A Grandma Who Loves Gardening, Reading, and Games

On Thursday morning, the last day of Passover, after 40 days of war, we woke to a ceasefire. The quiet felt unfamiliar. No planes overhead. No sirens. Not even the usual blaring alerts the moment I stepped into the shower. It was almost unsettling in its stillness.
And yet, I can't help but wonder - is this really what we hope for after everything we've been through? Homes lie shattered. Too many lives have been lost. And despite it all, the Iranian regime remains a global threat, continuing its pursuit of nuclear capability while tightening its grip on one of the world’s most vital waterways, the Strait of Hormuz.
We find ourselves standing in the wreckage, somehow expected to return to normal after more than a month of living on edge, in a reality that feels anything but ordinary.
Soon, Israel will shift from this fragile quiet into remembrance. The country will mark Yom Hazikaron, the day we remember Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. Since losing Gadi, this day has become deeply personal for me, and I can no longer make the emotional transition to Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day, which begins the following evening, the moment Memorial Day ends.
And still, despite everything, I return to my cards. With paper and glue and careful hands, I keep creating. It is my way of holding on and, in some small way, moving forward.

This card request followed soon after the extra-large 80th birthday card I designed for another special grandma, and the briefs for the two projects were strikingly similar. Both grandmas, it seems, enjoy gardening, so once again I started with a background of a garden and shrubs. This grandma, Vicki, was turning 85. She has 5 grandchildren and, as well as gardening and flowers, she enjoys reading and board games.  

My customer wanted her children's names incorporated into the flowers, which I arranged into girls and boys for visual balance. I also checked which board games grandma enjoys and learned it’s backgammon, cards, and Rummikub.

I chose to depict grandma sitting at a garden table, a Rummikub rack before her and a tile poised in her hand. Next to her sits a small pile of books, waiting to be read. In the background, I added the requested flowers, along with a plant pot and trowel. Finally, a large 85 marks her age.

Her daughter, my customer, was delighted with the card!

* This post has been shared on Happiness Is Homemade, Mosaic Monday

Stomp Like Shrek, Sing Like Maria

Our Passover Seder itself was uninterrupted, though other parts of the country were not as fortunate. The day began with a barrage of missiles that disrupted our preparations, and there were more sirens again in the early evening. Still, we were lucky to be able to sit down and share a special evening with good friends. Since then, of course, the sirens have continued.
Tragically, a young man from my boys' school was killed in Lebanon. Even more heartbreaking, his sister - whom my eldest son knows - also lost her boyfriend on 7th October.
Life can be unbearably cruel.
It feels strange to move from all of this into something as simple as sharing another of my handmade cards, yet somehow life keeps making room for both.

A new customer got in touch to say that her daughter, Carmi, would be turning 25 in February. She asked if I could create one of my cards for her. According to her mum, Carmi loves running, Shrek, and The Sound of Music. She sent me a photo of her daughter for reference, adding that if I could somehow include the word !מ-טו-רף - which means something like "crazy" or "wild" in a playful sense - that would be great.

I carefully created a paper version of Carmi, showing her running, her hair blowing in the wind. Next to her is the original soundtrack album cover of The Sound of Music, surrounded by little music notes - apparently she loves singing the songs from the musical. Below that, I added a little green Shrek, the large, lovable ogre from the animated movie of the same name. His bright green colour and big ears make him instantly recognisable! Finally, a big number 25 highlights Carmi's age.

The greeting on the card reads: “Happy Birthday, Carmi, from your
!מ-טו-רף family xoxo” - apparently she is always using the Hebrew word !מ-טו-רף

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Tuesday Turn About, Talking About It Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Thursday Favorite Things, Funtastic Friday and BFF Open House.

Hurvat Nekes

The war continues, and for the past month we have stayed mostly at home, or very close to it. Of course, daily life still goes on - we need to eat - and with Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, beginning this week, there is even more food preparation than usual.
So we venture out from time to time, carefully planning each trip to the supermarket. We try to go shortly after a missile attack, reassured by the knowledge that there is a safe room at our destination. The sirens still sound, day and night. We are all exhausted, but for the most part, safe.
This blog post was written before the war began. I hope the day will come soon when we can once again visit Hurvat Nekes in peace.

