Free range organic farm

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Friday a neighbor-friend picked me up and we drove out to visit a big organic farm and to buy goat yogurt, white cheese, and labaneh.
This mega-dog was in a paddock with some bucks and rams.

Many of the cattle were basking in the warm sun.
It is not often that you see free-range cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens these days.
It made me happy.

Only the parrots were enclosed.

The view from the farm's dairy and shop has changed since I was there last summer.
The West Bank (which starts just across the road) is now behind a concrete separation wall.

The security fence and/or wall is not yet finished.
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(Linking to Camera Critters and SkyWatch Friday.)
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Black Friday

Oh, what a grim day it was. A small demonstration took place late yesterday afternoon across the street from my office building. I think the location was chosen because there is an investment company there with a large bronze sculpture of a bull and bear on the corner. You know, capitalism and the rich. It was behind an eight foot fence by mid-day, which sort of deflated the symbolism.

The sign above was a bit awkward. The couple below were more than a little grim. As I was editing these pictures I wanted to go back and play them Bobby McFerrin's iconic song but I realized I'd have to do the same thing to myself, and I knew it would never work. The day is much too dark.

I'm okay with differences of opinion, even strong ones. But I cannot respect the judgement of people who support Trump any more than I can climate change deniers, vaccine paranoids or people who think President Obama was born in Kenya.

The big women's march is today. Reports starting Sunday.         

Make America Great Again

Look carefully at the smaller lettering across the center. 

If you would care to see a more blunt and crude version of these sentiments, click here. Not fit for the blog itself, but the wall painting is beautiful. It reminds me of a Chagall stained glass window.

I'm ashamed to be an American today and fearful for the future.           

Red clay tiles waiting

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It is just speculation on my part, but it seems that red tile roofs are a status symbol in Israel. 

This was my first time to see such a roof in its "becoming" stage. 
The clay tiles were in neat little stacks, just waiting for Shabbat to be over so the roofer could start to lay them. 

A whole new neighborhood is being built in my town in the Negev. 
You can see here that the street and houses are still under construction. 
(My neighborhood is up behind those trees on the hill; it was the first part of Meitar to be built, in 1984.)
Almost all the new houses have flat roofs, except for these two here in the photo with the sloping roofs. 
The red one sticks out like a . . . like a status symbol. ;-)
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UPDATE: Just found this article in Haaretz:
"The rise and fall of the red roof: Israel's white picket fence."
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Unnecessary Advice

America has a lot of lawyers. (I would know, wouldn't I?) This photo is of a public child stroller at the St. Louis Galleria, a major shopping mall. 

You see warnings on all sorts products in this country, "do not put your hand in wood chipper" kind of stuff. Each one means that someone has tried the dumb stunt, an injury has resulted and that person or the family has sued for a bunch of money. So some lawyer told the manufacturer to put on the warning in an attempt to prevent future claims.

What a great country.