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.

__________

*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

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

Fauna Friday: Tortoise Edition

Apparently, this blog is very popular among amphibians and reptiles.

After all, why else would they regularly visit TRLEOOB*? Obviously, they’re all eager to be featured on Our Shiputzim…

Our most recent reptilian guest was a tortoise – i.e. a tzav for the Hebraically-oriented among you:

The tortoise had a blotch of what appeared to be white paint on its back. (In all likelihood, it had crawled through a construction site at some point…)

The Shiputzim kids fed their temporary pet:

Lettuce - The reptilian equivalent of Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies… :-)

And then the young naturalists picked the tortoise up for a closer look:

Where was I during this impromptu nature lesson?

Long-time readers will have correctly guessed that I was inside, enjoying the air-conditioning, thankyouverymuch…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

__________

*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Fauna Friday: Toad edition

“Look what we found

in the park

in the dark.

We will take him home.

We will call him Clark.

“He will live at our house.

He will grow and grow.

Will our mother like this?

We don’t know…”

(From One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss)

On a recent night, YZG was walking home through the park near our house, when he discovered a toad – i.e. a karpadah, for the Hebraically-oriented among you:

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

Those of you who know YZG in real life and/or are longtime readers of this blog won’t be surprised to learn that he put the toad in a box and brought it back to TRLEOOB* to show the Shiputzim kids.

And although the toad only hung around for a few minutes before hopping away, that was more than enough time for our erstwhile pet to be named, well, Clark, of course.

Wondering if THIS mother liked it?

Um, I think you DO know…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

_________

*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Avnei Eitan

According to an unwritten Israeli law, one must vacation in the North during the month of August and in Eilat during Chanukah.

But rebels that we are (why do I hear snickering from the audience? ;-)), we like to mix it up a bit, and so, as you will recall, we spent Shabbat Chanukah 5669 in Achziv.

And then this year, we decided to raise the stakes and spent a long Chanukah weekend in the Golan.

Specifically, we stayed in a beautiful tzimmer (refers to one of the many cabins/bungalows/vacation homes which dot Northern Israel) in Avnei Eitan, a moshav in the southern Golan Heights.

And now, without further ado, here are some scenes from our trip. As always, click on the pictures for a closer view.

The Kinneret, as seen through our car window on a very rainy and foggy day

 Celebrating the 7th night of Chanukah in Avnei Eitan

Feeding the calves in Avnei Eitan

In short, we had a wonderful time and highly recommend Avnei Eitan as a vacation spot. Also, once again, YZG and I would like to thank our parents for a very special weekend.

And now back to work and school.

Those groans you hear in the background are the kids digging out their knapsacks…

__________

Update: For more Chanukah pictures, check out Batya’s post.

Fish Tank Friday

Welcome to the inaugural edition of “Fish Tank Friday”*.

Now, before you start picturing elaborate aquariums with expensive filtration systems and exotic sea life, I should hasten to dissuade you of that notion.

In fact, it’s not exactly an actual tank, per se.

Indeed, I daresay that most people would refer to it as “a cheap plastic container with jagged holes in the lid and a common goldfish inside.”

But I’ll let you be the judge:

His name is Fish.

This somewhat prosaic yet highly descriptive name was chosen by his owner – a Shiputzim daughter, who acquired her watery pet about a year and a half ago. Ever since then, remembering to feed Fish daily and change his water every week or so has become the bane of the Shiputzim family’s existence Fish has become a dear and treasured member of the family.

Meanwhile, in keeping with today’s theme, here’s one of the many things the Shiputzim children have been doing since their day camps ended:

 “Aquatic Diorama” by ENG

 “Under the Sea” by TSG

______________

* Of course, today’s post could have easily been divided into two parts: a “Fauna Friday” post and also a “Fine Arts Friday” post. But as you may have figured out by now, I’ve never found a fake-themed Friday which I haven’t favored. For instance, would you fancy a future post entitled, “Faux Themes Friday”? I could focus on all the forced yet fascinating Friday themes which have been featured on this forum…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Fauna Friday: Chameleon edition

Look who what came to visit TRLEOOB the other day:

Yes. This is a chameleon.

