BEYFlyer

It was a quiet night in Beirut and the mountains. Headed back down here this morning and it was nice to be stuck in traffic. Despite all the insanity around us, life goes on. People have things to do/take care of, so we carry on. Despite the fact that we do not have a shortage of commodities according to our government, bread has already doubled in price (but still less than $1.50 for a "bag" of pita bread) and fuel stations are charging a premium for gas (even if there prices on the board are not changed). The government has promised to crack down on violators. The problem now lies with delivery. As roads get bombarded, fewer and fewer goods are reaching their destination. The situation is still "okay" in Beirut but other parts of the country are feeling it. We hope to have a humanitarian road open at some point to allow for the safe passage of goods and medicine to various parts of the country. Not sure if that has been worked out yet with the Israeli government.

BEYFlyer

Greybrd, follow Abby's post number 1553 to find out where I live...

okflyer

BEYFlyer good to hear you had a quiet nite for a change. And that you had to endure morning rush hour!! Stay safe. I will be going to bed here. How long will it be before Commodities get rally scare and prices skyrockets also in Beirut? Hope you and yours (and staff) have enough supplies stored?

Hope The Dovster had as quiet a nite as you did with no more rockets landing close by?

Dovster

QUOTE=BEYFlyer]It was a quiet night in Beirut and the mountains.[/QUOTE]

Of all the sentences I've read in this thread so far, that was the one that gave me the most pleasure. ^

As reported earlier, at one point it got so quiet that the lack of noise actually woke me up.

Lital (my daughter) was contacted by the kibbutz and asked to come to work on Wednesday. Apparently enough children will have returned to require her to be there to help take care of them.

Tomorrow I will be driving back to Benyamina to pick her up. I told her that I would leave early in the afternoon in order to give us time to eat lunch together at a good restaurant in Zikron Ya'acov and then let her vent her frustrations on my Visa card in its clothing shops.

First I bought her a dress on the way there. Then, yesterday, I picked up something for Dementia. Tomorrow, it will be Lital's chance to be spoiled. (As she is not in a big hurry to get back to the northern border, I am certain she will take as much time shopping as possible; and, where Lital is concerned, time definitely equals money.)

This war is proving expensive!

Swannie

Am watching Fox News live from Israel, across from Maroun e-Ras and Bint Jubail. There is very fierce fighting, with heavy artillery, and an Apache helicopter has just crashed. What I'm hearing and seeing is like Jerusalem in 1967.

Dovster - I imagine that you're hearing this and hope that you are in a shelter. Please keep your head down and away from those "shatter-proof" windows! And if your trip tomorrow is possible, may it be a safe one!

BEYFlyer - It was also announced that Condoleezza Rice will be coming to Beirut. I pray that at least for that time, Beirut will be quiet! I'm praying that peace will come soon for you and your parents, and for all in the area on both sides.

BEYFlyer

Ohh... Condi's on her way... I wonder what she has to say about all of this??? Hope she is reading FlyerTalk but more specifically, this thread...

BEYFlyer

Dovster...that sounds very dangerous to me... So does your trip to pick up your daughter. Can't you just attach that bloody card to a missile and send it over here??? Don't include the PIN just in case it lands intact...

CTLAW

Hope this isn't off topic, but I'm curious about kibbutz life. I spent several months on a kibbutz many years ago & in those days it seemed that there was much less money available to each family for personal expenses and travel. Don't mean to pry but are you able to keep what you earn from your writing for travel & personal expenses (clothes for Lital, restaurants, etc) or does each family get an "allowance" to spend as they choose. What about travel?

Dovster

See Post # 709. Today, what I earn belongs to the kibbutz but what I had when I came here belongs to me.

Dovster

The northern sector of my kibbutz is on fire. Fortunately, this is all forest land and it has not yet spread to the orchards. If it does, we are going to have the biggest apple bake in history.

Crop dusting planes are diving and spraying chemicals to put out the fire -- looking eerily like WW II fighter planes in strafing runs.

We have also just been alerted to return to the shelters.

Kremmen

BEY and Dov, Australia's 60 Minutes had a story on the situation last night, with reporters on both sides of the border. On Israel's side, things looked almost normal, apart from shots of waves of tanks heading to the border. On the Lebanon side, it was just devastation.

Made me wonder: if every major network in every country sent reporters to both sides, wouldn't it be kinda hard to move in the war zone without tripping over reporters?

Dovster

The alert is over. The rockets fell in the Western Galilee.

Jerene

Forgive my ignorance - is Dementia Lital's mother?

Jerene

Dovster

Yes. Unless, of course, I was cheating on her with another woman at the time and she only thinks she is Lital's mother.

apirchik

Reports say a helicopter hit a power line and crashed near Yiron about an hour ago. Dov - did you see or hear anything?