Hurvat Nekes (חורבת נכס) is a beautiful site on the western outskirts of the city of Modi'in. ​Archaeological finds from many periods - from prehistoric times to the present day - have been discovered there, together with the standing remains of buildings from the former Arab village of al-Kunayyisa.

The name Hurvat Nekes translates as "the ruins of Nekes." Hurvat means "ruin" or "ruined site" in Hebrew ("khirba" in Arabic) and refers to a ruined site, abandoned village, or ancient archaeological mound, often containing remnants of buildings, cisterns, and walls. Hurvat is commonly used for smaller sites (villages, farms, outposts). Larger, mound-shaped sites are often called "tel" (תל) in Hebrew.

Hurvot, or "khirab", are common sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, often dating to the Byzantine or Roman period. They serve as crucial archaeological, agricultural, or residential markers.

Hurvat Nekes is made up of three low hills and the valleys separating them. From the western hill there are wide views toward the Shfela (lowlands) and the ruins of al-Kunayyisa and its orchards.​ Al-Kunayyisa was a former Arab village that was abandoned on 10th July 1948 during the War of Independence. The village lay less than 2 km to the northeast of the Ramle-Jerusalem highway, and was linked to it - and to neighbouring villages as well - by dirt paths.

Al-Kunayyisa, whose name likely refers to a small church or shrine (derived from the Arabic root kanisa, meaning "church"), was resettled in the early 20th century atop an earlier settlement, the remains of which include rough stone walls, arched doors and building foundations. Within the remains of the settlement, you can see the main alley, side alleys, residential buildings, courtyards and service buildings adjacent to them, including several tabuns and a granary. One of the buildings was probably used as a mosque, and a prayer niche (the mihrab) facing south can be seen.

Agriculture was the backbone of the villagers' economy, focusing mainly on the cultivation of grain. The villagers also cultivated citrus and olives in the northern and southern parts of the land, which they irrigated from nearby wells. Today, fig, almond, olive, carob, and pomegranate trees and cactuses grow among the buildings. The lands in the vicinity are cultivated by a nearby kibbutz.

A wealth of archaeological remains at Hurvat Nekes reflects continuous human activity in the area. As well as the remains of the village of Al-Kunayyisa, prehistoric flint tools, rock-cut water reservoirs and cisterns, stone cups, burial mounds, wine and olive presses, agricultural terraces and quarries have be found there. The finds represent several periods, including the Iron Age, the Roman period, the Byzantine period, the Mamluk period, and more.

The hills and slopes of Hurvat Nekes are dotted with low trees and shrubs, including buckthorn, Christ's thorn, and other native shrubs. At the time of our visit, on a beautiful sunny weekend at the end of January, almond trees were blossoming and the area was lit up with red anemones, or in Hebrew, "calaniot". The Hebrew name "calanit" comes from "kalanit" meaning "little bride", referring to the flower's delicate shape. It is Israel's national flower.

Today, the site of Hurvat Nekes functions as an open park that combines nature, history, mountain biking and hiking trails. A path crossing the centre of Hurvat Nekes forms part of the Israel Trail, Israel's national long-distance hiking route. Additional local marked trails (including green/yellow markings) connect the hills and valleys, though numerous pits and caves are scattered throughout the area, requiring hikers to proceed with caution. Cattle also graze in the area, and the slopes are home to a rich variety of wildlife, including yellow scorpions, beetles, centipedes, and other species.

From the western hill at Hurvat Nekes, the Modi'in-Jerusalem railway stretches out in the distance. At the top of the hill, we came across this charming little bench, below. The Hebrew sign reads: "In honour of the fighters. For everyone who sometimes needs a little peace and quiet."

Though I may not be a fighter in the traditional sense, that sentiment truly resonated with me. We enjoyed a well-earned rest, taking in the fabulous view.

* This post has been shared on Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Monday Morning Blog Club, Through My Lens, Nature Notes, Talking About It Tuesdays, Tuesday Turn About, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Fiesta Friday, Floral Friday Fotos, Crazy Little Lovebirds and Dare to Share.