194

Saturday

I could write about / how many times I ran the washing machine / how I changed the sheets and towels / folded the laundry and put everything away in the right place. / J / But instead / as I'm approaching the end of this project / I'm asking you: / what color should the hem of my knitted blanket be? /

195

Friday

After a long phone call / my friend Tali points out: / why are we talking over the phone / when we could be taking advantage of this beautiful day and going out for coffee? / How about the Flea Market? / Within minutes we were on our way out. / Breakfast at "Puah". / Designer shops. / So relaxing! /

196

Thursday

I am so pissed off. / On a scale of one to ten / I'd say twelve. / Just another day / in a string of days / in a totally absurd saga. / "Catch 22" pales in comparison. / I found myself taking it out on the kitchen. /

197

Wednesday

My daughter picked me up from college today / and together we went to visit my parents in Herzliya. / Three generations / sitting around the table / enjoying a delicious lunch. / It's no wonder we all took a nap afterward. /

198

Tuesday

This is the third week of the second semester / and my new students aren't new anymore. / They present the exercise I gave them for critique. / It involved two designs / with the same repetitive grid / in complementary colors. / My heart expanded / when I saw their efforts / and their rich results. /

199

Monday

A seesaw morning of / contradictions / experiences / and moods. / Julie's visit cheers me up. /

200

Sunday

On the ceiling of the clinic / there is a pastoral scene. / As in previous years / my girlfriends and I / all go together for an annual checkup. / We fortify each other in face of what the pamphlet refers to as: / "the special attention your femininity requires". /

201

Saturday

Today / I experienced / a moment of deep satisfaction / and pride / so this post / this virtual stage / is dedicated to Hagar / my daughter / who at the age of 19 / performs / with professional musicians. / All the hard work she put in / resulted in an hour and a half's / repertoire of her choice / at Sublime / a Tel Aviv music club. / The club was filled to capacity /
I'm floating! / ♥ ♥ ♥ / 

A special Thank You to the photographers / I was too moved to take photos myself. / The photos in this post were taken by Moy Shapira. /

202

Friday

Today at Tzavta Theatre / I saw the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio graduation classes' production / of Peter Weiss's / "Marat – Sade" / I always like seeing art school productions / particularly in this case / as Rona's niece / Bar Sade / remember that name! / who played the part of Rossignol / invited me. /

203

Thursday

Today / Nana visited the vet for the first time. / She was vaccinated / weighed / her ears were cleaned / and it seems she has a new admirer. /

204

Wednesday

Hayim the technician was here / again / asked for towels / again / removed all the dishwasher panels / again / replaced parts / again. / And / the saga is not over. / First / the water regulator has to be replaced / and maybe other parts too. / Again / I will be homebound from this to that o'clock / again / I will have to witness disturbing images. / And again / I'll be left with a mess to clean up. /

205

Tuesday

After lecturing for five hours straight at college / the first shift of my working day ends / and next one starts the minute I get home. / I was wondering what the first thing to do would be / after taking Nana for a walk: / folding washing / taking out garbage / cooking dinner / cleaning and tidying up / or perhaps sitting down and answering all the emails waiting for me? / One look at the empty fridge / solved my dilemma. / I hate cooking! /

206

Monday

I'm just back from "Elles" / the first French Film Festival film I went to see with Annicka. / Anne / played by the wonderful Juliette Binoche / is a journalist writing an article about female student prostitutes / She is turned on and repulsed / at the same time / by this way of life / and it effects on her own life. / The film turns one's stomach. /

207

Sunday

What is true friendship? / Is it / how long we know someone / how often we keep in touch? / I suppose it depends on how close we feel. / Today I met with Miri K / my childhood friend. / We've known each other since we were 14. / It's always such a joy to see her / and it doesn't matter how much time past since we last met / we always seem to be able to pick up from where we left off / anxious to make up for lost time. / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

208

Saturday

I was sitting in the garden / enjoying the orange spring blossoming / when I heard Roni yelling from the house / "What the f**k! Where's all this water coming from?!" / A glance was enough to confirm / the dishwasher was still malfunctioning. / And needless to say our quiet Shabbat morning was over. / Together we / emptied the dishwasher / washed the dishes / dried buckets of water from the floor. / Once again I'll have to call the company / explain the problem / set a date / and wait at home from this to that o'clock / for Hayim to come and fix what he didn't fix last time. /

209

Friday

As on most mornings / there was a message / from my daughter / waiting on my mobile / requesting I wake her. / This morning though / she added "one month from today" / referring to when she starts her military service. / This moved me to an uncharacteristic a burst of creativity. / I painstakingly prepared / a tomato quiche / one of her favorite dishes / for Shabbat dinner. /

