Katyusha here, Katyusha there - Just another day

Last night was terrible, most definitely the worst one since the beginning of this war. My mom says she never remembers anything like this in the history of Metulla, and she was here even during the six days war. I couldn’t begin to explain the amount of weapons used all night long. NONSTOP. My mom was hysterical; I’ve never seen her like this. It made me understand what anxiety injury is, and how easily it can be caused. Ever since the Katyusha missiles that fell here on Sunday I keep hearing in my head what it sounded like, that awful whistle of the rocket splitting the air into two, followed by that dreadful explosion.
The beeper we got is really starting to annoy me; it’s what I call ‘high tech war’. It beeps very loudly saying that there is a ‘window’ between 12pm and 2pm, where only the head of the family can go for grocery shopping and equipping on whatever is needed. Not even ten minutes go by and it beeps again – “all residents should go immediately into bomb shelters”. How can a person keep their sanity?
We felt as if we were in the middle of a battle field all night long. Tanks, cannons, Katyusha missiles, mortars, we could even hear the M-16 rifle shooting. We went to sleep in the safer room of the house, the one built with stronger concrete and metal. We were lucky if we got one hour of sleep during the whole night. Every time we fell asleep another explosion woke us up. I choose to look at that night as a family bonding night of having to not only suffer the explosions but the snoring of a certain someone who’s name I won’t mention during the rare minutes I actually got to sleep in.
Today was better though, only few dozens mortars and some Katyusha missiles fell here today. Only one siren went off. We were also told we are not aloud to go to Kiryat Shmona which is 5 miles south of here. Not that we would like to go there – over 100 Katyusha missiles feel there on Sunday and dozens today. I feel so sorry for the residents of that town who not only suffered all these years from constant bombardments of missiles, but are now along with Naharya got their towns almost completely destroyed. I was watching the news with these poor people who lost their homes and have no where to go now. I can’t imagine what I would do if anything happened to my house. Our house is 100 years old at some parts, it has so much sentimental value to us, we moved here after my grandmother past away and we didn’t change a single thing because it is so beautiful the way it is.

Over 210 missiles were shelled at Israel today (Over 3,000 since July 12th, 2006)
1 civilian killed by a direct hit of a Katyusha (19 civilians so far)
3 soldiers killed yesterday (a total of 36 soldiers so far)
3 soldiers kidnppaed (1 by the Hammas)
161 civilians injured today (Over 1,600 so far)

*In the picture – our gorgeous front yard that my mom designed and constructed herself