It's the time of the year for fruit trees here in Israel. The mandarins in our yard are almost orange, and the oranges are starting to turn from green. The lemons still have a way to go, but we managed to pull one that ripened early and it was delicious! It's so nice to have your own fruit and know that it's not coated in pesticides.
Walking through the neighborhood, I've seen pomagrante trees and a starfruit tree! These are fruits you rarely even see at the grocery store in the US, let alone in your yard.
It's just nice to have such a great variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. This morning I had a persimmon, for example. Yummy.
Cooking Adventures
Yesterday, a Japanese friend of mine came over and taught me how to make nama-Yatsuhashi (a Japanese sweet famous in Kyoto) and dango (another Japanese sweet) in the microwave! It was much easier than I ever expected.
Then, today I made an (Japanese sweet bean paste). I had tried to make it once about 10 years ago, and I failed miserably. Today's attempt went much better, and I think it's actually pretty close to the way it should be. Woohoo. That's a good thing because it took 4 HOURS to make.
Japanese cuisine is not known for being quick and easy. My goodness. I just made a pot of beans and sugar, but it took FOUR hours. That stuff should be worth its weight in gold!
英語が難しい方のため、私は先日日本人の友達に八橋と団子の皮、電子レンジでの簡単な作り方を教えていただきました。20分でできとても楽でした。昨日彼女が作っておいた餡を使ったんですが、今日私は一人で粒餡を作ってみました。10年前に一度作ろうとして失敗した経験があったのですが、今日頑張って、何とか結構いい餡が作れました。嬉しいけど、相当時間かかりますね！餡は金と同じくらいの値段を取ればいいと思います！
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
When Sweetie and I were forced to downsize in March (when the rent on his house virtually doubled), we looked at quite a few houses. There was the "Italian House," which was absolutely gorgeous, but entirely too small for us. It had no laundry room, no storage, no basement, etc. There was a large open area on the first floor, a small-ish kitchen, and a yard with a heated lap pool. Upstairs, it simply had 4 rooms (two with walk-in closets), each with a toilet and shower, but two of the rooms were QUITE small. That was it. There was no place to put a washer and dryer, etc. It was a shame because the house was absolutely beautiful. Brand new, great attention to detail. Imported everything from Italy. But, we declined because it was too small.
The house remained vacant for MONTHS. But finally, about a month ago, we saw that some diplomats had moved in. Then, a week ago, I noticed that a flag had been erected and a sign put up declaring it the residence of an ambassador. So, we turned down an ambassador's house.
Another house we looked at was a semi-detached (aka duplex) on a somewhat dilapidated street that seems on the upswing. The house was big enough and though it wasn't perfect, it was the only acceptable one we'd seen so far (it too was brand new, and actually not even finished yet). We put a bid in on it, only to find out later that someone had already signed a contract on it (such the Israeli way to keep showing a house after someone else has sealed a deal on it). Anyway, we found out later that the people who had been living in the house we eventually took (and live in now) moved into THAT house! Interesting.
Well, we took a walk by it the other day and low and behold, but a HUGE house is being built right next to it! Vindication!!! We were so pleased. Yes, there's a house being built behind us, but it's only two stories (no basement). And it's sort of diagonally behind us, not directly behind us. On the other hand, the house being constructed by the duplex is ginormous and has a basement (ie: more construction, more noise). Because the house is a duplex, this new construction will effective block out many of the nice views in the house and lots of natural light.
So, even though the construction we've been dealing with has been a nightmare, we've learned that it could always be worse....:-)
The house remained vacant for MONTHS. But finally, about a month ago, we saw that some diplomats had moved in. Then, a week ago, I noticed that a flag had been erected and a sign put up declaring it the residence of an ambassador. So, we turned down an ambassador's house.
Another house we looked at was a semi-detached (aka duplex) on a somewhat dilapidated street that seems on the upswing. The house was big enough and though it wasn't perfect, it was the only acceptable one we'd seen so far (it too was brand new, and actually not even finished yet). We put a bid in on it, only to find out later that someone had already signed a contract on it (such the Israeli way to keep showing a house after someone else has sealed a deal on it). Anyway, we found out later that the people who had been living in the house we eventually took (and live in now) moved into THAT house! Interesting.
