Trust who you know

Sunday, Monday 23, 2025

I raid last week's floral arrangement and the garden for a tall bouquet for the hall. People pluck the flowers they want from the vase when the Gathering is over. These are the leftovers.

The morning is special. Afterward, many share their joy at being together yesterday for the football event. 

Guests are welcomed, people chat over snacks, and we pray over Ronnie for his birthday. Look at this cake! handmade by Dina's friend. It's his first birthday celebration ever -  and we're delighted to fuss over him before his friends take him for lunch.

Lizzie texts me. I asked last week if she has a dog to retire later this year. Our canine satpams (yard guards) are aging and we don't want to wait to introduce another dog when they're much older. (High energy = too much adjustment for an old pack of dogs.) Apparently one of her former puppies needs a new home. 

Lizzie finds out more information, the reason for rehoming, and his medical records and sends this current photo.

Then Antoni's owners and I connect. He's a beautiful black one-year-old, healthy and well-cared for. The dog is not neutered. We compare vet fees. Our Gypsy was "half-neutered" by a Bandung vet, which meant a second surgery. Getting a known and trusted vet is a priority before Antoni leaves his people and arrives here.

I call the pet taxi, due to leave March 25th. Oops they left early to avoid Ramadan traffic. The taxi-man reserves a spot for this bouncy Standard poodle on the next transport in 2 weeks.

Monday - J's birthday

Our youngest has a birthday today and gets spoiled by a kakek (an older sibling, who married WELL. She takes care of family connections. Thank you, M.) 

"Wow," says W, "we're old." Yup - claiming that honor even as we miss hugging our son's neck.

The sun shines through the clouds when we walk. It's pleasant but not hot. The vines drape over gates, fences, and trees.

Another frog that hasn't made it across the street is quickly drying out. Wouldn't he make a 3D contribution to a painting? (W says, "You've got to be kidding," and we leave it behind. haha)

A beetle skeleton catches my eye. The insect has wiggled out, leaving his old home empty and clinging to a branch.

That's not all. There's a 2" beetle on the porch. W flips it over and flicks it into the garden to carry on eating aphids.

We lunch with trusted friends who live one mountain over. Expats move across the world; ours is a fluid lifestyle. Expats leave their legacy and are sincerely missed when they're gone. 3 couples are leaving Bandung in the next months.

Our lunch friends are retiring and repatriating. The food is good, the company is warm, and the prayers are sincere. We leave satisfied.

Reading scripture, I'm puzzled by one of the teachings of Jesus and strangely warmed by his offer of himself as a spiritual feast (John 6).

Throughout Lent, I'm plowing through the gospel of John. I'm considering what it means to follow Jesus. What a mysterious and rich faith we have. If you're looking for spiritual challenges, go no further. Here's one spiritual mystery I'm pondering. (Click this link).

Little Casey comes to stay for a few days. She gets along fine with the big dogs, though we walk her on a separate leash so she doesn't get stepped on.

Tuesday

After a 6:00 AM meeting online, we walk the dogs. We pass a fun car in mint condition in our neighborhood. Remember the Bug?

I miss calling my mom but get updates from my brother. Mid-morning, Lisa drops by for tea and a final chat. She leaves mea huge bar of of NZ peppermint chocolate. Yum. She will return home to New Zealand on Thursday. How I'll miss her company.

Our team meeting is online this week. The topic is "waiting" on God for whatever he will bring our way. We're not to be demanding or impatient but settled and patient. It's good advice.

Since Sunday, Antoni's breeder Lizzie, his owners, and I have been texting back and forth. Gypsy had incomplete neuter surgery in Bandung. I am unwilling to risk the same trauma for another dog. Lizzie has an amazing and competent vet. (Read more about him here.) Antoni's owners rent a car for a long ride to Lizzie's vet instead of taking him next door to their usual clinic.

Unbelievable. Antoni has the same condition Gypsy had. I appreciate the trust A's owners offer both Lizzie and me. It could have been an expensive and unhealthy fiasco otherwise.  The vet takes care of everything under a single anesthesia and sends the pup home to recover. And then he gifts us with Lizzie's kennel discount, charging for only one surgery, on top of it all. Thank you, Dr Budi!

Sleep it off. Wake a new man, Antoni. Sort of.

W and I wrap up meetings and correspondence before the sun goes down. Feels good to finish the day.

Read more:

*Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

*I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16

*Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

*"Paul told this to his friends:] "To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great." Acts 26:22

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, help us to sing aloud of your great and eternal love. Equip us, Lord, and fill us with gifts from your spirit, so that we can witness to our neighbor and make known to all, of your deep and abiding love, both now and evermore. Amen.

