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More Passover prep

I'm taking a break from Passover work.

Earlier today I was at the butcher's. As I was paying for my purchase, I mentioned to the Jamaican born cashier that I was planning to switch my house over tomorrow. She said " You're kidding! You STILL haven't switched your kitchen!!!"

I am in the middle of working on the meat dishes and pots.This is the first year that we are doing meat during Passover. Every other year, until last year, we would go to my parents for Seder. After eating out fill of meat for the first two days of holiday, we were content to eat dairy for the rest of the holiday. My father died a year ago September.  I couldn't bear to do Seder with my mother and my sisters last year.So,we all went to my husband's friend's house. He had just come off of a difficult divorce. I went up a few days early and cooked like a madwoman.

This September, my mother moved out of the house that she shared with my father ( and the rest of us) since 1957. When she moved, she gave me the meat Passover dishes. My husband said, when we took them, " I guess we are now doing Seder." And so we are. 


 It will be weird to see those Passover meat dishes  in my house.  I have the year round meat dishes, pots and silverware all put way in the large wooden chests that the meat Passover dishes live in during the year.

I just finished unpacking all of the Passover meat dishes  boxes. The dishes are all in the cabinet in my kitchen.I look at the dishes and see Passover. I know that these dishes are not a universal harbinger of Passover.

When I was five, my family went back to Halifax. My father was invited to officiate at a Bar Mitzvah at his previous pulpit. I became quite sick as soon as I arrived. I spent our entire time in Halifax at the Offman's home in a teeny bed room with minature furniure. Although I was sick enough to hallucinate during that visit, I didn't hallucinate the furniture. Sol Offman had a furniture store. The child sized furniture was manufacturer's samples. I was charmed by the furniture that was scaled to my size.

I also remember being awakened from a feverish sleep to be fed  barley soup. As Lil Offman fed me, from a bowl in the same pattern as our Passover meat dishes I remember being confused.-- it wasn't Passover in December, was it???? The combination of that good barley soup in what looked like our Passover dishes spoon fed to me by Lil, who looked like a good fairy or an elf mother in a story, made me feel very, very loved.
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