thought that it was a good thing and that it had washed all of the dogs' pishie from the courtyard. i then saw tons of mud everywhere. i quickly threw a bucket of soapy water down the stairs and sponged away the mud. i guess that was all the dirt from the roof.
my gardener was here and i offered him a cup of coffee. he reminded me that it was a fast day. and i was just about ready to have some fish and salad. i really should fast as i ate way too much on the holidays. we had seven holiday and shabbat meals. i ate everything but did not indulge in cake or chocolate. i did have dried fruit and bread at every meal. i actually ate an entire roll last night. i didn't even remember about the fast when i ate some fish and salad before retiring.
the holiday was very pleasant. i went to the in laws for the first night's holiday meal. it was pretty 'active' as usual. i made a couple of honey loaf cakes and about 60 chocolates to bring. i made symbolic chocolate fish and apples for the new year. i must have made about 3 dozen banana cupcakes for us. we had tons of overripe bananas around so i added chopped dates and cranberries and voila! my sour cream chocolate cake was a complete flop. it was burnt and dry even though i topped it with my first chocolate butter frosting, ever. my friend liked it so i sent it home with her. i had lots of store bought cookies and wafers on hand, which got us through shabbat.
another friend brought tons of bitter sweet rum balls and colored licorice to our mutual host couple so i brought some home for the kids. they were a big hit. i think i'll buy some next week for sukkot. we had a blast at our friends' home on thursday afternoon. i actually got tipsy off of the sweet kiddush wine. it was a pleasure to have adult conversation in english. it was a welcomed change. i'm always with the kids and don't get to talk freely. the kids came back early enough to take naps while i made salads and got all the food on the electric platter. i made a red cabbage slaw with apples and cranberries which was well received. i added some chopped garlic to counter balance the sweetness. my son was pleased. he does not like sweet salads.
i was able to serve a different dish at every meal. the first night we had meat in sweet wine and chicken stir fry in plum sauce. the sheep head was a big hit with my grandson. i managed to pull off some very soft lamb to feed him. my son was totally grossed out and couldn't look at it. he asked me never to do it again. i guess next year it will be back to fish head for us. we had turkey meatballs in artichoke bottoms and stewed chicken for lunch. i served the sweet spaghetti kugel. my grandson loved it. he loves spaghetti and he loves honey. it's a no brainer.
i made a lovely barley chicken soup for friday night. i put it on the platter to heat up. i then got the bright idea of putting it into two small pots. i took it off the platter and managed to drop the entire pot of soup all over the floor. i was mortified. i had boasted at lunch time that i had made a soup for dinner. i was desperate. i thought about going over to my friend to ask her for soup. my son said that it was a tikun (rectification of a sin) and that i should rejoice. i didn't feel like rejoicing. i felt really dumb and inadequate. it was not like i didn't have any other food to serve and really in a jam. however, i couldn't start cooking another soup because my electric stove top was turned off. i had barbecue chicken wings and leftover stewed chicken and turkey meatballs, piquant fish and a couple of salads, chumus and rice.
i also had a special noodle kugel that my friend had brought from a caterer. i told my son that i was saving the special kugel for shabbat. i showed him the kugel and he showed me the mold that was setting on top of the kugel. i was once again mortified. i felt just awful. the electric water urn was a bit low so i added a lot of cold water. i decided to make some packaged couscous for dinner but it was a disaster. the water wasn't fully boiled so the couscous was a mush. i tossed it. we had a nice shabbat meal and no one except me, missed the soup. the piquant fish course was devoured. the little kids loved the chicken wings and the adults ate the remaining wings and the leftover turkey meatballs. no one went to sleep hungry or dissatified.
i got a bright idea for shabbat lunch. i took the leftover rice and added a can of mushrooms and a bit of olive oil. everyone here loves canned mushrooms. it was like i made a fresh pilaf. the rice got consumed. i served chicken in sweet chili sauce and it also got consumed. my daughter-in-law complimented me too, for serving a new dish at each meal. my son came back from services really early. we sat down at 11:00 a.m. for a change. he usually stays for kiddush and we sit around waiting for him. it was a pleasant shabbat even though it was hot outside. after lunch the kids went for a short outing with the kids. it was nice to see everyone getting along. even the 4 dogs were more or less content.
