31.12.11

285

Saturday
It is very agreeable to start Shabbat with brunch. / It is also veeeerrryyy tasty when Grelie and Daniel host! / Originally / they were my sister Karen's friends / a fact that has been forgotten over the past forty years. / They are family! / Three generations attended / conversing in French / and the wine flowed. / A wonderful way to end the Gregorian year and wish everyone a very happy New Year / full of health and happiness. / Amen! /

30.12.11

286

Friday
The glorious sunset / on my way home from visiting my parents / reminded me of our first apartment in Herzliya. / We could look out to the horizon from our balcony and even see the sea. / At sunset my father would invite us to the balcony / to watch him create a sunset for us. / He gestured paintbrush strokes with his hands / a dab of orange here / a dash of yellow there / directing / conducting / the most beautiful sunsets. /

29.12.11

287

Thursday
I've loved books ever since I can remember. / As a child I was thrilled whenever my father asked me to select books from "La Guilde du livre" / choosing / compromising / waiting for them to arrive in the mail. / Today I went with my friend Neta / and a gift certificate to an art bookstore. / From the vast selection / books whispered: meeeee meeee… / choose me! / Finally I came home with "Andy Warhol Treasures" / I've one word to say / Wow! /

 
 

28.12.11

288

Wednesday
Musical chairs with my "babies". / One just returned from a Dog Training Camp / on Kibbutz Afikim / in the Jordan Valley / where he worked as an assistant dog trainer. / The other just left / she's flying to Rome with her boyfriend. / Oh… the beautiful youth! / 

27.12.11

289

Tuesday
Ironing. / I was 19 / living on Kibbutz Lehavot HaBashan / in the Hula Valley / when I learned to iron. /  The clothes of the kibbutz members I liked best / I "Crisp Ironed" / and made sure to leave a few wrinkles / in the clothes of those I didn't like J. / My daughter's clothes receive my very best Crisp Ironing. / I love her very / very / very much! /

26.12.11

290

Monday
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center / Ichilov Hospital / Respiratory Clinic / Department D / First floor / 1350 CC / This too is a morning get together    ♥ ♥  ♥ /

25.12.11

291

Sunday
I’ve been taught many things / some important / some not. / The most complex and fascinating lesson / that of being a mother / my children taught me. / When they're happy / so am I. / When they're sad I am too. / Today was an emotionally turbulent day / which calmed down a bit / with the arrival of friends for dinner. /

24.12.11

292

Saturday
Being the youngest of three daughters / often meant hand-me-down clothes / and living up to standards my sisters set / but it also meant not having to confront doors they'd fought to open / and being accepted with love by their friends. / This evening I was invited to light Hanukkah candles at Adina's / my sister Diane's friend. / It really / really was fun! /

23.12.11

293

Friday
Of all the Jewish holidays / Hanukkah is my favorite. / It wasn't always. / As a child in France / I was so envious / of the decorated Christmas trees in my friends houses and in school / of the preparations and the excitement / and of the "grand magasin" storefronts… / Merry Christmas! /

22.12.11

294

Thursday
"Are you in a hurry?" / Amnon / AKA The Cannon / asked. / We realized the name on the mailbox belonged to man on the stool beside it. / Proudly / he led us into his shrine / the (only) World Beach Bat Museum / in which there were beach bats of every shape and size. / It reminded me how Eliezer Frenkel / my teacher / used to say / "At a certain point quantity becomes quality". /

21.12.11

295

Wednesday
This evening we all got together / to light Hanukkah candles / at my sister Karen's house. / We also celebrated her birthday. / We said the blessing over the candles / and sang in harmony / about the miracles and wonders. / This year we have miracles of our own to be thankful for. /

20.12.11

296

Tuesday
Being on holiday / I can attend my son's weekly drum lesson. / It's something I've waited a long time to do. / My heart skips a beat / to see and listen to him playing with his teacher. / What an amazing child! / I'm being objective of course.J /
Hag Hanukkah Same'ah /

19.12.11

297

Monday
Listening to Oi Va Voi live / A new CD I bought after the concert I went to with friends last Friday. / A great way to start my Hanukkah holiday. /

18.12.11

298

Sunday
On my way home from teaching / I stopped at the mall to run some errands: / arrangements / refunds / store credits / repairs / replacements / and… some really unexpected shopping. / Starting with "Orla Kiely" style mugs / and… / also… / Rona was my "life line" / looking at photos I sent her via WhatsApp / and instructing me strictly: / Need! / Don't Need! /

17.12.11

299

Saturday
When we immigrated to Israel / in the early 70s / everything changed / language / food / culture / friends and family. / New friends / also immigrants / became part of our family / as did the family living below us / and we've been friends ever since. / This morning I met with the son of this family / whom I'd not seen for several years. / Tomorrow he's going back to Philadelphia / where he set up his new home. / I had the same twinges parting from him / as I do when a family member goes away. /

