Look at This! Surprise 🌝

This year has been an exceptionally blessed year for rain, here in the Holy Land. And in addition I had taken a neighbor's advice and watered the two barren citrus trees in our garden.

One tree is a lemon tree I had bought well over twenty years ago, and the other is from a sapling one of our sons brought back from a hike a few years after we had planted the lemon tree. We'll refer to the second one as "the mystery tree."

Over a decade ago, I remember seeing some small orange fruit on the mystery tree but don't remeber even trying to eat them. They were terribly small and hard.

For the past few months I've been noticing a number of orange-colored fruit growing on the mystery tree. At first they seemed to high to be picked, but yesterday when I walked by, I could see that there were quite a few of these fruit low enough, even for me. So, today, after my morning walk, I went over to the tree and decided to take a better look.

I picked one fruit from the tree, smelled it decided to take a bite. What could be wrong? They hadn't even sprayed with poisons. Yes, they're organic, completely organic.

One of my guesses, due to size, was that they were some sort of clementina, which is a small tangerine, an easy to peel citrus fruit. Here in Israel the clementina is the first of the winter citrus fruit offered for sale, late summer, early winter. The clementina has a very thin skin/peel, thinner than any orange I'm familiar with.

Test #1 This mystery fruit has a relatively thick skin for its size, but as you can see in the pictures, it's a tiny fruit. Now, I don't know if the mystery fruit is supposed to be small, or if the difficult dry and cold climate here has damaged/stunted it.

Test #2 was the taste test. The mystery fruit tastes something like an orange. I'll leave them on the tree a bit longer and taste them periodically, to see if they get sweeter with time. Of course the challenge is to pick them before they rot on the tree.

I'd be grateful for advice, thanks.

Snow, Just a Puff of Wishful Thinking

For the past few days, the Israeli media was full of supposed "pre-snow" warnings. You'd think we were in for a major blizzard. The "snowplow" workers, salters, media yappers etc were all put on "snow alert" at who know how many times their normal salary to be ready for the deluge of white to blanket the roads, lawns and more.

last night's hail on the steps to my house

To my experienced, though untrained mind, the forecasts weren't predicting snow, just winds and hail. And to be perfectly honest, that's what we really got. The round little ice balls you can see in the picture on the right are hail, not snow. For snow the temperature must be an actual freezing minus, not a few degrees more, or just "wind chill factor" or "feels like."

It's that "chaos" of winds, when it feels much colder than it actually is, that cause/form hail. Hail, like you can see in the photo, are ice balls. Yes, those ice balls on roads can be very dangerous, more dangerous than dry snowflakes, which if not piled high, quickly melt under hot moving cars and their wide tires.

Between the strong winds and hail, being on the roads last night wasn't a good idea for small cars especially. And I ended up missing my granddaughter's performance in Ofra, which had me very upset and disappointed.

late last night

early this morning

This year's winter isn't over yet, and considering that some of our deepest and most long-lasting snows have fallen in the month of Adar, even around Purim, we still have a chance. Not that I want it to snow. I'd rather continue with rainy nights and sunny days.

When Will it Rain?

Here in Israel rain is rare. The rainy season is after the Jewish Holidays, usually starting some time in October, ending in March.  And even then we can have a couple of dry weeks or more. Droughts are common. Actually, we're suffering the effects of a shrinking Lake Kinneret (Galilee) and Dead Sea right now.

I'm not writing this to complain about the weather. It's just that I'm planning on going to Jerusalem and want to be "prepared." It's not all that cold, but should I bring a jacket, umbrella etc? The forecasts aren't clear. One says dry, and the other predicts rain.

Last night as the sun was setting

Today we expect +27..+20 °C, without precipitation, gentle breeze. Tomorrow: +25..+22 °C, without precipitation, gentle breeze. Weather site

Scattered Thunderstorms 26°17° 40% W 18 km/h 66%
Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. High 26C. Winds W at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 40%.  A different weather site

Yes, We Israelis Get a Bissel Wacky Over Rain

I guess pretty much anyone with lots of Israeli friends on social media, Facebook, Instagram etc thought that some narcotic was raining down here in Israel. I'm not the only one who stood in the rain so my phone could "live feed" and show the world the black clouds, rain hail and thunder.