the daughter-in-law did the dishes and everyone went to take a nap. the little kids fought over me but i ended having both of them in my bed. i fell asleep with the granddaughter but the grandson woke me up right away with his noise. so much for naps. the rest of shabbat flew by and we had our traditional third meal. i put out leftover egg salad, cole slaw, olives, pickles, capers and i opened a cople of cans of tuna fish. i had some sweet challah rolls left so it was easy. i even put out some leftover salami for my friend who isn't a fish eater. soon shabbat was over and everyone left. it was just me, the two dogs, the sofa and t.v. i don't even remember falling asleep.
next shabbat is yom kippur. yes, we have to fast on shabbat. there are two meals that we eat before the fast which starts at sundown. the big kids have to work so i guess that leaves me with the little kids. i usually go to the cemetery to visit my parents' graves. i don't see that happening unless i take a taxi and schlep the kids with me. i also go to the mikveh. i don't see that happening this year at all. the kids will be spending yom kippur at the clan's home. that works for me. i get to spend the day in synagogue alone and i don't have to watch and feed the kids. one for my team!
i guess that's enough talk about next week. i still have to get through the fast today and pick up the grand kids from gan at 1:30 p.m. i thought about washing the floors. i don't think that i have the strength today. it is also cold outside. the kids were not dressed warmly today. i don't know if i need to take a jacket for my grandson. i will have them the entire day and evening. the parents aren't fasting. that means i have to give them lunch and dinner and baths. i thought about going to the supermarket to buy milk. i don't know if i have the ump to move right now. what a dilemma!
my gardener was here and i offered him a cup of coffee. he reminded me that it was a fast day. and i was just about ready to have some fish and salad. i really should fast as i ate way too much on the holidays. we had seven holiday and shabbat meals. i ate everything but did not indulge in cake or chocolate. i did have dried fruit and bread at every meal. i actually ate an entire roll last night. i didn't even remember about the fast when i ate some fish and salad before retiring.
the holiday was very pleasant. i went to the in laws for the first night's holiday meal. it was pretty 'active' as usual. i made a couple of honey loaf cakes and about 60 chocolates to bring. i made symbolic chocolate fish and apples for the new year. i must have made about 3 dozen banana cupcakes for us. we had tons of overripe bananas around so i added chopped dates and cranberries and voila! my sour cream chocolate cake was a complete flop. it was burnt and dry even though i topped it with my first chocolate butter frosting, ever. my friend liked it so i sent it home with her. i had lots of store bought cookies and wafers on hand, which got us through shabbat.
another friend brought tons of bitter sweet rum balls and colored licorice to our mutual host couple so i brought some home for the kids. they were a big hit. i think i'll buy some next week for sukkot. we had a blast at our friends' home on thursday afternoon. i actually got tipsy off of the sweet kiddush wine. it was a pleasure to have adult conversation in english. it was a welcomed change. i'm always with the kids and don't get to talk freely. the kids came back early enough to take naps while i made salads and got all the food on the electric platter. i made a red cabbage slaw with apples and cranberries which was well received. i added some chopped garlic to counter balance the sweetness. my son was pleased. he does not like sweet salads.
i was able to serve a different dish at every meal. the first night we had meat in sweet wine and chicken stir fry in plum sauce. the sheep head was a big hit with my grandson. i managed to pull off some very soft lamb to feed him. my son was totally grossed out and couldn't look at it. he asked me never to do it again. i guess next year it will be back to fish head for us. we had turkey meatballs in artichoke bottoms and stewed chicken for lunch. i served the sweet spaghetti kugel. my grandson loved it. he loves spaghetti and he loves honey. it's a no brainer.
i made a lovely barley chicken soup for friday night. i put it on the platter to heat up. i then got the bright idea of putting it into two small pots. i took it off the platter and managed to drop the entire pot of soup all over the floor. i was mortified. i had boasted at lunch time that i had made a soup for dinner. i was desperate. i thought about going over to my friend to ask her for soup. my son said that it was a tikun (rectification of a sin) and that i should rejoice. i didn't feel like rejoicing. i felt really dumb and inadequate. it was not like i didn't have any other food to serve and really in a jam. however, i couldn't start cooking another soup because my electric stove top was turned off. i had barbecue chicken wings and leftover stewed chicken and turkey meatballs, piquant fish and a couple of salads, chumus and rice.
