3 things plus one: Good Things Take Time

Those who know me well understand how much I value the creativity of others. This weekend, Eki and Lyong leave behind two little treasures, sketches of the house.  Eki sits in the driveway with a watercolor brush, paints, and good paper.

1. Everyone sees the world from their unique vantage. You can't force someone to agree with you. But you can invite them in, like Eki's sketches do, to see things from a new point of view.

Friday, February 25, 2022

It's a gloomy season with winds whipping up the valley. I sit in the shade of the porch roof when I work from home. This morning, I attend 3 online meetings back to back (7:00-12:00). My eyes and brain are tired. Looking at nature helps. So do endless cups of tea.

W and I eat lunch and I steal a quick nap before another meeting at 1:00. This one is in person and especially fun, a dissertation consultation about a project based in Indonesia. 

2. Even the smallest things may be worth a second look. To stretch my legs, I wander around the yard. The weed seeds have sprouted into 2' high plants (and growing), with pretty peppermint flowers

We're happy to welcome Eki and Lyong for the weekend. We eat a few meals out with them. I have to learn to cook rice! I don't make it to the satisfaction of locals. Too wet. To dry. Not done. Not washed well enough. You name it. 

Several of IbuA's meals lie in the freezer. For Indonesians, they're best eaten with rice. On our own, W and I would enjoy them with pasta, crepes, or potatoes.

To prevent a rice fiasco (yup, been there!), we walk to #NaraPark. We order pizza and a few other items to share, but W's bento box looks especially delicious.

Trees and other plants grow quickly - this is the view from our house when we moved in 7 years ago.

After a hard pruning, the trees are shorter. and the wall is stripped back. Cutting the huge benjamina ficus to it trunk and bare branches reopens sight-lines to Dago. What you can't see is the deep river valley between us and the mountain on the horizon.

"I suddenly have a view!" says Melvina from the upper balcony. The neighbors on our left have sunshine on their porch again, too. M's sick this week with a fever, sore throat, fatigue. Omicron? Who knows. The number of infections is high but few people bother with a doctor unless they're emergency cases. Everyone will probably get it at some point.

Saturday

One morning meeting is cancelled due to illness. The neighborhoods are full of sick people; we thank God for health, though we caught the first wave of COVID last year.

Our guests are in town for a family wedding day. They invite mutual friends Josh and Clau to stand in as representative "parents." (We're the grandparents and old people stay home.) PakG drops the young people at the wedding venue down the hill. Then he buzzes to the next city to get J&C: their car is in the shop for repairs.

As usual, the wedding couple and guests look smashing.

"I hardly recognized my nephew and his bride!" Eki exclaims. It's customary for a bride to be made up as beautifully as any film star. Eki and his sis enjoy the venue, gathering ideas for their own future from the beautiful decor.

When they return, they spend a quiet afternoon and evening. I make a German supper at home: sausages, veggies, and fresh-baked bread buns.

3. The unexpected is sometimes the most fun. W and I split one of the macaroons Clau sends over. The coffee flavor is indescribably light and enak (delicious).

Sunday

At 7:00, we walk over to #PinoTerrace for breakfast with our guests.

Back home, BIC is still online. The weather is overcast. It's windy on the porch as we watch the gathering. There are only spatters and sprinkles until 11:00, when the downpour starts.

Our guests head out about that time, waiting for a pause between showers before running to the taxi.

Daylilies are strewn on the grass.

The water hyacinths poke periwinkle-topped stems above the water. Pantone says periwinkle is the "color of the year" = imagine that, trendy blooms in our backyard!

Further over, the water lilies flourish. 4 of the new goldfish are dead, since Friday. Both little catfish go belly-up as well. Something in the water doesn't agree with them. Is it the city water that tops up the ponds? (Often iffy.) Maybe the finish on that old bathtub is wearing off? Next time we clean that tub out completely, we'll check. Meanwhile, the tadpoles flourish.

Monday

It's time to make sure newsletters are scheduled and create 4 videos for March. How can we be headed for the third month of the year already? I feel so bad for not hosting more events - BIC and otherwise - until I hear who's sick and who's doing ok. Stay home, people. Let's get this over with.

A young friend drops by in late afternoon. We sit on the porch for conversation, tea, and the donuts she's brought over. Sweetness all around.

And a bonus idea: take your time to work with what is in front of you. This face needs more glazes but slowly it is emerging on the repurposed canvas. It started as a quick sketch with a sharpee marker.

Art seems to find its own life if you wander through it with no specific mood or goal in mind. Anything can happen - and might still. I am waiting for what's next. Is it time to paint feathers on the hat? Maybe even a peacock feather or two ...

Up close, she's far more interesting. My hope is to quit when she's done.

