Fuzz, flowers, and friendship

 I took 7 days off phones and computers. Wow, was that weird. Staring outside for hours, napping, taking a long bath ... and still the minutes click by. I haven't been this bored in decades. It's good for me. I can hear the thoughts whirring inside my head without distraction.

Do you know how time crawls without a device at hand? We spent last week In Bali. We attended a memorial service for a fellow worker who died of cancer. Amid the meetings and meals, I craved solitude. I didn't get that, but it was nice to be away from routines nonetheless.

Indonesia is full of interesting botanicals. This 5-6" bloom flourishes beside our porch. A truly black flower ... amazing.

We're happy to have Laurel join us as a summer intern. She makes herself at home and we enjoy her company. We visit Jorge's organization, where neighbor kids come for art, reading, and games.

Some friends offer this simple brownie recipe to those of us craving chocolate.

When I ask the yardman to trim back the bush that is spreading over its neighbors, he leaves only a collection of bare branches ... what a severe trim!

We say goodbye to friends who are repatriating to the USA. Three couples are leaving Bandung and going back to the USA this month. We'll miss them. Because of visa restrictions, regulations, and other difficulties, few expats are coming to replace those who have gone.

Nara Park, a courtyard surrounded by 7 restaurants, is beautiful at night - and a short walk from our house.

I was glad that the dogs got groomed on the weekend. Poodles feel like fuzzy sheep when they get a trim.

Someone bringst me a flower when we study together - it's cheered up the office all week.

Outside the office door, I hear young people playing - great fun. It rains nearly every day and many nights: when the sun's out, everyone appreciates it.

The petals of tiny flowers are littered across the pavement.

Our friend sends tilapia for our lunch. We eat it fresh-cooked, 2 hours after it comes out of the water. Regardless, I don't like fish. W and the rest pronounce it delicious.

The vegetables from the aquaponic farm are fresh and tasty, too.

The helpers chop the greens into tiny pieces, so small that they spoil within a few days, even in the fridge. I ask them to cut bigger pieces next time.

I'm happy to be starting on a new quilt. The pattern is one that pleases me.

We didn't get to Ubud in Bali, so I wasn't able to pick up the rayon scarves that everyone loves. I tore a bunch of them into stripes for one side of a lap blanet, and kept a full piece for the other side.

They're easy to make and comfortable, too. We keep them on the porch for cool mornings and evenings.

Our friends come for pizza night: the dutch floor tiles (2'X2') are a great surface for our dishes. They bring us a blue budgie, Sky. He's the 5th bird on the terrace: 2 canaries that sing their hearts out, and 2 lovebirds that squawk together all day. So far, Sky's the quietest.

I get braces for my lower teeth and then I have massive unrelenting headaches as my jaw begins to move. it's hard to sleep at night when your head is pounding. I'm off social media from evening until morning this month, too. How I miss the YouVersion scriptures being read aloud. I lay awake for hours, wanting to fall back asleep.

Read more:

*(Jonah’s Prayer) Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 

He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. 

But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 1-2)

*I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. Zephaniah 3:19

*When they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses. Acts 1:6-8

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, help us be ready for the day when you will restore your kingdom. You will rescue the lame and the exiles—and draw all people to yourself. In the meantime, help us to serve you here on earth and work to do your will. Amen.

Is that a python? Yikes!

All is quiet. The cicadas are almost ready to take a break after a few noisy months. In Indonesia, they appear annually, marking the end of rainy season with their 2-3" gobs of insect-ness.

The security guys across the street are catching a python as we walk by today. They toss it and it's beautiful yellow head into an empty rice sack (more below).

The month of Ramadan is over. The all-night shouts, firecrackers, chants, and parties have subsided. People are eating normally after a month of fasting food and water during daylight hours. We feel the change in the air.

Thursday, May 13, 2021 - Ascension Day

Today is an Indonesian national holiday. We celebrate Jesus going back to his heavenly Father. Imagine the rejoicing in heaven when he sat down at the right hand of God, his saving work for humanity accomplished! I meditate on that all week long. How astonishing to have the confidence of salvation - because God himself has won it, accomplishing what we could not do for ourselves.

I read the scriptures: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

... and

 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:11-13)

The Indonesian Muslim authorities agree that God will bring up the right phase of the moon today so that Ramadan officially ends for Muslims. This year the government forbade the annual pilgrimage home (mudik) so many families are celebrating more quietly. Some plan to travel next week instead.

Many simply ignore or work around the regulations, so we are wondering if there will be a spike in COVID in the next weeks and months. What if people from hard-hit urban centers transfer the flu to the countryside? That happened in India. We pray for the safely of Indonesia.

It's almost impossible for Indonesian Muslims to imagine not going back to their village and family roots during Lebaran at the end of Ramadan. (Compare the expectations of a Western family's to see each other during Thanksgiving and Christmas.) 

The traditional foods are packed away for another year ... but how we have all enjoyed them. (Below, boiled rice packets.)

Friday

The house is quiet since the helpers have the half-week off. In such a disappointing season for them, a few extra days of vacation can't hurt.

For lunch, we order in delicious Korean food from a little shop down the hill. It's $8, delivered, enough for both of us with some left over.

In one of my old journals, I find a +25-year old paper relic from raising kids. Our youngest (now 32) was happy anywhere if he could draw. He was always creating detailed games or military figures. (This was before computer games were a thing.) He refused pens from the time his 12-mo-old fingers could hold a pencil. That's when he started drawing. He starting writing letters at 3. We kept paper and a pencil nearby through elementary school. (This sketch is from Grade 2 or 3.)

On the porch, another of Dr.Ingrid's orchids is in bloom. Two cream and orange-brown flowers droop on spindly stems over the sides of the pot. What variety and splendor in every version.

Saturday

This morning, I find the quilt I finished last year and drape it on the LR sofa as an experiment. It looks a bit busy for the room.

Later in the morning, it takes 1 1/2 hours to baste 3 layers of fabric for the next quilt. I pull out the sewing machine and experiment with machine quilting. Then I have to tear out all the circles and swirls I just made. I'm not good enough yet to do machine quilting - that will take some practice. The quilt will look better done by hand anyway. Argh. I find a golden thread, put away the machine, and toss the basted turquoise layers into the "need-a-project" basket.

Friends come over for pizza night. W's experimenting with pizza crusts; this version is thin and crispy. We declare it a winner.

I make the toppings as usual.

We enjoy W's homemade pizza with good company, socially distanced and outside. See the layers of distance in the pic, taken just before they leave? Our guests bring their dog Casey along to play with our 3, which ensures lively exercise and doggie conversation (barking at the gate anytime a dog decides to check it out).

Fun. It does our hearts good to see them.

Earlier, we moved 2 tiles from the kitchen counter onto the old window that's our porch table. They're replaced in the kitchen with $20 ones ($1 each, on sale) that match the kitchen's stone floors and other countertops. The tiles make a nice flat surface that's easier to use. The raised wooden frame and inset glass always tipped our plates sideways.

Sunday

Before our gatherings and meetings, we head out the door to walk the dogs. They know to sit and wait near me while W opens the gate. Good doggies.

W doesn't even notice the Mom and kids who stop to look at the dogs, still wearing their pajamas. The dad's in street clothes, but the others? PJs are as modest as anything else and not unusual around here. W is surprised when I point it out.

Monday

Today as we walk, a jaga (security guy) is holding a long bamboo stick. He is poking the hedge across the street from the office. "What's going on?" we ask.

"I saw a big snake in there," he tells us. Another man wanders over to help. They catch a reticulated python, at least 7-8 feet long. (picture above)

Since he sweeps the street and parking area each morning and afternoon, it's good to capture and remove such reptiles. That hedge is often overgrown with grasses and weeds. It is the privacy screen for Bumi Sangkuriang, a historic resort. That can't be safe for the hundreds of wedding guests and others who use the grounds every month.

Last year, a poisonous snake bit a dog running along the same hedge. That was the end of the dog. He was off leash and exploring a few meters from the street, where his owners were walking. He died within minutes. Needless to say, none of us let the dogs pee along that stretch.

On a happier note, I get to talk to my mom every morning. It's nighttime for her in western Canada, so we chat before she goes to bed on the opposite side of the clock. Our conversations and prayers together are a precious gift. She's lovely inside and out.

Heads up: I'm taking a pause from social media to rest my brain for a week. See you when I get back. Have a great week everyone. No snakes, please.

Read more:

*Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:1-6

*The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules overall. Psalm 103:19

*It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26

*May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

*Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory. Revelation 19:6-7

Moravian Prayer: God of the silence, God of the stillness, we ask for your steadying presence today. Help us take time out of our hectic and noisy lives to be still, be quiet, and listen for you. Bring us calm, bring us peace, we pray.

Ruler of nations, to you is also due all praise. Alleluia! Your throne is in the heavens; you rule overall. Alleluia! Ceasing never, may we ever sing your praise.

Alleluia! Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Where's the party? the end of Ramadan in Indonesia

It's the final week of Ramadan. In the Muslim tradition, God brings the moon up if he wills, so you can't predict scientifically when Ramadan will end. Instead, the evening before, religious leaders gather to determine what God has decided for this year's moon cycle. Once they announce the ending date,  people know when Ramadan will be over. "It's usually 30 days long, so probably Thursday," our Muslim friends say.

Families and friends gather together (as we already did with Dr Hanna) to eat special foods. This year is especially difficult for families. The annual pilgrimage home (mudik) is forbidden by the government, trying to prevent the migration of COVID from hard-hit cities into rural areas. We pray for all those missing their families at this time.

Saturday, May 9, 2021

My lower retainer fell into the garbage beside the nightstand years ago - and was tossed before I noticed. My bottom teeth are getting crooked so I go to an orthodontist near our neighborhood. Our dentist and friend DrGati recommended DrEvi. She's nice! as she takes a model of my teeth. Braces again. Ugh. When the appointment is over, I wait outside her gate for our car. Look at that tree! (that's a 6' /2-meter-high fence.) The Bunyan tree is popular within folk religions in the tropics: the locals think spirits may live in them so are reluctant to chop them down, even when the road has to weave around their massive roots.

Monday

Our friends are hosting a 24-hr prayer marathon (10am today to 10am tomorrow). We join at four different hours, praying this year's theme: God's blessings on the women of Indonesia. May God care abundantly for them and their families, giving them good children, meaningful work, godly peace, and an understanding of how much God values and loves each one.

We meet both online and in a typical house, bounded by walls on all sides. The staggered tile roofs shed tropical rainfall and shade the windows and doors from the hot sun overhead.

Tuesday

Our date breakfast is at Nara on the Pino Terrace. We enjoy Maystar's dim sum, Pino's nasi kuning (yellow rice) and baso goreng (fried shrimp balls), along with our favorite China tea.

Heads up for foreign interns who work with various organizations: what can you expect in Bandung? There's no way to describe the many differences between Indonesia and the West. There's staggering beauty: simple guava trunks are knotted into patterns that rival abstract art.

We have good weather days (85-90o) and nights (68-75o), so bring cooling clothing: pack cottons and rayons, not polyester! Of course, you can sit on the porch at any time. You want to be off the streets after darkness falls at 6.

You need to be aware of your feet at all times - the pavement is uneven, to say the least. Here's an example: someone put down cement to broaden a public road. The striped pattern is from the handmade broom used to beat the wet cement. That way, when it rains and moss grows on it, it won't be too slick.

While the cement dries, plastic bags and cardboard pieces are strung on plastic twine to keep people and cars off of it. Of course, the cement is hand-mixed in a wheelbarrow, too. (This is road expansion on a popular, well-traveled street.)

The electric plugs have 2 prongs and are 220 volts. Bring an adaptor but no 110 hair dryers or other appliances.

On another note, I miss movie nights. I look in the kitchen cabinets where baking and cooking supplies are lined up and ready to go.

The canned goods used in recipes for 70 people sit waiting. When can we meet again? We miss you, our movie night family and friends!

Wednesday

Every morning, I apply sunblock. Morning and night, I apply insect repellent. When I skip a spot, I put minyak gosok on the bite. This local oil stops the itch upon contact (provided you haven't scratched them and spread the poison.) It's also used to heat sore joints.

We visit the organic farm and aquaponic center of a friend. Wow, they've gotten a lot done in the two years since we were here. The padis are full of rice at various stages. The tilapia swim in huge barrels. The vegetables are abundant. I think I've just found my new weekly supplier.

There are other typical Indonesian inventions: instead of a doorbell, you hit a hollow bamboo stalk with wooden stick. The hollow "tek tek" is loud enough to be heard a long distance.

To keep people from zooming through the property on their motorcycles, they're created their own security gate. A long bamboo stalk is painted with black and white stripes and weighted by a rock or other heavy item at one end. You lower the security gate across the road by pulling the long rope fastened on the opposite end of the bamboo. The lowered gate is clamped in place under a simple cross-bar (below, it is closed when the cross-bar is poked through holes in 2 bamboo stakes driven into the ground beside the road.) Pull out the cross-bar out and the security gate rises as the stone pulls down the far end. Ingenious.

Lunch under a bamboo shade shelter is amazing. Others have joined us to eat takeaway dishes from a nearby shop. The rice is done just right, the beef skin is gelatinous, sweet and sour, and the chicken breast and tofu are tender. There's so much that I can't even finish.

Pak Danny points out papayas, breadfruit, jackfruit, and rosella (used to make red tea).

We pass someone wheeling one barrow full after another onto the field. He dumps and rakes it to make a new pathway. Manual labor is still done by hand here.

Wednesday

The helpers are getting an extra day of vacation. In this pandemic, the mood is low rather than joyful. If you can't see your family, it's hard to get excited about the holiday. It's a bit like cancelling American Thanksgiving or Western Christmas. So the house is quiet.

On the COVID front, if you're going to catch something, it might be at a big center like the place where we go for our second vaccinations. 

There is a sea of workers' motorcycles at the front of the center. Hundreds of motorcycles!

We proceed through registration and the jab without incident. It's well-organized. There's one section for seniors and another for young people and factory workers. We are taken to the front of the line, maybe because W looks old with his white hair? He has his picture snapped with a young volunteer. Our blood pressure tests good, our temperature low. They ask us, "Do you take any medication?" (no) Do you have an existing illnesses? (no) Is your heart healthy? (yes) ... etc."

When we're done, we wait 15 minutes in the big hall with the other seniors. The staff makes sure no one has serious side effects before sending us home. Reactions are expected; side effected are unwelcome.

The young assistants are helpful and polite throughout. Before long, we're done. I have trouble understanding the furor over vaccines and COVID: there have always been illnesses and flus sweeping across the planet. Millions have always died - and we have always tried to get well. Vaccines have saved many lives in the last 100 years, haven't they? (I have a little smallpox scar as well as avoiding measles, mumps, rubella, and polio as a child.)

Before we get home, a friend of a friend delivers a huge bag of plant trimmings. We pass them on to Danny's farm. I get dropped at the office, where a friend meets me for tea and a chat on the balcony. 

Afterward, I join others for an online study. W walks me home for lunch. As I finish cooking, the dogs start barking. Someone must be at the gate. They sound very fierce.

Oh wow - what a beautiful lunch DrH sends over. The boxes are full of traditional dishes which are cooked in this combination for Lebaran (the end of Ramadan.)

What a feast! We heap our plates. This is the kind of food you'd move to Indonesia for.

The flavor I love best and leave for last is always Rendang, a hearty beef and coconut stew. But DrH's family recipe of opor (coconut chicken and tofu) is marvelous, too.

The ketupat is rice boiled for 2 hours after it is packaged in woven strips of leaves. The box is only filled 1/4 full of rice because the grains expand when it's boiled. (Thanks, Pak Gum, for that info!) I cut my rice cake into blocks and heat it in the microwave. Yum.

W's arm is sore, he has a headache, and his stomach is heaving. He doesn't know if it's from the spicy meal yesterday or the vaccine. The food is so good that he pops a stomach-settling pill so he can enjoy his portion of lunch.

I have no physical response, but I had a nasty bout with Covid that lasted a few months last year. Probably I"m already naturally immunized. My arm's not even sore from the needle.

Angie drops by. It's her son's Ben's 4th birthday and he wants to say hi to his foreign Oma and Opa. (We just love him!) The little guy is all worn out and falls asleep in the car. His mom brings the sweet treats inside for him. We feel totally spoiled by love and kindness this holiday.

The afternoon wraps up with a team meeting. W has a 7pm online meeting. I have 2 that I both need and want to attend: 11pm-12:30am. Hopefully at least one is recorded.

Tonight is the loudest night of the year: there will be fireworks, chanting, neighborhood parties, and other festivities. No sense in trying to sleep. We're happy to stay in rather than party.

Read more:

*You who live in the shelter of the most high, who abide in the shadow of the almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

Moravian Prayer: Defender of the defenseless, hear our prayer. Safeguard the vulnerable in our society from predators seeking to exploit them. Provide a refuge for all who need shelter, grant courage to those who face hardship, and spiritually feed all those in despair. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.