i also had a special noodle kugel that my friend had brought from a caterer. i told my son that i was saving the special kugel for shabbat. i showed him the kugel and he showed me the mold that was setting on top of the kugel. i was once again mortified. i felt just awful. the electric water urn was a bit low so i added a lot of cold water. i decided to make some packaged couscous for dinner but it was a disaster. the water wasn't fully boiled so the couscous was a mush. i tossed it. we had a nice shabbat meal and no one except me, missed the soup. the piquant fish course was devoured. the little kids loved the chicken wings and the adults ate the remaining wings and the leftover turkey meatballs. no one went to sleep hungry or dissatified.
i got a bright idea for shabbat lunch. i took the leftover rice and added a can of mushrooms and a bit of olive oil. everyone here loves canned mushrooms. it was like i made a fresh pilaf. the rice got consumed. i served chicken in sweet chili sauce and it also got consumed. my daughter-in-law complimented me too, for serving a new dish at each meal. my son came back from services really early. we sat down at 11:00 a.m. for a change. he usually stays for kiddush and we sit around waiting for him. it was a pleasant shabbat even though it was hot outside. after lunch the kids went for a short outing with the kids. it was nice to see everyone getting along. even the 4 dogs were more or less content.
the daughter-in-law did the dishes and everyone went to take a nap. the little kids fought over me but i ended having both of them in my bed. i fell asleep with the granddaughter but the grandson woke me up right away with his noise. so much for naps. the rest of shabbat flew by and we had our traditional third meal. i put out leftover egg salad, cole slaw, olives, pickles, capers and i opened a cople of cans of tuna fish. i had some sweet challah rolls left so it was easy. i even put out some leftover salami for my friend who isn't a fish eater. soon shabbat was over and everyone left. it was just me, the two dogs, the sofa and t.v. i don't even remember falling asleep.
next shabbat is yom kippur. yes, we have to fast on shabbat. there are two meals that we eat before the fast which starts at sundown. the big kids have to work so i guess that leaves me with the little kids. i usually go to the cemetery to visit my parents' graves. i don't see that happening unless i take a taxi and schlep the kids with me. i also go to the mikveh. i don't see that happening this year at all. the kids will be spending yom kippur at the clan's home. that works for me. i get to spend the day in synagogue alone and i don't have to watch and feed the kids. one for my team!
i guess that's enough talk about next week. i still have to get through the fast today and pick up the grand kids from gan at 1:30 p.m. i thought about washing the floors. i don't think that i have the strength today. it is also cold outside. the kids were not dressed warmly today. i don't know if i need to take a jacket for my grandson. i will have them the entire day and evening. the parents aren't fasting. that means i have to give them lunch and dinner and baths. i thought about going to the supermarket to buy milk. i don't know if i have the ump to move right now. what a dilemma!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Shana Tova! 2014
it is 11:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i am completely exhausted. my grandson climbed into bed with me this morning at 6:00 a.m. this boy does not like to sleep. after a while of his playing with my neck and back, i finally got up and let the dogs out. i also put the t.v. on for him in another room and tried to go back to sleep. pretty soon after, the girl came up for chocolate milk.
i decided that it was time to start cooking the sheep head. it was really easy and not nasty at all. it was pretty clean. it didn't really have much meat on it. i cooked it for about 6 hours but i don't think it really needed that long. i quickly plumped up some dried apricots and apples for a garnish. i saved the broth for a future meal. it wasn't fatty. i might throw it into the cholent sometime soon.
i baked a small dairy chocolate cake. it was my sister's rendition of my grandma's cake. i wanted to make a sour cream icing but i didn't have enough powdered sugar on hand. i ended up doing a 'pesach' number on my large bedroom. it was really ripe. my granddaughter had pished on the porch as well as several of the dogs. by the time i finished cleaning and changing the bedding, it was time to pick up the kids from gan.
at the corner gan, the cleaning lady was trying to get a small kitten out of the gan with her sponger stick. my grandson carried it outside. i thought it belonged to my neighbor's cat. we carried it back to the house but i instructed my grandson to leave it in front of the nieghbors' house. it followed us home and got hit by a car right in front of my house. my grandson saw the entire thing. i tried to retrieve it but my dogs followed me out of the house and i was afraid they'd drag it away so i left it. i finally scooped it up into a plastic bag while it was still alive. i placed it near my neighbor's steps. by the time i came out again it was dead.
