Simchat Torah services on Friday morning were the best yet at SOJC. They did two things differently that added tremendously to the spirit and fun of the day.
First, instead of dancing around with the Torahs in a tight little circle up by the bima, we went back into the social hall and made a much bigger circle. This was great because it meant we had too many people to fit into the little space and also because the bigger circle meant more people could dance and I didn't get dizzy going around and around in a tight little circle. I even took my turn holding the Torah. Our rabbi knows every possible Jewish song and leads with enthusiasm. He's only 32, so he has LOTS of energy!
The second thing they did was bring out the booze! It's a tradition on Simchat Torah that everybody in the room get an aliyah, a chance to be called up to the Torah to bless it before it's read. Then after your turn, you get a shot of something. The last years we have been here there was no booze. Last year I mentioned this to the rabbi and he said, yes, he came from that tradition, too. So yesterday he told everybody about it and made sure a bottle of nice cold Scotch was put out! Almost everybody went over and took a shot after their aliyah. It just made it seem more like the holiday! LOL!
We also had marvelous fall weather again yesterday and took a half hour walk. People say we don't have seasons here in central Florida, but we do. It's now fall, which means the humidity is mostly gone or at least very low. It's in the upper 70s to low 80s in the day and goes down to the upper 50s to low 60s overnight. It's glorious. There are even some brown leaves on the sidewalk where we have walked the last few days. Not as many as up north but enough to make it crunchy now and then. Fall may very well be my favorite season here. It's perfect for taking walks.
Today the weather will be just like yesterday. We are heading over to Epcot for lunch at a few kiosks at the Food and Wine Festival. Then we'll leave early enough to get Mark to his 4 p.m. haircut appointment. I have taken the three half hour walks these past few days to prove to myself that I could walk into Epcot and all the way to the back for lunch. Last Sunday we cancelled our trip to Epcot for this because my back hurt too much. I'm definitely showing improvement, and I don't think I'll have any problem walking in and out of Epcot today.
Tomorrow is Monday, and I should report my weight. Unfortunately, i will not have time to write a blog tomorrow, so I'll report it on Tuesday morning. Mark and I are going on a Gambling Cruise tomorrow with friends Susie and Ed. We have to leave the house at 7:45 to catch the bus up at the Village. This is a Relay for Life event here in Solivita, so we are participating. We get a bus ride to a ship that sails out of Port Canaveral into the Atlantic for about five hours. The ticket includes a buffet meal on the ship, too. Otherwise I'm pretty sure we are expected to drop some money gambling and drinking! We never did this kind of thing before, so it should be interesting. We won't get home until after 6 p.m., so I probably will just wait until Tuesday morning to write about it. I'm sure there will be pictures, too.
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