HAPPY PASSOVER

Sorry I didn't write on Friday...it has been very hectic here with Pessach and everything. First again thank you for writing and phoning and caring...means a lot...a whole lot.

After coming back from the hospital, I was wiped out and spent the next weekend in bed. Then Sunday morning, for some unknown reason, I decided to get up and clean the freezer for Pessach.

Now, I don't know what it's like in your house...but by me Pessach is Pessach. My husband, bless him started cleaning while I was busy with my DIL (daughterinlaw), so I didn't have to do the heavy stuff.

And between you and me, I didn't pull apart all my cupboards this year like I usually do...I just did the fridge and the stove and the gas burners and tied off all the cupboards with yarn.

That left the cooking. Pessach came in last night which made it kind of tricky as that meant Friday/Saturday/Sunday. In Israel we only have one seder, ptew, and as my oldest son is the religious one we usually go to their house for seder.

Thursday I went over and started cooking at their house. Sweetsie Tootsie and Sweetsie Girl were just thrilled with Bubbie being there...we are deeply in love, sigh.

My husband is from Kurdistan and there are specialities for every holiday. The biggie for Pessach is that instead of the usual salt water and eggs, they have slices of salty roast meat and hard boiled eggs. When the boys were children they used to break the eggs over each other's heads...cute but ouch. Now we just peel them and eat them with the salty meat. Actually delicious. So I started preparing the meat and let it cook for about four hours. Meanwhile I made a chicken soup and knaidlach (matzah balls) and the hard boiled eggs.

Got home pooped and still had to clear out the kitchen to turn it over for Pessach the next morning.

Friday a.m. I took out and washed the pots and pans and cutlery dishes and glasses and new everything...condiments/tea/coffee/sugar/etc etc...everything has to have a lable stating that it is kosher for passover and set everything up on my, now empty, counters and began cooking for our place.

More roast meat/chicken/chicken soup/knaidlach/salad...the works. But once it is done and the table is set it is so special.

One of the main parts of the seder is the charosets...represents the mortar the Jews had to use in order to make bricks in Egypt. In my house, Bubbie Channah chopped apples and nuts with a little wine. In my husbands household it was made differently.

Here is the recipe and trust me it is beyond delicious.

1 kilo date honey...silan it is called here.
1/4 kilo walnuts
1/4 kilo peanuts
1/4 kilo red sesame seeds

roast and grind the nuts
when the honey begins to boil add 1/4 cup of water and slowly add the nut mixture stirring to make sure there are no lumps
cook on a low flame for ten minutes
transfer to jars

While I was at the kids' cooking, Sweetsie Tootsie, who will be six soon, tfu tfu tfu, asked me what I thought about an ambulance driver, a policeman or a fireman.
I asked if he was talking about his purim costume for next year.
'No, Bubbie. For what I want to be when I grow up.'
I asked him if he thought he'd like to be a Rabbi.
He decided to think about that.

When I told Bubbie Channah about the conversation she said, 'Marallyn, you forgot to mention maybe a doctor a lawyer or a dentist?'

:)))

We had a great seder last night. The family was wonderful, the kids were delightful, and then close to midnight we drove Bubbie Channah home and my husband and Joe College and myself went to the seder outside of the Prime Minister's house.

Close to sixty people from all over the country gave up their seders with their families to protest the fact that our three boys are still not home...What makes this night different from all the 674 other nights??? VEY!!!

We showed up after our seder. Tens of others showed up after their seders. It was a very moving and important evening.

The press was out. The Prime Minister didn't come near. Shame on him. But then that's a whole other blog.

I hope you had a wonderful seder. For those of you who don't celebrate Pessach, thanks for listening.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

AS I WAS SAYING...

For those of you who know me, you know I love to talk. But, I don't really say much. For all my blabbing and chatting and shmoozing, I am really a rather private person.

So I did a lot of thinking before I opened my laptop and clicked on to blogger. And the bottom line is that this time I can't just shmooze. I have a story to tell. A terrible awful horrible story.

Last week my daughter-in-law was told that her seven month old fetus had no heart beat!!! Monday all the tests were perfect and by Thursday the virus that was making her so sick attacked the baby and killed it!

It has been a terrible week. I moved into the hospital with her for five days and while my husband and two kids helped my oldest son cope and take care of their two babies.

The family gathered. Friends gathered. The hospital staff was amazing and gentle and kind. But the bottom line was still the same.

I know all the right things to say. I know that it is God's will. I know that this is extremely sad and not a tradegy. You don't need me to fill in the blanks.

The whole hospital was talking about the poor girl and her mother-in-law. Now as a person who believes in God and the mysteries of the world, I know that it is not by chance that my son married this woman and that we are so close. Her mother passed away suddenly two years ago and the bond between us grew even closer.

I don't know why this happened. I don't know how to pick up and be normal. But I will and she will and my son will and we all will. There is some kind of a dangerous virus going around and we were the third that day in the hospital.

Sad. So sad. So very very sad. But we have us and we have you and we will be all right. Soon. Not today, but soon.

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

THE TRUTH IS I MISSED US

No, I haven't finished the re-write of Emma Shelby is No More. Actually, I'm up-to-here in the rewrite. But...I missed us.

So, I decided that instead of blogging every day, I'm going to blog very Friday. That will let me accomplish two things...one, to keep in touch, and two, to wish you all a sweet shabbat shalom.

So much has happened since I was here. Life has a way of filling in all the blanks, if you know what I mean.

The family is great. Bubbie Channah is wonderful. I'm teaching in the afternoons.

But, the bulk of my time is still spent with my invisible playmates. I love writing...duh...but there is a lot of difference between forging ahead with a story and putting new pieces into an already established puzzle.

Lucky me I have the greatest mentor in the universe gently prodding and suggesting. I have a brilliant writing group who trust me with theirs as much as I trust them with mine.

The babies are beyond wonderful. Sweetsie Tootsie decided to sleep over last week for the first time. He's going to be six in June. He said so long to his folks and sister, grabbed my hand and the remote control...a man, after all...and flipped the channels till he found what he was looking for...action/guns/good guys/bad guys...Lethal Weapon 2!!!

As we snuggled up under the covers I was flipped back to when my own kids...and his daddy...used to climb into our beds. Then it was a fight to get them to stay in their own room an entire night. How foolish we were. They grew up so quickly and then didn't have time for us, never mind want to snuggle and watch tv with mom.

I have to confess, I fell asleep before the kid and woke up first. What a joy just watching him sleep. Does anyone sleep more peacefully than a young child? How wonderful.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Sweetsie Girl looked at a piece of art work he gave me as a gift. It is a fish, the length from your fingers to your elbow (there must be a real measure for that) and is covered with silver sparkles and a big eye and all kinds of decorations. The middle of the fish is hollowed out in the shape of a triangle and inside is a picture of him all dressed up as a clown for Purim. It is great and as he handed it to me he said, "Bubbie, I made this just for you."

Of course, I teared up and hugged him and thanked him.

That is when she spoke up. And in her three year old little girl voice said, "The only reason he's giving it to you, is that it's so ugly!"

Dontcha just love feisty women??? Vey. What's she going to be like at thirteen? I shudder to think about it.

Oh. The fish is hanging in my kitchen over the calendar! I think it's gorgeous!

Ok. Off I go to work on Emma. The cooking is done already. I'm not going out with Rena for breakfast as she is off to a family function. I'm just home alone. Hubby at work and Joe College at the University. Bubbie Channah just phoned and she is off to buy half of a b-b-que chicken at the deli around the corner.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. A delicious Shabbat. I missed us.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.