Memorial Day

I had hoped to blog about Lost!. It's really been upsetting me this total cheat ending of theirs. I really enjoyed that show for so long and feel duped. Need to process it thoroughly in writing.

But I haven't had time yet... so I'll just mention this:

We got a backyard swimming pool for ND yesterday. U. brought it home from the store close to dinner time. We had some trouble inflating it and said we'd have to give up until tomorrow. ND was naturally disappointed. She looked at the cover of the box with the family having fun there and said, "Why do they get to do it?"

Staying Up

Had an awesome Shavuot... the first since ND has been born in which I was willing and able to stay up for all-night learning. It was wonderful. Two talks by members of our shul and two by Rabbi Boteach who lives in Englewood and has been pitching in since we've been "between rabbis." His wife and I were the two women who made it through early shacharit the next day and I felt proud and enlightened arriving home at 7 AM.

One of the things I don't like at my shul is that I often don't feel much interest in people pushing themselves to improve themselves halakhically and spiritually. During this night it was nice to be among some who were making efforts. Interestingly, on the flip side, I felt no anxiety about needing to live up to anyone else's expectations, including my own worry about how I could be different religiously.

Now I have a new challenge... Sunday night is the finale of Lost!. I want to stay up for that too, but don't want to be exhausted the next day. If I choose not to do it, and just watch on Hulu later, will that then be a statement of prioritizing Torah over TV? I hope so, because I'll be bummed if I don't get to see that ending soon! Gotta have a good reason to make it feel better than not just wanting to get enough sleep.

A Near Perfect Busy Sunday

Started the day with a meeting at shul at 9:30 sharp. ND and I went there on the bike. The meeting was over in an hour which meant the fun could begin and we weren't still dawdling at home.

 - Bike to a Farmer's Market. Not much there, but we did get some of the best strawberries ever.

 - Bike to grocery store and fill the bike with groceries for Shavuot until we couldn't get another thing in.

 - Stopped at a garage sale where we FINALLY bought an outdoor table with 4 chairs for only $35. (Obviously I couldn't carry it on the bike. Came back shortly with the Yaris... two trips in fact, one for table and one for chairs.)

 - Went to Nature Day at Flat Rock Brook. I definitely prefer our quiet walks together there. But even the crowd wasn't bad when we got a canoe ride, an animal show with a porcupine, wallaby and chinchilla, the chance to pet a corn snake and to eat Ben & Jerry's. I was pleased to see that ND was not so interested in visiting all the booths. The main thing she wanted was to poke a stick into the pond and look for frogs. 

 - Back home to have dinner outside on our new table.

 - Put ND happily to bed with a story about her getting to turn into a frog and go exploring and eating bugs with them.

 - Now off to bed myself, I hope.

Humility

I have learned to accept with humility that I never ever get challah right. I'm still trying anyway.

Tonight was a unique screw-up. I set the oven on broil to burn the "challah" that was "taken." Forgot to turn it back to 350 when it was time to put the real challah again.

Remarkably, one pan with a huge loaf of suicidal challah protected the pan below. Those two are still baking gently. 

They didn't rise enough, but that's a separate problem...

What if?

In the middle of yoga today I suddenly remembered very tangibly visiting a Bais Yaacov in Queens where I applied for a job before moving here. I remember seeing a group of girls outside with a teacher exploring a small group of trees and bushes and writing. I was touched to see them finding nature even in the middle of the city.

I was offered the job there, but only part time, so barely considered taking it. I also remember feeling very self-conscious that it could never quite be my community religiously. All the same, I was impressed with what they were doing in the school.

I wonder if I remembered it since I was there during this time of year, close to Memorial Day weekend. 

Mother's Day Continued

1. A handmade present... a message-size clipboard from ND.

2. Out to a brunch buffet, or rather, lupper, at 1 in the afternoon.

3. A walk together at the Teaneck Creek Conservancy which unexpectedly included a new art installation.

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

With thanks. It actually was easier than I expected. I prepared the ingredients and ND and U. assembled. That's a road running through it.

Mother's Day

Returning from grocery store with her dad:

"Hey Mom. Where are you? We got you flowers. So you have to close your eyes when I come, okay?"