Winter

Winter is here. In other words, it rained. And after having rained once (for the first time in several months) it will probably rain again. Especially when you need to hang out the laundry. Clouds come and go, rain comes and goes. It looks like it will be clear for a while, so I hang out the laundry and after an hour it is half dry but clouds are gathering. Do I dare wait another half hour? Do I bring them in half wet? Better than all wet. Or some days I leave them out all day, and it doesn't rain, but nothing drys because of the coolness and the humidity.

Rocket fire from Gaza is always on the edge of our minds. Not that we go around worried or scared all the time, but it adds something very serious to life, and our hearts are with people who are in real danger.

I have added several Psalms to my list. I avoided using them earlier, because they are usually just one or two verse, which is quite different from singing the Scottish metrical in groups of six or so verses each. But really they are quite nice, in spite of being very short.

October

Simchat Torah is past now. That's when they complete the yearly cycle of Torah reading and start over again. No more holidays for awhile.

 Two colors of sedum. The yellow ones can be up to 3 inches across.

Shasta daisies.

 

Handy Internet

Whenever I have an odd question, I simply search for it on the internet. Surprising what you can find and how easy it is.
I typed in "fall asleep forget to breathe," and found there are people with my exact same experience. I have to be careful how I fall asleep (not too fast), or I stop breathing and wake with a jerk and start gasping for air. This is worse when I am behind on sleep. So in other words, sleep too little, sleep incorrectly. Sleep more, sleep correctly.
One thing that probably isn't on the internet -- how to get carrot peels out of your kitchen drain when you know there's an earwig hiding under one of them.
I wonder why they don't make colored bug repellent, so you'll know when you missed a spot. I hate to wake up in the morning with 5 mosquito bites on my forehead. But with cooler weather coming I'll soon be able to skip the repellent and simply close the windows.

More Flower Pictures

Pictures taken throughout the year.

Morning glory vine growing with bougainvillea.

Flowers

Taken throughout the year:

 

fuchsia

 

 

 

hollyhocks and nasturtiums

 

 

 

anchusa

 

 

geraniums

 



 

Fruit

I don't often see seedless grapes in Israel. So I don't eat grapes. Too bad I'm so spoiled.

This is not a sponge.

It's a mango, cut and ready to eat.

Yom Kippur and Succot

The greeting that you often hear during Yom Kippur is "htima tova," or "good signing."
According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah. The following days are the Days of Awe, during wish a Jewish person tries to amend his behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other human beings. On Yom Kippur God seals the verdict (for one year.)
The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt. At the end of Yom Kippur, one hopes that he has been forgiven by God.

After Yom Kippur comes Succot, a very enjoyable time for everyone. Everyone sets up an outdoor structure topped over with palm branches. They have some of their meals there, and some sleep there. Or you can eat in one Succa and sleep in a different one. You can also go Succa hopping, and help yourself to goodies at each one. Or so I've heard.
It rained yesterday evening, which is taken by some as a sign of God's displeasure, because it prohibits you from eating in your succa.

But apart from all that, I thought it was a lovely day yesterday. I saw three flocks of about 15 birds each flying over low in V-formation. They weren't geese, but a small white bird that flies with neck bent. In the evening there were a few cool breezes, some horizontal lightning, a little thunder, and a sprinkle of rain. My name is written in the book of life, because I have a sure atonement, through the blood of Jesus.