Starting off with a blast from the past...
(tissue alerts right from the start here)
a section of the poem that Kaaren read on April 13 (I can't believe that it is almost 6 months now, already):
We who suffer the loss of a loved one
still give thanks that we were privileged to have known her.
That for a time, she graced our lives and enriched our spirits.
Let us not grieve the loss
But give thanks for the gift.
Yup. that's a pretty good perspective.
Tonight was dinner and a sharing of europe photos with Jeff and Razmik. Went to a nice vegetarian restaurant, new to me. We hadn't seen each other in ages and I said dinner and hanging out was better than racing around and sitting in a movie. good decision.
hoping ketzl will let me sleep in a bit. christine's car is in the shop so i will drive over to walk in her neighborhood.
i hope everyone is following David Letterman recently. since John McCain stood him up, the monologues, Top 10 lists and guests have been pretty ferocious.
an interesting email from a friend whose daughter lives in San Antonio TX. Apparently, there was a real person named Maverick. he was the guy who didn't brand his cattle, and when people would see them, they would say, oh those are Mavericks. turns out these people are still around, still politically active and are Democrats. check it out on wikipedia. her dream: to get a group of the current generation together and say "we are mavericks, and you John McCain are no Maverick!" cool idea. the flow chart of Sarah Palin's debate notes is terrific. email me if you want to see it and have not yet done so.
so i went back to Linda's blog today. as i was pondering the "almost 6 months-ness." i had posted something on Mother's Day, but no birthday greeting. hmmmm. now is not the time to beat myself up. rather it is a time to ask forgiveness, of others and myself. between now and next thursday. i also need to check linda's yahoo calendar weekly. i am missing a lot of birthdays out here. jeff is now 45!
it's been a pretty long week. next week will include a lot of work and activity for Yom Kippur, and a lot of time especially on Thursday. then major crash. we will all be so totally exhausted.
time is moving along. it is clearly dark by 7:30 PM these evenings. they are predicting rain for tonight. did you remember to close your car windows? the plants need the water. i love the smell of the air before a rain.
well if i don't get to bed soon, it will make it difficult to catch up on sleep.
still planning to go to the Kever Avot service (1 PM, Chapel of the Roses, Oak Hill Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Avenue, SJ0, remembering those who are no longer with us. that will be difficult. a preparation for Thursday's memorial service on YK day. time marches on. sometimes it is easier than others.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The New Year and The Cat
so in the synagogue business, we can say that the High Ho's (high holidays) are half over. well, the big parts are. as rabbi will tell you, the HiHos are not over until after Sukkot and Simchat Torah. but that's a story for later.
i did a small speaking part on Rosh Hashanah Day. it was the commentary on the Haftarah, the story of Hannah, from the book of Samuel. i had talked about it with my father, and touched base with rabbi to make sure i was on target. it was well received, and i got many positive comments, not only on what i said, but also on my delivery. well, daughter of a lawyer. guess it runs in the blood.
the small pieces that i have to do for Yom Kippur are coming along. the papers for Friday night are mostly in place. things move along.
the cat. loves asparagus. loves playing with black twist ties. will bring in to his food bowl. play with it under the legs of the kitchen table. pounce on it. carry it in his mouth. Ketzl was very active tonite, doing his great race from one end of the house to the other. not sure where he is at the moment.
rain is scheduled for the weekend. i've been hearing reports of how low the reservoirs in this area are at the moment. there will be snow at the 8000 foot mark in the Tahoe area
in the bathroom, there's a lovely white rose with dark pink edges on the petals, and in the family room a big bouquet of dahlias and sunflowers. the dahlias are sort of yellow-orange and the nice shape that is full and round, about 3 and a half inches in diameter. at the rosh hashanah services, there were huge displays and dawn noticed that i liked those two and had the guys picking up the arrangements to leave a bunch for me. flowers are good.
i'm getting very tired already of negative advertising. the yes on 8 spot is pretty obnoxious.
my cousin in massachusetts is in the last stages of pancreatic cancer. after a wonderful 11 month reprieve. she responded well to gemcitabine for the first 6 months, so much so that the promise to spend some summer time with 9 grandsons (!) at their place in vermont came through, as she promised they would do....on her blog, g. wrote that hospice care has started. sad time. been there, done that, unfortunately. my heart goes out to them including her brother mike from israel, my other favorite cousin, who is now in massachusetts.
i did a small speaking part on Rosh Hashanah Day. it was the commentary on the Haftarah, the story of Hannah, from the book of Samuel. i had talked about it with my father, and touched base with rabbi to make sure i was on target. it was well received, and i got many positive comments, not only on what i said, but also on my delivery. well, daughter of a lawyer. guess it runs in the blood.
