Happy 3 ⅓-Gregorian-Year Birthday, Reilly!

Despite that both Reilly and "Momma" are only getting older, and that "Momma" has a cold (or RSV), Reilly's bittersweet (or at-least-bittersweet-for-"Momma") milestone day was a good day (at least for Reilly. For "Momma", it wasn't an unusual day—החיים, זה מה זה לאותה.). Reilly even voluntarily rolled over to get her belly brushed with the electric toothbrush during grooming time when she heard, "Let's get your belly brushed!"

Resting by "Momma"

"Momma" rubbing Reilly's belly to get Reilly to look at the camera

Anti Semitism Came From Outside Of A Hartford Cemetery....And Then There's The Anti Semitism In Luzerne County's Cemeteries

I have living and late relatives who were and are (including ones who currently await the Resurrection Of The Dead) in Madison and Norwalk, and all of us are B'nei Anusim. Besides, for example, I don't know where some relatives who weren't Anusim ended up; and either way, Anti Semites, whether or not they leave written graffiti (as if knocking over matzevot isn't a hateful form of graffiti just because it's unwritten) don't care whether we're Rabbinim, Kara'im, or something else (e.g., Notzrim); or openly Jewish or Anusim, whether or not we're B'nei Anusim.

As is said, it can happen here and it can happen anywhere else.

PS The (perhaps) conspiracy theorist in me says that some of the tombstones in the photos that Dad sent me were knocked over simply because they are or suspected to be matzevot; and the same (perhaps) conspiracy theorist in me suspects that that's why others have been left unmaintained. For example:

I'm not sure whose grave this is. However, the grave in two puctures prior, shown here below, is one of Great-Great-Granddad's cousins (the one whom proved that the sin against Natalie Wood didn't escape being perpetrated by our side of his maternal family, might I add.).

Another one, this after the knocked-over one. Although it hasn't been maintained, it's clearly standing upright and without any deliberate- and/or other clean-looking breaks.

By the way, all but two of the Hartford matzevot that were knocked over were knocked over to this kind of condition (The other two faced the kind of horrid fate that a matzevah in Europe may've faced.)

Meanwhile, two tombstones of people who were born within 20 years of Great-Great-Granddad (December 24, 1875; despite his tombstone giving 1877) are well maintained. One was born in 1869, and another was born in 1885. This tombstone seems to not be a matzevah (or at least a matzevah Yehudit, if you want to get technical and apply "matzevah" to any tombstone) or at least a suspected matzevah, in contrast to the two shown above that may be.

I left this in its original size on purpose. Assuming that the cemetery in the next picture is Holy Family/St. Charles Cemetery, one can see very clearly the stark contrast. Not that Great-Great-Granddad was a hero, by the way—and from what I understand, he wasn't—nonetheless, something's fishy when a tombstone in Holy Family/St. Charles looks like this in contrast to the other tombstones, especially since Great-Great-Granddad donated to its "Free Poland" fund. Also by the way, Great-Grandma (z"l) died only 10 Gregorian years ago and was laid to rest in St. Mary's as a Holy Family parishioner—it isn't like Holy Family doesn't keep track members of parishioning families whom are still in the area—in addition, given that this is why I mention Great-Grandma, she received a prayer shawl (which was not specifically a tallit) that my aunt Mary made for her and was quite thrilled to receive it (I know why, and Great-Grandma apparently did, too 🙂—had I known before she died and at least before the last time that I saw her 🙁! —in other words, only looking back on the times that I saw her and looking back with what I found out in mind did I understand that she was an alter-bubeh.)

Incidentally, St. Mary's does not allow stones on top of any tombstones ("No crushed decorative stones, pebbles, shells or similar materials shall be placed on or around monuments or markers.")....never mind that Jesus was Jewish (and is Jewish if you believe that he's Mashiach like I do); but, okay, then. 🙄 Also never mind that the stones left on matzevot are never "decorative" (While I was looking for the source where I read that no stones are allowed on top of any tombstone, I didn't remember St. Mary's Cemetery having this much of a contempt for Jews. If only we could get Great-Grandma and other proud stholts Yidn out of there, and get each of them among lantzmen and lantzfroyen whom believe as he or she believes, since it happens from within and not only from without—unless you want to count as part of the "without" group the Anti Semites whom affected them to become Anusim, "hidden Jews", regardless of their beliefs.)

This isn't to mention that since I clearly didn't pass—unbeknownst to me until a friend told me, "I figured that you're Jewish. You look Jewish."—at least quite a few ancestors who did know that they're Jewish from the beginnings of their lives didn't pass, no matter how much they tried and/or no matter how much anybody who at least suspected that they're Jewish didn't say.

By the way, Holy Family/St. Charles Cemetery in Sugar Notch is a small one (so are cemetery such as Holy Cross Polish National Cemetery, where Great-Great-Granddad's brother Felix is buried). There is, thus, little to no chance that even some stranger would've just passed over a lonely grave of an apparently-Polish or -otherwise-gentile parishioner in tight-knit, everybody-apparently-knows-somebody-or-of-somebody-somehow Sugar Notch.

