Poltergeists

We've been having some problems with our appliances this year. In August, the clothes dryer caught fire and had to be removed (by the fire department). A few weeks later, the microwave died, and David and I had a fun time installing the new one.

A couple of weeks ago, the dishwasher washed its last load. New one is on order but not coming in for another week or so.

And now, the new microwave is busted! Repair coming next Monday - poor Sam is in a panic. "How will we eat?!" I explained to him that the machine under the microwave is a perfectly decent stove...

And this evening, I discovered that the dead dishwasher is leaking! So I have to see if the company will come remove it before the new one arrives.

UGH.

Oh, and this week, I discovered that I will need to get a new minivan - the steering column is starting to go, and between that, the needed new muffler, the needed new brakes, the broken power door and the fact that the beastie has over 111,000 miles, it's time to replace it.

Meanwhile, David has been away in California all week, missing out on the fun (and stressing long-distance, which is definitely NOT fun!).

On good news (but still in line with the broken appliance theme), I got my new camera today (since I have three broken ones now). Just in time, since Micah is reading Torah for the first time tomorrow.

Funny thing about that. When Sam read for the first time, back in third grade, i was terribly nervous. As you can hear in the video, my friend and I held our breath through the entire part.

But with Micah, not only am I not nervous, but he's already signed up for his second reading, next Saturday! He's such a quick learner, and so good at Hebrew, it's a breeze for him. I'm very proud of him, but it's wild how his poise and nonchalance are keeping us all so calm.

I had a lot of other things to write about, but now I have forgotten them.