Tuesday

Every Tuesday is "change the bedding" day. The mattress, new when we came, is still hanging on. Some sheets fit better than others: this one, on the small side, barely covers the mattress. Bedding is ironed after it line-dries to chase away bugs and other unwelcome hitchhikers. We don't have a clothes dryer: everything is hung on a line or rack, where it dries pretty much in the same amount of time as a dryer.

The team meets online as a team again. Meanwhile, our friend Kristi has made it across the Pacific Ocean and into her Jakarta quarantine hotel. She arrives in Bandung tomorrow or the next day. You'll meet her soon.

Just before lunch, I run errands on the next hill. Our destination is one mile away as the crow flies; 2.7 miles on winding mountain roads, and takes 20 minutes to drive. I pick up second-hand kombucha bottles on the way over to check out a piano.

The tropics are hard on instruments. When I open the top of the piano and take off the front, I spot a few felt ties that have broken off their hammers. The base clip is rusted shut. Termite frass is scattered on the floor under the keyboard. It's not a bad instrument, but better for early learners than for me. It won't hold up to the wear and tear of performance-level music. Back to my electronic keyboard. (= Uninspiring.)

I forget my credit card and pay for the eggs, onions, raw chicken, and vegetables with the rupiah in the back of my phone. Whew. Just enough.

The week hasn't gone as expected so far. We have gotten a lot of work done, enjoyed the company of young friends, and had a few short nights of sleep. I'm tired - and ready for a nap. You?

A question for you as you "let go" on your side of the world ... "In what ways might you learn more (and how might life be more interesting) if you didn't have to control things as they unfold?"

Read more:

*The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1

*Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Moravian Prayer: Jehovah God, light of all light, who shines through darkness and makes the night as day, transform us into vessels of light, walking toward you and dispelling all darkness. May all see your light and know the salvation that comes only through the blood of Jesus Christ! May all glory be yours, in his majestic name. Amen.

Have a little compassion

 Monday, February 21, 2022

Woohoo - there's unexpected bonus time with the cancellation of 2 meetings. I suddenly have a few hours to write newsletters for the coming month. The day flies by. 

Every day, we hear the swish-swish of brooms, morning and afternoon. If you leave a house for any time at all, downed trees, dead leaves, and rampantly-growing weeds obscure the pavement. And before long, the roof falls in as the wooden rafters are eaten by termites.

After just a few months, the house starts to disappear into the overgrowth.

Taking a break, I check the 2 remaining fish ponds next door. The old picture frame party shades the water on one, but it needs cleaning. There's no way I'm cleaning another pond.

What cleans water? Plants. We have water hyacinths galore in our back bathtubs. Last week I thinned them out and tossed them into the pond from the abandoned porch 5 meters away. Score! (Snakes are taking over the yard as the grass grows. If I want to get close to the pond, I beat the grass with bullrushes.)

Today, those hyacinths are thriving. They've begun to shade the pond. The pond's fish boiled in the noonday sun after we took out a huge lotus plant that was shading the water. Reset, restart. Now the water looks good - clear and cool. I'll restock it soon from our aquariums to keep the mosquitoes under control.

A friend drops off his cap and gown from graduation in Singapore a while back. Someone else can use it for a play or ? Odd resources may not have a destination when they arrive. But they always find a new home.

Oh look, political posters posted on a roadside tree, nailed at the top and kept from flapping by the stone tied underneath. The wind can be very strong on the hill.

Outside our gate, the palm berries hang on their silvery stems again.

A blanket has disappeared from the house. Once in a while, things get put away and go missing. Hopefully it shows up soon.

We're sending Lenton readings for small groups connected to the BIC community. A group of women starts to take shape around me. Others start forming their own groups. Can't wait for everyone's takeaways.

Bailey takes it easy after his walk. He loves his snoozes. The other dogs rest nearby.

Tuesday

When the alarm goes off, I'm already awake and ready. The 3:00 a.m meeting is worth the missed sleep. Some of the leaders in this cohort serve internationally; some are in the States. We discuss the "Berry Bucket" theory of eager adapters, resisters, and those who fall between. Leaders must empower all kinds of people, especially during change so we have a lot of ideas to share.

Later in the morning, our team celebrates the wins of the past months. We're still meeting online.

The yard man is sick and doesn't come today. Many others in his neighborhood have Omicron, which has arrived in force. The plants he pruned last week create a gap hole in our green wall. They'll grow back in no time.

Wednesday

It's our weekly date morning. Restaurants offer specials with flavors that Westerners wouldn't normally put together. It's always fun to try new things. I pass on this though - it's too early for pizza, even with white sauce and blueberry toppings.

W likes extra sauce and fatty foods. This morning, he orders soft bread buns with beef sausage, slathered with mayonnaise. I can hardly stand the sight of it but he says it tastes good.

In reality, my noodles and fried balls (shrimp and chicken) probably have similar calories. Everyone has varied tastes due to our upbringings. My mom cooked spare, healthy, and lean. That's the food I prefer. Do I snack? Yes, of course. And no, it's not always healthy.