Kickin' it

Thursday, March 20, 2025

We have a guest coming so we walk the dogs on new paths in the neighborhood instead of hiking. We're back home before the time we normally leave for the hike. Nice - we gain a morning.

The Porch is warm - maybe 75oF/24C, with a nice breeze coming up from the valley below. The birds are chirping - they have made short work of the watermelon rinds put in their cages yesterday. We set out an extra cage to see if the now-wild lovebird will return.

Errands. They're not as frequent as meetings. But off we go this morning. We use our breadmaker each week, but it is on the frizz and needs repair. The week-whacker (used to "mow" the lawn) is also in the repair shop. Stuff wears out, just like people do.

It's a day of surprises. We take the breadmaker into Az-Ko (formerly Ace Hardware) and browse their Ramadan sale. We find a canopy, some round tables, and other items that we can lend to IES Bandung when we're not using them. 

The parking garage overlooks the city.

It might have one of the better views in Bandung, which is surrounded by mountains.

We stop at Mike Pizza for lunch. It's hard to decide which pizza is best but this is one of our favorites.

We're home and the car is unpacked before Lew arrives. We sit around the table for a supper of potatoes, sausages, eggs, and spinach. Then we talk theology and the next steps of his dissertation.

Friday

W and I admire the colors in the neighborhood as we walk. The hot pink impatiens are hot pink are a weed here, freely reseeding everywhere there's soil.

Look at these feet: a pack of boys is playing football (soccer) in their flip-flops and sandals. These boys wave hi as they wait their turn to play.

We drop the dogs off at home and pick up Lew for breakfast at #NaraPark. Paulina, owner and university professor, drops by to say hello before her meeting.

After a morning's work, Lew catches a quick lunch and heads home to Jakarta on the shuttle.

I heat up leftovers for us and read a good book, just for fun. I have several books open (non-fiction and fiction), a different one on each device. I should close those out, I guess.

I decide to bake a carrot cake. The last one had no sugar - I forgot - but was still tasty. This one uses half the recipe amount, with enough sweetness to be delicious.

After writing a referral for a scholarship, it's time to relax.

Saturday

We're off to an IES Bandung soccer/football morning. Alice brings cookies from the hall and we drive down to Carlos and Rosie's place. 

The grounds are landscaped to perfection.

What a beautiful set of apartments! From the patio, we look down on one of two courtyards.

And the pool. Oh the pool. It's so long. And clean.

Kids and adults enjoy time together.

Some children are obviously in sport programs. 

W needs something at the "nearby" mall but we have a lunch appointment so won't have time to get it later. It's not worth a separate trip next week. We decide it's quicker to walk the +3 mile (5 km) loop than driving in weekend traffic.

The route starts through the market. A college friend of Martin's comes along: it's too hot for him to play football.

We watch a mom fasten her infant's hands securely to the driver's jacket before climbing onto the seat behind him. I'd be surprised if he's one year old. Off they go!

If you get a flat tire, there's a little cart sitting in the middle of the street to pump it up.

It's sunny so it's quite hot out. W buys us 50c soft ice cream cones at Mixue to cool us down. Then off we go on our return trip.

We get back to the pitch in time to say hello again and take some photos. 

Driving home, we pick up the repaired weed-whacker. PakG drops us at Maxis for lunch with this dear family.

I choose a tasty beef satay. Then we walk home, just a few blocks away. My watch says +9500 steps, so far.

We read through tomorrow's talk, make some edits, and then catch up on mail. There's more to come tonight. We're looking forward to a special supper with friends.

Read more:

*On the day I called, you answered me; you increased my strength of soul. Psalm 138:3

*Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:10

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, you are always with us. When we call out to you in our moments of distress, you hear us and lovingly lead us beside still waters. Come into our hearts and embrace us with your gentle presence. Grant us strength and courage as we share this message of your eternal and abiding love. Amen.

Perfection is overrated

Monday, March 17, 2025

We walk, then have 2 online meetings after breakfast.

Many of our friends do puzzles but that's never captured my attention. W and I spotted a 3D puzzle of a bookshelf "room" on one of our trips last year. It's been sitting on the shelf for months.

Today I pull it out, punch out a few wooden pieces. At Step 4 (on page 3 of 25) I have no clue what they're talking about. W can help me figure it out, or not. Who cares if it's perfect?

I'm working on three red abstract canvases to hang in red frames. I made this a few weeks ago and think I'll leave the imperfect circles as they are.

