New Page---New Day

Routine stuff

The latest discussion on my NBN egoup is about getting two things. One is a license for a gun and the second is about buying vanilla for baking. I think it is wonderful that you can have such diverse subjects on the same day and everyone has an opinion and a solution. First, I learned, that getting a gun license is hard for an OLim (a newby). Your test is difficult and it is in Hebrew. Some have to take it multiple times. It's easier to get vanilla. I now know how to make vanilla and I plan to do it the next snow day. Until then , I will just buy it. Who would think that something we take so for granted, could be a commodity that is difficult to find and expensive, once you find it. I like vanilla, but I hadn't thought too much about it,before. Now I will respect the little amount that I have left in the bottle.

 

It's never too late to appreciate the fortitude of the Israeli mind. Guns,vanilla, whatever. It's all in a day of living in that country. You gotta love that.

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Back to dumpster diving

I have always wanted my trash to look as good as some OCD neighbors. Usually, if we have some thing to throw out, like cardboard, we just put it next to the garbage can on pick up day. This time, I had all of the pieces of our bookcase that came tumbling down  the other day.  I got out the duck tape and we made nice small bundles of the remains and I so proudly put these out. I want the garbage man to be impressed. I have now put one more item on my bucket list that I accomplished.  Bound my trash. 

I have all the rights of a certified dumpster diver. Our family even had "T" shirts made that identifies us as dumpster divers. Now, any DD member would be proud to take my duck taped trash. It's wrapped.

I've mentioned before,that we don't have good stuff here in our developement for DD.

I will have to go outside of my community to find the quality stuff. This was brought to my attention, yesterday, when we went for drinks at a neighbors house. She was driving along, and saw a beauitful, unblemished table ,base and solid glass top, just waiting for pick up. So she did.  I am going to drive around a little more. I can use two lawn chairs.

It's never too late and I just don't get tired of dumpster diving. I have to keep up the family tradition.

It's never too late
leona uchitelle

Vanilla, the real stuff,please

I never realize that getting real vanilla for baking, would be a problem when I go to Israel. For the last couple of days, the buzz on my NBN group email site , has been about finding real vanilla. This is refreshing, because I am getting tired of all of the personal accounts of how bad the banking system is in Israel. And that scares me a little, too. It is confusing to me to hear about all of the hoops you have to go through to bank, and how long between deposit and withdrawal time. And money exchange problems. There are people who make a living exchanging money. Amazing. Must be a cultural thing. 

Right now, I go to an ATM machine,take out some cash and when it is used up, I do the process again. Easy,peasy. Not so fast in Israel. It is an art form there. I will use my credit card, and take my chances.Too confusing, but now I can concentrate oon buying real vanilla. All of the responses about vanilla , have told how expensive iit is. It's expensive here too, for the real stuff. Someone wrote in that she makes heer own with Vodka and vanilla sticks. That is cool. If I had Vodka in the house, I would try that. maybe she will invite me over and I can watch her make it..and test the end result.It's never too late to learn how to make real vanilla. I learn something new every day. That's a good thing.

 

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Dumb, but a lesson learned

I have a confession to make. I have been doing a  really dumb thing. Every month I get my credit card statement, I scan it not very carefully and then I pay it. All of a sudden, I decided to be more responsible and check more carefully. Sure enough, every monthh. I was paying $37.95 for some service that I didn't recognize. I checked old statements. Sure enough, for over a year, I have been paying this amont. I called the credit card people,because I couldn't tell what this company was from the code they used.  They checked, got me in touch with the service and we cancelled it. It was a greeting card service that I must have thought that I would use, but never did and then I forgot about it. That was a couple of hundred dollars lost because I was careless. It was not the card peoples problem, it was mine because I let this get away from me. I want to make a public statement that I will never again  be so casual about money spent on a credit card. That was really dumb.

It's never too late to recognize that I have to take responsibility for this carelessness. I feel so dumb. But now it is off of my statement and at least, I learned a lesson.

