Today (28 December 2009), we celebrate the 4th anniversary of our aliyah (immigration to The Land). On one hand, it's hard to believe that that much time has passed, but, on the other hand, that day 4 years ago when we arrived here seems far away, in the distant past. So much has happened on our adventure, and some many more things seem ready to happen in the future. We love it here, and we are continually amazed by the people, the beauty, and just the general feeling of really, truly living in the Promised Land.
A couple of weeks ago, we had gone down to the hardware store in Khatzor and had bought a Hyundai (same Korean company as the one that built our car, too) weed whacker (well, actually the box says "grass cutter", in English). We had not yet gotten around to putting it together and using it yet, however, partly because the weather has mostly been much too wet and partly because we have been too busy. But, today the weather was dry (and has been long enough for the weeds in the yard not to be too wet), and I'm on vacation, so we had no more excuses.
I put it together without too much difficulty, but I discovered something peculiar. The handle was clearly turned 180˚ from its correct position (and this was NOT something that I had done!). After feeling rather discouraged, we pulled ourselves together and drove back down to Khatzor to see what they could do for us, especially since I had carelessly thrown away the receipt.
As we as we arrived, we saw the helpful (and cute!) young man who had sold it to us. Without any questions he proceeded personally to work on it until he was able to figure out how to get it turned around to the right position. Score one for both good customer service and the Israeli can-do attitude.
When we got home, I got back into my boots and old jeans, and started whacking the weeds in the yard by our front door. After only a very few minutes, however, the thing broke. Actually, it was a piece of plastic that broke. It's a circular piece that can be tightened and loosened in order to change to length of the pole. But when it broke, it could no longer be tightened, and this allowed the pole to break separate into 2 separate pieces, making the machine useless.
After another bout of discouragement, we hopped back into the car and drove back down to Khatzor once again. This time, Eliran (the cute salesman) was not there at first, but another guy (older, but also easy on the eyes!) helped us. We had to wait a while, and Eliran also returned during that time. Finally, the other guy taped the piece up as a temporary measure and told us that he would order a replacement piece, which should arrive in a few days (I'll take that to mean 2 weeks, since most Israeli time estimates need to be doubled!).
Of course, as expected, the tape didn't really hold it together all that well, but I still did manage to get maybe a third of that one yard trimmed in some fashion. By then, my back was about to go out, so I knew I'd better stop anyway, before I got seriously into trouble.
So, there you have it -- another excellent adventure in Israel. Although we often complain about customer service here, there are also times like this when it's just about unbeatable. And, did I mention the good scenery? ;-)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Hosting prospective עולות חדשות olot chadashot
This week, some friends of friends contacted us. They are a couple from Long Beach, and they are planning to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) in the near future. They were already in the country on a pilot trip, so I immediately invited them to come up and visit us here in Tsfat.
So, shortly after noon on Friday they arrived here from Tel Aviv in a rented car. The fog was so heavy that they could barely see the road once they started up the hill above Rosh Pinna, so I had to guide them by phone through the final turns. But they made it, and all of us were delighted!
We took them to prayers in Nahariya with us Friday night. Everyone was very welcoming, and we all had a wonderful time. Today, they took us to breakfast in Rosh Pinna, and then we took them on a grand tour of the extreme North. They are now seriously thinking of settling in Nahariya, which I think will be perfect for them. We are looking forward to them being here in Israel for good, because they have already become great friends!
So, shortly after noon on Friday they arrived here from Tel Aviv in a rented car. The fog was so heavy that they could barely see the road once they started up the hill above Rosh Pinna, so I had to guide them by phone through the final turns. But they made it, and all of us were delighted!
We took them to prayers in Nahariya with us Friday night. Everyone was very welcoming, and we all had a wonderful time. Today, they took us to breakfast in Rosh Pinna, and then we took them on a grand tour of the extreme North. They are now seriously thinking of settling in Nahariya, which I think will be perfect for them. We are looking forward to them being here in Israel for good, because they have already become great friends!