This second one got white dots over the base.

I look at the messy background of the final canvas. Oh, oh, in the art box, I spot half-used jars of craft paints in red, yellow, blue, and white. There's also a 1" (2.5cm) hardware brush on the shelf behind me ... so why not? I haul out the last canvas. I tip globs of color and a bigger pool of white onto the plastic wrap that housed puzzle pieces.

After 10 minutes of play, maybe it's done, maybe not. I pack away the paints. The nice thing about abstract acrylics is that you can splash around a canvas as many times as you want to, layering on what you've done. It doesn't have to be perfect or "finished" when you set out with no aim beyond having fun. I let things sit for a few weeks before I decide.

I wash paint off my hands and toss out the leftover paint in its plastic skin. Kiddie craft paint is good for fooling around because it's non-toxic. (Classroom paint is usually safer than artist quality.) I can't resist touching and moving paint around with my fingers. I rarely remember to put on the finger "socks" that are made to protect kids or grownups like messy me.

After lunch, we visit a neighbor's house. One of my favorite things is the life-sized model of a zebra in the backyard.

Tuesday

Our walk is shorter than usual: I didn't sleep very long and have no energy.  A little plant sprouting at the mossy base of an enormous tree trunk inspires me. It reminds me that it doesn't matter how small you are now; grow where you're planted.

I bake a carrot cake and forget to add sugar. Tastes amazing with raw honey smeared on it ... but still.

The helpers transition the dining table from a pink-ish tablecloth 

to a green one that matches the rest of the room.

As I get down to work, I "shut the door" to my office, at least figuratively. Those who have been here a while know that when the curtain is drawn, my door is "closed" and I'm working. (Crude but usually effective.)

The side entry door and the passage to upstairs are at one side of my office. I'm constantly moving others' stuff out of my sightline, much to their irritation. (Why not stash their stuff in their own spaces?) A pretty sight today: the pot outside my window has erupted in magenta blossoms.

Judy and I chat over morning coffee at HomeGround. I walk her home before returning to the restaurant with W for a very spicy lunch. Yum. My lips may be burning but my stomach is happy.

Wednesday

The sun's coming up as we walk. We take this beautiful city for granted sometimes. "Aren't we lucky to live in a city with palm trees?" I ask W, pointing to the towering trees in front of the sunrise.

A grandpa is taking his 2 grandkids to school on his motorbike. Kids - babies included - quickly learn to balance in front of, behind, or atop the driver. Most youngsters drive motorcycles by their mid-teens. Many start even sooner, racing around the streets near their homes,, ferrying their friends, or just zooming by on a lark.

After meetings and wading through emails, I hop onto a company seminar about the value of AI. They do an interesting review of how AI develops with all available data and how to profit from the automation. A friend drops by to enjoy tea and carrot cake on the Porch.

A wild lovebird swoops under the cages to eat what our birds have scattered. I can't catch it - but what a beauty. It's a recent escapee from someone's cage, still in good condition.

I make a Western lunch for W and me. Oh look, there's color on the plate. Most local food is brown, tan, or beige. (That doesn't mean it's not delicious!)

We sort out appointments for this week and next, do some counseling, and swap out the grey living room rug for one with colors. As long as there's something creative in the day, it's a good one, no matter how heavy the workload.

Between it all, the groomers arrive to tidy up our 3 pooches. With a Ramadan bonus, their total bill is $22. (Cheaper than hiring security guards, that's for sure.)

The 2 poodles get washed, cut, and blown dry, while Gypsy has the knots in his fur clipped and combed out. Looking good! The dogs get some sausage and another walk with PakG as their reward for standing still. Tomorrow is a hike, which will take care of any show dog illusions they have.

Perfect for a day. But perfection is overrated.

They're always "Good Doggies!"

Read more:

*You shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. Isaiah 62:2

* By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

* So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, awaken our hearts to see the glorious beauty in this new day. Refresh our minds and renew our spirits, as we accept the gift of new beginnings. Give us courage to start over as we trust in your goodness and love. Thank you for the hope and promise of new life in Jesus Christ, our redeemer. Amen.

The seasons come and go

Friday, March 14, 2025

We walk after breakfast. Few people are outside. In Ramadan, Muslims conserve their energy as they are fasting food and water. Nature sings loudly as usual, its bright and colorful textures overlapping. One fence is dripping with trumpet bells.

A fruit tree will have ripe guavas soon.

On the building project down the street, magnificent columns and ornaments embellish the house.

