A little of this and that

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

We have a date breakfast at #NaraPark, where W tries a new menu item: Shakshuka. It's too watery for his taste but the bread is delicious. He compares every version with the fabulous one that #MissBeeProvidore used to make. (When theirs went off the menu, we stopped eating breakfast there.)

On our stroll back, we spot a tortoise being walked on the main street.

It's two blocks from home, nudged to the side by its owner's foot when traffic approaches. Can you see the tip of her sandal above?

The cutest scooters are parked at #MissBeeProvidore as we walk by.

Neighbors come by to pick up lamps we are passing along.

The concrete block wall, knocked down by workers felling huge trees, has been repaired by a mason. Good. Our dogs can no longer squeeze through to terrorize the neighbors. (Many Muslims are afraid of dogs.)

The orchid along the driveway has burst into flower.

Waldemar catches a shuttle to Jakarta airport, where he sleeps overnight before catching a flight to Taiwan.  Meanwhile a guest arrives to spend the week.

Wednesday

Today's the deadline for textbook submission for a Singapore class in the new year. Once that's sent off and the syllabus is half-done, I take a break. Josh delivered bags of music books earlier in the week. I look through them to see what would be useful to whom.

Robin drops in for a visit and leaves us some fun things from his latest trip to Germany. The chocolate will be consumed with joy. And the 4711 cologne? It reminds me of my favorite auntie and uncle, who wore it in the 60s and 70s when I was a child. The thunder rolls across the hills as we sip tea and eat cookies.

Thursday

No hike today since the leaders are unavailable. By day's end, I have an equivalent number of steps anyway. I start with a morning walk on the neighborhood loop. We have had a few good rainfalls so the trees have burst into bloom.

This one is 20' (almost 7 meters) tall.

How will we pass along the sorted music books? There are piano methods, choral scores and conductor how-tos, young classroom games and ideas ... it's quite the range. The ones who should get them show up at the right time.

The helpers bake boxes of cookies and 2 loaves of bread. I decide to start over on the syllabus with the university's new template. Revising it is faster but this is more current. I start at 8:00 and get up from my seat at 3:00. I eat lunch and walk our guest to a neighbor's house between, so it's not only hunching over a screen. I'm relieved when the "low battery" notification gives me an excuse to shift away from my desk. One more day should do it.

It's suddenly as dark as dusk on the Porch where I'm working so I go inside. However, the threat of rain and thunderstorms blow over without the anticipated downpour.

Friday

After a 2-loop walk, I'm ready for breakfast. On the way, I see a film crew setting up and ask them if they're filming about Indonesia or Bandung. "Indonesia," they say, "but all our locations are in Bandung." Cool.

Here's what you do if there's a deep pothole? Plant a pail in the hole so no one falls in? Cars will drive around it.

This grandpa jogged a block with his grandson on his shoulders. He was so gentle that the little boy barely swayed. Fun to watch.

Every day, the blossoms are more beautiful.

There's a water leak from new construction again. Gallons are lost every time that property springs a leak.

Our guest and I spend a few hours exploring what might suit them in Bandung. It's interesting to hear what concerns and questions pop up when families are on the move. Listening to what interests people, we connect them to potentially useful networks and existing organizations. But it's up to each one whether or not they pursue those connections.

I miss my regular morning calls. I get back to work on the course syllabus once the conversation ends. A syllabus takes time to develop. It is both the anticipation and the "grunt" work of being a university lecturer. It must be done yet you can hardly wait for the classroom where it comes to life.

The weekend stretches ahead. W's home in time for that.

Read more:

*Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. Isaiah 55:1

*That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. Mark 1:32

*In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:19

Moravian Prayers: Forgiving God, we have often fallen short of what you want from us. Thank you for not keeping a tally of those failures and help us extend that grace to our relationships. Strengthen us, so that we can stand firm in your love as challenges confront us today and always.

Lord, we are weary travelers. We don’t know what lies around the next corner or over the next hill. Thank you for walking with us, side by side. You offer us strength and guidance, particularly when we face our demons. Thank you for your companionship on our journey. Amen.