Roof lakes
The rainy season is here in earnest, and Israel has been getting quite a bit of much-needed precipitation. But this also means the season of leaks.
About a week ago, we came home and discovered that there was a wet spot on the bed. I looked up, and there was the source: drops of water on the ceiling preparing to fall. It didn't take long to find the source of the problem. When we went up and looked at the upper balcony (which is the roof of the bedroom), we could see that it was flooded. David volunteered to go out and unplug the drain. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult, and soon the lake was running down the drain pipe.
This made me wonder if the leaks in the upstairs ceiling might have a similar explanation. Sure enough, on Wednesday I was able to stand on a chair on the upper balcony and thereby get high enough to see the roof. There it was: a 4-5-inch-deep lake! And, more rain was predicted to start within hours, with menacing clouds emphasizing the threat.
Fortunately, we had enough time before my next class to zip down to Khatzor, to the large hardware store, and buy a ladder and galoshes. When we got back, David wanted to be the one to get up on the roof and fix the problem, but it proved to be too difficult for him to get off the ladder and onto the roof, so I made him come back down, I put on the galoshes, and then I got up there and waded around. I was sure that I knew where the drain was, but I could not see it, even though the water was crystal-clear. Finally, I kicked around in the area where it was supposed to be, muddying the water considerably, but clearing the drain. I knew immediately because I could hear the water begin running down it. Within hours, this lake, too, was drained. And we got it all down before that rain started!
So, we finally beginning to be able to take care of some things in the house ourselves, and we have a nice ladder to get up onto the roof, too!
About a week ago, we came home and discovered that there was a wet spot on the bed. I looked up, and there was the source: drops of water on the ceiling preparing to fall. It didn't take long to find the source of the problem. When we went up and looked at the upper balcony (which is the roof of the bedroom), we could see that it was flooded. David volunteered to go out and unplug the drain. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult, and soon the lake was running down the drain pipe.
This made me wonder if the leaks in the upstairs ceiling might have a similar explanation. Sure enough, on Wednesday I was able to stand on a chair on the upper balcony and thereby get high enough to see the roof. There it was: a 4-5-inch-deep lake! And, more rain was predicted to start within hours, with menacing clouds emphasizing the threat.
Fortunately, we had enough time before my next class to zip down to Khatzor, to the large hardware store, and buy a ladder and galoshes. When we got back, David wanted to be the one to get up on the roof and fix the problem, but it proved to be too difficult for him to get off the ladder and onto the roof, so I made him come back down, I put on the galoshes, and then I got up there and waded around. I was sure that I knew where the drain was, but I could not see it, even though the water was crystal-clear. Finally, I kicked around in the area where it was supposed to be, muddying the water considerably, but clearing the drain. I knew immediately because I could hear the water begin running down it. Within hours, this lake, too, was drained. And we got it all down before that rain started!
So, we finally beginning to be able to take care of some things in the house ourselves, and we have a nice ladder to get up onto the roof, too!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Cat "fixing" project finally completed
As I mentioned many months ago, our outdoor cat, Beatrix, had a litter of 6 kittens at about the end of March. In fact, if you look at some of my older posts, you can see pictures of them and read more about them.
With 6 additional mouths to feed out there, we knew that we had better get at least the females "fixed" (spayed) before we had dozens and dozens of cats out there! Beatrix was first, and we got her just in time: the vet said that she was in heat! Not long after, we got Pascal, the black-and-white male that we adopted and brought into the house, neutered. We knew that we did NOT want to have an unfixed male in the house.
In the last few weeks, we had begun to notice pre-mating behavior among the outdoor cats. In particular, Ts'hovi, the presumed father of most if not all of the litter, was beginning to mount the female kittens (and even the male one that was still out there!). So we knew that we had better not wait any longer to get them fixed. Our neighbors, who also feed and enjoy the kittens, graciously agreed to pay half the cost.
