We're almost there! Tonight begins the week long holiday of Passover, and we've been working very hard preparing for this special time on the Jewish calender. The silver has been polished, (and in particular our large goblet for Eliyahu), nuts have been cracked (in our case using a hammer covered in a plastic bag!), three hundred eggs have been washed (yes, that's right, three hundred, and no we won't be eating that many eggs, but some of my neighbors who have large families and lots of guests just might go through that many between the ice cream, the mayonnaise and the flour-free cakes....)
The regular dishes have been put away and the Passover dishes have been placed in the newly cleansed kitchen—a few purchases have been saved for first time use on Passover, like these mugs which I'll then incorporate into my regular dishes, since once again we've gone through more than a whole set of mugs in the past year. (Not that this upsets me terribly, the broken mugs go the the mosaic pile!)
And the pigeon? Well he wandered in through the front door, providing a little added interest to the day. My husband was actually able to catch the little guy, who posed so nicely before we set him free. And at the end of a very long day, we finally performed the bedikas chometz ceremony, wherein the kids hide ten parcels of leavened food (very well wrapped in plastic) around the house, and we go on a search for them by candlelight, and traditionally using a wooden spoon and a feather to sweep up any crumbs that are found in the process. Now there are pots on the stove and lots of laundry to tend to, among many other things, so I'll just skip off in the wee hours of the night right now, and try to cross some more things off my list. All the best to you all, and have a wonderful, joyful Passover!