They've plumbed the roof runoff through PVC pipes imbedded in concrete columns ... with no attention paid to the bases of the 4 storey columns. We live in an area of active volcanos and earthquakes. The foundation for the cement columns are loosely-mortared bricks. The centra column rests partly on them with the other part hanging in space. Hmmm.

A lizard hasn't made it across the street but the lacy outline of flattened limbs is beautiful against the paving. I've considered collecting dried creatures for an art piece. Would be cool - except that ants would get behind the glass and mess it up.

Many of us toss our leafless poinsettias after Christmas. But see this "hardly-any-leaves" tree? It is a mature poinsettia. Apparently the plant is deciduous, shedding leaves after the red bracts are done. It restarts after a rest and becomes lush and full. Who knew? I guess we threw out those bare green twigs too soon.

Ibu Siti gives me a deep-tissue massage. What a painful release of muscles that were hiking yesterday. I put on iPods and listen to a textbook to focus my mind elsewhere - and get some work done. Meanwhile, W takes an expat friend for a checkup at the hospital.

When we walk up to Homeground for spicy chicken and green beans, we pass blooming trees and shrubs. Water apples are ripening.

The "stinky bean" tree has large orchid-like blossoms.

A hedge is covered in bright pink flowers shaped like gingerbread men.

Lunch is $4 each. Tasty and very!! spicy. It's been a hot sunny morning but clouds blow over in the early afternoon. The wind kicks up, ringing the chimes on the Porch. The birds chirp back and forth, playing before the storm hits.

An international leaders' Zoom meeting is moved to next week. We rest, get ready for Sunday, and edit. 

Oh those edits! The academic article on Korean-Japanese relations is both interesting and informative. Lucky me: I learn without doing all that research! Off it goes for a final interaction with the author and formatting for publication.

We pampered (and killed) bromeliads as house plants back in Canada/USA. Now we have to cull them so they don't climb up the entire guava tree.

Other bromeliad tips glow pink in the grey light of an impending rainstorm. I brought a plant home from Malang - only to find many such bromeliads here. No matter: the one has become dozens.

Saturday

3-4 times a year, I shift the living room decor or placement. Since we don't have climate seasons, this breaks up the year with color. It takes 10 minutes to exchange the cheering reds of Christmas and Valentines Day ...

... with soothing garden greens. It's minimal effort for a different feel.

 

I turn Kim's batik blanket over to its lighter side, too.

After our walk, W engages with an online study while I make calls and write. Then I make lunch and settle down to learn something new.

Last year, I read about early-onset dementia (which my cousin suffered) in Still Alice by #LisaGenova. We are truly wonderful creations; so complicated, and so much works ... until it doesn't.

In Left Neglected, Genova writes about a syndrome called "Left Neglect." I learn that a person with brain damage or a stroke may only feel, see, or perceive the right side of things. The left side is blanked out by the brain. The left disappears as though it has never existed, whether that's the left side of their face, their body, a book, or a space. How is that possible? We are amazing creatures.

The nook no longer matches the rest of the room, which is now green. So off goes the pink cloth, to be shaken out, folded, and hung away ... 

and onward ho with 2 green Bali sarongs.

The pink dining tablecloth can wait until Monday. I stretch out the seasonal changes as long as I can. A weekend feels like forever because in my mind's eye - whether it's a house plan or baking or decor - it's finished as soon as I imagine it. I'm surprised when it isn't already in place.

I like swapping things out. Yet the first day after a change, I dislike the new thing. Maybe the change happens too fast? It takes a day or two for my body to catch up to a creative shift, whether that's art I'm making, a new slipcover, or furniture in a new place.

It's overcast and dark by 3:00. Thunder rumbles and the wind kicks up as we walk up the hill for an early dinner with friends.

Sunday

All runs smoothly at IES Bandung and the team meeting. Then we enjoy lunch at Miss Bee. 

Today's flowers are a mountain of green and a river of color.

They're beautiful, thanks to the creativity of #titikbadudu.

A friend gifts us with batik shits.

We soak them in salt and vinegar water to set the colors.

We read, relax, and prepare for the coming week.

Read more:

*Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord. Genesis 6:8

*Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” Joshua 24:22

*You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

*Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. 2 Peter 1:10-11

Moravian Prayer: God of all ages, in life, death, and the life to come, you are our creator and sustainer. Whether we live or die, may our witness and service to others always point to you and the present and coming kingdom of God.

O life-affirming Creator, how often we forget that we are your beloved creation: chosen, created, and named, as you proclaimed, “It is good.” Call us out of our doubts and our fears to live with you. Amen.