Today started out on a decidedly slower note.  Exhausted, we slept later than usual.  I think I may have held the motionless ‘casketed pose’ (flat on my back, arms crossed on my chest) in bed for six or seven hours. My sudden wakening at 9:07 is much later than normal and I jumped out of bed realizing the day was slipping away.

When I stumbled into the common area of the house I found a shopping list and 200 NIS note laying on the table as most house mates had headed to Haifa to see one of Marie’s old friends.  No problem, we added that to our nonexistent to-do list, had a quick breakfast and headed into the city.  Our simple plan was to wander the Old City and then hit Mahane Yehuda, or ‘the shook’ as well as stop at the Rami Levy (local shopping center) on our way home…  and, be back by 5:30 or 6.  Worst case, we could do a few things and finish Shabbat prep tomorrow.  Manana, manana, right?

So, true to plan, we wandered the Old City, did some shopping, etc. Somewhere around 1:30p we were wandering back up Yaffo when I heard someone shout, “Rambo!” Looking around, I spied good friend, Tom Lewis, on the street.  We stopped and talked a few minutes and, when asked what our plans were I roughed out our plan to find lunch then our lazy shopping goal for the rest of the afternoon when he raised his eyebrows and said, “The High Shabbat begins at sundown.  Everything closes in an hour and a half or so.”

“WHAT?!?”

Tomorrow just got slammed into this afternoon!!

We flew into high gear.  We needed money, lunch, groceries and gas and we were downtown with a HUGE crowd in the shook!  Oh boy!!

The next hour we managed to hit the fish monger, a couple vegetable stands, squeeze in lunch and find rice but several shops were out of eggs, milk and butter, all necessities for the next three days!  We decided to catch a packed train to Mt. Herzl where the car was parked and hope for the best.

As we pulled out of the Herzl parking garage, Kelly thought to see if we could find a small market on our way through Ein Karem… which we did!  I parallel parked while she ran in and got a gallon of yogurt.  She asked if it was milk and the helpful owner fixed that cereal blobbing error.  Then, as we headed home, we remembered gas and blasted to a local station to get filled before they closed!

Whew!!  Tomorrow, the day of preparation for Shabbat, suddenly happened this afternoon!

Now, soup and salad are made and I’m sipping a little wine while scratching out this post and recovering from a breathless afternoon.  Unleavened bread ends tomorrow evening and we have two Shabbats, back to back, to rest, worship, walk and fellowship.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and Blessings from Jerusalem!