the little kids wanted to see the dead cat. i had placed it in a plastic bag and put in it the garbage can. i thought to myself that it was a kappara for my life. i took advantage of my granddaughter taking a nap. i made a small tsimis with sweet potatoes, carrots, canned pineapple and dried apricots and apples. it was the first time that i placed it in the oven. i usually cook it in a pot on the stove until it is a darkish mush. i didn't buy prunes this year. i decided to stick with apricots. i read online about adding apples to the tsimis. i guess there is a first time for everything.
while the girl slept, i cooked. i made a chicken stir fry and added store bought plum sauce. i usually use the sweet chili sauce but i decided to keep it sweet for rosh hashana. it was a bit too sweet so i added some powdered garlic. i had pondered the idea of adding pineapple but i decided not to in the end. i have the kids with me tomorrow all day long. gan is on vacation. i washed the floors this evening. my granddaughter the not yet 3 year old clean maven, told me that i did a good job.
i put the kids to sleep under duress. the girl couldn't find her pacifier and had a huge meltdown. my grandson told me his head hurt from all her screams. i was upstairs searching every where for that darn pacifier. she wanted to go to sleep by the television so her older brother also wanted too. he accused me of not being there for him. she always says that i am for her brother and not her. he passed out in the middle of a story and she nearly passed out in my arms but woke up a moment later. thank goodness her father, my only child, came home and found the pacifier.
before he left for a torah class, i found my dog on the stairs annihilating a live pigeon. i quickly retrieved it and disposed of it in my garbage can in the kitchen. i better throw out the garbage the first thing in the morning. so tomorrow, i have to make the following things: beets, leeks,string beans, fish, pumpkin and a quince. i buy one every year and no one except me tastes it. i have to open the pomegranate,which is a messy job. i have to defrost the barley chicken soup, turkey meatballs, 2 types of chicken, and reheat the sweet kugel. i have to make some rice and possibly some couscous. i have an easy day tomorrow.
shana tova!
i decided that it was time to start cooking the sheep head. it was really easy and not nasty at all. it was pretty clean. it didn't really have much meat on it. i cooked it for about 6 hours but i don't think it really needed that long. i quickly plumped up some dried apricots and apples for a garnish. i saved the broth for a future meal. it wasn't fatty. i might throw it into the cholent sometime soon.
i baked a small dairy chocolate cake. it was my sister's rendition of my grandma's cake. i wanted to make a sour cream icing but i didn't have enough powdered sugar on hand. i ended up doing a 'pesach' number on my large bedroom. it was really ripe. my granddaughter had pished on the porch as well as several of the dogs. by the time i finished cleaning and changing the bedding, it was time to pick up the kids from gan.
at the corner gan, the cleaning lady was trying to get a small kitten out of the gan with her sponger stick. my grandson carried it outside. i thought it belonged to my neighbor's cat. we carried it back to the house but i instructed my grandson to leave it in front of the nieghbors' house. it followed us home and got hit by a car right in front of my house. my grandson saw the entire thing. i tried to retrieve it but my dogs followed me out of the house and i was afraid they'd drag it away so i left it. i finally scooped it up into a plastic bag while it was still alive. i placed it near my neighbor's steps. by the time i came out again it was dead.
the little kids wanted to see the dead cat. i had placed it in a plastic bag and put in it the garbage can. i thought to myself that it was a kappara for my life. i took advantage of my granddaughter taking a nap. i made a small tsimis with sweet potatoes, carrots, canned pineapple and dried apricots and apples. it was the first time that i placed it in the oven. i usually cook it in a pot on the stove until it is a darkish mush. i didn't buy prunes this year. i decided to stick with apricots. i read online about adding apples to the tsimis. i guess there is a first time for everything.
while the girl slept, i cooked. i made a chicken stir fry and added store bought plum sauce. i usually use the sweet chili sauce but i decided to keep it sweet for rosh hashana. it was a bit too sweet so i added some powdered garlic. i had pondered the idea of adding pineapple but i decided not to in the end. i have the kids with me tomorrow all day long. gan is on vacation. i washed the floors this evening. my granddaughter the not yet 3 year old clean maven, told me that i did a good job.
i put the kids to sleep under duress. the girl couldn't find her pacifier and had a huge meltdown. my grandson told me his head hurt from all her screams. i was upstairs searching every where for that darn pacifier. she wanted to go to sleep by the television so her older brother also wanted too. he accused me of not being there for him. she always says that i am for her brother and not her. he passed out in the middle of a story and she nearly passed out in my arms but woke up a moment later. thank goodness her father, my only child, came home and found the pacifier.
