HaShkeidiyot Porchot

As you may recall, our almond tree (i.e. our shkeidiyah, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) is, how shall I put this, um, well, rather, um, flower-challenged.

I mean, it got to the point that the only way we could sing the classic Tu B'Shvat song about the blossoming almond tree was with a healthy dose of irony and a great deal of snickering.

But as it turned out, the tree would be the one to have the last laugh.

Because sometime last year, we suddenly noticed that somehow, we were now the proud owners of a second – and more flourishing – almond tree. Apparently, seeds from the first tree had landed on the ground and had started growing.

And as if two almond trees weren’t enough, this year we discovered that there is now a THIRD – albeit still very small - tree on the premises!

Which means that we may have to rename TRLEOOB* to the Shiputzim Family Almond Orchard (i.e. pardes shkeidim, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you).

But I’ll let you be the judge of that:

(As always, please click on the pictures for a much better view.)

!שבוע טוב וחודש טוב

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

How to eat a pomelo in eight easy steps

The following originally appeared nearly three years ago, and since then, it continues to be one of the most popular posts on this blog. In honor of Tu B’Shvat, I figured a repost was in order. (You can also see more of the fruit in TRLEOOB* here and here.)

The Our Shiputzim Step-By-Step Guide to Eating a Pomelo

As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a better view.

Step 1: Head on over to your nearest pomelo tree:

Step 2: Pick a ripe pomelo:

Step 3: Bring the fruit inside; wash well; and use a knife to score the skin:

Step 4: Start removing the thick peel:

Step 5: Continue peeling…

Step 6: …Until all the skin has been removed:

Step 7: Split open the fruit and separate trumot u’ma’asrot (CYLOR for details):Step 8: Eat only the sweet yellow flesh - NOT the bitter membranes between the segments:

!ט”ו בשבט שמח

Happy Tu B’Shvat!

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

 

Erev Shavuot 5773

Reason #5432 for making aliyah:
You know Shavuot – aka Chag HaKatzir - is coming, because you see wheat being harvested in fields along the side of the road.

"וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד כְּלוֹת קְצִיר הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים..."

“And she clung to Boaz's maidens to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest...”
(Megilat Ruth 2:23)

And on a related note, here’s Ofra Haza singing “Shibolet BaSadeh”:

The lyrics are available here, and an English translation is available here.

!חג שבועות שמח

Nov

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for other people’s vacation pictures/videos. Proceed at your own risk.

Longtime readers know that unlike most Israelis, who tend to visit Eilat during Chanukah vacation, the extended Shiputzim family prefers to head in the opposite direction and spends Shabbat Chanukah up North.

This year, our specific destination was Nov, a religious agricultural moshav, located right next door to Avnei Eitan in the southern Golan Heights, and B”H, we had a wonderful time.

Which was nice for us, of course, but unfortunately, not so nice for you.

Because after all, it wouldn’t be the week after Chanukah here on Our Shiputzim without me forcing you to sit through, er, sharing our vacation pictures.

And so, without further ado, here are the threatened promised photos:

As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a much better view.

Exterior of our tzimmer

The kitchen/eating area

The bedroom

The sleeping loft

A view of the indoor swimming pool

A flock of sheep

And as if all those pictures weren’t fascinating enough, and on the off chance that I haven’t yet managed to bore you all to tears, here’s a short video from our drive up to Nov on Friday. If you listen carefully, you can even hear the day’s weather report:

Have you ever been to Nov?

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P.S. Speaking of Shabbat Chanukah, don’t miss my tribute to my Zaidy z”l. (It’s especially noteworthy, because it’s the first time I ever posted a picture of myself here on the blog…)

P.S.S. The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my “ceasefire pie” (aka chocolate mousse pie) post.

Fish Tank Friday: Erev Pesach 5772 Edition

As you may recall, our pet goldfish answers to the no-frills yet functional name “Fish.”

Which is highly appropriate, considering that from the moment he first arrived here in TRLEOOB* over five years ago, he (by tacit agreement, it was decided that Fish is a “he”)  has been living in what could charitably be called a no-frills yet functional aquarium – i.e. a cheap plastic container with jagged holes in the lid.

Yet lest you feel sorry for Fish and accuse us of animal cruelty, I should note that in spite of our best efforts and the benign neglect he has endured thanks to our tender, loving care, he actually seems to have thrived in his modest abode.

