Cousin Lucy's Spoon

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90567902009-11-09T19:34:10.962+02:00Cousin Lucy's SpoonSome kind of memoir by an American-IsraeliSavtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.comBlogger536125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-27411487848407361572009-10-29T17:45:00.003+02:002009-10-29T17:59:24.369+02:00Hurray for Air France!

I didn't mention in my post about Iceland, but my Facebook friends know that I missed my original flight there from Tel Aviv via Paris, booked through Expedia. The story was so upsetting that I didn't want to revisit it en blogge for posterity, but it involved my oversleeping and forgetting some essential medicine in the fridge and having to return for it. Although we (Pippi Bluestocking, Little

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-66216343619776577812009-10-24T12:43:00.005+02:002009-10-24T12:50:04.372+02:00More Painting in Oil

...continued from version 1.0...The colors don't show up accurately in the photo, but even if they did, I think they're too muddy. However I enjoyed immensely playing with various brush strokes, and managed to channel a little Van Gogh in at least one part. Can you spot it?Next week I'll see what I can do to brighten up the colors. Slathering paint with a palette knife is really a kick.

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-34961322897372418242009-10-09T12:08:00.012+02:002009-10-09T12:48:55.836+02:00Painting in Oil

While I was in New York, I took a photo of some interesting buildings over on the West Side in the 50's. Now that I'm home, I'm getting back into my regular routine, which includes a once-a-week studio art class. My wonderful teacher encouraged me to start using oil paint, which I last used in 1953. But this time I'm learning about layering the paint, so what I've accomplished so far is just the

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-14195113878664394812009-09-23T13:40:00.001+03:002009-09-23T13:45:24.280+03:00After Twenty-One Years in Israel

How strange that I spent my 21st anniversary of making aliyah in the very place I left on August 28, 1988: New York City. This trip, which I called my Farewell Tour until good friend renamed it First Farewell Tour, was accentuated by a couple of excursions to my childhood home (Forest Hills) and my children's childhood home (Teaneck, NJ). For some reason I had expected to see both places in worse

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-91333577431215049362009-09-18T08:57:00.002+03:002009-09-18T09:00:12.118+03:00L'Shanah Tova

Thanks to Tzvi Fabian of the Isramac group on Yahoo for this excellent New Year's greeting. Tzvi warned, "Don't try this at home."

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-88362301442550675362009-08-23T09:31:00.003+03:002009-08-23T09:48:20.677+03:00Keeping Cool

Here's my big granddaughter enjoying her birthday-gift trampoline. I have managed to keep cool by escaping Tel Aviv's August and visiting family and friends in cooler climes: Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Northern California. Living out of a suitcase isn't bad, but I'm getting homesick.

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-22556545566282632262009-07-30T16:18:00.003+03:002009-07-31T17:39:59.554+03:00Iceland Surprises

Here are some things you probably didn't know about Iceland:1. The potatoes are delicious...much better than Israeli potatoes and also better than American potatoes2. The favorite candy is chocolate-covered licorice3. Felted wool is very IN...they even sell felt-covered soap4. Leave your shoes in the hall when you enter the house5. There are way fewer than a million people in the whole country,

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-61956965066833918212009-07-02T22:48:00.004+03:002009-07-02T23:01:19.547+03:00Bank Misery, Part IX

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI PartVII Part VIIIThe apartment management company called again, this time to say that the error had been found, they sent a new form to Sharon at my neighborhood branch of the bank and I needed to go sign it. I said a prayer of thanks that this new account was with a branch on my regular dog-walking itinerary, although of course that was one reason

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-71350800725790336482009-06-16T09:56:00.003+03:002009-06-16T10:05:01.874+03:00Bank Misery, Part VIII

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VIIIt's been a while since you've heard from me about the bank story, because slowly slowly the transition has been happening. Until this morning, when the management company for my apartment called to say that my payment for June was rejected. This is the first month that the payment is supposed to come from Bank Discount, not Bank Mizrahi, so

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-44870807219828383202009-05-27T11:57:00.006+03:002009-05-27T13:29:31.398+03:00The New Jew

Somewhere along the line I read that Israel was supposed to give birth to a phenomenon called "The New Jew:" That is, a Jew different from the anti-semitic Western Diaspora stereotype who cringed and spent his life indoors either studying Torah or counting money. In contrast, early Zionist posters showed muscular tanned guys who were fighters for independence by day and kibbutz farmers by night.

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-6435559699091483172009-05-22T13:12:00.006+03:002009-05-22T13:28:29.769+03:00Night Games on Rothschild Boulevard

Every evening, even before Rothschild Boulevard got "upscaled" with plantings, benches, pavements, and bike lanes, people have gathered to play bolles or bocce or whatever it's called in your country, and I see them doing it on my evening dog walk (top photo). The bright lights were added as part of the "upscaling," which I think happened when Tel Aviv -The White City - became a UNESCO heritage

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-84780221687751498022009-05-17T19:52:00.003+03:002009-05-17T21:11:55.406+03:00Fun and Games on Rothschild Blvd.

I didn't have my camera with me, so I can only describe what I saw this morning: a large group - at least 30 - of mostly white-haired people clustered together, walking slowly up Rothschild Blvd., as I took Shuki for her morning, walk at 2PM. Aha, I thought. A swarm of tourists.Now I got to indulge in one of my favorite games: guess what country the tourists are from, based on their appearance

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-7732036708318773832009-05-15T12:45:00.002+03:002009-05-15T23:39:46.494+03:00Three Little Maids From School

Three Little Maids From SchoolOriginally uploaded by savtadotty[I miss Gilbert and Sullivan!]Well, not exactly maids, more like three grandmas...we're waiting for class to start, outside the Alma Institute in Tel Aviv. The subject was "Racism and Anti-Semitism," and I learned a lot about history. For example, anti-semitism is a particular example of racism, and racism started in the nineteenth

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-73155679995871910602009-05-10T08:21:00.002+03:002009-05-10T08:22:20.042+03:00Shabbat at last!