So, within the last week or 2, we have had the 3 female outdoor kittens (Priscilla, Goldie, and Gray-san) spayed, the 1 male outdoor kitten (Mr. B) neutered, and the female that we adopted and brought into the house (Peachy) spayed. Peachy just had her operation today, and she will be isolated in one room for the next day or 2 to recover so that her wound won't get accidentally re-opened by rough-housing with her brother, Pascal.
Of course, NONE of the kittens were enthusiastic about getting stuck in the cat box and getting carted off to the vet, but, in the long run, this will improve the lives of all of them.
With 6 additional mouths to feed out there, we knew that we had better get at least the females "fixed" (spayed) before we had dozens and dozens of cats out there! Beatrix was first, and we got her just in time: the vet said that she was in heat! Not long after, we got Pascal, the black-and-white male that we adopted and brought into the house, neutered. We knew that we did NOT want to have an unfixed male in the house.
In the last few weeks, we had begun to notice pre-mating behavior among the outdoor cats. In particular, Ts'hovi, the presumed father of most if not all of the litter, was beginning to mount the female kittens (and even the male one that was still out there!). So we knew that we had better not wait any longer to get them fixed. Our neighbors, who also feed and enjoy the kittens, graciously agreed to pay half the cost.
So, within the last week or 2, we have had the 3 female outdoor kittens (Priscilla, Goldie, and Gray-san) spayed, the 1 male outdoor kitten (Mr. B) neutered, and the female that we adopted and brought into the house (Peachy) spayed. Peachy just had her operation today, and she will be isolated in one room for the next day or 2 to recover so that her wound won't get accidentally re-opened by rough-housing with her brother, Pascal.
Of course, NONE of the kittens were enthusiastic about getting stuck in the cat box and getting carted off to the vet, but, in the long run, this will improve the lives of all of them.
An example of the efficiency of the Hebrew language
We very frequently drive through the Rama Junction. It's only a short distance this side of Karmiel, so we drive through it whenever we go there. We also drive through it every time we travel to Naharia, which we do at least once a week. It's quite a dangerous junction because of the volume of traffic on both of the roads that cross there. So, recently they have been doing construction there, and it was immediately quite obvious to me that they would be widening the main road and, I assumed, putting in a traffic light. The last several times through there, I have been able to read part of the sign that actually tells what they are doing. The interesting word I learned from it is ורימזור v'rimzur. Now, although I haven't checked, I doubt that this word, or even the verb from which it comes, is in any of my dictionaries. Yet it's easy to figure out what it means.
We start with the word רמזור ramzor, which means "traffic signal" (see, Hebrew is already more efficient!). By the way, this was actually constructed from 2 separate Hebrew words, רמז remez, meaning "hint", and אור or, meaning "light" (which gives us a hint about the Israeli attitude towards this device!). From all of this, I was able to easily figure our that the word on the sign, ורימזור means "and traffic light installation". How's that for efficiency?
We start with the word רמזור ramzor, which means "traffic signal" (see, Hebrew is already more efficient!). By the way, this was actually constructed from 2 separate Hebrew words, רמז remez, meaning "hint", and אור or, meaning "light" (which gives us a hint about the Israeli attitude towards this device!). From all of this, I was able to easily figure our that the word on the sign, ורימזור means "and traffic light installation". How's that for efficiency?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
"Stars and Stripes and Pipes" now available!!!
Well, it's been a long wait, but my new album, "Stars and Stripes and Pipes", is now finally available for sale!!!! Here's the link to check it out (and please do!):
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/arlanwareham8
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/arlanwareham8
Saturday, December 5, 2009
A Drasha on Va-Yishlakh applied to modern Israel
I want to share with you the drasha that our rabbi, Israel Horovitz, delivered last night. I do not have the Hebrew original, and the English translation I have is rather rough, so I will instead be paraphrasing what he said somewhat. Anyway, here it is:
"וישלח יעקב מלאכים לפניו אל-עשו אחיו"
"And Yaakov sent angels (or messengers--the Hebrew word is the same) before him to Esav, his brother"
Yaakov sends a delegation of conciliation to his brother Esav, with the idea of ending the problems that exist between them.