before he left for a torah class, i found my dog on the stairs annihilating a live pigeon. i quickly retrieved it and disposed of it in my garbage can in the kitchen. i better throw out the garbage the first thing in the morning. so tomorrow, i have to make the following things: beets, leeks,string beans, fish, pumpkin and a quince. i buy one every year and no one except me tastes it. i have to open the pomegranate,which is a messy job. i have to defrost the barley chicken soup, turkey meatballs, 2 types of chicken, and reheat the sweet kugel. i have to make some rice and possibly some couscous. i have an easy day tomorrow.
shana tova!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
What's For Dinner
it is 11:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i am exhausted. i went to town today to check my bank account. it isn't good. i spent way too much money on food and am back in a bad overdraft situation. i will be lucky if they do not start bouncing my checks. i simply lost track of all of the checks that i wrote. i don't exactly know what to do at this point. i'm praying that i'll survive the holiday.
i have been cooking and baking for a couple of weeks already. today i made a dozen banana-pineapple cupcakes and two honey cake loaves. i have already frozen a small cut of beef cooked in sweet wine, a package of BBQ chicken wings, a package of turkey meatballs in a piquant sauce, a package of chicken thighs in a piquant sauce and a package of chicken thighs in a thai sweet chili sauce. i also made a sweet noodle kugel with pineapples. i usually place a meatball in an artichoke bottom and spoon the sauce over it..
i have a lot of side dishes to make on wednesday. i want to make a chicken stir fry with peppers and carrots in a plum sauce, a couscous with dried cranberries, and some sort of rice dish. i need to make the symbolic foods that we eat on rosh hashana, too. i have to cook: leeks, string beans, pumpkin, beets, a sheep's head, and some fish. yes, i said sheep's head. i've been wanting to do this for years. i ran to the big supermarket this morning and they didn't have any fish heads. i have never attempted this before. it isn't really large. it may be a half. i have been on line to find instructions. the sephardim love the brains. i think it is also a delicacy for ashkenazim, too.
i asked a sephardi lady at the bus stop how she prepared a head. she gave me the basic outline and then spent nearly a half an hour telling me her life story. she ranted on and on and did a monologue similar to mine. it's amazing that we had similar lives. i'm only making small amounts of each symbolic food. i want to make a tsimis with sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots and pineapple. i'm planning on making two types of cabbage salad. i need to cook up a pot of fish for the shabbat meals too. i want to do this all before the holiday starts. i don't like cooking on the holiday.
i bought a bunch of sweet round rolls and placed them in the freezer. i hope they won't be too dry. i don't see myself going back to the store any time soon. i hope i haven't made too much. it's only the 2 big kids, the 2 small kids and the 2 old ladies at each meal. i guess i can always freeze the leftovers. i served a chicken soup on shabbat that i had made and frozen on tuesday. it was delicious. as long as the kids don't catch on that i'm cooking in advance and freezing everything, they will enjoy it. all i need is strength.
i bought 6 chocolate bars to make fish and apple candies. i will try to make them tomorrow morning before i have to pick up the kids. they are really a hand full. they both scream a lot and boss me around a lot. the boy was getting very aggressive with me today. he is quite strong. i am totally beat. it's time to go to sleep.
i have been cooking and baking for a couple of weeks already. today i made a dozen banana-pineapple cupcakes and two honey cake loaves. i have already frozen a small cut of beef cooked in sweet wine, a package of BBQ chicken wings, a package of turkey meatballs in a piquant sauce, a package of chicken thighs in a piquant sauce and a package of chicken thighs in a thai sweet chili sauce. i also made a sweet noodle kugel with pineapples. i usually place a meatball in an artichoke bottom and spoon the sauce over it..
i have a lot of side dishes to make on wednesday. i want to make a chicken stir fry with peppers and carrots in a plum sauce, a couscous with dried cranberries, and some sort of rice dish. i need to make the symbolic foods that we eat on rosh hashana, too. i have to cook: leeks, string beans, pumpkin, beets, a sheep's head, and some fish. yes, i said sheep's head. i've been wanting to do this for years. i ran to the big supermarket this morning and they didn't have any fish heads. i have never attempted this before. it isn't really large. it may be a half. i have been on line to find instructions. the sephardim love the brains. i think it is also a delicacy for ashkenazim, too.
