Succos 2016 -- Part 1

SUCCOS 2016 --Part 1

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written up in this blog, but here goes a quick run-through of my recent trip to Israel.

Thursday/Friday, October 13-14   My flight over was as usual, long and tiring, leaving early afternoon and arriving early in the morning.  Sharon picked me up and drove me home; we chatted for a bit and then I went over to my studio apartment (one building over) and unpacked.  It was Friday, so I quickly had lunch, sent Yehuda over to change money, took care of some family odds and ends and changed in time for candle-lighting and then Shabbos dinner.

Saturday/Sunday, October 15-16 Shabbos was a nice combination of eating, reading, talking, and relaxing.  Still tired, I made it an early night.  Next day was a flurry of last-minute cooking (I was on potato-peeling duty) and greeting the holiday guests, Nechama and Aaron and their girls and Yosef and Miriam and their two.  Succos started amongst a flurry of Klicks and kitchen toys and very yummy food in the Succah.

Monday/Tuesday, October 17-18 Another relaxing holiday day, with lots of time to talk to the grands and play with the greats.   At night we had one of our famous concerts, with my talented family playing a bevy of instruments.  I had a choice of the triangle or the maracas!  It took most of Tuesday to recover from the festivities.

Wednesday, October 19              Today the family in residence (Sharon and Howie, Yehuda, Shaya, Dovid, and me (well, almost in residence, close by) went off to Bet Shemesh for brunch in Nechama and Aaron’s Succah.  How those boys can eat!  Shmuel came in the evening, a day early, so more fun for me!  The twins are a delight, and Chasi’s English just gets better and better.  With five little ones running around, it was quite busy!

Thursday/Friday, October 20-21   Had a late sleep Thursday and then spent most of the day enjoying the family, in and out of the Succah.  Friday as usual was a day of preparation.  It was a really “short Friday,” since the clocks had changed the previous Sunday.

Saturday, October 22                  As soon as Shabbos was over, we all rushed to prepare for Dovid’s birthday party, with the gang all there.  A bagels, lox, cheese and veggies buffet, with ice cream for dessert, and another of our famous family concerts.  Such fun to watch the groups form and reform.  The sisters/sisters-in-law in particular are such a close group!

Sunday/Monday, October 23-24   Shoshana and Dovy and their five little ones and Moshe and Ahuvi and their two were the last of the marrieds to stay over for the last two holiday days, with the girls and kids taking turns walking up to watch the dancing (I wasn’t walking up THAT hill!) or visit with me.

Tuesday/Wednesday, October 25-26     Time to do my annual chore – folding the laundry after the Yom Tov!  Much of it was done while talking to Yehuda and Shaya, who have turned out lovely young men, interesting to talk to.  At night, we had “Girls’ Night Out” – all the ladies spending the evening at a local restaurant.  The food was great, and the “ladies” had a great time sitting and talking together.

Thursday, October 27                  Sharon and I spent the day together, cabbing down to the Old City for a shwarma lunch and catching up with one another, then climbing down to the Wall.  When we got back, it was time for me to pack for our “occasional post-Shabbos weekend away with everyone there.”

Friday, October 28                      Sharon, her (and my) friend Liba  (honorary aunt to all my Israeli grandchildren and now the greats, too) and I went early to a rental “guest house” with 10 bedrooms – barely enough to sleep us all.   It was a good thing we’d decided to set up the kitchens and assign rooms before the mob arrived, because when they did, it was a flurry of greeting, picture-taking, and enjoying the antics of 16 little ones!  Even Eliyahu had flown over for the event.