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I promised I'd write twice a week so this is time two.

It's been busy, but I still think I get too busy on things that are not important, like checks for the office - I got pretty ones - and making a bill of sale more elegant. It wasn't needed, but the prior languaging was so stupid.

So I wonder if maybe I am committed to dawdling. But then I've also seen articles on the "good" kind of procrastination. I should go back and re-read.

I spoke to many friends this week, which was good. I got a new closing, and another retainer for $1500 which I haven't deposited yet because I need to check on what we've got to do.

There's another woman who will probably want me to help her enforce the terms of her divorce.

And I saw a truck, the idea of which I'll sleep on to see if I want it enough to go for it tomorrow. It's as old as I am, so how could I go wrong?

It's not much, but it's a post. And now I'm having trouble staying awake enough to post.

I know I'm soon to get crazy busy and simply won't be reaching out as much. I don't think that's the talk of a winner, and I promised to be that.

I will be busy, and I will write twice a week, and I'll put that in my schedule. The voice in my head says “What schedule?” but that's just a voice, and there are others.

I'm coming/going to set up a business, not a practice, not an I'll get to it when I get to it, or when it's urgent, but orderly, German, and find within that freedom and fun and magical creation.

I think this was my hardest taking of leave from you all. I say to myself that we have it easy. It's not like the settlers of a generation or two ago. You could talk to any of the old-timers, just a few years older than Sharleen, that came to Bet Rimon, and had the opportunity to speak to their families over weak connections around the holidays, and that was it. Or a generation before that, when letters would have been the means of communication, and phone calls a luxury. They were so still when I was a child.

But I suppose everything comes in its own context.

What I do have to celebrate is a new Yakov. I don't know what's been breathed into you, but you've grown, become something greater, and it's amazing to be in your presence.

And I'll miss my Lani, my almost always willing sidekick, the first person I call when I need a hand, the person whose ideas I sometimes find hard to follow, but who inspires me as you are always thinking, looking to deepen your wisdom, make new connections, try out a new thought, and even take up a physical challenge when I throw one out. You are the child I most get to play with, and I'll miss that. And I think maybe we should find a way to play from a distance.

Uri, about you I always worry, though I've no idea way. In ways physical, you've done a lot of work to be the finest specimen of our family. In ways practical, you've been working so long, it would be hard for most people to catch up to your practical knowledge. And you think as well.

Yours is a spirit I wish I'd had more of whon I was young. My automatic conversation is one of fear that I let stop me. Yours is more like “Fear, ok, nice conversation, I'm going to play anyway.”

I'm glad you took that on. It's inspiring. And a little scary sometimes, but I know you've got the head on your shoulders to mitigate the risks; so I should worry less, but I don't.

Manu, I love your independent spirit. I love your willingness to play and create with your mother.

I just wish I could know you better, but when I think about it, I didn't much let my parents know me at your age. I don't think I would have answered half the questions I ask you either, and would probably have given half-assed answers when I ded.

I could like to think that I created a different clearing with you, but maybe that's just the way teenagers are.

And it's like the conversation we had the other evening. Kids get raised by the ir peers a as much as by their parents, and perhaps that is where you look now. Maybe I never found much comfort there, but you seem to de doing fine; so maybe I should just not worry. I do so much want . . . I don't even know what I want.

I guess all I really want is for you to be hapy, and you seem to be that.

I trust you've got a good heart and good values. It''s not even trust, that's way too weak a word.

And Sharleen, I know this is hard for you, and I don't know what to do to make it better. I started this thought like thirteen hours ago, and I am too zonked right now to come out well.

It's decidedly fall here, which feels beautiful. Dahlia and I took a trek through Mianus River Park today. When I visited last with Lani, the Friday before my father died, it was a walk. But it's not that way with Dahlia.

Anyway, I'm off to bed.

I haven't set my schedule yet, but there's a chance I can get this done tomorrow.

Hey there kids:

I guess what there is to say is “how interesting?” I went to bed crazy late because I was trying to figure out what I am supposed to do coming back to Israel, and the rules run a bit to the extreme. So I called to try to get some clarity, and I couldn't reach the Ministry of Health, and then I called a general government number, and they weren't particularly helpful either.

So here I am in the morning, and instead of writing, I'm looking at Covid-19 numbers again, and all they tell me is that the numbers where I've been should be putting me as coming from a Green Zone, but Israel doesn't seem to care about US States, many of which are individually bigger than Israel, but instead seem to have a Yes/No on Quarantine on the whole country, but then how would I know if there's further guidance, if the further guidance link takes me to a page that indicates that I need a smart card to access it.

And now I'm a few minutes from heading off to synagogue. And my feet are still a little sore from yesterday's walking. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not.

And I woke thinking I should be doing some office stuff, but chose to write you instead, and then chose to blow you off trying to be right about how Israel is wrong.

And I knew/know/should have known, but people get stupid. There are so many thoughts that go into that comment, but it's backward based, and against my training, and maybe I'm just not thinking straight. But then maybe I never have, and how do I make today different?

Maybe I'll find something more in my prayers. I'll get back to you all later.

Hey there kids:

So there's a news story about Israelis headed to Uman on i24 TV (I see more Israeli news here than there), and a certain person we all know is like "who cares if a few of them die; they breed like rabbits anyway. I can't believe I lived in that country for four years. And I'm like "Nice attitude," and she's like "well what do they add anyway." And they say I have no filter.

But I still think it's better not to have such filters. Sunlight is a great disinfectant as one of our great justices once said, I'm thinking it was Brandeis.

I got more cleaned up this week. I got our list upgraded. I feel like I still have dust coming out of my eye from cleaning up in the basement on Sunday or Monday. I really wish I hadn't had that surgery. It's my left eye of course. I'd like to go back and have her close up the hole she made. I don't know why they can't use a minimally invasive technique anyway. Maybe they do now.

It's crazy how expensive some medical equipment is. I reviewed a bill this week for a hernia operation. It was done via a minimal incision type of technique. Some of the single use items were in the thousands of dollars. I think it's insane.

Anyway, mom wants me to make the fish because she likes to eat at 6:30.

Her neck has really been bothering her. There's a procedure where they obliterate some nerves so she wouldn't feel it. She says if she has another episode like today, she's going there.

I suppose there's more, but that will do for this week. I have to go cook.

Have a great week!

Oh, and I also got on and did a live on my Herz for President page, my first in a long long time.

Hey there kids:

I was so good today, and then I came home, and Dahlia was sitting in front of the TV and she had opened one of those bags of the chocolate covered almond and sea salt things, and I must have eaten half of it, and then I went up and ate two eggs, and some chips and salsa, and now I'm just tired, so tired in fact that I was going to blow off writing again, but then I went to brush my teeth, and I decided that not writing again was not acceptable.

And now that I'm here, I'm not sure what to write about.

I finally got to reaching out directly to some of our clients today, yesterday actually. We'd had some response from our letter a month ago, and hadn't done much about it. So I went through and contacted most on the list between yesterday and today. I'm sending forms out to two, and two came in today.

In other good news, we had a closing yesterday, so that's at least some positive cash flow, but doesn't make up for what's gone out, but I suppose these things take time.

My eyes have been really itchy, and it's been wet here. I think it's all the dust from the cleaning in the basement.

So I am going to close my eyes, and sleep, and hope I'm up early enough to make some time to write in the A.M.

All my Best,

Your Papa