We went back to Pisgat Ze'ev again, and I got my ATM card. The PIN for the new card will arrive in about a week, hopefully. Husbinator asked the teller if she could order both a new card and a new PIN. It turns out she can, just not on the same day, or else the new PIN will be ordered for the old card. Seriously.
Throughout the day, I put in the two shelves that we bought ages ago for two of our bookcases. The problem is that neither bookcase/shelf pair can take normal brackets, so it was actually a Project to install the shelves. Well, now they're in! Next step is shifting some of the stuff scattered about onto said shelves.
BSM and I finished watching Babe today. I enjoyed the movie, and he enjoyed saying, "Meh," to the piggy. And to the dog. And the duck, cow, and horse. Though during the end credits, he danced along to the music rather than baaing at it.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Day 320 (productive AND baby cuddles)
I tried to chop wood this morning, thinking that the chisel attachment of our hammer-drill would work. Well, it didn't not work, but I didn't get a whole lot cut, either. And Husbinator had to finish some with the axe. So nice try, but no cigar.
I did manage to make some actual progress on my official to-do list: I made BSM an appointment for his 18-month well-visit. Not officially on the list was sewing new clasps onto my cloak: the old one snapped and I forgot about it until I tried to wear it on Shabbos. Perhaps that was Hashem trying to keep me from making a fool of myself, but perhaps not. New clasps it is!
You know, when I write all that down, it doesn't sound like it should have taken as long as it did. Maybe that's why I had time to take BSM to the park--where he frolicked for a full hour--and then rock with him on my lap for another hour, allowing him both to nap and still get to bed at a reasonable hour.
I did manage to make some actual progress on my official to-do list: I made BSM an appointment for his 18-month well-visit. Not officially on the list was sewing new clasps onto my cloak: the old one snapped and I forgot about it until I tried to wear it on Shabbos. Perhaps that was Hashem trying to keep me from making a fool of myself, but perhaps not. New clasps it is!
You know, when I write all that down, it doesn't sound like it should have taken as long as it did. Maybe that's why I had time to take BSM to the park--where he frolicked for a full hour--and then rock with him on my lap for another hour, allowing him both to nap and still get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Day 319 (things we've been putting off)
We started in on the things we've been putting off until after our trip. Therefore, we went into Pisgat Ze'ev to tell Home Center that BSM's radiator no longer gets all that hot. It's under warranty, so I was expecting a bit of a tussle (because this is Israel, so I always expect a fight: oy, that sounds much darker than it should, haha), but I also expected to leave the store with a new radiator. Well, there was no tussle whatsoever, but also no new radiator. Under the terms of the warranty, Home Center is happy to send my radiator out for repair, and I should receive a call within the next month with an update. Super. In the meantime, we bought a little fan-heater-thing and a humidifier: El Blanket-Kicker-Offer can't really spend the next month sleeping in an unheated room.
As long as we were in the mall, I swung by the bank to pick up the new ATM card I had ordered. Unfortunately, the bank is closed on Sunday. Ironically, about three minutes after learning that little fact from their front door, I got a text from the bank letting me know that my new ATM card is waiting for me at the Pisgat Ze'ev branch. Oh, aren't they witty.
On our way home, we stopped by the other clinic on our Yishuv, hoping to see if it's worth switching insurances. It turns out that the clinic, too, was closed. In fact, it's only open when Husbinator is either sleeping or working. Sadly, as unhelpful as that sounds, it still sounds potentially more helpful than our current insurance, under which we get to see the World's Least Helpful Family Doctor.
I also laid our first truly successfully fire in our wood-burning stove. By that I mean that we used no lighter fluid and actually heated the room in which the stove resides. The heat comes, I learned, when you replenish wood for the second or third time. It's fun and satisfying, and takes tons and tons of time, especially since we don't have any bitsies of wood small enough to fit into the stove. This wood-burning stove business makes one feel all economical and old-timey and all, but it is a right pain in the tush.
As long as we were in the mall, I swung by the bank to pick up the new ATM card I had ordered. Unfortunately, the bank is closed on Sunday. Ironically, about three minutes after learning that little fact from their front door, I got a text from the bank letting me know that my new ATM card is waiting for me at the Pisgat Ze'ev branch. Oh, aren't they witty.
On our way home, we stopped by the other clinic on our Yishuv, hoping to see if it's worth switching insurances. It turns out that the clinic, too, was closed. In fact, it's only open when Husbinator is either sleeping or working. Sadly, as unhelpful as that sounds, it still sounds potentially more helpful than our current insurance, under which we get to see the World's Least Helpful Family Doctor.
I also laid our first truly successfully fire in our wood-burning stove. By that I mean that we used no lighter fluid and actually heated the room in which the stove resides. The heat comes, I learned, when you replenish wood for the second or third time. It's fun and satisfying, and takes tons and tons of time, especially since we don't have any bitsies of wood small enough to fit into the stove. This wood-burning stove business makes one feel all economical and old-timey and all, but it is a right pain in the tush.
Day 318 (Shabbos, Shabbos Yom Menucha)
Well, I thought I had pretty much escaped jet-lag, but I had over 12 hours of sleep on Friday night (and I mean at night!), but I was stiiiiiiiiill tired.
Nevertheless, we went to the Gordon's in the afternoon and played a really nifty game called Dixit. It was cool, but it reminded me of the uncomfortable truth that even though I've become all socialized and everything, my brain still works exceedingly differently than the Gordons', and presumably, most other people's. (In the game, you get points for guessing which picture another player would have chosen to describe with a certain word or phrase. More than not being able to guess which picture other people put out, no one else could figure out which picture I had in mind with my little phrases. i am unique!
Nevertheless, we went to the Gordon's in the afternoon and played a really nifty game called Dixit. It was cool, but it reminded me of the uncomfortable truth that even though I've become all socialized and everything, my brain still works exceedingly differently than the Gordons', and presumably, most other people's. (In the game, you get points for guessing which picture another player would have chosen to describe with a certain word or phrase. More than not being able to guess which picture other people put out, no one else could figure out which picture I had in mind with my little phrases. i am unique!
Day 317 (Erev Shabbos, so soon)
Somehow, it got to be Erev Shabbos again. It was a cooking day more than a cleaning day, since we bet on jet-lag and therefore turned down invitations to the other side of the Yishuv.
However, we conquered jet-lag enough that BSM went back to daycare today. Although he cried when I dropped him off, he did remember some of the kids' names and had a good time once I left.
However, we conquered jet-lag enough that BSM went back to daycare today. Although he cried when I dropped him off, he did remember some of the kids' names and had a good time once I left.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Day 316 (We're back, baby)
We didn't quite unpack, but Husbinator brought the suitcases upstairs, which is the biggest step in that endeavor.
In normal routine news, I went to Rami Levy and bought All of the Things, and then proceeded to make Yerushalmi kugel for the shul's kiddush.
In normal routine news, I went to Rami Levy and bought All of the Things, and then proceeded to make Yerushalmi kugel for the shul's kiddush.
Day 315 (part II of what must be two days)
At some point, Tuesday ended and Wednesday began. I have reasoned it out, and concluded that must have happened while we were in the air.
Thank G-d (praise Him with great praise!), the flight back was much, much better than the flight out. This may have to do with the fact that I fell asleep at 2am ET, regardless of the fact that I was supposed to be helping Husbinator... something... with BSM? I faded in and out enough that Husbinator got me to put BSM on a little nest of pillows that Husbinator had made on the floor between us (we booked the end-seats of a 3-seat row, and the middle seat went blessedly untaken), and then we all slept blissfully for the next six hours or so. At least I and BSM did, I'm still foggy about Husbinator's sleep or lack thereof.
It was good to see family, but it's SUCH A RELIEF TO BE BACK. What's funny is that as soon as we got through customs, I stopped obsessing over how great it was to be back. Being here just fits.
It was also really great to see our house again. I seem to have missed that, too. Granted, he may have been channeling my excitement, but BSM said, "Yay," as we looked over our house.
Speaking of things that are totally smushy, a few hours after we got back, the Kornbluths brought us a bag of milk (milk comes in bags here) and a warm cake. We have such awesome neighbors. Oh. My. Gosh!
Thank G-d (praise Him with great praise!), the flight back was much, much better than the flight out. This may have to do with the fact that I fell asleep at 2am ET, regardless of the fact that I was supposed to be helping Husbinator... something... with BSM? I faded in and out enough that Husbinator got me to put BSM on a little nest of pillows that Husbinator had made on the floor between us (we booked the end-seats of a 3-seat row, and the middle seat went blessedly untaken), and then we all slept blissfully for the next six hours or so. At least I and BSM did, I'm still foggy about Husbinator's sleep or lack thereof.
It was good to see family, but it's SUCH A RELIEF TO BE BACK. What's funny is that as soon as we got through customs, I stopped obsessing over how great it was to be back. Being here just fits.
It was also really great to see our house again. I seem to have missed that, too. Granted, he may have been channeling my excitement, but BSM said, "Yay," as we looked over our house.
Speaking of things that are totally smushy, a few hours after we got back, the Kornbluths brought us a bag of milk (milk comes in bags here) and a warm cake. We have such awesome neighbors. Oh. My. Gosh!
Day 314 (no idea how many days)
Husbinator and I successfully finished our errands today. In the future, we should keep in mind that many pharmacies don't keep three-month supplies of random medications on-hand. Also in the future, we'll hopefully be fully integrated into the Israeli health-care system, but one thing at a time.
Before our errands, though, I drove Ema to work and got to see my math teacher, my melachim teacher/carpool partner from when I was in pre-school (a very chashuv lady; I'm still not exactly sure where in the scheme of things she fit into my pre-school carpool), and my AP history teacher. Very good times :)
We left for the airport a bit later than we had hoped, but we still arrived at the gate before it was opened. We'd been wondering, since we were flying United from the US, if there would be the extra layer of security we've come to expect when Israel is involved in our flying plans. It turns out that there was indeed an extra layer of security (to get into the gate area), but it wasn't run by Israelis. Interesting.
Before our errands, though, I drove Ema to work and got to see my math teacher, my melachim teacher/carpool partner from when I was in pre-school (a very chashuv lady; I'm still not exactly sure where in the scheme of things she fit into my pre-school carpool), and my AP history teacher. Very good times :)
We left for the airport a bit later than we had hoped, but we still arrived at the gate before it was opened. We'd been wondering, since we were flying United from the US, if there would be the extra layer of security we've come to expect when Israel is involved in our flying plans. It turns out that there was indeed an extra layer of security (to get into the gate area), but it wasn't run by Israelis. Interesting.
Day 313 (time to do errands)
Because we're leaving tomorrow night. So Husbinator and I buckled down and did a bunch of shopping, which we both felt took much longer than it actually did. We checked off most of our to-do list, though!
Day 312 (party)
I actually made it to the clan's Chanukah party this year. I don't know how long it's been since that happened. Nothing too crazy, just a whooole lot of planning (at which I've cleverly proven myself inept, so there's no expectation that I have to lift a finger there) then a bunch of people hanging out and eating brunch. This is my kind of party.
Day 311 (Shabbos)
BSM continued to have a really great time with Sister's kids. He doesn't do much with them, but he goes over and watches them play, and every so often does a little playing himself. He just needs to be around little people, and that's that. One thing I've really noticed this trip is that BSM is not nearly as clingy as he is at home. As long as there are at least three or four people around, he is happy to play or read or just watch what's going on, and he doesn't need me to do it with him.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Day 310 (Erev Shabbos)
I cooked the turkey today. Following advice of some of Husbinator's favorite food sites, I cut the turkey in half before I cooked it. (We didn't have a big enough pan to butterfly the turkey as was actually recommended, but I figured cutting it in half was close enough.) I kid you not, the bird was done in just over an hour. And it was no small turkey. This is pretty much the method I used, though I neither brined the turkey nor cooked it directly on the oven rack (shudder).
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Day 309 (more people!)
Abba II and BIL (brother-in-law) came. Also, Husbinator came home. Wait... that makes no sense. I know that Abba II and BIL came the night before Husbinator did. Whatever, so my notes are lousy.
Day 308 (outing)
After years, I finally remembered to ask Abba to record Shema for me when both he, I, and a recording device were at home for more than 5 more minutes. I now have a recording of my Abba leining Shema. This makes me happier than I can tell you. Suffice it to say that it slows my breath and warms my heart and sounds like bedtime when I was little.
Ema took me and BSM to the park this afternoon. It is a really, really cool playground, with three separate areas targeting three different age groups. This is a Good Idea and Lots of Fun.
Naturally, we started out in the toddler area, which cured me of my tiny sadness that the park near my house doesn't have bucket swings. BSM likes the bucket swings, but he can only actually pump in the regular swings. And make no mistake, he can actually pump when he's on the regular swings.
Interestingly, the parents at this park stand near their kids. The parents at my park sit on the benches, occasionally yelling advice to their kids. Interesting. I can see where the term "helicopter parenting" came from.
Ema took me and BSM to the park this afternoon. It is a really, really cool playground, with three separate areas targeting three different age groups. This is a Good Idea and Lots of Fun.
Naturally, we started out in the toddler area, which cured me of my tiny sadness that the park near my house doesn't have bucket swings. BSM likes the bucket swings, but he can only actually pump in the regular swings. And make no mistake, he can actually pump when he's on the regular swings.
Interestingly, the parents at this park stand near their kids. The parents at my park sit on the benches, occasionally yelling advice to their kids. Interesting. I can see where the term "helicopter parenting" came from.
Day 307 (baking)
I got a bunch of baking done today.
I think we picked a very good amount of time to be away/visit. Before I left, I thought that 2 1/2 weeks was way too long to be away from Israel. While I'm here, 2 1/2 weeks doesn't feel like long enough to visit as much as I want and do all of my errands.
Readjusting to the US went much faster than I thought it would. At the same time, when people ask me how aliyah is, I invariably confuse them by say "It's such a relief to be back," because my body language says how happy I am to have made aliyah, but the words that keep popping out of my mouth don't really support that statement. Truly, my body is hanging out in the edge of the west, but it would seem that it's more than just my heart that is still in Israel. Good.
I think we picked a very good amount of time to be away/visit. Before I left, I thought that 2 1/2 weeks was way too long to be away from Israel. While I'm here, 2 1/2 weeks doesn't feel like long enough to visit as much as I want and do all of my errands.
Readjusting to the US went much faster than I thought it would. At the same time, when people ask me how aliyah is, I invariably confuse them by say "It's such a relief to be back," because my body language says how happy I am to have made aliyah, but the words that keep popping out of my mouth don't really support that statement. Truly, my body is hanging out in the edge of the west, but it would seem that it's more than just my heart that is still in Israel. Good.
Day 306 (the parade continues)
Aunt Neenee came today, continuing this very nice trend of (a) people coming to see me and (b) people coming to see us singly. This means better quality visits for me, and less overwhelmation for BSM.
In the evening, I went with Ema to Shoprite both to spend time with her and to mitigate my grocery-shopping-withdrawal. I am very glad I went, because I discovered why I am so slow at bagging groceries in Israel. In America, you see, the plastic bags are placed on little dispensers that are designed to allow the bag to be filled whilst on the dispenser. In Israel, you have to take the bag off of the dispenser and then load it. Mystery solved! (This was really driving me nuts because loading groceries is/was one of the only physical things I was actually fast at.)
In the evening, I went with Ema to Shoprite both to spend time with her and to mitigate my grocery-shopping-withdrawal. I am very glad I went, because I discovered why I am so slow at bagging groceries in Israel. In America, you see, the plastic bags are placed on little dispensers that are designed to allow the bag to be filled whilst on the dispenser. In Israel, you have to take the bag off of the dispenser and then load it. Mystery solved! (This was really driving me nuts because loading groceries is/was one of the only physical things I was actually fast at.)
Day 305 (Sunday)
Aunt L80 and Uncle Red came, bringing with them pressure-free family time and oodles and oodles of board books.
Day 304 (Shabbos)
Being the oldest child home, I got the first bracha on Friday night! I thought this was a first ever, but Sister tells me it probably happened reasonably often when I was in college and she and Mooshub were married. At the time, though, I thought it was a first, and I made sure to lord it over my siblings Moste Mightily.
R2, B2, and Piano Toes all visited in my honor (well, technically, Piano Toes came for B2, since he, PT, was coming home next Shabbos, anyway), and it was glorious.
Husbinator and I prepped BSM that Husbinator would be leaving for a few days again, but I don't think BSM really understood what we were saying at all.
R2, B2, and Piano Toes all visited in my honor (well, technically, Piano Toes came for B2, since he, PT, was coming home next Shabbos, anyway), and it was glorious.
Husbinator and I prepped BSM that Husbinator would be leaving for a few days again, but I don't think BSM really understood what we were saying at all.
Day 303 (Erev Shabbos)
To celebrate Husbinator's return, we went to that bastion of American Consumerism, Walmart. And BSM freaked out a tiny bit every time Husbinator left his immediate line of vision.
Day 302 (people)
Elaine, as I shall henceforth call Abba's sister, came to visit me at Ema and Abba's today. It was absolutely perfect: BSM and I were able to give her the attention she deserves, instead of trying to keep track of who is where in a huge crowd.
Also Husbinator came back tonight! I was, of course, very happy to see him, and so was BSM when he woke up in the middle of the night.
Also Husbinator came back tonight! I was, of course, very happy to see him, and so was BSM when he woke up in the middle of the night.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Day 301 (Da Boibs)
We visited Grandma and my old high school today. Good times. Grandma gave BSM a toy airplane (metal, about the size of two matchbox cars), and he is in love. "Airplane! Airplane!"
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Day 300 (satisfying)
I got to make challah today, which was nice.
Also good was finding an FAQ for Israeli elections. Aside from the fact that I never particularly enjoy election season, I really don't understand how the Israeli political system works. My biggest point of contention is this seemingly haphazard way of determining when elections take place. "Well, what if the government doesn't fall apart, whatever that means?" I ranted. "Can we go decades without elections?" Which, when you think of it, is a funny main complaint for someone who insists that she hates elections. The FAQ makes me calmer by clearing up many things, including the fact that, yes, elections are to be held every four years, assuming four years magically go by without the government dissolving, first.
The capstone to this satisfying day was going over some Algebra II with The Caped Avenger. When I manage to trick someone into asking, of their own free will, if they can do another math problem... Well, teaching doesn't get much more satisfying than that :-)
Also good was finding an FAQ for Israeli elections. Aside from the fact that I never particularly enjoy election season, I really don't understand how the Israeli political system works. My biggest point of contention is this seemingly haphazard way of determining when elections take place. "Well, what if the government doesn't fall apart, whatever that means?" I ranted. "Can we go decades without elections?" Which, when you think of it, is a funny main complaint for someone who insists that she hates elections. The FAQ makes me calmer by clearing up many things, including the fact that, yes, elections are to be held every four years, assuming four years magically go by without the government dissolving, first.
The capstone to this satisfying day was going over some Algebra II with The Caped Avenger. When I manage to trick someone into asking, of their own free will, if they can do another math problem... Well, teaching doesn't get much more satisfying than that :-)
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Day 299 (or is it?)
Does it count as day 299 if I'm not in Israel? Tell you what: it's too confusing if the answer is no, so I'll stick with my current numbering system for now.
I spent the day mostly figuring out if I was sleeping or awake, and watching BSM failing to figure out the same for the most part.
I'd forgotten that one of the things I actively dislike about the US is "the holiday shopping season." In the past, I'd always told myself quite firmly that if I don't like Xmas-themed shopping, I could move my little tush over to Israel. Well, I've finally done that, and then I accidentally came back at just the wrong time of year. Woops. Whatcha gonna do.
I spent the day mostly figuring out if I was sleeping or awake, and watching BSM failing to figure out the same for the most part.
I'd forgotten that one of the things I actively dislike about the US is "the holiday shopping season." In the past, I'd always told myself quite firmly that if I don't like Xmas-themed shopping, I could move my little tush over to Israel. Well, I've finally done that, and then I accidentally came back at just the wrong time of year. Woops. Whatcha gonna do.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Day 298 (A 31-hour day, roughly)
We left our Yishuv at 6 am and arrived in America 19 hours later at 6 pm. The flight was not nearly the nightmare I was afraid it would be, but I still did not enjoy it.
Upon reaching immigration and customs, I was utterly floored to find that the officials manning the lines were... friendly. They were friendly. They made jokes. They seemed genuinely happy to see people coming into the US and wanted to make our experience a pleasant one. I wonder if they broke into that room and had the real officials tied up in a closet somewhere. It was nice, though, this first contact with America not being serious and slightly accusatory.
Upon reaching immigration and customs, I was utterly floored to find that the officials manning the lines were... friendly. They were friendly. They made jokes. They seemed genuinely happy to see people coming into the US and wanted to make our experience a pleasant one. I wonder if they broke into that room and had the real officials tied up in a closet somewhere. It was nice, though, this first contact with America not being serious and slightly accusatory.
Day 297 (Shabbos)
We ate out both meals this Shabbos, handily avoiding cleaning up and dealing with leftovers the night before our flight.
I will admit to being a little disappointed this week upon reading the parsha: I've been keeping track since Parshas Bereishis, and this is the first week that the word "water" does not appear.
In very exciting news, though, Husbinator bought me a set of Rav Hirsch's commentary on chumash, and he addresses the question that's been bugging me for ages! Briefly, I wanted to know why part of Chava's curse ("And your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule you") was quoted almost exactly in Kayin's warning ("Sin crouches at the door; its desire is for you, and you shall rule it.") Less briefly, here's Rav Hirsch's discussion of this bit of Kayin's verse:
I have looked in many, many places, and Rav Hirsch is the first commentator I've seen who even acknowledges that the two pesukim sound awfully similar. Ahhh!
I will admit to being a little disappointed this week upon reading the parsha: I've been keeping track since Parshas Bereishis, and this is the first week that the word "water" does not appear.
In very exciting news, though, Husbinator bought me a set of Rav Hirsch's commentary on chumash, and he addresses the question that's been bugging me for ages! Briefly, I wanted to know why part of Chava's curse ("And your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule you") was quoted almost exactly in Kayin's warning ("Sin crouches at the door; its desire is for you, and you shall rule it.") Less briefly, here's Rav Hirsch's discussion of this bit of Kayin's verse:
And for the sake of completeness, here's his discussion of the parallel portion of Chava's curse.
I have looked in many, many places, and Rav Hirsch is the first commentator I've seen who even acknowledges that the two pesukim sound awfully similar. Ahhh!
Day 296 (Erev Shabbos)
As is my habit, I did not wait until the last full weekday before my trip to pay the parking ticket I got months ago. Nope, I didn't wait until today to finally call the Jerusalem municipality to have them tell me that they can't process foreign credit cards, and so I didn't need to run out to the mall's post office on an Erev Shabbos to pay in cash.
Okay, that's not entirely true. I did actually have to run into Pisgat Ze'ev this morning to pay my parking ticket. It worked out well, though, because that meant I also bought gas in Pisgat Ze'ev instead of at the gas station near Rami Levy. And it turns out that Pisgat Ze'ev's gas station, like the Jerusalem municipality, is prejudiced against foreign credit cards. This meant I had to get full-serve gas instead of the cheaper self-serve gas. Like I said, though, it worked out well: the guy not only filled my car with gas (big woop), he also checked my antifreeze and oil levels, which is something I don't recall doing since moving to the Yishuv. Practically speaking, this means that I left the gas station with considerably more gas, antifreeze, and oil than I came in with. Oh, dear.
Okay, that's not entirely true. I did actually have to run into Pisgat Ze'ev this morning to pay my parking ticket. It worked out well, though, because that meant I also bought gas in Pisgat Ze'ev instead of at the gas station near Rami Levy. And it turns out that Pisgat Ze'ev's gas station, like the Jerusalem municipality, is prejudiced against foreign credit cards. This meant I had to get full-serve gas instead of the cheaper self-serve gas. Like I said, though, it worked out well: the guy not only filled my car with gas (big woop), he also checked my antifreeze and oil levels, which is something I don't recall doing since moving to the Yishuv. Practically speaking, this means that I left the gas station with considerably more gas, antifreeze, and oil than I came in with. Oh, dear.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Day 295 (a different sort of schedule)
So BSM decided to wake up at 5:15 and again at 5:40 and again at 5:55 this morning. I know that him sleeping until 7 is a luxury, but it is a luxury that I have come to expect.
So I dropped him off at daycare a little earlier than usual, and went back to bed.
When I woke up, I threw together a Yerushalmi kugel and went to get BSM. On the way home, we stopped at the playground and he had a glorious time on the swings. Unfortunately, our park does not have bucket swings, so I generally park him over near the slide. Today, though, he gravitated toward the swings, and he even said "Nadned" in baby talk. A nadnedah is a seesaw or a swing in Hebrew, and there is a classic childrend's song with the refrain, "Na-adned, na-adned," and BSM's garbled word caught the exact meter of that little tune. So I put him on a regular swing, and held onto his hips as I pushed him back and forth, singing the nadned song. At least that's what I did until BSM insisted that I stop, and I just hovered behind him as he happily swung back and forth, back and forth all by himself.
So I dropped him off at daycare a little earlier than usual, and went back to bed.
When I woke up, I threw together a Yerushalmi kugel and went to get BSM. On the way home, we stopped at the playground and he had a glorious time on the swings. Unfortunately, our park does not have bucket swings, so I generally park him over near the slide. Today, though, he gravitated toward the swings, and he even said "Nadned" in baby talk. A nadnedah is a seesaw or a swing in Hebrew, and there is a classic childrend's song with the refrain, "Na-adned, na-adned," and BSM's garbled word caught the exact meter of that little tune. So I put him on a regular swing, and held onto his hips as I pushed him back and forth, singing the nadned song. At least that's what I did until BSM insisted that I stop, and I just hovered behind him as he happily swung back and forth, back and forth all by himself.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Day 294 (Wednesday???)
Dikla noticed that BSM had on new clothing this morning, which was cool. With all that work to restock his dresser with 2T stuff, it's nice to know that someone other than Husbinator will notice.
I did lots of packing today, even before I knew that it was Wednesday. I'm still not entirely convinced that today isn't Tuesday. I mean, tomorrow can't be Thursday! Yoish. This is what happens when we start our week late due to an extended weekend, and then keep BSM home the next day to recover.
I did lots of packing today, even before I knew that it was Wednesday. I'm still not entirely convinced that today isn't Tuesday. I mean, tomorrow can't be Thursday! Yoish. This is what happens when we start our week late due to an extended weekend, and then keep BSM home the next day to recover.
Day 293 (clothing swap)
In honor of BSM nearly outgrowing his 18 month stuff along with our upcoming trip to the US, I switched his clothing over to the 2T stuff. We have so much of it. Thank G-d. Really, hugely abundant amounts of 2T clothing. I'm not quite sure how it happened, though I think the Kornbluths gave us about a third of what we have. I'm slightly overwhelmed, but this is a wonderful problem to have.
While we were in Tzfat, we had reason to check the USD-ILS exchange rate, and it is a good deal higher than last time we checked. (3.8 versus 3.5.) Since then, I've been saying that we need to change money, so I finally checked out some trends today. I must say, Bloomberg has a very intelligent way of presenting currency prices. I was hoping for a graph, but their tables make it pretty clear what's going on. And as high as the exchange rate is right now, it really looks like it will continue to climb. So we'll hold off on this changing money business, though I must say that I do not love this currency speculation game. Very stressful, it is.
Oh, and I read BSM some board books again. I just really needed a break yesterday, but now I'm back in the game. I am looking forward to taking some different board books out of the library when we get to America, though.
While we were in Tzfat, we had reason to check the USD-ILS exchange rate, and it is a good deal higher than last time we checked. (3.8 versus 3.5.) Since then, I've been saying that we need to change money, so I finally checked out some trends today. I must say, Bloomberg has a very intelligent way of presenting currency prices. I was hoping for a graph, but their tables make it pretty clear what's going on. And as high as the exchange rate is right now, it really looks like it will continue to climb. So we'll hold off on this changing money business, though I must say that I do not love this currency speculation game. Very stressful, it is.
Oh, and I read BSM some board books again. I just really needed a break yesterday, but now I'm back in the game. I am looking forward to taking some different board books out of the library when we get to America, though.
Day 292 (The Lists)
Because BSM was still getting over his fever-cold, I kept him home today. I also did lots of laundry and made packing lists for the two of us.
And let the record show that today is the day that I reached the end of my rope. Our lift came just after Rosh HaShana, and it is now the beginning of Kislev, and today was the day that I could no longer read another one of our board books. So. Sick. Of. Them. So I had a grand old time reading BSM some books with paper pages.
And let the record show that today is the day that I reached the end of my rope. Our lift came just after Rosh HaShana, and it is now the beginning of Kislev, and today was the day that I could no longer read another one of our board books. So. Sick. Of. Them. So I had a grand old time reading BSM some books with paper pages.
Day 291 (back home)
This morning, I did something I haven't done since we moved off of the kibbutz: I laid down next to BSM and snuggled him until he fell asleep. Poor kid was sick and tired and neither of us had the energy for a fight over napping in his pack-n-play.
We had an uneventful drive back, and a wonderful surprise when we got home: our travel papers had arrived today! To all, I offer you the unsung advantage--a huge advantage--of living in Yehudah V'Shomron: dealing with the Ministry of the Interior is not the nightmare it can be elsewhere. We applied for our interim passports on Tuesday, got a call on Wednesday that there was a mismatch with Husbinator's name (he changed his legal name to his Hebrew name when we made aliyah), and our passports showed up in the mail on Sunday. Wow!!!
We had an uneventful drive back, and a wonderful surprise when we got home: our travel papers had arrived today! To all, I offer you the unsung advantage--a huge advantage--of living in Yehudah V'Shomron: dealing with the Ministry of the Interior is not the nightmare it can be elsewhere. We applied for our interim passports on Tuesday, got a call on Wednesday that there was a mismatch with Husbinator's name (he changed his legal name to his Hebrew name when we made aliyah), and our passports showed up in the mail on Sunday. Wow!!!
Day 290 (Shabbos)
Husbinator shul-hopped, and the Tzfat stereotype seems to be holding up. There are an eclectic group of people at each shul, and they are warm and friendly and welcoming. In fact, the shul where Husbinator davened on Friday night actually had a full meal for guests, in addition to asking everyone as they left if they had a place to stay. Very sweet.
We went to a House of Love and Prayer for havdala, and again, the stereotypes of Carlebach shuls held up: the people were very, very welcoming and open, havdala featured two guitars, a mandolin, and some dancing. Still, it didn't feel very schleppy, which was nice.
We went to a House of Love and Prayer for havdala, and again, the stereotypes of Carlebach shuls held up: the people were very, very welcoming and open, havdala featured two guitars, a mandolin, and some dancing. Still, it didn't feel very schleppy, which was nice.
Day 289 (a different sort of Erev Shabbos)
We finished buying food for Shabbos (we bought most of what we needed last night), including a disposable pot for hot water. I totally blew Husbinator's mind with that one: he's never seen a foil pot before. It's a different sensation, knowing something useful that he doesn't.
Day 288 (a full day in Tzfat)
We had a nice time this morning walking around and looking at art. I am still shocked by the sheer number of galleries with open doors and no one in them. In most cases, the owner wandered in while we were there, but there was more than one gallery where we walked in, looked around, and left with seeing nary a soul. And no, these aren't the sort of galleries with extensive back rooms where someone might have been hiding.
My boys napped in the afternoon, and I wandered around myself, which I enjoyed mightily. Furthermore, for the first time in my life, I bought Art. (As you may recall, The Caped Avenger foolishly and generously just gave his stuff away. Haha on him. But now I really need to pay him.) As happened so often in the morning, the art gallery I really wanted to see (watercolors and glassblowing) had no one in it. The sign on the door said OPEN, though, so I moved the rock from in front of the door and wandered inside. (In retrospect, if there's a rock in front of the door, it means no one's inside... hello...) I looked around, and found something I liked, so I called the cell number on the business cards near the front, and asked if she was around. No, the artist told me, she was actually on her way to parent-teacher conferences, but she'd send someone over. She did, and now I have a canvas print of a woman dancing with her daughter!
I've also wanted a silk painting since I saw one when I was in seminary. I knew I wanted bright, warm colors, but I never though I'd get a picture of Ema's irises. But I did! (I also learned not to be shy in bargaining: the painting was about 30% more than I was prepared to fork over, so I was really torn. When the artist asked me how much I was looking to spend, I told her: and she said fine, with no arguing! Whoops, I should have quoted an even lower price, it seems.)
