I'm grateful for: dried kiwi!; feeling a mite better; Balta sleeping on my bedroom rug.

1:38 in the morning - according to the laptop clock. I am practically falling asleep as I'm typing this. Or typing in my sleep. So why do I bother? Well, for one thing, if I do drop off, I'll be awake again in minute, choking, coughing, gagging. Yeah, you wanted that much detail. But anyway, that's one reason. Another is that typing here at least allows me to feel like I have made one little connection with the outside world today. I am so tired of being sick. And bored. Oh, bored.

Lessee, I got a phone call from Megret today. She tells me that she somehow got an anaerobic infection in her mouth that requires all of her teeth to be pulled. Now I'm not expert, but so far as I am aware there just aren't that many anaerobic infections around. Botulism and gangrene are two that come to mind. So it doesn't sound good. Unless it is Megret shooting off her yap again taking one tiny little piece of information and concocting a whole dramatic piece around it. How can I tell? She's in Michigan, I'm in the northwestern Negev. Not that I even knew any better when I was in the states. I do know that she has concocted quite a few really fanciful stories over the years. So I will keep her in my prayers, but not lose any sleep over it. I'm losing sleep because of the 'flu, and that's good enough for me.

Havva and John worked briefly this morning to clean out a lul (chicken house) for the sister of a neighbour. They both got paid, and John took that as well as some money out of the bank to the shuk and found --- dried kiwi!

Okay, no one else gets how exciting this is for me. This is my absolute favourite snack food (and good for ya, too). I have trouble when I start eating them, to not eat them all at one sitting, in a few minutes. I LOVE dried kiwi. I don't know why. I'm not so enamoured of fresh kiwi. I like it, but ... Anyway, so last year the supplies of dried kiwi stopped, ran out, vanished around Pesach (Passover) and I've been limping along ever since. It's back! Yeaaaaaa! I ate about half of a small tupperware full today, but was actually quite sparing, pacing myself. And John got a huge bag. The price was ridiculous - 50 shekel a kilo. But I don't even feel, broke as we are, like I can complain. Give me dried kiwi or give me nothing. Which is about what we can afford, really.

I did the financial numbers, with the information I have. No bank statement from one bank for November, another bank only sends it's statements out quarterly, and then they are late, and totally illegible. I can't stress that enough. Native Israelis who've worked in government and business can't make head or tail out of the stuff the banks send. What hope have I? I do pretty well, all things considered. Just because I have a lifetime of practice at reading various kinds of statements, and you know there is a certain amount of information that just has to be there a certain way. But, I'll tell you, there is no such thing as balancing your checkbook/register. You just accept that you have a vague idea how much money is in your account, and go from there.

Fortunately Israeli banks tend to be quite flexible, even lenient, in paying bills and checks even after you have exhausted your funds, your overdraft, and your extra overdraft. It's all part of the system here, and it works, oddly enough.

The good news is, after this month, we should be reasonably set financially. Which is to say our income is more than sufficient to cover our necessary expenses. Not a whole lot of extra, but then who needs a whole lot of extra? The bad news is trying to get through this month. I do have faith that Hashem will provide, and I know that He often provides only at the last possible moment, but the time spent getting to that last possible moment can be awfully stressful. Scary. Miserable.

We also got our arnona (city taxes) bill for the year. If we can pay it all in January, it is not only over and done with, but WAY cheaper than paying it every second month all year long. It's like 25% off. Who wouldn't like 25% off of their taxes? But I'm scraping money for food again. How am I going to come up with another thousand shekels? I'm probably not. *sigh* But it would be very nice.

I managed to get a bath today, and John washed my hair. I am not really clean, but I am definitely less yucky. We put a heater in the bathroom, and heated water on the stove, so I could be sure of not getting chilled. It's a lot of work being sick! In case anyone didn't know.

Zechy and I worked on a jigsaw puzzle together, and listened to a part of My Man Jeeves - a Librivox audiobook. Simcha and I listened to Seven Little Australians, a book I would recommend if anyone can find it. Or if you wanted to listen to the audiobook, it's free at Librivox. Still not links, sorry. I'll try to fix that sometime. I wouldn't hold your breath.

I got a lot of Bob Dylan's book read today. And a neighbour gave us some chicken and couscous. Reasonably yummy, and a good thing since I can't really eat dairy while I'm this sick, and we just don't have much meat.

I also watched the movie Kazablan with John, Havva and Zechy. It is wonderful.

I did have a talk with Simcha and Eliyahu, telling them that when Uncle Neil comes home, we will be telling him he needs to move out. Simcha couldn't care less I think, or will be happy to see him gone, but Eliyahu cried. It broke my heart when he said that he was just getting used to having Neil living with us. Neil has been living with us for a year and a half, but only in the last week or so has he spent ANY time with Eliyahu, reading to him or playing with him, and he's been such an ass that it's true -- Eliyahu has only just started to get anything out of having his uncle living here.

It breaks my heart for Eliyahu, but there is a reason none of the older children will miss him. I'm maybe just as glad that Neil leave while Eliyahu still wants him around.

Somebody just let the air out of me. I guess I stop here, and pray that I somehow manage to get some sleep. I have been feeling a tiny bit better. Hope for the future?

I'm listening to my clock ticking

:: 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