I'm grateful for: a wonderful walk on the beach; hope that the electricity is straightened out a bit; my dogs and cats and kids and chickens.

The trip to the beach in Ashkelon was Wonderful! It's one of those you can't imagine it unless you'd been there sort of things. I did take photos, but, well, no photo can do justice to the waves rolling in, the beach effectively empty except for us, the Bedouin's sheep at the top by the parking area, the soft warm sand, wading along the edges of the waves ... I could have stayed for hours; but we didn't bring much food, and Havva was ready to leave after about ten minutes. Possibly Zechy too, but Simcha and El'yah would have stayed for a couple of hours right along with me.

That was so wonderful, we also looked at a bunch of antiquities, and the kids got to go down to the Canaanite Gate, which is the oldest existing arched gate in the world apparently. There were pigeons and ravens and calaniyot.

I got a lot of exercise for me, walking down to the beach, and walking at the edge of the waves. We picked up some pizza coming home, and I just came to my room and crashed. I don't know how long I slept, I woke up to hear Simcha talking to someone on the phone, it sounded important and apparently there weren't any adults (besides me I mean) in the house so I called out to find out who it was. So I got to talk to Hans, find out a little bit how he was doing. He's back in Missouri, and he moved up the date for beginning with the army, I guess he didn't want to be just sitting around waiting.

Tomorrow he goes for some extensive tests, physical, endurance, and also presumably some tests on paper, after which he goes back to my fil's and waits for the next class to start. That would be basic training. He's really looking forward to it.

I guess I feel pretty good about it in part because Havva had a very definite and determined dream that she followed and that has worked out beautifully. So I'm hopeful of a similarly happy outcome for Hans.

Besides talking to Hans, I spoke on the phone with Malki about fiber and visiting, Dina about people from whom we might be able to buy a lamb, Adina about who-knows-what besides she thinks there is a hen there she wants us to help her catch and get rid of, and I narrowly avoided talking to my sister. Not that I don't want to talk to her, but there is only so much telephoning I can take.

After three or four extended phone calls I am ready to pack it in and smash the telephones. All of them. Why and how did we end up with seven different telephones? And yet it is perfectly normal for Israel. Oy.

I did make it outside to feed the chickens and we got their eggs oiled. It went much more quickly and efficiently this time, not only because we knew what we were doing, but also the chickens seems to understand that we weren't hurting them and didn't fight as much. They weren't happy about it, you understand, but more stoic and accepting. The roosters legs look MUCH better but definitely not all better, so we'll be oiling him again on Tuesday. The hens all look get, so I guess oiling them is more prophylactic. I'd really hate to lose our setting hens, or the chicks (that we aren't counting) because we'd figured it wasn't enough of a risk.

Our neighbour Zion came by while we were outside. He has been doing that regularly, I guess he's figured out that we are outside around dusk and comes over then. He brought us some stuffed artichokes (they looked yum) and talked to John about oiling the hens and to both of us about what Eliyahu was learning at home. No one worries or questions about homeschooling here, but they do want to know how the kids are doing. Don't worry, I'll stop gushing about my new neighbourhood and how wonderful all the neighbours are, and of course they are human, and it isn't all just too, too perfect. At the moment though I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for something good in my life that I really have never had before. It's too cool.

Other than that I read another chapter of Journey to River Sea to Simcha and Zechy tonight, and I've been trying to catch up with things on the computer. We had a major problem with the electricity and a chunk of wire fried itself, and the place where we plug in the washer and dryer (I can't remember what the thing is called) had a chunk inside fused. Not good. So no power for a large chunk of the day, and now John has pretty thoroughly rewired the house, and put in a new circuit-breaker and the washer and dryer are on their own circuit, and maybe there is some hope now that things will work all right. I can hope.

Tomorrow John is going in to work, and will pick up his letter describing his raise as well as actually getting some work done. Now all I have to do is not spend his entire raise before we even get it. Not so easy when we are so tight this month, but I have faith. Somehow.

I have to try and get some sleep with both dogs taking up about 2/3s of the bed. They both want to be as close to me as they can, and Chamudah is resting her head on Balta as well. Well, I"ll managed to sleep or I won't. Right? Be well, all, and Gd bless.

I'm listening to Simon & Garfunkel: Bye Bye Love

:: 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