For Crying Out Loud

In Fourteen hours, Daddy and I will be on the road . . .

to Haifa! It is too exciting. We have been doing errands and packing and buying this and that all day today. It is now after dinner and we are mostly packed (I can't find a shawl I was going to bring), with nothing to do but just wait. It feels weird.

We didn't get the windsheild wiper fixed, but it mysteriously started working today. We'll get the moter replace when we get back.

We have put all the perishable food in the freezer or instructed Mensch to eat it when he gets back from Mid-Winter.

What else? I still need to pay the bills. Find the timer for the light. I would like to find my shawl, but if I can't, well, then I can't.

Packing was a bit of a challenge. We are under the weight limit for each bag, if the website was accurate, but the challenge came from not knowing what the weather would be. Mara had said around 40-50, but when I looked on-line, the weather report for Haifa next week said it would go up to 82!

Anyway, we will be thinking of you and reading the blogs and keeping up to date with you. I will try to keep you posted on our goings on. It was truly wonderful to see Nathan, and briefly, Mensch. We had a nice visit with the extended family on Christmas. Mara, I am bringing photos/videos.

A bientot. Kisses and hugs. Everyone take care of themselves. And keep in touch.

Posted by Maman at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Maaarrrraaaa, Happy Birthday to you!

This is the only way that I am willing to sing! Have a happy birthday! I know your day is almost over, oops, no, it is your tomorrow. In just 106 hours (give or take!), we will be landing in Tel Aviv. When I talked to you this afternoon, I forgot to ask you how we were going to get from the airport.

Posted by Maman at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aunt Cindy invited me over for a bowl of soup and to watch her newest favorite movie, Pollyanna. It was a PBS Masterpiece Theater that she had tried to record, but got started too late, so bought the video. She was so excited about it. I got there, we had supper, Ev retired to the family room. Alana and I talked knitting, while Cindy cleaned up and puttered.

When it came time to watch the video, Alana was prodding me to hurry and said I should leave my knitting because I would have to "pay attention watching Pollyanna, or I would miss stuff". (huh?) So I gathered my knitting (I can knit without looking much), my tea, finished my dessert and settled in to the sofa. Everett stayed. (huh? He usually beats feet when we come armed to watch a movie.) I'm fussing with my knitting while they get the DVD set up. A preview comes on. (hmmm, I think, I thought they usually matched the previews to the type of movie. This preview seems a bit out of character for Pollyanna.)

Then Uncle Ev says, "Okay you have to turn out the light now."

Shaun of the Dead was the movie of the night! It was funny. If you haven't seen it, I suggest it. It is a good laugh. I enjoyed it more than I think I would have Pollyanna.

I guess it was one of those 'you had to be there' moments. The funniest part was that the Halls all conspired to put this over on me. While they were fussing with the DVD (Aunt Cindy was trying desperately to get past the preview so as to not give it away), I said to Cindy, "There are some movies we need to watch. Shaun of the Dead and Lemony Snicket." Uncle Ev, just looked at me and said, "There ya go." (huh? But, then I have never claimed to understand the man.) Of course, he knew we were about to watch it, so in retrospect, it did make sense.

Anyway, it was funny.

Posted by Maman at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

. . . on the medial strip

. . . with the car.

Yes, we are alright, but it was a bit scary when it was happening. After we caught our breath, he turned to me and said, "That was fun, Ruby. Do you want to do it again?" That is a tribute to his Aunt Ruby who was just a pile of fun, apparently.

It's this type of memory that just makes me love winter in Northeast Ohio.

Posted by Maman at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I know, I know. It’s December in Northeast Ohio, so of course it is snowing . . .

This has been a most unusual year weather-wise for Northeast Ohio. The temperature changes have been gradual, just a few degrees at a time. None of those 30-degree changes that are all too common here, that reduce spring to three days in May. The grass even stayed green all summer. I only remember one other summer in my 28 years in this area when that happened. It has been a glorious year weather-wise. No scorching summer days, a gradual and gentle autumn that was easing into the inevitable winter.

Well, winter arrived today. It started yesterday with snow squalls that blew around, but didn’t stick. I was going to go to Gramma’s to deliver her Christmas cards and help her build her trash can holder/hider thingy and turned around because the visibility wasn’t good. It was a good thing I did that because I came down with some sort of intestinal disorder and ended up spending the day curled up with rice bags and blankets reading Mark’s cookbooks. (I'm marking the recipes I want him to try -- while I am there, of course!)

Today, it was snowing when I got up, but not sticking. It was sticking by the time I got to work. I had to go out at 10 am. Car was clean. By 11 am when I came out, I had to clean off the car. As I pulled in to Lakeland, I watched another car do a donut at about 3 miles an hour in the loop right in front of the Clocktower, narrowly missing a Laketran bus. It looks like there is now four or five inches outside my window. I’m going to be here until 6 pm. I hate to think of what it is going to be like when I do go home.

I am really, really looking forward to my trip to Israel. (Two weeks from tomorrow!)

Posted by Maman at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)