Well, we took a walk by it the other day and low and behold, but a HUGE house is being built right next to it! Vindication!!! We were so pleased. Yes, there's a house being built behind us, but it's only two stories (no basement). And it's sort of diagonally behind us, not directly behind us. On the other hand, the house being constructed by the duplex is ginormous and has a basement (ie: more construction, more noise). Because the house is a duplex, this new construction will effective block out many of the nice views in the house and lots of natural light.
So, even though the construction we've been dealing with has been a nightmare, we've learned that it could always be worse....:-)
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Sightseeing in Ohio
While we were in Ohio, I took Sweetie to see some of the local "attractions." One day, we went to Amish country (Ohio has the largest Amish population in the US, I believe). It was a beautiful day (as were virtually all days we were in Ohio -- something I keep trying to convince Sweetie is NOT at all normal). We drove down to Berlin, Ohio, parked the car and wandered in and out of some shops and stopped for some tea (while choking on fumes from the countless semi-trucks that passed on the rather narrow main street) -- all the while trying to escape from attacking yellow jackets.
We finally surrendered and got back into the car in search of the Amish-Mennonite Heritage Center. We resisted the temptation to pay to see the highly touted "cyclorama." Instead, we tried to catch some free peeks into the barn and schoolhouse while a tour was being conducted.
On the way home, we took a different route and discovered glorious local route 77 (not the highway 77 that runs up to Cleveland, as we learned). It was just beautiful. I knew Sweetie really enjoyed it. Me less so since I was constantly trying to avoid hitting the numerous horses and buggies we encountered on the road.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
No visit to the Canton-Massillon area is compete without a stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The last time I was there, I was FIVE years old. A very very long time ago. Longer than even I can believe. Anyway, the parking lot was full of cars with HOF theme license plates. We were in HOF territory for sure.
By this point during the trip, I had managed to contract some plague and was not feeling well at all. Nevertheless, I pressed on, taking frequent breaks at the benches scattered throughout the facility. The historical displays were rather interesting and I'll be happy to take any future Ohio visitors there.
Wine Festival
Sweetie and I are big fans of wine, so we couldn't resist checking out Canton's Wine Tasting event that coincided with our visit home. It was actually much better than we expected, with a fairly large variety of wines from virtually all major wine-producing countries. The live music was good, there were various restaurants offering food for a nominal cost (and sometimes free!), and there were tables available to stand at and sip your wine (I migrated to a picnic table on the fringe of the festival because I needed to sit!).
Incidentally, this is where we did make an appearance in the newspaper. While Sweetie was getting wine for us, a reporter for the local paper zeroed in on me and by the time Sweetie came back, I was in full-swing trying to give the reporter some good quotes. Sweetie, however, was much better at this, and he certainly attracted the attention of my relatives with his infamous, "Rather than [just] sitting at home and visiting relatives, we decided to do something."
Unfortunately, my illness (and the fact that I was driving) put a slight damper on my energy level, but again, I pressed on and hung in there the best I could. Neither of us were able to finish our EIGHT wine tasting tickets (the samples were practically half-glasses!), which sort of made us feel old, but anyway, we enjoyed it.
We finally surrendered and got back into the car in search of the Amish-Mennonite Heritage Center. We resisted the temptation to pay to see the highly touted "cyclorama." Instead, we tried to catch some free peeks into the barn and schoolhouse while a tour was being conducted.
On the way home, we took a different route and discovered glorious local route 77 (not the highway 77 that runs up to Cleveland, as we learned). It was just beautiful. I knew Sweetie really enjoyed it. Me less so since I was constantly trying to avoid hitting the numerous horses and buggies we encountered on the road.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
No visit to the Canton-Massillon area is compete without a stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The last time I was there, I was FIVE years old. A very very long time ago. Longer than even I can believe. Anyway, the parking lot was full of cars with HOF theme license plates. We were in HOF territory for sure.
