I'm grateful for: a phone call from S1; a trip to the beach; surviving the last icky dr. procedure for a while (I hope).

Hans phoned today. It's not the first thing, nor the most important thing, but it is what is most on my mind at the moment. I miss him.

I woke up after about seven hours sleep, which has become somewhat normal, even though it is clearly not enough. S2 and D3 and I worked our way through a children's Hebrew book together. Some stressful moments and some funny moments and we took an hour and all survived it.

After that I needed to shower before going to Be'er Sheva but for some reason the water was turned off (to the whole moshav) so I managed a bit of a sponge bath using water I'd poured to drink last night. It really was that necessary. We went off to Be'er Sheva, all of us except S2, who elected to stay home by himself. The whole procedure was a bit of a misery, no surprizes there, but we were lucky enough to have many pleasant surprize encounters with English speakers, from the ultra-sound technician to a beautiful woman we met waiting for the lift.

She really was quite beautiful, and I hope I wasn't staring. But then I tried to explain myself, and she told me (in English accented I can only describe as black urban American) that I could say it in English. So I told her I just found her so beautiful (she really was) and apologized for staring, and it turned out her mother came from Washington (D.C.), and had always spoken English at home, so she was a native Israeli but with 'mother English' as it is called here. And an accent I don't think I ever expected to hear here. Not for any good reason maybe, it just never occurred to me.

S3 and D3 had a wonderful time apparently, D3 bought beads (she makes bead jewelry also) and they got ice cream at McDonald's which has a store inside the kenyone hamemshelah - Government Mall as it is called.

We went home after having some absolutely delicious shawarma, changed into swimsuits (including S2) and headed out for the beach at Asheklon. It really was wonderful.

I think for me, I would prefer the beach at the national park, which is smaller, quieter, and without so many amenities. But for the kids this was perfect. There is playground equipment at intervals set in the sand, and showers and water fountains and (I can't remember the name for them) shade provided by structures which do have a name, really. And ice cream stands and the sand it delightfully soft and you sink into it and shore is all sandy, no rocks, and there are breakwaters which help with the waves which today were quite impressive.

By the time we came home I was barely conscious, just that exhausted, but our driveway was blocked by this fellow Myier who wants to marry Havva (second daughter, D2), so instead of going inside and falling in my bed I had to stay in the car until he had left. D2 is still in the U.S. with Jessica (D1), and due home in a about ten days. Wow.

I got a lot of reading in Bitter Gold Hearts, and I've been listening to music from a variety of artists including all of annanotbob's utube links, which are loading so slowly I may not finish them before midnight.

Right now I'm listening to Leah Callahan singing The Red Eye. After trying to find something by The Blind Boys of Alabama and failing so far. I haven't given up, though.

It's about twenty to midnight and I am falling over tired. And praying for Hans (oldest son, S1). He should get out of the army quickly, and find himself a place where things work out for him and he can be happy.

I'm listening now to: Ann Blyth: Baubles, Bangles and Beads.

:: 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