"He who dirties The Land, his prayers will not be answered for 40 days."
This was the quote from some text (the source of this quote was written there but I didn't make note of where it was excerpted from) and printed out on a paper and tacked up onto a tree near where the refreshments are served outside after Shabbat morning services at our synagogue.
The first thought that went through my head when I read it was,"WHAT?! Now you're THREATENING me?!"
The second thought was, "My MOTHER taught me not to litter!"
How utterly PATHETIC that this even has to be said!
I DUNNO, people. Is it just me or does that quote grab anyone else the same way?
Whatever happened to the old adage "Cleanliness is next to godliness."? Let me guess. Too many Xtian overtones in that adage for some, I suppose.
Me? Let's just say I think those Xtians are on to something.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Summer
I have been very bad at keeping up with this, haven't I? Work has been hectic for a while and home....? Forget it!
I can say that the we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the renovations in the new apartment. We are once again a two toilet family as of last week! Hurrah. The smaller bathroom, which we expanded and remodeled, came out GREAT and is meant for the use of the two girls. The tiling in the kitchen and laundry room is being finished up today (I hope) and also looks great. There are a few other things that need finishing up but the major things are basically done. So hopefully all the workers will go home soon and I can do a deep clean.
S's 60th birthday is mid-August so we're hoping to make him a 60th birthday party and make it a housewarming party as well. Kill two birds with one stone.
I am taking Tuesday off work for Tisha B'Av and might pop into IKEA. They're having a huge sale right now and I need some curtains for the living room.
Desmond the Dove is still with us and turning into a beautiful bird. Y and I take him out of his cage whenever we have some spare time to handle him and let him fly around the living room.
I have been taking a beading workshop once a week for 6 weeks however the class has been cancelled for the last 3 weeks running for various reasons. The owner of the store said she would give me a free lesson as compensation! So I'm happy.
The kids are both in camp through the end of this week. The following week, 2 young teenage girls who live in the building next to ours are doing "camp" in the home of one of them for little kids so we are sending E there.
My Mom is coming to spend a few days with us next week and S and I have our 11th anniversary coming up on the 25th.
I really can't wait for camp to be over because once it is I will be working every other day through August. I've done this for the past 2 years and it works for us. I have a few ideas of things I want to do with the kids but haven't gone crazy planning down to the second what I'll do with them. We've been to the beach 3 times recently on Fridays. It's cheap, the kids have a ball and wear themselves out and sleep great afterwards. So we will probably do that a few more times too.
I can say that the we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the renovations in the new apartment. We are once again a two toilet family as of last week! Hurrah. The smaller bathroom, which we expanded and remodeled, came out GREAT and is meant for the use of the two girls. The tiling in the kitchen and laundry room is being finished up today (I hope) and also looks great. There are a few other things that need finishing up but the major things are basically done. So hopefully all the workers will go home soon and I can do a deep clean.
S's 60th birthday is mid-August so we're hoping to make him a 60th birthday party and make it a housewarming party as well. Kill two birds with one stone.
I am taking Tuesday off work for Tisha B'Av and might pop into IKEA. They're having a huge sale right now and I need some curtains for the living room.
Desmond the Dove is still with us and turning into a beautiful bird. Y and I take him out of his cage whenever we have some spare time to handle him and let him fly around the living room.
I have been taking a beading workshop once a week for 6 weeks however the class has been cancelled for the last 3 weeks running for various reasons. The owner of the store said she would give me a free lesson as compensation! So I'm happy.
The kids are both in camp through the end of this week. The following week, 2 young teenage girls who live in the building next to ours are doing "camp" in the home of one of them for little kids so we are sending E there.
My Mom is coming to spend a few days with us next week and S and I have our 11th anniversary coming up on the 25th.
I really can't wait for camp to be over because once it is I will be working every other day through August. I've done this for the past 2 years and it works for us. I have a few ideas of things I want to do with the kids but haven't gone crazy planning down to the second what I'll do with them. We've been to the beach 3 times recently on Fridays. It's cheap, the kids have a ball and wear themselves out and sleep great afterwards. So we will probably do that a few more times too.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Desmond the Dove
I have a new baby. Baby dove, that is.
He was "born" in the unused kitchen window box of our old apartment. The mother laid two eggs, sat on them and they hatched about 2 days before Shavuot. I wish now I'd kept better records so I'd know exactly how old Desmond is.
