I had to pause, writing the year above. I'm editing a book with a lot of references from 2002-2006. And when I look up, all of a sudden a decade has gone by.
Much of the morning, messages are going back and forth on Whats App (the free app for calls, messages and photos popular in Asia and elsewhere.) Lizzie, W, I, and the Pet Taxi confirm that today our new dog starts her journey from eastern Indonesia to Bandung.
"Very professional service," Lizzie writes us, with a wrench in her heart as the van pulls away from her place.
And just like that,, Cocoa, the 6-yr-old Standard Poodle, is on her way to us. She's scheduled to arrive Friday. You wouldn't think Indonesia is that big. Depending on traffic, it can take 3 days or more to drive across Java (the main "horizontal" island where we live). Plus, there are 17,000-ish islands in all. So - it can take a while to get from A to B.
Lizzie sends me a final picture from her house. She's a poodle breeder; Cocoa has done her part having puppies for the kennel. Lizzie says she's ours, to give her a good life and big yard. Her clip this morning is cute!
Last week, we met Lizzie and her dog between conference sessions. I haven't had a poodle since Seattle. Last year, sure that we're staying, I started to keep my eyes open. Most poodles here are little dogs, expensive, and not sound. Plus, orange ("red") and apricot dogs are the rage in Indonesia. (I don't like either color.) Cocoa happens to be chocolate brown. We're not inclined to train a puppy, so this sounds like a perfect match. Even W is happy about it.
Today is our date day - but after work in the morning, we catch a quick lunch. We are both back at work by afternoon.
In the evening, Scott and Sarah bring pizza for the teens who show up for Youth Alpha. Upstairs, in the house or on the roof, something has died. It stinks too badly to hang out in the youth room.
So they take the nook apart, put the picnic table on the porch, and have fun. They watch a movie and afterward, we can hear them laughing and discussing it. I'm in PJs by 9:00 when W says goodbye and they put the furniture back.
Wednesday
It's a working day. Casey goes home when his family comes back before noon. The animals have one final romp around the yard; then the house and yard are quiet.
We had no water in our neighborhood yesterday. That's not unusual. We've had entire days with nothing coming up the hill. The city is rationing water (or something).
When we do get water, there's rarely any until mid-morning. It comes on for a few hours to fill the reservoir tank. Of course, that makes it hard to do laundry. The garden is dry and the lawn (not grass but some other green leaf) is turning brown. Today there's water part of the day and we fill several basins so we can take a shower later.
Most mornings, we use a little portable heater to heat water collected in the basin the day before. We toss little bucketfuls over ourselves to rinse soap off. I have a hard time taking a cold shower ... but with no water coming out of the taps, any water is a luxury.
W sorts online books and helps me get ready for the next classes. He's off to a meeting in the evening while I wrap up coursework.
We planted the miniature ornamental corn I brought 3 years ago - and it sprouted. I see that some of the shucks of corn are turning brown. When I pick two little cobs, they're tiny but ripe. I cook both for supper. It's a few mouthfuls so I have to come up with plan B as well.
Read more:
*God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
*May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67:5-7
*Turn back to the Lord whom you have deeply betrayed. Isaiah 31:6
*In the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 1 Corinthians 11:11-12
*Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking. Revelation 3:20
Moravian Prayer: God of the lost, we know that no matter how far we stray from you, you will always seek us out. Thank you for your persistent love, mercy and grace, even when we lose our way.
Creator God—we come to you amazed by the intricacies and interconnectedness of all that you have made. We are all made in your image, and we pray that you help us to be good stewards and servants, remembering that all comes from you. Amen.
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