Food and exercise = balance

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Before lunch, the yard man comes to GG and hauls all the Christmas things from storage into the hall. Oof - how dusty. I wonder what year the tree and ornaments were last cleaned. (Probably never.) It goes on my checklist: clean first. Then decorate.

The logo is back on the wall. A new season means renewed spaces.

We find random letters from past Christmases in storage. I sort them for the team to figure out what it says. "Merry" is in there. But nothing else we can figure out.

The old stage is ready. Now to think through what we want up there. Our theme is "Nature" or "natural," since we have pinecones left over from the Advent bags. When things are clear in someone's mind (and this year it looks like it's going to be mine,) set-up is easy.

Chacha has left us some samples of her company's baking emulsifier. We share with mutual friends.

We have lunch with those friends. W and I walk down to Roastman, where a plate of smoked brisket is about $8. Aaron and Caitlyn are blown away by the taste, as are we. It's our habit to order meat for Sunday lunch from there, so we're familiar with the menu. The owner remember us as some of his first clients. He stops by to chat, upgrades our room, and gets introduced to the others.

I'm most of the way through my mutton biryani before I think to take a picture of it. Sooo good.

Wednesday

At night, the staging for BIC Christmas decor comes together.  After I draw 7 pages of sets, I make a list of supplies to take to the office in the morning. We'll transform the hall on Friday with the help of volunteers.

When we wake, we pile the lanterns, garlands, tools, and hardware near the door and W loads up the car. The hall is nearby but we have a lot to drop off. The driver is still sick so W drives.

At the BIC team meeting, it's wonderful to be together. It's time to go through an Advent checklist, deciding on what each person is responsible for.

The guys carry furniture from the office to the hall. After one last round of the space with a measuring tape, we ask, what DO we still need ...  besides extension cords, wire, and hooks? (You get the picture. Lots of stuff.) I write it down.

For lunch, W and I decide to give Miss Bee one more try. We had lousy food and service there during the pandemic. This is its last-chance. Outside in the parking lot, a man has climbed a high scaffold to cut the sagging trees. His coworkers watch. (Can you see him standing on the metal platform with his tools?)

We are pleasantly surprised (maybe happily shocked is more accurate.) The service and food is outstanding. I order chicken soft tacos. Miss Bee is back. We talk to the manager when he strolls over to say hi. "We cook with love," he tells us. Today we can taste that care again.

W is teaching an online class evenings and weekends, this week and next. Meanwhile, I get a barrage of emails from a former student who dropped out 3 years ago. They demand that we pick up where we left off. Um, I don't think so.

One of my dear friends, Alaine Buchanan, has written an excellent book about entitlement, etiquette, and respect between students and professors: Dear Student. I recommend it.

After a few rounds, I compose an email with my final answer. "No." The university is great. They sort out what's going on and I'm off the hook.

Thursday

Rain is in the forecast so we are thrilled that the weather is good for our weekly walk. The dogs jog ahead - today there are 5 of them plus the cutest little spaniel puppy in a carry-on.

We go up up and up some more. We have to laugh a few times. 

"This is the only hill," says V. Each time we head up another slope, she apologizes. "Oops I forgot about this one." Yes, so did I. We forget the pain when we're done because it feels so good to be outside.

Today our hike starts at Gunung Batu (Stone Mountain).

Valleys sprawl on both sides of the jutting rock. A city is on one side, while lush valleys lie on the other. A sign marks the overlapping plates in the earth's crust that created the landmark,

There's a monument at the top. When we started coming here 6 years ago, there was a mud trail and a great view. Now there are flags, a go-cart track, fences to keep tourists from falling off the side (literally - it's a few steps to the cliff), plaques, and more. It's not an improvement.

Rainy season has made it too slippery for our usual steep descent. For the first time, we backtrack and walk around the base of the hill, seeing the mountain base on the other side of our ascent. On the far side of the valley, farmers have planted vegetables under long plastic covers.

Along the road, workmen with cigarettes and pickaxes are digging a drainage trench. Further up the hill, others are lining the ditch with mortared brick walls that will be covered with cement. The way it rains here, excess water will overflow as soon as it's sealed off from the ground. Milder rainfall will be channeled away from the road though.

It's a tradition to take pictures along the way.

No matter where we look, this is an amazing landscape.

When we finish the walk, we have to wait for a walker who got lost. The paths are overgrown with grasses and prickly branches. Around here, hiking groups have strict rules about staying in sight of the person in front of you. There are so many trails that it's easy to get lost. It's a relief when we arrive at the end together, with everyone intact. 

We pose one more time with the Maj apartment in the distance. It sits empty, years after it was built without proper engineering or permits. One good shake during an earthquake, and we expect it to tumble onto its neighbors.

We like to support members of the walking group. Two of our friends are retired math researchers who own a modern art gallery. Lawangwangi has a special place in our memories. It was the first place our friends took W and me in Bandung 9 years ago.We got lost in the dark during a downpour and drove into the gallery's driveway to seek directions. Instead, we discovered a beautiful space filled with paintings and sculptures.

The road hasn't improved much. But at least this time we know where we are. At the gallery, I order mutton stew. It's delicious. To our surprise, Dr. Aan treats the group to lunch. Wow. We'll be back.

The long table overlooks the valleys below.

The dining room is like a jewelbox set atop the mountain.

The views are spectacular.

The paintings and sculptures inside are modern and creative. I especially like this one, painted, fired, and etched on metal. It glows under the gallery lights. I'd buy it if I could afford it.

There are optical illusions and other unbelievable pieces. One huge portrait is made entirely  of fishing nets. Another is so realistic that it looks like a photograph until you come close and see the oil brushstrokes. Another scenic landscape is outlined in old Japanese calligraphic text.

And everywhere we look, there's humor, like this 1-meter wall hanging. Who thinks of these things? Artists do.

Outside, even the plant life is striking.

We walk the bridge over the valley. Looking back, the windows glow with glass paintings.

Before we leave, I snap a picture of life-sized garden sculptures.

At home, we shower and change into clean clothes. When I wander into the kitchen, IbuA has been busy with Christmas baking. By the time she leaves, the counters are full of cookies. Once the icing dries, I pack them into Tupperware boxes, ready to take to the office in the morning.

Someone picked a bowl of berries and Ibu A asks if we want a crumble. I say sure, "but take half home for your family." She does.

And IbuS has baked pretzel buns, which we eat for supper with a slice of cheese and a dill pickle.

W's back in class tonight until 10pm. We hope to sleep deeply. Hurrah, I have no night meetings tonight.

Read more:

*Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7-9

*Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places, and replanted that which was desolate. Ezekiel 36:36

*Among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:20-21

*Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for God who has promised is faithful. Hebrew 10:23

Moravian Prayer: Loving Lord, we praise you for sewing your believers together in unity; a love which is big enough to let go of uniformity. Thank you for celebrating our uniqueness, and may we more closely follow your example of sufficient love. Amen.