Almost there!

The big day is almost here! Tamar will become a "daughter of the commandment" tomorrow, at 10a.m.! The family is gathering. Paul, Jenny and Max were with us from Wednesday evening until this morning - just a day and a half, as it turned out. Ellen was not feeling very well, but she managed to be part of the fun anyway. She had made chili and corn bread ahead of time, and that helped. Max loves cereal. (He has taken on the nickname of "cereal killer!" Ha! Ha! Get it?). He went through three bowls of cereal each breakfast. Yesterday we had sort of a local excursion, starting at Walker's Farm Stand, our nearby organic farm  - which is stunning this time of year; then on to Against the Grain, a local gluten-free bakery, where they had yummy free samples, then downtown to look around, had a bite to eat at The Works, made a visit to Experienced Goods, our local Hospice thrift shop, then to Everyone's Books, where Max got a Star Wars Dot-to-Dot Book, and then a stop at the South Indian Dosa Cart which is next to the Grafton Cheese Company store. Dosas are a delicious filled crepe made from fermented batter. Ellen actually felt like eating part of one. Then we came home and while the others rested, I got ready for a Dummerston Choir rehearsal, ate a snack and went off to church. Only four people showed up for the rehearsal, but it was ok. We are doing Taize chants Sunday, which are quite easy. I thought everyone else was going to Chelsea Diner for supper, but Max didn't feel like going out - he's a homebody - so people made do at home. When I got home from rehearsal, everyone was just hanging out. Max was especially enjoying a thing we have that is a scalp stimulator - using it on himself and others. We really got caught up on Paul and Jenny's plans, which have. changed a lot  in the past few weeks. No more move to Boise. They ares selling the house (June 15th!), moving into a rental condo in Alpine, and Paul is immediately starting to build a smaller house. They already have a nice lot. They haven't given up on the idea of moving to Boise, but the finances of it and the job uncertainty proved too daunting. Paul has been offered a chance to do something he loves: build cabinetry at the Sporting Club where Jenny works, for very good wages. Jenny's job has morphed into a more acceptable form (e.g., no more weekend events); Max is happy in school. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

This morning after a late breakfast, PJ&M went off to Amherst, and Ellen and I went to the local market for oodles of flowers, came to Northampton and now we are at the Florence Congregational church where the Jewish community, Beit Ahavah meets, and she and Wallace are making two big bouquets for tomorrow's service and when they are all done we will go to Katie and Savanna's for supper and a rehearsal of the song we are singing tomorrow.

Here's the song:

And here's the building we'll be gathering in tomorrow for Tamar's bat mitzvah:

Florence Congregational church, home of Beit Ahavah