Two outstanding eateries: Mediterranean and Chinese

Thursday, November 6, 2025

We pass on the hike since K is here, but in the early morning, we walk the dogs for the same number of steps in our neighborhood. No one is as strict as I am with the dogs so they've become lax in obeying basics like "sit" or "come." When they cooperate before the walk, I take a photo. The big guys walk on a single leash, which prevents Anton from bolting after every cat we pass.

Breakfast is on the Porch while cleanup is underway after movie night. We try to stay out of the way. The helpers restore the house by afternoon.

The robot vacuum we brought years ago from the States is still chugging along. While we do errands at home, it runs in the project. Whew, it's full of dust when we pick it up after a few hours. It comes home to charge up for the next round.

Then it's off to the Adventist grocer for some basics. Lunch is nearby @MikePizza.asia, without a doubt the best wood-fired pizza in the city. We eat under a canopy of grapevines that remind me of my dad's vines in our hometown.

The decor is a bit over the top but the abundance of plants tones it down.

Back home, the sky is overcast and the rooms are dark. Tea and a comfort cookie with a scripture label offer a spot of self-indulgence. Thanks, Keelee! at #QuietWatersBakery. It reminds me of how grateful we are for time at this current place = 11 years of sharing our home with travelers, new arrivals, those who serve, and friends.

Friday

After a walk, W puts up more rods and I add curtains as he goes. Mom's 1970s twin sheets come in handy and look fresh and current.

The rose apple tree is blooming and fruiting on our street.

Our jackfruit tree by the driveway is on its second round of fruit.

Masseuse Ibu Siti comes to unkink us one more time before Kirsten goes home next week. Our relaxing lunch on the Porch is fishcakes wrapped in banana leaves. Miki and F are foodies who attend movie night - they brought "favorites" for us to sample; there is enough for the whole household plus some left for tomorrow. Yum.

W's speaking elsewhere so I'm on my own on Sunday. Time to review the PPT and the talk, which is about ravaging lions, resistance and courage, and the story of a man named Daniel.

Later, I sit in the big library chair and consider how much I will miss this home, a gift from God. No staging needed - it's always ready for drop-ins.

Saturday 

The walk is cool and refreshing in the shade of the old trees. Remember the muddy gutter in front of the project?

This week, it's been cleared of rocks, garbage, and mud. A new concrete swill was poured, and the hole replaced with a hinged gate - which has rusted overnight! W sends a note to the contractor about a product that changes rust into primer for paint.

By mid-morning, the workers have paved in the grate and are starting to paint.

We pop in to see if I still like the curtain at the end of the hall. The first attempt was 8" short, beige-y, and looked silly. This is better. 

What about the orange bedroom? Weren't those 70s sheets pink? The retro orange wallpaper brings out the orange in the colorway. We run the robot vacuum in the bedrooms and continue the walk.

The dogs have settled down after running around the big yard. Exercisers, workers (see the man balancing snacks on his shoulders?), and tourists walk the loop today.

Breakfast is an old favorite from childhood = how Mom used up leftover spaghetti: bacon, spaghetti, an egg cracked on top, a tablespoon of water. It cooks with the lid on until the egg is ready. No additional spices  needed.

Creativity is low but Sunday is coming. Flower Wiz Titik is seriously gifted. Since she's gone this weekend, I flip the spent gladiolas and one dried-out mum from last week's gorgeous bouquet.

In the ruins of our garden, I find a few false-bird-of-paradise flowers and ferns. There are few blooms left in the yard. Most have been transplanted to the new place. We go from this - 

to this

to this. Good enough. PakG takes it to the hall.

I walk a second time to the project to get measurements and lose a key. Halfway home, I feel my pocket for it but it's gone. I walk back and check each space I've visited but ... nada. W walks over to see if he can find it but has no luck. We figure out it probably adhered to the magnet holder on the phone - and sure enough, we search the grass near where I pulled out my phone and there it is.

Lunch is at Homeground, one of Kirsten's new favorites. The spicy flavors of Szechwan hit the spot.

Atop the renovation at the neighbor, the workers perch on the roof, knock through the brick, and run a pipe. Typically for repairs, they do their work in an hour or two, slathering on a coat of mortar and painting the patch to match. When I check, the hole has already disappeared.

Read more:

* Let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

* Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8

* This is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless. Philippians 1:9-10

Moravian Prayer: Merciful God, you have always made us feel worthy, even when we examine ourselves and know that we do not measure up to your expectations. We pray for knowledge of what truly matters in our lives so that we may release the trivial. Amen.

