Stone, sunshine, and a sloth

Thursday, April 23, 2026

The kitchen island was functional: 4 discount-shop floor tiles topped two tables. The tables were sourced from a library that was remodeling. Today, two men come with slabs propped along the wall of a shop earlier this week. A slab rather than tiles is better.

The tiles almost fit, if you don't mind 2" (5cm) of bare wood on each side. And if you don't care about a few chipped corners.

The two new pieces cover with a few inches to spare. The stone is bookended, which is a bonus. I saw the color I liked at the shop, at about the right size, and didn't bother to check whether the slabs matched. (The tiles readied me to accept imperfections and almost-there decor, I guess. hehe) The travertine needs to be sealed before we put food on it. No acid foods allowed! on the surface, ever. Let's see how long that lasts.

When we first saw that corner of the room, it looked like the photo below. It's come a long way as a serving kitchen. The contractor cemented floor tiles from the same bundle over broken tile countertops and around a big stained ceramic sink.

My decor philosophy is that if you stay true to your mind's eye, you can refine the vision with whatever comes your way. The outcome may not be exact, especially if your budget is "small, but can we spend still less?" Mostly, it turns out even better than the original plan.

The serving kitchen has turned out well. It's useful for food preparation or when big groups come over. (Below, last Wednesday, 80-ish people scooped up desserts during the intermission at movie night.)

Tipping is not common but W gives a little extra so the stone delivery men can buy themselves a meal or coffee. We send the stone guys off to their next site with pieces of IbuS's banana bread. They sit down on the driveway porch to eat it.

They're almost done when the mirror delivery guys come in. We offer the second pair a roasted sweet potato each. The guys know each other and compare their food bonuses. (Makes us all laugh.)

W mounts the mirror in the Project apartment. It becomes a reflective window wall. The office is on the dark side of the building so every bit of natural light helps.

I'm hanging pictures in the bathroom, hoping to be done with Command strips. Though we wait an hour for the strips to adhere, one of the pictures crashes off the wall. It had extra strips on the back, too. Oh well. The frame breaks in pieces but the glass is intact.

I connect with a few people. Our loop walk before sundown takes us past 10,000 steps. Somehow we're tired, though it feels like we haven't done much today. The backyard of the Project glows a goodnight as we put the dogs to bed.

Friday

After a walk, W and I have breakfast at #NaraPark. Near us, a young Caucasian family is eating. It's rare enough to have white foreigners around that we say hi before we leave. It turns out that we know many of the same people in Bandung and Bali. Their kids roam the yard and exclaim in delight as they discover the tortoises, lizards, hedgehogs, fish, and owls spread out between the eateries.

It's a full day. We finish tidying from movie night.

The entry is ready to welcome the next guests.

The edge of the sink is grouted, which should make it easier to clean.

The afternoon fills with setting up English Tanikota3 tomorrow, besides regular work. Before sundown, we take a final walk. We turn through our old neighborhood. How odd not to be part of the streets and the community, though the Project sits beside its entry. I like the creative privacy wall on someone's balcony but can't imagine what lizards, roaches, or termites may be living in the sticks.

We planted grapevines from a friend in a dry corner of the backyard. At each tiny cluster of leaves, a handful of grapes is ripening.

The streetlight and entry sign into the neighborhood were crushed by a falling tree 3 weeks ago. They are still bent and lying across our fence. I ask a distinguished neighbor to check with their RT (council chairperson) when they can get it fixed.

"When the rains end," says PakRT. It hasn't rained for 2 nights. So maybe soon? Our own repairs must wait for their light and sign to be moved out of the way. (They fix it Saturday, tomorrow.)

Some people have pets like we do: birds, fish, dogs or cats. This neighbor has Javanese spotted deer, a big sloth, and meerkats.

Saturday

It's a sunny morning with a crisp breeze ruffling the leaves overhead as we walk. Cicadas thrum each morning at the end of the rainy season. Our 10' (3m) hedge is constantly surprising us with new plants, which need trimming or removing.

W heads back into the Project pool, splashing around his big chemistry experiment. The plumber has come and gone many times over the last half-year, trying to figure out the water supply and other issues. The pool cavity was left green and full of critters for a decade. Half-drained, it looked like this last June.

When the crew scrubbed and emptied the pool, we found out it is 4m (12') deep. There's no way we can fill it to the top or leave the old diving board = too dangerous with the constant stream of guests at the Project. We were informed that 1.2 meters is the ideal depth for hosting exercise classes. Hopefully it is workable soon.

The English study volunteers and kids show up mid-afternoon. The sun is hot at noon but clouds blow over to cool down the air. The chirping of children and the steady voices of tutors are a pleasant addition to the tinging of the windchimes.

W puts the whiteboard back to where he wants it stored.

We attend a Saturday service, a wonderful way to complete the week. The speaker closes with, "Raise your hands if you need patience in relationships, including marriage." I raise both hands. Poor W - I'm not always a patient person.

Sunday
The Sunday market opens early. We haven't gone for 8 years, since we started working onsite for the Sunday Gathering, starting at 7am. Today we squeeze through the crowds to see what's available. Fruit, vegetables, plastic key chains and toys, stationery and school supplies, builder and garden tools, kitchen pots and utensils - it's all here.

There's a plethora of plants and pets: some chicks are painted wild colors. When you choose your chick/s or duck/s, the seller pops it/them into a plastic bag.

There are rabbits, rats, birds, and lizards.

The tropical fish arrive in tubs. The seller scoops them out of the net by hand and puts them in plastic bags, where they'll hang until sold.

Someone has creatively painted empty snail shells and is selling them with hermit crabs inside.

There's a choochoo train for kiddies to ride in someone's front driveway.

The vegetables are fresh but we don't know what they're sprayed with. Roundup herbicide is common.

W buys a salty peanut-topped pancake for each of us.

The seller flips batter into cast-iron pans that sit over a wood fire. The baking process is quick once the lid is on.

A mosque edges the street.

One of the difficulties in cramped communities is garbage disposal.

This huge wad of steaming black rice has been dumped onto a table-top tarp. An older lady breaks it into small-bag sections to be eaten now or taken home.

Raw chicken lies in partial shade. The seller has a sharp cleaver, with which he chops whatever pieces the buyers ask for.

There's a women's aerobics class in the park triangle down the block.

With great contentment, we thank God for the communities of faith meeting this weekend all around the world. We also pray for peace and the Presence over our neighbors and all we meet.

Read more:
* Know, then, in your heart that, as a parent disciplines a child, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Deuteronomy 8:5

* But you [oh God] are the same, and your years have no end. Psalm 102:27

* All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

*To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 25

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, we believe that you are the way, the truth, and the life. We are determined to walk in your way and hold to your truth. How else can we have your life within us? Draw us close to you. 

Eternal God, sometimes the scriptures become our prayers. “You are the same, and your years have no end.” The same is true of your love, your promises, and your presence. When life’s uncertainties frighten us, we are thankful that you are our unmoving foundation. Amen.