For dinner, we had a real "חוויה." (Literally "experience:" That's the word we used in seminary when we were doing something out of our comfort zone and we weren't sure that we were enjoying ourselves. "Well," we would say, "This sure is a chavaya, anyway!) After wandering up and down the main road, we went into an unassuming fleishig place. The owner showed us into the warm eating area and gave us our menus, which were composed of nice, normal menu covers containing one sheet of lined paper with a handwritten list of food and prices. The prices were a bit steep, but by then we weren't sure how to back out of eating there.
The menu only listed the main dishes, so Husbinator asked what was included, and the proprietor said, "Everything." The other useful hint he gave us was when we asked him what the "splenectomy" (טחול) was, he told us, "Not for you." Well, that's what we wanted to know! So we ordered, and while he cooked our food, he brought out some pita and dips. A lot of pita and dips. One might, in fact, describe that course with the word, "Everything." BSM was especially thrilled: one of the dips was purple cole slaw, which is something that he loves and I give him only rarely. Purple cabbage is not kind to that with which in comes into contact.
As we were finishing up our dips course, mine host brings out our HUGE portions of steak/chicken/mini burgers, plus a nice salad, plus fries. Oh man oh man oh man. Yeah, it cost about 1.5x what we had expected, but we also got about 1.5x what we expected. And the food was absolutely delicious. And since we failed to garner any meal invitations through Shabbat.com, we packed up the leftovers for Shabbos. This was a good חוויה.
My boys napped in the afternoon, and I wandered around myself, which I enjoyed mightily. Furthermore, for the first time in my life, I bought Art. (As you may recall, The Caped Avenger foolishly and generously just gave his stuff away. Haha on him. But now I really need to pay him.) As happened so often in the morning, the art gallery I really wanted to see (watercolors and glassblowing) had no one in it. The sign on the door said OPEN, though, so I moved the rock from in front of the door and wandered inside. (In retrospect, if there's a rock in front of the door, it means no one's inside... hello...) I looked around, and found something I liked, so I called the cell number on the business cards near the front, and asked if she was around. No, the artist told me, she was actually on her way to parent-teacher conferences, but she'd send someone over. She did, and now I have a canvas print of a woman dancing with her daughter!
I've also wanted a silk painting since I saw one when I was in seminary. I knew I wanted bright, warm colors, but I never though I'd get a picture of Ema's irises. But I did! (I also learned not to be shy in bargaining: the painting was about 30% more than I was prepared to fork over, so I was really torn. When the artist asked me how much I was looking to spend, I told her: and she said fine, with no arguing! Whoops, I should have quoted an even lower price, it seems.)
For dinner, we had a real "חוויה." (Literally "experience:" That's the word we used in seminary when we were doing something out of our comfort zone and we weren't sure that we were enjoying ourselves. "Well," we would say, "This sure is a chavaya, anyway!) After wandering up and down the main road, we went into an unassuming fleishig place. The owner showed us into the warm eating area and gave us our menus, which were composed of nice, normal menu covers containing one sheet of lined paper with a handwritten list of food and prices. The prices were a bit steep, but by then we weren't sure how to back out of eating there.
The menu only listed the main dishes, so Husbinator asked what was included, and the proprietor said, "Everything." The other useful hint he gave us was when we asked him what the "splenectomy" (טחול) was, he told us, "Not for you." Well, that's what we wanted to know! So we ordered, and while he cooked our food, he brought out some pita and dips. A lot of pita and dips. One might, in fact, describe that course with the word, "Everything." BSM was especially thrilled: one of the dips was purple cole slaw, which is something that he loves and I give him only rarely. Purple cabbage is not kind to that with which in comes into contact.
As we were finishing up our dips course, mine host brings out our HUGE portions of steak/chicken/mini burgers, plus a nice salad, plus fries. Oh man oh man oh man. Yeah, it cost about 1.5x what we had expected, but we also got about 1.5x what we expected. And the food was absolutely delicious. And since we failed to garner any meal invitations through Shabbat.com, we packed up the leftovers for Shabbos. This was a good חוויה.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Day 287 (travelling to Tzfat)
It's a good thing I got to experience the full glory of Highway 1 yesterday. We drove to Tzfat today via the 1 and the 6 (which is even nicer than the 1, though I might just tell myself that because it's a toll road), and I had to drive really slowly due to heavy rain. (The rain, Abba, is also the reason we took the 1 and the 6 rather than the 90. Route 90 may be faster, but it is a leetle too prone to flooding for my taste.)
We stopped about halfway to get more gas (the downside of driving down the 1 yesterday) and eat lunch. I will admit it: I was kind of disappointed that the fast food joint at the rest stop didn't have a hechsher. In America, I take it for granted that I can't eat out, but here there was a chance! It was okay, though: the gas-station mini-mart had pre-packaged sandwiches with hechsher that were surprisingly yummy.
We got to Tzfat later than we had hoped, due to our leaving the house later than we had hoped. Next time we go on a trip, I need to remember to bring BSM to daycare and just pick him up early, rather than blithely assuming we'll leave an hour after I would have dropped him off, so why bother? I'll tell you why bother: there ain't no way to get ready to leave in an hour when BSM wants stuff during that hour. Just saying.
We did get to Tzfat in time to run our Main Errand, though. Husbinator's boss (and friend) has been wanting to buy some pieces from a particular gallery in Tzfat for years, but he has been completely unable to get in touch with them. Since his company is purely internet and phone based, and he works with internet companies, I think his mind was a tiny bit blown that it was literally impossible to get what he wanted using the internet and phones. (In fairness, I'm a bit surprised, too.)
So immediately after unpacking, we set out to find this elusive gallery. Another gallery owner (who was closing up) directed us to the Kaszemacher gallery (not a pseudonym), and we found it! It was one of the last galleries still open, and Husbinator Skyped his boss-friend, and he and his wife picked out four pieces.
Incidentally, Boss-Friend later told Husbinator that he never felt so American in his life. It turns out we called him in the middle of his move from his nice current house to his new gorgeous custom-built house. "So there I was," said Boss-Friend, "Directing all of these people where to put all of my stuff, and suddenly I say, 'Sorry, I can't tell you where to put all of my Things right now. I need to buy Art.' And then I spend about half an hour telling a guy, 'No, I don't like this life work of yours... No, I don't like this life work of yours... Well, maybe that life work of yours is okay...'"
We stopped about halfway to get more gas (the downside of driving down the 1 yesterday) and eat lunch. I will admit it: I was kind of disappointed that the fast food joint at the rest stop didn't have a hechsher. In America, I take it for granted that I can't eat out, but here there was a chance! It was okay, though: the gas-station mini-mart had pre-packaged sandwiches with hechsher that were surprisingly yummy.
We got to Tzfat later than we had hoped, due to our leaving the house later than we had hoped. Next time we go on a trip, I need to remember to bring BSM to daycare and just pick him up early, rather than blithely assuming we'll leave an hour after I would have dropped him off, so why bother? I'll tell you why bother: there ain't no way to get ready to leave in an hour when BSM wants stuff during that hour. Just saying.
We did get to Tzfat in time to run our Main Errand, though. Husbinator's boss (and friend) has been wanting to buy some pieces from a particular gallery in Tzfat for years, but he has been completely unable to get in touch with them. Since his company is purely internet and phone based, and he works with internet companies, I think his mind was a tiny bit blown that it was literally impossible to get what he wanted using the internet and phones. (In fairness, I'm a bit surprised, too.)
So immediately after unpacking, we set out to find this elusive gallery. Another gallery owner (who was closing up) directed us to the Kaszemacher gallery (not a pseudonym), and we found it! It was one of the last galleries still open, and Husbinator Skyped his boss-friend, and he and his wife picked out four pieces.
Incidentally, Boss-Friend later told Husbinator that he never felt so American in his life. It turns out we called him in the middle of his move from his nice current house to his new gorgeous custom-built house. "So there I was," said Boss-Friend, "Directing all of these people where to put all of my stuff, and suddenly I say, 'Sorry, I can't tell you where to put all of my Things right now. I need to buy Art.' And then I spend about half an hour telling a guy, 'No, I don't like this life work of yours... No, I don't like this life work of yours... Well, maybe that life work of yours is okay...'"
Day 286 (conference)
Bit behind in the blogging, are we? That's because the busier I am, the less time I put aside for El Blogo. I just jot down notes and save it as a draft, and as Aunt L80 can't actually tell you, because she hasn't received either of the two emails I started, my drafts tend to sit around for a quite a while.
So on Day 286, which was, I believe a Tuesday... Yes! It was a Tuesday: I remember because our local "branch" of the Ministry of the Interior is only open on Tuesdays. ANYWAY.
This morning, Husbinator, Babinator, and I made our way at long at last to the Ministry of the Interior representative to apply for interim Israeli Passports. We're only leaving for the US in just over a week-and-a-half, and at last we had everything we needed to apply. (It's a short list: government ID, completed 1-page form, passport photos, cash. It took so long to assemble due to cognitive dissonance, I suppose.) So we got that done.
Afterward, I dropped El Babo at daycare and Husbinator at home, and I drove to Airport City for a semiconductor conference. Who decided that casual mixing is a good way for engineers to network? Huh? Huh? I spoke to a few people at booths, and sat at a table with other people for the presentations, and that was the extent of my networking. Oh, well. I did learn something, though: virtually all manufacturing and physical tests of semiconductor devices happen outside of Israel. Israelis design, but it is far cheaper to outsource the actual product. I already knew that, but it wasn't fun actually having someone choke off a surprised laugh when I asked her if her company did any of the physical work in Israel.
Still, it was good to feel professional again, and good to hear Indian and Asian accents again, and good to see slideshows with graphs and thermal maps and SEM images again.
It was also good to actually drive over 60mph again. I looooove highway 1. It is wide and flat and straight and has a speed limit of 70mph. (And since the speed limit is posted as 110kph, it feels even faster.) I like driving on good highways that aren't congested. Ahhhhhh.
So on Day 286, which was, I believe a Tuesday... Yes! It was a Tuesday: I remember because our local "branch" of the Ministry of the Interior is only open on Tuesdays. ANYWAY.
This morning, Husbinator, Babinator, and I made our way at long at last to the Ministry of the Interior representative to apply for interim Israeli Passports. We're only leaving for the US in just over a week-and-a-half, and at last we had everything we needed to apply. (It's a short list: government ID, completed 1-page form, passport photos, cash. It took so long to assemble due to cognitive dissonance, I suppose.) So we got that done.
Afterward, I dropped El Babo at daycare and Husbinator at home, and I drove to Airport City for a semiconductor conference. Who decided that casual mixing is a good way for engineers to network? Huh? Huh? I spoke to a few people at booths, and sat at a table with other people for the presentations, and that was the extent of my networking. Oh, well. I did learn something, though: virtually all manufacturing and physical tests of semiconductor devices happen outside of Israel. Israelis design, but it is far cheaper to outsource the actual product. I already knew that, but it wasn't fun actually having someone choke off a surprised laugh when I asked her if her company did any of the physical work in Israel.
Still, it was good to feel professional again, and good to hear Indian and Asian accents again, and good to see slideshows with graphs and thermal maps and SEM images again.
It was also good to actually drive over 60mph again. I looooove highway 1. It is wide and flat and straight and has a speed limit of 70mph. (And since the speed limit is posted as 110kph, it feels even faster.) I like driving on good highways that aren't congested. Ahhhhhh.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Day 285 (blocks)
BSM and I played with wooden blocks today. Lots of fun, lots of tall, shaky towers, lots of happy shrieks, and then suddenly lots of insisting that I'm not allowed to play with the blocks. Slow down there, happy camper. We share the blocks. Especially when your mother is an engineer.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Day 284 (party)
Tonight was the monthly ladies' get-together. I don't know what they're usually like (I was expecting dinner and a lecture), but I went, chatted, ate dinner, chatted, and... played with pottery! Seriously. The thing started around 8, and I realized at 11:30 that I really, really had to go home even though I had not yet decorated my lamp and over half of the women were still there. It was fun. I haven't played with proper clay since middle school. It still feels great. So glad I forced myself to hang out with and meet more people in this community. (Also, they're really nice, and I actually enjoy spending time with them.)
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Day 283 (Shabbos)
We have a friend from the US who lives about 20 minutes from us, and she visited us for Shabbos with her husband and 2-year-old daughter (whom I shall call Girlio). It was nice seeing her, but it was amazing watching BSM and Girlio play together. Sure, there was some parallel play that went on, but mostly they played together. They sat on the bottom step and ate crackers and stomped their feet. They looked at each other and giggled. They gave each other things they had dropped or left behind. They pointed to each other and declared, "Baby!" It was a really fun Shabbos.
Day 282 (Erev Shabbos)
I lit Shabbos candles on time this week. Not right before sunset. I lit forty minutes before sunset, as written on the calendar. How cool is that? (And we even cleaned the house!)
Friday, November 21, 2014
Day 281 (cooking)
Know this: Kniyah Chochma brand noodles make a terrible Yerushalmi kugel. I mean, really terrible. The good news is that (a) I made everything else for Shabbos except the guacamole and (b) I have all the ingredients I need to make another Yerushalmi kugel tomorrow. So all is not lost.
In other news (not sure if it's good or not), I learned that if I give BSM slices of deli and let him wander around, he will use said deli as "magical meat magnets" (in Husbinator's words) before eating it all. The boy is clever, I'll give you that. I don't think I've ever seen pieces of salami and smoked turkey just hanging out on a door before...
In other news (not sure if it's good or not), I learned that if I give BSM slices of deli and let him wander around, he will use said deli as "magical meat magnets" (in Husbinator's words) before eating it all. The boy is clever, I'll give you that. I don't think I've ever seen pieces of salami and smoked turkey just hanging out on a door before...
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Day 280 (is there anything to know?)
There is a letter circulating around Towna. It does not make me happy. It is a reaction to yesterday's shooting in Har Nof, in which one of the terrorists was an Arab who worked at the bodega next door. Therefore, says the letter, we need to be proactive and vigilant, and immediately fire all Arabs who work in Towna, replacing them with Jews (or Druzim, presumably). Barring that, the letter continues, if someone brings in Arab construction workers, for example, that person should also be obligated to hire an armed guard. I do not like this. It is the panicked reaction of a mob. It is flat-out racism. It is not economically sustainable. It is not right.
I had an hour-and-a-half conversation with my friend Mrs. Orna today, and we spent most of the time working this back and forth. She was very glad to hear I was also upset by the letter: she and her husband just signed a contract to have an Arab contractor build them a house here, and she calculates that it would cost her at least 10,000 ILS per week to hire an armed guard. She thought her financial situation was clouding her judgement, so we talked. And talked and talked and talked. About war, and responsibility, and trust, and tragedy, and honesty, and where oh where is the solution? And why can't people just be good?
I had an hour-and-a-half conversation with my friend Mrs. Orna today, and we spent most of the time working this back and forth. She was very glad to hear I was also upset by the letter: she and her husband just signed a contract to have an Arab contractor build them a house here, and she calculates that it would cost her at least 10,000 ILS per week to hire an armed guard. She thought her financial situation was clouding her judgement, so we talked. And talked and talked and talked. About war, and responsibility, and trust, and tragedy, and honesty, and where oh where is the solution? And why can't people just be good?
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Day 279 (I just don't know)
When I read about this morning's terror attack in a Jerusalem shul, I felt a lot of things. Let's skip to the middle, where I really don't want to leave. I've been suppressing the dichotomy for a while now: I want to see my family in America, and I don't want to leave Israel. This morning I could no longer ignore it. I am sad, and hurt, and angry, and I don't want to leave. I will leave, though. Because I do want to see my family, and to miss out on that makes no sense at all. But I don't want to leave Israel. Not even for two weeks. Not now.
Day 278 (pupik!)
I finally called our local Ministry of the Interior representative. She confirmed that not only can she process our too-new-for-a-passport paperwork, but we can also give her the payment (in cash). She reiterated that it's cheaper to pay online, but I don't have an Israeli credit card, so that's not really an option. I'm just glad that there's a simple way for me to pay, though I do wish I could take advantage of the cheaper option.
I also made pupik soup! I haven't had that in years and years and years, and it was delicious and tasted just like I remember. Okay, to be fair, I'm not actually sure if it was objectively delicious or not. It could be that this is the least flavorful soup I've made, and I'd have no idea: like I said, it tastes exactly like I remember Ema's pupik soup (which I know is impossible, because I didn't put in any celery), and that makes me happy. For the record, if you soak the pupiks for about an hour, change the water, soak them overnight, then rinse them really well multiple times, your soup will actually end up needing a tiny bit of salt. Well, not needing, but I added a bit of salt to my bowl
BSM enjoyed the pupiks mightily, fondly saying "ot da" [hot dog] as he munched away.
