Sunday, September 17, 2017

Chinese Balls



It is difficult to find good dog toys.  There is a huge variety available on the market, but they are either boring for the dog after five minutes, can be destroyed, demolished, and swallowed either whole or in pieces in ten minutes, or are ridiculously expensive.  And even the very expensive "behavioral" toys, games, puzzles, and so on either lose their interest for the intelligent and active dog after a while, or they find a way to destroy them or lose the pieces.  Toys that work on food motivation often motivate a clever dog to find an imaginative way to penetrate them to get to the food, without all the play that was intended.

So imagine my joy when we found in a small pet supply shop in a village here in Italy a ball 
that seemed to be unique in its ability to fascinate the dogs.  It is a spiky ball of some fairly hard and resistant plastic or rubber, but still soft enough for the dog to chomp on to create a fascinating squeak, and activate   flashing lights in blue and red. 

My collies love to run after things and retrieve, but tend to get bored quickly.  But they became totally obsessed with this ball.  They were ready to run after it for hours, catching it, squeaking it, and begging for me to throw it again. They would stand looking at me with begging eyes, chewing the ball to make it squeak – "Please throw it again! Again! Again!" The Canaans, in general not very interested in this sort of game, were not very interested in this ball, but my housemate's braccho italiano was even more obsessed than the collies.

And even better, this ball seemed to be almost indestructible.  Hours of play and chewing left it minus a few of the spikes, but still whole, undestroyed, still squeaking, and still flashing.  Weeks went by, and the ball was still alive and well, and the dogs remained obsessed.

Since it was such a great success, we decided we should buy more of these balls for future use.  There were two more at the pet shop, which we quickly bought, and the shop owner said they were due to get more in a few weeks.

One of the balls bounced over the fence and disappeared down the hill into limbo.  A second ball went with one of my collie girls when she travelled to a few shows with a handler, to help her feel happy and at home – she was one of the most obsessed.  But she returned without the ball, it was forgotten at the handler's place, and there has still not been an opportunity to get it back yet.  One ball is left. The flashing lights have stopped – they did last for a long time – but the ball, despite being minus a number of spikes, still squeaks and bounces very well, and the dogs are still obsessed with it, refusing to play with other toys and waiting for me to bring it out and start the game.

I was getting very worried – what would happen if something happened to this ball, or if it finally got chewed up?  We did not know the name of the company that produced it, and the shop where we got them was hours of travel away, and meanwhile had not gotten a new supply.

So what do you do in this sort of situation?  You search for things on the internet.  We searched for "dog toy ball, flashing light and squeaker".  And we got results!

The results were on one of the Chinese websites that is rather like a Chinese Amazon – it sells everything under the sun representing manufacturers, retailers, and anyone wanting to sell.  And there they were – balls!  They looked just like our ball in the photos, and they were really cheap!  True, it would take two months for them to arrive, but we expected the ball we had to last for at least another two months.  We immediately ordered 20 Chinese balls – that should be enough for a while.

Two months passed, and a package arrived.  Well, not really a package.  It was a large airmail envelope.  We opened it, and there were the 20 balls.  But!!!!  These were smaller – not the size we ordered, softer, and because they were soft, about 15 of the 20 were squished from the transport and no longer in the shape of balls.  They rather looked like a peach that has been stepped on…

When we tried playing with the dogs, we discovered that the dogs did like them, but after ten minutes of rough play and chewing, the balls were demolished and the squeaker and the thingy that produced the flashing lights fell out – things that were just the size to be easily swallowed by dogs. 

What a disappointment!!!! Of course, we complained to the supplier, who agreed to refund the purchase price, and begged us not to ruin his reputation!!!!   But now we had no balls!!!!

The moral of this story is, don't trust Chinese Balls!

And if anyone knows where to find the originals, please let me know!!!


Monday, August 7, 2017

The Gingerbread House




Once upon a time, there was a house on the top of a high hill in Italy.  The surroundings 
were spectacular, so beautiful that they cast a sort of enchantment on the place, and on the ability to view it realistically.  It created an almost insurmountable desire to just stay there and look at the constantly changing light and shadow on the wonderful landscape.

The house was actually two houses, one the family home of the owners, and the second a building that had been converted into two apartments, upstairs and downstairs.  The buildings looked quite charming, and all around, of course, was the incredible landscape and the quiet of an isolated location surrounded by nature.

Ahhhh, things are not always what they seem…

The houses belonged to an old acquaintance of my partner, or actually, to her husband.  They had not really been in touch over the years except for a few casual meetings, but when Lucretia (as we will call her) heard that we were looking for a house to rent, she got in touch.

