Dancing with Candles...

Or, Just who is that Yemenite lady??
If you can't see all the photos on this post, switch for a moment to "Snapshop" at the top and you'll see a lovely photo of Anat and Liron in costume.

This is me, dressed in Yemenite clothes.  Rather eye-catching, don't you think?!

I was honored to be a guest in Liron and Anat's pre-wedding heena party.  The party mostly involved dressing up and dancing to some pretty complicated ethnic music.  The title of my post comes from one of the dances which was performed by women with baskets filled with LIT CANDLES on their heads.  I'm hoping that Liron's mom will share some photos, because I was in the back, clapping like mad and making wild and frequent high pitched "lou-lou-lou" sounds like all the rest of the women.

Anat, who is NOT Yemenite, was a great sport and wore a huge costume that looked to me like it was heavy, hot, and stiff.  And then she switched headpieces and danced with the rest of us. 

Yemenite traditions are kept alive in Israel by the youngest generation, and this party was held at the instance of the groom, Leron. I suspect his aunt Tzvia helped set it all up. Tzvia was born and spent part of her childhood in Yemen so is more connected to those traditions than Liron's mother, Ziona, who was born in a immigrant tent camp shortly after her parents moved to Israel.

Liron is not the least bit religious, and would never keep his earlocks long and curled like that.  The costumer knew that (I would guess it's a pretty common problem) and so she brought hats with long earlocks sewed into them to give the right look.

I was really honored to be at the party - and I had a blast!  This is what I look like when I'm dressed up for a party but not in costume....

I've got a name!

I can't resist - I want to show you how cool my car looks with this amazing decal!  I bought it from American Sign, and custom designed it with them.  Because American Sign doesn't normally use Hebrew, I provided it as a jpg.  I also gave them my logo. Kevin did a fantastic job. Now I feel like everywhere I go, I'm promoting my business. In fact, just the other day I was stopped at a light, and noticed the driver behind me peer intensely at the back of my car and then bend over to write or type something. In my heart I hope he was writing down my web URL, although of course he could have been texting his wife that he forgot to buy milk, or even checking out a porn site on his smartphone.  Ah... modern life!  Anyway, this decal, while it looks complicated, is exceedingly easy to apply for a professional look. If I make even 1 or 2 sales from this, then I'll have made my money back, because it's not an expensive product at all (although the shipping from America does raise the price somewhat).  Interested?  Intrigued?  Imagining how you can promote your business, personal web, or even just your important thoughts?  Hop on over to American Sign!

A proud mamma...

For all you kids out there, nothing makes us parents happier than having our children ASK to do something special with us.  I'm a glass artist - my son asked to make something out of stained glass.  It's the perfect recipe for happiness!

And I'm proud of him - he did a great job.  We were short on time so I helped out, but he gets a lot of credit, especially for initiative.  If you're interested in seeing step-by-step photos of the project with captions, visit my professional site (link on the right).

Happy Passover - Happy Spring



There is nothing particularly noteable about this photograph - I just like it. 

I took it near our house.



Ah, Spring! When the birds nest, the flowers bloom, and the ants leave their winter homes and forage on my kitchen table. (To give them a good start, we'll leave them tiny matzah crumbs all week....) The above photo was taken on a brilliant winter day, inside my village. You can see David frolicking with our dog, Patch. David is not much of a frolicker, but Patch frolicks enough for an entire family.   



Wishing you all a wonderful holiday (there are several available to celebrate in this season) and a wonderful, handmade life. May every season bring you joy, health, love, and appreciation for all the small things that enrich us.



Reading this book made me physically ill. Seriously

Alone in Berlin (Hans Fallada)

For those of you who aren't sure, no, I'm not a book critic, just a avid (almost compulsive) reader.  Two weeks ago I picked up a copy of Alone in Berlin.  The author died in 1947; the book is about WWII and the rise of the Nazis.  Perhaps by the end of the book it's also about the fall of the Nazis - I can't tell you that, because I had to stop reading before I finished.  The reviews printed on the book call it "utterly gripping, extraordinary" and yes, I'd agree with both of those critics.  The write-up on the back makes it sound like a detective novel.  I'd disagree with that, because that implies a certain genre with plot notes and a certain satisfaction of catching the bad guys.

Normally I'd finish a book this length in a few days, but this book is so dark and depressing - - really, really depressing - - that it took me 2 weeks to get to the middle.  By the end of week 1, I was having nightmares.  By the end of week 2, I was running a fever and having panic attacks, stomach aches, and upsetting my boyfriend with rehashed plot over breakfast. 

This would be a great book for you if you wonder what it would be like to live under the bootheel of the Gestapo in constant fear of your life and sanity. Or if you really like WWII history and want a (oh god) realistic feeling in your bones of what it would like to be a blue-collar Berliner in 1940. Or if you just like really depressing stories that every plot strand seems unfinished and sinister.