Cold and Drizzly

These last few days have been cold and drizzly - I LOVE this weather.  One can actually do something,  take a walk, work in the greenhouse,  walk to a bus stop, go shopping.  I find no fault at all in the weather. If only I, and everyone I knew, felt the same about this "ceasefire." I have yet to meet one person who trusts it, who thinks it will hold, who does not dread what is coming next. Cold, drizzly, pleasant conditions for us living here in the center of the country.  Not so for the soldiers, for the people in Gaza, in Lebanon, in the north of Israel in the south - those who will not and can not return to their homes.  And over everything and everyone, the unimaginable plight of the hostages casts its poll.  It lies above us like a soggy, drippng, sodden, mud soaked shroud.

The sound of overhead planes continues to be unnerving, I am still scared to take a shower for longer than a nanosecond - what if the siren goes and I have to run to the building next door.  I thought I had perfected the art of a lightning shower in drought stricken California - those were long compared with the few seconds it takes me here.

The headlines are apocalyptic. Bibi wants to curtail the freedom of speech.  The blood crazed messianic zealots want to settle in Gaza.  Reservists are not getting paid. The north is destroyed - homes have to be rebuilt, schools opened, no one is willing to return.  This country is broken.  And Sara Netanyahu wants compensation as victim of terror and crime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because some lights were broken in their home in Caesarea - they weren't there, and SO WHAT.??? The whole scenario may be laughable (sort of) if it weren't so very very sad. 

This is why I haven't written much,,,, but I promised those interested that I will continue, so I try.

The Death of Democracy?

This morning (a.m. in Israel) I turned on CNN and in utter disbelief looked at the colour red spreading across America. "This cannot be happening again," I texted to my friends in America, I really feel like a witness to the death of democracy.  Last night Netanyahu fired Gallant, the Defense Minister, in the middle of a war.  Now words to describe this, and he did it just to save his coalition.  I feel like we, the citizens of the world, are sliding down a steep slide that is getting steadily steeper. The downward slide  gets faster, and there is nothing to hold on to.  Nowhere to brake our fall.  Nothing.

To calm myself this morning, after my workout in the gym I went to the plant nursery.  I sat down surrounded by pots of colourful flowers, fragrant herbs ,and shrubs - seedlings sprouting, bursts of colour, new life, the deep rich smell of earth. There were only four of us;  the woman in charge, called Iris (I mean, did she have any other choice in life but to work with plants?) a transplanted American, like myself, and an annoying woman who had come to visit Protea and sees it as her future home.  Annoying to me because of her loud screechy voice.  The American and myself were of course talking about the elections, when, at 11.20, the siren started.  The woman in charge told us there is a shelter in the nearby cafe, and off we went.  We were being herded into the small room by a lovely young man who is now in charge of the cafe.  Lots of old people I had never seen before - afterwards the young man told me they come for their morning coffee from the surrounding moshavim.  A few of us heard explosions, but apparently most of the people were - let me put it nicely, hard of hearing.  They are lucky!  After 10 minutes we left, but the calm of the nursery was over.  We called it a day.

I had planned to go to the supermarket yesterday, but landed up having a discussion with someone after arabic and didn't go.  Lesson to me - NEVER put off what you plan till a later time.  Now I am too bloody scared to go, not only because of the missiles, but what if Iran attacks at any moment?  But then, if there is a full scale attack from Iran, I may never need food again.

Some of my family members are due to return from Germany today - on TV they said a missile exploded in the area of the airport. Quick texts between all family members as to what will happen. It seems like the airport is open and they will make it back, although they might not want to return.

 On TV - reports of where the missiles had fallen, then four leaders of the opposition speaking about the firing of Gallant, and the current and present danger.  Then came a long documentary on the rise of Trump - I  turned it off, I really can't handle it.

I will have a cup of rooibos tea.