Tikkun Olam

My son-in-law's mother, Chaya Marsha Rivka bat Yocheved (Marlene), died at home, Sunday, October 26th (27 Tishrei, 5769) almost three years to the day after her cancer was first diagnosed. We received this devastating news (you know it's coming; you are never ready for it...) just when I was getting ready to go to a Torah Dedication Ceremony at our Chabad. My husband was already there, so when I got there, I had to break the news to him. We both began to cry, right in the middle of the celebration. Marlene was a special, special person. She touched the lives of many people. She was very involved in her community, gave friends and family abundant love, helped others, gave much tzedakah and did many acts of chesed (she even helped me when I was feeling low). She was a wonderfully strong wife, mother, and Grandma to her (and my) grandchildren, who in turn loved her very much. The grandkids, from the oldest(-being seven and a half and with Down Syndrome), to the middlest ...

Haveil Havalim #188 is up and running at Benji's What War Zone . He even makes that funny (and it's not always a laughing matter)! Go have a read, and laugh.

I shot some photos just before Shmini Atzeret of our sukkah with the few decorations we put up this year. Most years we had a child or two to decorate--this year, the child who graced our presence by her visit, Toodles (-or Tangus, as she is known by her pseudonym) visited for the second time this summer on the first day of chol ha-mo'ed , so the only ones who had time/patience/energy to decorate were...hubby. I was cooking at the time (a reversal, no?) Anyway, for the rest of the kiddies who couldn't be here and for our friends who made Aliyah(Baruch and Chani and Aunt Laya and Sol and Martha and Lynn and Tzvi and Rivkie and please forgive me if I didn't name you--and for everyone else--here are some pics of our sukkah, Sukkot 5769, in galut . Enjoy. This photo is inside the sukkah against the outer "front" door, looking into our kitchen: half of this fourth wall was the wall of our townhome (you can see the brick and patio light on the left). This one is ...

Hubby had made the mistake of reading the weather report online on the Tuesday before Yom Kippur: rain and snow and a short freeze was prediced for the Sunday after Yom Kippur, so, instead of waiting for Sunday when our friends were to help him (we had scheduled for two or three friends, Joe, Mark, and Mark (thank you so much guys!)to help hold the plywood panels up and put them together to build the sukkah with hubby), he went out into the patio, took the lawn mower a friend had given us, and first mowed down the jungle we had there. And believe me, it was a jungle: the nana my hubby had planted for me (so sweet) two years ago overran the grass and was climbing up the sides of the fence (how did we know it was really a weed?!) Then, he went straight to the panels, which had been standing vertically one in front of the other against the fence by the carport. They had been standing there all year, with the schach nitzchi rolled up next to them. There was no way to know anything was ...

What does Haveil Havalim #186 (up and running at The Israel Situation ) have to do with 'cooking up a storm?' NOTHING! I was about to turn in at 2:00 a.m. after cooking (with my hubby the Chef) for hours, when I had this urge. . .a little voice (a bat kol from cyberspace) said to me mysteriously ' go thee to thy computer ' . . . and so, because I have been absolutely out of the JBlogger-loop since Rosh Hashana, I did just that. Lo and Behold (I've always wanted to say "lo and behold."), two of my posts were linked; musta happened between baking the challot and mixing the Lokshen kugel, I guess. So, you want to know what we are cooking for Sukkot (the first days, anyway)? I thought you'd never ask. Here is a preview of coming attractions: Baked five beautiful (ptu ptu ptu) round honey-raisin challot; made fish (the loaf kind; hubby made his special poached trout for Rosh Hashana; I do the "loaf kind."), chicken soup, 48 matzah balls (we fre...

Forgot to tell you about JPIX, the JBlogger Photo Carnival. JPix #19 is up and running at Me-ander . Beautiful pics from Jewish blogs from around the world that I've never been to before. Definitely worth visiting and viewing.

Folks, just a quick note to tell you that this week's latest edition of Haveil Havalim #185 (the Jewish Blog Carnival) is up at Writes Like She Talks . Be there, or be square.