New Page------New Day-----New placement

A lot of bad things happened this week. It's as if the world is going crazy. 3 Gentile's killed at a Jewish facility by a anti semite. Those innocent people ,and I don't know how to say this without sounding cruel, played a horrible joke on the killer. They were not Jewish. So he didn't exterminate a Jew. He killed 3 people who were doing what a person in a free country can do. Enjoying the freedom of a Gentile going into a Jewish facility and participating in an activity, regardless of religion.And vice versa.

Bad joke is on that killer.

Then the ship over turning in North Korea. And the avalaunce in Mt. Everest where the serpa's died doing their job. Too much, too much. 

I'd like to go back to a simpler time when my day would end by me waiting for my Daddy at the street car stop and walking the block home to dinner. Those were the good days.

It's never too late to just feel helpless when some of these bad things happen. They say that you can't go home again. This must be what that means. 

I'm not supposed to believe in coincidences.But maybe I do a little. Especially if the coincident doesn't come with a message that I can understand. I just finished reading a book called "Bike Through". It was about this Christian man's ride from  the further most corner of the U.S. to Key West,Fl. 5,000 miles. When I picked this book at the library, I didnt realize that Jesus was coming along. But I still read it and it was a good ride. 

Here is the coincidence. He mentioned several times in his book that he had written another book called, "Hiking Through". He wrote it as therapy after his wife died of Cancer. I thought that it would be another good choice of a readable book. It was about hiking the Appalacha Trail. Bob and our son did a portion of that trail many years ago.

Are you still with me. As I was putting away my violin, I looked at the bookcase next to my case, and there was the book,"Hiking Through". I had it in the book case all along. I probably bought it for Bob, who never read it.

Does it mean something that I should have picked up the first book and then, there in my book case was his other book? I think so, but I haven't figured out what. Maybe I should start biking again. Or maybe I should plan a hike. What a decision.Which is easier. Someone tell me what to do.

It's never too late to start training for one or the other.

Yesterday was a challange and a wasted day in my life. And I can tell that my problem is still here. Bummer. I spent four hours on the phone with Apple.com people. They were professional, didn't talk condensendingly to me and besides my breaking down a few times, they took all of my info out of my computer and put it back in without any loss of life, on my part. Do you know how scary that is. They, who ever they are,had all of the information of every thing I do on the internet. So, except for 3 meals and 2 dog walks, I spent the day talking to Stephanie, Ashley and David at Apple.com. 

The sad part is that I felt so deflated. Why should an electronic device do that . It isn't human, it has no feelings,it is only here to do what I put into it and yet it made me cry with frustration. And the worse part is that I can tell the problem may not be my Apple, but this blog site. Oy Vey, more young people to deal with.It's never too late for one more phone call. I wonder where they are located. Sweden ! You gotta be kidding me.

The computor Gods are out to get me. None of my electronics seem to be working the way they were intended to.

My last thoughts were completely erased.Now I will have to think some more. I know that this is not a good way to start a day. My beloved iPad has taken a dislike to me. I tried to communicate with Apple.com but they are not friendly to problems. I am supposed to look for a number on the back of my pad. It gave me a problem before. I have to get my magnifying glass to find it. Why didn't I write it down.? My mistake.

I will struggle through this but I will not be a happy user.This may involve a trip to Best Buy, one of my favorite stores. So I guess this can't be all bad. I'll let you know tomarrow if I am still connected to the world via electronics. I'm thankful that I got this message out. It's never too late to know that my computers are smartter than I am. At least that is what they are telling me.

I am having a lot of mechanical issues with this blog site. Hopefully, I can finish my thoughts before it shuts done, again.

I was saying, just before this site crashed on me,that I am reading a book about a guy who is riding his bike across the U.S. That is 5000 miles, the way he is planning it. He has his reasons for doing this,but I would want company ,if it were me.

I trained for a tri athalon in the country. Farm dogs are very territorial. No leash laws or fences out in the country. And I was fair game ,if the dog was up for a chase. I carried pepper spray, but if the wind was not on my side, it didn't do any good. I never got bitten, but my daughter did. Biking to the ER is no fun. And trucks are fast on two lane roads. I won't do this again. I am older and wiser about my personal safety, now.

But the thought of riding a bike sounds good. We biked through Holland, Belgium and a little bit of England and that was an accomplishment. Holland has no hills, and very happy cows. England has hills and beautiful fields. Belgium had my cousins. And as long as the sag wagon was near by, we were good.

I may fill my tires with air and try biking again. I think I remember how to do it. I'll go around the block before I try going on the open road. It's never too late for another adventure.Do I need pepper spray in Paradise?

Before I opened my eyes this morning, my thoughts were of the shootings in K.C. On the eve of Passover and the families are sitting Sheva. Too much,too much.