In Israel we barely get 5-6 months of rain per year, and we've been suffering from drought for years already. Rain starts around October, and in a "good year" we don't see sunshine for days on end. The last rain is usually early April, right before Passover. Some people swear that it always rains as soon as they wash their windows. Every few years it rains after Passover, and sometimes there are even storms. I remember one year when buckets of rain seemed to be violently poured on us from the sky.

Quite often those late rains are more like mud dripping. That's a pretty good description, because the rain sometimes ends those awful sandstorms. I learned the hard way that when the sky looks awfully yellow, it's not a good time to hang out the laundry, unless you are willing to wash it all over again. The weather is nothing like that in New York. How were we to know?

Yesterday's forecasts has said it would rain  around 10am in Jerusalem, so I didn't take my usual walk. Eventually I took a short walk, carrying my umbrella as backup. When I got home to Shiloh after three, it was still dry. But then I began to see rain posts on Facebook, as my friends sent out pictures and "live feed."

this is the color, I didn't make it black and white

The sky here began to get darker, and the clouds raced around. Usually I ignore the rain, once I'm safely at home, but I just had to send out my rain to the world. Isn't that what social media is all about? You can see more of my rain on Facebook and Instagram.

I guess all this "rain excitement" does seem crazy...

Taking A Laundry Break

Or should the title be "Taking Break From Laundry?"

We're having one of those ugly spring days today and maybe tomorrow. It gets all sandy, like in sandstorms, and rains mud. It's time to close the windows. And if I need to launder, there are folding dryers which can decorate the house. Or I can use the electric one, which isn't all that great.

The week-long Passover Holiday begins Friday just before dusk, and the custom is not to launder during the "intermediate days," aka Chol Hamoed. So, I really try to empty the hampers out beforehand.

We really need the rain, so I'm not complaining at all.

Muddy Night Walk

After a nice amount of rain even the mud seemed to sparkle.

Being Prepared for Electricity Problems

I gave up pretty quickly this past week when looking for Shabbat guests. It only took a couple of "negatives" to stop me in my tracks. The weather forecast was for winds, and everyone was told to prepare for "power outages," aka being without electricity. Considering that we only have electric heaters and electricity for cooking, I figured that possible guests wouldn't be very happy if the house and food were cold, plus dark and dingy.

We stocked up on "yartzeit candles" that claimed 48 and 72 hours of light. I lit two in the kitchen where I work and two by the Shabbat candles. And when I lit the Shabbat ones, I lit a lot more than usual, so in case the electricity went out while we were eating, there'd be some light.

This photo was taken after Shabbat before I put out the 48 hour candles

And now to tell you that it was just a regular rainy winter Shabbat, no drama. We had electricity, thank Gd. It was drizzling when I walked out to take a walk, so I just walked back in.  A "lazy Shabbat" is allowed on occasion. I did make it to shul and to my usual shiur, class.

Shavua Tov

Have a Wonderful Week

Before The Storm

Way back when, weather would take us totally by surprise. Sometimes we'd look at a sunset or sunrise and "predict" rain or dry weather, but the odds of our getting it right were about as bad as the weather forecasts on the news. This, of course, predated the internet, computers, smartphones and all the apps.

But in recent years, weather forecasts are sometimes spookily accurate, like when the app forecasts snow beginning to fall at 10am, and it actually does. So now people go totally bonkers "preparing" for forecasted rain storms, blizzards etc. Yes, even me.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to take the recycling garbage to our little neighborhood recycling "center." I noticed a neighbor there:

"Are you also here now instead of tomorrow?" I asked her.
"Yes, if it's going to be stormy, I don't want to leave my house." She answered.

