I try to be humble and modest, but I really can’t about my latest batch of challah.  It could compete in the world championship of challah if there were one.  Forget charoset.  The texture was ultra-fluffy and moist like a decadent down pillow.  Avdi and K can confirm, so that proves it.  Maybe something about this STL atmosphere.  The Indian dinner I made was also a labor of love and well-received, but the challah takes the cake; in fact it almost was cake!

Besides baking and cooking at Avdi’s for erev Shabbat, I continued to work on laundry, cleaning, and organizing, while Avdi worked in the office.  The kids’ cubicles are looking clean and cozy, and all their clothes and bedding are laundered and put away.  I’ve been using J&C’s cleaned-out room for my temporary accommodations, where I again spent the night while Avdi went out.

Today Avdi and I went to MoBot and wandered around.  Even in winter, the Japanese gardens look perfect and tranquil.

Best of all, I got to see inside the Climatron, a geodesic dome conservatory, à la R. Buckminster Fuller, for the first time.  It has a labyrinth of paths winding through a gorgeous tropical rainforest from floor to ceiling, with waterfalls, ponds, a bridge, and unimaginably fascinating flora.  Here’s a small sampling.