Friday, 26 February 2016

I slept well, woke up early, and went out for a LONG walk this morning. I went up Argaman to Harim Road, all the way to its southern end, down the nearly finished part of the Nakhal Garuf tayelet, back across Nakhal Shakhamon on Sheshet HaYamim, up the nakhal behind the high school, and up into Canada Gardens via Khalilan Path. I stopped at the bakery to buy challah and a box of cookies before finally returning home.

I did the weekly housecleaning chores after breakfast this morning.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30.

Before lunch, I walked over and sat in Canada Gardens for a bit, enjoying the lovely day. A group of small boys (and later one girl, as well), were kicking the soccer ball around on the lawn there. It wasn't a real game, but they were all obviously having fun. I shot a short video of it and immediately uploaded it to Facebook.

I had a big salad (greens with an added tomato) and mini veggie burgers in mini whole-wheat pitas for lunch at home today. For dessert, I ate some cookies.

In the afternoon, I relaxed and also watched videos for my algorithms, biology, and programming class.

Total walking for the day: 7.25 kilometers

I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat. A little later, I felt a bit poetic, so I wrote this poem, translating it still later in Hebrew. Here are both versions:

Shabbat Arrives

Challah, and maybe some cookies, in the early morning,

Boys playing kaduregel in the park, and a girl, too,

The next-door neighbors cooking, cooking, cooking (fish?)

And talking -- sometimes quiet, and sometimes animated

“Shabbat shalom!” “Shabbat shalom!”

Candles -- “... l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat”

Sweet, red wine -- “... ki hu yom t’khila l’mikra’ei kodesh …”

Challah -- “... hamotzi lekhem min ha’aretz”

And the Shabbat angels gently alight,

Bringing peace, holiness, wholeness, renewal, …

Shabbat shalom l’khulam!

- Arlan Wareham

- 26 February 2016

יום שבת מגיע

חלה, ואולי עוגיות, מוקדם בבוקר,

ילדים משחקים כדורגל בגן, וגם ילדה,

השכנים מבשלים, מבשלים, מבשלים (דג?)

ומדברים -- לפעמים בשקט, לפעמים מלאי חיים

״שבת שלום!״ ״שבת שלום!״

נרות -- ״… להדליק נר של שבת״

יין אדום מתוק -- ״.. .כי הוא יום תחילה למקראי קודש ...״

חלה -- ״… המוציא לחם מן הארץ״

מלאכי שבת נוחתים בעדינות,

מביאים שלום, קודש, שלמות, התחדשות, …

שבת שלום לכולם!

- ארלן ארהם

- 26 בפברואר 2016