Usually, I get rid of all the boxes, bottles etc right before Shabbat, on Friday afternoon, but I had no desire to go out in the rainstorm if there really was going to be one. Nor did I want all the "junk" to stay in the house.

And, yes, it is raining today, windy, too. I plan on staying home, and I'll do my walking by walking in the house. The forecast is for rain and wind until tomorrow afternoon or evening. Considering that we've had drought most winters in recent years, I'm not complaining. I just pray that our electricity with hold up, since we have no alternative for cooking, heating and light.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach,
May You have a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath

Winter, Finally?

Here in Israel winter means rain. It only rains here from about October until March, rarely any other time. Those of us who live in the mountainous regions where it gets relatively cold, and occasionally snows, the lightweight raincoats I grew up with in New York, for spring and summer rains, aren't needed. By the time we get the succah stored away, early to mid-October, we're usually in waterproof winter coats and carrying umbrellas.

Unfortunately this year, it stayed warm and dry, with the exception of a day or two. This was fun for the kids and great for drying clothes outside, but my little vineyard was getting very confused. You can see that fresh new leaves began to grow months before spring. A neighbor of mine who works in agriculture told me a while ago, that without sufficient periods of cold, many fruits won't grow properly. And he also insists that the purified water which is touted by the government as the perfect solution to drought does not produce the same sweet fruit as rainwater does. No doubt that is the reason I'm not able to get myself to eat oranges yet. They taste awful.

Thank Gd, the last couple of days have been cold and rainy, although with enough sun to still get out a bit. A truly blessed winter would provide Gd given rain in great quantities every night and then mixed rain and sun during the day.

For that we need to obey Gd. Our rain is not due a scientific technique like seeding clouds.  This is the Holy Land where things work very differently from any place else.

The quantity, timing and location of rain are the barometer of the Jewish People's following of Gd's Mitzvot. This dry, unseasonably warm weather makes it very clear that we have a long way to go in improving ourselves.

Winter sky in Jerusalem yesterday

Jerusalem Purim, 5777, 2017

This year our kids "spoiled" us. They did the entertaining on Purim, both days, even. So we weren't home much at all. On Shushan Purim, we were in Jerusalem, and even though it was a bit drizzly, London style, there were plenty of people in the streets dressed for the holiday in costumes, or at least funny hats. The trains even had some decals decorating the windows.

Here are some of the pictures I took.

Powerful Apology

Add this to the many stories in my, and others', tremping sagas. Yes, this is how we survive, get around without a car, even when having to travel routes not served by public transportation.

Rainy day. Remember that even when it looks the stormiest,
the sun is actually shining, just hidden by the clouds, thunder
and lightening. 

Thank Gd this week it has been raining. Here in the HolyLand, rain in the winter is a blessing, meaning that a day like the one pictured here is a beautiful day in Shvat/February. Without rain, the land will revert to desert. Desalination is not a full substitute for rain.

Granted rain can be even more daunting than simple discomfort or inconvenience, especially when you don't have the use of a car and are dependent on siyata d'Shmaya and the goodness of others.

Yesterday, when I finished work in Kochav Hashachar I had a ride in my direction from some other teachers who make a point of helping me out. The only way I was able to accept my job in Yeshiva High School Ahavat Chaim was because the staff offers rides, and there are enough who live nearby or pass Shiloh. Without that, the twenty minute ride through Shvut Rachel to the Alon Road would be a minimum hour with totally miraculous bus connections at Sha'ar Binyamin.

Frequently the teachers bring me either home or by the local supermarket, but yesterday when the engine was started it was discovered that the gas tank was almost empty. It was obvious that we were at risk of getting stuck on the way to the closest gas station between Shiloh and Eli, so I knew that they would just drop me off at the junction of Shiloh and Shvut Rachel. As close as it is to home, it's sometimes the most ignored by drivers. But I answered "perfectly understood," when they apologized for having to leave me there.

