Daughter's Accusation

 

Prince Philip (RIP) was a very handsome man. Appearance is important; it opens doors and hearts.

 Another  handsome man  has recently been in the news - the late Israeli, internationally acclaimed writer Amos Oz (died in Dec. 2018).

Oz is survived by wife, and three children: two daughters and a son. One of the daughters, Galia Oz, has  lately published a book accusing her famous father of abuse (she claims he beat, cursed, humiliated her in childhood).

I am not among the fans of the father as a writer, and I'm not going to read  the daughter's book,  entitled  "Something disguised as love". I suppose she's not making things up, perhaps slightly exaggerating as she has to sell the book. 

                                                        Amos Oz  and daughter Galia

I'll say this.  In principle, I'm against this kind of family 'festival'. It serves no good purpose. Many people , have unpleasant memories of being punished and mistreated by parents, but very few feel the need to tell the world about that. They consider it a family matter. Child care practice seems to have, fortunately, changed in better over the years, and this is good news.

Anyway, whether I want it or not, events like the publishing of this book make me automatically think of my own parents. I believe death erases the flaws and leaves only the good sides of the deceased to be remembered. 

My late parents (RIP) were not angels, but human beings, and as such had their shortcomings, yet I'm unable to  recall anything bad about them. I feel only gratitude. They gave me birth, fed me, paid for my education, put up with my caprices and selfishness.

My childhood was far from smooth. My parents were Holocaust survivors. They came back from the war, broken and with health issues. (My birth, according to family gossip, was neither expected nor wanted as they felt almost 'finished' emotionally and  physically).  In addition, life under a  communist regime was not a bed of roses, to say the least.

 my late parents and brother

I miss them  and I think of them as good parents  and decent, hard- working people, with values. I 've also written things about them (not in book format),  and when visiting their graves I read  the stuff quietly but clearly. It's between them, me, and God. The bottom line is that , nowadays, there are no such fine people and parents like them.

 

Untitled

 

Our Passover (Pesach) is over. After a week of eating  'matzot' (unleavened bread) ,  we're back to our beloved bread, pita, tortilla, mamaliga. 

                   matzot

Moreover, I can now spoil the 'birdies' (mostly pigeons that come to my back porch), with seeds and grains. The later will eat almost anything, provided it's cut and chopped small ,to make it easy for them to swallow; but seeds and grains are definitely  their favorite food. We're not allowed, however, to keep this 'chametz' (leavened) stuff in, or around the house during Passover.

                                                                                birdies

              oats - package and grains

The weather is splendid - sunny and warm. It invites people to go out and explore the beauty of Nature, and they do that, leaving a lot of litter to remind the world of their existence.

There's sadness in the air though, mainly for two reasons: inconclusive election results which might lead to new  futile elections, and Covid-19 , of course.   Nobody knows what's happening on either front. Ignorance and disinformation are in abundance wherever one looks.

There's talk about removing the masks. Well, not yet, not me. I'll decide for myself .  I don't trust  the medical  'experts'  who have proved to be as corrupt as the politicians..They'll easily sell their integrity for funds and personal promotion. 

                                                                               mask

I'm waiting to see how things will go  with the return of all kids to school in regular format (not zoom and capsules). There is big pressure to start that now,  not after they'll  get vaccinated, if they'll get vaccinated (most parents seem to be against). 

In fact, there's pressure regarding everything, and debates might soon reach even the streets. No kidding.

 

 

It Never Rains but Pours

 

It happens at all levels: individual,  family,  group,  country - one bad thing after another.  Now it's ,unfortunately, Egypt's turn. The Suez Canal has been blocked by a cargo ship. If this is not enough,  two trains have collided;  collision resulting in many casualties.

(It seems rather strange that all this occurs during the time of the Jewish Passover , the feast of the unleavened bread . 'Pesach' celebrates the freedom of the israelites from slavery, and their exodus from ancient Egypt).

I've never been to the Suez CanaI, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. I have, however, a vague idea of such a canal, since  my visit in the past to a more modest and ancient  one - the  Corinth  Canal (Greece) connecting the Mediterranean with the Aegean Sea.

I remember being totally amazed at the narrow passage through which big ships are supposed to  make their way. Nowadays, modern ships cannot pass through this canal.  I suppose most of the ships using the Corinth Canal are of the touristic kind.

                   

                  me,, on the bridge at the Corinth Canal
        

           see the narrow blue strip of water under the bridge 

I've never really been to Egypt, our big neighboring country, except for one or two trips to the peninsula Sinai's desert, once under israeli occupation as a result of wars in the region.

   

                   me,  and the camel in Dahab, Sinai desert
           

         at Sharm-el-Sheikh, the Red Sea,vis-a-vis the Straits of Tiran
            

Egypt, by the way, is among the countries with an alarming birthrate. Demographics and Pollution are issues which can be successfully solved by those who care for the planet's future, but, except talking, the politicians of the world do nothing pragmatic about that.

All's well that ends well" -  according to the latest news, the Suez Canal crisis is almost solved.