SNOW – a big snow storm in October!  A snow day today!  There’s much to say about the craziness of it, the no electricity, have fun talking and cleaning odd things and doing other chores that require no electricity, and hot cocoa on the sterno!  But mostly, what I want to say is how much we need these days of forced rest and we don’t know it.  Our brains, whether learning and teaching or planning and prepping for either, need breaks.  We don’t give it enough often enough.  Today I’m thinking about how much

My poor pear tree in October snow storm.

my brain really appreciated the snow storm in October!  (even if my trees didn’t).

But it’s snowing and I just loved when I came home that Buddha was laughing anyways!

Apparently it snows just about once every winter – but this was the second time this winter! We understand that many things were delayed because they have no snow removal equipment and such! On the way home from our day’s touring, we saw many families that our tour guide said were from Tel Aviv who had driven over to play in the snow!

We had a nice visit to the Hadassah Hospital to see the new emergency building and the Mother & Child building as well as the Chagall Windows in the Synagogue. Quite amazing windows of course. And, a fascinating look at the way Israel thinks in terms of emergencies: the lobbies are equipped to be immediately set up for extra beds and can hold up to 150 beds and have built in connections for equipment.

We then went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Needless to say, it was deeply moving. Rich came to see more about what might have come to pass in his family and his father’s travels. I could not finish the middle of the exhibit, as it was strong enough to make me feel ill. I was able to skip a room or two and continue at the end that covered the Israel country.

The end of our touring day took us to Beit GUrvin and we participated in an archeological dig. It was absolutely a blast! Rich and I dug up pieces of pottery; but helped clear up to a foot and a half or so of a ledge. The dig was an underground cave dwelling 2200 years old!

I was thinking today as I shoveled that it will be interesting to have spring in another part of the world.  My home, at the moment, is under close to two feet of snow – actually particularly beautiful in the full sun.   Even if it warms up a bit, I’m sure the snow will still be on the ground in 6 weeks when we leave.  When we return, I’m sure the spring weeds will be as tall as the snow is now!