week in review

Review with Orange Lilies

orange lilies in front of yellow rudbeckia

On My Blog

robin crying with open mouth rudbeckia being held with fingers leora camping mizuna roof in illustrator daisy like flower tiny weed bud in July of rhododendron sauerkraut made with red cabbage elegant woman in pink painting

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Painting

detail of still life oil painting by Elaine Wenger
detail of still life oil painting by Elaine Wenger

This is a detail of a still life painting by my mother, Elaine Wenger. You can click on the image to see the whole painting. I love the strokes of red and orange.

On My Blog

catbird up close flower garden in June beach boySculpture on top of Grand Central Station, New York City berry - lone raspberry flag over the beach next to the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ
curried chickpeas

Review of a book: The River Midnight

This week I converted my blog to what is known as Responsive Web Design – in other words, the blog should look good both on large windowed browsers and on small mobile phones. You can see what I mean by shrinking the corner of the browser page.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review After Shavuot

shavuot table
Our table, set for Shavuot, with flowers from our yard

On My Blog

daughter at parade mime with girl In Tune with Israel
As you can see, I haven’t had time to blog a lot recently. I do have photos of some curried chickpeas and curried zucchini – hope to post recipes soon.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with New Hope Bridge

Bridge in New Hope, PA
Bridge over Canal in New Hope, PA

We visited New Hope, PA last Sunday – we went on a train ride, visited the old Parry House and browsed in some shops. This photo of the bridge over the canal is my entry for Sunday Bridges.

On My Blog

ballet dancer fallen pickles in a container fermenting ballerina in teal 2009
Want to win some free postcards (put your photos on them, use them for your business, or create a fun design)? Visit my Postcard Giveaway Contest to learn more.

FYI, Laura was right about the pickles: ours fermented a few days longer, and they were sharper and more sour! Yum. Use plenty of garlic, if you love the garlic flavor.

Elsewhere on the Web

Here’s a photo of the bridge in sepia:
New Hope bridge in sepia

Review with Soul Man

Blues Brothers - Soul Man Performance at NJDS Recital
Blues Brothers - Soul Man Performance at NJDS Recital

So sad – New Jersey Dance School, where my daughter has studied dance since she was four years old, is closing. Thursday night was her last recital. Anyone remember the Blues Brothers performing Soul Man? These two teens (yes, they are girls dressed like men) did a fabulous job of tap dancing Soul Man. Have you ever heard of a Wish Sandwich?

On My Blog

Bingo the guinea pig robin with green caterpillar therapy dog
andromeda flowers art by Jill Caporlingua andromeda flowers

Kosher Cooking Carnival: During the Omer Edition

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

One more Blues Brothers tap shoeing girls photo:
Soul Man Tap Dance

Review with Pink Azalea

pink azalea bush
Azalea season has come to Highland Park

On My Blog

two wet tulips rhododendron taken May 2, 2011 pink magnolia bud
maitake mushrooms white bloom two forsythia blooms
daffodil macro pink petals dogwood north eighth blooms

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Raritan Ave Detail

Raritan Avenue detail
Detail from watercolor of Raritan Avenue

On My Blog

magnolia blue background rhododendron buds in April 2011 crocus with blue streaks and red filament
Raritan Avenue watercolor red buds in trees Raritan Avenue, Highland Park - photo on top of drawing
crocus in the snow robin on a branch radish staring out the window

Hereville: A Review of a Graphic Novel about A Young Orthodox Jewish Dragon Fighting Girl

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • Margo Young has a blog about her book, A Voyage Through Time. She left Germany in 1938.
  • In memory of Hannah Katsman’s father, here is a post she wrote in 2008 about her father: Holocaust Remembrance Day: One Family’s Story.
  • Rayna Eliana is often reviewing books that I would like to read, and here is one: Review – The Island Within (three generations of a Jewish family as their lives lead them from Vilna, Lithuania to America).
  • Ilana-Davita reviews The Pity of It All (informative account of German Jewish history from the arrival of Moses Mendelssohn in Berlin to Hitler’s being appointed chancellor).
  • I bet my husband would love this Lemon Pie. Oh, my daughter might enjoy it, too. By the way, I’m hosting the next Kosher Cooking Carnival (submit your posts here).

Review with Watercolor Detail

detail from radish kale watercolor painting
Detail from Radish Kale, watercolor on paper, 2011 by Leora Wenger

On My Blog

radish watercolor painting sparrow pierre goes over waterfall
Purim 2011 chagall window painting coleslaw sauerkraut
Radish Kale Parsley Almonds

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • This week Jill and I went to see Ilana Shafir at Rutgers. You can visit her beautiful website and read my review from when she spoke in Highland Park two years ago. Her daughter, artist Leah Zahavi, lives in Highland Park.
  • My friend Debbie wrote about the Rambam movie we saw last week. I wasn’t as enthusiastic as she was about the movie, but I thought the story was well-written (it was written by Robert Avrech of Seraphic Secret). Maybe I was a bit judgmental of the graphics; I would have liked a Shakespeare-like presentation instead of the stiff drawings.
  • Mason Resnick put a pasta recipe and photo on his wife Lori’s blog. Today I went to visit the Asian market in Edison he mentions, H-Mart; I bought some varied mushrooms and other produce. Maybe next time I’ll bring my camera and take a few photos for a blog post. I had a good laugh when I met another friend there, also there for the first time.
  • Rayna Eliana wrote a review of The Violin of Auschwitz.
  • Felisol talked about her illness, ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). She related her difficulty with (and expense of) some alternative therapies. And then in the comments she speaks of how T’ai Chi, Qigong and Feldenkrais have been helpful, as have been her friends, family and prayers.
  • If you haven’t seen it yet, visit the Purim song by Maccabeats on Mrs. S.’s post. Esther is adorable, and the astronauts are cute, too. Catch the calendar scene.
  • I enjoyed Ilana-Davita’s creative question: Choose eight records you would take with you on a desert island.
  • Robin’s anemones are stunning.

Review with Fermented Cabbage

fermented cabbage
Here’s how my fermented cabbage, carrots, garlic and onion looked yesterday. You can learn more about fermenting in this post.

On My Blog

Jazz dancers begin their moves Why can't we always be on Vacation? ballet dancer with duck on head
cardinal in burning bush raspberry smoothie getting ready to dance tap on stage

Elsewhere on the Web

  • Rayna Elianna reviews The Same Sea, by Amos Oz.
  • Ilana-Davita writes: “I would love to know what Jewish thinkers and writers inspire you the most.”
  • Dr. Muli Peleg: Peaceful resolution requires compassion
  • Did you know that Rav Kook admired Rembrandt?
  • I wrote about slideshows on my tech biz blog . I included a Jewish woodworker, a dance studio that presented a New Jersey version of Beauty and the Beast, and some NASA space photos. My favorite is the graduate slideshow that I put together, in honor of a new graduate level program for Rutgers Jewish Studies.
  • Books I’ve Read, Books I’m Reading

    Gertruda’s Oath, Ram Oren
    Wild Fermentation, Sandor Katz
    Fear No Evil, Natan Sharansky

    I highly recommend all three of these books. What are you reading?

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