#NaraPark is a stunning setting. We usually sit in the lower courtyard but the upstairs terrace is beautiful as well. There are 8? 10? separate restaurants who cooperate - you can order from any of them. #PinoTerrace is our favorite.

We drop by office on our way home to record videos for next week. Then W and I work from home. Sam drops by to discuss a new initiative that has us all excited.

In the afternoon, I play catch up on book reviews. I write 21 but there's a still long list of books left to read and review.

The beds are made with fresh and clean bedding. I love the freshness of line-dried linens, don't you? My mom used to hang clothing and sheets on her clothesline when the weather permitted. The smell brings back memories of childhood.

At night, the house rests.

The night lights come in the main room before we close the bedroom door for sleep.

Thursday

We don't walk due to rampant COVID in Bandung. I work from home, overlooking the side garden. W nurses his sore foot.

 I find some forgotten artwork in one of the upper rooms and display it around the house.

PakG goes down to the fish-seller's street for 2 bags of goldfish and 7 algae eaters. It's 50c per bag of 6 goldfish and 50c per 5" algae eater. The goldfish eat mosquito larvae; the algae eaters keep rotting leaves and algae to a minimum.

Some young people are coming to Bandung this weekend for a family wedding. It's a pleasure to catch up with our "kids," and something we look forward to any time we can see them.

It's a privilege to share what we have. We send baking over to a funeral today - the family will need food and snacks to host their whole neighborhood.

In what ways will you share God's generosity to you by caring for others today or this weekend?

Read more:

*Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. Psalm 112:6-9

*I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. Psalm 119:6

*Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” John 4:34

Moravian Prayer; Almighty and sovereign Lord, teach us to love in truth, and to honor and respect those around us. Through your word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, empower and enable us to love as you love, and do as you would do. Amen.

Mayonnaise on wood and KIDS DAY

Friday, February 18, 2022

The living room is transitioning from holiday reds to more restful colors for the "between season" of fall in Australia and spring in the North.

We swap the jute rug from the nook

with the living room's woven -stan country rug (Pakistan? Afghanistan? Kajikistan?)

W removes the nook furniture but we find frass on the rug. W poisons the termites chewing their way through one leg of the live-edge bench. He sprayed the other end of the bench last month and that's still clear. Apparently the war continues between him and the critters that sink their teeth into wood everywhere, whether in ceilings, furniture, or walls.

When the nook is reassembled, I put a quilt-in-progress on the Formica-Topped tables. The slick surface is ideal for crafting.

It's a match.

We rehome the jute carpet to the other side of the living room. Ugh, the ancient coffee table has white water stains under the crocheted cloth. It was left behind as a discard by IbuW, the previous owner. I slather the wood with mayonnaise, let the goop soak in for an hour, and wipe it off. Ah, not good enough.

W fetches brown shoe polish. Added to the remaining mayo grease, the wax evens out the color and glows. I wipe and polish. Wipe and polish. Not bad.

After the finish dries overnight, the books and flowers can go back on top. No "doily" tablecloth this time around. 

Could the sofa use something more neutral? Advent, Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Valentines Day have come and gone.

Years ago, I sewed a slipcover from a canvas painters drop cloth. (Thanks, Home Depot Woodinville.) IbuS fetches it from storage and stashes the red slipcover away until next Christmas.

W and I test-drive a new video screen (for relaunch and watch parties) with a movie. The old Beddinge IKEA sofa is still comfy. We enjoy popcorn made with a new hack (add a few drops of soy sauce to the butter, salt, and pinch of sugar.)

Saturday

The neighbor's flowerbed boasts 3 colors as we walk by early in the morning.

A stroll around our own yard yields a little bouquet for over the washroom sink.

We can't attend the wedding of our dear "movie night" daughter, Ratih. So Bella, her sister at heart, sends us this wonderful photo of the two of them on Ratih and Faruq's special day. 

Aren't they gorgeous? There's clowning around on selfies, as always. We miss these two - but what a joy to watch them grow up into their adult responsibilities. Be well - be blessed - be full of love and kindness, is our prayer for the new couple and all who celebrated with them.

Sunday

We're online with KIDS DAY today. BIC children and a few older helpers read and act out the scriptures for BIC Online. Recruited by Leo and filmed by Kat, they lead the community through Ezra and Nehemiah. Check it out! (Their video starts at 25:00.) Way to go!

I stuck my head into the empty hall this week and was reminded of how much we miss everyone.

Soon. We pray that we can meet in person soon. Omicron is going through Indonesia like a freight train. If global trends hold here, we'll be done in a month or so. Praying that everyone stays healthy - or recovers quickly and completely.

Read more:

*Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

*Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 63:5-8

*Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing – grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. Joel 2:12-14

*We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. 1 John 5:20

Moravian Prayer: O holy God, we can know wisdom and truth as it comes only from you. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for opening our eyes and hearts to the truth that will set us free. May you be glorified. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.