Almost Halfway There!

I'm almost halfway there. At least if I live to be 120. This year's 59th birthday was heralded with phone calls, e-cards, and a delightful dinner of seasoned rice and stuffed zuccini at Jane and Bill's, accompanied by a bottle of white wine that Jane and I finished off in our customary fashion. I also received a lovely pair of turquoise colored earrings. The next day I left for Tel Aviv, where my friend Karin and I celebrated our 43rd birthday since we met in the summer of 1966 when we celebrated our 16th birthdays together at camp. We ate at the same restaurant in Bat Yam that we chanced upon last year and chatted as the sun went down. ON the way to Yael's house afterwards Rotem called me with strict instructions to call back five minutes before I arrived. When I climbed the stairs Rotem, who had been sitting on the stairs waiting for me, raced excitedly back into the house and birthday music came on. Rotem gave me a string of bright red plastic beads she had strung wrapped in a hand decorated box, and Yael gave me a lovely pair of Celtic style earrings and a pink photo album - designated for next grauddaughter to come. The next day I was greeted at my parents' house with a cake and candles (do I have any breath left?) Next year I promise a less modest celebration. As a matter of fact, I think we will have a large Irish session on the patio and the Hezballah will know I have turned 60.

Hot humid summer days pass slowly by. Ravens and doves fly to the fishpond for water and tiny Palestinian sunbirds flit by, pausing to sip nectar from the hibiscus flowers at the edge of the patio. One dove has boldly begun to sit on the strand of colored lights on the patio, and jays call from the avocado trees, but our one jay is somewhere off with his friends, having forsaken his human companions for ones of his own kind.



In the avocado orchard the trees are heavy with an unusually abumdant crop. Fruit hangs in clusters reminiscent of Christmas tree ornaments. The rows are dotted with long wooeden beams that were propped up to support the branches, but every day more and more branches sag as the fruit continues to grow.