164

Monday

I'm not really a magazine person / but once in awhile / I delight in / "Marie Claire Idée". / I plunge into the colorful pages / and think /again / that it's about time / I learn to use a sewing machine. / In the corner of a not particularly attractive page / is a small item / about a compact IKEA sewing machine / apparently for people like me / who are thinking about overcoming this phobia. /

165

Sunday

I lingered over the last few pages of Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" / for as long as I could / but unfortunately the pleasure is over. / This is my first Rushdie / and it happened / as / Julie got tired of hearing me complain about the books I'd been reading lately. / So / on her recent visit / she bought me my first two books by this wonderful writer. / "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" / is a magical book / supposedly a children's book / like other books that appeal to both children and adults. / Rushdie's biography runs throughout the book from start to finish. / I also found a fascinating article about the book and author / in one of Yehuda Atlas's three books on children's literature. / 

166

Saturday

A matinée with Orit / "La délicatesse" / an adaptation of David Foenkinos's book / with the wonderful Audrey Tautou as Nathalie / a great way to end a long weekend. /

167

Friday

Years ago / when we became parents / Roni and I decided / that Friday mornings / would be our time alone together. / Gradually over the years / without us even noticing / our Friday mornings together / took a backseat to / the children / work / errands and chores / till they finally disappeared altogether. / This morning Roni asked me out to a Café / I can definitely get used to it again. / ♥ ♥ ♥  /

168

Thursday

Nana's first shower. / We all stand and watch her reaction. / After her shampoo / drying / and ear cleaning / she sunbathed / and now she is ready for her close up / perhaps some advertising agency in looking for a new model? / 

169

Wednesday

Yom Ha'atzmaut – Israel's 64th Independence Day

My country is 64 years old / passed infancy / yet not quite adult / more like an adolescent. / When she was very young / and I was in elementary school / all the children / wore white dress shirts on Fridays / and at the end of the day / we would put a coin / or two / in the blue and white Keren Kayemet LeYisrael - Jewish National Fund collection box / and feel proud to be participating / in the building of the new State of Israel. /

170

Tuesday

Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Terrorism Victims

My parents' generation believed / that by the time we reached adulthood / there would be peace / and we would not have to serve in the military. / The moment I became a mother myself / I was painfully aware / that this belief / was only wishful thinking. / I attended / as I do every year / the community memorial ceremony. /

171

Monday

Winter is long gone / spring is almost over too. / Soon layers of clothing will be peeled off / the naked truth will be revealed / L / I have Rotem / my swimming coach / my personal mermaid / back. / Has the length of the pool grown over the winter? /

172

Sunday

I went straight from work / to the French consulate in Tel Aviv / and exercised my right / to vote for a new president of France. /

173

Saturday

In spite of all this week's excitement / I taught as usual. / Today / while I was going through / and clearing up / my desktop folders / I looked over / photos of work my students / had turned in for critique / compositions / in hot and cold colors / and in textures. /

174

Friday

My daughter arrived home on her first military leave. / While I'm simultaneously / making dinner / unpacking her bags / and doing her laundry / everyone else gets much missed hugs. / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

175

Thursday
Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day

On this emotionally charged day / I choose to write about / the Czech / artist / painter / illustrator / and cartoonist / Bedrich Fritta's book / "Tommy". / I bought this book / for myself last year / when my daughter was preparing for her school trip / to the concentration camps in Poland. / Fritta drew the images in the book / while he was imprisoned in the "model Jewish resettlement" / Theresienstadt / for his son Tommy's / third birthday. / The book / discovered after the war / hidden in the concentration camp / is an ode to a father's love for his son. / A testament of optimism / and hope. / On the last page he writes to his son / that this book would be the first / of many to come. / The Nazis discovered / Fritta's drawings / bearing witness / to the horrifying reality of Theresienstadt / and sent Bedrich Fritta to Auschwitz / where he died. /

176

Wednesday

I love handbags / of which I have many various / shapes / sizes / colors / designs / and materials / so I can alternate. / All the items that need to go in my handbag / have their own small / pouches / purses / and cases / making it easy for me / to switch bags daily / or several times a day / as the mood or the event takes me. /

The bags in the photos belong to some of my college students ▲ ▲ ▲

177

Tuesday

It's a little suspicious / when my mother invites anyone over for "High Tea" / and it's especially so when she invites Julie and Dennis / who are my parents friends / as well mine. / There was everything / Cava / Whiskey / Cognac / even Coffee / but / no tea … / ☺  /

178

Monday

A morning that started / almost at the crack of dawn / found me in the kitchen / baking scones for my princess's breakfast. / After which / family and friends / accompanied her to the Military Recruit Center. / We were reassured that one of her best friends / enlisted today as well. / They will do both basic training / and a specialized course together. /
Good luck beloved girls! / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

179

Sunday

Everything is packed / and ready for tomorrow. / Everyone extended their best wishes / and in honor of the occasion we all went for dinner to Cafe Italia. /