She is a very attractive woman for her age (50), and was very charming, smiling all the time, and expressing great interest in our needs. We could rent one apartment, ground floor, and use some of the outbuildings or sheds for the dogs.  There was a great deal of land around, we could make yards, kennels, no problem.  There was a lot of junk around, her husband was one of those people who believed that everything could possibly be of use at some time, and so collected all the discards of everyone and piled it up around the property.  There were stacks of all sorts of old building materials, broken furniture, lumber, window frames, old doors – you name it, and probably you could find it.  But we could see that with some clean up, the place had great potential.

Her husband, Giovanni, was dying, she told us.  He had a cancer of the brain, which was incurable, although various treatments had been tried.  She needed help caring for the animals and the place, so was interested in renting the apartment.  The upstairs apartment was being reserved for the person who would have to take care of Giovanni when he was not able to function anymore.

Once he was dead, the junk could be taken care of…

She promised us plenty of space for the dogs, and her help in finding some work with the dogs with children's groups, something I had done in the past and was very interested in continuing to do.

We should have been more careful, we should have asked more questions, we should have inspected everything more thoroughly….but like little Hansel and Gretel, we were tempted and seduced by the smiles, the wonderful scenery, and the idea that the little apartment would later be expanded, the junk gotten rid of, and there would be plenty of room for the dogs.  

So we moved in.  It worked out that we moved at the worst possible time of the year, November, when everything was cold, gray, damp, and uncomfortable.  There was incredible fog, like I had never seen before – when you looked out over the landscape, the fog looked like a sea, with the tops of the hills sticking out like islands.  It was often wet and rainy, enough to turn the strange local ground into thick and sticky mud, that clung to everything and turned to heavy dust when it dried.  We were very cramped in the tiny house, as all the dogs were inside with us.  Although we had been promised use of outbuildings to make kennels for the dogs, and the possibility of putting up prefab kennels next to the house, the area that actually we were allowed to use was much less than we had been expecting, and the fence around the yard was not yet finished either.  So the house was in fact more of a kennel, and there was a constant battle against the mud and dust – which we usually lost…The house was heated with a wood burning furnace that was connected to both houses, and there was also plenty of hot water.  But there were few other amenities.
Living in the house gave us a different viewpoint than we had when we first came to see it.  The ceilings were very low, the insulation was very poor, the living room had no windows at all, and it was very cold if the furnace was not on.  There was no connection for the television, the phone reception was not reliable, and the wifi was really our only connection to the world.

The house actually was very strange.  It was almost completely paneled in wood, but obviously the work had not been done by professional experts.  The construction seemed to have been done in a strange way, without proper insulation, so there was constantly a drizzle of dust and other unidentified materials falling through the cracks in the ceiling and accumulating everywhere.  The doors didn't really fit properly, so according to the weather, sometimes they closed and sometimes they didn't, swinging open of their own accord.  The pipes for the radiators were not in the walls but rather haphazardly crisscrossing the rooms.  I don't think the apartment would have passed any safety and up to code examinations…

We had only casually met the homeowner, Giovanni, all of our dealing had been with his wife.  But now, wife and children spent almost all their time in an apartment in town, and we were alone on the property with him.  Lucretia had expected him to be dead by now of the brain cancer.  However, it had been operated on, and he had gone through the usual treatments, and it seemed to be in remission.  Lucretia's plans were not going as she had expected…

Giovanni was a very kind, interesting and helpful person.  He loved animals, had three dogs of his own, as well as other animals, and deeply loved nature and a life devoted to it.  After many years of being a town dweller and working in a bank, he finally had fulfilled his dream of having a house in the country where he could have some animals, grow some of his own food, and enjoy the great beauty of his surroundings.  He loved going for walks with his dogs in the surrounding woods and fields. 

Giovanni was interested in our dogs, and did a great deal to help us build a kennel room and a yard for the dogs to run in.  He was very clever at finding solutions for many things, and had a huge variety of tools and also of building materials, almost all of it recycled.  Things that were junk for others made his eyes light with pleasure and he would bring home all sorts of things that might be of use in the future.

I was familiar with this point of view, the Bedouin also believed that everything might possibly be of use some time in the future.  There were usually big piles of what we might call junk in the vicinity of their dwellings, but for them these were future treasures.

I found myself living as if I was back at the beginning of Shaar Hagai, cleaning, building, constructing, making use of everything to save money.  Giovanni did not consider at all that I was a not so young woman, there was work to be done.  And to my surprise and pleasure, I found myself capable of doing things I had not done for years.

