Fountains, food, and a great book club

I'm hungry. I'm trying to eat during limited hours to shed some of the extra pounds from sitting in the car and writing at home. Sometimes (like today when I get moving at 5am,) the hours before lunch seem to take forever!

Thursday, September19, 2019
We go to the hills - the hills of our neighborhood, that is. The dogs are happy to be out as we walk through the villages. The small homes have been expanded, more houses added, and it's all grown together into neighborhoods that make up our city. There are many houses for sale and lease.

It's hot out. After 2 hours of chatting and 5 km of steep up-and-down through some new paved trails between houses, my face is flushed. We find a cafe and get a drink to cool off. Oh well, let's just have an early lunch.

The little restaurant courtyards are a sliver of paradise. 

Friday
First, I make a few passes through the lecture for Sunday. Before long, the handyman arrives to give an estimate for our roof repair. The end boards that hold the tiles on the roof have begun to lean. A few tiles have already slid off. Termites have created big holes in the third storey eaves. If the landlord lets us renew our lease at a fair price (what we're paying now), we'd gladly front the money for repairs.

 Three years ago (our last lease negotiation), our rent almost doubled, so we can't do that again, even though we like the place and use it all. If the landlord isn't willing to fix the roof (or let us pay toward a reasonable lease), the roofs over the second and the third stories will begin to fall down when rainy season starts. And it will be harder to fix. The tiles are heavy - a few pounds each, which is a hazard for anyone walking nearby. Recently, 2 tiles fell at night, smashing onto the driveway. (See the edge boards leaning away from the house? And the missing tiles? Yikes)

We've been here five years. It's a great house, almost 50 years old. In the tropics, that means it's probably time for structural work. We've repainted and replastered inside, we've sprayed against bugs and stopped up holes. Besides fixing plumbing, upgrading the electrical, and a few other things, we haven't done major renovations. W sends the estimate to the landlord. As long as the rains hold off, we can wait. Those are already almost a month overdue...

Mid-morning, four American interns show up. They're helping with Community Dinners, learning environmental farming and teaching English.They're great young people, part of the global migration of students to learn culture and language, explore new places, and volunteer their skills. We have tea and talk together. Before they leave, Ibu Sumi puts together a box of cookies for them to take along.

After a quick lunch, Dr Hanna and I drive to the Bandung Book Club. If the roads were open, we could go straight but many streets have one-ways for a few blocks as "traffic calming" measures. We often have to take long detours. (Here's an example from earlier in the week: instead of a half-kilometer straight street, we had to turn left onto a 2.3 km circuit to get to the same place.)

The book club members take turns hosting. It was my turn last month. We present a book we love the next month.

So this month, I prepped the discussion for A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. I recommend it for anyone who loves a good story - and commend the fabulous research and writing. Everyone loves the book and interacts with comments. Usually at the end, several people hand in their books for our Little Free Library or for us to pass on - but for this book, no one is willing to give up their copy. Yes, it's that good. I've read it twice and will read it once more before handing my copy to my dad.

There's always wonderful food and the company is warm. What a delight to have good friends who get together over interesting books.

We even continue messaging about the book afterward. Someone looks up the Metropol hotel in Moscow. That's where the main character of the novel lives on house arrest for 32 years. The hotel is still standing, an old, proud historical building right across from the Kremlin.

On the way home, we stop to buy a few mangoes from a sidewalk seller. I'm back in time to check ahead on the weekend and connect several people with upcoming events. A good day.

Saturday
Oh! I slept so well - from 9pm-5am. That's a rare long stretch of rest.

I start writing the PowerPoint, checking the talk and synchronizing it a few more times. Revisions. Revisions. The hardest part of speaking or writing isn't coming up with ideas or a script. But the edits and fine-tuning that make the thing sing? Those take longest and the most energy and focus.

W's mom is having hip surgery today in Canada: she fell and broke her hip last week. Her kids and grandkids are praying together that all goes well. Our daughter had both hips replaced due to arthritis, so we understand her pain will be great - as will be the stresses on the caregivers. Since we're far away, W's sister and her family will express their love to GrandmaK on our behalf.

In the morning, the driver arrives but I don't want to go anywhere yet. He walks the dogs and wants to water the garden. Except that water pressure is so low that he has to wait for hours until the water comes on.

I clear out a tub of miscellaneous water plants on the porch. After scrubbing the little black tub, it gets filled with fresh water and a solar fountain. As long as the sun shines on the surface, the water gurgles happily. As the sun moves around, the shade comes and the whole thing is still.

Lunch is at Alice and Dr. Hanna's. Alice loves cooking but also loves people - so she gets us together.

The food is delicious: Thai-style chicken wings, German mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, Medanese cakes ... and more. We finish with mango sticky rice.

We celebrate Kaleb's birthday before I head home at 3.

My meeting doesn't happen so I return to preparing tomorrow's talk for an hour or two. Then I'm off work until the morning.

Read more:
*The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19

*The Pharisees said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:11

*Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet. Hebrews 12:12-13

Moravian Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we are comforted and filled with joy and gratitude to know that you came to save all sinners, no matter what our station or situation in life might be. We need only call your name. 

O God, you have assured us that you are with us even when the way is rocky and unknown. Help us not to be afraid, but to lean on your strength and to say with Jacob, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” Amen.