Tea party traditions and obstacle courses

Every family creates its own traditions. Some are memorable. Some are cultural norms and no one thinks much about them.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

After 8:00, W's in the car and on his way to a meeting.  Some years I have more errands than he, but this year he's gone every day. One of these days, I have to book the car for my errands and meetings. We count on this annual home-assignment to keep our driving skills sharp.

The kids, Melissa, and I head into the neighborhood for a short walk. With people at work and kids in school, the streets are empty.

The kids are riding bikes. They pace us or fly ahead on the 2-mile stroll. We borrow books from a Little Free Library - will exchange them with others we've read. In our Indonesian neighborhood, Dr Wuri and I set up the first Indonesian LFL but hardly anyone reads there. And maybe they don't understand that the books are really free for the taking?

The maples are loaded with helicopter seeds above our heads.

The kids have set up an obstacle course on the gravel walkway to our door. Levi races his tractor down the slope, pedaling and steering around rocks and logs, and shooting onto the forest path. His little sis hangs on for dear life behind him.

Back inside, the hardest part of the day is waiting for the kettle to boil. The Zojirushi pot has been going strong for over a decade. I decide on a 20 oz mug that makes the wait worthwhile. I steep Randy Martin's recommended Boh Gold Cameron tea (available in Malaysia). Randy, you knew what you were talking about!

Tea party anyone? I set the tea tray out in the morning so I can nap before the kids come down. They picked the flowers in the woods the other day. 

I tuck the corners under in the LR: the old Karastan rug edges are frayed and its fringe almost gone. It still is one of the prettiest patterns in the flat.

Last night I cleared out the dining room. Our mail is processed, boxes are unpacked, and suitcases are filling up for our return trip. W helps me put down the rugs we moved out of the LR. It's a relief to work and sip tea at a clean table!

I love the 4'X4' 3-D painting by Marianne Maksirisombat, purchased after her art show at Northwest University in (?)2008. When you find a piece you like, it stays current.

The flat feels cozier as we set out traditional items - everything has a history for me. Dad filled the teal-and-gold vase with roses for Mom for their 25th anniversary. They found the Russian figurine at an antique store. The bone china trays were a gift from my favorite auntie and uncle (Molly and Erich). My Wedgwood teapot and plate were in boxes I stored at my parents' house when we moved to Indonesia. (Who knew if we'd stay or return?)

I expect our kids will jettison everything when we're gone but we enjoy them for now.

Since W is away, I make a lunch I love. It's delicious to the last Brussel sprout and the last TJ Chicken Gyosa, sprinkled with soy sauce.

Mind you, I follow up the healthy meal with one of Keelee McGee's Blackbottom Cupcakes. (Chocolate, cheesecake, walnuts - and it's eggless.) Get in touch with her if you want her to make you some.

Tea party is so much fun.

An Indonesian friend has asked me to bring her some maple leaves from Seattle, but they're stunted and not vibrant this year due to the extended drought.

Wednesday

I'm off to the Lake Forest Commons in the morning. Friends join the conversation. 

Lydia Harris shares her wonderful book: it's packed with recipes, questions, and explorations grandparents can do with their grandchildren.

I'm off to do some shopping. It's a treat to be alone, to drive independently. Ordinary things that we take for granted here don't happen in Indonesia. Our driver buzzes down the roads to a pre-determined destination. There's no slow browsing and turning into this parking lot or that shop as we go by. 

So I don't go out much just to explore. Here, I take my time and it's a much-appreciated soul-refresher.

Thursday

While our friends take the dogs hiking in Bandung, W and I go for lunch with friends Jessa and Lucien.

Since we're close to the clearance stores, we stop in on the way home for a few pairs of shoes (60% off clearance @Nordstrom Rack.) Part of our annual ritual is replacing things that wear out on the rough streets and in the tropical climate of our city.

I called my mom in the morning but when we get home there's bad news. She's sitting a wheelchair in the waiting room of Chilliwack Hospital's emergency. She wrenched her back pruning roses yesterday and they're trying to find out why she is in such pain. She won't sit still at home so it's gotten worse.

We chat on my brother's phone - what a trooper he is. He expects they may be there until midnight. The room is full of people waiting to see a doctor. Prayers are appreciated!

Read more:

*The Lord will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber. Psalm 121:3 NIV

*Our Lord Jesus Christ will also strengthen you to the end. 1 Corinthians 1:7-8

*There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6

Moravian Prayer: Guide our feet, Lord, while we run the race set before us. Help us to always trust in you, knowing that, even in the most difficult times, you will not let us stumble. Grant us the strength to move forward today and every day. Amen.