My Italian vocabulary added some new and interesting words – cariola (wheelbarrow), viti (screws), rete (wire), caldaia (stove), and so on.

But sadly, as in all fairy tales, the good king was fading…Giovanni started to feel unwell, and examination showed that the cancer was back.  He went through another operation, but although he refused to give up on his life and activities, the prognosis was not good, not good at all…

Here the story becomes dark.  Giovanni's wife and three children, who we had hardly seen until now, started spending more time on the property.  Lucretia worked part time as a teacher and was a writer of children's books, quite successfully.  When we first met Lucretia and discussed the possibility of renting a place from them, she was very enthusiastic, she told us she loved animals and nature and would be happy to have us with the dogs, and that she would be able to help us find work, in projects for educating children about animals and science that she was involved in.  This sounded great!

But the facts turned out to be different.  There was no more discussion of mutual projects.  To the contrary, the dogs bothered her, she didn't want us to keep them in the house, but the areas promised us for the dogs outside of the house, had been cut in half. The dogs barked and disturbed her, the dogs smelled, the dogs, the dogs, the dogs….In fact, most of the barking of the dogs was caused by her children and dogs running around and agitating our dogs with screaming, waving of sticks, riding by on bicycles, and doing whatever they could invent to make the dogs crazy…

The situation deteriorated.  Giovanni was becoming weaker in front of our eyes, although he was trying very hard to continue to live the life he loved.  But we found out that Lucretia had managed to have him declared incompetent (after all, he was a "man with half a brain"), so that she was now the owner of all the property.  It was quite obvious what her intentions were, her time schedule had just been spoiled by Giovanni's persistence in staying alive.  It was obviously also disappointing for the "cucciolino" ( "puppy dog") that followed after her everywhere and was obviously waiting to take over from Giovanni….

Lucretia had an older daughter from an earlier marriage.  She was an attractive girl like her mother, with ambitions to be a model, something that was very unlikely to happen – at 21, she was too old to start a modeling career.  She now came to live in the apartment above us, which was supposed to be for caretakers of Giovanni.  There was little caretaking going on.  However, she had no compunctions about caretaking for herself – starting with complaints about the dogs, she continued with complaints about us watching movies on the computer later than 10 in the evening. Her usual way of complaining was to bang on the floor of her rooms with a broom (our ceiling), violently and insistently.  If that wasn't enough, she would come down and pound on our door, screaming, "I can't sleep!!!! Look at my face!!! Look at what I look like when I can't sleep!!!!"

Of course, the dogs did not find this at all amusing, and barked in our defense, causing more banging and screaming.

The evil queens punished us in many ways.  There was no longer any heat provided, and it was very cold, the middle of the winter, with temperature around freezing.  There was no hot water.  And the final straw was when they shut off the wifi connection, our only connection to the outside world….

We were given one month to pack up and leave.  There was no question that we wanted to leave, we were extremely stressed and so were the dogs, we were very worried about them as well.  We felt very sorry about Giovanni, who was a shadow of his former self, and although feeling very unhappy, was not in a condition to get involved. (Subsequently, the old king was committed to a hospital, where the evil queen refused to let his friends even visit him without her permission…)

Finding a place to go to in one month, with all the dogs – more or less mission impossible…
But we were determined to get out.  The enchantment had ended, we could now see the reality, and it was not a fairytale, not a gingerbread house, but a dark and depressing soap 
opera…

Next time – Moving again

Update:  A few months after we left the Gingerbread House, the benevolent king Giovanni died.  His last days were spent in hospice conditions, and no one who was not approved by Lucretia was allowed to visit.  So this good man died without his friends around him...

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Why?