People kill people. People with guns kill people.

With passover just hours away, this is a good time to house keep my blog. 

Did I mention that the site actually has a spell check now. I just have to know that I spelled the word wrong and then I can ask for a correction. This is thanks to my badgering them to do this feature. Now to have the site tell me when I misspelled a word. Soon I will work on punctuation. I seem to like run on sentences and commas.

Then, I apologize to people who have never had a pet. For some reason, I seem to think that people who have or who had a pet are nicer then people who never had one. Prove me wrong.I can take it.

I still like the plot of cook books better than some of the fiction that I read. I am on a reading binge of David Rosenfelt. He write mystery books. Another favorite of mine, along with cook books. He is completely irreverent (spell check, thank you), mixes adventure, legal knowledge, healthy sex, and an hysterical acknowledgement page. He always has his dog in the story. He supports a dog rescue opperation. I like him.

Then about Israel. I don't know when I will get there, but next year in Jerusalem has meaning for me. Its more about an adventure ,I think, then about religiosity . I can be Jewish anywhere, but it would be good to be Jewish in Israel. Doesn't it just give me pause to be where my history started ? Yes , to this.

So, I think my blog house is cleaned up. Bring on the matzo.

It's never too late to just spill my head onto the computer. It's very therapeutic.

I had the nicest surprise last night. Two friends gave me a beautiful cook book to mark the occasion of my being elected co president of our Congregation. How couldn't this cook book now become my favorite. Every time I use it,I'll be reminded of not only them, but the responsibility that I took on. This is some serious present. I don't think the book realizes yet how much meaning it will have in my life.

It's a good thing that this book will become special to me, because besides it being a good read, the author is a renown cook book writer and, most importantly, she knows how to cook.

You know that I do love cook books. If they are good, their usefulness never ends. I especially like it when I splatter the pages in the book. That's when I know that the book has merit.  I have been known to cut out the recipe of a book that has only a few recipes in it that I would use. I keep them in a manila envelope. Every now and then I look through them. I still like the recipes, so I haven't discarded any of them and I try to be more careful in buying CB's. Maybe some day when I retire I will paste the cut out recipes on sheets and put them in a binder. This will give me something to look forward to. It's never too late to have such thoughtful friends. Thank you.

Tonight at Shabbat services our little 7 person orchestra plays 3 numbers . Lucky for me, I will be sitting where the baby grand piano curves, so I won't be seen. And I don't think you will hear me either because the horns drown out the two violins. No matter. It'll be fun. I like my attitude. Try anything.It's never too late to try new things. Like learn to play the violin.

Age can be on my side. I think. It's as good an excuse as any to try new things. I never think that I am old. On the calendar, I probably am. When I go to fill out a form, it lists years of birth. I have to keep scrolling to find my year. Those list should start from the bottom and let the youngsters scroll down. They have more time to do this.

Tonight I get to wear my concert black and white. That's always fun. The guys wear the same. We look so professional. I will hide behind the piano, try to play all of the same notes as everyone else, and start when they do. I don't worry about finishing with every one else. I'm good about playing the last note and the last note on the 3 pieces we are playing are easy ones. Listen for me.

If we play a little flat, no one will care. We stepped up and are doing it and that is what matters. It's never too late to not let age ,or ability stop us from having a good time. Come and join us.

I say that I don't dream, but every now and then, I will wake up in the morning, and I remember something that could be described as a dream. This morning, I felt that I dreamt about 3 ladies who were sailing a large sail boat into a Harbor and they almost ran over some swimmers. Why was this even in my head. I don't sail, and I'm not going swimming .At least not now ! What deep seated thoughts does this "dream" mean for me.

I always wanted to be psychoanalyzed (please note: I now have spell check on this site). I have a limited memory of my first 6 years. I don't think that is normal. I am curious to know what I am blocking out. 

We used to listen to our kids relate their elaborate dreams. I think they made them up to make them more entertaining. After a very technicolor dream that went on and on, child two told the teller, child one, that she dreamt the same dream. That was a downer for the dream teller. 

I know that Cricket dreams. You can hear her making these little sounds and her little legs run in place. Is this a nightmare and should I wake her and comfort her. 

We have a child who walked in his sleep. We had a gate at the top of the stairs so he wouldn't fall down them. A couple of times, he would end up asleep in his closet. That couldn't have been so bad, he had his toy chest in there. 

Night time is full of activity. I hadn't thought about this before. My day is full enough,I need my rest. It's never too late to stick to day dreaming and let me sleep quietly at night.

I found a penny the other day. I can't use it, because it is a Canadian penny. But I will give it to my neighbor, who will be leaving Paradise to return to her "other" home in Canada. She can remember me for 6 months by looking at this penny I am giving her. 