Warmer than expected

A home assignment means many miles on the road. We barely land before we spend a few days visiting our moms in Canada. We have some partner meetings while we're there, and W has a theology Q&A lunch with some businessmen.

My mom is sorting and clearing out things she no longer needs. We pare down one collection but there's more. The house is a record of travels by my parents and by me until about 30 years ago. North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia ... it's on the shelves.

I took my souvenir spoons to Mom's when we moved but now we can't remember who had which ones. Mom chooses first and I take the rest with me.

Everything my brothers or their families might want gets run past them via text and pics. They claim very little and label their choices with their names.

Friends come to take away the last violins and cases from Dad's workshop. Thanks, Tom and Kristin, for driving all this way to get them! The violins will be sent to an Indonesian orphanage with a group in October. Our family is thrilled and Dad would have been delighted. He loved kids and violins, in that order. Mom's just happy to have the stuff out of the sauna.

The morning sunrises are accompanied by cool air. Later in the day, everything warms up as though it's the middle of summer. By now it's quite frigid. (But not that year. And not this year either.)

I remember swimming in Cultus Lake until Sept 25 as a teenager. Whew, that was a hot year as well. Cultus is fed by mountain runoff and glaciers. The sun warms its surface in mid-summer, but it quickly cools back down in autumn as nights get longer and temperatures drop.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

The sunsets are beautiful - we do 2 walks a day so we catch morning and evening glories.

Mom's fridge holds many memories.

After breakfast and a hug goodbye, we drop by to say hello to W's mom in Langley. Then we're on the way home. 

We have lunch with Doris in Ferndale. She's been a friend since 40 years ago. Her newly-yellow sunroom is cheerful. What a joy that will be in the gloomy Pacific NW winters!

Her roses smell like heaven wrapped in velvet petals.

The freeway seems empty after the congestion of Indonesian highways.

I spend most of the afternoon and evening at home contacting people and sorting things. We put souvenir teaspoons on the table and take pictures for the family. Kirsten chooses some and others ask me to put aside their favorites.

The grandkids choose one each for our tea parties: "A butterfly for me," "a spaceship for me," and "so pretty." Those will become part of our tea tradition as soon the dining table is cleared of the serger and various boxes. Mail and packages are waiting when we arrive in the USA so it takes a week to pack things into suitcases and go through the mail.

Thursday

I open the door to the fresh air. Our grands use the whole yard, including the forest. Look at the trails they've made, a few feet from our back door. MissK is the leader for their adventures.

W's purchases M&Ms in American colors. I put some in a bowl and savor each one. I like the combinations of colors and eat them in different orders to enjoy the changing palette. (You do that too?)

Thursday

W needs to replace the screen on his laptop. He's been working with a clumsy old desktop for months. The manager of the Apple Store is a former student and takes good care of him.

I enjoy the plantings around the Alderwood Mall. It takes 15 minutes to walk through the mall: there's not much of interest since we live in the textile center of Indonesia. I don't want to drag back what I can buy cheaper in a factory outlet at home.

I'm staggered by the abundance of stuff, though shops are leaner than before. There are not many customers, either.

Is there anything more fun than watching the grandkids learn something new? Not for Oma and Opa! 

The day we arrived, W went to jujitsu practice while I collapsed in a weary heap. (Unlike him, I rarely sleep upright on the planes. If there are a few empty seats where I can lie down, that's a different story.)

Tonight, while he's meeting with partners, I get to go. Little Mack gets her first jujitsu uniform. Hurrah. It's fun to see the kids play together.

Friday

We wake at 5:00 and by 5:45 are on the road to Portland to pick up the work and media gear for Bandung. We shop for small gifts and items we can't get in Indonesia. We were craving Mexican food but lunch is indifferent: street tacos with cold overcooked meat and hard, dry, "soft" flour tortillas. Disappointing.

But the Vietnamese supper? Delicious! W enjoys his bun (cold noodle salad.)

And I sigh with pleasure over my Pho (hot beef noodle soup with basil, bean sprouts, and sliced jalepeno.) Sometimes I crave the anise-flavored broth.

We browse the aisles of a huge Indian grocer - oh the spices and beans and grains we'd buy if we lived here!

Sierra Trading Post has supplied most of our wardrobe for the last ten years. Today I find replacements for the trousers I tore on a rattan swing in Bali ... and find comfy Merrill shoes (kids' department, but in my size) at 80% off.