YZG and some of the Shiputzim children (i.e. not the ones who inherited MY genes) caught the chameleon and briefly put it into a box:

After watching it run around the box for a few minutes, they took it out and let it scamper all over its newfound human friends:

Those of you who know me in real life won’t be surprised that there are no pictures of ME holding – or even going near – the chameleon…

After playing with it for a few more minutes, the kids finally said goodbye to their erstwhile pet and watched it scurry off into the bushes:

MAG claims that there’s a chameleon somewhere in this picture. Can you find it?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

________

P.S. As always, you can click on any of the pictures for a closer view.

Virtual goat-herding

Oddly enough, goats have proved to be a popular topic in the J-Blogosphere:

• First, there was Batya’s post about using goat milk to do a mitzvah.
• Next, A Mother in Israel discussed goats in Bnei Brak. (Yes, you read that correctly!)
• And finally, Miriam guest posted here on Our Shiputzim about her family’s pet goat Hephzibah.

Speaking of Hephzibah, some of you observed that you hadn’t pegged me as the type to have a livestock-owning sibling. And the truth is that all of us were startled to learn of the goat’s existence.

However, one must embrace one’s relatives’ eccentricities. Indeed, there are those who claim that my blogging habit is equally unconventional. (“Do people actually read your blog? Seriously? Why??!!” –- a close family member)

In any event, here’s a picture of Hephzibah, בכבודה ובעצמה:

If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Miriam and her family, you’re no doubt aware that their neighborhood is known for its strong winds.

Recently, these winds blew Hephzibah’s house down. (Apparently, the wind was unable to distinguish between a goat and the Three Little Pigs…)

Thus, as you can see in the next two pictures, her owners were forced to tether her under the awning leading to their front door in order to protect her from the elements:

But not to worry.

Hephzibah’s new digs are currently under construction:

And in conclusion, please prepare your favorite marionettes. All together now:

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

Guest post: It’s a goat’s life

As some of you know, Miriam has always been like a sister to me. As such, she graciously agreed to contribute to this blog.

To the surprise of their friends and relatives, Miriam and her family recently became the proud owners of a… goat. Yes, you read that correctly. But I’ll let her explain in her own words:

Living With a Goat

A Guest Post By Miriam

I was asked to write about "Living With a Goat". I don't know if this was meant seriously, but a subtle hint appeared on this blog.

I decided to write since I am frequently asked about how I manage to live with a goat. (I had a pet rock once - which died - so I do not know why people think I am not an animal-friendly person.) I reasoned that if I write this, I can also answer well-meant questions with, "Read the Blog!"

I here then present the answer to the unspoken but intended question: WHY?!?

We have a pet goat - her name is Hephzibah, and she is 11 months old. She is grey, soft and furry (by hearsay, I do not go near enough to find this out firsthand) and very beautiful (if you are into goats). She lives in a beautiful pink and purple plastic house in our yard.

Hephzibah eats stale bread - ends, crusts collected from nursery school, left over rolls from Bar Mitzvahs, etc. She also eats all the peelings and cores from vegetables. She particularly enjoys food from our neighbors who are organic vegetarians. (They call ground-up sprouted wheat, "bread," and ground avocado seeds, "cake".) Hephzibah also enjoys eating grass etc., when she is taken to graze.

There are lots of positive things about owning a goat:

1. One does not throw out food.
2. Sedentary children, who would prefer to read all day, are forced to go for walks.
3. Emotional strength that comes from taking care of a pet that loves you back.
4. Fresh goat milk.

Goats can be milked after they have a kid. A good reason not to do this is then she would have to be milked every day. This is a good thing; it helps teach human kids responsibility. However, the willing workforce come back late from school, and one is going away to a dorm. The real reason not to do it, though, is that regardless of the well-documented advantages of goat milk, I like cow milk that comes in plastic non-biodegradable containers.

To answer the FAQ: Then why not a dog? Hephzibah is a kosher animal, and a dog is not. And the milk...

Thanks, Miriam. May you and your family continue to enjoy many more fruitful goat-filled years.