I'm grateful for: finishing going through the phoot albums; a better organized kitchen; a wonderful new movie

No hope of catching up on all that's been happening. How is my life so full when I sit in a chair and am crippled all day long? I boggles the mind.

Thursday we left late, around noon. I am largely responsible, although John played a part. I just had this huge reluctance to go on the trip. I wasn't expecting it to be awful or anything like that, I don't even know what it was, except I wanted to stay home and not be going on this odyssey.

We agreed that rather than driving all the way to Kaditah and then trying to find the moshavim afterward, possibly in waning light, that we would go to them first. So finally everyone (except Neil who didn't go, and Havva, who had to work) was packed into the car with a bunch of food and drink, and all the things which we found that we believe belong to Maxine's family, and drove up north.

Finding the moshavim was a bust. We missed a turn twice, and the second time as we passed it said 'that has to be it' but couldn't turn around, and we were driving back and forth on the main street in an arab town which wasn't necessarily bad but a little uncomfortable, and we just gave it up. We'd been in the car two hours when we decided to give it up and just head straight for Kadita. Another two hours later we arrived at Darryl's house. That's Maxine's boyfriend - or whatever - and everyone is quite firm that it is His house, even though her housing subsidy pays most of the rent. But anyway.

It was a pleasant visit, even though I was afflicted by diarrhea of the mouth and didn't even notice until I had interrupted Maxine at least twice, probably three times. I need to get out more often. The kids had a great time, and it is truly a lovely place. But we only stayed an hour - we'd arrived late and couldn't stay until it was dark, we would be getting home late enough as it was.

So we drove down to Karmiel, as long as we were so far north, and it was pretty much on the way home, and did some shopping there at our favourite grocery store from when we lived there, which was a bit of a treat. And cheap. :-) And then drove the two hours home. All in all we were in the car seven hours, for a one hour visit and a pleasant but really missable shopping expedition. We got home around nine pm and we were all so dead it was really sad. Also my left leg gave out on the trip, and I couldn't walk about unassisted for the rest of the night.

Today was better. Thank goodness! I woke up late (surprize!), and came downstairs where I immediately tackled the photo albums, and finished doing that part of the job. Yeaa! Now I am going through a large paper box full of disks and negatives and photos trying to figure out what is what, putting photos in the albums when they should be, I've made a box for the negatives, I'll go through them someday. Or else I won't. If they just get thrown away after I'm dead it won't be the first time.

John did the rest of the grocery shopping (couldn't get everything at Shivuk, even when we lived in Karmiel) and when he came back we embarked on the rather huge project of trying to make the kitchen into a useable space. John took the American stove outside for someone to hopefully haul it away. And we took everything down, and moved what had been the sideboard to the area closest to the stove and sinks, so it can be used for food preparation, and moved the dining table over, hopefully far enough away no one will feel tempted to use it for preparing food.

It's a very nice table, but wasn't going to stay nice with kids dripping jam on in and spilling juice and all those sorts of things. Of course some of that will still happen, but hopefully much less.

And we rearranged some of the shelves, made room for the appliances on a shelf which really didn't need to be used for dishes (they were on three shelves, now they fit quite nicely on two. What a thing it is to be able to organize things!). John had the candles and shabbos things (kiddush cup, havdolah candle holder, and so on) skattered on three separate shelves. Now they are on two, they could probably go to one but I wasn't up to the fight today.

There is a lot more room in the kitchen now for just walking about. The trash can is no longer in front of some cabinets, making them more accessible, and we really didn't lose anything besides that stove, and some shelves which didn't belong in the kitchen, being a part of my desk, actually.

After that I collapsed in front of the computer and read and answered email. And caught up on my favourites here. I'm not sure why, but all my diaryland favourites have been writing like mad this week. The first time ever every single one of my buddies was highlighted. But I did catch up, it was nice, and I thought of things to say, but of course didn't because I'm like that too often.

We watched Kazablan which is an Israeli musical, a classic from the 1960's. It was wonderful. The clothes and hair were a bit hysterical - as anything from the 60's looks today, really. But Israeli, different from American clothes of the period, although still recognizable. It was a typical music, with a thin story stringing together song and dance routines which were variously fun, touching, and hilarious. It would have been perfect except my body was acting up. I couldn't come up to join the family right away, and spent a chunk of time in the bathroom including having to interrupt the movie at one point for a bit of an emergency. And that's all I'm going to say about that (how unusual).

Still, good clean fun. I am so happy to have the movie in the house.

After the movie, I came down here to write something for a meeting I had committed to write something for, and answered several difficult emails including the one from my daughter, and got into a silly exchange with a woman who reacted defensively to something I wrote in which she thought I was being defensive (I wasn't). I hope that's all straightened out now, but she hasn't yet written back yet, so I don't know.

And I am pretty well exhausted. My fingers don't want to try and type any more. I had one last email to answer, but hopefully it will wait until when I wake up. And hopefully the children will let me write it then.

I'm listening to Pearl Jam: Not For You

:: 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