210

Thursday

Once again our dishwasher broke down / if not for the guaranty / I'd have bought a new one. / The representative / after a phone diagnosis / infuriatingly informed the usual: / "A technician will come between 8 and 12 / you'll be notified half an hour before he arrives." / "Do you have a towel to protect the tiles?" / Hayim the technician / asked me / as he turned the dishwasher over / and opened it up. / He replaced the command card / and left me with a mess. /

Roni usually does the grocery shopping / but because I was housebound waiting for the technician / I popped over to the local store / and bought green vegetables for a soup / appropriate for the return of wintery weather. /

211

Wednesday

Today / in between doing this and that / I spent time with Nana. / All of us participate in caring for this puppy. / My son lays down the law / and makes sure we follow his instructions to the letter. /

212

Tuesday

Two and a half years ago / I walked into a class I was to be teaching / and amongst all the students / sat one who's talent / industriousness / sensitivity / and colorfulness / soon captured my heart. / For the first time in over twenty years of teaching / a student became a friend. / A true friend. / Today Rona graduated / and the fluid dimension of time / struck me once again. /

In addition I received Irma's CD today / my cup overflowth. /

213

Monday

The secret to a successful relationship is an enigma. / Looking at my parents / their thoughtful care / and concern / how they listen / and are attentive / to each other / it is clear to me / that they've found the answer. / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

214

Sunday

Yesterday when we got home / amongst the stack of mail waiting / was a post office "parcel waiting" note / for Roni. / We immediately suspected it was another speeding ticket. / What a surprise / when he came home with Vahram Muratyan's enchanting book. / Muratyan's distilled design / forms iconic cultural and social parallels. /

215

Saturday

This is Nana / our new dog. / Nana was born in January / in Kibbutz Afikim / where my son learned / and now coaches guide dog training. / I admit / I gave in / but hey... / isn't she amazing? / To be continued / I'm sure. /

216

Friday

Someone once called me / an urban creature. / It's not that I don't like nature / I just like to spend time in one place and appreciate it fully / preferably with a bottle of good wine / a baguette / and some French cheese. / But in my family there are those who really love sightseeing / we call them "the conquerors". / Today I had an experience that will last me a lifetime. / We got up at six in the morning / to arrive as early as possible at Mount Hermon / then go to the Saar River Waterfall / and ended the trip at the Hula Lake Park. /

217

Thursday

Today we began a family vacation / with Roni's side of the family. / Sometimes you just have to take a break / and spend time together. / After several stops on the way / we reached Ahuzat Ohalo / a hotel on the shore of the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). / Nearby our lodging / there is a path leading to the picturesque Kinneret cemetery / the resting place of some of our poets and pioneering forefathers. /

218

Wednesday

Twice a year / I have an appointment with the oral specialist / Professor Gorsky. / Today I found out that his clinic / is in the same building / where the poet Yair Hurvitz lived. /

219

Tuesday

I've no idea what all I did today / and not because I'm losing my memory. / My day started with endless errands. / Some were nice and colorful / in sync with the Purim street festivities in Tel Aviv / but most weren't much fun at all. / I sat / watching my son having a podiatry treatment / and wondered / if I'd perhaps blinked and missed something. / When did my baby become a youth? /

220

Monday

We built our coffee table from three old printing press drawers / which now house a collection of miscellaneous miniatures. / I've been intending / for quite some time / to add new miniatures / but had to wait for Roni to come home / and help me / lift the heavy glass tabletop. /

221

Sunday

At long last / I managed to get my son / to arrange the five new PEZ / Roni brought him from Amsterdam / in his PEZ collection./

222

Saturday

Today I went to see / "Waste Land" / a documentary / about the Brazilian born artist / Vik Muniz. / I am ashamed to admit / I'd never heard of this sensitive / talented artist / who delicately uses his unexpected good fortune / to contribute back / to the people living in the garbage dumps of Rio de Janiero. / The trailer doesn’t do justice to the excitement of this breathtaking movie. /

 



223

Friday

Like most first Fridays of the month / we had our "Kusinot" (cousins) get together. / This time / we met at La Repubblica / and though there were only three of us / it didn't diminish the pleasure of being together / and being deeply moved / while listening to each other's stories. /

224

Thursday

I love walking in the rain / and have a wonderful collection of umbrellas. / It’s always hard to resist a beautiful umbrella whispering to me: / "me too / me too". / I wonder if the unattractive umbrellas discarded in the street / are there because the wind turned them inside out / and broke them. / I’ve a method for dealing with inside out wind / so my umbrellas are all still intact. /