I also made pupik soup! I haven't had that in years and years and years, and it was delicious and tasted just like I remember. Okay, to be fair, I'm not actually sure if it was objectively delicious or not. It could be that this is the least flavorful soup I've made, and I'd have no idea: like I said, it tastes exactly like I remember Ema's pupik soup (which I know is impossible, because I didn't put in any celery), and that makes me happy. For the record, if you soak the pupiks for about an hour, change the water, soak them overnight, then rinse them really well multiple times, your soup will actually end up needing a tiny bit of salt. Well, not needing, but I added a bit of salt to my bowl
BSM enjoyed the pupiks mightily, fondly saying "ot da" [hot dog] as he munched away.
Day 277 (babysitting)
I babysat a neighbor's infant for a few hours this afternoon. He was no trouble: he yenched a tiny bit, then fell asleep, then yenched a tiny bit more (because he was hungry, but his mother was coming in 20 minutes, so it wasn't worth thawing his bottle), but was reasonably content as long as I jiggled him. BSM was fascinated by the baby. I got nothing done in those three and a half hours that the baby was here.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Day 276 (Shabbos)
We ate at the Gordons Friday night. I was kind of nervous about this, since we haven't really taken BSM out past his bedtime since he stopped sleeping in his stroller. Thank G-d, he was great! We didn't get home until 9:30 (two and a half hours past his bedtime), but he didn't complain at all. He sat beautifully in his high chair almost the entire time, ate well, and even played peek-a-boo with one of the other guests. It was so cool!
Moreover, even with going to bed so late (for him, anyway), BSM still slept his full 12 hour night, which meant I had 2 1/2 hours to myself when I woke up on Shabbos morning. Wow. I honestly don't remember the last time I had that much time to myself immediately upon waking up.
My parsha reading of the week left me with a question. Granted, I did no research at all on it, but then again, I'm still dancing with my question from Parshas Bereishis (which is what? a month ago now?) so one thing at a time. Does anyone know why in this week's parsha, the word נערה (lass) is consistently misspelled? (It's written without its final heh, making it look like the word "lad.") Or why the third-person narrative in the Torah refers to Rivka as a lass (נערה), but in Eliezer's retelling, he calls Rivka a maiden (אלמה)?
Moreover, even with going to bed so late (for him, anyway), BSM still slept his full 12 hour night, which meant I had 2 1/2 hours to myself when I woke up on Shabbos morning. Wow. I honestly don't remember the last time I had that much time to myself immediately upon waking up.
My parsha reading of the week left me with a question. Granted, I did no research at all on it, but then again, I'm still dancing with my question from Parshas Bereishis (which is what? a month ago now?) so one thing at a time. Does anyone know why in this week's parsha, the word נערה (lass) is consistently misspelled? (It's written without its final heh, making it look like the word "lad.") Or why the third-person narrative in the Torah refers to Rivka as a lass (נערה), but in Eliezer's retelling, he calls Rivka a maiden (אלמה)?
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Day 275 (Erev Shabbos?)
Yes, it was Erev Shabbos. But it's a darned good thing that we were only eating one meal at home, and that meal had minimal food preparation. I just wasn't in the mood to be productive, and my Shabbos wouldn't be terrible if I wasn't, so I just let stuff slide.
Day 274 (financial inanity)
Well, I have once again been confronted with the inanity of the Israeli financial system. I finally got through to my credit card company to figure out why the card doesn't work. It turns out that it's not actually a credit card, it's a prepaid card, and I haven't put any money on it yet. Not a problem, say I, I shall call the number with which you provide me and pop some of my money over there. Haha, silly me. The card can only be loaded with an Israeli credit card whose account-holder's ID number matches mine. I don't have an Israeli credit card, so this prepaid thing is not getting loaded any time soon. Growl. Though as Husbinator encouragingly pointed out, I got an answer to my question, and it was a full and complete answer. In truth, that was more than I thought I'd get, so I shouldn't be too frustrated: I succeeded! Ha.
In other stupid financial news, I finally figured out how to order checks from my bank. But they cannot be delivered to my house, only to a branch of the bank. Specifically, the checks can only be delivered to the branch of the bank in which I opened my account, which is in Beit Shean, which is an hour-and-a-half away in the best-case scenario. Ack!
In more soothing news, Mrs. Gordon gave me her "graham cracker" crust recipe, and I made it pretty successfully, so now I have that in my repertoire! Interestingly, even though Israeli stores don't carry graham crackers, they do carry graham cracker crusts. I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the price tag, but I made my assumptions and jumped straight to home-made.
***
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed tea biscuits
2 T+2 t sugar
2 T+2 t honey (I don't suggest pouring from a full jar: there's a good chance gobs of honey will spill out the other side of the rim as you gently tilt to avoid getting a huge honey glob on the first side of the rim. Not from personally experience or anything, of course. Naturally, I reasoned this out before doing anything silly, so I can't tell you from personal experience that if you pour in nearly twice as much honey as the recipe calls for, the crust will taste a little too honey-y, but will still come out okay.)
1/2 t ground cinnamon
6 T melted margarine
Mix everything together, press into one 8- or 9-inch pie plate, and bake at 375°F for 7 minutes.
In other stupid financial news, I finally figured out how to order checks from my bank. But they cannot be delivered to my house, only to a branch of the bank. Specifically, the checks can only be delivered to the branch of the bank in which I opened my account, which is in Beit Shean, which is an hour-and-a-half away in the best-case scenario. Ack!
In more soothing news, Mrs. Gordon gave me her "graham cracker" crust recipe, and I made it pretty successfully, so now I have that in my repertoire! Interestingly, even though Israeli stores don't carry graham crackers, they do carry graham cracker crusts. I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the price tag, but I made my assumptions and jumped straight to home-made.
***
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed tea biscuits
2 T+2 t sugar
2 T+2 t honey (I don't suggest pouring from a full jar: there's a good chance gobs of honey will spill out the other side of the rim as you gently tilt to avoid getting a huge honey glob on the first side of the rim. Not from personally experience or anything, of course. Naturally, I reasoned this out before doing anything silly, so I can't tell you from personal experience that if you pour in nearly twice as much honey as the recipe calls for, the crust will taste a little too honey-y, but will still come out okay.)
1/2 t ground cinnamon
6 T melted margarine
Mix everything together, press into one 8- or 9-inch pie plate, and bake at 375°F for 7 minutes.
Day 273 (Osher Ad)
The Gordons invited me to join them in their excursion to Osher Ad, a grocery store in Jerusalem that is the closest thing to Costo that Israel has. It's not Costco, but they do carry larger packages than are typically sold, so I see why people say that. Osher Ad also carries some Kirkland products, so again, easy to see why it's closer to Costco than your local mini-mart. Nice as the store is, I shall not be swayed from my Rami Levy loyalty. (A), I love our Rami Levy and no uppity Osher Ad can come between us and (b), it takes almost no gas (or time) to get to Rami Levy, and the same cannot be said of Osher Ad. It was nice to visit another grocery store, though!
We made homemade pizza with the dough I prepared last night (Serious Eats' New York Pizza Dough). The dough was ridiculously easy to work with, and it was delicious. It was also reasonably easy to make, though it does require forethought: the dough needs to rise in the fridge for at least 24 hours before using. The other cool thing about the pizza dough is that they also list the recipe as baker's percentages. This is the first I've heard of baker's percentages, and I am a fan.
Here's the ingredient list the easy way:
All-purpose or bread flour: 100%
Sugar: 2%
Salt: 1.5%
Instant yeast: 1.5 %
Olive oil: 5%
Water: 67%
I foolishly used 1.275kg of flour (allowing me to double the recipe as it was listed with the instructions), but next time I'll just use 1kg (1000g). Then it's an easy 20g sugar, 15g salt, 15g yeast, 50g oil, and 670g water. Boom! Scaling a recipe up and down has never been easier.
In preparation for Shabbos and to use up the bag of frozen bananas we have in the freezer (and to get good use out of the Bosch as long as it was sitting on the kitchen counter), I made banana custard. I'm quite proud of how it turned out since I made up the recipe as I went along. For the record, it's one small carton of whipped topping, three or four bananas, lots of junky vanilla pudding (I have a dream that one day, Israeli pudding manufacturers will suddenly decide that their customers actually want their pudding to gel), some amaretto that turned out to taste gross, a tiny bit of almond extract, and some dried coconut. Boom!
We made homemade pizza with the dough I prepared last night (Serious Eats' New York Pizza Dough). The dough was ridiculously easy to work with, and it was delicious. It was also reasonably easy to make, though it does require forethought: the dough needs to rise in the fridge for at least 24 hours before using. The other cool thing about the pizza dough is that they also list the recipe as baker's percentages. This is the first I've heard of baker's percentages, and I am a fan.
Here's the ingredient list the easy way:
All-purpose or bread flour: 100%
Sugar: 2%
Salt: 1.5%
Instant yeast: 1.5 %
Olive oil: 5%
Water: 67%
I foolishly used 1.275kg of flour (allowing me to double the recipe as it was listed with the instructions), but next time I'll just use 1kg (1000g). Then it's an easy 20g sugar, 15g salt, 15g yeast, 50g oil, and 670g water. Boom! Scaling a recipe up and down has never been easier.
In preparation for Shabbos and to use up the bag of frozen bananas we have in the freezer (and to get good use out of the Bosch as long as it was sitting on the kitchen counter), I made banana custard. I'm quite proud of how it turned out since I made up the recipe as I went along. For the record, it's one small carton of whipped topping, three or four bananas, lots of junky vanilla pudding (I have a dream that one day, Israeli pudding manufacturers will suddenly decide that their customers actually want their pudding to gel), some amaretto that turned out to taste gross, a tiny bit of almond extract, and some dried coconut. Boom!
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Day 272 (back again)
Tonight, the girl for whom I wrote a story knocked on my door with the finished product and a thank-you note. How cool is that? (The book is really cute: maybe two inches on a side, with holes punched in the side and bound by ribbon. Fully illustrated: and my copy was hand-colored!)
Monday, November 10, 2014
Day 271 (yes chores)
I put up the last two rolls of bamboo between our house and the shul. Now I can stretch out in our hammock without feeling like I'm laying down in the shul's driveway. Excellent. I also did about a zillion dishes.
My Israeli credit card company did not call it back. (Surprise! I called them yesterday to ask why the card wouldn't work, and no matter which sequence of buttons I pushed, I ended up being instructed to leave my telephone number, and they'd get back to me within one business day. Since my hopes were not high, they were not crushed. I am annoyed, though.)
This evening, Mrs. Gordon (did I give her a pen name yet? She's my age or a drop younger: calling her Mrs. Gordon is really ridiculous) drove with me to a used book sale in Maale Adumim, which is half an hour away. I'm really glad she came, both because we had a nice chat in the car, and because I hate driving to new places by myself.
It was lovely, was the book sale. I got a new (for me) book by Rosemary Wells, I replaced our first edition Shmiras Shabbos that got lost in the mail as we were making aliyah, I got a collection of Jame Herriot stories that I've never heard of, and much much more! OK, only 9 other books, for a total of an even dozen. Everything was 1 ILS. There were signs reminding people of this, and that the proceeds were going to charity, so we shouldn't think to hard: just buy it! Dangerous, dangerous attitude. And now that I don't have the prospect of dragging all of my books halfway around the world, there's not much deterring me from Buying All of the Books. Oh, dear.
My Israeli credit card company did not call it back. (Surprise! I called them yesterday to ask why the card wouldn't work, and no matter which sequence of buttons I pushed, I ended up being instructed to leave my telephone number, and they'd get back to me within one business day. Since my hopes were not high, they were not crushed. I am annoyed, though.)
This evening, Mrs. Gordon (did I give her a pen name yet? She's my age or a drop younger: calling her Mrs. Gordon is really ridiculous) drove with me to a used book sale in Maale Adumim, which is half an hour away. I'm really glad she came, both because we had a nice chat in the car, and because I hate driving to new places by myself.
It was lovely, was the book sale. I got a new (for me) book by Rosemary Wells, I replaced our first edition Shmiras Shabbos that got lost in the mail as we were making aliyah, I got a collection of Jame Herriot stories that I've never heard of, and much much more! OK, only 9 other books, for a total of an even dozen. Everything was 1 ILS. There were signs reminding people of this, and that the proceeds were going to charity, so we shouldn't think to hard: just buy it! Dangerous, dangerous attitude. And now that I don't have the prospect of dragging all of my books halfway around the world, there's not much deterring me from Buying All of the Books. Oh, dear.
Day 270 (no chores)
I mean, there was plenty of housework that had to be done, but other than doing two loads of laundry, I did none of it. Ha!
Day 269 (Shabbos)
The Gordon's joined us for dinner on Friday night, and we played a game afterwards. It's fun, this weekly playing of board games. I like it.
On Shabbos morning, BSM was tired out of his mind, but he refused to let me put him down for a nap, so we compromised by me letting him sleep on me while I dozed in the rocking chair. For almost two hours. If he weren't feeling unwell, you can bet your sweet patooties I wouldn't have stood for such silliness.
On Shabbos morning, BSM was tired out of his mind, but he refused to let me put him down for a nap, so we compromised by me letting him sleep on me while I dozed in the rocking chair. For almost two hours. If he weren't feeling unwell, you can bet your sweet patooties I wouldn't have stood for such silliness.
Day 268 (Erev Shabbos)
It was crazy. I'm writing this on Monday, so I don't remember details, but I do know that next time I really will bathe BSM on Thursday night. Really really. Not that the bath took up so much time, even, but it's the principle of the matter: I Must Not Leave Everything for Friday.
Day 267 (In Which I Write a Story, With Some Help)
In useful news, I did two loads of laundry, went shopping, and baked brownies for Husbinator's birthday kiddush, and looked up how to cook marlin. (Last time I cooked marlin, I just threw it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It came out roughly the consistency of chewing gum. It tasted fine, but I had to shred it to make it edible.)
In "things I like about Israel" news, I yelled at some other people's kids in the park today. I did not ask them sternly where their mothers/fathers/nannies were. I just told them in no uncertain terms that they had to stop walloping each other. (In deference to my stern adult lecture, they ran to where I couldn't see them before [presumably] resuming their walloping. I win!)
In actual interesting news, one of the girls from across the street knocked on my door today to ask for help. She had to memorize a five-minute story in Englihs for class, you see, and she wanted to know if I maybe had something for her. The challenge was a fun one, but I didn't win: the girl is just old enough not to want to stand in front of her class and recite a picture book, but the words in Little House on the Prairie were too hard.
In the end, I wrote a (very) short story for the girl, with her input. I was going to have a nice long ramble about how this experience was so different than it would have been with an American middle/high-schooler, but on second thought, I'm not willing to draw passionate conclusions from one anecdote. So there.
(Now that you're curious, I'll tell you that she wanted the story to be very, very realistic: let the wind blow away the jump rope rather than have the cat steal it; if the wind is as strong as I'm describing it, perhaps the girls just shouldn't find the jump rope at all; don't have the jump rope blow all the way to her grandmother's house. I made the requested changes for her first comment, refused to write a sad story when she made her second comment [this blew her mind: as a child who was certainly read An Incident of Five Balloons as a baby, she knows that no matter how much you love your toys, the way of the world is that they will eventually leave you], and told her that if chasing the jump rope all the way to the grandmother's sounds too implausible, well, keep in mind that I never specify how far away the grandmother lives.)
Very interesting. Very tempting to draw passionate conclusions from this one incident. Now I'm hoping that more girls stop by and ask me to write stories for them.
In "things I like about Israel" news, I yelled at some other people's kids in the park today. I did not ask them sternly where their mothers/fathers/nannies were. I just told them in no uncertain terms that they had to stop walloping each other. (In deference to my stern adult lecture, they ran to where I couldn't see them before [presumably] resuming their walloping. I win!)
In actual interesting news, one of the girls from across the street knocked on my door today to ask for help. She had to memorize a five-minute story in Englihs for class, you see, and she wanted to know if I maybe had something for her. The challenge was a fun one, but I didn't win: the girl is just old enough not to want to stand in front of her class and recite a picture book, but the words in Little House on the Prairie were too hard.
In the end, I wrote a (very) short story for the girl, with her input. I was going to have a nice long ramble about how this experience was so different than it would have been with an American middle/high-schooler, but on second thought, I'm not willing to draw passionate conclusions from one anecdote. So there.
