I'm going to Israel!

I'm going to Israel on Tuesday, and will be there until August 5, working on finishing my book, Angels' Tongues and Witches' Curses: Jewish Women and Ritual Power in Late Antiquity. When I was in Israel last year I wrote most of it, and now I have to finish chapter 5 and write the introductory chapter. I'll be staying in Jerusalem and spending most of my work time in the National Library. If any of my academic readers will be in Israel for the summer, please look me up.

At home with the family

I'm currently sitting in my family's vacation home in Westport, Mass., and my niece is trying to persuade my father ("Grandpa") and my brother (her father) to get them help her pay for a new MacBook. There are three of us sitting here and working on our laptops - and Eve (my stepmother) just took a photo of all of us working on our computers (although to tell the truth I think that only my brother is actually working). It's rather amusing here.

Outside, it's cool and rather humid - quite a change from hot and dry Jerusalem.

My niece is trying her best persuasive arguments but hasn't quite made the sale yet.

Photos of Sunnier Days

Since I'm feeling melancholy about the short days, I thought I'd post some nice photos of sunnier days. The first two are of Sodom Pond in Adamant, Vermont - I visited there in late summer this year.

Trees on Sodom Pond

Water lilies on Sodom Pond

This next one is from the fall, going home from Vermont - Lake Champlain.

Lake Champlain

The next one is from Israel - just along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Rekhes ha-Sulam

This one is from the women's section of the Kotel, in Jerusalem.

Praying on a hot day

The last rose blossom of the fall in my garden.

Yellow Rose of Ithaca

Travels around the world

This cartoon from Ted Rall expresses perfectly what people say to me every time I decide to go to Israel....

Visit to Westport

My trip to Israel has been postponed for two days - my flight, which was supposed to leave tonight, was cancelled, and I have new reservations for Tuesday night. On my way from Ithaca, I came to visit my father and his wife in Westport, Mass., since I'm flying out of Boston. With my new camera, given to me by my father, I took quite a few photos of this pleasant place.


Country lane with a big field and cows next to it.


Cows in the field.


A Japanese maple in the backyard.


Front yard, facing the field with the cows.


Irises.


Peonies.

Some more catblogging

I seem to have entered the netherland of the blog world - talking about my cat. So much for politics or religion.... Today was the beginning of our spring break (not that it's actually spring out there or anything - in my opinion, spring in Ithaca actually begins on May 1, which is generally when we begin to see some serious flowers blooming) and I'm visiting my family in Cambridge. On my way, I brought my cat to a new kennel, since the old one has closed down (alas). The new one is in Freeville, about a half hour drive from my home. The poor creature miaowed the whole way there, and then when we finally got to the kennel, he sat in his box looking unhappy. This kennel (which is actually a vet hospital that also boards cats) has a couple of cats living on the premises who were rescued from bad situations - one lacks an eye, the other one lacks a hind leg. The legless cat jumped up on top of my cat's carrier, much displeasing my cat. Then we brought him over to the little room where he'll be living with a number of other cats until next Monday - in such a small space! He'll get out at some time during the day to spend some time in a larger cage with things to play with. Still, he'll be happy when I come to pick him up next week.