Tea, cookies, brunch, wedding ... a week with people and food

 Friday, December 16, 2022

Someone at the book group last week left their glasses behind ... but I don't hear from the owner. What to do with them?

Here's a typical morning scene as we walk our neighborhood loop. Walkers, sweepers, people who carry heavy burdens, and gardeners/security guys.

Several young families are arriving in the next months. We know some of them but not others. Some may stay with us while they search for housing. One house nearby has been maintained and looks good. (Don't judge the metal gate. The tropics are HARD on everything.)

The paper lanterns on the porch have completely faded and I consider replacing them. Except that I remember various colors of motorcycle paint from another project. A quick spray, holding a discarded box behind the spinning globes to catch the paint ... and they're bright as ever. 

The heaviest chore of the day is bringing home a restaurant case a friend is shedding. It's beastly hundred pounds or more and awkward. W rents a pickup and a few guys to bring it across town and unload it in our storage room. $13 includes the truck and tips for the workers. It's as tall as I am. We fill it with food containers, small appliances, and vases. The dining room hutch and kitchen cabinets feel more spacious when we're done.

Saturday

Chacha and I meet for brunch at Miss Bee.

We stroll around the corner to the craft and food bazaar at Green Gate. There are 22 vendors, including an artist who sells paintings on the street. 

We bought a few pieces from him over the years for gifts. This 2'X3' one hangs upstairs. 

The bazaar is buzzing.

At home, the lights are on, the house is temporarily quiet, and I'm ready for a snooze.

The termites are doing a number on the nook ceiling - chunks fall down on the shelves and there are piles on the floor. W sprays poison on the holes in the wood. I rearrange things on the shelves after cleaning. So much for a nap ...

Laural swings by for tea and cookies. She's good company. The dogs are delighted to be petted and stroked - they love her, too.

She's on her way home before the afternoon thunderstorms strike. I watch our friends' wedding online. Jamie is a good preacher; I enjoy the ceremony from a distance.

Sunday - 4th Sunday of Advent

We love the morning gathering, enjoying the carols and company. As always there are new people visiting - IES serves all English speakers. After lunch, we work until nightfall and toss ourselves into bed with a happy sigh.

Monday

Alice, IbuS and IbuA pack 170 bags of cookies. Most will be distributed on Thursday but a few land here and there today as friendship packs and thank-you in this final Advent week.

The fridges empty out - every possible space had cookies in it! until now. Now the counters and 2 big boxes are filled with finished bags. They look really pretty with Angie's graphics and the morning's careful work.

Afterward, the ibu-ibu show me the empty boxes. And more empty boxes. They've packed almost 3500 cookies into the bags.

"No more baking for a while, please!" they say. (It feels a little like asking a mom who's just given birth if she wants more kids.) We have just enough cookies left over for Christmas festivities.

My own task is to respond to questions to global partners. By the time I'm done, we have 6 pages of answers. They are detailed, but we want to be honest and forthright about how we are meeting our goals and how that fits into their non-profit vision.

Then we edit the Lessons and Carol booklet for Christmas Eve. I update it with current information. W spends hours moving things on the page to please his eye. Angie makes our work look better with graphics and readies it for printing. A great team ...

So far, on my to-do list before Friday? Prepare for the Christmas events and write 2 monthly newsletters. Sounds doable, right?

Read more:

*O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. Psalm 139:1-2

*For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

*In him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28

Moravian Prayer: God of compassion, you carry us as we journey through this life. You even know our thoughts before we do. Forgive us for our bad thoughts, and guide us through our good ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen.