This is what people normally ask when I tell them I'm from Shekef.
The next question is always - What?!
The truth is, I never know what to answer when people ask me where I'm from. In Israel, is my usual answer. But going into detail is always a bit more difficult. You see, I live in a teeny tiny village (it's not even that much of a village) with only 80 families in Southern Israel. The closest city is called Kiryat Gat, and it's about a 15 minute drive on a winding road filled with cows and vineyards. So windy, in fact, that every time my mother comes to visit from Jerusalem she calls from the road to say she thinks she got lost. No Mother, you're not lost. Keep going. A bit more. In the end you'll make it.
How did we end up living here? Well about 7 years ago my husband and I moved here from Jerusalem to join a small community of super nice people named Eliav. We are supposed to build our house here, and are living along with all of our neighbors in small trailer in a community named Shekef in the meantime. Hopefully we will start building our home in August on a nearby hilltop.
This area is beautiful all year round. But it is especially lovely during February, when the Anemones start to bloom. Red carpets suddenly spread out along the hills and valleys, and the road that is usually completely empty is suddenly filled with traffic. OK maybe not traffic, but they're are definitely a lot more people.
So please join me for an inspiring hike down the road leading to my little house. You can bring anyone you want - my kids will join us too. And because a hike is always connected to food (well, in my mind everything connects to food:), I'll give you a little culinary local secret - Deweys (pronounced Doo-ee) Hummus.
Dewey is a well kept secret in our area. He lives in Shekef (where I do) and almost every day he ties his little house shaped trailer to his pickup truck and drives it about 10 minutes closer to the main road. In a little clearing in the woods there are a couple of plastic chairs, some tables, and the best Hummus I've ever had. And I'm from Jerusalem - I know my Hummus!
He makes his own olives, Olive Oil, and Hummus of course. You can also order a Shakshuka (an Israeli dish made of eggs and tomato sauce - it's amazing) or Sabih (a sandwich made with a hard boiled egg, eggplant, and a potato in a pita) and sit under the trees enjoying the cool breeze. On any normal day you can find a handful of farmers, some truck drivers and a bike rider or two, but during February there are a lot more tourists coming to see the flowers bloom.
Working from home is often a lonely thing. Sitting in front of my computer for hours on edge, I sometimes forget to enjoy where I live. It's important for me to remember to seek inspiration outside of the computer. That way I can give my designs a more local touch. A lot of the inspiration for my collection comes from hiking around our house with my family.
So if you have a couple of hours off, I highly recommend stopping by. And next week, I will be showing you all of my new designs, right in time for Spring!
See you soon,
Elisheva
Beautiful images of the fields with flowers and of Deweys. Wonderful to preserve these days and share them.
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