Wednesday was Jerusalem Day. Wednesday evening I tried to get to church by bus. Some streets were closed off for parades, so the buses had to take different routes. (The route changes are published on the bus website, but I don't think the drivers or the passengers take much note of them.)
When my bus took an unexpected turn to get around the parade area, I decided I had better get off as soon as possible--but the driver didn't stop--he just kept going and going. So I waited it out, thinking he would probably eventually circle around closer to my destination. If worse came to worse, I could get off the bus and take a taxi. Meanwhile a grouchy-looking man was yelling what seemed to be complaints at the driver, but then he went up and had a friendly conversation with him. By that time several of the passengers were asking where we were going and some of them were trying to tell the driver where to turn. I don't know if he took their advice or not. At one point he turned right onto a street that was bumper-to-bumper, so he backed out of it and turned left instead. Eventually we came to a stop, not because the driver was interested in stopping, but because several passengers insisted on it.
I got on another bus and asked if it would take me to the train, and the driver gave me the barest nod, so I got on hoping that it really would. Whenever we stopped to pick up more passengers, they were all asking where the bus was going and can we get there from here, which implied they were being forced to take whatever bus they could get, instead of their usual bus, or they wouldn't have been asking so many questions. (Not tourists, either, but Jerusalemites, several of whom I recognized from the other end of town.) We passed several crowded bustops where people were trying to stop any bus they could get, but most of the buses just passed them up. When we finally reached the train area, a police car was blocking the road, so what does the bus driver do? He starts honking at the policeman, over and over. The policeman wouldn't give in, so the bus driver took another unexpected turn, and again the passengers had to demand to be let out. Those who wanted the train were disappointed because the train had shut down.
I got off about three blocks from my destination. I was almost an hour late, but I could only laugh. In other large cities, I would be very anxious going through unfamiliar neighborhoods, and shocked by people honking at the police, but this is Jerusalem. I'm glad I didn't take a taxi, because they will charge double on special occasions, or more if they can get away with it. Come to think of it, one of those buses was a free ride, because the meter wasn't working.
May 9, 2013
April 12, 2013
April 2013
Church here is different but interesting. The sermon the other night was preached in English and translated into Russian, while a woman behind me was translating for her husband into some other language. Some days the power goes out every so often, but we just sit patiently in the dark till it goes on again.
Basic truths like the resurrection, particular atonement, and eternal punishment are known and accepted by the regular members, but there are often visitors of all types, usually tourists, from various church backgrounds, and this results in many interesting discussions after church.
Songs are in English or Hebrew or sometimes Russian, or sometimes two languages simultaneously or consecutively. There isn't a regular hymnbook. For a while we used a projector of the kind where you print the songs on plastic. Now we use a computer projector with power point slides. Most of the Hebrew songs are transliterated into English and Russian. Some people prefer to read Hebrew in Hebrew, understandably, so one slide often contains three versions of the same verse.
We meet in a small lower room under a bigger church. It is not pretty, but it works well, and we don't need a sound system. Someone from another group would occasionally stick a small wooden cross on the wall, but a couple of us kept taking it down and eventually it disappeared for good. The only symbols we need are the bread and the wine. I have heard that the church above us is full of idols, so I am glad we have a plainer place.
Basic truths like the resurrection, particular atonement, and eternal punishment are known and accepted by the regular members, but there are often visitors of all types, usually tourists, from various church backgrounds, and this results in many interesting discussions after church.
Songs are in English or Hebrew or sometimes Russian, or sometimes two languages simultaneously or consecutively. There isn't a regular hymnbook. For a while we used a projector of the kind where you print the songs on plastic. Now we use a computer projector with power point slides. Most of the Hebrew songs are transliterated into English and Russian. Some people prefer to read Hebrew in Hebrew, understandably, so one slide often contains three versions of the same verse.
We meet in a small lower room under a bigger church. It is not pretty, but it works well, and we don't need a sound system. Someone from another group would occasionally stick a small wooden cross on the wall, but a couple of us kept taking it down and eventually it disappeared for good. The only symbols we need are the bread and the wine. I have heard that the church above us is full of idols, so I am glad we have a plainer place.
Trip to Galilee
A full day just relaxing. Not totally relaxing, since it involved a short hike, but relaxing by not planning, worrying, or studying.
I find this hilarious. Doesn't the sign need to be a little closer to the tunnel?
Fish Ponds
Farms
Lookout
Lookout over Valley of Megiddo
City on a Hill
Mount Tabor and part of Nazareth
March 16, 2013
WEATHER
Our record-breaking winter storm in December was quite an event. Eight inches of snow. Several episodes of hail and snow pellets. It took till the end of February before the piles of tree branches along every street were picked up. Our nice bottle-brush tree got broken, and so did the biggest rubber-tree I have ever seen. The leaning trees in the park had to be cut down, for which I am not sorry. But I don't understand why they left four-foot tall stumps, too high and slanted to sit on.
The last few days have been truly warm. I can actually take off my coat and sometimes my sweater indoors.
