Books, bananas, and a Bernina

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

We haven't had a breakfast date at #NaraPark for almost a month so we toddle over. I have my usual spicy noodles while W orders white bread buns heaped with palm sugar.

We enjoy coffee with friends mid-morning. The new cafe is always full. W and I agree that the company not the food must be the draw. Roadside, this flower cone has two new petals out today.

Titik drops off a gorgeous birthday orchid which finds its home on the Porch. I admire it as I work.

Meanwhile, W picks up a repaired vacuum cleaner downtown.  The church used our vacuum when we served there. Sweeping wasn't getting the hall clean. When we ended our term, many of our things found their way back to us, including the vacuum which was urgently needed at home.

WHEN W found the same model used online @$40 (reg. $275), he snapped it up. It's been in the shop for a few months. Repairs cost $3. (We are astonished. Yay.)  We donate the repaired one; it's ready to do its job.

We send a book over to Chandra. It was insightful when I edited it last autumn. I edit a friend's proposal and resume. You learn many things from reading what others research and write about. Lucky curious me!

The thunder is stunningly loud and close by. "Flash Bang!" The helpers jump but I remind them, "Isn't God powerful? How strong he is!" Yes, he has everything under control.

I play one song a day on the keyboard. I'm working my way through dozens of books of piano solos. (Who gave us those?) Gone are the days when I played for an orchestra and had volumes to practise each week. Now, playing is recreational and mostly by reflex. = Slip on headphones. Click on the keyboard. Sightread something new. Occasionally improvise. Click off = done for the day.

Wednesday
Waldemar's book is available today. Many have asked about it - click here to see more. And please leave an honest review if you read it! It's very helpful in making it available for others.

My first online meeting is at 5AM. At 8:30, PakG and I head to the plant nurseries in Lembang, the city to the north of ours. Up to now, we have only used plants from our previous place. Many transplants died because the crew left on more leaves than the rootballs could sustain. 

Seeing them shrivel in the hot sun and the leaves turn yellow, I asked the yardman about pruning it. 

There was a shrug: "They'll be okay." (Nope, the ones with abundant foliage died off.) I ponder planting a few prickly "crown of thorn" shrubs to keep the dogs from running through the flower beds.

We need color and texture to complete the garden. I draw 3 maps, one for each area of the Project's yard. Shade/sunshine/border/bed are sketched in. The yardman meets us at the nursery. I show him a gardening website's photo of multi-layered British flower borders. "This is what we're aiming for."

He helps choose plants that should thrive. I'm not entirely confident in most workers' gardening skills. Yardmen prune, cut grass, and water. Few know where best to grow something or the kind of fertilizer each plants needs.

Because "everything grows," there's little need to be specific. "A lot dies off but since there are so many plants, no one pays attention," is also true.

I ask the nursery about the rooted fragrant rose cuttings I handed over a few months ago. I figured if anyone could make them thrive, it should be a nursery. "Those have died," too. WHAT? Next time, I'll take care of them myself.

Local roses are without fragrance. A gardening friend explains, "The smell has been bred out of them. The old roses had many fragrances." What a shame. I still sniff every open rose, just in case I get a pleasant surprise. (Never yet.)

I pay for the plants we've chosen for the Project, asking the nursery to keep them until next week. PakG arranges to drive up on Monday to pick them up. The yardman will plant them the same day. 

The variety of tropical leaves is amazing. These "houseplants" in Seattle grow like crazy outside in the yards.

I'm home by 11 and haven't yet eaten. W and I decide to go to #Ethnic: I'm suddenly hungry for Nasi Oncom (flavored rice) and theirs is good. We are a half-block away when we're stopped by construction trucks and workers blocking the street. They are trimming trees and felling tall ones that began to lean in the storm 2 weeks ago.

Huge branches crash onto the street ahead. A man with a machete is chopping branches 75' (25 m) up the trunk. He is barely visible, climbing above every lopped-off limb. 

Can you see the branch he has just cut? It is starting to fall away from his perch.

We briefly consider another eatery but decide to loop around to our original destination. We order and chat, waiting for our food. Suddenly, I remember the calendar, full of appointments.

"Oh no! I have an online meeting at noon," I exclaim. I have 10 minutes to rush home through the village alley, set up the computer, and log in. It's an important conversation and offers new information we need.

W brings my meal home as takeaway. I'm hungry by 1:30PM and devour as much as I can. He finishes the rest for me.

The dogs come running for a late afternoon walk. Though the sky glowers and the thunder rolls, we make it home without a drop of rain. There's one last evening meeting online. I'm ready to sleep when I hang up.

Thursday
We haven't hiked the mountains in a long time. There's no hike posted for the day but we can't go anyway. The dog groomers and the construction crew are expected. The crew is a no-show. I send a photo of the kitchen sink. It definitely needs grout or calk. It's a pain to keep clean.

Our neighborhood walk is early and a mere 4000 steps/2 miles. At the end of every rainy season, cicadas keep a steady hum with their wings. After mating, you find them lying dead. This one landed on the road.

The ceramics from Jogja arrived earlier this week. The delivery fee from mid-island is $5 for a huge vase, a lamp, and an 18"/45 cm plate. W and I divide labor. I worked hard to pick out the pieces. He he unboxes the items. I set the lamp on a table and plug it in.  The company tossesdin a little lampshade and a plate hanger.

