During some hard work that a friend of mine and I did on Friday, we took a break and wandered over to Shimrit’s garden, where I took some pictures. Here are a few of them. (Click on the pictures for larger versions.)
A carpet of sorrel:
A coronal of flowers around spokes of leaves:
Oh, my! That must be one heavy ladybug! (It was my friend who pointed it out.)
Finally, the heart of an anemone:
It’s raining outside, finally. May it continue and increase!
Sweet flowers from the rock (cyclamens, or rakafot—singular rakefet):
The Jerusalem Trail emblem, a lion with backpack and walking stick:
An experimental real-time digital sign at a local bus stop, designed to answer the perennial question: “When’s the next bus?”
Look on top of this sign. Oy, English!
Finally, castor leaves catch the sunlight:
Or, more accurately, the electronics recycling bin.
The Snunit recycling firm (the site is in Hebrew; the word snunit means a swallow, or the first sign of spring) has placed a recycling bin in the parking lot of the Bloomfield Science Museum for old electronics equipment. I was there a few days ago to deposit some stuff that I no longer use when I found...
Hey! That’s my old typewriter... from about twenty years ago!
The company accepts most household electronics, but not large items such as televisions and air conditioners. You can contact Snunit for more details. (Just scroll down a bit for the email address.)
Missy does a face palm:
“Oh, brother. Here she comes to skritch me. Again.”
The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.
A member of the colony that lives at a train station in Tel Aviv:
In a window in my neighborhood:
The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.
My group, Et al, opened our set at the Tel Aviv Folk Club with the following song:
For more information about our group, click here.
(I’d say more but it’s almost Shabbat here and I’ve got to run... so Shabbat shalom!)
Leon de Winter writes: Our Neighbor and Why We Have to Kill Him.
Read the whole thing.
A local cat colony holds a meeting:
Elsewhere in the park, a tuxxie stretches:
The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.
Please pray for the safety of the soldiers of the IDF, wherever they may be, and for the safe return of Gilad Shalit.
The Israel Postal Authority has joined the effort to help the residents of southern Israel. Here is an excerpt from the email that they sent out recently (translation mine):
The inhabitants of the south and of the Gaza peripheral communities are under relentless rocket fire. We at the Postal Authority thought about ways in which we might assist them.
We have seven hundred branches and more than two thousand workstations throughout the country, and we have decided to put them at the service of the residents there.
When we consulted with the welfare departments of the communities in the south, we learned that what the residents there need most are ways to keep the children occupied and heating equipment.
We therefore appeal to anyone who can help: please donate toys, games and children’s books for all the children who cannot attend school or leave the confines of their homes. Heating equipment such as blankets and small heaters will be welcomed.
Please pack the items intended for donation in boxes and bring them to the post office branch nearest your home. Delivery is, of course, free of charge.
We at the Israel Postal Authority will collect the packages throughout the country and bring them to Ashkelon, Sderot, Ofakim, Netivot and Beer Sheva, where the welfare departments will distribute them to those who truly need them.
Anyone who can assist—by bringing this collection drive to the public’s attention in any way possible and by helping to obtain donations—is asked to do so.
Please pray for the safety of the soldiers of the IDF, wherever they may be.
Here, in alphabetical order, are the sites where I’m going these days for updates and commentary on Operation Cast Lead:
Israellycool (continuous liveblogging)
Jameel at the Muqata (continuous liveblogging)
Random Thoughts (continuous updates)
Seraphic Secret (continuous updates)
This is by no means a definitive list. There’s lots more excellent stuff out there, but this is where I’m concentrating for now.
Le-havdil (not to mention the excellent bloggers listed above in the same breath as what follows): a little note for the people who are dumb enough to leave anti-Israel comments here. I take particular pleasure in getting out my banning stick and using it, with relish, on garbage like yours. So if you’re considering leaving me a comment that demonstrates the level of your hatred, ignorance and stupidity, you’re wasting your time. It only takes me a few seconds to delete it and ban you permanently, and doing so puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Please pray for the safety of the soldiers of the IDF, wherever they may be.
I wouldn’t mind hitching a ride with this handsome fellow:
The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.
Please say a prayer for the soldiers of the IDF.
Here are some pictures that I took during some recent travels around Jerusalem.
First, two photos of the Calatrava Chords Bridge at the entrance to the city:
I call this one “Arabesque” because it reminds me of the ballet position of the same name:
A wild ring-necked parakeet happily munching on dates straight from the date palm:
(You can see a clearer view of the parakeet here.)
Finally, when I went to a government building on an errand recently, I saw its flagpole, with its flag unfurling in the breeze against a blue sky:
Please say a prayer for the soldiers of the IDF.
Today I learned of two more worthy causes for helping our soldiers in and near Gaza. I have added them to my sidebar, and I include their URLs here as well:
Yashar LaChayal (Hebrew for “Straight to the Soldier”)
Both of these grassroots organizations send much-needed items such as food, toiletries and warm clothing to the IDF soldiers who are serving in and near Gaza.
The IDF has begun its ground incursion into Gaza.
May God protect all the soldiers of the IDF wherever they may be, and all the inhabitants of the south.
Treppenwitz has posted the Prayer for the Soldiers of the IDF here.
Via Meryl:
(It’s now on my sidebar, too.)
UPDATE: Here is the IDF’s YouTube site, as well.
This list may be small, but it is a good start:
PizzaIDF (way more than pizza! They also send hot, nourishing soup to soldiers during the winter)
I was busy setting up this shot when a cat ran straight into the middle of it:
I think that the cat improves the shot tremendously, actually.
Now here is Cheeto, my friends’ cat, chillin’ on the sofa:
The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.
A prayer for IDF soldiers and the residents of Israeli towns under threat
I just received the following prayer for our soldiers and the residents of towns under threat:
May He who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless the residents of the State of Israel who live under the daily threat of missiles of death and destruction. May the Holy One strengthen their spirit and give them resolve to withstand this crisis until it passes. May it be the will of the Most High to grant wisdom and insight to those leaders of the State charged with conducting the people’s war, so that their actions are infused with courage, wisdom and intelligence which achieve a just goal. Lord of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, protect the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces in the air, on the sea and land, those in battle, those on the home front, and all the rescue and security forces. Save them from every trouble and evil design, and cause the works of their hands to be for blessing and for success. May they go out in peace and return victorious and whole to their homes and loved ones. O Heavenly One, bring peace to the Holy Land and eternal joy to its inhabitants, for Jacob again shall have calm and quiet with none to trouble him. And may the verse be applied to us: “But every man shall sit under his grapevine or fig tree with no one to disturb him. For it was the Lord of Hosts who spoke.” May this be Your will, and let us say: Amen.
(Composed and translated by Rabbi Simcha Roth and Rabbi Michael Graetz)