But last night, in honor of Pesach, Fish, um, moved a house (if you’ll excuse my Heblish).

And while admittedly, his larger and brighter new home – like his old one - is just a simple plastic container, at least it’s not as cheap and has smooth, round holes on top:

As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a closer look.

!חג כשר ושמח

The entire Our Shiputzim staff wishes all our readers a very happy and kosher Pesach.

May we all be privileged to eat in rebuilt Yerushalayim from the zevachim and from the pesachim, speedily and in our days. Amen.

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Zocheir Habrit

As some of you know, we spent this past Shabbat in the beautiful northern Shomron.

Special thanks to our gracious hosts – longtime Our Shiputzim readers - for their incredible hospitality! We really had a great time!

On the way there, we ran into some wonderfully wet winter weather (try saying that five times fast…) and even had the privilege of reciting the brachah (blessing) on seeing a rainbow.

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view:

 בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית וְנֶאֱמַן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ.

Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who remembers the covenant and is faithful to His covenant and fulfills His word.

Fauna Friday: Frog Edition

In general, I try to hold on to the few remaining shreds of my semi-anonymous status.

But nevertheless, every so often, I’ve willingly divulged a number of personal details.

For instance, I readily admit that back in high school, I was NOT voted, “Most likely to blog about various reptiles and amphibians…”

Which is very ironic, of course, considering the fact that there are few (if any) J-bloggers who’ve written more posts about said creatures than I have.

After all, four – yes, four!!! – lizards (namely, a chameleon, an agama, a skink, and a gecko), a tortoise, and even a toad have all slunk/crawled/crept their way on to this blog.

And as if that’s not enough, they’re about to be joined by yet another amphibian friend.

Which one, you ask? Here’s a hint… :-)

In honor of Sefer Shmot (which we’ll IY”H begin reading this coming Shabbat), here are some shots of the frog (i.e. צפרדע – tzfarde’a, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) which decided to, er, hop over for a brief visit during our recent Chanukah weekend in Avnei Eitan.

Note that when I say “decided,” I obviously mean that it was gently encouraged to come in out of the rain by several members of the extended Shiputzim family. (No, not me…).

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view. (Although I can’t imagine why you’d want to…)

I assume I don’t need to tell you that it isn’t my hand in the second picture?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Borei pri ha’etz

This post was originally supposed to be called “Farming Friday: Tu B’Shvat Edition”.

But since today is neither Friday nor Tu B’Shvat (discuss amongst yourselves…), the above title will have to do.

Note that all the fruit appearing in this post comes from TRLEOOB*.

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view.

 Our lemon tree

Gathering the crops

A lone clementine (i.e. a clementinah, for the Hebraically-oriented among you)

Two lemons and a pomelo

Waiting to separate trumot u’ma’asrot

{cue: TV announcer voice}

What will happen to the lemons?

Are they doomed to spend their days huddled together in torn plastic bags?

Is a life of rolling around the living room floor to be their dismal fate?

Or…  are they ultimately destined - {insert: dramatic pause} - for greatness?

Tune in next time at some unspecified future date, when we’ll discover the answers to these and other exciting questions…

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Fauna Friday: Gecko edition

“Another lizard post?! Seriously?? Are you trying to drive away all your readers??” you’re probably thinking.

And even if you aren’t, I certainly am.

Because between the chameleon, the agama, and especially the skink (YZG’s literary masterpiece, notwithstanding), I’m pretty sure that I’ve more than exceeded my allotment of lizard posts.

Yet, nevertheless, in the interest of good blogging, I feel that I have no choice but to share a picture* of a gecko (i.e. a sh’mamit - שממית - for the Hebraically-oriented among you).

As always, click on the picture* for a closer view.

Why a gecko, you ask?

Well, admittedly, geckos aren’t cute (in a reptilian sort of way) and don’t live in national parks and aren’t even compellingly creepy.

But if you happen to be visiting TRLEOOB** and you hear a Shiputzim daughter screech hysterically, “Abba! There’s a lizard in the playroom!” – chances are, the lizard in question will turn out to be a gecko…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

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*I apologize for the grainy shot, but that’s what comes from having a blog with an AWOL Chief of Photography… ;-)

**TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Around the J-Blogosphere

Several items of note from around the J-Blogosphere:

1) שועלים הלכו בו. (“Shu’alim hilchu vo.” - “Foxes prowl over it.” – Eichah 5:18)

Har HaBayit after the Churban? Well, yeah, but also, Capitol Hill last Friday.