180

Saturday

Mommy / my bagpack's full and half of my stuff isn't in! / my daughter desperately announces. / Why aren’t you helping me? / At this moment I go to her room / we take everything out of the bagpack / eliminate things / check her lists again and again / add bank account numbers / medical documents / the lock codes / and few hours later / the bag finally closes. / Tomorrow / I'm going back to work / my daughter will enjoy her last day off / and on Monday all of us will accompany her to the Military Recruit Center. /

181

Friday

After awakening and falling asleep again several times / I heard my daughter / asking from the floor below: / what time we are supposed to be at Grandma's? / At one / mumbled Roni still asleep beside me / but / it's 12:20 now she said. / The four of us got organized / at once / so as not to be too late / for the Holiday lunch at my mother in-law's / in Petah Tikva. / Time passed quickly / and after desserts and more sweets / we were back home and asleep again. /

182

Thursday

Today / in precisely six months / I will turn fifty. / This means / that Julie is fifty today. / In the thirty-three years we've known each other / she always celebrates her birthday half a year before I do. / We spent the day together / the two of us / and it was wonderful! / Happy Birthday Sweetie. / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

183

Wednesday

Yesterday / due to the flood of emotion / I completely forgot that Orit had invited me / to the opening of the / "Plus Ten - 42 Israeli Designers" / exhibition / at the Design Museum Holon. / Though I'm not really crazy about openings / the Design Museum is one of my favorite museums. / As I progressed through the exhibition / my mood improved / reaching a peak when I got to the "Frau Blau" booth / belonging to / the clothing and textile designer couple / Helena Blaunstein and Philip Blau. / Stasi / a talented / student of mine / whom I like very much / recently joined them / and was there with Helena and Philip. /

184

Tuesday

Eliezer Frenkel 1929 – 2012

My first day at college / consisted of a History of Art exam / based on / E. H. Gombrich's / "The Story of Art". / This set the tone / for the next four years / of in depth / uncompromising / study / and hard work / under the orchestration of / the architect Eliezer Frenkel / founder and head of the SADNA College Of Architecture & Design. / During my fourth and final year / while I was still a student myself / Eliezer assigned me a teaching position in the college. / He evidently recognized abilities / I did not at that point know I possessed. / A mentor / is how teachers of his caliber / are referred to. / After more than twenty years of being a teacher myself / I can still hear him / commenting / differing / encouraging / what I teach and the way I teach it. / Being his student wasn't easy / it had a profound effect / not only on me / but on my whole living environment. / Today / accompanying him to his final resting place / all the alumni / were unanimous / in feeling that without him / we would not be who we are today. / We were his children / he was our father. / And though I am grieving / I know I am fortunate to have had the honor of being his student. /

185

Monday

In a week my daughter begins her military service. / I / on the other hand / have already been drafted. / Today I accompanied my efficient daughter / from store to store / crossing off item after item / from her endless list / of things she needs for the big day. / At one point / the credit card company actually called me / to inquire about / "unusual credit card activity". /

186

Sunday

Hayim and Me / Chapter Three. / Customer service phoned / to inform me / that the new dishwasher parts arrived. / So once again / I was housebound from 8 to 12 / waiting for Hayim the technician / who / again / called ½ an hour before arriving / confirming he'd be here in ½ an hour. / And again / he asked: / "Do you have a towel to protect the tiles?" / before turning the dishwasher over / opening it up / and replacing parts. / And once again I cleaned up after him. / Our relationship has reached new depths / will I see him / again / I wonder... /

187

Saturday

I've been so exhausted recently / that I decided to rest today. / In between falling asleep periodically / I started a new book / which so far is pretty depressing. / Later on I made effort / I dragged myself out of bed / and went to see a movie with Orit. / This didn't do much to improve my accumulated gloomy feeling either. /

188

Friday

Two months before Pesach / the question on everybody's lips is: / "Where are you having the Seder?" / Tonight we will celebrate the Seder / at my sister / Karen's. / We will read the Haggadah / sing / and eat a meal we have all participated in making. / Hag Pesach Same'ach / and a Happy Easter. / To be continued ... /

189

Thursday

About twice a year / after changing to daylight savings and back / I go to my favorite watch store / to replace batteries in watches that have stopped / and to adjust digital watches. / And I'm stunned again / how quickly time passes! /

190

Wednesday

There are meetings / from which I depart / feeling that I understood what was said / only to realize I was mistaken. / The college accountant explained form #106 to me this morning / but later / my insurance agent / made me realize that I apparently didn't understand a thing / which wasn't exactly news to me. /

191

Tuesday

Today / my students / in addition to color theory exercises / worked on creating a personal texture dictionary. / These textures will be applied to a solid colored background / to enhance the contrast between repetitive design and textural tactility. / Some students enjoy the lesson / while others suffer though it. /

192

 

Monday

After four days away from home / my son returned from a scouts' trek challenge / during which he had to / carry everything he needed on his back / cook for himself / and not shower. / I "cooked" his favorite "Orna & Ella" dishes: / sweet potato pancakes and gnocchi / and waited excitedly / sure he would fall into my arms. / The only thing to fall into my arms / was a mountain of laundry. / ♥ ♥ ♥ /

193

Sunday

"Poisson d'Avril" / "April Fish!" / So they say in French / on April Fools' Day. / It would be funny / if it wasn't redundant. / It's behind me now. /