The cycle of spring flowers begins. I wish I were organized enough to make a flower diary with pictures. Mustard, poppies, anemone, oxalis, and various others probably bloom at very exact times, partly overlapping each other. My favorite rose bush this year has only two big beautiful deep pink-streaked flowers, instead of several small lighter-colored ones. White, lavendar and purple alyssum are blooming where planted. A hollyhock is coming up in the sidewalk. One year it had beautiful blossoms. The next year it go cut down before it bloomed. It doesn't know that it actually doesn't, according to some people, belong in the sidewalk. Judas trees are blooming, yellow puff trees are starting to bloom.
Anchusa, which has small deep blue flowers, is blooming. It's actually kind of a weed, but the flowers are nice. One year, back in the early 70's, I planted the garden variety, which looks about the same but without the thorns. The next year I didn't want them, but they were hard to get rid of. Every piece of tuberous root would start a new plant.
Every time I see a spectacular flower display, I look for the same thing to happen the next year. But it never happens again at the same place. But there are new ones. This week I saw some well trimmed pittosporum with lots of light-green new growth.
But the brick sidewalk near our flat hasn't been swept in over three years. The row of 20 or more big flower tubs gets no care at all, except for an automatic watering system, which is in need of maintenance. What grows in them is what grows easily, including a few persistent flowers and lots of weeds. The nicest flower displays are often half overtaken with some weed. Or there are several nice plants but they are much too crowded. I can appreciate a sort of wild look, but the dirt and dust and neglected look never cease to bother me.
The last few days have been truly warm. I can actually take off my coat and sometimes my sweater indoors.
The cycle of spring flowers begins. I wish I were organized enough to make a flower diary with pictures. Mustard, poppies, anemone, oxalis, and various others probably bloom at very exact times, partly overlapping each other. My favorite rose bush this year has only two big beautiful deep pink-streaked flowers, instead of several small lighter-colored ones. White, lavendar and purple alyssum are blooming where planted. A hollyhock is coming up in the sidewalk. One year it had beautiful blossoms. The next year it go cut down before it bloomed. It doesn't know that it actually doesn't, according to some people, belong in the sidewalk. Judas trees are blooming, yellow puff trees are starting to bloom.
Anchusa, which has small deep blue flowers, is blooming. It's actually kind of a weed, but the flowers are nice. One year, back in the early 70's, I planted the garden variety, which looks about the same but without the thorns. The next year I didn't want them, but they were hard to get rid of. Every piece of tuberous root would start a new plant.
Every time I see a spectacular flower display, I look for the same thing to happen the next year. But it never happens again at the same place. But there are new ones. This week I saw some well trimmed pittosporum with lots of light-green new growth.
But the brick sidewalk near our flat hasn't been swept in over three years. The row of 20 or more big flower tubs gets no care at all, except for an automatic watering system, which is in need of maintenance. What grows in them is what grows easily, including a few persistent flowers and lots of weeds. The nicest flower displays are often half overtaken with some weed. Or there are several nice plants but they are much too crowded. I can appreciate a sort of wild look, but the dirt and dust and neglected look never cease to bother me.
January 3, 2013
Fresh Water
If weeding your garden gets the weeds out, does salting the ocean get the salt out?
גנן גידל דגן בגן, דגן גדול גדל בגן׃ Or you could say, Ganan gidel dagan bagan; dagan gadol gadal bagan. Meaning, the gardener grew grain in the garden; large grain grew in the garden.
Anyway it's nice to have my computer working correctly again. They removed 12 gig of junk that windows had added over the last several months. 12 Gig!!! And there was a lot of dust inside and some spyware that AVG missed. So it's really nice to know a good computer guy. And I got my computer back in one day. Now it works like a charm. And it's quiet.
גנן גידל דגן בגן, דגן גדול גדל בגן׃ Or you could say, Ganan gidel dagan bagan; dagan gadol gadal bagan. Meaning, the gardener grew grain in the garden; large grain grew in the garden.
Anyway it's nice to have my computer working correctly again. They removed 12 gig of junk that windows had added over the last several months. 12 Gig!!! And there was a lot of dust inside and some spyware that AVG missed. So it's really nice to know a good computer guy. And I got my computer back in one day. Now it works like a charm. And it's quiet.
January 1, 2013
The Lord's Day
I wish I could find some short articles on the Christian Sabbath. There are hardly any Christian Sabbatarians in Israel, and I'm not even being fussy about whether you keep it on Saturday or Sunday. One in seven, just like God did in the beginning. Simple enough, and so helpful.
Ring out the Old
It's gone. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was everything it was supposed to be.
But now is time for resolutions. Number one, go to bed on time.
I have gotten myself into a horrible rut of too little sleep, always stressing out (making stress out of even the most enjoyable things). Leads to heartburn, dizzy spells, etc.
Well, at least I'm not depressed!
But now is time for resolutions. Number one, go to bed on time.
I have gotten myself into a horrible rut of too little sleep, always stressing out (making stress out of even the most enjoyable things). Leads to heartburn, dizzy spells, etc.
Well, at least I'm not depressed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)