The mother looked after both birds until one of the babies died. Then she abandoned the other. I got home from work on Sunday 2 weeks ago at 5 pm and by 9 pm I hadn't seen the mother at all and it was dark and getting cool outside. Normally by nightfall she was sitting on them already to keep them warm. So the fact that I hadn't seen her by dark was very odd. This was 4 days before we moved to our new apartment and we were deep in the middle of packing up but I just could NOT focus knowing this little thing was out there and would die if he stayed out there all night. "He was just BORN and he's going to DIE and it's NOT FAIR!" He had no feathers and his eyes weren't even open yet. He would have fit in a tablespoon. So small but seemed strong. I was like, "That's it! I have to do something or try at least." I brought him inside, made a "nest" for him in a tiny tupperware container lined with multiple layers of tissues and tried to get him to take food and water but couldn't get him to open his beak.
I called up a friend who has had some very odd animals as pets in the past figuring she'd know of a vet I could consult with which she did. I phoned up the number she gave me and caught the vet still in at 9:30 pm. She said she was just leaving but how fast could I get there? I said, "10 minutes or less." Me and the bird and Y were there in 3 minutes flat. I had put the "nest" in the bottom of a large plastic bucket in case the bird jumped out he wouldn't have far to fall. The vet had two containers of food ready for me - one of baby bird "formula" that you mix with water and feed it with a syringe and another of bird seed for when he got bigger. She showed me how to feed him and I was shocked at how seemingly forceful she was with him. But it didn't seem to hurt him any and after that I was less timid about prying his beak open and dumping food down his throat. She wished us luck, didn't charge us for the visit and we went home. Luckily I was off work for 3 days prior to the move so I had the time to mother this bird. He seemed to thrive and ate with gusto. The first day I fed him the formula every 2 hours from dawn to dark. The 2nd day I stretched it to every 3 hours, the 4th day to every 4 hours, etc. The day AFTER we moved, the company I work for took all of the employees up north from 7 am for breakfast, rafting and jeeping and we didn't get home until 10:30 pm. There was no one at home who had time to look after this baby bird for me and feed him so I ended up taking him with me in his bucket nest on the bus! I had all of the equipment with me that I needed for his feedings and on the shorter stops like for breakfast I left him in his bucket on the bus. During the 3-4 hours that we were doing the rafting and jeeping, it was too hot to leave him on the bus. He would have cooked. So I ran to the offices of the rafting place and begged them to let me leave him there quietly in a corner of the office somewhere in the a/c. Somehow I think they'd never had such a request before.....but they let me. So WHEW for that! Being able to leave him in the a/c was a huge relief. So all told we made it through a long day just fine.
He's getting big and strong and doing all the right birdie things - except eating on his own. He's on purely bird seed now but still hasn't figured out how to pick the seeds up off the floor of his cage and eat them. I hope I won't be hand feeding him forever. I now have him in a normal bird cage since I'm not sure when he will start flying. He's already making short hopping flights. I'm bringing him to work with me still to make sure he eats. But can't figure out how to teach him to eat on his own.
It's an amazing thing to hold this little creature who is so unafraid of us. He sits in his cage on my desk making soft "weeeet! weeeet!" sounds at me all day.
He was "born" in the unused kitchen window box of our old apartment. The mother laid two eggs, sat on them and they hatched about 2 days before Shavuot. I wish now I'd kept better records so I'd know exactly how old Desmond is.
The mother looked after both birds until one of the babies died. Then she abandoned the other. I got home from work on Sunday 2 weeks ago at 5 pm and by 9 pm I hadn't seen the mother at all and it was dark and getting cool outside. Normally by nightfall she was sitting on them already to keep them warm. So the fact that I hadn't seen her by dark was very odd. This was 4 days before we moved to our new apartment and we were deep in the middle of packing up but I just could NOT focus knowing this little thing was out there and would die if he stayed out there all night. "He was just BORN and he's going to DIE and it's NOT FAIR!" He had no feathers and his eyes weren't even open yet. He would have fit in a tablespoon. So small but seemed strong. I was like, "That's it! I have to do something or try at least." I brought him inside, made a "nest" for him in a tiny tupperware container lined with multiple layers of tissues and tried to get him to take food and water but couldn't get him to open his beak.
