Spoke Too Soon

Remember way back yesterday when I talked about all those missiles and finished my post with how wonderful that there had been "nothing since then"? Not fifteen minutes after I hit "publish", we heard that crazy, horrible, immediate-fight-or-flight WHOOOOOOOOO of an azaka. When that siren sounds it is the most visceral thing. I think the best thing to compare the very first microsecond of a siren gearing up for full wail is (sorry for a gross comparison) when you have a stomach bug and wake up in the middle of the night; there's that split second where you're trying to figure out what's going on and then you're sprinting to the bathroom. 

Again, the Houthis sending a ballistic missile (at least they usually only send one a day #WarOnABudget). Which is truly the best that can be said about their behavior. 

Again it was, thankfully, shot down outside of Israel and no one in Israel was injured.

Fragments of the missile as well as the intercepting missile fell in our sleepy suburb  (I think I've got to stop calling it that. Yesterday, it was announced that we live in the fastest growing city in all of Israel). Truly amazing how this biggest part fell in an open area about 100 feet from where all the apartment buildings at the entrance to the city are. Thank you, Hashem.

found in someone's garden. Eek

Off to get some shut-eye. Last year, to "celebrate" New Year's missiles were sent. Hoping for a quiet night and a 2025 of peace and security.

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PS: "only" five places in Israel had azakot at midnight (in comparison, the day before there were 231). The head of the local Hatzala said that the Houthis tried to send another ballistic missile, but it fell in an open area in Saudia Arabia. All I know is that I fell asleep shortly before midnight with the light on downstairs so I could grab Percy from his crate easier, and a light on in the mamad so we wouldn't trip on the box of Chanukah supplies in the hallway and then, YAY, slept until the morning.

Chanukah 2024/5785

Some nice highs this Chanukah. Chana came to visit from New York for two weeks (she just left this morning. Booooo) and it was so nice to have time with her. Penina, Mensahe, Ilana and Cousin Coby came for Shabbos and it was great to be together.

Chanukah party with Menashe's family ;)

Downsides: a BUNCH of sirens. The Houthis have been trying their darndest to hurt people here. Thankfully, so far they haven't succeeded (thank you, Hashem). Most of the ballistic missiles have been shot down outside of Israel, over the Mediterranean (to the tune of $2-3 million each one. sigh).

So the Houthis decided to wake us up with a missile on Wednesday night at 4:20 in the morning. 

As the three of us (well, four including Percy) were in the mamad, I told Chana it was so that she could have an "authentic" experience to report back to her friends in the US.....

Then another on Thursday night at 3:30 in the morning (Penina, Menashe and Ilana were staying with us by then)

And then over Shabbat:

not my Whatsapp status, but sums up the situation nicely

b''H nothing since then,  I'll say that this tiniest of tastes of what life up north/down south is Israel is like was enough.....

Happy Chanukah 

PS for those of you who play Wordle, look at what happened tonight (!)