Friday, 1 May 2015

I got up early this morning but didn't go out for a walk because I wanted to get a fairly early start on driving to Be'er Sheva. I did walk down and buy challah for Shabbat, though, before I left.

David's condition is about the same as it's been since last Sunday: still quite weak and still on oxygen, but fairly alert and able to converse reasonably well. I was worried that he'd be demanding to come home, and I knew that wouldn't be possible, but he seemed to understand that he's not strong enough to come home.

I talked to both the nurse and the doctor and left plenty of medicines for David. I needed to bring them from home because some of his meds are not available there.

The drive up and back was very beautiful. The air was clear, the sun was bright, and the desert colors are always so lovely. I considered going up the Arava instead of across the Negev, but I decided against it because the Negev is so nice to see (and the Arava can get just slightly boring -- also, almost all the trucks go up and down the Arava). I had put together quite an interesting playlist of music for the trip, and so that made it even more enjoyable. I once again stopped at Avdat and ate lunch at the Aroma there. This time, though, it was at a normal lunch time.

In the evening, as the last rays of the sun illuminated Aqaba and the mountains of Edom behind it, I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat.

ויכלו השמים והארץ וכל-צבאם: ויכל אלהים ביום השביעי מלאכתו אשר עשה וישבת ביום השביעי מכל-מלאכתו אשר עשה: ויברך אלהים את-יום השביעי ויקדש אתו כי בו שבת מכל-מלאכתו אשר-ברא אלהים לעשות

And the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were completed. And G-d completed on the seventh day all the work that He had done and rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And G-d blessed the seventh day and made it holy because in it He had rested from all the work that he had created to do.

[Genesis 2:1-3]