What’s the deeper significance of this modern twist on an ancient vision? I have no idea, but please leave your best creative suggestions (profound and/or humorous) in the comment section…

2) The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Risa for including my cinnamon marble cake post.

3) Clearly, someone on Bnei Akiva’s executive board is an avid Our Shiputzim fan.

I mean, wouldn’t you agree that their choice of Na’aleh (literally, “we shall go up”) as the new shevet’s name is a clear indication that they read my Rosh Hashanah post, which declared that תשע”א (the Jewish year 5771) stands for תהא שנת עליה ארצה (“Tehei Shnat Aliyah Artzah” - “May this be a year of aliyah to Eretz Yisrael”)?

!שבוע טוב וחודש טוב

Fauna Friday: Skink Edition

At the risk of this blog developing into something which could easily be subtitled, “all lizards - all the time,” here’s a, um, a, er, {quickly asks YZG to reconfirm the unfamiliar name}, oh, right, a skink – i.e. a chomet (חומט) for the Hebraically-oriented among you:

Feel free to click on the picture for a closer view --– if you’re into creepy-looking, snake-like lizards, that is…

Note that this is the third – yes, the THIRD! – lizard to appear on Our Shiputzim. (The chameleon and the agama being the other two, of course.)

Which is strange enough in its own right.

After all, “four-legged reptiles with scaly skin and long tapering tails” (to quote Babylon’s definition) aren’t normally the first things to come to mind when thinking about the J-Blogosphere.

But what makes this particularly funny is that as those who know me in real life are well-aware, I am SO not the type to feature reptiles - or wildlife in general, for that matter – on my blog.

And that’s where YZG comes in.

You see, while I was always the little girl who remained safely outside the animal enclosures at family trips to places like petting zoos, YZG was the boy who spent his summers catching frogs, snakes, and salamanders.

And so the next time you start to wonder why I refer to TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog) rather than TRLEOMB (=the real life equivalent of my blog), look no further than any of these Fauna Fridays.

The explanation should be fairly obvious…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Fauna Friday: Agama Edition

Fauna Friday fans (try saying that five times fast) will no doubt be, um, fascinated to find out that there’s more to Apollonia National Park than inanimate stones and ancient ruins.

After all, during our recent visit, we observed a common lizard a roughtail rock agama (i.e. a chardon matzu’i for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) basking in the sun.

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a better view:A face only a cold-blooded ectothermic mother could love…

Also known as a star lizard or a stellion, the agama thus joins the chameleon and the tortoise in the hallowed fraternity of reptiles which have been featured on Our Shiputzim.

I hope it appreciates the honor…

!שבת שלום וחודש טוב

Chag samei’ach!

Our aravot tree, as it looked yesterday, before any of the branches were cut.

And now for my annual pre-Succot offer: Please feel free to stop by TRLEOOB* between now and candlelighting if you still need aravot. BA”H, there are plenty left…

!חג שמח

May you and your families have a wonderful and joyous Succot!

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Fauna Friday: Chicken Edition

Two weeks ago, I noted this blog’s popularity among both the reptilian and amphibian sets.

Well, it seems that they’ve told some of their fine feathered friends, because now look what showed up at TRLEOOB*:

“Who ya callin’ chicken??”

And lest you think that it’s simply a coincidence that all these animals keep coming to a blogger’s home specifically and that there’s no way any type of fowl (domesticated or otherwise) could possibly be an Our Shiputzim fan, allow me to introduce Exhibit B:

As you can see in the above picture, soon after the bird made its highly unexpected appearance (and thereby put a whole new spin on the term “free range”), it headed towards a dead tree stump.

Why is this significant, you ask?

Good question!

The answer is that the stump is what’s left of the tree we were forced to cut down about a year and a half ago.

Apparently, our avian visitor - clearly a longtime reader - remembered that post and decided to stop by in order to see the stump for itself…

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And in other news, I just thought of a great idea for a main course on Shabbat…

Staaaaam!

!שבת שלום ומבורך

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog