The week unfolds like a bouquet

Sunday, August 29, 2021

On our second walk today, we pick up about 200 pinecones. Yup - this time of year I start planning for Christmas. I used write Christmas cards and bake in August and September. By the time the holidays roll around, there's no time or energy left to fuss over details. We'd rather enjoy having people over!

Now that I have help with baking, I'm thinking about Christmas bags - what shall we put on those cookie packages? Last year we used up my stash of after-Christmas-sale ornaments from the previous year (2019). There were no such sales after Christmas 2020. Maybe we'll go more natural.

I dry the pinecones in the dish sanitizer for an hour or two and let them fully open in the heat. I take them up to the roof and spray them red and green. They look kind of plain so I scoop their edges through the opposite color of wet paint on the newspaper. Good enough. The ribbon in the craft box works, too. We need another 100 cones or so, and then we'll be set (unless I want some for the house.)

Monday

Ever had something you've got to get done - but you have to think through it first? For me, it's our BIC Online talk for 2 weeks away. It's about the 3rd son of King David (Absalom). You can read the story here (2 Samuel 13-19). He gets a lot of chapters in the Scriptures.

That handsome and charismatic boy snarled up my head for weeks. Every time I read the story, I marveled at his self-absorption and malice against his family, especially his father. Glad we have the kids we do! I'm up early and writing for a few hours before the talk is ready for W's edits.

Waldemar and I alternate writing for BIC Online. His work is usually more directly theological: what does this tell us about God? I like to immerse myself in the story. I wonder about the life of that person at that time. What was it like for his/her family? How is God carrying out his plans in this narrative? I always have more questions than answers.

W and I edit each other's script, especially our own parts, though we present it together. Often, we haggle over the main points or the applications. We delight in the privilege of responding to God's Word, of sharing his love letter to his creatures and his explanations of his purposes. How blessed we are!

Talking about "ordering" life: last week, I cleaned up the living areas. This week, I go through my closet and cabinet, sorting, tossing, and restocking. We order some inexpensive IKEA Dröna boxes to keep things visible and tidy,

We run errands after the morning study. BTW: If you ever want to join the study @9:30am, Jakarta time, just let us know.

We're out about about at lunchtime so we drop by #SushiTee. It's been ages since we had Japanese food. 12 chefs are working away beside our table. We pick up a takeaway order for friends before we leave.

The errands? Besides restocking groceries, I'm on a mission. Every once in a while, I need an organizing spree when my mind is blocked. There's too much grief and other goings-on so I want to finish the closets now. I need to check something off my list.

Most days, I have a page of must-dos checked, besides art and other fun stuff that creeps in between. Sometimes, when it feels like we are accomplishing nothing, I read the list at the end of the day or week and sigh with relief. No, we're not wasting time here.

Back to the closet, though. Three small storage units (gifted from somewhere ages ago) have been unwieldy to move around. How about ... shall we put casters underneath? I find 3 sets at Borma department store @$2.25US each.

W matches them with some packs of screws. Rp 5,000 is about 37c.

My resident handyman hasn't had a job for a while and he likes to do things with his hands. "Can you put the casters on, hon?" I ask.

He does. The shelves roll perfectly inside the closet. Good job! I only need two after buying the IKEA boxes; he gets one for his workroom, too.

The frangipani tree beside the porch puts out fragrant shafts of flowers. As one stem fades, we replace it in the back hallway with another. The creamy white petals have luscious golden centers. (These blossoms are all on one stem.)

Tuesday

Last week we picked up 3 baby pumpkins along the drive after our hike. The orange orbs sit on a shelf until IbuA makes pumpkin pie filling with them today. She also bakes more ginger cookies, which go in the fridge until the next time we have company or need a treat to share.

When I look around each day, I'm staggered by beauty. Look at these stems! The leaves start out a brilliant crimson and fade as they age to the rich brown-red at the back of the photo.

We walk by a vine growing along the neighborhood path. It smells heavenly. I keep stopping to smell the flowers; the gardenia bush across from the Padma Hotel has a fresh blossom open most mornings and of course we can't pass that by.