The commentators say that the delegation really did consist of actual angels, not merely messengers (as one might be more inclined to read it). This is to teach us that if we really want peace we cannot be satisfied with common envoys, who have personal interests and cannot come to good terms. To obtain peace, angels, without envies, hates, and jealousies are needed.
Yaakov's peace envoys return and tell him that his brother, Esav, is coming to the meeting with 400 men. It is quite clear that Esav does not have any intention of carrying out a festive celebration to receive Yaakov. With such an army, he comes to show who he is.
Yaakov is afraid, and the situation hurts him.
Yaakov is in a state of fear and anxiety, and he prays that God will save him from his brother, Esav.
Yaakov has a more complex situation before him than fear of his brother. He is afraid of being killed and is distressed for having to kill; his quandary is moral.
What are the consequences of a war? Either you are killed or you kill.
This is especially anguishing when on the other side is a brother.
Yaakov prays: "Save me from the hands of my brother, from Esav, since I don't know if I'm going to meet Esav, an enemy who wants my life, or my brother." And if I kill him or he kills me, either way our parents are going to lose a son!
Is not this dilemma of Yaakov the big quandary of the State of Israel?
Here we come to the situation where the question always is: to kill or to be killed.
Either we kill the Arabs, Semites as are we, or they kill us.
In this land we have lived for many years with this terrible problem.
Yaakov summarizes all this in his prayer: "I am very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth together."
Truth says: "If someone comes to kill you, go ahead of him, and kill him first."
It is impossible to act with silk gloves with Esav when he comes to your meeting with an army of 400 men.
But Goodness says to us: "Do not kill, do not spill blood, do not make war."
Yaakov says that he is very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth, since he is not capable of deciding which one precedes the other.
Both together cannot be applied.
שבת שלום Shabbat Shalom!
"וישלח יעקב מלאכים לפניו אל-עשו אחיו"
"And Yaakov sent angels (or messengers--the Hebrew word is the same) before him to Esav, his brother"
Yaakov sends a delegation of conciliation to his brother Esav, with the idea of ending the problems that exist between them.
The commentators say that the delegation really did consist of actual angels, not merely messengers (as one might be more inclined to read it). This is to teach us that if we really want peace we cannot be satisfied with common envoys, who have personal interests and cannot come to good terms. To obtain peace, angels, without envies, hates, and jealousies are needed.
Yaakov's peace envoys return and tell him that his brother, Esav, is coming to the meeting with 400 men. It is quite clear that Esav does not have any intention of carrying out a festive celebration to receive Yaakov. With such an army, he comes to show who he is.
Yaakov is afraid, and the situation hurts him.
Yaakov is in a state of fear and anxiety, and he prays that God will save him from his brother, Esav.
Yaakov has a more complex situation before him than fear of his brother. He is afraid of being killed and is distressed for having to kill; his quandary is moral.
What are the consequences of a war? Either you are killed or you kill.
This is especially anguishing when on the other side is a brother.
Yaakov prays: "Save me from the hands of my brother, from Esav, since I don't know if I'm going to meet Esav, an enemy who wants my life, or my brother." And if I kill him or he kills me, either way our parents are going to lose a son!
Is not this dilemma of Yaakov the big quandary of the State of Israel?
Here we come to the situation where the question always is: to kill or to be killed.
Either we kill the Arabs, Semites as are we, or they kill us.
In this land we have lived for many years with this terrible problem.
Yaakov summarizes all this in his prayer: "I am very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth together."
Truth says: "If someone comes to kill you, go ahead of him, and kill him first."
It is impossible to act with silk gloves with Esav when he comes to your meeting with an army of 400 men.
But Goodness says to us: "Do not kill, do not spill blood, do not make war."
Yaakov says that he is very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth, since he is not capable of deciding which one precedes the other.
Both together cannot be applied.
שבת שלום Shabbat Shalom!
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