I called up a friend who has had some very odd animals as pets in the past figuring she'd know of a vet I could consult with which she did. I phoned up the number she gave me and caught the vet still in at 9:30 pm. She said she was just leaving but how fast could I get there? I said, "10 minutes or less." Me and the bird and Y were there in 3 minutes flat. I had put the "nest" in the bottom of a large plastic bucket in case the bird jumped out he wouldn't have far to fall. The vet had two containers of food ready for me - one of baby bird "formula" that you mix with water and feed it with a syringe and another of bird seed for when he got bigger. She showed me how to feed him and I was shocked at how seemingly forceful she was with him. But it didn't seem to hurt him any and after that I was less timid about prying his beak open and dumping food down his throat. She wished us luck, didn't charge us for the visit and we went home. Luckily I was off work for 3 days prior to the move so I had the time to mother this bird. He seemed to thrive and ate with gusto. The first day I fed him the formula every 2 hours from dawn to dark. The 2nd day I stretched it to every 3 hours, the 4th day to every 4 hours, etc. The day AFTER we moved, the company I work for took all of the employees up north from 7 am for breakfast, rafting and jeeping and we didn't get home until 10:30 pm. There was no one at home who had time to look after this baby bird for me and feed him so I ended up taking him with me in his bucket nest on the bus! I had all of the equipment with me that I needed for his feedings and on the shorter stops like for breakfast I left him in his bucket on the bus. During the 3-4 hours that we were doing the rafting and jeeping, it was too hot to leave him on the bus. He would have cooked. So I ran to the offices of the rafting place and begged them to let me leave him there quietly in a corner of the office somewhere in the a/c. Somehow I think they'd never had such a request before.....but they let me. So WHEW for that! Being able to leave him in the a/c was a huge relief. So all told we made it through a long day just fine.
He's getting big and strong and doing all the right birdie things - except eating on his own. He's on purely bird seed now but still hasn't figured out how to pick the seeds up off the floor of his cage and eat them. I hope I won't be hand feeding him forever. I now have him in a normal bird cage since I'm not sure when he will start flying. He's already making short hopping flights. I'm bringing him to work with me still to make sure he eats. But can't figure out how to teach him to eat on his own.
It's an amazing thing to hold this little creature who is so unafraid of us. He sits in his cage on my desk making soft "weeeet! weeeet!" sounds at me all day.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
O...Just....CRAP
I'm in a bad mood. Therefore read the following whiny post at your own peril. This is one of those crappy days someone needs to do a "RESTART" to.
It's the WRONG time of the month. Let's just start with that.
Winter is baaaaaack. And it's DARK and COLD and WET outside. I wondered if I was in Seattle when I woke up this morning and DH wondered if he was in Manchester (the UK version of Seattle).
It's Sunday (start of the work week). Ugh.
I'm tired.
My sprained ankle still hurts.
I got to work today and the computers were down for the first 2 hours of the day. It's like being without air.
Some "outside people" are here at work today to review the filing for one of the studies I'm responsible for. I have a feeling it's not going well and I dread to hear what the findings are.
On the bright side....
A funny from DD8:
One night last week DH had gone out to pick up DD16 from a friend's house. I was getting the little ones in bed in the meantime.
DD8: "I hear Abba and T coming."
Me: "You do?"
DD8: "Yes. I have ears like an elephant. I can hear a fly fart in Africa." <giggle>
WHERE does she get her material from??
This week is "New Apartment Key Week"!!!!!!!!!!! Our sellers are moving out on Weds. so we should get the key to our new apartment on Thurs. or Fri. Hurrah! Then we are going to have to get in there and make some renovation decisions FAST. We have one month to go before we move in.
Monday, April 15, 2013
"Warts" - Live with 'Em? Or Change 'Em?
Our city has an Internet message board which my husband started and of which he is the moderator. At times some heated exchanges take place on this board between residents of the city over various matters.
The newest gripe to be aired on this message board was started by someone complaining about the minuscule size of the new street signs - when street signs exist - and needing a telescope to even read them or the street signs being obscured by foliage that hasn't been cut back enough and the like. This was the start of the thread.
To which another woman (who I actually know and who lives on our street) responded today:
"Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch! In 65 short years has accomplished what no other nation has!!! We went from being nothing, to being a prosperous, strong, independent country. So what if street signs are not to everybody's
satisfaction? We excell in so many other fields. Let's be thankful for this piece of land that is ours! We're here by choice!!!!!!!!!!"
The newest gripe to be aired on this message board was started by someone complaining about the minuscule size of the new street signs - when street signs exist - and needing a telescope to even read them or the street signs being obscured by foliage that hasn't been cut back enough and the like. This was the start of the thread.