 

Count down

I've been counting and there are 12 weeks left before our odyssey trip to Israel. I count on a Sunday, so I don't cheat and make the time shorter.

I emailed Israel  to my favorite museum and asked about renting a wheel chair. Their reply was "just come, we have two". They made it sounds like no one else would ever think to need one. Then I contacted the person that was recommended to me as a guide. I have been emailing him off and on . His name is Ikey. I hope that I don't call him Inkey. That was the name of my first dog. Inkey was the meanest dog we ever had. My mother teased him so much that he didn't trust anyone. He bit her regularly. 

Now, I can make some concrete plans. This is getting really exciting. I did sign up for cooking classes in Tel Aviv. I have Orly Ziv's coook book and now I can cook with her. I hope the fee isn't as high as I converted when I put in shekles to convert to US dollars. It's my special traet, so I will do it whatever she charges. Within reason,that is.

I bought a new purse for travel. Nice and roomy. Places for everything, secure and almost big enough for Cricket ,if we decided to take her. I've been wearing my purse to get used to it. It works . Then I bought new sneakers that look like regular shoes. I'm wearing them now too. I think that I am ready to go. 

It's never too late to get excited about a new adventure, to look forward to sharing a trip of a life time with your loved one. It's for him ,really, that riwe are doing this. I want this trip to be perfect, down to the littlest detail, for both of us, actually.

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

A new use for a car

I saw a neighbor , in my development, do something that I have never seen here. She got into her car, which was in her car port, back out of her drive way , stop at the end, and take her little bag of garbage and put it at the curb. Then she got back into her car and went forward, back to her carport. Crazy. Or lazy. I've seen that done when one of our daughters lived in Atlanta, but the drive way was long and hilly. I could understand that happening there. The lady in the car seemed to be healthy, but I shouldn't pass judgement. Don't I have my TV in the bedroom, with all kinds of remotes next to the bed, just waiting for me to change volumn,stations,DVD's,the time,and who knows what else I could do from my bedside. Too bad I don't have a remote to open and close the verticle blinds. I hear the new ones work like that.If I had a "Clapper"thing, I could do the lights, too. On second thought, the lady in the car with her garbage ,was being very creative.  Why should cars only take you places. She was putting hers to work. It's never too late to be creative. I'm going to devote some time today to thinking about what extra value I can get from my car. Maybe it can walk Cricket for me, especially when It is raining. Now that may be a good idea.

It's Never Too late
leona uchitelle

Veteran's we salute you

It's always so emotional when Veteran's Day is acknowledged at our Congregation. These old men  stand up and are recognized by us. They salute the flag and they stand straighter and taller. It is touching. These men were boys when they went into the sevice. The Second World War was a long time ago.A few must be from the Korean Conflict and some because of Student commissions. Either way, they served and they are proud of it, as they should be.

Isreal has this unique system where almost every kid goes into the Army after High School. They come out a few years later,travel for a year and then settle down to go to college or pursue some career. That is so sensible. They go in as kids, they don't waste their parents money on party time and finding themselves and they come out of the army, committed to Israel,and  their buddies and they have had enough time to evaluate what they might like to do next. Makes such good sense.

I don't know if I would feel the same way if it were my child being called up, but it works well in Israel.

I only pray that next year, when we celebrate our Veteran's, the same people are here for us to be so proud of. It's never too late to be thankful for what they did for us.

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

A Cricket day

The weather is changing. I can tell, even if I didn't have the weather man or a thermometer to check. Cricket wants to resume her afternoon walks. I know that because about 3 o'clock, she sits and stares at me. That is how she communicates. I do wish I had taught her another way to tell me. It's disconcerting to be stared at by a dog. 

