Digging up the lawn, 68 more legs, and a march through the vegetables

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

No language school today. W and I take the dogs for a walk, return them to the house, and walk to our weekly date breakfast. They're fixing the lawn that gets the worst wear. (There's little drainage in the common area.) The dirt gets chopped into big chunks with a mattock and then beaten into smaller clumps. Some strong thin Indonesians haul tools and gravel down the hill.

Our team meeting is hybrid. Those in person enjoy a good cake from Paulina and Rudi.

ChaCha comes for lunch and a few cookies. The last Christmas tree, which gets wrapped and put away with decorations intact, leaves our bedroom table to be stored away. We'll miss the soft light in the evenings. We are officially Christmas-decor-free.

W and PakG head out for the remaining pieces of table and chairs (68 legs, total!)

"Ibu, your house is full!" exclaim the helpers when the furniture shows up. "Where will you put that?

I acquire what feels right at the time. Remember the TV trays from "the olden days?" This will have the same function; it comes apart in 8 rounds and a center circle.

Indonesians are clever craftsmen. When you take the round table apart, you get a lot of small tables for a laptop or a plate.

A friend likes this patio set so we send it over to her place.

The white table from outside becomes an entry table.

As I settle into the morning, these bullet journal questions capture my attention. They're designed for times of overwhelm or confusion. At the beginning of the year, many encourage journaling. It's fun to see "embrace inconsistency" on one. (Lost the source, sorry!)

Yup, inconsistent blurts would describe my journals. They are my ongoing "wild and mean" books. I write what won't find the light of day otherwise: processes and annoyances, as well as hopes and dreams. Hopefully someone burns my journals when I die rather than reading them. I've been writing (off and on) in the latest fat book for almost a year.

Juno is an efficient small-animal killer. Today she captures and plays with a sparrow who tried to pick up some dog food. She's quick, efficient, and her mouth is as gentle as a retriever. She takes her time to play with the little bird on her way to the backyard, where she tosses it into the compost. We have less birds trying to steal from the dog dishes since she came.

Thursday 

We're on a new hike through the vegetable fields that cling to the volcanic hillsides.

Someone finds an empty can of Roundup, a toxic weed-killer. Oh boy, that's not healthy.

The fields are laid out in rows under plastic, with bamboo stakes carrying the taller crops upward.

Lunch at IP Farms is good - it's an organic farm so they use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. Today it's windy so there are less flies than usual, which is nice.

When we get home, the helpers have made 4 kinds of cookies.

We exhausted the supply of 6000 cookies eaten or given away during the Christmas season. (And I don't even really like cookies ...)

Friday

On our porch, the hoya continues to bloom and scent the whole porch.

After a morning walk and several calls, I remember that we bought silk flowers on a trip to the Philippine, @50-90% off (of course). Using them will save us money on hall flowers. So I find them in a cabinet and spread them out on the nook table.

There are many colors to choose from.

I put a two bouquets and a few green stems into a dry vase, along with grass plucked on our walk. To finish off, we tuck 2 palm twigs on either side. Odd, but it works. I'll look at it again Sunday morning.

I drape a few silk sprigs on a warped piece of wood. Pretty.

The living rooms slips from Christmas Red -

to a quiet purple.

The bookshelves get their black boxes back.

 

The dining room becomes more restful with a blue tablecloth.

Saturday

We stroll the block and pause to watch neighborhood kids at their soccer camp. They work and play hard.

There's a new section of wall going in along the street: the rocks have been set and mortared in for one side of the gutter; the other side will be built with these little boulders.

One end of the new "tall wall" (9' at the far end, 8' here) is an interesting project.

I poke my head through the scaffolding to see how it has evolved from foundation to top course. Every day, there are more rocks, more sand for mortar, and men crawling beside and atop to build it. It's quite amazing. And almost finished.

What are you building at the start of the New Year?

Read more:

*Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

*Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not respond according to the benefit done to him for his heart was proud. 2 Chronicles 32:24-25

*God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5

Moravian Prayer: Give us humble hearts, gracious God, that we may see the world as you desire it to be and that we might know our place in it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.