Weekend: Show and volunteering - Day 1183 (Year 4, Day 88)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

It does look like these days I only have things to write about on the weekends, as it's the only time we try to do stuff other than shopping and household chores.  The rest of the week is spent working.

Saturday was Shabbat services as usual.  We weren't invited anywhere so we came directly home.  Had some soup, took a short nap and caught up on our magazine reading.

The High Holidays are approaching; Rosh Hashanah begins Wed. night and ends after sundown on Friday (then it's Shabbat) so we'll pretty much be totally out of pocket and shutting off the world for the duration.  I'm reflecting how this time last year we had to travel 250 miles to the nearest shul (from Bismarck to Fargo, ND) and stay in a hotel.  This year we only have to travel 13 miles.  The best was the first year we hit the road (2014), where we boondocked in the parking lot of the banquet facility where services were being held in Cary, NC.  2015 was in Asheville, where we had an 8 mile trek. Riding and driving (among many other things) are forbidden on the Sabbath, but we chose to make an exception if it means the choice between being isolated and praying on our own, or being part of a community.  We make it a point to ONLY drive to and from the synagogue. Of course, if we had the option of walking (like we did in NJ), that's always what we'd prefer.  But you do what you gotta do.

Anyway, we started our Sunday like any other -- doing laundry!  We had tickets to a show which didn't start until 2:00 (needed to be there by 1) so we had some time in the morning to spare.  Before going into Louisville, Mitch needed to stop at Harbor Freight for some stuff.

The show we saw was Smokey Joe's Cafe, which is basically a musical revue based on the music of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (you can Google their songs, made famous by various recording artists such as Elvis Presley); mostly rock & roll and R&B from the 50s and 60s.  It was interesting and the voices and dancing were wonderful.  Here are some photos (which we snapped before they told us we weren't supposed to be taking pictures).

  

The show took place at the (very impressive) JCC (Jewish Community Center) which happens to be around the corner from the shul.  As it so happens, the shul was calling for volunteers to help make the place spic & span for the High Holidays, so we figured as long as we were in the neighborhood, and the time they requested was around the time the show ended, it just made a lot of sense to be there to help.  We ended up scrubbing down the fabric chairs, Mitch tightening the screws on all the wooden chairs and washing various other surfaces as well as tidying up stuff laying around.  It felt very good being able to contribute to the community that we're temporarily calling home.

We also learned that there's a Kroger supermarket a few miles from the shul that has a large kosher section, so after helping, we stopped there for some groceries and kosher meat.  Unfortunately, they didn't have much of a selection for chicken; only beef so I treated myself to a steak.  I was going to buy a london broil, but it was too big and would take me a week to eat it (and after 2 days I'd lose interest).  We'll try another time, or make a trip to Trader Joe's to get some chicken.  Meat is always a special treat for me anyway, not something I have on a regular basis.

As for plans for the holiday, services start a little earlier and end a bit later.  Wednesday night, after services, is a community dinner.  On Thursday we are invited back to the rabbi's home for lunch.  We probably won't get home until after 6, so dinner will be some light salads.  Friday we're invited to a friend, but her close friend just passed and she's not sure whether she'll be up for company or really wanting company, so we have a Plan A and B.  I also need to prepare for Shabbat dinner so I don't mind if things don't work out.  I'm grateful that my work load is extremely light so far this week, as it gives me lots of time to do a lot of my cooking in advance. Hopefully my clients won't panic tomorrow, knowing I'll be off for 2 days, and throw everything they can think of that needs to be done for the rest of the year on me tomorrow!