Movie night question and pruning

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023

Movie night gets a late start - usually pemuda (18-25yr olds) and others line the porch before starting time. Today they wander in until after 7:00 so supper is slightly delayed. We live in jam karet or stretch time, Indonesian-style. (For people who prefer lukewarm food, that's how to arrange it. hehe)

The line for supper stretches to the kitchen from the porch.

The movie is Groundhog Day and the question is: "Who lives the day over and over again?" Most people answer: "Phil Collins, the weatherman who wakes up on the same day until he gets it right."

But actually, W points out that it's the others who are unaware. Collins wakes up to a new experience each morning, They are reacting to who he is becoming. So the second half of the discussion is: "In what ways could you change yourself to make the life of others better?"

W sets up 2 projectors side by side, living room and porch. It's wonderful to see the regulars as well as newcomers.

Thursday

I never want to walk after movie night. But it feels good once we're in the fresh air. On the way up to the trail, we spot a small flock of goats along the street.

In the tea fields, workers are cutting and collecting tea leaves into plastic bags. Those are picked up later in the day by the tea factory.

Can you spot the three walkers lagging behind as the path wends through the fields?

Two guys on a motorcycle carry a tea saw out of the fields. (Sorry, it's hard to see with the white SUV behind it) It looks like a long fan blade and is pulled across the tops of the bushes. Tarps catch the leaves as they fall.

We stay out of the forest for the most part: it's just too dangerous in the high winds. The gusts lift our hats off our heads as we bend into the wind. The path is littered with downed twigs and dry branches.

The dogs happily wade in the pools along the stream.

Parts of the trail are more of a challenge. W and I have been down to the final waterfall on other days. We watch our friends negotiate the boulders across the stream.

The clouds don't keep the sun from tanning or burning skin not covered by sunblock and/or hats. W's face is red: he gave up on his hat after having it blown off many times.

Juno's face reflects ours: contentment once the 7-km (4.5 mile) walk is over.

We're happy to meet the cars on typical roads: nicely paved, the asphalt gradually disappears, etched by weather, motorcycles, cars, trucks, ... and poor foundations.

Lunch at a nearby cafe is not memorable though the noodles are ok. The view is amazing across a valley to a pine forest. A tall pine thuds to the ground nearby. We don't know if it was sawed down or if it was felled by the strong wind, which which a tree across the main road further down the hill earlier today. Chainsaws start to cut it up a short time later.

The helpers rearrange the house furniture and rugs to their normal setting.

I'll fine-tune it later but for now, I work on language studies. Supper is a Korean feast on the next hill. It takes us 45 minutes to drive there at this time of day. In weekend traffic, it takes hours.

I forget to take pictures of the table. JJ is hosting in honor of DrH's 80 birthday. (Her special day is Sunday but we will be tied up.) We're home by 8:30 p.m. I can't sleep; I start to fade by midnight, listening to the gospels of Luke and John. I love the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Friday

It's a gloomy morning with rain off and on. The lush growth of the garden gets chopped back over and over so it doesn't become the survival of the fittest. The rose trellis is recent, overhanging a small fishpond pot. Yesterday's strong winds knocked over the grass heads but I'll use them for Sunday's bouquet.

A year ago, it was neat and tidy.

A few months ago, the statue was moved out of the wind and rain to the end of the terrace. We bought a potted palms about the same time for fronds that can be clipped for arrangements. (All three palms were cheaper than one florist's bouquet.)

Flowers reseed around their original plants. You never know what will be blooming from week to week.

Fish thrive in the 4 1/2 foot (1.5 meter) pot at the edge of the terrace. Geraniums, planted a month ago, have sent out new blooms.

The hedge is an ever-evolving cutting garden. Starting with 2 older trees and a struggling lawn, the border is new-to-us. Our yardman cut out the ailing turf and gradually replaced it with our preferences: roses, herbs, coleus, spider plants, and other fast-growing plants. Friends come by regularly for cuttings to supplement their own gardens. We'll take it with us when we move; the turf will creep back across the improved soil.

We meet the dogs on a walk with PakG as we return from breakfast. Lucky canines!

Language class is online today. I have forgotten everything from the last children's book: if she says a word, I know it and can put it into a sentence. But if I have to think of it ... zzzz. Frustrating but to be expected with a long week and not-so-good sleep.

Saturday

We walk before I head to the garden to see what's in bloom. It's nice to have fresh flowers in the house for the day or two before the arrangement goes to the hall. Today the bouquet looks fine. Hopefully nothing droops before tomorrow ...

The more I look, the more it's "almost" ready. Ah. Add rambutan fruits and the blown-down grass heads. There we go.

The fuzzy texture of the rambutan invites a second look, is the sign of an interesting arrangement.

W starts his normal busy schedule while I write IES talks and Lenten blogs to cover the weeks before Easter.

Read more:

*Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand. Zephaniah 1:7

*When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. Ecclesiastes 7:14 NIV

*[Jesus says] Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26

*Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Matthew 24:44

[Paul writes] For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

Moravian Prayer: Divine Creator, you make and care for all we know, yet much about you is unknowable. Give us strength during those times when we fail to understand your mystery, and help us know that no matter what, you feed us with your love. In your name, we pray.

Holy Redeemer, we await the hour of your return with hope and anticipation. While all we do should prepare us for that day, may we also live lives that demonstrate to all that your kingdom is at hand today. With hope, we pray. Amen.