Mostly Offbeat: "Momma" Now Has A Cold & One More Impediment To Being A Better "Momma" To Reilly

"Momma" thinks that contributing factors include exhaustion, the affect of uncertainty regarding what a certain someone wants—especially as both she (at 27.5 Gregorian years old today) and Reilly (at 3.33 Gregorian years old on Tuesday) are getting only older, and even the distress that the bad behavior of the albe-lovable-brat Reilly's behavior—including getting "Momma"/"Auntie Nicole" into trouble for defending Camille against Reilly's attempts to steal extra "num nums"—can cause. 

Meanwhile, Reilly hasn't exactly behaved too much better than usual for "Momma"—though she's still a (or at least a relatively-) loyal "dogter" (although misbehavior doesn't exactly constitute loyalty, notwithstanding that the misbehaviors of puppies of all ages is comparable to the misbehavior of human children of infant to pre-kindergartner ages—in other words, Reilly's human-child-like mischievousness can still be frustrating despite that it isn't human-like brazen disobedience).

By the way, as shown from earlier, "Momma" and Reilly did get some fresh air on the back porch—so, "Momma" is trying to give herself a refu'ah shelemah from the cold and take care of Reilly as best as she can, and not just kvetch about being cholah due to a cold (and being cholah k'ronit due to having Cerebral Palsy and mental illnesses—the OCD/Anxiety of which, for example, affected "Momma" negatively last night when she was simply making herself an omelette with garlic in order to try to eat something and expedite the refu'ah shelemah from the cold, despite that she painstakingly attempted to observe safety precautions and Reilly was in the other room most of the time. Raw eggs + garlic + worry about Reilly = perfect combination to get a "Mamaleh" whose sick with a cold to have an OCD/Anxiety flareup and an exacerbated cold!).

Again, Reisilicita? Once Again....

Reilly attempted to knock Camille off of "Mom-Mom"'s lap, for all intents and purposes—understandably, Camille growled at Reilly (although "Mom-Mom" thought that Camille was growling at her for rolling her over on her back. "Mom-Mom" had to convince Camille that she would not allow her to be hurt by Reilly), of whom Camille was afraid!

PS Reilly rolled onto her back for "Mom-Mom" to "get her belly" and "is getting an extra treat"! Camille is not happy about that. 

Like Stealing Food From A Puppy...Oh; Wait. And An Incidental Note

After Reilly and Camille had their evening "num nums", enough wet food for them to have a little extra food (or dessert or whatever one wants to call the leftover food) was left in the recently-opened can. As happens at every other time when a new can's been opened and someone has to put away the food that wasn't served, then, whoever put the unserved food in a jar to refrigerate it gave the last little bits of food from the can to them—and the "whoever" this time was "Momma"/"Auntie Nicole"—and this time's whoever had to eventually block her "dogter" from attempting to take her furniece's share of the food from the furniece (including by trying to block the furniece, whom had to try to counterblock the "dogter").

About three separate times, "Auntie Nicole"/"Momma" had to take the spoon with the wet food on it from Camille to keep it out of Reilly's covetous reach, especially since Reilly wouldn't remain sitting and let Camille have her portion of the extra "num nums"—and of course, leave Reilly to get "Momma"/"Auntie Nicole" into trouble with "Mom-Mom" for not just giving Camille her fair share of the extra "num nums"!

"Momma"/"Auntie Nicole" finally had to have Reilly sit and put her hand on Reilly's back to have her remain sitting while Camille got her extra share of the "num nums".

Just like Reilly to get "Momma" into trouble, like stealing food from a puppy...oh wait,,,,well, by trying to steal food from another puppy—for as much as Reilly is a lovable brat, Reilly is a brat; and for as much as she is a brat, she is a lovable brat!




PS "Momma" and Reilly (at least try to) never forget to pray for everyone, especially for whomever "Momma"'s helpmate and Reilly's "Daddy" is (especially if he is whom "Momma" thinks that he is), every day—please don't think that "Momma" doesn't care about anybody else, and nobody has to doubt that Reilly (who even gets jealous for everyone's attention!) cares for everyone!

Throwback Thursday: When Reilly Tried To Knock Camille Off Of "Mom-Mom"'s Lap!

That Reilly wants something when she wants something is well known, and also well known is that Camille usually ends up getting the brunt of Reilly's "I want it, and I want it now!" antics. So, that Reilly attempted to knock Camille off of "Mom-Mom"'s lap during a recent grooming session should not surprise anyone. Nonetheless, "Momma" was a little surprised that Reilly would try to knock Camille off of "Mom-Mom"'s lap, as was "Mom-Mom".

As "Momma" has said, Hell hath no fury like a jealous Reilly; and Reilly was certainly jealous for the treats that she would get in exchange for allowing "Mom-Mom" to run the electric toothbrush over her! 

More Memory Monday: The Photoshoots That Inspired The Concept For Reilly's And Camille's Bastille Day Cards

Photoshoot One, July 13, 2017

Photoshoot Two: Le Jour de La Bastille de 2017