By this point during the trip, I had managed to contract some plague and was not feeling well at all. Nevertheless, I pressed on, taking frequent breaks at the benches scattered throughout the facility. The historical displays were rather interesting and I'll be happy to take any future Ohio visitors there.
Wine Festival
Sweetie and I are big fans of wine, so we couldn't resist checking out Canton's Wine Tasting event that coincided with our visit home. It was actually much better than we expected, with a fairly large variety of wines from virtually all major wine-producing countries. The live music was good, there were various restaurants offering food for a nominal cost (and sometimes free!), and there were tables available to stand at and sip your wine (I migrated to a picnic table on the fringe of the festival because I needed to sit!).
Incidentally, this is where we did make an appearance in the newspaper. While Sweetie was getting wine for us, a reporter for the local paper zeroed in on me and by the time Sweetie came back, I was in full-swing trying to give the reporter some good quotes. Sweetie, however, was much better at this, and he certainly attracted the attention of my relatives with his infamous, "Rather than [just] sitting at home and visiting relatives, we decided to do something."
Unfortunately, my illness (and the fact that I was driving) put a slight damper on my energy level, but again, I pressed on and hung in there the best I could. Neither of us were able to finish our EIGHT wine tasting tickets (the samples were practically half-glasses!), which sort of made us feel old, but anyway, we enjoyed it.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Happy, 嬉しい
けっこう私のブログを見てくれている友達が多いみたいで、とても嬉しいです。皆さん、ありがとう！
I continue to hear from friends and family that they are reading my blog, so I'm very happy. Thanks!
I continue to hear from friends and family that they are reading my blog, so I'm very happy. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Cornhole
While visiting family in Ohio, Sweetie and I were introduced to Cornhole -- an outdoor game sweeping Ohio (and perhaps other parts of the US?). I just checked Wikipedia and it was actually invented back in the 1960s in the west side of Cincinnati. Anyway, it is very much the rage now in Ohio, with everyone from college students to families playing it.
For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Cornhole involves two boards set at an incline and placed 30 feet apart. Each board has a hole in it. Teams stand at opposite boards and try to throw beanbags into the hole of the board 30 feet away from them. [Photo from Wikipedia]
My aunt and uncle initiated Sweetie and me into Cornhole and all its glory. They told me beforehand that one of my aunts, who will remain nameless, managed to throw her beanbag behind her and ONTO THE ROOF. Well, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be doing that.
Well....I shouldn't have been so confident. None of my beanbags landed on the roof, but they came pretty darn close, and in addition, I nearly hit my cousin, and she wasn't even playing the game!
Anyway, I had another aunt to commisserate with over my serious lack of hand-eye coordination. Another aunt of mine said her bags go straight up in the air like mine did. Much to my uncle's complete disbelief. He just could not understand how it could be so difficult to toss a stupid beanbag. Indeed. I don't understand either!
I tried to convince Sweetie that we should make a Cornhole set to play here, but he pointed out that our yard isn't long enough and that we'd be sending the bags into the street or the swimming pool (or worse, if I am playing).
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
日本語を頂戴
もっと日本語で分ログをお願いしますということですので、今日日本語でちょっと頑張ります。
アメリカの旅行はとても楽しくて(短かったけど）イスラエルに帰ってくるのはちょっと。。。難しい。もちろん時分の家にいて、自分のベッドで寝るのは気持ちいいけどね。だけど、いらいらすることが多いですね。そして私たちの家はとてもハイテックで問題が次から次出てくるの。例えば、ベッドルームの電気(ライト）が昨日消えてしまった。これは前も消えてしまったものです。直すのはとても難しい。専門の人を呼ばなきゃいけません。普通のライトをつけたらよかったのに、この家はとても｢おしゃれ」なものばっかりで、問題だらけです。
つかれた！
アメリカの旅行はとても楽しくて(短かったけど）イスラエルに帰ってくるのはちょっと。。。難しい。もちろん時分の家にいて、自分のベッドで寝るのは気持ちいいけどね。だけど、いらいらすることが多いですね。そして私たちの家はとてもハイテックで問題が次から次出てくるの。例えば、ベッドルームの電気(ライト）が昨日消えてしまった。これは前も消えてしまったものです。直すのはとても難しい。専門の人を呼ばなきゃいけません。普通のライトをつけたらよかったのに、この家はとても｢おしゃれ」なものばっかりで、問題だらけです。
つかれた！
Monday, October 1, 2007
From Southern CA to Ohio
Sweetie and I really enjoyed our beachside days in CA, even if we only actually walked along the beach once (Brrrr....that Pacific water is COLD!).