(Now that you're curious, I'll tell you that she wanted the story to be very, very realistic: let the wind blow away the jump rope rather than have the cat steal it; if the wind is as strong as I'm describing it, perhaps the girls just shouldn't find the jump rope at all; don't have the jump rope blow all the way to her grandmother's house. I made the requested changes for her first comment, refused to write a sad story when she made her second comment [this blew her mind: as a child who was certainly read An Incident of Five Balloons as a baby, she knows that no matter how much you love your toys, the way of the world is that they will eventually leave you], and told her that if chasing the jump rope all the way to the grandmother's sounds too implausible, well, keep in mind that I never specify how far away the grandmother lives.)
Very interesting. Very tempting to draw passionate conclusions from this one incident. Now I'm hoping that more girls stop by and ask me to write stories for them.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Day 266 (sick)
Poor me. I can tell you, though, with the benefit of writing this on Thursday instead of Wednesday, that after napping all morning and then going to bed for the night at 7:30, I feel much better.
It's a shame that I was sick all day Wednesday, though, because it was Husbinator's Hebrew birthday, and we had planned to eat out in its honor. Luckily, I baked and frosted his cake the day before, so at least there was birthday cake. With the appropriate number of candles. So, ha! Take that, illness!
It's a shame that I was sick all day Wednesday, though, because it was Husbinator's Hebrew birthday, and we had planned to eat out in its honor. Luckily, I baked and frosted his cake the day before, so at least there was birthday cake. With the appropriate number of candles. So, ha! Take that, illness!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Day 265 (procrastinating)
I'm not sure what I was procrastinating from, or what I did to procrastinate. What I do know is that other than baking and frosting a cake for Husbinator's Hebrew birthday, I didn't get anything done today.
Wait, that's not true! As part of my procrastination, I ordered a wall plaque of a great picture that I have been coveting since The Caped Avenger took it ages ago. Look at all of the great lines in that picture! (I sweetly compressed the photo before uploading it. If you want the full-sized image, be in touch with said Caped Avenger. And as his shameless sister, I suggest that you offer my little brother some money for a copy of his art. Being a shameless sister, I didn't pay him for it, but that's no reason someone shouldn't reward him financially for this awesome shot. Do you see how each crack in the rock is parallel to a line of the giraffe? Wow, I guilted myself into it. Now I need to give some money to The Caped Avenger, in addition to throwing the filthy lucre at Snapfish. Darn my convincing rhetoric.)
Wait, that's not true! As part of my procrastination, I ordered a wall plaque of a great picture that I have been coveting since The Caped Avenger took it ages ago. Look at all of the great lines in that picture! (I sweetly compressed the photo before uploading it. If you want the full-sized image, be in touch with said Caped Avenger. And as his shameless sister, I suggest that you offer my little brother some money for a copy of his art. Being a shameless sister, I didn't pay him for it, but that's no reason someone shouldn't reward him financially for this awesome shot. Do you see how each crack in the rock is parallel to a line of the giraffe? Wow, I guilted myself into it. Now I need to give some money to The Caped Avenger, in addition to throwing the filthy lucre at Snapfish. Darn my convincing rhetoric.)
Day 264 (approaching heat)
Today, as with all responsible days, I washed many dishes. I miss my dishwasher.
Unlike other responsible days thus far, I learned how to deposit a check today. Surprisingly, it's pretty much exactly the same method as used to deposit checks in the US: find an ATM at your bank that says it accepts checks, sign the back, insert ATM card, PIN, then check. Enter amount if so prompted. Get receipt. Nothing new, here, folks, move along. I thought it would be more complicated, somehow.
Because Winter is Coming, I assembled the oil heater for BSM's room and dug out the wood-burning stove in our living room. I also spent a long time with BSM, both of us shaking our fingers and saying, "No, no, no," to both the wood stove and radiator. Please G-d, he really understands. Oy, this is scary. Even with these precautions, I only plan on running the radiator when he's in his crib and can't reach it, and Husbinator and I want to put up some sort of gate in front of the stove. Or we could only light it after BSM is in bed. Anyway, we need to split kindling before the wood-burning stove comes into play.
Speaking of heaters, I'm considering replacing/asking the Landpeople to replace the space heater above the bathroom door: the current one only has one working heating element out of three total elements. Even with the not-quite-warm room, BSM loooooved his bath. He didn't even cry for hair-rinsing.
Unlike other responsible days thus far, I learned how to deposit a check today. Surprisingly, it's pretty much exactly the same method as used to deposit checks in the US: find an ATM at your bank that says it accepts checks, sign the back, insert ATM card, PIN, then check. Enter amount if so prompted. Get receipt. Nothing new, here, folks, move along. I thought it would be more complicated, somehow.
Because Winter is Coming, I assembled the oil heater for BSM's room and dug out the wood-burning stove in our living room. I also spent a long time with BSM, both of us shaking our fingers and saying, "No, no, no," to both the wood stove and radiator. Please G-d, he really understands. Oy, this is scary. Even with these precautions, I only plan on running the radiator when he's in his crib and can't reach it, and Husbinator and I want to put up some sort of gate in front of the stove. Or we could only light it after BSM is in bed. Anyway, we need to split kindling before the wood-burning stove comes into play.
Speaking of heaters, I'm considering replacing/asking the Landpeople to replace the space heater above the bathroom door: the current one only has one working heating element out of three total elements. Even with the not-quite-warm room, BSM loooooved his bath. He didn't even cry for hair-rinsing.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Day 263 (freestyle crib)
After another dish-washing marathon, I built the crib that we got in America (for free). Not seeing any instructions in the slim folder of paperwork we got with the crib, I jumped in and just snapped the thing together. As I reached for the last piece (the board on which the mattress rests), I saw a nice large diagram showing how to assemble the crib. Ah. I looked it over and saw that I had installed two of the supports upside-down, so I popped them out, flipped them, and popped them back in. It was frighteningly easy, assembling this crib, but it seems perfectly sturdy, so I think we'll switch to it. (Not only is it a little prettier than our rehabilitated dumpster-rescue, the American crib is also made to convert to a toddler bed if you pop off one of the sides.)
Day 262 (Shabbos)
There was beautiful, beautiful rain all Shabbos. Yay! Since Shabbos came in at 4:15 (!!!), BSM joined us for kiddush, hamotzi, and soup before we trundled him off to bed. After dinner, the Gordons came to play with us again. Have I mentioned how much I like having friends?
Our sleepover guests joined us for lunch, along with their RA. We had told the Shabbaton organizers that we could have up to 14 people or so, but I would have liked a heads-up even for the one extra so as to have a place set for her when she showed up. It wasn't a big deal though, especially since after shul, we invited a woman and her kids for lunch, so there were extra places to set, anyway.
Our neighbor is trying to re-start a women's class on Shabbos afternoon, which makes me happy, because I like having a Torah class to go to. The other great thing is that one of the women at shul remembered that I asked her about this class weeks ago, so she came over and told me about it when she saw me. Again, yay friends (or potential friends, in this case).
Our sleepover guests joined us for lunch, along with their RA. We had told the Shabbaton organizers that we could have up to 14 people or so, but I would have liked a heads-up even for the one extra so as to have a place set for her when she showed up. It wasn't a big deal though, especially since after shul, we invited a woman and her kids for lunch, so there were extra places to set, anyway.
Our neighbor is trying to re-start a women's class on Shabbos afternoon, which makes me happy, because I like having a Torah class to go to. The other great thing is that one of the women at shul remembered that I asked her about this class weeks ago, so she came over and told me about it when she saw me. Again, yay friends (or potential friends, in this case).
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Day 261 (Erev Shabbos)
Well, I fully excavated the guest room and Husbinator's office! We'd been stashing pillows in the guest room, and as I started to think about making the beds, I realized I don't actually know how many spare pillows we have. Thankfully, the answer is nine. Which is a lot. But that's good: it meant each of our guests got one decent pillow and one terrible pillow. Perfect!
I need a mindshift about our floors. If I'm going to wash them, it has to be while BSM is in daycare, which is in the morning. The problem is that then I spend the rest of the day obsessivly sweeping my once-clean floors. I don't see a choice in the washing-time, but I need to let it go after that, and just do one final sweep before Shabbos. I waste way too much time maintaining the morning's clean right now.
I need a mindshift about our floors. If I'm going to wash them, it has to be while BSM is in daycare, which is in the morning. The problem is that then I spend the rest of the day obsessivly sweeping my once-clean floors. I don't see a choice in the washing-time, but I need to let it go after that, and just do one final sweep before Shabbos. I waste way too much time maintaining the morning's clean right now.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Day 260 (busybusybusy)
Remember when I got the best parking spot at Rami Levy and was the first customer in the store at 7:45 am? That's because technically, Rami Levy only opens at 7:30 on Erev Shabbos/Erev Yontiff. Otherwise, it opens at 8. Whoops. So today I arrived at 7:58, and I got the second-best parking spot in the lot. Not quite as awesome as showing up before they open, but following rules is something I occasionally endorse.
One of the funnier side effects of living in a reasonably Charedi neighborhood is that about 90% of my Hebrew is spoken with women. That means that when I have an unexpected conversation with a man, (as when I passed the man whose family we invited for this Friday night and I stopped to ask him if they were coming), I won't necessarily address him using the masculine conjugations. Whoops. Guess I need to talk to more guys :P
I did a good job cooking today (apple pie, stuffed zucchini, noodle fish salad, soup), even with BSM's not napping. I do not like this pattern!!!
What I do like is that for the second time in a row, BSM was happy in the bath. I have no idea what changed between last week and this week, but tonight, rather than saying "all done" before he even hit the water, BSM didn't want to leave the tub. This is an improvement! I'd much rather fight about BSM getting out of the tub than him getting (and staying) in it.
One of the funnier side effects of living in a reasonably Charedi neighborhood is that about 90% of my Hebrew is spoken with women. That means that when I have an unexpected conversation with a man, (as when I passed the man whose family we invited for this Friday night and I stopped to ask him if they were coming), I won't necessarily address him using the masculine conjugations. Whoops. Guess I need to talk to more guys :P
I did a good job cooking today (apple pie, stuffed zucchini, noodle fish salad, soup), even with BSM's not napping. I do not like this pattern!!!
What I do like is that for the second time in a row, BSM was happy in the bath. I have no idea what changed between last week and this week, but tonight, rather than saying "all done" before he even hit the water, BSM didn't want to leave the tub. This is an improvement! I'd much rather fight about BSM getting out of the tub than him getting (and staying) in it.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Day 259 (sunlight and olives)
I came downstairs this morning, and sunlight was streaming into the living room! I'm so glad we no longer have the high-riser mattresses blocking one of the sliding doors.
Our dryer was delivered today, which is cool, but it didn't come with a duct, so we'll have to get one before we can use it. Sooooo muuuuuch waaaaiiiitiiiiing.
Around the dryer getting delivered, we built the high-riser. We are now significantly closer to being prepared to have four sleepover guests this Shabbos. Good, good.
Not having mentioned the clocks changing, yet, I'll bring it up now. With the sun setting an hour earlier, it feels like forever from when BSM wakes up from his nap until his bedtime. Just sayin'.
Tonight, I finally pickled the olives that I've had soaking for a little over a week. I followed the directions for about 85% of the olives, but then it struck me that I don't generally like pickled stuff that's vinegar-y. So I did about 5 minutes of internet research, and realized that I'd better start over now. So I dumped out the brine from my zillions of jars and containers, and replaced it with plain saltwater and some olive oil on top. Now over half of the top shelf of my fridge is housing olives. They'll be ready to eat within 4 days to 2 months, depending on which internet source is to be believed. Huh boy. Though the humans I spoke with said a week to cure and week to pickle, so maybe I'll just believe them.
Our dryer was delivered today, which is cool, but it didn't come with a duct, so we'll have to get one before we can use it. Sooooo muuuuuch waaaaiiiitiiiiing.
Around the dryer getting delivered, we built the high-riser. We are now significantly closer to being prepared to have four sleepover guests this Shabbos. Good, good.
Not having mentioned the clocks changing, yet, I'll bring it up now. With the sun setting an hour earlier, it feels like forever from when BSM wakes up from his nap until his bedtime. Just sayin'.
Tonight, I finally pickled the olives that I've had soaking for a little over a week. I followed the directions for about 85% of the olives, but then it struck me that I don't generally like pickled stuff that's vinegar-y. So I did about 5 minutes of internet research, and realized that I'd better start over now. So I dumped out the brine from my zillions of jars and containers, and replaced it with plain saltwater and some olive oil on top. Now over half of the top shelf of my fridge is housing olives. They'll be ready to eat within 4 days to 2 months, depending on which internet source is to be believed. Huh boy. Though the humans I spoke with said a week to cure and week to pickle, so maybe I'll just believe them.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Day 258 (that sort of a day)
I saw the ice cream lady again today, but she said we only get ice cream if we see each other three times in one day. "Eating ice cream in the morning?" she exclaimed, "That would be crazy talk!" Too bad.
We cleared out a chunk of Husbinator's office today. That's really the last room that's still an absolute wreck, so this is good progress.
BSM did nap, but when he woke up, he needed all sorts of attention. Rather than hang out with him at home, hoping to get more stuff done, I threw in the towel and took him to the park. He had a nice enough time, but after about half an hour, he was done. I wasn't: this boy was no more capable of independent play than he had been when he started, and I generally dislike being inside with him when he's like that.
So we went for a walk. I enjoyed the view, and BSM enjoyed the various dogs, cats, electricity meters, and people he saw on the way. He also enjoyed shoving me away when I tried to hold his hand on the railing-less steps. I can no longer deny that toddlerhood is fast supplanting babyhood. After all, BSM is nearly 16 months, and that's closer to a year-and-a-half than a year...
Right before I put BSM to bed, I hung up the laundry that I threw in the washer this morning. It was that sort of a day. After I put him to bed, I did about a zillion dishes and made challah dough.
At that point, I felt no guilt about taking two solid hours to read The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss's latest published work. I loved it. It doesn't follow the typical arc of a book, but I'm certain I've read more than one short story in that style. And at 170 pages and a very fresh point of view, it worked. Oh, wow, does it work. The Slow Regard of Silent Things has the added benefit of making me a better person: getting caught up in the Auri's worldview makes helping out the natural thing to do: even at the expense of reading the book.
(Husbinator asked me to help him move the high-riser pieces into his office, and the cabinet pieces behind the couch. I didn't think twice, but Auri-like, floated up to do what ought to be done. Weird.)
We cleared out a chunk of Husbinator's office today. That's really the last room that's still an absolute wreck, so this is good progress.
BSM did nap, but when he woke up, he needed all sorts of attention. Rather than hang out with him at home, hoping to get more stuff done, I threw in the towel and took him to the park. He had a nice enough time, but after about half an hour, he was done. I wasn't: this boy was no more capable of independent play than he had been when he started, and I generally dislike being inside with him when he's like that.
So we went for a walk. I enjoyed the view, and BSM enjoyed the various dogs, cats, electricity meters, and people he saw on the way. He also enjoyed shoving me away when I tried to hold his hand on the railing-less steps. I can no longer deny that toddlerhood is fast supplanting babyhood. After all, BSM is nearly 16 months, and that's closer to a year-and-a-half than a year...
Right before I put BSM to bed, I hung up the laundry that I threw in the washer this morning. It was that sort of a day. After I put him to bed, I did about a zillion dishes and made challah dough.
At that point, I felt no guilt about taking two solid hours to read The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss's latest published work. I loved it. It doesn't follow the typical arc of a book, but I'm certain I've read more than one short story in that style. And at 170 pages and a very fresh point of view, it worked. Oh, wow, does it work. The Slow Regard of Silent Things has the added benefit of making me a better person: getting caught up in the Auri's worldview makes helping out the natural thing to do: even at the expense of reading the book.
(Husbinator asked me to help him move the high-riser pieces into his office, and the cabinet pieces behind the couch. I didn't think twice, but Auri-like, floated up to do what ought to be done. Weird.)
Day 257 (of this and that)
Stupid changing clock business. I woke up at 6am. BSM, bless his little soul, didn't make noise till 6:10. When will this end? I know, it's only been 2 days, but lo, I despair.
On the bright side, since we were both awake so early, I dropped him off at daycare at 7:30 and was shopping at Rami Levy by 7:45. That's the way to do it, yo. Show up 15 minutes after opening, get a great parking spot, be the first customer in the store, don't have to push other people's carts out of your way (or have your cart shoved along), no-wait checkout... Ahhhhh. The one tricky part was since I parked in the best row, I had to actually think about the traffic pattern for getting to the exit: I've never parked so close to the store before.
