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Honey is Sweet

Kvelling - 2 - 19.11.2009

I'm grateful for: having something to pass on; doing Hebrew homework with D3, 2nd day in a row; somehow keeping on trudging on.

I've been so busy I don't know where to begin. Physically - not so good. In fact, worse than I was really prepared for. But otherwise...

Today was S2's tekkes, graduation, from tironut - his basic training in the atomic, chemical and biological cleanup brigade (I think it's 'brigade,' but I may well have the wrong word and it's something bigger. Anyone know how big is a brigade?)

TH got me up at 6am. And the rest of the family, but they function better than I do at any hour. Somehow we made it out of the door on time - what we thought was on time for what we were told was a 9o'clock window to visit with S2. Well, as usual everything wasn't what it was, and they'd changed the time to 8:30am, which we couldn't have made under the best of circumstances, but there it was.

It was when we parked at the ground that I realized how bad it/I was. I was literally crying, sitting in my wheelchair and thinking I should have stayed at home. It would have been better, and I wasn't up to this, and, well you can only imagine how bad I felt if you've ever been in a similar situation. I didn't want to ruin S2's day for sure, and I didn't think I could survive it in the shape I was in.

One of the beautiful things about Israel, though, is everyone complete and honest desire to help. TH just called out that we needed four strong guys to help get the wheelchair up the slope, and they did it. No muss or fuss, four guys came, got me up the slope, and then walked off, nothing to it. Love it.

The rest wasn't a piece of cake by any means, but I don't want to talk about that, I want to talk about being at the tekkes, and being told that S2 was selected as the exemplary soldier from his pluga. What that means is, he was singled out from all the other soldiers in his pluga (I forget, forty or sixty of them) as the absolute best of being what a soldier should be. I should add that there is something higher than 'exemplary' and that is to be 'exceptional.' The 'exceptional' soldier is chosen from the entire training group, and he gets to be 'exceptional' by doing more than is asked, going farther, doing things he really shouldn't - things that if they don't work out get you in big trouble - and making it work. So - S2 refused to let go that he was 'only' exemplary, but me - I get bragging rights!

He got a fancy certificate and a pin he can wear for the rest of his army service - for the rest of his life if he wants. It means something here, can make a difference in jobs and so forth. More important, he got recognition that he has worked his a** off and they've noticed, and knows that they value him. It doesn't change his desire to get out of the unit, and we will work with him on that, but it's a really cool thing.

We got to see him called up in front of the entire graduating class and awarded his special pin, and certificate, and given a new beret. Unfortunately a new beret is actually a drawback - now he has to spend a lot of time and work getting it into wearable condition. I found out they have a slang term for a new beret in the army, it is a חתולה מטה a dead cat.

If that wasn't good enough, D2 walked in to a classroom at her school to find a teacher talking to a new student. New student was starting late and the teacher said to new student - 'I shouldn't say this, but [D2] is the very best student here, and if you need to know anything, ask her.' I'm Kvelling! D2 isn't feeling any too badly about it either.

And, last but not least, after getting home from the tekkes, crawling into bed and going near unconscious from the overload of the day - not kidding on that, I lost a couple of hours at least. It's really amazing that one can feel that bad an live. But anyway, D3 had a visit with her orthodontist, and he says she can have the lower braces off in two months and her upper braces off in three. D3 couldn't have had happier news in the world. It's all good.

I got a phone call from FB while we were waiting for S2 to get released for his break - ten days at home before he goes off to advanced training - he was having a hard day, and I got to say all sorts of things to him that I needed to hear, about how it is just hard, and it's not that he is (or I am) doing anything wrong because it's all hard - it just is. And about how we sometimes need to do things that are bad for us just to get through a day, but that doesn't mean we are bad people, and so on and so on.

Also a phone call from MMF, in which I was able to talk about one or two things that have been eating at the inside of my brain - 1ncest recovery stuff - and got off the phone in good form with her.

AND - because I just can't be with having no million phonecalls in a day or two - RS phoned, kind of hysterical, and the upshot is that she is (theoretically) going to phone El Al to make a reservation. Someday. Which, honestly, is the best that she can do, she was crying and with a headache just agreeing to that. So, cool, it will work, and we will all be okay and she will arrive someday (I trust). RS really is a mess, and I dread - yes, truly dread having her living in this house with us. But it will be good, and it will only happen in Hashem's time, which is good for all of us.

Last but not least, I just ordered a pair of sheepskin slippers for D3. Her old pair, bought back in the U.S. before we made aliyah, have finally been passed down to S3, who will only be able to wear them for about a year before they are too small for him as well. But D3, who we got some new Israeli slippers, that she would live with for a year, really loved her sheepskin ones. I know, I have a pair myself, and they won't last forever. I've had them for over ten years, and it's amazing that they have lasted that long.

Good slippers are not optional, nor a luxury, in a country that has stone/tile floors in all the houses, and no such thing as central heat. Okay, central heat does exist. Just not anywhere I've lived or visited since I came to this country. So - slippers are really and truly necessary. They were on a really good sale at 0verstock.com, which was a surprize, too.

AND, while getting slippers there, I picked out a b-day present for - lessee if I can do this all again - the new wife of the father of my grandchildren. LC - I hope I can remember the initials. She has no decent family to speak of and has often tried to insert herself into mine, calling me 'ima' and all. I don't necessarily DIS-like her, and while she will never be all that she wants to be to me, I am happy to be able to do something nice for her. I was even able to score a lovely pearl & sterling silver necklace from Israel for her. Treat.

So, all-in-all it's been a good day. If you don't count the condition of the body, which really, really bites. I'm now having trouble with my left eye/eyelid to such an extent sometimes I have trouble seeing. I suppose that will require a trip to the dr., if not to the neuro, one of these days. *sigh*

I have grocery shopping to do tomorrow and have to go into Be'er Sheva for dental x-rays. I'm hoping I can combine the trips in one and that the body will somehow last for all of it. After that I'll be in bed unmoving for some time I expect. Well, been there, done that before. It's just no fun is all.

Maybe TH can take advantage of the time and get my room painted? A body can hope...

I've gotta lie down now. Later.

I'm listening to Quarterflash: Take Me To Heart

0 bleats so far

:: 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