the small pieces that i have to do for Yom Kippur are coming along. the papers for Friday night are mostly in place. things move along.
the cat. loves asparagus. loves playing with black twist ties. will bring in to his food bowl. play with it under the legs of the kitchen table. pounce on it. carry it in his mouth. Ketzl was very active tonite, doing his great race from one end of the house to the other. not sure where he is at the moment.
rain is scheduled for the weekend. i've been hearing reports of how low the reservoirs in this area are at the moment. there will be snow at the 8000 foot mark in the Tahoe area
in the bathroom, there's a lovely white rose with dark pink edges on the petals, and in the family room a big bouquet of dahlias and sunflowers. the dahlias are sort of yellow-orange and the nice shape that is full and round, about 3 and a half inches in diameter. at the rosh hashanah services, there were huge displays and dawn noticed that i liked those two and had the guys picking up the arrangements to leave a bunch for me. flowers are good.
i'm getting very tired already of negative advertising. the yes on 8 spot is pretty obnoxious.
my cousin in massachusetts is in the last stages of pancreatic cancer. after a wonderful 11 month reprieve. she responded well to gemcitabine for the first 6 months, so much so that the promise to spend some summer time with 9 grandsons (!) at their place in vermont came through, as she promised they would do....on her blog, g. wrote that hospice care has started. sad time. been there, done that, unfortunately. my heart goes out to them including her brother mike from israel, my other favorite cousin, who is now in massachusetts.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
IMPORTANT CORRECTION: note corrected date for Memorial Service
Paula noted that I had an incorrect date in the earlier post about when the Memorial service will be. Time and location correct. Date is Thursday, October 9 (next week), not Tuesday, September 30. That was yesterday and was Rosh Hashanah and it is now over. Phew. more later.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Shanah Tovah -- Happy Jewish New Year
Ok boys and girls
it's almost time to rock and roll!
for several weeks, the staff at our synagogue has tried unsuccessfully to cancel the high holy days this year (just a joke)...but it will happen tomorrow night. Monday, September 29 is Erev Rosh Hashanah, starting at sundown.
i have a draft of what i'm saying on Tuesday that i need to run past the rabbi.
i have to choose what i'm wearing both days.
i will have to wait until later to write reflections on the visit to LA.
it was very foggy both days.
thanks to Cookie and Zina for visiting today, and to Zina for transportation to the airport.
had another great seatmate on the flight up...someone who works with animals and reiki, coming back from a fundraising event in santa barbara on behalf of wild horses
www.returntofreedom.org
i will check out her website and share more later.
it is going to be quite a week.
ketzl will not be happy.
thx to Christine and Charlie for the visit this morning to let him out and provide new asparagus and cantaloupe. boy, he really loves marking this computer with his face!!
so hoping that the coming year will be one of peace for everyone, family and friends.
the Jewish year is 5769 in case you are counting.
happy 60th birthday wishes to Pat/Trish Carter/Coleman. a speedy recovery to you!
it's almost time to rock and roll!
for several weeks, the staff at our synagogue has tried unsuccessfully to cancel the high holy days this year (just a joke)...but it will happen tomorrow night. Monday, September 29 is Erev Rosh Hashanah, starting at sundown.
i have a draft of what i'm saying on Tuesday that i need to run past the rabbi.
i have to choose what i'm wearing both days.
i will have to wait until later to write reflections on the visit to LA.
it was very foggy both days.
thanks to Cookie and Zina for visiting today, and to Zina for transportation to the airport.
had another great seatmate on the flight up...someone who works with animals and reiki, coming back from a fundraising event in santa barbara on behalf of wild horses
www.returntofreedom.org
i will check out her website and share more later.
it is going to be quite a week.
ketzl will not be happy.
thx to Christine and Charlie for the visit this morning to let him out and provide new asparagus and cantaloupe. boy, he really loves marking this computer with his face!!
so hoping that the coming year will be one of peace for everyone, family and friends.
the Jewish year is 5769 in case you are counting.
happy 60th birthday wishes to Pat/Trish Carter/Coleman. a speedy recovery to you!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
from the world's slowest dial up connection
yes indeed. slow and precarious. can get dumped off at any time, it seems.
today was foggy all afternoon in santa monica. a quiet day. got a start on the words i will be saying on Rosh Hashanah Day (next Tuesday), with help and Hebrew from my father. i got to take a nap, and then we watched a bit of CNN dissecting the debate. it is all pretty surreal if you ask me. then we watched some baseball. SF giants couldn't pull it off again like they did last night. Dana will be happy.