Remember my obsession with chocolate leben? The kibbutz would have it every so often, and I would exult. I still haven't found it in the store, yet, but I found vanilla leben this morning. I was pretty excited, but it just tastes like vanilla yogurt that's been frozen and defrosted once. Nothing like the thick, rich, sour goodness of the kibbutz's chocolate leben.
To make up for the disappointment, I made pancakes, which I've been craving for a few months, now. However, those, too, failed to be as wondrous as I had hoped. I used the wrong sort of pan, the wrong level of heat, the wrong spatula, not enough oil... The last 4 pancakes came out great, but the first dozen were bummer-ish.
I did fill out the insurance claim for our lift, though! Any claim must be filed within 30 days, and today's only #29. We haven't opened everything yet, but the time has come. (The things that broke aren't a big deal, but as long as we paid to insure them, we might as well collect.)
This afternoon, BSM did grace us with a nap. Thank you, sweetie. While that happened, I made a sixtupled batch of Yerushalmi kugel. That's not something I plan to do again: it takes two colanders and two or three extra bowls, so it doesn't save on dishes. And a bunch of kugel flaked away while I was cutting it, so instead of two batches of kugel for kiddush, I have one big batch of kiddish kugel, a box of shredded bits that will be lovely in soup, and a container of tiny pieces of kugel for our next Yerushalmi Kugel Cocktail Party.
On the bright side, since we were both awake so early, I dropped him off at daycare at 7:30 and was shopping at Rami Levy by 7:45. That's the way to do it, yo. Show up 15 minutes after opening, get a great parking spot, be the first customer in the store, don't have to push other people's carts out of your way (or have your cart shoved along), no-wait checkout... Ahhhhh. The one tricky part was since I parked in the best row, I had to actually think about the traffic pattern for getting to the exit: I've never parked so close to the store before.
Remember my obsession with chocolate leben? The kibbutz would have it every so often, and I would exult. I still haven't found it in the store, yet, but I found vanilla leben this morning. I was pretty excited, but it just tastes like vanilla yogurt that's been frozen and defrosted once. Nothing like the thick, rich, sour goodness of the kibbutz's chocolate leben.
To make up for the disappointment, I made pancakes, which I've been craving for a few months, now. However, those, too, failed to be as wondrous as I had hoped. I used the wrong sort of pan, the wrong level of heat, the wrong spatula, not enough oil... The last 4 pancakes came out great, but the first dozen were bummer-ish.
I did fill out the insurance claim for our lift, though! Any claim must be filed within 30 days, and today's only #29. We haven't opened everything yet, but the time has come. (The things that broke aren't a big deal, but as long as we paid to insure them, we might as well collect.)
This afternoon, BSM did grace us with a nap. Thank you, sweetie. While that happened, I made a sixtupled batch of Yerushalmi kugel. That's not something I plan to do again: it takes two colanders and two or three extra bowls, so it doesn't save on dishes. And a bunch of kugel flaked away while I was cutting it, so instead of two batches of kugel for kiddush, I have one big batch of kiddish kugel, a box of shredded bits that will be lovely in soup, and a container of tiny pieces of kugel for our next Yerushalmi Kugel Cocktail Party.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Day 256 (the clocks have changed)
Wonderful, so the clocks changed. Did BSM's sleep schedule magically shift by an hour? No, of course not. Why would we change the clocks? What mother voted for that one? Whatever.
Walking to drop BSM off at daycare, I passed many people, and wished them all a good morning. On my way back home, after dropping BSM off at daycare, I passed one of the women again. I gave her a big smile (she had been exceptionally friendly the first time I saw her today), and as I was about to wish her a good morning again, she said, "The third time, we get ice cream. Get ready!" I think that's great. Is it an Israeli idiom? That woman's original ad lib? I don't know.
Husbinator (with a tiny bit of help from me) took apart the huge cabinet that the Landpeople left in our saferoom/home office. The cabinet is your standard Israeli cabinet: impressive looking, but super-junky particle board. With that disassembled, we'll be able to take the pieces of the high-riser (a.k.a. daybed) from behind the couch in the living room, and assemble it in Husbinator's office, giving ourselves a secondary guest room.
BSM refused to nap again today, which is very not cool. What is cool is that he danced in circles and laughed and laughed. That was before he got helplessly exhausted and his cruel mother wouldn't let him go to bed until 6:30, which felt like 7:30 to the poor kid. Durned clocks changing.
Walking to drop BSM off at daycare, I passed many people, and wished them all a good morning. On my way back home, after dropping BSM off at daycare, I passed one of the women again. I gave her a big smile (she had been exceptionally friendly the first time I saw her today), and as I was about to wish her a good morning again, she said, "The third time, we get ice cream. Get ready!" I think that's great. Is it an Israeli idiom? That woman's original ad lib? I don't know.
Husbinator (with a tiny bit of help from me) took apart the huge cabinet that the Landpeople left in our saferoom/home office. The cabinet is your standard Israeli cabinet: impressive looking, but super-junky particle board. With that disassembled, we'll be able to take the pieces of the high-riser (a.k.a. daybed) from behind the couch in the living room, and assemble it in Husbinator's office, giving ourselves a secondary guest room.
BSM refused to nap again today, which is very not cool. What is cool is that he danced in circles and laughed and laughed. That was before he got helplessly exhausted and his cruel mother wouldn't let him go to bed until 6:30, which felt like 7:30 to the poor kid. Durned clocks changing.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Day 255 (Shabbos)
We had another Israeli family over for Friday night dinner this week: Aharon and Adi came with their children, Esther and Avishai. Esther is about three months older than BSM and gets into the same hijinks as he does. She goes straight for the regular books (rather than the board books), she insists that all animals bark (except for the dog, of course, which said meow), she kept insisting she wanted water from a lidless cup, etc. etc. It was a real pleasure seeing that we're not alone.
I also like the parents, so it's a real shame that they have one foot out the door. We talked about the Yishuv, and the fact that so many people from the community have left, and that more are leaving (including them: boo), and that with neither rabbi nor school the outlook for the community isn't good. Aharon pointed out what we all know: the community desperately needs someone to step up and take charge. He added, however, that the community members with the most "get up and go" have already gotten up and gone, leaving behind those who are content to sit back and see where things take them. Uh-oh.
We ate lunch at the Gordons' house, and it was moste enjoyablee. I think this is the first time since we've made aliyah that we've been guests of people our own age. It's nice. We brought dessert, and due to reading too many status updates on Facebook, I brought a Ma(r)ble cake. With blue icing and rainbow sprinkles. Ha ha, right? The best part is that Nechama Gordon made some cookies, herself--and she used the same rainbow sprinkles I did, also due to over-reading of Facebook. Good times.
Darn it, this community better not fall apart. I like it here!
I also like the parents, so it's a real shame that they have one foot out the door. We talked about the Yishuv, and the fact that so many people from the community have left, and that more are leaving (including them: boo), and that with neither rabbi nor school the outlook for the community isn't good. Aharon pointed out what we all know: the community desperately needs someone to step up and take charge. He added, however, that the community members with the most "get up and go" have already gotten up and gone, leaving behind those who are content to sit back and see where things take them. Uh-oh.
We ate lunch at the Gordons' house, and it was moste enjoyablee. I think this is the first time since we've made aliyah that we've been guests of people our own age. It's nice. We brought dessert, and due to reading too many status updates on Facebook, I brought a Ma(r)ble cake. With blue icing and rainbow sprinkles. Ha ha, right? The best part is that Nechama Gordon made some cookies, herself--and she used the same rainbow sprinkles I did, also due to over-reading of Facebook. Good times.
Darn it, this community better not fall apart. I like it here!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Day 254 (clean at last!)
No, we're not done unpacking. But we've gotten enough stuff put away that I finally managed to properly sweep downstairs--and wash the floors. Clean at last, clean at last. Thank G-d Almighty, they're clean at last. Just thinking about it makes my breath come deep and slow.
And because it's Erev Shabbos, I also undertook a necessary but non-urgent project. In this case, I used steel wool to remove the rust from our cast iron dutch oven (which rusted between packing and unpacking) and reseasoned it and our cast iron wok, which was also looking dangerously grayish.) Now they are both beautifully shiny and black. Good times!
Also due to it being Erev Shabbos, I forced BSM to break his napless streak. He cried and cried and rather than waiting it out until it was too late, I went up and held him until he fell asleep. Ha! I win!
And because it's Erev Shabbos, I also undertook a necessary but non-urgent project. In this case, I used steel wool to remove the rust from our cast iron dutch oven (which rusted between packing and unpacking) and reseasoned it and our cast iron wok, which was also looking dangerously grayish.) Now they are both beautifully shiny and black. Good times!
Also due to it being Erev Shabbos, I forced BSM to break his napless streak. He cried and cried and rather than waiting it out until it was too late, I went up and held him until he fell asleep. Ha! I win!
Day 253 (Erev Erev Shabbos)
Well, today I learned that when making Yerushalmi kugel it is crucial to stir the caramel very quickly as soon as it hits the noodles. Otherwise it clumps. And then the kugel is not yummy. Clearly I learned this the hard way. So I picked out the hardened sugar clumps, and turned the noodles into a salt and pepper kugel. It was a bit sweeter than I'd like, but it came out just fine.
I walked to the makolet while that kugel was cooking (Husbinator was in Romema, getting super-kosher meat from a grocery store called Sha'are Revachim) and bought more kugel noodles. My friends, the makolet is soooo much more expensive than Rami Levy. But yeah, I was willing to shell out the extra money in order to be able to restart the kugel immediately, so there it is.
While playing with the No-Nap Wonder in the front yard this afternoon, I noticed that we have grass poking up from under the straw! (Like very many [most?] Israeli yards, ours does not have cultivated grass, which requires tons of water. Rather than laying down astro-turf, our landpeople have straw on top of the dirt. When we buy a house one day, I'd like to look into moss. I've read about using moss as a water-saving alternative to grass somewhere...)
I'd forgotten that aspect of living in Midbar Yehuda. That's often translated as the Judean Desert, but the Judean Wilderness would be more accurate. I know that the stony hills turn green after the rain, but I never quite expected to see that happen in my own yard. So cool!
I finally started a jar of vanilla extract: the imitation stuff here is pathetic. I also cleared two box towers, did lots of dishes, and some laundry. That and the cooking made today quite the successful Erev Erev Shabbos.
It's really convenient that BSM can talk a little: he woke up crying, and when I went in, he said, "Mayim-mayim-mayim-mayim-mayim," so I gave him his sippy cup and he drank for a full minute and went peacefully back into his crib. Problem solved. (Without his usefully telling me what he wanted, it would have taken me quite some time to deduce that since he ate something called salt and pepper kugel for dinner, he was probably thirstier than usual.)
I walked to the makolet while that kugel was cooking (Husbinator was in Romema, getting super-kosher meat from a grocery store called Sha'are Revachim) and bought more kugel noodles. My friends, the makolet is soooo much more expensive than Rami Levy. But yeah, I was willing to shell out the extra money in order to be able to restart the kugel immediately, so there it is.
While playing with the No-Nap Wonder in the front yard this afternoon, I noticed that we have grass poking up from under the straw! (Like very many [most?] Israeli yards, ours does not have cultivated grass, which requires tons of water. Rather than laying down astro-turf, our landpeople have straw on top of the dirt. When we buy a house one day, I'd like to look into moss. I've read about using moss as a water-saving alternative to grass somewhere...)
I'd forgotten that aspect of living in Midbar Yehuda. That's often translated as the Judean Desert, but the Judean Wilderness would be more accurate. I know that the stony hills turn green after the rain, but I never quite expected to see that happen in my own yard. So cool!
I finally started a jar of vanilla extract: the imitation stuff here is pathetic. I also cleared two box towers, did lots of dishes, and some laundry. That and the cooking made today quite the successful Erev Erev Shabbos.
It's really convenient that BSM can talk a little: he woke up crying, and when I went in, he said, "Mayim-mayim-mayim-mayim-mayim," so I gave him his sippy cup and he drank for a full minute and went peacefully back into his crib. Problem solved. (Without his usefully telling me what he wanted, it would have taken me quite some time to deduce that since he ate something called salt and pepper kugel for dinner, he was probably thirstier than usual.)
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Day 252 (excursions)
Husbinator and I went to Mea Shearim today. Husbinator, G-d bless him, has put his foot down and declared we need a dryer. Now. No more scratchy, board-like towels. No more T-shirts with internal good posture. No more having fully- or nearly-dry laundry get wet in the rain. (Rain!) So we went and we saw and we bought. The guy who sold us the dryer looked pretty familiar: turns out he's the guy who sold us our beds, and we saw him two days ago when he brought over the correct-sized frame.
So we chatted a bit (but not much, because we had to dash to pick up the BabeO), and he said if we owned our house, we should do something about the attic entrance. Tell me about it! It was very heartening, though: his next sentence was, "You know, in the States, they have folding steps that you can pull down..." Yes! That's what I want if we end up buying a house with an attic entrance like this one, but I didn't know if they had them in Israel! I asked the guy about that, and he said, "Eh, you can get anything made."
This Shabbos, we are having guests who only eat meat with one of four hechsherim, so I went to Rami Levy tonight and looked at Every Single Package of Meat or Chicken. Every One. (Yes, we had just been in Mea Shearim/Geulah, but we ran out of time and didn't have time to double back and buy meat/chicken.) It's a good thing I went tonight, because Rami Levy does not have a single one of those hechsherim. (For the record, they are Eida Charedis, Rubin, Landau, and Hacker. That last, according to the woman whom I took to Rami Levy with me, is not actually a hechsher, but a butcher.)
In the terrible news department, I heard about the baby girl tonight. As much as I like to keep things upbeat, this is... I don't know what it is. But it is very upsetting, and I feel that to make no mention of it would be wrong. I have nothing to say about it really, other than I can't ignore it.
So we chatted a bit (but not much, because we had to dash to pick up the BabeO), and he said if we owned our house, we should do something about the attic entrance. Tell me about it! It was very heartening, though: his next sentence was, "You know, in the States, they have folding steps that you can pull down..." Yes! That's what I want if we end up buying a house with an attic entrance like this one, but I didn't know if they had them in Israel! I asked the guy about that, and he said, "Eh, you can get anything made."
This Shabbos, we are having guests who only eat meat with one of four hechsherim, so I went to Rami Levy tonight and looked at Every Single Package of Meat or Chicken. Every One. (Yes, we had just been in Mea Shearim/Geulah, but we ran out of time and didn't have time to double back and buy meat/chicken.) It's a good thing I went tonight, because Rami Levy does not have a single one of those hechsherim. (For the record, they are Eida Charedis, Rubin, Landau, and Hacker. That last, according to the woman whom I took to Rami Levy with me, is not actually a hechsher, but a butcher.)
In the terrible news department, I heard about the baby girl tonight. As much as I like to keep things upbeat, this is... I don't know what it is. But it is very upsetting, and I feel that to make no mention of it would be wrong. I have nothing to say about it really, other than I can't ignore it.
Day 251 (olives!)
The olive drama continues. I sorted through the olives, and put up a gallon of black olives in brine, a larger amount of purpling green olives in water (had to smash each olive first, so that's a patchke), and attempted to make olive oil (also lots of smashing of olives, and depitting to boot. This is getting ridiculous.)
Between the oliving, I picked up and swept the baby's room for the first time in who-knows-how-long. This is a huge advantage to having moved the boxes out of his room and into the attic yesterday. I also almost managed to catch up on laundry from Yontiff, but not quite.
When BSM woke up from his nap, I took him over to the doctor's office to get a polio vaccine that seems to have slipped through the cracks when we moved (this is an advantage of having a fluent English-speaker read over his American vaccination record). The nurse also offered a flu shot for BSM, which is great, because I saw the sign for flu shots a month ago and forgot about it since then. She also offered me a flu shot. Right! Good call!
Between the oliving, I picked up and swept the baby's room for the first time in who-knows-how-long. This is a huge advantage to having moved the boxes out of his room and into the attic yesterday. I also almost managed to catch up on laundry from Yontiff, but not quite.
When BSM woke up from his nap, I took him over to the doctor's office to get a polio vaccine that seems to have slipped through the cracks when we moved (this is an advantage of having a fluent English-speaker read over his American vaccination record). The nurse also offered a flu shot for BSM, which is great, because I saw the sign for flu shots a month ago and forgot about it since then. She also offered me a flu shot. Right! Good call!