We spot the SOS pads requested by the helper for scrubbing pots. They're 10@$10 on Amazon or $1.25 at Dollar Tree. I dislike shopping so the day wears us out.

We save money by staying overnight in a Motel 6. The room, with vinyl floors and outdoor hallways creeps me out. It's clean but stinks of smoke, and it has a tub (re-washed before a bath, of course.) We sleep in, dead to the world as jet lag starts to wane.

Saturday

W begins to transfer data and set up his IT gear. We eat brunch at Gigi's Cafe: avocado toast for me.

W has biscuits and gravy.

We make a few more stops on the way back to Seattle. The freeways seem empty after the congestion of Indonesian highways. And people drive between the lines and stay (mostly) in their lanes.

First, we say hi to former coworkers and dear friends. TJ was alumni director before I was. Though her health is declining, her spirit is as fresh and young as ever. And Harry, our beloved prayer partner, is warm and welcoming.

Then we drop by the new-to-us home of W's former boss Dan and our coworker Sharon. They look younger than ever in the home they've made their own. I like house tours and this one is packed with good ideas. Dinner is delivered while we chat - it's a senior's neighborhood with lots of amenities. But I forget to take pictures.

In the evening, we're guests at The Table in Federal Way, a new faith community in The Commons Mall. The theme today is "All Nations" so of course it starts with food. There are Mexican, Pakistani, and other dishes. Yum!

We feel at home right away with Swahili, Spanish, and other languages spoken. It's like BIC ... far away from home. Two exchange students from Brazil and Italy say hi and pause for selfies.

It's a fun surprise to meet my former boss and his wife there. They're hard at work, as they always are in a faith community.

Ps Beth has lived across the northern states, Don lives in Argentina, and we live in Indonesia. Beth sets up the conversation about where, when, and to whom the Good News of Jesus is good news. At prayer afterward, there are many responses.

We get home and unpack, falling into bed before midnight.

Sunday

I cut and dye my hair before we enjoy BIC Online led by Ps Darrel and Dr. Gail. Melissa makes a big steak dinner, complete with KFC chicken and side dishes. Too much food!

After lunch, granddaughter Kinsey and I walk through the forest on our acre, up across the creek to the back property line. "This is all ours? We can play here, too?" I tell her she has to ask her mom and dad. The grands use the backyard in ways I dreamed our own kids would. (Our kids didn't like being outdoors; they stayed indoors unless I shooed them out.)

The grands have built forts and tunnels, paths and bridges under the shade of the towering conifers. This dry year, there is little undergrowth and there are almost no ferns or nettles. It is strange to see the bare ground where there are usually lush waist-high greens. Normally it's hard to traverse but Kinsey and I walk easily in the soft brown mulch of needles and fallen leaves.

In the evening, the kids are all excited: they've found a deer antler. "We'll look for the other one when we're in the woods again," they exclaim. Deer, raccoons, coyotes, and other creatures roam the forest valley. Squirrels scold those with the nerve to trespass on their territory.

Flashback: I found a Karastan rug (11' X 17' or 3.6 X 5.6 meters) 30 years ago at a driveway yard sale. It was worn but still vibrant. I sent it for cleaning and liked it enough to design the upstairs living room around it. Its 8 colors went onto the design page before we built our house: everything we purchased had to harmonize with it.

When we were finishing out the basement suite, I used its proportions to lay out the walls and storage. We removed the rug when we moved away 8 years ago and put down bamboo mats. 

Today: W and Timo pull it down from its rafter storage. It takes W and me a few hours to move the furniture, vacuum the crumbling underlay, and lay the carpet back down and put a skin on top. The room goes back to a softer eclectic look. What a difference a floor makes. (Nothing else changes.) I'm happy to see its deep colors again.

Monday

We're up early, preparing a full week of meetings. We walk a scant 2 miles around the neighborhood. Our driveway and street are a steep hill so that gets the heart pumping. Since the house is in the forest and we have few windows in the flat, the sunshine is welcome.

On the street, giveaways include 2 good patio chairs, complete with cushions. There's a folding little dog crate and a big bag of barbecue tools. We pass a box of books, too. We all have too much.

W's out the door to 3 appointments before 10:00. Today's my day to ! put things away ! Planning on clearing my office of stuff that's accumulated over the years.

Read more:

*Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. Jeremiah 31:18 NIV

*Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” John 20:27

Moravian Prayer: Restoring God, source of harmony, we praise you! Every time we walk away from you, you invite us back with open arms. Keep us constant in our faith, we pray. Help us not to stray, but to obey your compassionate call. Amen.