Starting the endings

Monday, November 3, 2025

Does it feel like November to you? Somehow the end of the year has snuck upon us. I make some calls and schedule the week. Movie night is Wednesday, a monthly highlight that eats up the entire week.

I edit W's latest article and he sends it to the publisher. In this way we are of great help to each other, spotting repetitions, inconsistencies, and gaps in each other's writings.

W sends the invitation for movie night as usual, around 11:30 AM Monday. We can only take the first 70 to sign up. But within an hour, 100 people sign in on the waiting list. W heads downtown to the wholesalers for cooking ingredients after the study ends.

Friends come to talk with Barbara and Paul on the Porch.

I'm reading a fascinating book on how emotions develop and are sustained - in healthy and other ways.

Tuesday

It's a morning without meetings. W and I check out progress of the drainage ditch; he gives clear instructions on the dirt and gravel that needs to be moved - and removed - to make the project useable. (Below, the carport and driveway in a downpour.)

This is how it's done. The slabs are lifted, dirt is loosened with hoes, shoveled into bags, and moved via wheelbarrow. A neighbor is using it to level up his own yard nearby.

The guys dig out the dirt clogging the 2'/60cm-deep drain under the driveway. No wonder no water could flow away - it was filled to the top. They build up a concrete swill at the street to assist in carrying the water past the project.

The yardman removes orchids and huge ferns that we planted on the green wall. He ties them to eight big trees in the new yard. These plants thrive in their native climate but they surely didn't last long when we tried to pamper them in Seattle.

The special durian trees left by our Turkish friend are dead; they got planted in shade rather than leaving them in their sunny pots. Sigh. What a disappointment. We planned to transplant them to the project. Little by little, the garden is shaping up. When it grows in, it will have the cheerful clutter of English borders around a grass-like center. (Or that's the plan.)

Wednesday

It's the most efficient preparation ever for movie night: only 3 hours of cooking in the early morning. Kirsten and I enjoy breakfast on the Porch. While W sets up the house and tech, I clip and pleat more curtains. At lunch in Nara, K gets the bento box; W has a burger; I order my favorite dish. The other food arrives promptly but my pizza is delayed until they're finished. We have the servers box it up for later.

W finds an interesting bug under the picnic table on the Porch.

This lizard is happily hanging out by the back door.

But this snake? It coils in a corner of the new property, not moving. We don't know if it's poisonous or not. It probably caught a frog and is working it off. We let it be.

I nap and read in the afternoon, chat with K, and then our guests start to arrive. Every table fills up.

The Porch is crammed, too.

There's plenty of food. The young adults are effusive about being together, eating, laughing, and meeting new friends. 

One asks, "Where do you find all these people?" But it's not us. We feel utterly privileged to be part of their lives and pray over their success and happiness. Somehow God brings them in; they love being part of dinner-and-a-movie. For some who are missing their own families, this becomes a second home they look forward to every month.

We tell them this is probably (but not definitely) the last movie night in this house. "Depends on when we move," we say.

Some have come for years. They protest, "No, this is our home away from home! Will you be have us over again in the next place?"

Of course. Though I'll have to cook a few times to find a new rhythm in another space. The last group leaves about 10:30 PM. After a shower and reading for a bit, it's time to sleep.

Read more:

* Jesus said, “For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

* Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day and shall be my people. Zechariah 2:11

* God will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelation 21:3

Moravian Prayer: God, you are our truest Friend. You have made and chosen us to be your people. You dwell among us and within us. We sing our praises to you that you are always with us! Amen.

Full house = happy house

Friday, October 31, 2025

All the saints who have gone before us  into the presence of Jesus = the meaning of All Hallow's Eve. The other stuff is just hijacking and twisting a precious occasion into something creepy.

We had a nice supper yesterday at Maxi's with Lew before he heads home this morning. He's making good progress on his dissertation.

The rest of today, we work on the project and spend time with Kirsten. She offers things I didn't think about = one of the joys of having a daughter who is a natural decorator and designer. When I ask, "This or this?" or "What do you think about ...?" she gives insights and great ideas.

We have lunch at Nanny's between work. The rain holds off until we're done.

The pasta is filling. I like capers - that bite of pickle in a creamy sauce.

W puts up more curtain rods and I hang up a couple of sets of pleated tablecloths. The trick is matching ceiling heights and drops - each window is unique. Kirsten confirms, "NO! Keep the height the same across a room."