To which another woman (who I actually know and who lives on our street) responded today:
"Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch! In 65 short years has accomplished what no other nation has!!! We went from being nothing, to being a prosperous, strong, independent country. So what if street signs are not to everybody's
satisfaction? We excell in so many other fields. Let's be thankful for this piece of land that is ours! We're here by choice!!!!!!!!!!"
This post went unsigned by its author which irked me as did the tone of her post. She is right to some extent. I guess it's just how it was stated.
I am nothing if not a writer. I know this is a strong point of mine. Always has been. But this was only driven home to me yet again after receiving floods of thank yous from others on the message board for the following response which I dashed off to the anonymous poster above and posted publicly. Here's what I said:
"Yes we're here by choice but just because we are here by choice and glad of it does not mean we have to or should close our eyes to the place's "warts". It does not mean that we have to suffer the status quo in silence or refrain from trying to improving the place, refrain from requiring some streamlining of existing methods or refrain from introducing some good old fashioned niceties and conveniences! We Anglos have a lot to offer on all fronts since we know something different which is - dare I say it? - occasionally better."
I am glad I was able to respond respectfully and yet still say what I meant in a concise manner and it seems to have hit home with many who feel as I do.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Dogs...Hmmmmm
The girls have begun pestering DH about wanting a dog. They had a good go at him on Shabbat. To the point where he said, "We have a lot of work coming up what with the move and getting settled and all. Let's get through that and talk again." Does that sound like a "maybe" to you?
Then this morning he came to me and whispered that the upstairs neighbor lady's daughter had found a German Shepherd and they were looking for a home for it. He said he was thinking of going to look at it just so he could say "Nah!" LOL
We had a quick whispered talk about it in the kitchen. I said I would tend not to go for a purebred. Plenty of mutts waiting for homes without breeding more. German Shepherds have genetic problems with their back legs and also since E is afraid of dogs probably best not to get a large one like that. If we ever got a dog and if the girls intend walking it, it needs to be a size that they can control on a leash. Also smaller dogs eat less and can get enough exercise in an apartment.
I have very mixed feelings about getting a dog. IF we ever did, I'm saying. Nice in theory but....they are a lot of work as well. I definitely would NOT get a puppy. I do not have time or energy to deal with housebreaking and getting my possessions chewed up. I do NOT have time to walk anything in the mornings. And thinking of having to walk it in the cold and rain and get up early on Shabbatot to walk it and up and down 4 flights of stairs on Shabbat.....Am I nuts?
The plus side could be that it would afford the kids hours of endless fun with no effort from me. Yeah. But it could also just add to the existing chaos in our house.
Can you tell I'm of two minds? I guess like DH says best to get through the move and then think again.
Then this morning he came to me and whispered that the upstairs neighbor lady's daughter had found a German Shepherd and they were looking for a home for it. He said he was thinking of going to look at it just so he could say "Nah!" LOL
We had a quick whispered talk about it in the kitchen. I said I would tend not to go for a purebred. Plenty of mutts waiting for homes without breeding more. German Shepherds have genetic problems with their back legs and also since E is afraid of dogs probably best not to get a large one like that. If we ever got a dog and if the girls intend walking it, it needs to be a size that they can control on a leash. Also smaller dogs eat less and can get enough exercise in an apartment.
I have very mixed feelings about getting a dog. IF we ever did, I'm saying. Nice in theory but....they are a lot of work as well. I definitely would NOT get a puppy. I do not have time or energy to deal with housebreaking and getting my possessions chewed up. I do NOT have time to walk anything in the mornings. And thinking of having to walk it in the cold and rain and get up early on Shabbatot to walk it and up and down 4 flights of stairs on Shabbat.....Am I nuts?
The plus side could be that it would afford the kids hours of endless fun with no effort from me. Yeah. But it could also just add to the existing chaos in our house.
Can you tell I'm of two minds? I guess like DH says best to get through the move and then think again.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Pesach Vacation Summary
Here I am back at work after being off work quite a lot due to Pesach (Passover). I've had a raging migraine since yesterday that still hasn't gone away even after taking something for it on two occasions since last night.
The kids were all off school for 2 1/2 weeks or so and I must be the only mom in the country who delights in school holidays. Just means the mornings are all my own for getting myself ready for work. They've been staying up WAAAAY later than I normally let them and therefore sleeping in later. So I have a full, delicious hour in the mornings during school holidays to shower, get dressed, do my makeup, etc. No kids to argue with over what they'll be wearing, no one's hair to fix, no homework to hound them about, no food fights in the morning over what, exactly, they will let me put in their pita and will actually agree to eat. Bliss!
