So many sheep!

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Look!  SHEEP!  Right here in the foothills of the Swiss Jura Mountains! 

My personal Swiss shepherd*, Sr. V., took me up to the hills for a brisk walk on this Shabbat day.
The sun came out for a few hours today after a long time of rain and cold. 
* (while I am volunteering at the Community of Grandchamp)

The sheepdog looked a bit like a sheep himself, only whiter. 

I was so excited to see such a huge flock.
Right there across the lane from the vineyards. With a fence strung between the sheep and the remaining grapes, of course. 

And finally something to contribute to Camera Critters.
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Caper

A friend here is patient enough to pick and pickle capers.

 

Don't ask me how. I just remember seeing that it takes a lot of rinsing and changing of water and soaking for the first few days.

 

And finally the capers sit around getting pickled.

Caper, defined:

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Capparis 

2: pickled flower buds used as a pungent relish in various dishes and sauces

The bush grows wild, usually where you don't want it. In the woods, by the roadside, in your yard; usually in rocky places. Even in a stone wall.

Enlarge this photo to see a bud or two.

 

 The buds have to be picked at just the right stage of the game.

The flowers are beautiful but the thorns are sharp, stubborn, and painful when attached to skin.

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Click on an earlier post to see capers and caterpillars. 

 Because it grows in crevices and cliffs, the caper became a symbol of the Jewish people's will to survive. The (Babylonian) Talmud, in Beitza 25b, says,

"There are three who are especially daring [tenacious, stubborn]: Israel among the nations, a dog among the animals, and a caper among the trees." 

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה עַזִּין הֵן יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאוּמּוֹת כֶּלֶב בַּחַיּוֹת תַּרְנְגוֹל בָּעוֹפוֹת וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אַף עֵז בִּבְהֵמָה דַּקָּה וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אַף צָלָף בָּאִילָנוֹת: