May

I never was a writer. I just keep this blog up as a sort of contact with y'all back home, and anyone else who is interested. I've haven't done anything special lately, like playing violin with Sam. I don't even practice. Life is just same-o, same-o. If it weren't for going to Ulpan, it would be pretty boring. But I l-o-v-e going to Ulpan.
There are about 22 students, when they all show up, and we're all in the same boat, meaning we're trying to learn as much as we can as fast as we can. Which probably stimulates the teacher to talk more, and faster, and throw in extra words that we can't possibly memorize fast enough. If we'd all play dumb, she'd have to slow down. Or maybe not, since we have to finish the book one way or another. Today the teacher passed out a bunch of different pictures and we were supposed to discuss (in Hebrew, of course) with each other what we thought the people in the pictures were saying or thinking. Such as: a silhouette of two people arguing angrily, or another of two people with their backs to each other like they were refusing to speak to each other. Or one of three people talking together while a fourth is off to the side with her arms folded frowning at them. Or one of a man getting off a plane with several bags and trying to manage several small children. Or a woman looking upward with her hands on her hat. Or a woman with a mischievous look about to pour water on the face of a man who is snoring. Or a baby with a surprised look on his face. Or a woman underneath a desk with computers and wires all around. She looked like she could have been thinking, "This is a really big problem," or "What a hopeless mess!" or, "Do I dare plug this into this?" Or, "I think I need someone to help."

Somewhere along the line I picked up the Russian word for blanket and the French word for beach. This has the tendency to become addicting.

I think stone walls look nice with flowers in front of them. Or flowers look nice with a stone wall behind them.



I am not a city person at heart, but I must say that I can't imagine a better city than Jerusalem to live in.

Tomorrow...

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." (Spanish proverb)

Today, however, I'm posting bottle brushes. They come in red or white. They originally came from Australia.



This bird gets nectar from the bottle brushes.

Don't know what this vine is or how it got up there.

Palm Trees

There is a palm tree named Methusaleh. It sprouted from a seed that was dug up in the 1970's at Masada and planted in 2000. If it is a female tree, it may bear fruit soon.
In the fall they cover the clumps of dates with brown bags to protect them from water damage.
There are many varieties of palm trees, not just date palms and coconut palms. They grow in many parts of the world. Some are cold-hardy. Some are small and slow growing so you can put them in a pot. Some are grown for oil. Some produce sap that can be made into something like honey. Some have fruit that is good for jelly.
I couldn't resist looking up some pictures. These are from JungleMusic.net. They have a few thousand photos and they sell palm trees.
My favorite is this one with the tiger stripes on the trunk.

My Dog

I finally met one of the owners of "my" dog. I am relieved that he is not lost. They just let him loose once in a while. He doesn't go very far. When he is loose and on his own he acts a little curious and very cautious, but when he is with his owner he gets a very happy, cocky look. Now every time I see someone walking my dog I give them a big wave like they were an old friend. It seems like I have seen about six different people walking him. They don't know that I have adopted him and carry his picture around with me on my camera all the time.
I have also met the dog himself, and he is just about perfect. He is fairly tall but lightweight, and is very very clean. He is a mutt, I suppose you would say, but one of the best. His name is Muffin, a name which fit him when he was little, but his owner says Rex would fit him better now. So maybe I'll call him Muffix.

April 23, 1987

(one of the most wonderful dates in my life

I had a little girl
And she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was bad,
She wasn't very bad,
At least nothing like rhymes with "horrid."
And when she grew up,
She bought a little pup,
And the pup grew up to be a dog.
And then she moved away,
And then I moved away,
So here's the way I'll say
"Happy Birthday" to Mercy--
On my blog.

Don't cook your food in a violin.

Today was test day. It was a hard test, but I think I did well. The first time through I got most of the answers down, but when I went through it the second time I found several mistakes. I went through it a third tme and found more mistakes. At the last minute, just before I turned it in, I found another mistake. Whew! I burned up a lot of calories taking that test!
I got back a story that I wrote in Hebrew, about a page and a half long, about Ethiopian Jews. Again, I proof-read it at least three times, and each time found more errors -- but not all of them! I think the teacher liked it, even though she marked in about 60 corrections! And she may have let a few things slide that weren't quite the way an adult would speak. (But hey, you have to start somewhere!)
Most of my mistakes were spelling mistakes (1 through 7).
List of errors (I love lists!):
1. writing "heh" for "xet" or "xet" for "heh
2. writing "kaph" for "qoph"or "qoph" for final "kaph"
3. writing "zayin" backwards (which makes it a gimmel)
4. writing "ayin" for "aleph"
5. writing "tav" for "tet"
6. writing "samech" for "shin"
7. leaving out alef or ayin in several verbs
8. wrong gender of "this"
9. wrong gender of adjective
10. leaving out the subject pronoun
11. using a wrong verb
12. wrong preposition
13. leaving out the definite article
14. singular instead of plural verb
15. several others
When you learn your first language, you first learn to hear, then speak, then read, then write and spell. So I guess I shouldn't be worried if I can't spell yet--it's only been 5 months.
It's fun to learn a few new words in class or out of the dictionary and then the very same day hear someone using the same words. Is it providence or just "odds?" Of course I know that "odds" are really providence, too.
When I get on the bus these days sometimes there is a strong smell of fresh vegetables. Meaning, onions. People sometimes have huge bags of produce that they got at the market. Today I sat by a lady who had a big bag full of nice-looking big leaves, sort of like sycamore leaves or grape leaves. She said she rolls them up with rice and spices and some other words I didn't know. Then I asked her if she cooked them in the oven. Only I mistakenly used the word "kinor" (violin) instead of "tanur" (oven). She didn't let on that she noticed my mistake, but explained that she cooks them over the gas. I mentioned my mistake, and she again explained that she cooks them not in the oven but "on the top, over the gas." (I just learned the word for "up" or "on top" today.)I spoke to her in a mixture of English, Hebrew and Spanish. There's no point in killing myself trying to speak Hebrew when a lot of people speak perfect English and a lot of them speak Spanish. But she answered me in Hebrew and a few hand gestures. (Whew! That short conversation burned a lot of calories, too!)
I wonder if most people here have gas stoves rather than electric, and if they have electric, do they still call it gas? Just like in Canada they call their electricity water (hydro) because it's hydro-electric power.

Holocaust Day

Monday was Holocaust Day. At 11:00 the sirens started going, and kept going for two minutes. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still. Cars stopped on the road and people got out and stood beside their cars.
A small number of people did not stop. They just went on about their business as usual, as if it didn't pertain to them.

Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh ; a time to mourn , and a time to dance;

Rom 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice , and weep with them that weep.

Job had much wealth, but he did not take his ease, but rather remembered the less fortunate: -- Job 30:25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was [not] my soul grieved for the poor?

Solomon was heard because of his tender heart and humility: -- 2Ch 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard [thee] also, saith the LORD.

It is not only right for us to weep with/for others, it might be very bad for us if we don't: -- Luke 6:25 Woe unto you that are full ! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

Many others also have suffered. When you read about the BlackHawk Wars or Chief Joseph or the Trail of Tears, or about one child who suffered and died, or even one old person who simply died of old age, you can't not be moved. Even if you have not yet experienced at close hand any great sorrow of your own, you can Stand in Awe. And there are also those whom no one even knows about.

"Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward."

And Ecc 7:2 [It is] better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that [is] the end of all men; and the living will lay [it] to his heart.

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced , and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold , the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Luk 6:21 Blessed [are ye] that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are ye] that weep now: for ye shall laugh.