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Why pomegranates? During this season they are hanging from the trees ready to be eaten. I love the dark red ones which are sour inside and make my mouth pucker as I write this. There are many seeds inside the pomegranate (it is said 613) and when we eat it we wish that “our merits increase like the seeds of a pomegranate.”
There is really only one way to make a good cup of coffee. You need fire, a finjan, Turkish coffee (also known as “mud” coffee), sugar (even in you usually don’t add sugar), and a small piece of paradise around you. Tomer was on a short “after” (Hebrew for a short leave) from duty and we went to the forest near our house.
I love the camel warning sign but must move on (those of you who missed it, scroll down). Tomorrow is “shuk” day and I will be at the market in the morning buying my groceries. This guy makes the best pita. Some humus, olives, hot peppers…and it’s Friday lunch.
After weeks of problems uploading images on my site, I must thank Shai from 3dSight a computer company in Jerusalem who has generously offered me a temporary solution. So though camels on the road were a serious concern a few weeks ago on my way to Sde Boker down south, they are not really of concern right at this moment, though I believe one should always be ready for the unexpected.
Hi all,
Just got this email from a friend on a kibbutz not far from where I live. If you’re in the neighborhood…
>
> I am looking for three volunteers to work with us harvesting and pruning our olive trees.. In return, you get room, board, fun times, great people, warmish weather if its not raining, big muscles, hands on experience, and your picture in olive news and world report magazine. The work is not so easy. But once you get into the rhythm, it is a great feeling to be outside in the beautiful fall weather, eating olive oil and fresh bread together, and caring for the gorgeous trees.
>
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> Gezer is a kibbutz that has gone through several changes. We are not a totally socialist community anymore. But we still share some things, including the olive orchard. We live as a small village, sharing the same small store, office, cow barn, children’s houses, etc. It is a fairly rural area, but has easy access by bus to Jerusalem (1/2 hour) or Tel Aviv (2 buses, about an hour altogether). There are also lots of nice people who will give you a lift and even invite you over to show you their photos and give you tea if you show an interest.
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> The details of the work are as follows. The three volunteers will share a small apartment, with a tiny kitchenette and bathroom/shower. You will also receive money in an account at the kibbutz store, sufficient to cover food and incidental costs while you are here. The work is for about 8 weeks, beginning in early November, and ending in late December. I am also open to someone coming for only part of the season, but only if you’re incredibly kind and sensitive and a great person in general. In return, you are expected to work 5 days a week for about 6 hours a day , probably Tuesday thru Saturday, with Sunday and Monday off.
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> The Gezer Olives are grown organically (even though we don’t have official certification due to the high cost). We love our trees, and try to care for them as well as possible. The same goes for our humans. We believe in self-labor. We don’t hire outside temporary laborers, and avoid exploiting anyone. The crew is made up of myself and a couple of younger folk who grew up here, who like myself love to pick and prune the olives and always find time from whatever they are doing to come join me at this time of year. There are also quite a few kibbutz folk who love to come out and help when they can or at least eat with us, usually on Fridays and Saturdays. We have had other volunteers join us in past years, and they have always had a great experience and learned a lot as well. If you are interested (or even if you are not), please contact me at the following (preferably by email or phone, since they are the quickest), giving as many details as possible:
> Dani Livney
> Kibbutz Gezer
> email- livney@gezer.org.il
Got a big delivery of my books yesterday! It’s an incredible feeling to see them and hold them. Of course had to share the moment with any/everyone I bumped into from Moshe the butcher to Moshe (also Moshe) the postman who is my greatest fan and takes the shipment of my manuscripts very seriously.
This week was busy with answering a lot of blog interviews. Next month check out livsbookreviews.blogspot.com
In November I’ll be on Bruce Black’s blog http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com
And for now an interview with me on the HarperCollins website!
http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Teachers/BookDetail.aspx?isbn13=9780061576546&BDMode=9
Nirit, friend/neighbor/tour guide/, took me through Hezekiah’s Tunnel underneath the City of David to help me with my research for a new picture book. Brrrrrr! The water was freezing even though we’re in August and above ground the heat is so fierce that you can melt standing in one spot for too long. But here we were, in the City of David, built over 2,000 years ago and Hezekiah’s secret water tunnel is as clear and running as freely as if unaware of the passage of time. Then we walked back up to Dung Gate. It’s amazing to see these ancient walls still standing — with TV satellites perched on the roof tops (which cable station did they watch back then?) and clothes lines hanging out their Levi jeans.
Friday. We’re always short on time…and Friday in Jerusalem, even moreso. This picture is taken by the entrance to the vegetable market which gets really packed on Fridays (my watch stopped and I had to get a new battery. You can’t get more than one person in the store at a time…but it has everything). On Friday, in Jerusalem, almost all the stores close between 2:00 and 3:00 and even earlier in winter.
In-between times. The galleys of FREEFALL are out, and I’m waiting to hear the reviews. I’ve sent off my latest manuscript to my agent and I’m waiting to hear her response. Usually, I use these in-between times to write poetry. Writing poetry acquires such focus that everything else is pushed aside.
So last night went to a poetry reading at Tmol Shilshom to put me in the mood. I’ve got a photo I’ll put up later…now it’s time to eat a light lunch of humus, pita, hot peppers and olives from the market. No photo can match the taste!