i took the sparkly polish off my finger nails, but left them long. will probably do a new coat or even maybe a new color for Monday. the color i got was pale but with opalescent glitter. really nice. subtle, not too flashy.
i promised myself that if ever i stay overnight in santa monica, that i must get down to the water once. that will have to be early in the morning then as we are expecting company starting at 11 AM.
tissue alert...
one other thing that i had been putting off: writing up the listing for the memorial book that is distributed on Yom Kippur. Linda's name will be read as part of the list of those who have died since the last High Holy Days. then family have an opportunity to have names listed separately. what i think i've decided on for wording: "Linda Blauner Klein, lovingly remembered by Deborah Zimmer and family"
because really, all the dear friends really are family. this is going to be a tough one. fortunately, i will have the incredibly reliable Jackie with me. the memorial service is open to anyone (4:30 PM or thereabouts, Campbell Heritage Theatre, 1 West Campbell Ave, corner of Winchester, THURSDAY OCTOBER 9).
because of timing and proximity to the memorial service, i have been relieved of my traditional part at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur afternoon service, and will instead be saying some words on Rosh Hashanah day, Tuesday. i will be doing the introduction to the Haftarah (no it's not half a Torah) which is the story of the birth of Samuel, starting with his mother Hannah's prayer at the temple in Shiloh, asking for a child. the similarity between this and the Torah portion (birth of Isaac) is that both Hannah and Sarah were barren for many years. Difference: Sarah asks Abraham to pray to got on her be half, and Hannah prays directly herself. Good point to make. i will cite Rachel Adler, a wonderful scholar and teacher at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform seminary here in LA. it is unusual for a woman to be named directly in torah or the prophetic writings (I Samuel 1:1 - 2:10 is the selection), and also the first time that personal prayer is mentioned. let me just say that i love text study and wish i had a bit more time to work on this.
well, the boarding pass for tomorrow is printed. we are expecting visitors later in the day on Sunday which i set up during the week. i hope the fog lifts a bit, tho it keeps the temperature nice.
it is still weird. overall. the whole situation.
i was so torn over the past 2 years especially. i needed to come down here to visit, and felt guilty about leaving Linda even for a day. now i only feel guilty about leaving Ketzl. and i recall Adam's comment early on: strange about flying when there is no one to call to say "hey, i've landed safely, i'll call you from the house." grrrrr. no one to whom to be responsible. weird. still.
met a nice young man on the plane down. he is a professional percussionist. travels all over, some gigs in LA but was in San Jose to play with Ry Cooder. they got picked up at the hotel in low riders with hydraulics! way cool. they played at the SJ Civic Auditorium, where we had High Holy Day services for several years. a nice venue.
well it's a civilized time to go to sleep. good part is that late at night i can hear the sound of the ocean, and before i go to sleep, i peek thru the blinds and look at the white line of the rolling waves coming to shore. the wonder of living across the street, almost, from the Pacific Ocean.
today was foggy all afternoon in santa monica. a quiet day. got a start on the words i will be saying on Rosh Hashanah Day (next Tuesday), with help and Hebrew from my father. i got to take a nap, and then we watched a bit of CNN dissecting the debate. it is all pretty surreal if you ask me. then we watched some baseball. SF giants couldn't pull it off again like they did last night. Dana will be happy.
i took the sparkly polish off my finger nails, but left them long. will probably do a new coat or even maybe a new color for Monday. the color i got was pale but with opalescent glitter. really nice. subtle, not too flashy.
i promised myself that if ever i stay overnight in santa monica, that i must get down to the water once. that will have to be early in the morning then as we are expecting company starting at 11 AM.
tissue alert...
one other thing that i had been putting off: writing up the listing for the memorial book that is distributed on Yom Kippur. Linda's name will be read as part of the list of those who have died since the last High Holy Days. then family have an opportunity to have names listed separately. what i think i've decided on for wording: "Linda Blauner Klein, lovingly remembered by Deborah Zimmer and family"
because really, all the dear friends really are family. this is going to be a tough one. fortunately, i will have the incredibly reliable Jackie with me. the memorial service is open to anyone (4:30 PM or thereabouts, Campbell Heritage Theatre, 1 West Campbell Ave, corner of Winchester, THURSDAY OCTOBER 9).
