What's Been Going On: Thursday, 13 January - Sunday, 16 January, 2022

Happy Monday! Oof, what a weekend that was. I’ll get to the why in a little bit, but I hope you were able to find a bit more relaxation than I did. My daughter has today off from school, so we’re enjoying a nice day at home. Potentially a walk at some point today; it’ll be a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which is definitely warm enough to get out there for some fresh air (and lots of complaining from my daughter, but that’s just a given!).

Here's what I’ve been up to!

 

Thursday, 13 January, 2022

Super quiet day!

After breakfast and coffee, I posted my Thursday post and got dressed. I put some chickpeas in the Instant Pot, and then it was time for school drop-off.

At home, I took out the recycling and compost, then settled down for a little over one hour of volunteer work (working on compiling lists of Tennessee food pantries). When I wrapped that up, I prepared the start of dinner, Chana Saag (a chickpea and spinach curry that we all enjoy). I took lunch to my daughter, had lunch myself, then did 30 minutes of my Read Harder book (American Literary Almanac by Karen L. Rood) and read Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen the rest of the afternoon.

I put the rice in the rice cooker, ran to the library to pick up a book from interlibrary loan, then finished cooking the rest of dinner. After we ate, I did my Duolingo and showered, read my book, put my daughter to bed, continued reading, and watched three episodes of Killer in Plain Sight with my husband before going to bed.

 

Friday, 14 January, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I wrote my Friday post, got dressed, then posted Friday’s post. My daughter was heavy on the attitude this morning; school drop-off was NOT a fun time!

At home, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, then tidied and swept the living room, I went over my Hebrew flashcards, then spent 30 minutes on my Read Harder project. And then I got a message from someone from Freecycle, and I was off to pick up a fishbowl for a future terrarium project! It was just across town; I wouldn’t have made the trip if it had been further, but being so close made it worth it. Stay tuned for whatever I do with this- it’ll likely be a while, but I’m excited about it!

 

I messed around on the computer until it was time to take my daughter her lunch, then I had lunch myself and curled up in the chair to finish reading Rookie Move. And then I pulled out my grandmother’s cross-stitch to get some work done on that while watching YouTube videos. We had leftovers for dinner, I did my Duolingo, and I continued with the cross-stitch and YouTube until it was time to attend my synagogue’s virtual services. The husband and I watched three episodes of Killer in Plain Sight before going to bed.

 

Saturday, 15 January, 2022

I ran the dishwasher before having breakfast and coffee. I got dressed, scooped the litterbox, tidied my daughter’s room and the kitchen, the unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I folded a load of laundry, then swept and tidied the living room. And then I ran to the library to pick up another interlibrary loan book! I love when I get those emails.

After lunch, the family went on a three mile walk. It had snowed overnight, so there was a fresh coat of snow over the old, iced-over snow, which is what made this walk possible for me (hurray for no slipping!). It was cold at 23 degrees Fahrenheit, but the sun was out and we were all dressed properly, so we didn’t really feel it. My daughter’s attitude was out in full force, however!

My husband made cocoa and I helped our daughter with her math homework, and then I pulled out Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way to begin studying chapter 3. I’d barely started when notifications began coming in about the hostage situation at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

When it comes to the Jewish people, what happens to one of us happens to all of us, and every single one of us knows that it could have easily been us in that situation. Our synagogues have high-tech security systems complete with cameras, intercoms, and codes needed to enter. Police are stationed there outside every Friday night (or Saturday, depending on when services are held) and Sunday, for Sunday school (which is when most children’s Hebrew and learning classes are held). The juxtaposition of our rabbi wishing us a peaceful Shabbat and then having to walk out past the armed policemen standing guard is jarring, to say the least, but it’s absolutely necessary, and what happened in Colleyville is why. We’re all vulnerable, all the time; it’s just an unfortunate fact of life that comes with being Jewish.

I got the chapter done, but I kept pausing to refresh my Twitter feed for updates and to pray for a peaceful outcome, because I was desperate for updates on the situation. I made a batch of cinnamon-vanilla waffles and scrambled eggs with onion, garlic, and pepper for dinner. I ran the dishwasher, did my Duolingo, showered, and put my daughter to bed. All the time, I was hitting refresh like a madman and praying.

I began reading The Book of Separation by Tova Mirvis, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Killer in Plain Sight. And when he went off to the bathroom to brush his teeth, I refreshed my Twitter feed and let out a cry of relief when I saw that all hostages had been released safely. Baruch HaShem, I felt such a massive, full-body sense of relief upon reading that news. I cried a little. I’m so sorry for the trauma my fellow Jews suffered during that ordeal, and I’m sad that the man who took them hostage felt that that was his only means of receiving attention. I’m sad that he had to be killed for this to be resolved, relieved that my fellow Jews are safe, and desperate to live in a world where something like this never happens again. Can we make that happen, please?

 

Sunday, 16 January, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I got to work, writing three book reviews to catch up on what I’d read this past week. I got dressed, cleaned up the living room, then unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and sat down to begin working on this post. : ) I also managed to schedule three doctor appointments for myself (two regular yearly checkups and a follow-up). I’ve been putting this off for ages, so that’s a win!

After lunch, my husband and I did a twenty-minute Pilates video that pretty much wrecked me for the day, so I took a nap afterwards and then continued reading The Book of Separation by Tova Mirvis. My husband made macaroni and cheese for dinner. I did my Duolingo and showered, then read my book, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Killer in Plain Sight before bed.

 

No school today for my daughter and no work for my husband, so at some point in the night, she crawled in with us and we woke up all snuggly. I love mornings like that!

Nothing really big planned for this week, but I’ll have to shuffle a few things around, as we have a planned power outage on Wednesday from 10-1. Other than that, more of the usual! Wishing you all a wonderful, productive week. Stay safe, and stay healthy!