I pick up a flower that's dropped onto the sidewalk and toss it into the water pot on the porch.

This quirky stem catches our attention as well - looks like exotic birds having a conversation.

A cluster of huge red blossoms graces another corner.

Wednesday

Before we go on our 6am walk, I finish tidying our bedroom. I got 80% done last night and ran out of clarity. That's when it looks its worst. Stuff is scattered around when I get up. Ugh.

It takes 15 minutes to put everything in its place. Then we can head out the door.

No wonder my mom, raising 4 kids, kept the house tidy.I pass along anything that no longer fits well. When the world is in chaos, an organized drawer feels like a minor triumph. It makes getting dressed easy, too. I can pull out a pair of trousers or a blouse without having to shift other items.

Living in Indonesia's "garment city" (full of clothing factories) is nice: we buy seconds of labels we know for a fraction of the price. (Now, if only I liked shopping ... !)

We feed the fish before we head out. Oh my, the 1.5" bee inside the glass is bigger than most of the fish. It makes a loud buzzing noise.

On our walk, we notice that the neighbor's papaya tree is fruiting. In another month or two, the papayas will start to ripen from the bottom to the top of the tree - there will be new fruits growing up the stalk for as long as the tree is healthy.

Another neighbor obviously loves gardening; his birds nest fern is 2 meters long (6'), hanging on the wall of his house.

It seems like the world is bursting flowers this morning. The double hibiscus is in bloom in the parking lot.

The prickly stems of this crown of thorns keep intruders away along a fence. The thorns are up to 1" long and ring the whole stem. You don't want to be crawling over that.

This almost-in-flower cluster reminds me of bunny ears. Each point is about 4" long.

A tall tree is in full yellow display, clusters of flowers having from waist height to the soaring branches above us.

Meanwhile swarms of bees are buzzing around clumps of lilies along the street. We avoid them.

After our loops, W takes the dogs home while I order breakfast for us at #PinoTerrace. He makes it back before the food arrives. Since the dim sum place won't open until 8am, we both decide on noodles.

We eat while the Nara Park turtles have their morning bath nearby in a huge plastic tub. The hedgehogs are still in their pen. They'll be scooting around in another hour or so.

Pino Terrace - the name is a clue. There are tall pines surrounding the property. Before we leave, we pick up about 100 more pinecones from behind a building. That ought to be enough to cover Christmas. (Check!)

After working all morning in the office, it's nice to walk home for lunch. We're only 7 minutes away. I love this tall bouquet by the kitchen door. The exotic is common - these are plucked from the garden, including an 18" (1/2 meter) leaf.

After lunch, we make a run to a clothing outlet to get something for the grandkids. Eventually, we'll head back on our annual trip to the West. It's always been fun getting little gifts for the kids during the year away. This year, I've done no shopping and have some catchup to do. As they get older, we make our best guess at how big the kids are growing. Sizes aren't very consistent on the labels.

It's been a long time since I've shopped for anything but groceries. Even that, W usually does from my list.

At each store, everyone masks and has their temperature checked at the door. The number of patients in hospital has dropped after the hard all-city lockdown of the past 7 weeks. We're down to Level 3 (from 4/critical shutdown). Malls and shops can open at 25% capacity. It feels empty though. There are lots of parking spaces.

W walks an extra 9000 steps getting hs own stuff near the outlet. We're back in our driveway by late afternoon, glad to be home.

I'm in the mood for a simple supper: there's an old box of mac and cheese on the counter. I add leftover lunch vegetables to my bowl. W has his without. After the dogs eat their supper, W does some video editing, I write, and then it's bedtime. Again.

How does that happen, day after day? God is good.

Read more:

*I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2

*Thus says the Lord, “Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them.” Jeremiah 32:42

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. 1 John 3:2

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly Father, we call out to you as children call for their parents. We await the day when you will return to us to bless the world with the peace of your embrace. Amen.