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| thanks to cousin Jen for bringing the balloon kit when she was here last year! |
Since we started coming out of the last lockdown, everyone has been prepared that we would be in lockdown again for Chanukah. So it was absolutely no surprise when a nighttime lockdown was announced from 6 pm-4 a.m., set to start on Wednesday, the day before Chanukah. But then a legal challenge was brought, the challenge won and the ban was struck down and then, for some reason that I cannot fathom, not only did we not have a lockdown, but EVERY store that was still required to be closed (and there were plenty of them) was allowed to open. WHAAAT? Covid whiplash, indeed....
On the bright side, by the end of the month, Israel is set to have 4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine on-hand, and, with the first doses already in the country, it's possible that the vaccination program will start as early as December 20 (!) (evidently, we are waiting for the needles themselves to arrive, as well as for a program to be fully set up for who/how/when).
It was fun to be working in the Old City Thursday--the excitement over Chanukah was palpable; the air literally felt like it was buzzing. Tempting to scoot down to the Kotel for the candle lighting with Netanyahu, but I scurried home instead (not like I was likely to get in, given security issues and Covid issues!).
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| wow--mosaic menorah at one of my schools! |
Shalom Shachne is currently with Chana, Penina and Ilana at the Dead Sea for a visit. This involved
standing in line for over an hour on Friday to get Covid tests, as there is a road closure going into the Dead Sea (as well as Eilat--the only areas in Israel where hotels are open now), and one can only get in with a negative Covid test within 72 hours of entry. Don't think too hard about this, because it makes your head hurt; YES, there will be a small percentage of people who will become positive AFTER their test was taken. And, YES, they will end up there. And NO, you don't need a second test no matter how long you stay in these "Green Tourist Islands".....Just don't think about it too much. That's what I do. Rather, focus on the latest from "Puppy Cam"
Lastly, as our own little Chanukah miracle, we went out for a Shabbos meal for the first time in nine months. Wow. We ate at a separate table on our friends' balcony and had a lovely time. Nevermind the conversation, just eating someone else's food after nine months was totally thrilling!
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In "historical" news: a big thank you to Jeff H. who sent me a heads-up that our old house in Philadelphia is on the market now. It was so sweet to see the photos of a place we know so well, and see the great job they've done renovating (wow, real eye-popper of a price, though!!). For those of you who would like to take a trip down memory lane: https://www.trulia.com/p/pa/philadelphia/2403-lombard-st-philadelphia-pa-19146--2017363477