because of timing and proximity to the memorial service, i have been relieved of my traditional part at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur afternoon service, and will instead be saying some words on Rosh Hashanah day, Tuesday. i will be doing the introduction to the Haftarah (no it's not half a Torah) which is the story of the birth of Samuel, starting with his mother Hannah's prayer at the temple in Shiloh, asking for a child. the similarity between this and the Torah portion (birth of Isaac) is that both Hannah and Sarah were barren for many years. Difference: Sarah asks Abraham to pray to got on her be half, and Hannah prays directly herself. Good point to make. i will cite Rachel Adler, a wonderful scholar and teacher at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform seminary here in LA. it is unusual for a woman to be named directly in torah or the prophetic writings (I Samuel 1:1 - 2:10 is the selection), and also the first time that personal prayer is mentioned. let me just say that i love text study and wish i had a bit more time to work on this.
well, the boarding pass for tomorrow is printed. we are expecting visitors later in the day on Sunday which i set up during the week. i hope the fog lifts a bit, tho it keeps the temperature nice.
it is still weird. overall. the whole situation.
i was so torn over the past 2 years especially. i needed to come down here to visit, and felt guilty about leaving Linda even for a day. now i only feel guilty about leaving Ketzl. and i recall Adam's comment early on: strange about flying when there is no one to call to say "hey, i've landed safely, i'll call you from the house." grrrrr. no one to whom to be responsible. weird. still.
met a nice young man on the plane down. he is a professional percussionist. travels all over, some gigs in LA but was in San Jose to play with Ry Cooder. they got picked up at the hotel in low riders with hydraulics! way cool. they played at the SJ Civic Auditorium, where we had High Holy Day services for several years. a nice venue.
well it's a civilized time to go to sleep. good part is that late at night i can hear the sound of the ocean, and before i go to sleep, i peek thru the blinds and look at the white line of the rolling waves coming to shore. the wonder of living across the street, almost, from the Pacific Ocean.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
this is a landmark: post 150
Now that I see Gavin Newsom on TV this morning, I remember that he was on the flight from LAX to San Jose on my long return. Not sure why he was doing that but it was interesting. He is in NY now for Bill Clinton's summit.
In the 10 days that I wss gone and certainly the past week, it has definitely turned to fall (with ridiculous hot spells in the middle of the day). "They" promise that it will cool off by the end of the weekend, which is good. Time has been pretty compressed and Erev Rosh Hashanah is Monday. Yargh.
Last night Jackie and I saw "The Foreigner" at San Jose Rep. Quite delightful. We were running a tad late and did not have time for sticky rice with mango, and the play was over 2 hrs so the restaurant was closed by the time it was over. Next time.
OMG they are replaying Bush's comments from last night.
McCain is opting out of Frday's debate. OK.
I still don't get how this works (or doesn't). Many of us are preaching to the choir. How do we reach those few who are undecided? I dunno.
These next two days will be wacko at work I think. Small things need to be gotten in order and packed and ready to move on Monday.
The aeason is changing. A new Jewish year. More points along the continuum. I thought I would be tired but seem to have recovered and so am heading to Santa Monica to visit my father this weekend. I will take the computer so he can see the Europe photos.
In the 10 days that I wss gone and certainly the past week, it has definitely turned to fall (with ridiculous hot spells in the middle of the day). "They" promise that it will cool off by the end of the weekend, which is good. Time has been pretty compressed and Erev Rosh Hashanah is Monday. Yargh.
Last night Jackie and I saw "The Foreigner" at San Jose Rep. Quite delightful. We were running a tad late and did not have time for sticky rice with mango, and the play was over 2 hrs so the restaurant was closed by the time it was over. Next time.
OMG they are replaying Bush's comments from last night.
McCain is opting out of Frday's debate. OK.
I still don't get how this works (or doesn't). Many of us are preaching to the choir. How do we reach those few who are undecided? I dunno.
These next two days will be wacko at work I think. Small things need to be gotten in order and packed and ready to move on Monday.
The aeason is changing. A new Jewish year. More points along the continuum. I thought I would be tired but seem to have recovered and so am heading to Santa Monica to visit my father this weekend. I will take the computer so he can see the Europe photos.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Hard to know where to start....tissue alert part way thru
Linda really loved Diane Lane. I can't wait to see her new movie, Nights in Rodanthe, with Richard Gere, also a favorite.
Tonight after picking up eggs and cream cheese (to go with the new delicious lox) at TJs, I headed over to Marshall's in the ongoing quest to find non-leather shoes for Yom Kippur, not too far off. Nothing really there. I realized while in the store that I miss shopping for Linda. It was always fun to find something special. I sniffed all the way home. I'm not hungry, and there is a lot of good food to eat here. Maybe a small salad later.
Ketzl is out in the cool night air, perched on the rock by the sidewalk. I just checked.
