Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
Come spring, our food forest is flourishing. Delicate, fragrant blossoms from March have since transformed, gifting us with tiny apples, apricots, almonds, plums, and juicy mulberries. Because the Torah halacha of orla proscribes no eating of the fruit for the first three years of a tree’s planting, we look at this fruit with great anticipation… Continue reading The Barn Swallows’ Picnic Lunch
Rosh Chodesh Nissan. As the sliver of a new moon appears in the night sky, Israelis gather en masse to protest against the government. In their anger, frustration, and despair, they are fighting against fellow Israelis, threatening to shut down the country. Leaders in the opposition parties are fueling the fight, rubbing salt into already… Continue reading The Power of Kindness
Meet Bob, Sushi’s new boyfriend. Bob recently came into our lives via a love note. It was a bit of a shock, but since Sushi was spending lots of time away from home, we suspected something was up. But we did not anticipate “Bob.” Sushi even pulled an all-nighter, arriving home one morning looking tired… Continue reading Sushi and Bob
Sunday, January 29, was the official end to Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah. Yet the ‘war pot’ remains on the stove, simmering away on a low heat. The refugee family that was living here has returned to their northern border home and is rebuilding a life among debris. Yet nothing feels resolved or safe. In a… Continue reading Shifting on Wobbly Legs
Today was like most others. It was not the same as other days; rather it felt like this is how most people live. Today, the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, I walked out of the house and around the garden with ease, liberated from fear, released from an overworked and domineering… Continue reading Peaceful skies
I was already working on my deep breathing when the plane touched down at Ben Gurion. We had flown a short two hours from Rhodos to Israel, but had entered a different reality. Because of the war, the plane had to approach from the south, passing above the dramatic dunes and craggy cliffs of the desert. The… Continue reading Breath Work
“Send me photos. It’s beautiful there.” Instead of sending my daughter pictures of Rhodes with its azure skies, Grecian ruins, and sparkling Aegean beaches where sunbathers sip cocktails on beach chairs, I sent a photo of three memorial candles. The caption on this photo read: We lit these candles to commemorate the lost lives and atrocities of October 7th. These… Continue reading Accidental Tourists
Summer is here like an inferno with intensely scorching heat, thirsty, parched lands, and fields the hue of straw. The country is literally a stack of dry kindling, so when rockets landed in the north on June 3rd, care of Hezbollah, the place lit up like a colossal bonfire. As a result of rockets and shrapnel, there… Continue reading SOS Garden Brigade
It has been nearly eight months of war, death, and destruction in Israel. I experience fear, then calm, and shattered hope. I cycle between these feelings, finding refuge in my garden where nature continues to teach me lessons. Here exists a predictable world as the reliable seasons cycle. With this war raging, there is no predictability… Continue reading Living on the Edge
A pair of barn swallows decided our back porch would be a place to call home. They set to work without losing a moment. We sat outside with our morning coffee as they pirouetted in flight, a dizzying full-time job of gathering twigs, dirt, and grass. Soon enough they had a nest complete with eggs and before… Continue reading Homeless
Life in Israel 