Day 250 (attic)
Yesterday, I climbed pretty high on our ladder to pick the olives at the top of our oldest tree. "Well," thought I, "So I can climb this ladder when it's propped against a wall, after all. Perhaps I can climb to the attic if I just visualize being surrounded by an olive tree." I've got news for ya, peeps: my imagination cannot turn the landing at near the top of the steps into an olive tree.
I considered asking Husbinator to hold the ladder for me (even though I know rationally that's it's fully stable just propped against the step and the wall), but as I was about to open my mouth, he asked if I would hold the ladder while he climbed up. Now there's an offer that I won't refuse! So he tied the carabiner to the ceiling beam, and we hauled up the Pesach stuff and the vast majority of the infant stuff.
While we were in the middle of our attic adventure, the guy from the bed store finally came (he called first) to bring us the correct size bed frame for the second bed we bought from him almost two months ago. That's one less thing I have to worry about dealing with, so that's great. While the guy was here, he asked if we needed help getting stuff to the attic! (By the by, this guy is the owner of the bed store, not a professional schlepper per se.) How nice is that? We declined, but it warmed the cockles of my little heart.
We were hoping to get the rest of the infant stuff and miscellany up to the attic in the afternoon, but BSM actually napped at daycare this morning, so no nap in the afternoon. Thus, instead of hauling more stuff up to the attic, I took BSM on a walk and gave some olives to Mrs. Barzilai, whom we met on the way. I still have waaaaaaaaay too many olives....
The rest of my day consisted almost entirely of washing dishes, in the vain hope that I'd manage to clear the space I need to wash the huge pot I cooked last week's Yerushalmi kugel in. Well, I cleared the space, but the pot will be washed tomorrow.
I did manage to make another (small) Yerushalmi kugel, though. I'll freeze it and we'll eat it this Shabbos, thus determining if this is a kugel that freezes well. If so, I'll be able to get a jump on the weekly kugel for shul. Cause, yeah, I'm the kugel lady, now. Makes me happy. But being able to freeze the 4-lb kugel in advance will make this new role more flexible.
I considered asking Husbinator to hold the ladder for me (even though I know rationally that's it's fully stable just propped against the step and the wall), but as I was about to open my mouth, he asked if I would hold the ladder while he climbed up. Now there's an offer that I won't refuse! So he tied the carabiner to the ceiling beam, and we hauled up the Pesach stuff and the vast majority of the infant stuff.
While we were in the middle of our attic adventure, the guy from the bed store finally came (he called first) to bring us the correct size bed frame for the second bed we bought from him almost two months ago. That's one less thing I have to worry about dealing with, so that's great. While the guy was here, he asked if we needed help getting stuff to the attic! (By the by, this guy is the owner of the bed store, not a professional schlepper per se.) How nice is that? We declined, but it warmed the cockles of my little heart.
We were hoping to get the rest of the infant stuff and miscellany up to the attic in the afternoon, but BSM actually napped at daycare this morning, so no nap in the afternoon. Thus, instead of hauling more stuff up to the attic, I took BSM on a walk and gave some olives to Mrs. Barzilai, whom we met on the way. I still have waaaaaaaaay too many olives....
The rest of my day consisted almost entirely of washing dishes, in the vain hope that I'd manage to clear the space I need to wash the huge pot I cooked last week's Yerushalmi kugel in. Well, I cleared the space, but the pot will be washed tomorrow.
I did manage to make another (small) Yerushalmi kugel, though. I'll freeze it and we'll eat it this Shabbos, thus determining if this is a kugel that freezes well. If so, I'll be able to get a jump on the weekly kugel for shul. Cause, yeah, I'm the kugel lady, now. Makes me happy. But being able to freeze the 4-lb kugel in advance will make this new role more flexible.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Day 249 (rain!!!)
This morning, I finally finished picking all of the olives. The grand total is 20kg. That is a loooot of olives. Next step: finding people to take olives.
Husbinator and I went to Pisgat Ze'ev today to buy a pulley so we can start hauling things up to the attic. Unfortunately, most hardware stores only carry laundry-line pulleys, and those are attached to a bolt and can't bear a whole lot of weight. I found one heavy-duty pulley, but it cost 60 NIS and it had a hook rather than a ring at the top. Since we planned on throwing a rope over a ceiling beam to hold the pulley, a hook ain't gonna cut it, and I wasn't about to pay 60 ILS for something that wasn't perfect.
Husbinatoar and I discussed our options (buy a heavy-duty wheel and carve out a line in the middle? see if we can find a pulley meant for shutters? use a laundry pulley? use the pulley with the hook?) and Husbinator had the brilliant idea to forget about the wheel of the pulley and just buy a heavy-duty carabiner. Those things are cheap and easy to find. Yeah, it'll be a little harder to haul stuff up, but it will work without a hitch. (Haha! Hitch!)
While we were walking up and down the main row of stores, it started to rain a glorious, steady rain. The first good rain of the season. I was soooo happy, and what was great was that all of the Israelis shared my joy. Well, most of the Israelis. The ones who were taking public transit and didn't have any rain gear had trouble mustering the appropriate level of celebratory gratitude.
Also, I heard this evening that the mail strike is over. I knew there was a mail strike: that's why I don't entirely understand why I've been getting mail for the past who-knows-how-long. Whatever. Glad it's over, whatever it was.
Husbinator and I went to Pisgat Ze'ev today to buy a pulley so we can start hauling things up to the attic. Unfortunately, most hardware stores only carry laundry-line pulleys, and those are attached to a bolt and can't bear a whole lot of weight. I found one heavy-duty pulley, but it cost 60 NIS and it had a hook rather than a ring at the top. Since we planned on throwing a rope over a ceiling beam to hold the pulley, a hook ain't gonna cut it, and I wasn't about to pay 60 ILS for something that wasn't perfect.
Husbinatoar and I discussed our options (buy a heavy-duty wheel and carve out a line in the middle? see if we can find a pulley meant for shutters? use a laundry pulley? use the pulley with the hook?) and Husbinator had the brilliant idea to forget about the wheel of the pulley and just buy a heavy-duty carabiner. Those things are cheap and easy to find. Yeah, it'll be a little harder to haul stuff up, but it will work without a hitch. (Haha! Hitch!)
While we were walking up and down the main row of stores, it started to rain a glorious, steady rain. The first good rain of the season. I was soooo happy, and what was great was that all of the Israelis shared my joy. Well, most of the Israelis. The ones who were taking public transit and didn't have any rain gear had trouble mustering the appropriate level of celebratory gratitude.
Also, I heard this evening that the mail strike is over. I knew there was a mail strike: that's why I don't entirely understand why I've been getting mail for the past who-knows-how-long. Whatever. Glad it's over, whatever it was.
Day 248 (Shabbos)
The Gordon's, who moved to the Yishuv a few weeks after we did, invited us to play games with them after Shabbos dinner! We were into the friendliness, but less into waking up BSM, so they very sweetly came to our house to play games. It's nice to hang out with new friends.
We had the Golds over for lunch, and we all enjoyed that, too. Yay, social circles!
Also in the yay category was BSM listening to me read from Bereishis (because he wanted me to read him a book and I wanted to read the parsha, so that was the obvious solution). When I read the pasuk about Hashem creating the sky to divide between the waters, BSM picked out the word "mayim" [water], and started saying, "Mayim? Mayim?" So we took a break to get him his sippy cup. I love that my baby understands chumash! Or bits of it, anyway, but how cool?
After Shabbos, I continued with the olive picking, figuring since it's so tactile, the neighbors' floodlights should be sufficient. I got a bunch of olives, but the next day I saw how many I missed. Still, it was definitely a good use of time. Also while olive-picking, I answered a question I had on the parsha. Why does it say that Adam and Chava hid "in the tree of the garden" rather than "among the trees of the garden"? Well, while I was tangled up in the olive tree branches, Husbinator came to look for me. He knew I had went to pick olives, but he didn't see me, so he asked where I was. Without pausing to think, I answered with my precise location: "In the tree." Oh.
We had the Golds over for lunch, and we all enjoyed that, too. Yay, social circles!
Also in the yay category was BSM listening to me read from Bereishis (because he wanted me to read him a book and I wanted to read the parsha, so that was the obvious solution). When I read the pasuk about Hashem creating the sky to divide between the waters, BSM picked out the word "mayim" [water], and started saying, "Mayim? Mayim?" So we took a break to get him his sippy cup. I love that my baby understands chumash! Or bits of it, anyway, but how cool?
After Shabbos, I continued with the olive picking, figuring since it's so tactile, the neighbors' floodlights should be sufficient. I got a bunch of olives, but the next day I saw how many I missed. Still, it was definitely a good use of time. Also while olive-picking, I answered a question I had on the parsha. Why does it say that Adam and Chava hid "in the tree of the garden" rather than "among the trees of the garden"? Well, while I was tangled up in the olive tree branches, Husbinator came to look for me. He knew I had went to pick olives, but he didn't see me, so he asked where I was. Without pausing to think, I answered with my precise location: "In the tree." Oh.
Day 247 (Erev Shabbos, again)
I brought BSM back to daycare this morning, as the vacation schedule that Dikla gave out does not mention today as a day off (surprising as I find that). We got to her house and BSM--after well over a week away--blew me a kiss goodbye before I even took him out of his stroller. Unfortunately, there was no answer when I knocked at the door, so I called Dikla, and she said that there is no daycare today. Sigh. I was not about to argue with someone whom I just woke up, especially when I need that someone to love my son.
As I was leaving, another mother pulled up, and my news did not make her happy. I kind of hoped she'd call Dikla and get this straightened out (the other mother had work today), but she didn't get much further than I did. To her credit, the other mother did tell Dikla that the schedule says there is daycare today, but she didn't put up much of a fight when Dikla said, "No, it doesn't." That's when I processed the fact that even though this other mother's Hebrew is better than mine, she still has a French accent. I can't exactly expect a Frenchwoman to get Israeli-style aggressive, after all.
So we went home, and I picked olives even though BSM was home. BSM also picked an olive, but he wasn't really interested. I, however, was fascinated. Picking olives is a surprisingly tactile experience. Sure, it's the eyes that initially locate the olives and send in the hands, but it's all in the fingers from there. Are the olives ripe? Are there more? Have they been detached from their branch? The fingers walk down the branch, combing through the leaves, rolling the olives and working almost of their own accord.
Also, since the two trees I was working on are so young, I could harvest fruit from the entire tree without a ladder. The branches are supple enough that my arms just reached up and up, and my back arched back and back, and the whole tree bent to me. I like dancing with olive trees. Though when I grabbed my Erev Shabbos shower (yes, picking olives on Erev Shabbos does lead to Erev Shabbos insanity), I discovered that I had gotten horrifyingly dirty. Good times.
As I was leaving, another mother pulled up, and my news did not make her happy. I kind of hoped she'd call Dikla and get this straightened out (the other mother had work today), but she didn't get much further than I did. To her credit, the other mother did tell Dikla that the schedule says there is daycare today, but she didn't put up much of a fight when Dikla said, "No, it doesn't." That's when I processed the fact that even though this other mother's Hebrew is better than mine, she still has a French accent. I can't exactly expect a Frenchwoman to get Israeli-style aggressive, after all.
So we went home, and I picked olives even though BSM was home. BSM also picked an olive, but he wasn't really interested. I, however, was fascinated. Picking olives is a surprisingly tactile experience. Sure, it's the eyes that initially locate the olives and send in the hands, but it's all in the fingers from there. Are the olives ripe? Are there more? Have they been detached from their branch? The fingers walk down the branch, combing through the leaves, rolling the olives and working almost of their own accord.
Also, since the two trees I was working on are so young, I could harvest fruit from the entire tree without a ladder. The branches are supple enough that my arms just reached up and up, and my back arched back and back, and the whole tree bent to me. I like dancing with olive trees. Though when I grabbed my Erev Shabbos shower (yes, picking olives on Erev Shabbos does lead to Erev Shabbos insanity), I discovered that I had gotten horrifyingly dirty. Good times.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Day 246 (Simchas Torah/Shmini Atzeres)
Unlike in America, where some eat in the Sukkah on Shmini Atzeres, and some don't, we do not eat in the sukkah on Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah (one day, all combined) in Israel. It's because there's no doubt that maybe it's still Sukkos, so to eat in the Sukkah would violate בל תוסיף (no numerical adding to Torah-commandments).
Since we didn't know what the shul schedule would be like, we didn't invite anyone for meals. Good thing, too: there were a few handwritten schedules floating around the shul on Simchas Torah (including one written on a napkin), but it was clearly because someone heard that the schedule was due, so they just scribbled something down and handed it in so they'd at least get partial credit. We did do everything on the schedule, but none of the times were remotely correct.
Hakafos at night went until 1am, but they took a (theoretically hour-long) break at 8pm for dinner. We ate, and relaxed, and I went outside at 10pm and didn't hear anything from the shul, and Husbinator went back at 10:30. Hakafos had restarted 15 minutes before. I would be so frustrated if we didn't live next door, but we do, so it's totally fine.
I stayed home with BSM while he slept, but Husbinator tells me that post-dinner hakafos were very silly. There were ad-libbed songs, and silent dancing, and animal noises, among other silliness. He had a great time.
On Simchas Torah day, I took BSM to shul, but he did not want to dance with the men. So I danced with him on the ladies' side, and he had a really great time. Again, hakafos went for a very long time (as in, until around 5pm long time), so there was a break for lunch at some point. However, since we hadn't davened mussaf, Husbinator couldn't eat even a k'baitza of bread (so less than a nice, thick slice). The rabbi said there was no need to wash at all, we were essentially having kiddush with substantial food, but our Yontiff meal would be the one after mussaf. It was kind of weird, but that's the halacha!
I stayed home with BSM while he napped, and then I took him to the playground when he woke up. At some point, I wandered back to shul to see what they were up to, and I see all the kids heading up to the bima, and Mrs. Gold said Husbinator was looking for us so BSM could get his aliyah with all of the other kids. I had totally forgotten about kol ne'arim! We had gotten back just in time though, and I gave BSM to Husbinator, who took him to the bima where the other kids had already all assembled. And BSM started to scream and cry. So he missed kol ne'arim after all :-(
Oh, well, next year. It was definitely a different sort of a Simchas Torah, but very interesting! (We ran home for "lunch" about 10 minutes before sunset.)
Since we didn't know what the shul schedule would be like, we didn't invite anyone for meals. Good thing, too: there were a few handwritten schedules floating around the shul on Simchas Torah (including one written on a napkin), but it was clearly because someone heard that the schedule was due, so they just scribbled something down and handed it in so they'd at least get partial credit. We did do everything on the schedule, but none of the times were remotely correct.
Hakafos at night went until 1am, but they took a (theoretically hour-long) break at 8pm for dinner. We ate, and relaxed, and I went outside at 10pm and didn't hear anything from the shul, and Husbinator went back at 10:30. Hakafos had restarted 15 minutes before. I would be so frustrated if we didn't live next door, but we do, so it's totally fine.
I stayed home with BSM while he slept, but Husbinator tells me that post-dinner hakafos were very silly. There were ad-libbed songs, and silent dancing, and animal noises, among other silliness. He had a great time.
On Simchas Torah day, I took BSM to shul, but he did not want to dance with the men. So I danced with him on the ladies' side, and he had a really great time. Again, hakafos went for a very long time (as in, until around 5pm long time), so there was a break for lunch at some point. However, since we hadn't davened mussaf, Husbinator couldn't eat even a k'baitza of bread (so less than a nice, thick slice). The rabbi said there was no need to wash at all, we were essentially having kiddush with substantial food, but our Yontiff meal would be the one after mussaf. It was kind of weird, but that's the halacha!
I stayed home with BSM while he napped, and then I took him to the playground when he woke up. At some point, I wandered back to shul to see what they were up to, and I see all the kids heading up to the bima, and Mrs. Gold said Husbinator was looking for us so BSM could get his aliyah with all of the other kids. I had totally forgotten about kol ne'arim! We had gotten back just in time though, and I gave BSM to Husbinator, who took him to the bima where the other kids had already all assembled. And BSM started to scream and cry. So he missed kol ne'arim after all :-(
Oh, well, next year. It was definitely a different sort of a Simchas Torah, but very interesting! (We ran home for "lunch" about 10 minutes before sunset.)
