It is Passover and I am on Diet

 
TGIF !!

Good morning fur friends,

Happy Passover to those that are celebrating, it is a time when families get together to celebrate freedom, the story we read is from the Haggadah and tells the story of how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt from slavery.

This year it is especially special as we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, freedom for us with the vaccines. We hopefully will be able to go back to a normal life, what a great feeling to be able to hug our friends, see our family and celebrate the holidays together. I am getting my first vaccine today and I am really relieved.

There are many customs and foods we eat on this holiday plus for one week we do not eat bread, cookies or anything that rises when baking. It depends also on what country you come from as to what you can eat or cannot eat which is a long list and can be complicated sometimes.

In the very religious homes the women clean out the kitchen of all non Passover foods which they sell to their neighbors or burn, they have cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils for the Passover only, and before Passover starts they go around the house with a feather to make sure there are no breadcrumbs anywhere. Passover starts at sunset and all cooking is done before then and kept warm, there is no cooking done on Passover evening so that means loads of cooking and preparations beforehand.

The reading of the Haggadah can take up to 4 hours during which you drink 4 glasses of wine, and then when it is over you stuff yourself with food as you are starved.

My favorite food of course is the chicken soup with matzo balls yummm

It is a wonderful holiday as there is a lot of singing also and I remember growing up when my grandfather read the whole Haggadah in Yiddish not Hebrew which was very special.

So it is not easy to be on a diet LOL and I have put Layla on a diet as she is a couple of ounces overweight which I want her to lose. She is not a happy girl at all and stands at her plate moaning for food. Being a Jewish Mom it breaks my heart but her health comes first so have now divided her meals into three tiny ones to keep her happy. Treats have been halved also so the Brat as I call her now makes me feel guilty all the time with her moans LOL.

So Layla and I would love to wish all our friends Chag Sameach (חג שמח) which is Hebrew for Happy Holiday,

Be safe and take care

With a woof and love
from Layla

April has arrived

TGIF !!!!!!!!!!!!! 


April has arrived and with it has come lock downs, Spring, and of course Easter and Passover. So where do we start.


Our lock down is going good, we are indoors more than normal, trying to find things to keep Layla occupied as unfortunately all my dog sitting jobs have been cancelled. So she has a new quirk to sit on the bed and moan for attention all the time which is not making my life easy as I ignore it part of the time and then feel guilty also. 

Our dog parks closed this week, they are focusing more on the enclosed ones than the one like ours that has no fencing although ours has a kids playground etc which they have closed but are not making a big deal about us sitting on the lawns as long as there is 6 ft between us. Many families are there enjoying the warm weather which we have at the moment and I the past two days have been going also with a blanket and coffee, getting that fresh air is so great plus good for Layla also. She does not wander far so I have no worries with her.


Outdoor recreation is still allowed like walking, hiking, biking and running without limitations as long as people follow social requirements.

With the lock downs I am reading more and more how unfortunately Domestic Violence cases are rising, something that upsets me very much because we all complain about the lock downs but are blessed that we are free of violence not like those that are stuck at home with an abuser. My prayers and thoughts go out to all of them. If you hear of anyone in trouble and you can please reach out or give them the National Hotline Number so that they call. Remember they sometimes do not have access to a computer so having the number on hand will help them.

https://www.thehotline.org/help/


Advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential.  

Another cause we must not forget is April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.


We must not forget that like Domestic Violence with the lock down many animals may be being abused by an abusive human and as they are more in the house the abuse could be worse. Please if you see any animal abuse or hear of any please call your local Animal Control or the Police. 


I feel in these times we must be more aware of our surroundings, neighbors and reach out where possible as you could be saving a life.


Passover is next week, I cannot believe it and that holiday as many of you know symbolizes the freedom from slavery of the Jews from Egypt, and for me it also symbolizes especially with what is happening in the world today, freedom for Domestic Violence Victims and Animals from Cruelty situations.


So on this note we are asking everyone to be aware, keep your eyes open for any abuse if you are out on an essential errand, stay safe and healthy,


With a woof and love from Layla 

PS: For our all our Jewish Followers


Helping those that do not have voices

Woof to all my fur friends,

We are woofing this Wednesday because of many reasons but the main one is because of Easter and Passover this weekend.


Last weekend we had fun as usual BOL and on Sunday Mom took me with her to my favorite restaurant Palmyra which is a Syrian place that makes yummy food especially the chicken. That was my payment for modelling for her with the bunny ears which I did not like on my head, but for Mom I have to do things sometimes whether I like it or not.

We also met with my favorite Aunt Barbara, so it was double fun and of course Mom gave me some of her chicken and I put my head on Aunt Barbara’s lap so it was really a fun afternoon. We came home and I just went to bed to sleep while Mom did housework.

Now as we all know holidays are upon us, Easter for the Christians and Passover for the Jews. It is a special time when families get together and eat themselves sick, that is what Mom told me. She only gives me a little to taste but it is the best as that means I get yummy food and not my food, BOL.

So today as we are talking about the Middle East as both Holidays originate there, we are also going to talk about a wonderful woman who is battling and doing her utmost to save all the stray dogs in Bethlehem. She rescues the strays and then they go to a rescue organization in Israel which helps to find the stray dogs homes.


You can read about her in the link below.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-ex-banker-devotes-her-life-to-west-bank-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR1LsQztdXvw2CbRmftDMbOh4uYmGWKpg5SMa0AOIdIuDQa5kG5104vV_B8

http://basau.org/


The reason we talking about her and the wonderful work she does, is at the moment and it being holidays where our food is plentiful, she is struggling to feed all the stray dogs and reaching out to everyone for help. So I, Layla as a rescue, thought if we each helped with like 5 dollars, it would all add up, and the dogs would have food to eat, that is what we call a Mitzvah which means a good deed done from religious duty. So who is going to step in and help.

I am attaching all the links here, from the Facebook pages, paypal links and go fund me links and we hope everyone will help and share the story.

https://www.facebook.com/Rescuing-the-animals-of-Bethlehem-2076920852606252/

https://www.gofundme.com/animal-rescue-amp-no-kill-shelter-fund?fbclid=IwAR36935i5zQZzIYXbU8ERaxou6Py9qp5fvNmigTL0PVB58nIV3-7Slalpgw

PayPal George6706@hotmail.com
I heard about her plight through a friend of mine who volunteers in the shelter that is working with her and reached out to me to share the story.


Now that we have shared with the plea, everyone please have a wonderful Easter or Passover, and make sure your pets are all safe from the hazards of these holidays.


Thank you for reading the story about this amazing woman, Diana, sharing and helping

with love and woof from Layla