She does have a good word recognition, though. There are many expressions that she understands. She can also know when she is not being invited to join us. I don'tknow how she knows, but she does. She can sniff when another dog is blocks away from us. She does a little whiney sounds and looks around. I don't see anything. A few minutes later, a dog and the owner come into view. How does she know that? Cricket has absolutely no survival skills. Cars don't intimidate her, she is not interested in squirrels. A rabbit may stop her for a minute, but she moves on without too much interest. Moving golf carts are her friends, especially when our maintenance man is driving it. She'd never survive if I was not on the other end of her leash. She doesn't even get into garbage. It's un natural. One thing that I have been unsuccessful in teaching her, is to stay within the white bike lines. She wants to walk in the street. That worked before the snowbirds returned, but not now. And for 10 pounds, she can really pull. 

It's never too late to have a project with her. I'll work on the white lines but I know that in the end, she'll walk where she wants to walk. I had better be the one who looks out for cars. Or wear orange.

 

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Just looking,thanks

I am always fascinated by the job offerings on the Nefesh B Nefesh group emails. They can range from looking for a Dentist to being a front end designer. I know what a Dentist is, but not the other. Once they were looking for a "House Mother". I've had a lot of experience with that. I wonder if having four kids would qualify me for that job. How do you say, in Hebrew, "No, you can't do what your friend is doing". I used that line a lot.

Some of the jobs are written in Russian. Thank goodness, I don't have to learn that alphabet. I get a laugh when I read that there is a job open for someone who speaks Norweigan, or French. I wonder what you have to do with those languages in Israel. I'd love to speak French. I'd be happy to just speak English correctly and speaking Hebrew would be a wonderful dream come true.

I could ,once again, blame my Mother for not teaching me Russian. I blame her for everything else, why not this phobia about foreign languages. I wonder what secrets she and Aunt Goldie kept from my inquiring ears. Russian was their go to language when I came into the room. On the other hand, how bright my Mother must have been to pick up English. She could read ,write and speak it. And when you look at the Russian alphabet,what a challenge that must have been to relearn a language. 

I'll continue to work on my Hebrew. This time when I get asked questions at ElAl security, maybe I can say more than a three word sentences in Hebrew. I wonder if I will impress the guard. I didn't the last time. It's never too late to keep reading the want ads. I don't want  a job, but it tells me what a diverse country Israel is. I like that.

 

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Red, white and blue or Blue and White, Both work for me

I am wearing a red, white and blue sticky thing that tells everyone that I voted. I don't put political signs on my car, I usually tuck my Star of David inside my shirt.  I prefer to be not invisible , but privaate. But it feels good to get this sticky thing to wear all day on my shirt. I voted. Why wouldn't I ?  It's something that a citizen should do. It's free, it's very private, it probably won't change the world, but I still like to think that it might.

This brings me to something that I have thought about. I do have a question about duel citizenship. I guess that I can't vote twice, or can I? I can have a vote in two continents. I could strongly suggest items for my elected officials to do on one side of the world and on the other side , negotiate peaceful conclusions. In real time, this isn't going to happen. After months of nasty TV commercials from every party out there ,I am surprised that anyone feels like voting.. Truths are hard to recognize by someone like me, who is not very political.

I like my sticky red, white and blue "I voted" sticker. I wouldn't want anyone to take my voting rights away from me. My passion is to have the right to vote. It's never too late to be a flag waver. I can wave a flag in any democratic place that I live in. It's what brought my parents to this country. I have to carry on the lgacy, wherever I live.

It's Never Too late
leona uchitelle

Sit awhile, think awhile

This change in our time is not working for me. Yesterday I checked the clock at 4:45. Today, it was 4 o'clock. I am going in reverse. There's not much to do at 4 A.M. Can't practice my violin. My head is awake, but my fingers are not.And neither are my neighbors.  I cleaned the house yesterday in preperation for my cleaning crew that is coming today,so I don't want to do that. I could put the clean dishes away, but I only put them in. That's part of my job description. I could always read, but I don't feel like it. Coffee sounds good. I am on my last pound. My order from Chicago is in the mail. The smell of brewing coffee should wake up the rest of the house.

