Happy Purim!

Today would have been a good day to bring my camera out with me. The wind has been wicked, whipping around the house, moving furniture on the deck, and sculpting the snow into incredible knife-edge drifts that looked like they had been placed there on purpose. It also made the -9°C a lot colder to the senses.

Today was Purim, the Jewish equivalent to Hallowe’en, when the story of Esther from the biblical Apocrypha is read and reenacted in costumes and revelry. I remember as a child in Hebrew school dressing up as Queen Esther, draped in a sheer curtain for a shawl, only to hurry home itching like crazy as the material turned out to be fibreglass.

My daughter came up with the idea of having a Purim supper, so she made oznai haman or haman tashen or whatever you want to call them and a braided challah (not realizing that one doesn’t generally use whole wheat flour for this purpose), a broccoli salad and matzoh balls. Once I got home from the university (walking across the bridge over the river was an ordeal with the the strong westerly blowing) I made a vegetarian garlic soup (for the matzoh balls, of course) and marinated salmon in a concoction of soya sauce, red wine and maple syrup, thence broiling it. I brought Ollie with me, and Little Princess’ BF came with another friend who graduated last year and has since moved to the big city, but whose girlfriend is still here in town. He brought potato latkes and she brought a chocolate cake. Everything was delicious. It was also accompanied by copious amounts of wine and hilarity. Hubby called while we were between courses (he’s at his parents in Florida right now, missing all this glorious “spring” weather), and I think he felt a little left out.

No. I haven’t found the diamond and I probably won’t. Don’t worry about it. I have other rings. -sigh-

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