Advent Week 2: Three "Before and After"-s

Friday, December 1, 2022

December?!

I'm happy to be in rainy season in the tropics. I pull the hose over to the big pot, which got a coat of hideous brick-red yesterday. 

It has water in the bottom from the heavy rain last night but it takes almost an hour to fill. We let it overflow for a few minutes to drain out the gunk. It heeds 24 hours to off-gas the chlorine before we add fish.

My home office desk is the dumping ground. There are teaching supplies (left by a volunteer), Christmas supplies (brought home from IES), gift boxes and White Elephant gifts (waiting for wrapping), tea - and the usual office supplies. I move enough stuff so that I can see its surface again.

We have a lunch appointment with friends at Pipin's restaurant. The streets are worth touring just for what you see. Look at this little pickup, heaped high.

Lest there not be enough on top, workers pile on more.

We have to drop off a dehumidifier for repair. The covered building supply mall has a whole section of up-and-down: 2 escalators going up one or two storeys; stairs up to the first storey and others to the second storey; and stairs to the ground floor /basement.

At the restaurant, the company is good.

So is the coconut and fruit drink.

I don't try the papaya blossom dish because it smells of the dry salty fish I avoid.

W likes the green mango salad, along with his creamy ginger drink. We split 2 kinds of ribs.

There are many kinds of spicy sauces for those who like that.

Historical homes in Bandung are usually Dutch style. Their tall ceilings wick away hot air. The plaster walls could be from Europe. The yards ae manicured and driveways are paved. Overhead, the wires and cables give away our location (= not Europe.) 

People rent costumes to raise money (begging).

They walk between cars, looking for donations.

Later, we clean the fishbowls on the porch and edit the talks for the weeks ahead. And there's writing. Always writing. By 4:00 p.m., the lightning and thunder storm has started. IbuS has baked pretzel bread buns so we have those for supper, along with leftovers. That warms our tummies as the wind kicks across the hills.

Saturday

It's time. The fish are lifted out of their pail to swim in the new pond. The waterlily leaves grow 8"taller to reach the surface in less than 24 hours.

My office tank is emptied into another pot in the garden. The good thing about keeping tropical fish in the tropics is that you need no lights, filters, or heaters. Put water and plants into a container and you're done.

I eat breakfast, make calls, and write on the breezy porch overlooking the garden.

W has one meeting instead of 3 so we have time to walk the neighborhood loop together. At the hall, the bulletin board needs an update. It's a simple 1-2-3 renovation.

1. Pull off old papers that are peeling and drooping off the board. Toss.

2. Start anew. The paper sheets in the office are "less-than-1/4" size. No wonder they were inexpensive! The size determines the pattern. There's an old Christmas sign, too.

3. In the afternoon, I walk over to finish the board. Our bag of ornament "leftovers" offers limited choices. It takes a few minutes: I find a bit of batting, scraps of tinsel garland, a holly loop I don't bother to straighten, some branches, and 6 ornaments. That's enough.

Speaking of upgrades: the fading wall in the hall gets repainted to match the other end of the room. Thanks, JP and Maddie! Before:

After:

We bought silk Christmas flowers yesterday. A bit of "real" foliage could perk them up so I break 2 stems from a garden shrub and put them into a glass inside the vase, along with some grass seeds plucked on our morning walk.

Read more:

*Jacob said, “Come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3

*He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Isaiah 40:29

*Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

*Give thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything. Ephesians 5:20

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly Creator, we thank you for your faithfulness. You have blessed us richly in ways which are seen and unseen. Thank you for your presence in our lives, through your Holy Spirit. 

Great Provider, you give strength in weakness, you feed us with life, and you refresh us with your love. Help us to use the provisions you give to continue your work in your world. Amen.