Unpredictable
Life is unpredictable. My sister, Barbara and her husband, Allan, came to visit for 2 weeks on Sunday, Aug 26. I had arranged for a motorized chair to be delivered for her on Aug 27, since she has trouble walking more than short distances. When I called the company that is near Netanya they said they had Aug 28 down as the delivery date. So on Aug 27 evening we went out in our car to have a meal somewhere. I wanted to drive away from the center of town because there was a large concert that night and we learnt that there was also a Marathon being run at night to avoid the extreme heat during the day. Well, we got caught up in huge traffic jams and drove around, unable to pass closed streets, until we finally managed to get back home after an hour, and then we walked to the nearest restaurant (Chinese) that luckily happens to be only 2 mins from home across the main road.
On Mon Aug 28 they did deliver the motorised chair and is is perfect, except that the battery is fixed into it, and it must be charged every night. Also, the chair is too heavy to pull over the step into our lobby. So we went out and bought a strong chain to attach it to a pillar under the building. But, there were no electrical plugs we could see in order to charge it. There is a locked room there that is used by the cleaner and we reasoned that it must have a plug inside. So we went to the apartment of the Va'ad habayit, and knocked. Although they are on vacation until Oct 12, luckily for us their daughter is apartment-sitting, and she knew where to find the key for that door and gave it to us. When we opened the door we indeed found a plug high up on the wall, probably put there in order to discourage too much use. So we figured that if we could drive the chair into the small room, it should just clear the door, and we could lock it in and leave it to charge overnight.
Meanwhile, Naomi on Monday morning went by car to pay a shiva call in town and then called back around 11am to say that she could not find our car. She had parked it nearby and it was no longer there. So I walked over and searched with her, but it was nowhere to be found. One problem was that although she was sure where she had parked it, she could not find the exact spot. Nevertheless, the car had disappeared, so we called the police, and they said we should go to the station and report the car missing. I also tried to call the municipal number for towing cars, since she might have parked illegally, but there was no reply (it was a holiday). As we were standing there deciding what to do, our Rabbi came by with a friend, and hearing our plight immediately offered to drive us to the police station, a 15 min drive, which they did, a true mitzvah. At the station we were seen by a very friendly police woman who told us that car thefts are very common in Netanya (it is near an Arab area) and she called the city towing service and they said they had not towed any cars that day because it is a holiday. So she registered the car as stolen and gave me a certificate for the insurance company.
When I got home by taxi I called them and they said that they would have to deal with it tomorrow because of the holiday, but we should be able to get a hired car on the insurance, although a lot of places are closed. We really need a car in order to take Barbara and Allan on trips while they are here and to a family wedding next Monday in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, we went to dinner in the town center, where there was another concert, and Barbara drove the motorized chair like a veteran. Then Allan and I went back to search for our car, but once again had no luck. So we returned home and when we opened the door to the cleaning room, we were surprised to find two bikes inside there for safety. We managed to push them to the side and Barbara drove the vehicle inside but then we realised that the door would not close, so we took it out and reversed it and drove it in in reverse, very carefully, and we managed to get it to fit and the door closed, and we plugged it in and locked the door and left it for the night. We left my name and apt. no. on it because we expect the bicycle owners to complain this morning that they can't get them out, but so far no call. So we overcame that problem, but now we have to deal with the stolen car problem. Life is unpredictable (stay tuned).
On Mon Aug 28 they did deliver the motorised chair and is is perfect, except that the battery is fixed into it, and it must be charged every night. Also, the chair is too heavy to pull over the step into our lobby. So we went out and bought a strong chain to attach it to a pillar under the building. But, there were no electrical plugs we could see in order to charge it. There is a locked room there that is used by the cleaner and we reasoned that it must have a plug inside. So we went to the apartment of the Va'ad habayit, and knocked. Although they are on vacation until Oct 12, luckily for us their daughter is apartment-sitting, and she knew where to find the key for that door and gave it to us. When we opened the door we indeed found a plug high up on the wall, probably put there in order to discourage too much use. So we figured that if we could drive the chair into the small room, it should just clear the door, and we could lock it in and leave it to charge overnight.
Meanwhile, Naomi on Monday morning went by car to pay a shiva call in town and then called back around 11am to say that she could not find our car. She had parked it nearby and it was no longer there. So I walked over and searched with her, but it was nowhere to be found. One problem was that although she was sure where she had parked it, she could not find the exact spot. Nevertheless, the car had disappeared, so we called the police, and they said we should go to the station and report the car missing. I also tried to call the municipal number for towing cars, since she might have parked illegally, but there was no reply (it was a holiday). As we were standing there deciding what to do, our Rabbi came by with a friend, and hearing our plight immediately offered to drive us to the police station, a 15 min drive, which they did, a true mitzvah. At the station we were seen by a very friendly police woman who told us that car thefts are very common in Netanya (it is near an Arab area) and she called the city towing service and they said they had not towed any cars that day because it is a holiday. So she registered the car as stolen and gave me a certificate for the insurance company.
When I got home by taxi I called them and they said that they would have to deal with it tomorrow because of the holiday, but we should be able to get a hired car on the insurance, although a lot of places are closed. We really need a car in order to take Barbara and Allan on trips while they are here and to a family wedding next Monday in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, we went to dinner in the town center, where there was another concert, and Barbara drove the motorized chair like a veteran. Then Allan and I went back to search for our car, but once again had no luck. So we returned home and when we opened the door to the cleaning room, we were surprised to find two bikes inside there for safety. We managed to push them to the side and Barbara drove the vehicle inside but then we realised that the door would not close, so we took it out and reversed it and drove it in in reverse, very carefully, and we managed to get it to fit and the door closed, and we plugged it in and locked the door and left it for the night. We left my name and apt. no. on it because we expect the bicycle owners to complain this morning that they can't get them out, but so far no call. So we overcame that problem, but now we have to deal with the stolen car problem. Life is unpredictable (stay tuned).
posted by Jack Cohen at 9:48 PM
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