I use to find a lot more money. I may have told already about how my running partner and I would save all of the money we found on the running path in Lincoln Park in Chicago. On Jan.1, we would count it and see who had the most.She always won. But then, she often ran to work and that was a great source of change and some times bills. It wasn't unusual for her to have collected $30 plus dollars. I stuck to the running path and maybe collected 20 bucks. Once I found a 10 dollar bill and that helped bring my total up.

I decided that here in Paradise, we only use credit cards and if we don't, we are very careful with our retirement money. Also, I don't think a lot of us run any more, so my places of finding money is relegated to the gas pump and to the floor at the grocery store. Slim pickings.

It's never too late to be careful about how you treat your change.  Remember, I can still stoop down to pick it up.

I finally got it right. We have been down sizing in both children and homes. Where we had 6 at the table  and a large, Victorian house, we now have two at the table and a two bedroom condo. However, I never caught on to cooking for two. Maybe that is why I so love having people over for dinner. Yesterday, I made a dish of cole slaw, for two. There are some things that are harder than others to down size. Cole slaw and potato salad are two that come to mind. How many meals can you eat left over cole slaw and potato salad. I have been known to put the potato salad on our sandwichs at lunch. Anything goes, so I don't have to throw it away.

But after being two for dinner for many years now, I finally got it right. I made cole slaw and we only ate it for one meal. I know, this is a small victory and I am a slow learner, but it made me feel good. 

There are some things that can't be frozen in life and these were two examples--potato salad and cole slaw.Now, I need to work on potato salad. It's never too late to teach myself that I don't have to buy in quantity. That was then, this is now.

Today's Nefesh B'Nefesh emails are the best yet. I had to read them to Bob. A family with 5 ADH kids are looking for a community. I'd love to meet the Mom. Her letter describing her "out of the Box" kids and what she needs in a community, is filled with humor and acceptance. She sounds "out of the box", too. I'd like to be her neighbor.

Then , another message is asking where can they buy Manischevitz Passover Cake Mix in Israel. How hard can that be ? The cake mix isn't that good in the states, why would you look for it in Israel ?

There often are request to bring a package back and forth from the states to Israel or the other way around. The note today is asking someone to carry an evelope from Brooklyn to them in Israel. They did find someone to do this, but the person carrying the letter said that they have to see what is inside of the envelope. That makes sense to me.

Monday is a great day for all of the NBN emails. They don't send them out on Shabbat, so on Monday, I get a lot of them. It keeps me amused for minutes.

It's never too late to be in Israel vicariously. Bob likes it this way.

I haven't done anything and already it is the 6th of the month. I'm having an OK time, not such a good one ,that time should move so quickly. It must be day light saving time that makes the days pass so quickly.

My Canadian neighbor is packing up to travel back to the border. I notice that traffic is slightly less. Soon, we can go out to eat again without reservations.  Its getting past warm and turning hot in the afternoon. A sure sign that summer will soon be here. Already, Cricket is having second thoughts about going out in the noon day sun. She does not like the heat,or cold, or rain, for that matter. 

Cricket will be so lonely when all of her morning friends leave to make their trip north. She'll 's have to keep in touch via Face Book !

I like that time moves swiftly for me. I look forward to every day. I looked forward to my first cup of coffee and everything that happens after that. I am always just so surprised when I check the calendar and it already is another number. I wouldn't want it to move slower, because I would probably fill the space with one more activity and I am full up already.

It's never too late to just check off the date on the calendar and appreciate that I am here to celebrate a new day.

It's Saturday and people are supposed to "sleep in " on this day. The only one asleep in our house, is Cricket. It's too dark for a walk, all our of doggie friends are still sleeping, so I have to wait around. That's the problem of being an early to bed , early to rise person. Most of the world isn't on your schedule. I have spent a great deal of my life, waiting. I am usually early for events and appointments. It is more of a curse than an asset.

I don't know how to fix this character flaw of mine. If you invite me for dinner at 6, I will be there at 6. Non of this showing up 15 minutes late. Where did that start , anyway.?  Back in Chicago, if you showed up on time for a dinner party, the host family was still taking a shower.

One of the things I like about living here in Paradise, is that we all come to dinner when we are asked to. Maybe we feel that at our age, we don't want to be late for dinner. I like this . If I plan a dinner for 6 PM ,I have thought out when I want to have the dinner ready and if you are late, I will be unhappy. It's much more sensible to be on time if you want a perfectly cooked dinner.

Here it is, just after 6 AM, Bob is eating breakfast, Cricket is asleep and I am waiting for the sun to shine. Not a bad way to start another day in Paradise.

It's never too late to think of something to do while waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. I think I'll blog.

