Under Fire, part 28

Will the war end before I hit double-digits? I never expected this particular blog thread to last so long, and it now looks as though we aren't near the end. Prime Minister Olmert, in a speech given at the Conference of Heads of Local Authorities yesterday, lays it on the line. Olmert, never a very emotional public speaker, has stepped up to the plate with some seriously moving oratory in the past few weeks. He addresses all of Israel, northern residents, community leaders, the international community, and citizens of Lebanon. It is worth reading.

Guy Benyovits's op ed piece is another must-read.

The latest on Qana: It now appears that the building collapsed some seven hours after the IAF air strike. Hmmm. We wait to see if the international press will retract any of their premature diatribes.

The Karmiel front: Our one day of quiet is over. There is another ketusha strike in Kiryat Shemona, and now we again hear almost constant rumbling from the border. I wait, constantly on edge, for the siren. A loud boom this morning (while I'm in the shower, of course) causes me to flinch, and my elbow smashes the soap tray. Nadine, after spending yesterday lolling indolently on the Forbidden Sofa, returns to one of her new hiding places and we endure a frantic few minutes searching for her before we can leave the house for Binyamina.

And what about all those peaches? About three kilos of peaches find their way into the pot yesterday, becoming some seriously tasty jam. Some of the jam is set aside for Gill's birthday cheese cake, a variation of an Italian ricotta-based dessert. (We haven't tasted it yet, so I can't report if the experiment was successful.) Peaches get doled out to the neighbors on both sides and to Gill's work colleagues, and there are still overflowing baskets on the kitchen counter. If I could figure out how to make them available via a download, I would.

Thank you, thank you! I am still getting tons of calls and emails from friends and family throughout Israel and abroad. Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it, even if I cannot get back to each of you individually. The one bright light in this whole situation (other than my cleaner-than-usual office and some killer peach jam) has been reconnecting with people. Yeah!