Table swaps and long walks

 Monday, September 11, 2023

I take some calls before a quiet walk. For the past weeks, we've been watching bricklayers finish the wall along the entry lane of the neighborhood. Often 2 cars pass on this narrow road. We don't know how the drivers do it ...

The workers added a second layer of brick beside and atop the original 10' (3.3 meter) wall. Now they're throwing cement at it, roughly wiping that in place, and then smoothing a paintable coat on top. The 30' (9.5-meter)-high wall looks stabile but mortar sometimes contains more mud than sand. 

We live in an earthquake zone. No one wants to be walking beside it when the next shake-up happens.

On a more natural note, aloe vera grows quickly here. The neighbor has set starts in good-sized pots. In our garden corner, a clump is taking over. I often send the shoots home with willing takers.

I assign chores and work on my computer. I need to review the hand-written notes from meetings last week.

W claims the downstairs porch but his usual group can't meet: our internet is lousy. Both of us prefer to work outdoors when it's not pouring rain. I'm too tired to walk to the office to use the balcony there. So - 

I take my 20-oz mug plus a thermos of tea and my laptop to the upper balcony. Cooling breezes stir the bamboo wind chimes and the birds are chirping in their cages below. The morning feels like a Sabbath after a busy weekend.

Tuesday

I walk of course, observing how the rich and poor live side by side. This family lives in a van beside their roadside snack stand. Behind them is the weekend mansion of a famous Indonesian entertainer. 

When a seller parks a food cart in front of a property, the owner must be  quick to dislodge them. Later, it becomes very difficult to move them on. The seller gets enough money to erect a more permanent structure. Then the little cart evolves into a family dwelling on the shoulder of a road. We see that over and over.

Up in the trees, ferns are taking over. The dead fronds form a beautiful pattern on the old trunk.

W's off to Jogja to do an evening seminar. Without a set meal schedule, I get a lot done. I write and schedule our New Normal newsletter (a weekly picture and paragraph of life here) through February. I tackle a book edit. When I run out of brain power, there's still time to read a novel about an Amish family.

In the evening, Veronica stops by to return the small crate for taking her cat to the vet. She leaves me breakfast from Mom's Bakery, a local favorite. Can't wait until morning :-)

Wednesday

On a 2-mile walk by 5:30, I watch the sun come up over the next hill.

Yesterday someone died at a house along the way. Flower-boards line the street and the long driveway. Instead of cards, companies and families may send foam boards to the residence.

Similar greetings are used for retirement, business openings, weddings, etc. The letters can be swapped out and the flowers refreshed for another occasion. The foam board gets reused if the florist recycles. Otherwise, the whole thing gets tipped into the trash once the flowers fade.

Breakfast is as good as hoped, a cheese scone and a raison scone. Tasty, accompanied by tea. Thanks, MissV!

I pull out my trusty Bernina sewing machine to repair the cloth screen for my office door. Some guests tore the sides of the screen off the door, trying to get in. (They missed the magnet latches in the middle: you walk through and it automatically closes behind you. Invented by a genius!)

The ripped screen sat on a shelf for months and on my desk for a week. Time to get it back in service. I scrounge around in a box labeled "lace." Sure enough, there's a roll of black lace to repair the torn sides.

Our driver and yardman drive to the nearby city to pick up two tables but the tables are a few centimeters too long to close theKijang's  back hatch. Claudia, living nearby, tries to puzzle them in - if she can't, no one can! No luck. PakG opens an app and orders a pickup truck and driver.

We're swapping out two end-to-end tables from the nook. These were found in a warehouse years ago and they have served us well.

Off they go to a classroom at GG. Their formica tops are sturdy enough for kid-projects. The little pickup that delivers the long wooden tables to our house (22km - 15 miles) drops the others off at the hall ... for $17 total.

The formica tops were great for quilting because the needles slipped on it. The wood ones will soon have little nicks all over them. (No one cares. They're well-used.)

We set the wooden tables back to back. The legs land in the same position. With slightly less width, a bit more length, and 8 drawers, it's a good fit. We'll stash various supplies in the drawers.

Thursday

I skip the hike and get a late start to a double walk. Smoke drifts everywhere as sweepers and helpers burn the leaves that fall off the trees in dry season. Cough cough. We make sure to breathe through our noses.

The neighbor's tree is bursting with glorious pink flowers high above the wall.

I stop by GG to peer through the classroom windows. "Hmmm. I thought we were done with cleaning." But it looks like there's more to do.

Stacks of IESB chairs and several folding tables, brought to the hall for an International Day potluck, line the kids' room. In a space for active children, that's not ideal. We'll take care of it asap. (Thanks for the heads up, Laurel!) 

It's cool on the Porch at breakfast time: 18oC (65oF). I wear long sleeves as I pull out the work of the day. On our nubby old guava tree, the 1-meter (3') orchid spray has erupted with tiny yellow blooms. What a beautiful world.

Read more:

*God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes. Genesis 41:52

*I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34:1-9

*Give me understanding, O God, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34

*We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Romans 5:3-4

Moravian Prayer: Kind, attentive God, none of us is immune to the harsh realities of life. In these hard times, you are present, reliable, and loving. Help us trust and depend on you as our shepherd and the guardian of our way. Amen.