so first seder was last night. i was very happy that my minimalist charoset (apples, nuts and wine ONLY, no cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, etc.) made an Israeli swoon, so much so that at the end, when of course we were all stuffed, she sat down with a bowl and a spoon and continued to eat. that is true devotion. i used my mother's stainless steel chopping blade. it is very comforting. i wish i had had just a bit more time so that the experience would have been not quite so rushed. but it all worked out. potlucks are wonderful because the food is soooooooo yummy.
so another in the year of firsts. i need to try my hand at what i think of as Linda's matzo meal pancakes, which she attributed to her grandmother, but Aud says no. matzo brei for breakfast (like eggs with matzo softened and crumbled in it. delish!)
i freaked out a bit at costco and trader joe's in getting ready for tomorrow's oneg after services. cheese, fruits, nuts, veggies, now drinks (organic arnold palmer, tea with lemonade, and mango-passionfruit drink. i will pick up a flat of strawberries in the morning from the seller on the corner near the house. i need to find out how to make a decent dip for veggies as the ones that come with the platter have (i think) corn syrup as a sweetener and that's not ok.
the wednesday morning service of blessings for the sun was fun. foiled a bit by the failure of someone from the location to unlock the gate but we managed nicely. i'm getting way better at getting up early. part of the liturgy included the mourner's kaddish, kinduva dry run for tomorrow night. note to self: bring tissues, to share.
my hiking poles came. komperdell from austria, courtesy of sierra trading post! this means i can contemplate going for a real hike on mission peak. hopefully next week on sunday.
this sunday is the mikvah. i'm getting pretty excited about that, except there is so much to get through beforehand (tonight's congregational second night seder, tomorrow night, for starters). and then there is the added distraction that my ex is improving but is in the ICU in north carolina. jeremy was there for 5 days and now his sister is there for not sure how long. scary stuff but seems like he is starting to pull through in better form. jeremy did amazing work in the "git 'er done" frame. lots of logistics and practical things. not surprised, but very happy at what he was able to do.
so, one foot in front of the other. decisions to be made. time to toss all my superbaggy pants because (a) they don't fit (b) that style is no longer in and it overwhelms me (c) i like the feel of snug jeans, etc. i don't think i'm done losing weight (do not recommend this weight-loss method, though) so i'm not investing too much in replacements (thrift stores are wonderful resources). i think i'm almost ready to tackle the bathroom counters and other areas where things are pretty much the same as they were a year go. i am still amazed at how amorphous and non-linear time is as a dimension. how this last year can have gone by both so quickly and so slowly.
time to snack before i head to the dinner. it will be a while before we actually eat. chag sameach. bring on the hillel sandwich! (matzo, charoset and horseradish...the BEST thing ever!)