Doggie PornOriginally uploaded by savtadottyAs if my dog didn't have a minute's rest all week long? Well she's almost 16 years old and has finally taught me to bury her treats in blankets or under pillows for her to dig up, so she deserves a comfortable retirement. She probably thinks I'm a very slow learner and handicapped by my missing tail.Which is true.

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-10833425267092432832009-05-01T15:48:00.003+03:002009-05-01T15:53:39.447+03:00Independence Day, 2009

Patriotic DorothyOriginally uploaded by LisaG in Tel AvivThe annual Israel Independence Day barbecue was very successful. I achieved new heights in patriotism, and this even without the aid of beer or wine.

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-8914858514647687532009-04-24T12:01:00.002+03:002009-04-24T12:16:27.227+03:00The Gas Company - It Never Really Ends, Does It

At 10:15 this morning the phone rang. It was the gas canister delivery man. He wanted to know if I have a key to the lock that chains the two canisters together. About 10 years ago I was a pioneer victim of double gas canister theft. It was discovered on a Friday evening when I tried to make some pasta for guests, including a first-time visitor to Israel from San Francisco. Late that afternoon I

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-89958538860222509722009-04-22T11:25:00.002+03:002009-04-22T11:35:44.887+03:00Durban II

I was just watching a little bit of Ahmadinejad's rant at the Durban II conference, and thinking about myself as a racist, occupier, oppressor, and all those other bad things he said about Israel (I take things personally). It triggered a long-ago memory from a workshop I once attended at Temple Emeth in Teaneck, NJ, circa 1978. We were asked to rank the following aspects of our individual

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-6219417247694670962009-04-20T14:03:00.006+03:002009-04-21T23:57:42.125+03:00Not Exactly a Progress Report on the Various Miseries

Gas Company: I called them to order a spare gas canister, which started off the whole chain of events in the first place, and the order went through. The case will be closed when that canister arrives, "within ten days." Yeah, sure. We'll see in ten days..Bank Friday: Received in the mail a cash machine card from Bank Discount with an explanatory letter in Hebrew. Decided to take advantage of the

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-29397078108148980672009-04-18T14:33:00.003+03:002009-04-18T14:45:44.349+03:00"Israel is a country held together by argument"

David Brooks goes on to add "Public culture is one long cacophony of criticism."My impression of the New York Times is that its editorial policy towards Israel has been less than sympathetic over the last several years, "several" being since the death of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Regardless of whether or not you agree, yesterday's op-ed piece by David Brooks (I think a subscription is required to

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-28198764325252512082009-04-08T17:09:00.006+03:002009-04-08T17:15:41.710+03:00Happy Passover!

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-21369499346346309832009-04-03T08:28:00.005+03:002009-04-03T08:43:40.409+03:00We Interrupt Bank Misery to Bring You an End to Gas Company Misery, Part 4

Tomer showed up! At 8:15 there was a knock on my door. I opened it and a smiling Tomer, my now-beloved PazGaz technician, announced, "I've finished." I am now cooking with gas!(Next, they just have to deliver the spare tank I ordered over a month ago, setting this whole chain of events in motion. With any luck, what I have will last for the next few days.)

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-55835651490055495982009-04-02T16:29:00.004+03:002009-04-02T16:51:23.502+03:00Bank Misery, Part VII

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VII thought I would check this morning with Yelena of Bank Discount to confirm my 1PM appointment with Hagai. Imagine my surprise when the person who answered my call said, "Yelena doesn't work here any more." I recovered quickly enough to ask whether Hagai was still planning to meet me at 1PM, and the guy who answered said, "Yes."So I gathered all

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-80676857039140970262009-04-01T13:50:00.003+03:002009-04-01T14:19:23.003+03:00We Interrupt Bank Misery to Bring You Gas Company Misery, Part 4

The Plot Thickens...I think by this time you need to be introduced to the Cast of Characters:Judy - my customer service rep at PazGasTomer - my PazGas technician who is forbidden by law to climb a ladder higher than 4 metersMaor - the boss at the building management company, currently on vacationGili - Maor's secretary at the building management companyItzhak - my neighbor in the adjoining

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-85467437919957136432009-03-31T13:12:00.008+03:002009-03-31T14:17:30.348+03:00We Interrupt Bank Misery to Bring You Gas Company Misery Part 3

Yesterday Tomer, the PazGaz technician, not the same one who came last time, arrived, a little late, but he did call first. He examined my detached pipe, determined that it was too high for his ladder. I protested. He explained: according to the law as of January 2009, gas company workers are not allowed to climb ladders higher than four meters, something the first technician neglected to mention

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056790.post-45598287124580265202009-03-30T16:24:00.007+03:002009-04-02T16:46:38.940+03:00Bank Misery, Part VI

Part IPart IIPart IIIPart IVPart VOn Tuesday last week I took along a Hebrew-reading friend to explore a Bank Mizrahi information machine's menu tree. (This machine is different from an ATM: no cash comes out, just printouts of various reports on your account, unless the machine has run out of paper.) We searched all the menus for "Print Out Standing Orders," to no avail. I was perversely cheered

Savtadottyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101071675505516473noreply@blogger.com0