A writer and a tropical muse. A funky Lubavitcher who enjoys watching the weather, hurricanes, listening to music while enjoying life with a sense of humor and trying to make sense of it all!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Weather Happening Always.. Peru NC
This is a reminder that weather is always happening somewhere even if not in your own backyard. Sometimes it's good to give thanks to sunshine, blue skies and the ability to watch the blackbirds fly about from tree to tree. This video above is from Peru where they had more than ten hours of torrential rains that weakened the cliff where that building had sat for years. Everyone was evacuated so it's more like one of those videos where people set up to watch a stadium imploded, it was set to go anytime. And it is worth remembering the damage from Hurricane Mitch in Central America was not from hurricane force winds but from torrential rains after it's strength was lowered down to tropical storm force.
Summer storms rage in South America.
We forget that as we are so oriented towards the Northern Hemisphere.
I'm semi recuperated from the Israeli trip.
I ate a donut yesterday :)
When God gives you a surprise donut....
...you eat the donut and say "Thank YOU!"
And Jet Lag is mostly gone.
The chiropractor is fixing the rest of me.
I do love traveling.
But I prefer not crossing too many time zones.
Anyway winter is back in North Carolina.
I feel bad.
My daughter flew down from NY for a short vacation.
Yesterday we had warm weather.
So warm it looked like Miami when a cold front goes through.
Winds in my area were about 40 MPH.
Straight line winds.
Power outages occurred.
I had no power for a good half hour.
Suddenly, no warning. No weather discussion.
Whoosh! BAMN!
Then 30 minutes later the bluest skies you ever saw.
Maybe 20 minutes later.
As if it never happened.
Except for the power was gone with the wind.
Then restored.
Crazy huh?
Weather happens.
Sadly it's as cold if not colder now in NC than NY ..
Can't make this up.
So I'm going to enjoy my daughter's good cooking ...
...and some quality time.
Maybe take her out for donuts?
Never ignore the weather.
Especially if you live in North Carolina.
Besos BobbiStorm
@bobbistorm on Twitter
Ps Sorry for any typos.. long story for another blog..
Good Riddance to Storms that Killed At Least 20. Cool Nights in Miami, Blue Skies in Raleigh. Home with Major Case of Jet Lag
Storm system that left at least 20 dead in the South has moved on.
Good riddance.
Been a while since I wrote as I was out of the country and heavily involved with a family celebration. And as horrible as the storms across the South were last weekend it's a fairly common occurrence in that Severe Weather makes news after they happen. There was a rare warning posted for the system and accompanying weather, however people rarely pay attention on weekends. Warm periods of weather accosted by a cold front sliding South will throw Mother Nature off her feet a bit and many often get hurt. Death tolls rise from severe weather and tornadoes while we obsess on other things that never happen.
I have Jet Lag among a few other things bothering me and I am "in hibernation" too I guess. It was in the 60s last night in Miami, makes everyone crazy. Here the blue skies are beautiful. The houses and apartments in Israel are not insulated well. Should you go and see temperatures forecast in the 60s do not be fooled it feels inside more like the lower 40s. The sun comes out in the morning like it's on steroids and that heat moves with the direct rays of the sun. The cold tile floors feel as if they are being tested for installation in the county morgue. Oh my goodness ... felt so cold.
The wedding itself was hot!
First a very spiritual ceremony.
Then all restraints tossed away.
Meyer kids know how to party.
They raise it to an art form.
First dance below...
Long trip, awesome wedding complete with light shows, clouds, fog, bubbles and a couple that truly looked like rock stars. Felt like a Hollywood production and they did spend hours planning out what music would play when to the appropriate effects.
The groom's grandmothers were there.
Originally from Iran and Yemen.
They are young inside.
Inspiring.
Clapping hands and dancing in their mid 80s.
So if we had to cross Lord knows how many time zones...
...on twelve hour flights to get there.
I'm kind of okay with it in retrospect.
The love of a family extends across time and space.
January Thaw on East Coast. How Will It Last? Illusions, Music, Parties in Israel. Henna Party...
Let's start with the weather today!
There is some snow still in New England.
But not very many other places on the East Coast.
As we can see from the sites on Spaghettimodels.com ...
No snow today but over the next five days a bit more.
Mostly in the West coast but that will move East in time?
That frost/freeze line inches North again.
It will in time descend again towards the South.
It's a seasonal dance that goes on every year.
If you want snow go to Colorado or Maine
That simple.
Also the storms in the NW continue.
Rivers in the atmosphere dancing.
Spinning, turning, twisting, moving.
In the North Atlantic is a tightly wound storm.
Not a hurricane but a strong low pressure system.
Watch it spin on the water vapor loop.
So I'm going to point out the obvious here first and discuss the weather. You know the "January Thaw" going on in North America ....that continent far away from where I am typing this in Israel. January thaw means you will thaw out and then as it implies it's gone again. It's a temporary illusion of Spring, before the snow falls and coats everything in white again.
