And the Pile Grows...

It's the wonderful time of year again- spring is here, and with that comes the Omer, and every little Israeli boy's favorite- the medura building. Bonfire building is an art here, something that starts as soon as Pesach is over, and doesn't finish till the last bonfire burns to ash.
(Yes- there is no avoiding it. We let small boys play with matches, lighter fluid, wood, and fire. Try stopping it- I dare you. The only thing we can do is make sure an adult supervises.)
There actually is a street in Yerushalayim that has to get permission from the city to build their bonfire- as it gets so big that it melts the street, and they have to pay to reconcrete it!

Our courtyard is littered with tens of piles of wood: trees, branches, 2x4's, and other assorted wood products. One of my neighbors has been roped into storing hundreds of cardboard boxes in her husband's office- she is one brave lady!

Yet, some dislike the medura craziness. Several neighbors complained that the trees were taking over the courtyard, and that the boys had to get rid of them. That's why my neighbor took pity on her poor sons and their friends, and allowed them to store these precious items (read boxes taking up tons of room) in her home.

One enterprising young man even labeled his gigantic tree branch, so that whoever dared to throw it out would know that it is "Prati"- someone's personal belonging, and use the phone number written on it to return it.

I personally don't think it is fair to make the cute little ones clean up and stop them from amassing more wood. It's one of those things that you can't really stop, and if you try to- it won't help all that much. It's just one of those things you have to take in stride, if you live in Israel.

Hey, I even wouldn't mind helping to collect!
It's a fun time here in Israel- and we just have to go with the flow.
Happy collecting, everyone!