I'm grateful for: a possibility of a lovely home; American credit cards; being so much better than I used to be

*sigh* Another day of not getting to read my buddies. I know what I am doing this weekend. Yup, sleeping. ;-)

So today, up early, on the road only a little later than we had hoped. We met the landlord in Netivot, which I believe is the nearest city. A very small city. Nice, though. After some chasing around like the Keystone Kops, we finally drove out to Shoqeda. I should say that one bit of this was very nice. We stopped by the landlord's current residence, and while all the men went inside to talk business, I got to have a chat with the landlord's sister (I believe). It was my first entire conversation with someone in Hebrew. !!! Pretty neat.

There were a couple of very difficult bits, when I just didn't know the words she was using, and she didn't know how to rephrase what she was saying, but in the end it worked out just fine. She was very patient and we actually talked about a wide range of subjects - where we come from, where we live now, where she lives, numbers of children (she has five), and ages, and what they are doing now, and how I feel about Hans going back to the U.S., and her father in the hospital and ... So it wasn't just a four sentence chat, either. I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

So we drove out to Shoqeda with the landlord, and I got sick on the way there which was awful. But it had a rather nice side effect that when we got to the house, I desperately needed to get to a bathroom, and there was a neighbour at home, so we went in and then visited for a bit, and now we know one of the neighbours. I can't remember his name (terrible), but his house is almost right next to ours, but it's the back corner of his house against the back corner of ours, so we needn't be in each other's faces at all. He was very friendly and sociable, although he rattled off so quickly that neither John nor I could follow much of what was said. He seemed to be good friends with the landlord (unless they are related, it seems as if almost all of the neighbours are).

After that the neighbour showed John his gan (garden) which he has in a shed (for protection from the sun, I guess) and where he is growing bananas. He is very proud of his banana plants and the fruit on them. I would be too. He has access to a tractor and we've been told he could clear our yard (for instance) for what to us is a very low price. Undoubtedly we would be seeing more of him.

Two houses down in the other direction is the landlord's brother, like I said the neighbours appear to be pretty much all family. We don't know who is next door on the other side, but the house is far enough away we don't need to see them at all (but we will - it's that kind of a place).

The house itself we didn't get to see inside, sadly, it was locked up. So we are going down tomorrow night to check it out. So, yeah, probably no reading tomorrow, either. But if the inside looks livable, and there is enough space, we will be renting the house. It really looks good. I like the neighbours that we've met, the neighbourhood, and the land around the house is really nice for us. There is a good sized garden (mostly of lawn) in the front of the house, with two very healthy looking olive trees and a good hedge. Behind the house is a chicken coop (lul), a couple of outbuildings, sheds I guess, and enough land for planting lemon trees (the landlord's suggestion) although I would prefer pomellos and pomegranites. John wants a lime tree, too. ;-)

The house itself is small, with five or six rooms (four or five bedrooms), two bathrooms, a kitchen and a salon all on one floor in a box shape. Even assuming the rooms are quite handsome in size it will be a lot less room than we've been used to. but we will have the outdoors, which we most definitely haven't had here. Right next to the house is a small cottage, two rooms, plus a kitchen/salon (one room) and a bathroom. Which makes it all work. I am looking forward to shoving Neil into the cottage. I'm kidding about the shoving - but maybe I'm not. I am pretty well sick of him right about now. I know it's as much being tired and stressed as anything he is doing, and it's not fair, but there it is.

Besides, he will be happier (or at least less grumpy) having a bit more space between he and us.

That allows for either Hans and Zechy (sharing a room) or Havva alone in the other bedroom. I'd prefer Havva, because she is the oldest, and really wants to get away from her siblings, and besides Zechy is only sixteen and I'm not ready for him to be living in a different house, be it never so close. But if she isn't comfortable or doesn't want to be living in the same house with Neil, I can't argue with that. We'll just have to see how it goes.

So, there is more, but it's late, and that wasn't my whole day. ;-/ The house is quite reasonable walking distance from the playground on the moshav, and 2 kilometres from the next moshav, where there is a makolet (neighbourhood store). So kids could easily ride their bikes, or even hike there if they wanted to.

After arranging with the landlord to see the interior(s) tomorrow night, John and I drove the neighbour across the moshav, and then the landlord back to his home in Netivot. We wanted to do a little shopping, and check out the town, but we couldn't find convenient parking and hadn't much time.

We drove from there to Ramla, where I had an appointment with the Ministry of Health. For a parking placard (you know, for crip parking). I had to see a panel of three dr.s, and I don't have any idea what their decision will be, but I figure if they turn me down I won't be any worse off than I am. *sigh* And I suspect it won't be anywhere near as necessary in the northwestern Negev, although I'd still want it if I needed to go to Jerusalem or something.

From there we went to Petah Tikva to do some grocery shopping (spending money we don't have). Havva phoned that she was getting out of work early, so we met up in Petah Tikva, she shopped with us a bit, and we all drove home together.

I hardly ate anything today, I did have the leftover piece of pizza. When we got home I collapsed into my chair and logged on to the computer to find an email from my mother - among plenty of other things. I want to say that even for her it was incredibly awful, but I'd be wrong. For her it was really par for the course. She called me a liar, not outright, but saying that things I had written in my last email 'didn't add up,' and that she wanted to hear the 'rest of the story.'

Since all I HAD told her in my previous email was that we were quite stressed and busy with moving and I would write her in more detail when things had calmed down - well - there wasn't a whole lot more I could say. I did tell her that I really didn't appreciate being called a liar. She will have a snit about that now, for sure. Bitch.

In theory the check she sent is already in the mail. I hope. 'Cause she's not going to be happy with me. I can hear her now, how she didn't say anything wrong and there is just no pleasing me (you know that I am the problem), and so on and so forth. All bewildered and hurt little girl who doesn't understand and it's so unfair! Oy. It makes me sick just to think about it. Of course, these days I feel queasy about anything and everything, or rather, I just feel queasy. Fun.

John and I had a bit of a fight. It was about him telling a complete stranger exactly how much he'd been offered for salary when he was hired, exactly how much of a raise he got after the first year, and, well, too much and I finally blew up before he got off the phone (although I was able to do it quietly).

We didn't go to bed mad at each other, though, so that's good I guess.

Not much else. I'm very tired. I need to rest lots tomorrow, so that I can be in the best possible shape to try driving the car (for the first time since the dizziness/vertigo started). I figure I'll drive slowly, stay to the right, and just have to trust that Hashem will get me there in one piece, or at least without crashing the car. I feel in part like it is *really* stupid to even be trying this. I hope it's not.

I'm going to bring Hans along, because he can drive the van in a pinch, even though he has no license, he knows how to drive, and how to drive stick shift and he's driven trucks so a van shouldn't be much of a problem for him. So John and Havva and Hans and I will go back down to Shoqeda tomorrow, and, Hashem willing, we will have a new home that we can move into in about a month. Otherwise, we have a couple of other options to look into. It will all work out.

Some good news on the homeschooling/truant officer front I believe, but I am just going to let it go. Must sleep. Be well, all, and Gd bless.

:: Yesterdays : Tomorrows ::

~~~Last Five Entries~~~
Hi and goodbye - 2010-10-15
I'll be moving on - 2010-10-10
Gold membership and stuff - 2010-10-10
Decisions, decisions - 2010-10-07
Days to go - 2010-10-06