i asked a sephardi lady at the bus stop how she prepared a head. she gave me the basic outline and then spent nearly a half an hour telling me her life story. she ranted on and on and did a monologue similar to mine. it's amazing that we had similar lives. i'm only making small amounts of each symbolic food. i want to make a tsimis with sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots and pineapple. i'm planning on making two types of cabbage salad. i need to cook up a pot of fish for the shabbat meals too. i want to do this all before the holiday starts. i don't like cooking on the holiday.
i bought a bunch of sweet round rolls and placed them in the freezer. i hope they won't be too dry. i don't see myself going back to the store any time soon. i hope i haven't made too much. it's only the 2 big kids, the 2 small kids and the 2 old ladies at each meal. i guess i can always freeze the leftovers. i served a chicken soup on shabbat that i had made and frozen on tuesday. it was delicious. as long as the kids don't catch on that i'm cooking in advance and freezing everything, they will enjoy it. all i need is strength.
i bought 6 chocolate bars to make fish and apple candies. i will try to make them tomorrow morning before i have to pick up the kids. they are really a hand full. they both scream a lot and boss me around a lot. the boy was getting very aggressive with me today. he is quite strong. i am totally beat. it's time to go to sleep.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Happy New Year 2014
it is nearly 3:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i am blogging while the kids are unwinding from gan. it has been two weeks since i last posted. the kids went back to gan and i collapsed. i couldn't move. i have been picking them up every day at 1:30 p.m. it's about a 10 minute walk to my grandson's gan and a 20 minute walk on the way back. my grandson is not a good walker. my granddaughter is in a gan at the end of my street about 3 houses away. she throws a fit every day. it is difficult keeping her form running into the street. there are alot of cars nowadays.
i am exhausted. i finally went to my homeopath and got a remedy for chronic fatigue and sciatic pain. i am anxiously waiting for it to kick in. i have been sleeping a lot ever since i got it. i don't do anything except rest until it's time to pick up the kids. i would love to do a real 'pesach' like cleaning before the holidays but i don't see it happening. the2 kids and the 3 dogs trash my house every day. the little chihuahua is marking her 'territory' all over the house. i smell pish wherever i sit. the lego is all over the t.v room floor and the there are toys scattered in every room. i do not have the energy to clean it up.
i am not looking forward to an entire year of watching the kids every day. so far the entire burden has been on me. i think that once the holidays are over the kids might stay in gan til 4:00 p.m. i can't wait. i need some time alone. i need to go to town and deal with my needs. i need to get to the bank and i need to get a few things for the holidays. i am too tired to go to town bright and early and there isn't enough time for me to do my errands and be back in time to pick up the kids. i feel trapped.
i've been on a diet for the last couple of weeks. i am eating tons of veggies both raw and cooked. i am trying to cleanse the old kidneys. i lost a few pounds but my stomach is still enormous. i can't fit into any of my clothes. i am tired of looking this way. i can't run or walk fast. i want to feel comfortable in my own skin during the holidays. i have already made a few meals for the new year. i do not know if i will have any guests, yet. i wanted to farm myself out but my neighborhood buddy is having a difficult relative for the holidays and i don't know how comfortable that will be.
i invited a good friend to stay over with her dog for the chag and shabbat. this year rosh hashana starts on wednesday night and goes right through shabbat. that's 8 meals. i may go out to the sephardi clan the first night. i don't know what my friend will do. maybe she won't mind going to the neighborhood friend with the difficult relative. who knows. i want to pray up here in my neighborhood. i can have lunch with my friend right here when i come home from services. i don't know if the kids will be here or stay with the clan.. perhaps, the kids will come back for the evening meal. if not, i can go to the neighborhood friend or i can stay home and host a friend or two. i have no problem being home on friday afternoon and having lunch with my girl friend and the 4 dogs. woopie!
i think that the kids will be here for shabbat meals. i'll make the shabbat food on wednesday even though i'll have the kids with me all day. i'm not planning on making elaborate meals. i don't know if i'll get around to kugels. i just might make some more food tomorrow and freeze it. i am so not thrilled about cooking this year. i'm pretty resentful about having the kids too. when i'm not babysitting during the day and evening, i'm babysitting at night. i am not happy one bit with this arangement. so far i made a small beef roast in sweet wine, some chicken and some turkey meatballs in tomato sauce. i don't even know what else to cook. i'm toally unmotivated.