16.12.11

300

Friday
"You can’t choose your relatives" / the saying goes. / My spouse's youngest cousin recently became a mother / so today we went to Kibbutz Tzova / on the outskirts of Jerusalem / to meet the new addition to the family. / Though I chose my spouse / I didn't choose his cousin or her three brothers / but I definitely would have. / I'm so glad I "inherited" them. /

15.12.11

301

Thursday
It's been happening every second Thursday / for the past 19 years. / J. arrives / together he and I / move everything / clean / vacuum / wipe / and polish the house / till it shines. / I never look forward to it / but always love the result. / With everything back in place / the weekend starts. / I sat in the living room / listened to Tom Waits / and enjoyed paging though / Lulu de Kwiatkowski's art book. /

14.12.11

302

Wednesday
Me… / I am a spouse / a mother / a sister / a sister-in-law / an aunt / a daughter-in-law… / But first and foremost / I am a daughter / that's where it all began. / Once every week or two / my parents and I / spend quality time together / just the three of us. / Daughter and parents / sitting around the table / the heart of the house / as we always have. / Moments to cherish. /

13.12.11

303

Tuesday
Several years ago / in a moment of exhaustion / my spouse asked me / "How can I help you?" / without thinking twice I answered / "Take over making the children's lunch sandwiches in the morning". / I just couldn't stand it anymore. / This morning / in addition to making the children's lunch sandwiches / he prepared two for me as well / and my cup of coffee for the road / was only waiting for the water to boil. / What a great way to start the day! J /

12.12.11

304

Monday
My sister and her family moved to Canada in 2003. / Since / I've a new job / which I do with love! / It's as close to librarian as I will ever be. / I collect / schnorrer / pack and send / Hebrew books to my brother-in-law / whom I believe / in a pinch / would happily read even the Yellow Pages / as long as it was in Hebrew. /

11.12.11

305

Sunday
I love almost everything about winter / except making the bed. / Our duvet / though I bought the lightest one there is / is huge and heavy. / Changing its cover is a saga unto itself. / Just when I think I've managed / I discover the wide side of the duvet is in the narrow end of the cover! / But… / to cuddle up under the duvet on a rainy day / is heavenly! /

10.12.11

306

Saturday
I can't remember when last I was sick / fifteen years ago / maybe more. / I have this fantasy that one day / when I'm sick / I'll just stay in bed all day / read books / and enjoy every minute of it. / So… / since yesterday I've been in bed almost all the time / everything hurts. / A newspaper article / I'd put aside / took me two days to read. /

9.12.11

307

Friday
I announced that this evening we'd be eating at a restaurant. / I booked a table at Cafe Italia / a new restaurant in our neighborhood. / It allowed me to take a nap this afternoon. / So fine and tasty. /

8.12.11

308

Thursday
I'm listening to Roy Dahan's terrific disk in a loop / to make up for last night / when I went with Ora and Rona / all the way to Beit Yanai / see him play at Hasifriya bar. / What a mistake! / It was crowded / full of cigarette smoke / there were constant technical problems / the sound was terrible / and if that wasn't enough / while I was taking photos / the bar owner asked me / if I was Roy's mother / or a secret admirer. / I'll try seeing him again / he's worth it. /


7.12.11

309

Wednesday
It's about time. / Yes Mr. President / the courts found you guilty! / You abused the power given to you / and you're going to jail / for rape / sexual harassment / and obstruction of justice. / No Mr. President / you're not being executed. / Justice has been done. / Today the women you abused / can finally start trying to rebuild their lives and regain their honor. /

6.12.11

310

Tuesday
I succeeded in educating my family to recycle batteries / but I still need to encourage them to make the trip to the recycling bin on the other side of the neighborhood. /

5.12.11

311

Monday
This morning I spent in front of the computer screen / editing today's post / and putting the final touches to the journal to be exchanged tomorrow. /

4.12.11

312

Sunday
My week began with an endless to-do list. / I finally managed to take a moment to myself / and opened the new book I bought / "Print & Pattern 2". / Established designers / arranged alphabetically / alongside newcomers. / The forms and colors reminded me why I have such a passion for textile design. /

3.12.11

313

Saturday
The last time I visited Ora / we decided that next time / we’d watch a chick flick together. / After some debate / we spent the afternoon curled up under a blanket / watching "Sex and the City". / A typical piece of Hollywood fluff / but still fun / reminiscent of when I was addicted to the TV series. /

2.12.11

314

Friday
I've had thousands of students / and though I was sure I’d remember them all / I don’t! / I mostly only remember the ones that challenged me as a designer and as a lecturer. / Roy Cohen was such a student. / He now designs and makes breathtaking kaleidoscopes. / Today I visited him at the "Nahalat Binyamin" bi-weekly Tel Aviv craft fair. /

1.12.11

315

Thursday
Winter - Summer seasonal wardrobe switchover. / Getting rid of clothes / that won’t be fashionable again any time soon / or that were waiting for me to lose weight. /