This week I have written no Israel research because I’m writing an invitation instead.
Everyone who lives in the Toronto area is invited to an Israel information night next Tuesday, April 1. (This is not an April Fool’s joke!) Savour Middle Eastern snacks, chat, ask questions, borrow a book, enjoy Suzanne Wilkerson’s stunning pictures of the Holy Land. It’s at Malvern Presbyterian Church, 1301 Neilson Road,Scarborough, at 7:00 pm.
Tonight I’m also writing about an adventure I had, last night.
I was walking out of a movie theatre between well-lit rows of parked cars. As I came close to the place where I’d left my almost-new, shiny, black car, a movement caught my eye. A man wearing touque that came a bit above the roof of the car, was doing something at the door of a car that looked about as almost-new and shiny as mine. I put my thumb on the red “panic button” on my key and looked more closely. At that he ducked down as if he preferred not to be seen.
I pressed the button and an almost-new, shiny black car immediately to my left began to beep and flash its lights. “Whew!” I thought. “My car is not the target of a thief.”
I calmed it down, got inside and started the engine, then had a look at the other car. The engine was not running. There was no one in sight. But a single interior light beamed a thin, white line above the mirror.
“That’s odd,” I thought, then remembered the time I’d walked from the subway station to my car in a public lot to find the back window broken, ignition removed and set neatly on the console, engine running and hand brake engaged more tightly than I ever pulled it. I always wondered if my son and I scared off the thief or if he just didn’t know how to drive a standard transmission.
I pulled out of my parking spot and stopped behind that other car. Still that interior light burned. Still there was no sign of an occupant.
I waited. And while I waited I pulled out my gas receipt envelope, found a mechanical pencil and jotted down the license plate number. I was getting a little excited–broke the pencil lead twice.
Eventually I pulled away and as I did so, a knit capped head rose slowly above the right side of the driver’s seat.
Where to go? Kelsey’s was closer but the door was around the corner. I circled around to the front door of the theatre, stopped in a handicapped parking spot and dashed inside to the lone attendant.
“Is there a manager here?” I asked urgently.
He fumbled a bit with his answer as he scanned a coupon.
“Someone needs to call the police because I think a car is being stolen from the parking lot.”
“I’ll call the manager,” he said, as he handed the ticket to the waiting couple.
He did so, with no urgency whatsoever, then told me where I could meet her.
She asked me to point out the area of the parking lot in question and her GM would check it out. He was already there, communicating with her by ear buds. After a false start, we got him going down the correct row. He found the car and chatted with the man in question.
Meanwhile, the manager, a competent, nice lady, suggested that perhaps the driver in question lost his key, or was removing an anti-theft device. She has one on the pedal of her car.
After a bit she received a message from her GM saying everything was above board. The man was the owner of the car.
Emily, the manager, introduced herself, we shook hands and she thanked me for helping to keep the parking lot safe. I went on my way.
But I couldn’t help wondering…Was he really the owner? If so, why the suspicious behaviour? And if Emily really believed he was the owner, why did she write the license plate on her hand? I’ll never know for sure.
But enough about sordid reality. Better to think about beautiful reality. Son of God is the kind of movie that puts one in touch with the latter. Definitely faith inducing! And the historic and geographic details are fascinating for someone who plans to visit Israel this fall.
natural beauty abounds…
Fine, narrow leaves are useful for avoiding loss of moisture in hot climates. The delicate leaves of this tree make it seem like one large fern plant.
The thiuthia tree has a small, delicate bloom.
The conocarpus is ideally suited to a hot climate with uncertain rainfall. A 6 foot sapling will fill out and triple in height in two or three years.
The callestrom is a colourful addition to any green area.
“Bottle brush” is the common name of callestrom.
Large parchment-like pods rattle in a breeze.
The blossoms of the frangipani are as sweet smelliing as they are beautiful.
Birds often gather to eat the fruit of the ficus tree.
The sweet almond tree may lose its leaves in the fall.
Arial roots grow on this variety of ficus.
Nerium Oleander bushes thrive in the wild as well as in gardens.
The vivid red, pink and orange of Bougainvilla often cover walls and fences, but can also be pruned for a more formal look.
Date palms are plentiful in Israel.
Date blossoms emerge from long brown buds in January or February.
Sometimes gardeners fasten male and female blossoms together to ensure pollination. When the blossoms wither, dates begin to form. Throughout the spring and early summer they change from tan to mahogany to the dark brown, almost black, of ripe fruit. They are best eaten while still warm from the sun when the first bite through the skin makes a satisfying “pop.”
Date palms will propagate naturally by means of suckers that come up around the trunk. However, they weaken the tree somewhat. Stronger trees are produced using tissue propagation in a green house. A plant produced this way will also bear more resemblance to the parent tree.
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