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Honey is Sweet Busy, busy - 2007-06-21 I'm grateful for: a new refrigerator?; a happy outcome at the beit din; my dogs, who love me so. So the thing is, the more I have to write about, the less time I have to write, yes? Wasn't home at all yesterday. Up at the crack of dawn - literally, at least an hour before John was supposed to wake me up, and so heading off with about four hours sleep. Not a good start. To the bank, post office, shuk, then off to Jerusalem. We made it to the zoo in good time, but Tzvia was late and Alina never made it at all. We ended up just having a family picnic there until some of the other homeschoolers showed up. Then it was hard to tear ourselves away as we caught up a bit on all sorts of things. But John and I tore ourselves away in good time to get to the place where the Beit Din was. We didn't even get lost - despite a forced left turn for no apparent reason on the otherwise most sensible route. Jerusalem is like that. We even found legal parking (!!!) You'd have to see this street to recognize how amazing that was. And lo-and-behold ran right into Neil. Through previous discussion with John and a quick talk with Neil I ended up giving him a check for 800 shekel - an amount demanded of him by one of the rabbis who was supposedly helping him. For a pair of t'fillin he didn't even need. I know I should probably explain better, but it's late, I'm tired, and there's so much more to say. Then John and I met some friends of his - Moshe Chaim, who apparently has CP (Cerebral Palsy). I didn't ask but have known people with CP and that's what it looked like. Chaim Moshe's mother, Miriam was there and has ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). So we were the wheelchair brigade. :-) There were also three rabbis and three or four friends/study partners. It was really pretty great. It went so quickly we were a bit stunned. Everyone who showed up in support of him had something to say, and at the end one of the rabbis of the beit din said that they didn't have any choice. That's just what he said. We laughed, we cried, we hugged. Out in the hall afterward, one of the three rabbis that had come to support and sponsor Neil said that he must have really blown them away. I can't remember if that was his exact words, but it was something like. So cool. So John and Neil (now Arye) had to go take care of some paperwork, and then we were telephoning people all over to tell them the outcome of the beit din. On our way out to the car we ran into Moshe Chaim and Miriam again. Miriam needed special transport and was being loaded into the taxi, but Moshe Chaim was getting around alone in his (power) wheelchair. I couldn't help but be impressed. Yes, he lives in the city and there are accessible buses and a power wheelchair certainly helps, but let me tell you Israel is not the first place that comes to mind for accessibility. Nor the second, third, fourth... There are undoubtedly cities in the poorer countries in Africa that are worse for a person in a wheel chair - but then again, maybe not. John, Arye and I drove off to the zoo and collected Simcha and Eliyahu, then went out for a celebratory dinner. We ended up at Pizza Sababa, which is a very nice restaurant, but I don't even want to tell you what it cost. I doubt we'll go there again, certainly not for supper. Then dropping Arye off by his job, as he had to work in the evening, we drove off to Be'er Sheva, under the setting sun. I want to mention that we got around Jerusalem, including some pretty impossible one way tiny streets, with just about no trouble at all. I had the map open on my lap, and for once the map actually corresponded to the real streets (except for that odd mandatory left turn...). It was stressful and difficult and wonderful and amazing. We got to Be'er Sheva just as it was dark. Went to the appliance store, checked on the refrigerator. It's the correct one, and they wouldn't do anything to reduce the price for the tax rollback. Which is very frustrating, and I think if we'd been more determined (and less tired), and had better Hebrew, we could have done something. But at least we will have our new, wonderful, ant-free refrigerator, being delivered tomorrow! :-) Got home at 8:30, kids had to eat, drink, dogs had to be walked, chickens and goats watered, and so on. I was actually going to bed I think around 11:40, and was asleep in very good time. This morning, oh, I was in so much pain (is anyone surprized?) But John had gone to work, waking Simcha up when he left. Argh. Anyway, we all sort of lolled around today. The kids and I watched a couple of Star Trek episodes, and I did get a bunch of laundry done. And we all managed to eat reasonably well. Havva and Diana phoned (Havva is with Diana now) in for us the late afternoon. It was wonderful to hear from them but I was so tired I actually resented the effort the phone call took. Zechy phoned at about 3pm our time, but we missed the call. I feel badly about it, I didn't even call him back, but I am that exhausted that I am doing us all the best by not pushing myself any harder. We also got the letter we were supposed to receive from Hans' commanding officer. I don't know when it was mailed but it sure took a while getting here. Now we have the correct address to mail things to Hans. I hope some of the other letters got to him anyhow. I'll write him tomorrow I hope. Can't do it now. John and I watched a Twilight Zone episode and also In Living Color. I didn't make it outside to feed the birds. I did manage to hose off in the shower in the evening. And, yeah, that's about it. I undoubtedly forgot a lot of things, and left a lot out. Maybe I'll try and make more sense tomorrow. Tonight I am just going to try to sleep. As tired as I am, as expensive as everything is, as broke as we are (yes, again), it is all good. And as much as I miss my four oldest children and my grandchildren. I'm listening to Glady Knight and The Pips: Midnight Train To Georgia 0 bleats so far:: Yesterdays : Tomorrows ::
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