I'm grateful for: sitting down to a family meal at the dining table; getting to go to the airport and pick up the tG's; the bouncing donkey thing S3 gave me.

I am having (I hope) a bit of peace and quiet, having shut my door with everyone on the outside but me. I have maybe one nerve left, and it is throbbing.

It's been good, but I am exhausted, I've done too much, been with too many people, too much noise, too many interruptions, too little rest. And I'm out of butter mints. You cannot imagine what a deprivation that is. :-(

Yesterday ended up being completely other than we could have planned (who is surprized?). Our friends who were going to pick up their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, phoned in the early-ish morning, as their car broke down just past Sderot. I was awake and TH and I quickly pow-wow'ed and agreed that I should drop him in Netivot and then continue up to Sderot, where I would pick up the wife (LtG), and drive with her to the airport. On the way plans changed a little bit, and TH ended up driving up with me, and waiting with the husband (DtG) for the tow truck (which came not too long after I'd left with the LtG).

LtG and I had a pleasant drive to the airport, then got a bit lost at the airport. I'd never tried to pick anyone up from outside, I'd always parked and gone in to the arrivals lobby. So I ended up on the wrong level, and drove all the way to the end of the terminal before figuring out something was wrong. Then we got a bit lost in the airport - actually LtG got lost, unfortunately. I'd told her to go ahead, since she can walk much faster than I can, but she apparently mis-understood the directions. I had understood them, but when I lost sight of her I assumed she'd gotten that far ahead of me, so I continued on to find her son (MtG), and daughter-in-law (EtG), and the three kids but no LtG.

I arrived at a good time, though, they were getting more than a little bit freaked out. They had two taxis (vans) to take all of their stuff, and drivers wanted directions (which the tG's couldn't give them), and to be reassured that someone would be there and a phone number to call for help, all of which I could give them fortunately. We still had to wait and fret until LtG found us, which caused more fretting of taxi-drivers, but finally both vans were packed, MtG, LtG and the youngest grandchild (an adorable little boy named Zack, who I think is six months old) in the larger of the two taxis.

EtG and the two little girls, 2 and 4, went back to my car and we packed them in along with a couple of boxes that wouldn't go in the taxis and some other stuff and headed for home.

I got back after noon and brought the tG's to their new temporary home. They are going to live in the beit katan (the small house) that DtG and LtG rent for a few days, and then they will swap, and the younger family live in the big house. EtG seemed rather nice, she's quite young to me, the same age as D1. I imagine we'll get on fine. As I understand it, they are still asleep. ;-)

TH walked over to the beit katan to help out a little bit and to get me and the car back home. I was paws up all the way. They had done a pretty good job of getting things ready at the house while I was driving around, fortunately. S2 got all of the laundry done, which was truly a miracle. Things were cleared and cleaned and put away. After I got back I asked TH to (finally) build the shelf for the salon we had bought the supplies for almost a week ago after he'd agreed to build it a couple of weeks before that. I shouldn't complain, in husband time, that is almost lightening speed. *sigh*

The shelf is really a marvel. We put it under a window (no such thing as sills or window seats here), and it now holds all the bowls of fruit and the bread basket and so on. Which means the dining table is now clear enough for us to all - *gasp* - eat at it. Or play a game (they are playing Wizard's Quest as I type this), or do schoolwork or... but I don't want to get too excited, because you know that by next week a host of new things will have taken over the table.

Despite being paws up, I did get out to feed the birds, and it was a real treat again. We have three new chicks brought over by our neighbour Tzion, they are smaller than our other chicks and so cute! I feel very sorry for them, as they are of course being pecked by all the other chickens. And when they go to roost at night, they each of them try to crawl under the others (they way they would crawl under a mother hen). Of course it doesn't work, and ends up looking rather like something Keystone Kops-ish. Sad and funny.

The dogs are being very, very good. I've been extremely careful about letting them out with the chickens because Chamudah WILL kill chicks no matter what we do. Only the last couple of times she's been out we've had almost no problems - a sharp word if she seems to be thinking about it is all that is required. And yesterday when Felix, the big rooster, refused to go in the lul (hen house), S3 was able to herd him in with the help of the three dogs. Wonderful to watch!

I'd had other plans for yesterday (like a bbq) that didn't happen because of the mad dash to the airport. Right now I can't remember what they were though. So not much of a loss, I guess.

We watched Fun With Dick and Jane, the one with Jane Fonda and George Seagal. It was fun to share it with the kids, but for me definitely watching once every twenty years is about right.

I had a bad night, but I did sleep. I woke up this morning in a foul mood though, and S3 proceeded to stand, quite shrilly, on my last nerve. We somehow made it through the morning with minimum unpleasantness. i did yell at the stupid blind puppy a couple of times, but that was really all. I got people organized to wash the dishes (left mouldering in the sink from last night), I folded the last of the laundry in the basket, the table got cleared properly, TH was motivated to get kiddush on the table at a decent hour, and we all sat down to a meal together at our dining table for the first time since I think Pesach. No, we didn't sit at the table then even, I think.

Now I'm in my room theoretically resting and recuperating. Which I am in the sense that for the first time in days I am able to type, and think, without any outside interruptions. I haven't settled down yet, that will take some time probably. Well, life is good today. That's what matters. And I may even get to work on a jigsaw puzzle.

I'm listening to the kids shouting and squealing while playing their game.

:: 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