The kids go back to school tomorrow. Which leaves me counting the minutes until the end of June and the start of summer vacation.
Pesach seemed to be all chag and no chol hamoed of which there were only 2 days. I worked one full day of chol hamoed and was off the other and that day was really nice. We all attended Y's acrobatics competition in the morning and then myself and my three offspring betook ourselves to the beach for about 3 hours followed up with a stop at IKEA for a cheap, kosher for Passover dinner out. The beach and the weather were heavenly. Cool breeze, warm sun. I think the water was too cold still to go in and I wasn't really interested in that anyway. Thankfully, the 2 little ones are getting old enough now where they are prepared to play in the surf themselves and I'm not too worried about them as long as they are in my line of vision. Far more relaxing for me this way than when they were younger and expected me to carry them into the surf, sit beside them, dig sand pits and tunnels with them. I hope to go back to the beach often but then again I say that every summer and it doesn't happen as often as I'd like somehow.
Shabbat of Pesach was....Shabbat. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then DH had the bright idea of inviting his mother BACK to us for chag sheini (last day of Passover) because his 2 married kids and 3 grandkids were coming for dinner and he thought his mom would like to see them all. Great in theory. Bad in reality. I was peopled out by this time. MIL is a nice lady and all but irks me no end. She lurks, hulks, hovers, whatever you want to call it. She's very critical in her dry British way which gets old and she's hard of hearing so it's impossible to have a conversation with her when you have to say everything 3 times before she gets it. In the end, I just left DH to deal with her and spent a lot of the day in bed in my room or out in the park with DS4. Just couldn't deal. I'm sure MIL thinks I'm the rudest person on the planet for ignoring her and goodness knows what she's told the rest of the family about me but.....too bad. I gotta do what I gotta do to cope, right?
So here we are back at work, catching up on 5 days worth of emails and slowly getting back into the swing.
The kids were all off school for 2 1/2 weeks or so and I must be the only mom in the country who delights in school holidays. Just means the mornings are all my own for getting myself ready for work. They've been staying up WAAAAY later than I normally let them and therefore sleeping in later. So I have a full, delicious hour in the mornings during school holidays to shower, get dressed, do my makeup, etc. No kids to argue with over what they'll be wearing, no one's hair to fix, no homework to hound them about, no food fights in the morning over what, exactly, they will let me put in their pita and will actually agree to eat. Bliss!
The kids go back to school tomorrow. Which leaves me counting the minutes until the end of June and the start of summer vacation.
Pesach seemed to be all chag and no chol hamoed of which there were only 2 days. I worked one full day of chol hamoed and was off the other and that day was really nice. We all attended Y's acrobatics competition in the morning and then myself and my three offspring betook ourselves to the beach for about 3 hours followed up with a stop at IKEA for a cheap, kosher for Passover dinner out. The beach and the weather were heavenly. Cool breeze, warm sun. I think the water was too cold still to go in and I wasn't really interested in that anyway. Thankfully, the 2 little ones are getting old enough now where they are prepared to play in the surf themselves and I'm not too worried about them as long as they are in my line of vision. Far more relaxing for me this way than when they were younger and expected me to carry them into the surf, sit beside them, dig sand pits and tunnels with them. I hope to go back to the beach often but then again I say that every summer and it doesn't happen as often as I'd like somehow.
Shabbat of Pesach was....Shabbat. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then DH had the bright idea of inviting his mother BACK to us for chag sheini (last day of Passover) because his 2 married kids and 3 grandkids were coming for dinner and he thought his mom would like to see them all. Great in theory. Bad in reality. I was peopled out by this time. MIL is a nice lady and all but irks me no end. She lurks, hulks, hovers, whatever you want to call it. She's very critical in her dry British way which gets old and she's hard of hearing so it's impossible to have a conversation with her when you have to say everything 3 times before she gets it. In the end, I just left DH to deal with her and spent a lot of the day in bed in my room or out in the park with DS4. Just couldn't deal. I'm sure MIL thinks I'm the rudest person on the planet for ignoring her and goodness knows what she's told the rest of the family about me but.....too bad. I gotta do what I gotta do to cope, right?
So here we are back at work, catching up on 5 days worth of emails and slowly getting back into the swing.
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