the only time i have off is when i go the hospital in tel aviv. my recent pet scan was clean so i am cancer free. i didn't schedule an MRI on the old brain yet. i have a gyn oncologist appointment on thursday. i'm going with my neighborhood pal and then we are going to 'jump' over to jerusalem and visit the kotel. we were supposed to go on an all day synagogue sponsored tour but it fell apart. this is the best we can do at this point. i have a taxi taking me to the hospital and then it's about an hour bus ride to jerusalem. i haven't been there in over 10 years.
the only downer is that i'll probably have to make shabbat meals on friday while i babysit the kids. i know some grandmothers who would envy me. they probably don't have little kids waking them up in the middle of the night or have to watch them every single day. i should really curb my tongue. that's why i love my blog. i can really talk. i spent all last week mourning for joan rivers. i watched every possible youtube video i could find on her. it felt like i lost a member of my family. i guess the entire world felt the same.
i am exhausted. i finally went to my homeopath and got a remedy for chronic fatigue and sciatic pain. i am anxiously waiting for it to kick in. i have been sleeping a lot ever since i got it. i don't do anything except rest until it's time to pick up the kids. i would love to do a real 'pesach' like cleaning before the holidays but i don't see it happening. the2 kids and the 3 dogs trash my house every day. the little chihuahua is marking her 'territory' all over the house. i smell pish wherever i sit. the lego is all over the t.v room floor and the there are toys scattered in every room. i do not have the energy to clean it up.
i am not looking forward to an entire year of watching the kids every day. so far the entire burden has been on me. i think that once the holidays are over the kids might stay in gan til 4:00 p.m. i can't wait. i need some time alone. i need to go to town and deal with my needs. i need to get to the bank and i need to get a few things for the holidays. i am too tired to go to town bright and early and there isn't enough time for me to do my errands and be back in time to pick up the kids. i feel trapped.
i've been on a diet for the last couple of weeks. i am eating tons of veggies both raw and cooked. i am trying to cleanse the old kidneys. i lost a few pounds but my stomach is still enormous. i can't fit into any of my clothes. i am tired of looking this way. i can't run or walk fast. i want to feel comfortable in my own skin during the holidays. i have already made a few meals for the new year. i do not know if i will have any guests, yet. i wanted to farm myself out but my neighborhood buddy is having a difficult relative for the holidays and i don't know how comfortable that will be.
i invited a good friend to stay over with her dog for the chag and shabbat. this year rosh hashana starts on wednesday night and goes right through shabbat. that's 8 meals. i may go out to the sephardi clan the first night. i don't know what my friend will do. maybe she won't mind going to the neighborhood friend with the difficult relative. who knows. i want to pray up here in my neighborhood. i can have lunch with my friend right here when i come home from services. i don't know if the kids will be here or stay with the clan.. perhaps, the kids will come back for the evening meal. if not, i can go to the neighborhood friend or i can stay home and host a friend or two. i have no problem being home on friday afternoon and having lunch with my girl friend and the 4 dogs. woopie!
i think that the kids will be here for shabbat meals. i'll make the shabbat food on wednesday even though i'll have the kids with me all day. i'm not planning on making elaborate meals. i don't know if i'll get around to kugels. i just might make some more food tomorrow and freeze it. i am so not thrilled about cooking this year. i'm pretty resentful about having the kids too. when i'm not babysitting during the day and evening, i'm babysitting at night. i am not happy one bit with this arangement. so far i made a small beef roast in sweet wine, some chicken and some turkey meatballs in tomato sauce. i don't even know what else to cook. i'm toally unmotivated.
the only time i have off is when i go the hospital in tel aviv. my recent pet scan was clean so i am cancer free. i didn't schedule an MRI on the old brain yet. i have a gyn oncologist appointment on thursday. i'm going with my neighborhood pal and then we are going to 'jump' over to jerusalem and visit the kotel. we were supposed to go on an all day synagogue sponsored tour but it fell apart. this is the best we can do at this point. i have a taxi taking me to the hospital and then it's about an hour bus ride to jerusalem. i haven't been there in over 10 years.
the only downer is that i'll probably have to make shabbat meals on friday while i babysit the kids. i know some grandmothers who would envy me. they probably don't have little kids waking them up in the middle of the night or have to watch them every single day. i should really curb my tongue. that's why i love my blog. i can really talk. i spent all last week mourning for joan rivers. i watched every possible youtube video i could find on her. it felt like i lost a member of my family. i guess the entire world felt the same.
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