As I got out of the car, another pulled up immediately. I didn't recognize the driver, but she said that she's going "up the hill" in Shiloh and named a family that lives right near me. All I could think of was that the apology I had received from my fellow teachers was powerful enough for Gd to arrange this ride on that chilly, rainy evening.

GD IS TRULY GREAT!!

Rain! Winter's Back

Shabbat was such a spring-like day. On Friday when I took a walk I even spied an almond tree in bloom. The middle of the Jewish Month of Shvat, now, is when almond trees are supposed to flower, so we just made it.

These are actually two photos combined. See my Instagram page, shilohbatya

We'd been enjoying the break from winter weather and knew to expect winter's return this week. According to the forecast for Shiloh, the entire week will be rainy. 

It's winter, 

and we need rain, 

so can't complain.

But can still kvetch...

yes?

Just before the rain fell this morning

There was enough light from the dawn to make the returning raindrops look like diamonds on leaves and the chair.

Our merpeset, terrace, gets the extremes from all weather, since it's on the southern side of the house. The twenty 20 meters of clotheslines are fantastic for quickly and easily drying multiple loads of wash. When it snows, this is the side of the house that gets the most, though it is also the first to melt.

I have so many things planned for this week, which I hope to accomplish while sneaking past the raindrops. I may arm/protect myself by wearing my father's heavy Land's End winter coat, which we left here when moving him to Arizona.

Looking outside, through south-facing windows, it looks absolutely stormy.

shot with a flash

shot without the flash, plus a drop of "tint" editing

It's the Jewish Month of Shvat when the last of the heavy rains are supposed to fall in the Holy Land. May it be for a blessing, Gd willing.

May It Be For A Blessing...

Here in Israel, the Jewish Holy Land, we take our rain very seriously. There are all sorts of prayers about rain and references to rain in our prayers. This part of the world was not created with an automatic yearlong sprinkler system or reliable irrigation and water sources. More than half the year it doesn't rain at all, and the few natural springs can easily dry up. With proper watering, precipitation, this can be a very fertile piece of real estate.

When we were on shlichut, doing Jewish/Zionist youth work in London, I'd get a kick out of the newscasts which reported on how many minutes of sunshine in London and other cities. Here they report how many millimeters of rain fell in the previous few hours.

The greatest fireman in action!

Heavy heavy rain across Israel now especially in Haifa area where the wildfires were at their largest. #MoridHageshem, Facebook

And after a dry spell, we don't want a long, heavy rain, because there are always lots of car accidents on the suddenly slippery roads. Rain, dust, sand and oil are a bad combination. Also, too heavy a rain on parched soil just wipes away the top soil and causes damage. So, the way the rains have fallen this week is good. First we had a bit of rain, just enough to soften the earth and wipe the dust off of our roads and solar panels, without flooding all the bad stuff (potential pollution) from the fires and now we've received a heavier rain to water the crops, refill fresh water springs and the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, Israel's major water source.

Also here in the Holy Land, our timing and quantity of rains/precipitation are a blessing or punishment from Gd for our, as a People, behavior. Sins cause droughts and floods, while living according to the mitzvot Gd commanded us will bring rain in its season and the best quantities.

And one of the lessons/reminders from Gd about these recent aishtafada fires is that although with modern technology we can purify enough water for agriculture and even drinking, but we can't protect our forests and homes from fire without enough rain. Too many times recently I've read rather sacrilegious stuff about our no longer being dependent on rain for sufficient water. All the damage was a reminder of how much we need the rain that only Gd can give.

As much as I hate having the clothes drying in the living-room, it's a small price to pay for the needed rain. So, let your smile be your umbrella, thank Gd, bundle up and enjoy.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach!

May you have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat!

Where's the Rain?

The good news is that I can hang out the wash, and it dries quickly, but the bad news is that we really need rain. Here's yesterday's sky.

I wonder if today will be the same...

Remember that the amount and quality of the rainfall here is given by Gd either as a blessing or a punishment.