I decided, on my own, that I would like to make Passover be the start of a new year on the Jewish calendar. It makes so much more sense to me. It is a recognition of spring, which is a time of new growth and it commemorates an event that was the beginning of Judaism.

Rosh Hashonah ,in the fall, is just too busy a time. The rest of the Jewish Holidays fall one on top of the other then.It is such a busy time. Families are getting ready for school. If you are a farmer, you are busy getting in your crops. If you are a snow bird, you are thinking of returning to Florida. Let's start with Sukkot as the first holiday in the fall. Then , maybe  around Thanksgiving time we could have Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but it is ecumenical . We could make it a Jewish holiday. We might have to move Chanukah .

I will have to give this more thought. It was just something that came to me when I was looking at the bright quarter moon last night. Passover will be here in a week and the moon, if it does what it has done ,forever, will be completely full. I expect it to be full and bright and that reminded me of new beginnings and appreciation of all new life. It's never too late to make these suggestions, even if you can't change the order of Judaic holidays. It was just a thought.

My sense of smell is very acute. It's probably my most active sense. I some times don't hear, my eyes get blurry, my taste buds are pretty good, my touch can be rough, but I can sure smell.

I notice that schools smell the same, no matter where you are. And new cars. I can tell when a friend has entered a room before me, by her perfume and I swear that I know when my upstairs neighbor lights a cigarette. I can smell a cigarette even when I am out with Cricket and no one is around. The scent of a cigarette can shut down all of my other senses. Yet, when I smell the cigarette, in the right conditions, it triggers a familiar and not unpleasant memory.

I was the only one in my house when I was a child ,who did not smoke. My Mother smoked, My father smoked and my sister smoked. I don't know how I escaped it. But when I sometimes catch the smell of a cigarette, when all conditions are right, it smells like home. Crazy. Funny what triggers responses.

There is a certain flora scent that I catch early in the morning ,that reminds me of New Orleans. I don't smell it often, but I just have to inhale and I remember the jasmine bushes at 5820 Hurst Street. And on some brisk mornings, I am reminded of the early mornings at the YMCA in Estes Park, Colorado. I can't help myself, the smells are there and the memory comes with it. I have to confess that a slight scent of skunk reminds me of good times at our cottage. 

It's never too late to just keep sniffing, use it or lose it, I guess and I don't want to lose these memories.

Yesterday , I opened my first Passover matzoh box. I couldn't wait. There is something special about that first matzoh that doesn't happen to any other box of matzoh. We eat matzoh all year. They are great with butter and with peanut butter and jelly. Messy, but good. But as it gets near to Passover, that box that says "Kosher for Passover ", just tastes better. 

As a kid, Passover was very special. Twice a year, I got new outfits, and Passover was one of those occasions. Black patent leather Mary Jane style shoes and a dress that usually had a pinafore. After that, I wore this outfit to Sunday School and since I hardly grew, the dress lasted me for a long time.

My Mother would go , on the street car, to my Grandma's house , to cook for the Seder. They made gefilte fish from scratch, bought the chickens to be ritually slaughtered and made sponge cakes. I loved to eat the raw mix of eggs and sugar that had to be hand beaten before the next step. There was not an electrical appliance in the house. Woman Power was it.

My Grandmother owned a Kosher Boarding House and it came with slave quarters in the back . This was her Passover head quarters. She cooked here, stored the food there, kept the change of dishes there. No hometz in her second kitchen.The food was served and eaten in her main dining room, but carried back and forth from the slave house.

I always fell asleep during the Seder, so I couldn't help clear and wash dishes. I drank as much wine mixed with water as I could so I could fall asleep at the table.I learned that early on and used it until Grandma passed away.I was 10, so I could get away with that. My sister was 18 when Grandma died, so she got the brundt of the clean up duty.

Passover brings up so many memories. It's never too late to just remember the good ones. 

🙂Hopefully, I haven't confused myself, but I am putting my new page at the beginning of my site, instead of at the bottom. I'll see how this works. Stay tuned in and tell your friends.

Yesterday was opening day at the ball park. That was always so special when the kids were growing up. It was unofficial senior ditch day . Like being Irish on St. Patrick's Day , you didn't have to be a Senior to participate. The only down side was that it was usually the coldest,wettest  and some times even snowiest day of spring. Never mind, it was the thing to do. And, if the Cubs won, you could say that they were in first place. It was a simpler time and a safer time. A day at the ball park was a rite of spring .

A few times when we lived walking distance to Cubs Field and our New York Grandchildren were visiting, we would take all 4( before Oliver's time) Grandkids to the game.That was wonderful. Who cared who won. It was a day at the park with Grandma and Grandpa. I hope that now that the kids are adults they remember that we went to the game a few times. We remember.

It's never too late to cheer on the Cubs, long distance or in person, this could be their year.