Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
December is dedicated to the dump truck. With land excavations mostly done, it was time for the filling to come. The large bulldozer left and the dump trucks arrived, leaving pile upon pile of compost and mulch. Meanwhile, a small bulldozer ferried pile upon pile of mulch and soil across the property. For most of the month… Continue reading December is Dedicated to the Dump Truck
It has been an active month in the food forest-to-be. Yuval, our food forest expert, calls this the infrastructure phase. I call this a mess. This work looks more like highway construction than forest development. A large bulldozer was joined by a small bulldozer and together, they gathered large rocks onsite to create terraces for the… Continue reading Our construction site
For those who love gardening, this shmita year seemed interminable. With Rosh Hashana now over, we can finally plant again in Israel! Not being able to do something I love for a year has fortified my patience. It forced me to sit back, research, and dream. Now, finally being outside and working on fulfilling those plans… Continue reading Our journey begins!
The quadruplets“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” As I walk across the land we recently bought, Joni Mitchell’s lyrics echo in my mind. This land is empty, save for jutting rocks and boulders. The gravelly, dry, and dusty ground crunches below my feet. A few hardy weeds grow in clumps, clinging on for… Continue reading They Paved Paradise
A food forest in Israel.With a June birthday, I have officially entered into a new decade. This decade felt more ominous when it was looming ahead; but now that I have arrived, waking up feeling exactly the same as in the previous decade, it is not so bad. I have arrived, determined not to ‘go there’… Continue reading A Farmer in the Dell
If one were to name the most common feature of Israel’s topography, 'rocks' would most certainly tumble to the top of the list. The rugged and stark Negev, Judean, and Arava Deserts are pure rock, sculpted over millennia into steep cliffs, gorges and dry, sandy wadis. Be it amber, brown, or white, the dominant feature… Continue reading Unmoving Rocks
This was attempt number two. Last April, I found myself hiking in the Meiron Mountains, searching for a flower. It was a different sort of walk as I usually focus on the trees and the views when I walk, not on my toes. We were looking for a pink flower. “Admonit,” my friend called out, scouring… Continue reading Intrepid flower chasers
Israel is supposed to be a very hot and sunny place, or I thought that was true until this past winter. Living in Amirim, perched high atop a mountain in northern Israel, the weather proclaims its own kingdom, and Mediterranean this is not.It has been a long winter of hail, sleet, and snow, along with… Continue reading An Israeli Winter
Photo by Denise Jans on UnsplashAfter months of feeling doom and gloom, it is a relief, like a ray of warm sunshine, to come outside mask free and see those Green Pass signs stripped from restaurants and shops and malls and wedding halls and museums. And then “it” hit Canada, my place of birth, the country described as “strong… Continue reading Oh, Canada
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on UnsplashIsrael, congratulations!You are number one in the world – and this is no small feat for a small country. But you tried so hard, and now you are the number one in Corona infections in the world! All of those va((ines you delivered. The government was so efficient, Israel soon become the number one… Continue reading Congratulations Israel for Being Number One!
Life in Israel 