After four days in California, we flew to Ohio to visit the bulk of my relatives, including my 91-year-old grandmother.
We decided to visit Grandma early on in the trip and I called her to schedule our visit. Since I was last home, my grandpa died and my grandma had to be moved into an assisted living facility.
When I called her, she asked me Sweetie's name and when I told her his first name, she said, "And is that how I should address him?" Hmmm...ummmm....yeah... I was trying to figure out what else she might want to call him...?!
Anyway, I should have taken that as a sign that something was amiss. Very long and painful story short, Grandma thought Sweetie was an AMBASSADOR. She called to reconfirm his title the night before our scheduled visit to the assisted living center. She said something about a "camera crew" and the "newspaper." I completely panicked. I called the local newspaper and sounding like a complete lunatic, explained my apparent predicament. I was told that they would inform the lady who would be working on the story, if there was in fact such a story in the works.
Then, my aunt calls and mentions something about the "nursing home newsletter." NewsLETTER? Newsletter?? Not newsPAPER? So, apparently I really really sounded like a complete lunatic calling up the newsPAPER. "Welcome home, Cha-chan," is all my aunt had to say.
Well, in the end, Sweetie did okay without my mom and her friend showing up dressed in black with my iPod headphones in their ears looking like bodyguards. There was no red carpet, no formal diplomatic welcome reception, no cameras....no newspaper or even newsletter. Just a nice quiet chat with Grandma on such gentle issues as global warming (she brought it up!).
As it turns out, we did end up in the newspaper later during our trip. We were at a wine festival and while Sweetie was getting us more wine, a reporter made a beeline for me. My aunt called the next morning to report that we were on the "front page" of the "local section," right below "Daddy stabbed Mommy."
That's Ohio excitement for you. And Sweetie really took a liking to the place.
After four days in California, we flew to Ohio to visit the bulk of my relatives, including my 91-year-old grandmother.
We decided to visit Grandma early on in the trip and I called her to schedule our visit. Since I was last home, my grandpa died and my grandma had to be moved into an assisted living facility.
When I called her, she asked me Sweetie's name and when I told her his first name, she said, "And is that how I should address him?" Hmmm...ummmm....yeah... I was trying to figure out what else she might want to call him...?!
Anyway, I should have taken that as a sign that something was amiss. Very long and painful story short, Grandma thought Sweetie was an AMBASSADOR. She called to reconfirm his title the night before our scheduled visit to the assisted living center. She said something about a "camera crew" and the "newspaper." I completely panicked. I called the local newspaper and sounding like a complete lunatic, explained my apparent predicament. I was told that they would inform the lady who would be working on the story, if there was in fact such a story in the works.
Then, my aunt calls and mentions something about the "nursing home newsletter." NewsLETTER? Newsletter?? Not newsPAPER? So, apparently I really really sounded like a complete lunatic calling up the newsPAPER. "Welcome home, Cha-chan," is all my aunt had to say.
Well, in the end, Sweetie did okay without my mom and her friend showing up dressed in black with my iPod headphones in their ears looking like bodyguards. There was no red carpet, no formal diplomatic welcome reception, no cameras....no newspaper or even newsletter. Just a nice quiet chat with Grandma on such gentle issues as global warming (she brought it up!).
As it turns out, we did end up in the newspaper later during our trip. We were at a wine festival and while Sweetie was getting us more wine, a reporter made a beeline for me. My aunt called the next morning to report that we were on the "front page" of the "local section," right below "Daddy stabbed Mommy."
That's Ohio excitement for you. And Sweetie really took a liking to the place.
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