I could just think for awhile. I have plenty of thinking that is past due. I have a long experience with sitting and thinking. I refined it when we had our cottage. We could sit on the deck for hours,reading or just looking out at the lake. Life seemed simple then. Kids,home,husband. Now it is more complicated. Health,finances,world unrest, Grandchildren, politics,the weather. If I am going to think, I am right to get an early start. It's never too late to get up early and start my thinking process. I have to hurry because the coffee is almost ready and I am not finished with the solution for world peace.

Its Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

A time to let go

The time has come when I do not consider myself a runner any more. It was like a head smack when this thought surfaced. It was brought to mind when I learned that the New York Marathon was yesterday, I didn't even know that. In the past, I was either running it, preparing to run it, planning a trip to N.Y. to watch it, or making plans to watch it on TV. This year... nothing. It just slipped up on me. 

It's true that I have a lot on my plate right now, but to not even remember that the biggest running event in my life was here, and I just didn't even know, showed that I was no longer part of that world. 

I guess it is time to move on. You, meaning me, can't always do what you used to do. I will have such great memories of this event. Like  the time that I met a guy at the airport in N.Y. and I had my finishers medal around my neck. He came up to me and said that he had taken a rain check on running this years marathon because it was too cold for him. I felt like Super Woman, which I secretly am. Being applauded as I crossed over bridge after bridge in the five burrows was pretty awesome, too. Oh well, things do come to ends and memories last a long time. I'll just go for the memories.It's never too late to look at my Finishers medals and know that I had a great time, every time.

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Early to be, but don't get up yet

The clocks get changed back today. That is always tricky when there are babies and dogs to contend with. Babies don't understand the concept and want to eat when they want to eat, and dogs are about on the same thought process. For a short period, babies and dogs are on the same level of understanding the world. Babies move on, but dogs continue to want to go for a walk and eat on their circadian time piece. Today we got up at 5:45, but we changed the clocks back to 4:45. At 5:45, we thoght we had overslept, but at 4:45, we didn't want to get out of our warm bed. Either way, Cricket is under our blanket,enjoying an other hour of sleep. Sleeping is not a problem with Cricket. She never seems to have sleepless nights. There seems to be no stresses in her life that keep her up. Maybe I am on the right track when I tell people that I want to come back in my next life, as a well loved dog. I don't want to be a rescue dog. That would keep me up at night.

I know why and when the smart people, the ones who make decisions in our best interest, decided that we need Day Light Savings Time, but I would like to see that challenged, now. I want it all year. There is even DLST in Israel. What made them join in. At our cottage, which was at the very end of the zone that distinguished mid west from eastern, we had sunlight until 9 PM during the summer. It made having a bon fire a late night affair. 

It's never too late to just get up, change the clocks and hope that I get to them all. In reality, that's not so hard because the electronics change themselves. How do they know to do this. Now that's smart.

It's Never Too Late
leona uchitelle

Sarah's Tent

At services last night, I had to smile at the thought I had about the Rabbi's sermon. It was that little trick that the Torah does when it changes one letter of a key word,that then  changes the entire meaning of not only the word, but the meaning of the whole lesson. The word, as our Rabbi told us, changed "his tent " to the feminine form of "to her tent". What made me smile is that even so far back in our history, even when the world wasn't so heavily populated, the thought that "when Momma is happy, everyone is happy" was a given. All because Avraham put up Sarah's tent first. That is so cool. I've heard it said that Jewish men make good husbands and this all started because Avraham choose to put up Sarah's tent before his own. He was a role model for all of the men who came after.I thought that Jewish men were good husbands because their Mothers trained them  , but I can see now that it started way before that. It's never too late to know that we Jewish girls are the lucky recievers of a lesson learned from Avraham early on. Put up your wife's tent  first. Thanks Abe.

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Latest comments

01.12 | 14:15

Safe travels. See you soon. sally

04.07 | 12:10

I read the last page first too. It’s a family curse.

22.05 | 12:38

so glad youre here mom!

29.08 | 17:45

Don't quite know how this got to me but it was on the top line of my computer (not in email) But I really enjoyed it. I truly admire you.