Illusions are funny. I've always been nervous when my kids were in Israel and I worry a lot as most parents do. I do feel safe and yet I know that's an illusion much like thinking winter is over. Then again anything can happen to you anywhere. At moments I think "what if" while here and then I push the thoughts away as fast as they come. Like that saying "dance as fast as you can" I just keep going and listening to music, watching the sunlight and wishing the houses had more insulation as 50 degrees here feels like 70 in Raleigh.
Many online have put out forecasts for this coming Hurricane Season based on the predictions concerning El Nino or no El Nino and I'm just not going to play that game. Honestly, it's way too soon to tell. There is a "warming" much like the "January Thaw" going on in the Pacific and if the recent past is a good measure it's worth waiting to see what it is like in April. The La Nina appeared and disappeared just as fast and can reappear as again as well. Maybe this is a "Neutral" year which really should be called "Normal" but nothing is normal about tropical weather forecasting.
Just too soon to tell and for me to start to wax poetic on any predictions would be as reliable as if I posted an astrological forecast for this coming year based on the positions of Jupiter and when it moves into Scorpio or if Saturn is in Sagittarius square Mercury at some point. I know how many of you would feel if I did that. Saying what June will be like today is more like guesstimating or wish casting for me to give a prediction currently based on a not reliable El Nino or La Nina signal. Understand? I mean I'm sure there is some Gypsy tea leaf reader here in Israel, as there are people from everywhere, but I'm not going to read tea leaves nor am I going to predict next season by weak signals currently inconsistent. As the old magic 8 ball says...................."ask again later"
I'm cold. I keep saying that but I've been told it's the lack of good insulation and that makes me think the summers here must be hot. But, it's a beach city here with a good breeze constantly blowing so that breeze must be nice in the summer.
As for me I went to a party last night for my daughter the bride known as a "Mikvah Party" or a "Henna Party" depending on how you look at it and in this case I'd say we had a Mikvah Party with Henna at the end. Henna is for good luck and I'm not in an European area but here there are mostly Jews from Arabic and Persian countries and their customs are different than what you see in say Brooklyn. Persians do the Henna Party which is a custom. We don't paint henna, but it's smeared at the end of the party on your hand and you leave it on for about five minutes or more before washing it off before it dyes your hand. It smells heavenly as it's made from Henna stuff... (looked like dark whole wheat flour) and a tea made with what we would think of as spices for Pumpkin Spice Latte. Heavy on the cinnamon and cloves and Lord knows what else was in it. So... the house now smells from the spicy mixture as if someone spilled a gallon of Chai Tea onto the floor last night.
They place candles in the henna in a bowl.
Then dance around with the bowl distributing the henna.
It was a lot of fun. A few of my daughters were in town as was the baby grandson. Other's were changing planes in Rome or Istanbul so my mind was at times elsewhere until they arrived safely in Israel. Of course suspending all concerns about being in Israel and happy they are out of the Istanbul airport. Priorities ya know... We danced to mostlu Sephardi music (sounds like a cross between Belly Dancing and Spanish Jazz) and I learned a few new dance steps that were Yemenite and looked really Arabic. I'm pretty sure most the dance moves are the same, but what do I know? I used a few of my Bollywood moves and they were very impressed. I know that as they started clapping their hands and doing this "LALALALALA" thing they do and it sounded a lot like "OLE OLE" in Hebrew. But its hard to keep up with them as they are always dancing and the music is ALWAYS playing here and they all dance beautifully. The older generation listens to Hebrew songs and the younger generation learns English from Beyonce and JLO. Really.
There was of course a lot of food and I'm praying the dress fits as I have yet to find the exact phrase that means "I'm sorry it looks really delicious but I'm trying not to eat carbs or anything fattening until after the Wedding when I'll eat ...really" but the next thing I know a plate filled with chicken or fish or hummus is in my hands and let's all pray I didn't gain 20 pounds in five days. My sons have eaten and traveled their way through Israel on tours where they walked enough to impress their Fitbits and well suits are so much more forgiving than gowns. I understand why people wear robes in the Middle East...............
Before the party I took a walk for some exercise.
There's a "Shuk" down the block. Think store..
I actually bought some as well as pistachio halvah.
Late in the day when it's not as busy.
Where am I?
Hard to keep remembering.
Even the Hebrew sounds strange.
So many accents....
Candy, jams and much labeled in Russian.
These pictures were taken a few blocks away as I was walking over to the marketplace called the Shuk here in Netanya. They have a bigger, fancier one in Jerusalem that is a real tourist attraction as well as where the locals shop. In Netanya it's more for the locals and while walking through it just a few blocks from the fancy hotels you feel like you might be in Turkey or Romania but it's Netanya. Note that much here is in Russian as well as Hebrew, Arabic and English so you kind of feel like it's a Mini Russia. Big fancy, shmancy condo going in there. Views from the higher floors will be water views as the beach is a few blocks away.
There is a tremendous amount of construction going on here. Feels a bit like Miami where they knock down most of the block and rebuild. And there are hibiscus as in Miami Beach. Where am I?
Olive Oil in Israel. Extra Virgin in English....
This part of the market looks like I could be in Brooklyn.
Random Thoughts From Netanya Israel on Weather, Music, Time and Rhyme.
Kind of amazing in that I'm closer to the Indian Ocean than the Atlantic.
Caspian Sea, Mediterranean Sea.
Dead Sea, Red Sea.
How did I get here?
Is this really me?
Everywhere I see ...
...there are orange trees....
Okay I'm not sure I'll rhyme that much here but this is definitely the time to wax poetic on the beauty of Israel especially from my vantage point in Netanya. First off Netanya is known as the Israeli Riviera and it lives up to that tourist tag. It is very Mediterranean in a California coastline way. There are flowers everywhere even in January on a cold day and the brightest oranges I've ever seen on trees laden with the most orange trees I've ever seen everywhere. I'm from Florida and I've lived in California so that says a lot. They median in the street and in the front yards are filled with citrus trees where people actually reach up, take a few and take them home. This is not Miami where someone may shoot you for grabbing a mango...
From my balcony I look down and see .....
.....either lemons, citrons or grapefruit trees.
The fruit are the flowers of Israel.
And there are a lot of flowers as well everywhere.
Plumeria trees without flowers because it's winter.
Faded hibiscus fighting to stay open despite the cold.
Even on the recycling bins there are flowers.
My son likes it my nephew does not.
It's sort of a contest who can add that last bottle?
Or maybe they guilt you into it...
Either way there's flowers there too!
Snapdragons recently planted.
Palm trees of every kind everywhere.
Okay no coconuts but all the others.
Date palms.
I had fresh dates with yogurt for breakfast!
And then you get to the beach....
The trees lean as the wind from the Mediterranean always blows...
.. a lot like Miami and the breeze from Biscayne Bay.
Blogging from Israel..so What is it like? Cold, warm... both and wild.
That was last night in Jerusalem at the Wall.
We prayed there a while.
I got to watch sunset as we drove up to the Wall.
We also did the Tunnel Tours.
You MUST do them if you go..
You don't have to be Jewish.
We had Germans, people from Thailand and Americans.
It really gives you a sense of history, the bible and just a wonder of the world.
They explain the geography, weather and history and how it relates.
How various generations of invaders came and went.
Each adding their own style and touch to the construction.
The very mountain the "Wall" of the Old Temple is built on is HIGH.
Note it's a lot of walking..
So I'm posting from Netanya in Israel. It's a beach city much like Miami Beach in ways but more a combination of Santa Monica and Miami Beach with a touch of Laguna Beach thrown in as well. Sort of like you are in a movie where everyone is speaking in Hebrew and you can't find subtitles in English unless you see PIZZA HUT, IKEA or OFFICE DEPOT signs in English lit up along the side of the road in neon lights. National Geographic Channel is on tv here everywhere with Hebrew Subtitles, I guess that's why Israelis love to travel and see the world. And then many come back to Israel while others stay in America a while. My son-in-law to be is from Netanya of Yemenite/Persian background and his family has lived in Israel for generations. He lives and works in Miami where he met my daughter and they've been together a long time so I feel more like he's a son than a stranger coming into the family. It's a custom to go the Wall before the Chuppah which is the RELIGIOUS wedding ceremony vs a regular legal one in America. Sometimes we do it the other way around as when I got remarried I had a Chuppah but waited a few years for the legal, civil ceremony.
To understand this blog post I attended Hebrew School when I was little after public school where I learned for a few years to say things like EMA BO! Meaning Mother is here! Then ABA BO! Meaning Father is here. Maybe it was Po but think it was Bo so you get the idea. I can't really speak Hebrew but I can read it and understand a little. My list of words is mostly things like "now" "only" "if" "what" "who" "good" "no" "ok" which isn't enough to really string a sentence together but works a bit. His family doesn't speak English. One brother does a bit and a brother in law speaks some as well as Spanish as he was born in Argentina. Yay I can speak a bit of Spanish. Yiddish doesn't work well here as it is mostly a European blend of Hebrew and German so that only works if you are some where that American's who are orthodox or people from England made Aliyah.
When I try to speak Hebrew my mind mixes it all into a mish mash of one word English, one Spanish, one Hebrew and one Yiddish so I smile a lot.
It's very much like LA in that you can drive a half an hour up a mountain and going from boots and sweaters being okay to suddenly freezing.
The spiritual aspect of it is slow to hit me and unfolds the way a rose does as you see layers of it all. The sun setting on the Arab quarter was awesome. It reminds me of Seattle a bit ways and then Laguna and then "OH wow I'm in Israel!"
So here are some pictures and this is where I am living on the Israeli weather sites. Note you have to change them to F from C and well you get the idea.
Location: Miami, Raleigh, Crown Heights, Florida, United States
Weather Historian. Studied meteorology and geography at FIU. Been quoted in Wall Street Journal, Washington Post & everywhere else... Lecturer, stormchaser, writer, dancer. If it's tropical it's topical ... covering the weather & musing on life. Follow me on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/#!/BobbiStorm
