Memorial Day and the Eve of Independence Day

The Memorial Day siren sounded at eleven o'clock.

I had tidied the studio and listened to a Hebrew video many, many times before the siren. Afterward, I went downstairs to exercise.

I just can't hear whether he's saying "oochooli" or "vachooli."

Since the outdoor gym is still taped off, I tried to do some exercises on the lawn. I was quickly covered in stickers, so I took a walk instead of doing my planned exercises.

Kelly-Ann called at one o'clock for our session.

• Listen to music or podcasts during exercise to keep myself motivated and my mind off the discomfort; keep photos of the exercises on my phone
• Since I have lost interest in tarot during lockdown (??!), she suggested I put on "tarot glasses" and when looking at the world or watching a show, consider what card could represent that situation
• Continue eating right 
• Don't push too hard on Hebrew, immersion and listening are more useful than "studying." (My Hebrew actually improved after I stopped studying last April.) 
• Bring Jewish elements into my personal practice
• Contact Daniil for more editing work, ask him for a referral, and make a list of my skills

In the news:

• Terrorist attack today (Memorial Day) in Tel Aviv. 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed a 67-year-old woman. A bystander stopped him. Both are in the hospital.
• IDF soldiers are tending graves.

I lost track of both the time and what day it was! At 4:30, I realized that I had half an hour until lock-down. I hurried to the store and picked up food for myself and some things Isobel wanted. Then I met her outside her yard to borrow a wine glass.

I didn't finish those two errands quickly enough to also feed the cats before five o'clock. And I only had only one night's worth of dry food left because I couldn't get through on the phone to DaggiDog today.

I considered skipping tonight. I knew the other cats would be okay, but I was worried that Boudica and Gray Tom. I decided to break the rules and went down at 7 p.m. I stayed inside the property instead of walking outside the edge of it, but I didn't need to worry; there were lots of people outside. I doled out half portions because DaggiDog won't be open tomorrow.

At the second to last stop along my route, Boudica approached me for the first time. I gave her most of the canned food and sat with her. Grey Tom arrived when she was still eating. I gave him the can with the remaining wet food and just sat there while they ate. The other cats came to eat the dry and didn't bother Boudica and Gray Tom. When those two were finished, I walked to the end of the property and fed the fat cats. So many greedy kitties! I love them.

Israel's 72nd Independence Day celebrations were televised from Mount Hertzl in Jerusalem. The ceremony always begins with a transition from the sorrow of Memorial Day to the exuberant joy of Independence Day. Because of corona virus, the usual military drills and formations were not performed (apparently a great disappointment to many Israelis) and there was no audience, but twelve torches were lit and celebrities performed songs, some had been recorded before the pandemic.  

A cultural oddity: using canned silly spray is a popular Independence Day tradition in Israel.

Tonight begins 20 days, which is two weeks six days of the Omer:

We tend to become what our friends are.
So choose friends who are what you aspire to be.