Every time W hang a rod, I'm ready! with clips fastened and hard pleats set into the curtain. The pleating ties are shaping the fabric until we move in.

One find in a back courtyard is a 6.5'/2.2 m-tall screen. The wood is beautiful and the figure interesting. What an interesting privacy screen for blocking off personal areas.

We love having Kirsten here and she's safely at home when a driving rain descends in mid-afternoon. Too bad rainy season has come, when sunshine lasts only an hour or two in early morning. The sky and house are dark by 3:30 PM.

She's brought skin care from Korea and we try on some. "Mom, this is good for you," though I doubt anything can prevent the wrinkles etching my face.

Saturday

My cousin sends a picture of the only piece of machine embroidery I've ever attempted. Trying new things is fun. Depending on how smoothly and quickly an item comes together, I may only do it once.

 

This 50th anniversary gift for my aunt and uncle was based on their wedding photo.  Even resembles them. To me, my aunt looked like a princess in her tiered 1960s bride's dress. Did I like batik even then? I stretched and framed the work and set it off. Auntie Edith reminded me and mentioned how much it meant to her when Mom and I called her after Uncle Albert passed away.

Auntie E is a marvelous artist who gifted beautiful knitting, paperwork, crochet, and other handwork to friends and family over many years. (I have a few stunning scarves.) As one of their two flower girls, I thought she deserved something personal and crafty.

W and I take the dogs for a walk and pop into the project for a quick move-and-check before he starts his Saturday study. I finally send him the "honey-do" list for the project, which I've been putting off not to add stress. We have a conversation coming up with the builder so I can't withhold the checklist any longer.

K and I eat breakfast on the Porch. I call my dear WPPR friends and each one answers. What a marvel to visit in 3 American states and Indonesia, across 12 and 14 hours of separation.

We catch up, pray for each other, and then I write. In the afternoon, Paul and Barbara arrive to stay for a few nights. "It's like Grand Central Station at your house," she says of the many guests who enjoy the big house.

Sunday

The flowers are stunning again. Thanks, #TitikBadudu!

We pose for photos with K. As usual, people crowd in. It's amusing how many photos we take here.

After the Gathering, Dina joins us for lunch at #NaraPark. The food is good, the company warm, and W hikes up to the hall to get the car so we're dry. It's pouring rain for a few hours and then it's steamy and sunny. K comes down with a bad cold - she comes home from lunch with friends and goes to bed.

Our sabbath is on Thursday since we work weekends. We negotiate with a neighborhood crew  to address flooding at the project, starting this week. Piles of gravel were shifted from across the street when the restaurant opposite the project excavated a deep trench for their own street gutter. Great - that plugged and blocked up the working drain on our side of the street. Water, with nowhere else to go, overflows onto the property to flood the yard and back half of the project.

The concrete blocks must be lifted. Our side will cleared out and their gravel removed so runoff can freely flow through the existing hillside drains. Broken slabs will be stacked against the wall since they're only propped up by the muck beneath.

We meet the contractor's crew for a detailed rundown of work that remains. They've been responsive and quick to fix what's needed. At this point it's stuff like, laundry drains, electrical covers, and some plumbing. We're getting there ...

Our challenge to the foreman is always, "Less please." Less budget outlay with fewer fussy additions. This rebuild is intended to be plain and useful though the bones of the mansion's ruin have always been grand. The more we strip out, the more functional it becomes. Look at those old windows!

Some fun things will come later, like fixing the giraffe statue lurking under the 25m/80' Norfolk Island pines.

Paul and Barbara join us for tea around the big table to celebrate what God is doing. They lead an oral learners program to train leaders across Indonesia.

Monday

As W and I walk with the dogs, Anton always wants to know where his pack, even if we just stop for a sniff. He obeys the "sit" command in his own way.

One of the final movie nights in our current space happens this week. It's a whole week of work: prep starts today and cleanup wraps up on Friday. Today W heads to the wholesaler in town for food and supplies so I can cook for 70 guests on Wednesday.

Read more:

* The Lord said, “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine.” Exodus 19:5

* Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15:10

* There is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24

* So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29

* Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17

Moravian Prayer: Lord and Comforter, what a joy to be enfolded in your tender care! Your love and warmth suffuse us. Let the light and assurance we feel from you shine through us this day. Radiant Lord, in your name, we pray. Amen.