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Day 245 (Erev Chag)
I had no choice but to go to Rami Levy this morning, Erev Chag or not. I was reeling for a while afterwards: not only did I get a parking spot and a shopping cart, there was no wait to check out. Literally no wait: I found a checkout lane with no other customers. I was kind of freaked out until Husbinator pointed out that today is Hoshana Raba, so davening is really long, so most people have to start their day much later than usual. Ah.
Today, I made Yerushalmi kugel again. Since this was my second time, I allowed myself to play with the ratios, and it came out perfectly!!! Tastes exactly like real Yerushalmi kugel. I am so happy and grateful and a little surprised. Yay!!!!!! Recipe is below.
***
Yerushalmi Kugel (adapted from Moshe Atlo's YouTube video)
400 grams thin egg noodles
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c sugar, divided
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground pepper
3 eggs
Today, I made Yerushalmi kugel again. Since this was my second time, I allowed myself to play with the ratios, and it came out perfectly!!! Tastes exactly like real Yerushalmi kugel. I am so happy and grateful and a little surprised. Yay!!!!!! Recipe is below.
***
Yerushalmi Kugel (adapted from Moshe Atlo's YouTube video)
400 grams thin egg noodles
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c sugar, divided
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground pepper
3 eggs
- Boil the noodles in 2L water for five minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.
- While the noodles are cooking, heat the oil and 1/2 cup sugar in a small pot on a medium flame. Stir occasionally. (You can use the same spoon you're using to mix the noodles.) Let the caramel cook until it is a deep, dark brown. It will bubble. Do not be afraid of burning the sugar.
- Between poking at the noodles and the caramel, measure out the dry ingredients and check the eggs.
- Stand back and CAREFULLY pour the caramel into the noodles (which you have cleverly transferred out of the strainer and back into the pot you cooked them in). Stir vigorously, quickly, and thoroughly.
- Add the other 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and pepper to the noodle/caramel mixture. Stir,
- Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Don't worry that the eggs will scramble in the hot noodles, just be ready to pour everything into the cooking pan as soon as you're done adding the eggs.
- Pour the kugel into a pot. In the future, I plan on lining said pot with parchment paper rather than greasing it well.
- Poke at the kugel to remove any air bubbles, and cover the pot, but leave a small gap for steam to escape.
- Cook on the stovetop for an hour-and-a-half. I put my wonder-pot flame-spreader under the pot for ease of mind.
- Allow kugel to cool before cutting.
- Serve warm, with pickles, and celebrate the goodness of your very own authentic Yerushalmi Kugel.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Day 244 (meh)
This morning was a succession of stuff not being as effective as I wanted. The doctor's diagnosis for BSM's two-week diarrhea saga is "teething" (seriously???), I couldn't find a pulley I liked to get stuff into the attic, and the grocery store didn't have the two items I went there to buy. Urg.
I figured I'd try again for waking up on the right side of the bed, so I took a nap, which really did help.
I used the built-in bathroom heater for the first time since we moved in, and unlike my previous conclusion, it does work. However, unlike other bathroom heaters I've used, the heat is not fan-forced, so next time I'll turn on the heater before I start filling the tub.
After I put BSM to bed, I (along with everyone else on the Yishuv) stopped by the Yishuv's mail room to pick up a package. The line moved much faster than I thought it would, but I still like the assessment made by the guy behind me: "What is this? Rami Levy?"
I figured I'd try again for waking up on the right side of the bed, so I took a nap, which really did help.
I used the built-in bathroom heater for the first time since we moved in, and unlike my previous conclusion, it does work. However, unlike other bathroom heaters I've used, the heat is not fan-forced, so next time I'll turn on the heater before I start filling the tub.
After I put BSM to bed, I (along with everyone else on the Yishuv) stopped by the Yishuv's mail room to pick up a package. The line moved much faster than I thought it would, but I still like the assessment made by the guy behind me: "What is this? Rami Levy?"
Day 243 (more Chol HaMoed)
I am getting tired of washing BSM's sheet every morning. I called the health clinic today, and the woman who answered the phone said that all of the tests came back negative, but I can come in and talk to the pediatrician tomorrow. This is not quite the Chol HaMoed baby-outing I was hoping for (there's no daycare during Sukkot), but after changing not only his sheet, but four of his onesies today, I'm game. And BSM picked out his first onesie today, and had such a good time poking at the monkeys on it! Y'know, for the entire hour that he wore it before pooping through his diaper, poor kid.
Because his stomach has been bothering him for so long, we've abandoned the BRAT diet in favor of giving BSM more than just four types of foods. He ate three whole hot dogs and a small mountain range of ketchup for lunch. When Husbinator tried to teach BSM the word "hot dog," BSM responded, "hav hav," which is what Israeli dogs say. That's my boy! ...As long as he doesn't think hot dogs were ever actual dogs, that is.
I put away a bunch of toiletries, and the rest of the blankets and bathtowels, and I even unpacked and re-packed all of the Pesach stuff. We now have some under-the-bed boxes freed up for better use, but I have yet to find my kitcfhen scale, rolling pin, and shul cookbooks. This is not good, people...
You know what is good? BSM gave me a kiss on the cheek before bed! A real kissy!
Because his stomach has been bothering him for so long, we've abandoned the BRAT diet in favor of giving BSM more than just four types of foods. He ate three whole hot dogs and a small mountain range of ketchup for lunch. When Husbinator tried to teach BSM the word "hot dog," BSM responded, "hav hav," which is what Israeli dogs say. That's my boy! ...As long as he doesn't think hot dogs were ever actual dogs, that is.
I put away a bunch of toiletries, and the rest of the blankets and bathtowels, and I even unpacked and re-packed all of the Pesach stuff. We now have some under-the-bed boxes freed up for better use, but I have yet to find my kitcfhen scale, rolling pin, and shul cookbooks. This is not good, people...
You know what is good? BSM gave me a kiss on the cheek before bed! A real kissy!
Day 242 (Sunday-Chol HaMoed)
Remember the the Kornbluths' intimidating niceness? I popped by this afternoon to return a pair of sunglasses I found in our sukkah, and I left with half of a sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk (both inside BSM), the end of a bottle of pomegranate wine, a new board book, the loan of a juicer, and an invitation to borrow their grill. Oh, man. Oh, my my. Wow.
Speaking of the juicer, I have finally been chided by the neighbors enough that I picked even the bad pomegranates from our trees, cut off the bad bits, and juiced them (along with the good pomegranates that I picked right before Rosh HaShana).
Luckily, Aunty Em and clan came for a barbeque today, or else I would have been left with spoiling pomegranate juice in place of the rotting pomegranates. It's nice, this hosting of family events. It's also pretty glorious having a sukkah that can fit 15 people without squishing, especially when putting up that sukkah took such minimal work. Thank you, Landpeople!
I also finished putting together BSM's growth charts today. I doubt that his pediatrician's office really wants them (if they did, they would have asked me for his growth data), but I like to have everything neatly stitched together in one record. So there. Also, I miss drawing graphs and trendlines.
Speaking of the juicer, I have finally been chided by the neighbors enough that I picked even the bad pomegranates from our trees, cut off the bad bits, and juiced them (along with the good pomegranates that I picked right before Rosh HaShana).
Luckily, Aunty Em and clan came for a barbeque today, or else I would have been left with spoiling pomegranate juice in place of the rotting pomegranates. It's nice, this hosting of family events. It's also pretty glorious having a sukkah that can fit 15 people without squishing, especially when putting up that sukkah took such minimal work. Thank you, Landpeople!
I also finished putting together BSM's growth charts today. I doubt that his pediatrician's office really wants them (if they did, they would have asked me for his growth data), but I like to have everything neatly stitched together in one record. So there. Also, I miss drawing graphs and trendlines.
Day 241 (Shabbos)
We had guests for both meals. I had met our Friday night guests, the Chasdot, once before. But that was at a picnic for all the Anglos in the Yishuv, which really isn't the greatest place to actually meet meet someone. A meal is better for that, and it turns out I really like the Chasdot. So that's cool.
We had the Kornbluths over for lunch, and they really are incredibly nice. They're not at all irritating in their niceness, but it honestly is a little intimidating. I will never be that nice. I will never even make it into the same league as their niceness. Hopefully my immigrant-charm will be an acceptable stand-in, because that's all the reciprocation I can offer.
In other news, BSM did his usual stalling at the landing tonight, poking the wall and babbling. Unlike the past few nights, though, I finally got what he was doing. This wasn't any old "I'm not ready to go to bed stall," this was BSM playing with his shadow. So I showed him how to wave at his shadow, and he laughed and laughed at my shadow-animals, and then he told his shadow, "Bye," and went to bed. So cute!
We had the Kornbluths over for lunch, and they really are incredibly nice. They're not at all irritating in their niceness, but it honestly is a little intimidating. I will never be that nice. I will never even make it into the same league as their niceness. Hopefully my immigrant-charm will be an acceptable stand-in, because that's all the reciprocation I can offer.
In other news, BSM did his usual stalling at the landing tonight, poking the wall and babbling. Unlike the past few nights, though, I finally got what he was doing. This wasn't any old "I'm not ready to go to bed stall," this was BSM playing with his shadow. So I showed him how to wave at his shadow, and he laughed and laughed at my shadow-animals, and then he told his shadow, "Bye," and went to bed. So cute!
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Day 240 (Erev Shabbos)
A bit ago, Aunt L80 emailed me that my cousin and his new wife would be in Israel over Sukkot, and that she'd given them my contact info. I thought that was nice, but I doubted they'd actually be in touch. But they were, and today I got to see them!
I took BSM and our tiny, light Combi umbrella stroller, and bussed it. Since the cousins were staying in central Jerusalem, I finally made it to the shuk before seeing them, and finally filled out our spices collection. For the record, spices are expensive. I guess I bought about 5 pounds of assorted spices (none of which were onion/garlic/herbs), and spent almost $60. I'm still reeling.
I had lunch with said cousins in their sukkah, and got to chat with them. It was really nice: I think we met once when we were about 10 years old, but he doesn't remember it, so now I'm not sure. Anyway, we got to meet for realsies now, and that was cool.
On the way home, instead of walking over a mile back to the bus stop, I caught the train from the shuk, which took me to the bus stop in Pisgat Zeev. Oh, my, Gosh. The light rail is soooo convenient.
Sure, when I got back, Shabbos prep was C-R-A-Z-Y, but I knew it would be. I'm still glad I got to see the cousins :)
And when I got back, I made real Yerushalmi kugel for the first time, caramelized sugar and all. I owe a huge thank-you to this guy and his video: I followed his instructions exactly (down to mixing the noodles and sugar with the same spoon), and the kugel came out perfectly. Next time, I'll cut down on the sugar and add more pepper, but I am very, very pleased with how it came out.
I took BSM and our tiny, light Combi umbrella stroller, and bussed it. Since the cousins were staying in central Jerusalem, I finally made it to the shuk before seeing them, and finally filled out our spices collection. For the record, spices are expensive. I guess I bought about 5 pounds of assorted spices (none of which were onion/garlic/herbs), and spent almost $60. I'm still reeling.
I had lunch with said cousins in their sukkah, and got to chat with them. It was really nice: I think we met once when we were about 10 years old, but he doesn't remember it, so now I'm not sure. Anyway, we got to meet for realsies now, and that was cool.
On the way home, instead of walking over a mile back to the bus stop, I caught the train from the shuk, which took me to the bus stop in Pisgat Zeev. Oh, my, Gosh. The light rail is soooo convenient.
Sure, when I got back, Shabbos prep was C-R-A-Z-Y, but I knew it would be. I'm still glad I got to see the cousins :)
And when I got back, I made real Yerushalmi kugel for the first time, caramelized sugar and all. I owe a huge thank-you to this guy and his video: I followed his instructions exactly (down to mixing the noodles and sugar with the same spoon), and the kugel came out perfectly. Next time, I'll cut down on the sugar and add more pepper, but I am very, very pleased with how it came out.
Day 239 (Sukkos 1)
We had a local couple for dinner Thursday night. They each brought a sister, and also one other friend. Between the three girls, one knows Piano Toes (not personally, just because they're the same age and from the same neighborhood) and one went to high school with R2. And it was a good thing we dug out our dining room table: we got kiddush, motzi, and bentching in the sukkah, but rain took everything else was inside.
On a more disappointing front, BSM was not excited at all by his plush lulav/esrog set that I bought almost two months ago. I thought he'd have so much fun: Abba with his lulav, BSM with his own lulav... sigh. It was not to be :(
On a more disappointing front, BSM was not excited at all by his plush lulav/esrog set that I bought almost two months ago. I thought he'd have so much fun: Abba with his lulav, BSM with his own lulav... sigh. It was not to be :(
Day 238 (Erev Sukkos)
I caught BSM multitasking today, though it may be called "over-consuming media." He was playing with his electronic play table, and while it was singing its little ditty, he also slapped some buttons on his electronic alphabet apple toy, then vice versa.
Today was a frenzy of sukkah decorating and house cleaning. I had figured it was OK that our living room (a.k.a. "salon," i.e., living room/dining room combo) still had multiple stacks of boxes in it: after all, we'd be eating in the sukkah! But Husbinator pointed out that there was rain in the forecast, and we should probably be prepared to move inside. Fair point, Husbinator, fair point.
While we were sukkah-decorating, Rabbi Barzilai called over the fence and asked if we were going to cut the lulavim from our lulav tree. I told him I doubted we'd have time, but if he'd do us the favor... He did! I'm really glad he cut them instead of us: he knew that in order to harvest lulavim, you really have to cut off the outer branches, first. There is no other way to avoid impaling yourself. Good to know.
While he was here, Rabbi Barzilai also taught us how to tie palm rings to hold the lulav tight. This is excellent, since we haven't been able to find any lulav rings for sale. After he taught us how to tie them, I see why they aren't for sale: if you have a lulav and two minutes, you can make your own with minimal trouble. I feel very cool, having made our own lulav rings.
In between sukkah decorating and house cleaning and lulav cutting, I found the time to look up the weight for size 4 Target diapers. (Husbinator finally found the case of diapers I kept insisting I had packed in our lift, and a good thing, too: BSM is between diaper sizes in his Israeli brand.) Turns out that the weight range is exactly what I need for BSM right now. Of course, when I saw the Target weight in pounds. I had to convert to kilograms to figure that out...
Today was a frenzy of sukkah decorating and house cleaning. I had figured it was OK that our living room (a.k.a. "salon," i.e., living room/dining room combo) still had multiple stacks of boxes in it: after all, we'd be eating in the sukkah! But Husbinator pointed out that there was rain in the forecast, and we should probably be prepared to move inside. Fair point, Husbinator, fair point.
While we were sukkah-decorating, Rabbi Barzilai called over the fence and asked if we were going to cut the lulavim from our lulav tree. I told him I doubted we'd have time, but if he'd do us the favor... He did! I'm really glad he cut them instead of us: he knew that in order to harvest lulavim, you really have to cut off the outer branches, first. There is no other way to avoid impaling yourself. Good to know.
While he was here, Rabbi Barzilai also taught us how to tie palm rings to hold the lulav tight. This is excellent, since we haven't been able to find any lulav rings for sale. After he taught us how to tie them, I see why they aren't for sale: if you have a lulav and two minutes, you can make your own with minimal trouble. I feel very cool, having made our own lulav rings.
In between sukkah decorating and house cleaning and lulav cutting, I found the time to look up the weight for size 4 Target diapers. (Husbinator finally found the case of diapers I kept insisting I had packed in our lift, and a good thing, too: BSM is between diaper sizes in his Israeli brand.) Turns out that the weight range is exactly what I need for BSM right now. Of course, when I saw the Target weight in pounds. I had to convert to kilograms to figure that out...
Friday, October 10, 2014
Day 237 (essentially Erev Chag)
Today I baked the cookies whose dough I made yesterday, an apple pie, and carrot kugel. Today I learned that in this lactarded household, it makes much more sense to have the second sink be pareve rather than dairy. I feel that my life has just become much more convenient.
This is good, because here's a picture of the checkout line I waited in when I went back to Rami Levy today. (This morning we hammered out a menu, so I knew what I actually needed to buy this time)
And in the interest of clearing up some more of the house, I took a bubby-cart full of stuff to be toyvelled. Getting that stuff off of the dining room table and into kitchen cabinets definitely helped The Effort.
This is good, because here's a picture of the checkout line I waited in when I went back to Rami Levy today. (This morning we hammered out a menu, so I knew what I actually needed to buy this time)
And in the interest of clearing up some more of the house, I took a bubby-cart full of stuff to be toyvelled. Getting that stuff off of the dining room table and into kitchen cabinets definitely helped The Effort.
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