It is the new season for Dancing with the Stars. Can you believe that Cloris Leachman is 82 years old? She was so delightful to watch (not necessarily the dancing part). And then came on the Beach Boys tune (which was in the sound track for "Love Actually," a fun movie), "God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You."
here are the lyrics:
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would livin' do me
God only knows what I'd be without you
This is the year of finding out how I am without Linda. Not my first choice. There are several Beach Boy CDs in the collection.
Today was also an hour with Laura at Hospice of the Valley. I brought my laptop so she could see photos of Switzerland, Germany and the wedding. I also shared how hard it was to come home after such a vacation. It was a hard day.
Balanced by some wonderful phone conversations yesterday, taking full advantage of free weekend minutes.
I think I need to take off the nail polish and trim my nails. They look OK but feel like talons.
Tonight is also the season premiere of Boston Legal...perhaps currently my favorite series.
Ketzl just wolfed down the tuna and asparagus. He is amazing.
I'm still not hungry.
At this time of year, a lot of stuff related to the High Holidays is coming through on email. I am wrestling with some of the things I need to deal with. Forgiveness is an important feature. I'm working on forgiving myself. Not easy.
And then there's the political and economic stuff. Just heard that the son of a Democratic something is accused of hacking Palin's yahoo! account. o dear. and the hubbub over the terms of the bailout. why should private companies be bailed out for greed and bad judgment? what kind of checks and balances will there be? or just the congress signing over trillions of dollars without real accountability. what about salaries for the CEOs of these companies that have folded or been folded. One democrat commented that it took 8 years to get into this situation, so one should not expect it to be resolved in one day. and then all the stuff swirling around about Palin. i especially enjoyed Eve Ensler's commentary (she is the author of the Vagina Monologues).
I don't know if it's the aging process or I've always been a bit directionally challenged but I had a really difficult time in Wiesbaden. Maybe because some of the streets go off at angles. But it was really hard to find places, even on the 2nd time. Another way in which I relied on Linda.
Flying home on the plane by myself was one of the most sobering experiences so far. I don't like traveling alone. Let me be more accurate: I loved traveling with Linda and I miss that.
Tonight after picking up eggs and cream cheese (to go with the new delicious lox) at TJs, I headed over to Marshall's in the ongoing quest to find non-leather shoes for Yom Kippur, not too far off. Nothing really there. I realized while in the store that I miss shopping for Linda. It was always fun to find something special. I sniffed all the way home. I'm not hungry, and there is a lot of good food to eat here. Maybe a small salad later.
Ketzl is out in the cool night air, perched on the rock by the sidewalk. I just checked.
It is the new season for Dancing with the Stars. Can you believe that Cloris Leachman is 82 years old? She was so delightful to watch (not necessarily the dancing part). And then came on the Beach Boys tune (which was in the sound track for "Love Actually," a fun movie), "God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You."
here are the lyrics:
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would livin' do me
God only knows what I'd be without you
This is the year of finding out how I am without Linda. Not my first choice. There are several Beach Boy CDs in the collection.
Today was also an hour with Laura at Hospice of the Valley. I brought my laptop so she could see photos of Switzerland, Germany and the wedding. I also shared how hard it was to come home after such a vacation. It was a hard day.
Balanced by some wonderful phone conversations yesterday, taking full advantage of free weekend minutes.
I think I need to take off the nail polish and trim my nails. They look OK but feel like talons.
Tonight is also the season premiere of Boston Legal...perhaps currently my favorite series.
Ketzl just wolfed down the tuna and asparagus. He is amazing.
I'm still not hungry.
At this time of year, a lot of stuff related to the High Holidays is coming through on email. I am wrestling with some of the things I need to deal with. Forgiveness is an important feature. I'm working on forgiving myself. Not easy.
And then there's the political and economic stuff. Just heard that the son of a Democratic something is accused of hacking Palin's yahoo! account. o dear. and the hubbub over the terms of the bailout. why should private companies be bailed out for greed and bad judgment? what kind of checks and balances will there be? or just the congress signing over trillions of dollars without real accountability. what about salaries for the CEOs of these companies that have folded or been folded. One democrat commented that it took 8 years to get into this situation, so one should not expect it to be resolved in one day. and then all the stuff swirling around about Palin. i especially enjoyed Eve Ensler's commentary (she is the author of the Vagina Monologues).
I don't know if it's the aging process or I've always been a bit directionally challenged but I had a really difficult time in Wiesbaden. Maybe because some of the streets go off at angles. But it was really hard to find places, even on the 2nd time. Another way in which I relied on Linda.
Flying home on the plane by myself was one of the most sobering experiences so far. I don't like traveling alone. Let me be more accurate: I loved traveling with Linda and I miss that.
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