Hi everyone,
Middle Eastern summer has settled down on us with a vengeance now. The sun is no longer just warming, it bites. We seek the shade and drink as much fluid as possible. Fortunately in this dry climate, the evenings will be pleasant even if the daylight hours are punishing.
I spent 5 hours on Shabbat volunteering at the cat shelter Girgurim (www.girgurim), near Beit Shemesh. Five hours working in the sun. Even though there was a breeze, I've been in Israel long enough to know better than that. I was okay for the day, but on Sunday I woke up sick, headache and stomachache, aching muscles, etc. Maybe a virus, maybe a bit touched by the sun. Got to work but crawled back home before noon, went straight to bed and pretty much slept through until the next morning. I was okay then, but did plead with Girgurim to put up a net against the sun. Got a lot of yada yada, may have to do it myself next time I'm down there. At least I will bring a beach umbrella!
Monday and Tuesday were quiet and I paddled along with my manuscript about the monitoring of the nature reserve En Fescha. Finally on Wednesday morning I finished it, and about noon I put it down with satisfaction, and picked up the newspaper for lunch. First item my eye lit upon was about En Fescha going up in smoke….Damn! A stray military flair slammed into the canebrakes instead of breaking up over the Dead Sea and Poof! I include a photo of the fire taken by Doron Nissim, district manager down there.
Well, well, well. The landscape will soon turn green again, and maybe En Fescha needs fire from time to time, in order to open the brush and let annuals grow. Our instincts tell us it looks horrible (and if your hut is in the middle, it IS horrible) but perhaps no worse for the landscape than grazing. I expect to be drawn into study of this and help set up a monitoring program. Still, I was shocked.
Then a call about noon: the new Calatrava "Bridge of Strings" was to be inaugurated about 4 pm so anybody wanting to flee the area before the traffic jams could leave now and get a full day's work credit. Sounded good to me, I fled.
I like the Calatrava Bridge , although at several times the original cost estimate, it is a white elephant for a relatively poor city like Jerusalem . It's a boondoggle, and for sure some people are lining their pockets because of this, but at least it is a pretty boondoggle. It is supposed to represent King David's harp, or something like that. Bit of overkill for a mere tramway bridge, methinks; after all it isn't spanning San Francisco Bay , just trudging to the central bus station. But balance is not our strong point here, so okay. Gotta do something crazy from time to time to qualify as Israelis.
That's about it for here. My cat Hercules is on the mend, and considerably friendlier. I never realized his grouchiness was due to illness. Now he is a quiet cat and likes to snuggle. He must have been pretty sick most of the time I had him, about half a year. And must feel a lot better now.
As for me, I want a quiet weekend, naps and a chance to sort myself out.
Shabbat shalom,
Linda
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