Tu B'Av

It's Friday again ... the weekend has started. Though we're not expecting any violence, the police are not taking any chances and have come out in large numbers to match the thousands of muslims entering the Old City to pray. The New City (which is jewish) was celebrating Tu B'Av (15th day of the month of Av) which is like Valentine's Day. It actually marks the harvest of the grapes so wine-drinking, dancing and all other festive things related to the grape harvest is in order. I think Jerusalem's Arts Festival is timed with Tu B'Av as I can hear concerts in many parts of the New City ... even without getting out of my house. That's how loud it is.

The rains have certainly gone but the damp chill during the nights remain. I think this humidity will be bad for the fruit harvest as it will cause grapes and dates to grow moldy. The grapes are quite in abundance now in the markets ... even the famous Hebron grapes which are sickly yellow in color and long, but very sweet. They're supposed to be the best grapes to make wine.

Homemade noodles
cooked in soup by
the chinese sisters

I've been lucky these 2 days. The Sisters of Mother Teresa cooked rice with veggies yesterday and offered me some. Today the Chinese sisters made their own noodles and boiled them for me. I watched them roll the dough, cut them to strips and pulled them into strings before putting them into hot water. Interesting. Otherwise I'd be eating pitta bread like for the past 2 weeks. 3 pitta for 2 shekels. Sometimes I have a little extra money to buy a small box of salad or labaneh (soft cheese) to eat with it, sometimes it's just plain pitta. Once I tried falafel - fried chickpea balls, 6 for 2 shekels. Tasted good but made me awfully sick sick because it was deep fried. And Buddy loves sharing pitta with me. He sits on my shoulder and takes a bite whenever the pitta is close enough! But eating a hot meal feels always so good.

I'm preaching a Triduum to the sisters of M. Teresa now. They celebrate their patron feast (Immaculate Heart of Mary) on Monday. Then 4 days later I have to preach another 2 day retreat. Then next month I have another retreat to preach. It's exhausting but at least I'll earn a little something to buy my pitta bread.