A short and sad return to thoughts of Israel…
Leaving Shaar Hagai was terribly difficult mentally and emotionally, more than physically, which also was not easy.  But in a way, knowing that the house was there, even if abandoned, left a slight modicum of hope that some day things might change.  And even if I would never be able to return, maybe these historical buildings, part of the founding of the State of Israel's story, would be made use of for a positive purpose, as a monument or museum or something to the advantage of the public.  After all, it is in a national park, so of course it could be made some sort of visitor's center….
Today my daughter notified me that my house has been demolished by the Israel Lands Authority.  What is left is a pile of rubble.  Although the warden in charge of the demolition claimed they were "returning it to nature", all the rubble was left scattered on the hillside and spread over the ruined terraces that we had so carefully renovated and repaired.
Why?  Although I decided to leave when the court gave the decision of eviction, as I had to find a place to go with all the dogs and couldn't wait, other residents were allowed, after payment to the government of a guarantee that they would leave, to remain until June 2018, which was the final eviction date.  So why was it necessary now to destroy?
Everything was done hush-hush.  The residents were not notified – if they had been, maybe they could have acted and gotten a court order to prevent it.  The wardens simply appeared with the tractors and machinery and flattened, not only 47 years of an attempt to renovate and create something beautiful and worthwhile, but history of about 80 years or more, from the time of the British mandate, buildings that were part of the development of the country and a location that was prominent in  the War of Independence.  But who cares about history these days?  If it doesn't bring in money and power, it is not worth anything.  History, dogs…who cares?
Of course, this kind of behavior is not unusual for the Israel Lands Authority.  There was a wonderful old khan from the Turkish period on the hillside opposite the farm.  It was beautifully built, with arches, lovely stonework, a well, and was in excellent condition.  We could see it from the farm, and sometimes visited it to enjoy its beauty.  One day, to our astonishment, we saw tractors on the hillside, demolishing it!  We tried to call the police, but it was too late, this lovely relic of the past was quickly flattened to a scattered pile of rocks.  Why?  The Lands Authority was afraid that someone would try to squat there….So that was a reason for destruction…
I find it hard to understand how a nation that was always so connected to its history, its past, and all those things that were evidence of it, can have turned so egotistical and self interested and corrupt, and gives no value or consideration to anything that doesn't bring power or line the pockets of the "in" crowd.
It has been suggested by some that the destruction of my house was a demonstration of power by the Lands Authority – destroying the house of the one who was the founder and the symbol of Shaar Hagai.  Pathetic if true.  They have already expelled me from my country, why destroy something of value to everyone?
I feel lost, empty, heartbroken…even though I had left, the house was still a symbol of all the years of creation, of overcoming obstacles, and achievement.  There is nothing to come back to now, even to look at and say, once that was my home…
So future posts will be from Italy…



(For those who may not know the story of the founding of Shaar Hagai – all the story of over 40 years is in my book, "Tails of Shaar Hagai", available from Amazon.)

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Things I Have Learned in Six Months in Italy

Hard to believe that it is already six months that I have been away from Israel and living in Italy.  So far, it has been very educational.  I thought I would share some of what I have learned so far.
Please note – this is relevant for the north of Italy, the area of Emilia Romagna. I have been informed that things are very different from one part of Italy to another…
1.  People here do not walk down the street with cell phones stuck to their ears.  People here walk down the street paying attention to what is happening around them, they stop to talk to one another and pass the time of day, they are not in a hurry, they smile and say hello.
2.  If you stop your car to ask directions, they are happy to help.  We have never had anyone refuse to take the time to explain.  Not only will they give detailed directions, but they may at the same time tell us their life history and where they live and invite us to visit.
3.  Italians do not live on pasta and pizza.  In fact, they don't eat a lot of pasta, the average menu here is very healthy, with lots of vegetables and fruits, and plenty of variety of proteins.  And it is all unquestionably tasty!  I have been eating very well, but without any weight gain.
4.  It is unusual to see fat Italians.  Most people are in quite good shape.  It is rare to see fat children.
5.  Spaghetti and meatballs is definitely not Italian, Italians laugh at the idea.  As well as at a variety of other dishes that are considered by foreigners to be Italian food.
6.  People don’t go to the supermarket and shop for the week.  They go every day to the shops and buy things fresh.  There is a great choice of wonderful fresh produce.
7.  People are kind and polite.  Even public officials smile to greet you and do their best to be helpful.  They may also carry on a conversation about themselves, their lives, politics, or any other subject and are genuinely interested in what you have to say.  Things are in general run very efficiently here, there are no long lines or interminable waiting for service.  Even in the supermarket, when the line gets longer than a few people, a new checkout line is opened.
8.  There is little traffic in this part of Italy, and traffic jams are rare.  Drivers are courteous and ready to yield the right of way.  Sometimes we may meet someone who drives like an Israeli, but it is rare.
9.  Every bathroom has a bidet.
10.  Houses here (in particular in villages) are painted in a wide variety of bright colors, red, pink, yellow, orange, in various shades, even a few green or pistachio ones.  But no blue…I wonder why…I was told that the colors are  because it is often very gray and foggy here in winter, and people like to see something bright.
11.  The scenery is spectacular, no matter what season.
12.  Italians are fond of dogs, dogs can be taken almost anywhere, including into restaurants and supermarkets.  In Italy the law says that dogs are allowed to bark, it is natural for them.  There are also very strict animal protection laws.
Life is very calm here in general, much more so than in Israel.  Not easy, but certainly 
pleasant.
However….

There will always be some people in a population that are not typical, and to our sorrow, we ended up at the mercy of a few of those…More later…