W gets a ladder, a drill, a few other tools, and hammers a nail into the concrete wall to hang the plate. 

Miniature Jenggala pitchers from Bali sit on the kitchen windowsill. Plants are rooting in them, along with gardenias from the garden. Smells good in the evening.

I'm in the mood for breakfast crepes. I show IbuA how to make them, using two little saucepans simultaneously. When we have a crowd, three or four 7"(15cm) saucepans are bubbling at once.

To start, we pour melted butter and coconut oil into one pan and swirl, tipping excess fat into the next pan/s, and finally back into a glass measuring cup. The warm fat is used for the next round.

After greasing the pan/s, the first saucepan is hot enough to fry a few tablespoons of batter. We tilt the pan to cover the base. By the time we get to each pan, the first crepe is ready to be upended onto the serving plate. It's quick and easy; crepes cook only on one side. (Recipe below.)

The clouds are so low that the next mountain ridge is almost invisible. A peek of sunshine shines between the clouds in the morning but most of the day is overcast. Just as the helpers get set to leave, the heavens open and water gushes down. Either they took shelter or they were soaked within seconds.

There's a 12"/30cm rip in the chaise cover after sitting outside for a few years. I cut out the new chaise cover but lose focus and cut one side 6"/15cm too short. Ugh. What a difference between this and look-think-zoooooom-iron-done, the way I sewed in my 20s-50s . I think about measurements longer and make mistakes because I rarely sew.

W plugs in an electric adaptor to accommodate the 930 Bernina that's still chugging along after 40 years in Canada, the USA, and Indonesia. The amateur cutting mistakes take a long time to patch. At least I can still figure out how to repair things! I note the size of the piece I have to attach but leave it for tomorrow. I will sigh with relief when it's done!

Veronica sends over bananas for the next round of banana bread. That's tomorrow's job as well.

Read more:

* David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant.” 2 Samuel 24:10

* Indeed, the LORD our God is right in all that he has done. Daniel 9:14

* Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Luke 24:26

* If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Moravian Prayer: Merciful Savior, sometimes we see nothing but spiritual failure when we look in a mirror, while you see in us a humble, open heart. You suffered for us on the cross, loving Christ. Your love for us is incomprehensible. At other times, we see righteousness in our souls while you find nothing but self-delusion.

How do we say thank you for this? Patiently guide us into humble repentance. We live a life worthy of being called children and heirs of God. We live a life of love. We offer our heartfelt thanks. Amen.

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EASY RECIPE for Basic Crepes:

INGREDIENTS

• DRY: Mix together 1 part flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 T sugar. (Skip the sugar if the filling is savory.)
• WET: Separately, beat together 1 1/2 parts milk, 1-2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 T oil, melted butter, or bacon fat.
• COMBINE: wet and dry ingredients in a bowl, whisking until just combined. Let it sit while the saucepan/s heat up.

COOK:

• Swirl fat (mix butter and oil, or use bacon fat) in the saucepan/s. Dump the excess into a small glass container. 
• Pour 2-3 T batter into one side of the pan, tilting to cover the base with a thin layer of batter. (If you have major holes, add a few drops of batter into them. Keep the crepes thin!)
• When the crepe looks dry on top, lift one side with a spatula before turning the pan upside down over a serving plate to remove the crepe.
• Repeat, stacking the crepes on top of each other until all the batter is used.

SERVE: fill with savory or sweet fillings. (We put a streak of 1 tsp marmelade or jam along the middle of a crepe, topping it with a thin ribbon of whipping cream.) Roll it up and enjoy it!

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Settling back in - with wonder

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Today is balcony day. That means a thorough sweep of the corners, washing and oiling furniture, and clearing drains. 

The balcony was the roof covering a terrace until we cut in a door from the second floor and put a railing around it. Last week in Bali, we saw a few ideas for the floor: do we paint it black and white? or cover it with small light-colored gravel? (your opinion?)

The concrete roof is supported on concrete pillars. After heavy rainfall, leaves plug the drainage holes at each end, creating a deep pond. Water is heavy! yet there is no sagging or deterioration. We're no longer afraid that having people on it will collapse the rooftop balcony.

Our friend Robin left us 2 umbrellas, reminiscent of Balinese island style. W pops them open and sprays away the ant nest in one concrete base. We make sure the canvas is clean and let the sun shine on it for an hour or two. I edit a document in its shade. The mini-forest that takes up half the backyard is a soothing backdrop for focused work.

Before the afternoon rain, we stash the umbrellas and benches in a dry corner. Back inside my office, I am searching my craft shelf when I spot a box labeled "TRIM." What's inside? 

The writing on the label is mine. When incoming stuff warrants a new container, I sort and label it for later discovery. Must have been a while ago that I tossed these strips of lace and beaded edging into a Tupperware container. I've completely forgotten where it came from. (Maybe from Christine? or Elizabeth?)

A small gold strip of beading and bling fits exactly around the shade of a reading lamp. I stretch it just enough to touch at the back seam, with not a millimeter to spare. What a happy find!

OOh, look! Will the bigger strip of glitz in black and gold work for the lampshade covering an ugly ACE Hardware uplight? (The shade? 80% found in IKEA As-Is, years ago.) I keep the glue gun plugged in, attaching the crystals around the base.

After clipping the trim to fit, the remnant goes back into the box for another day. I turn on the light, happy with how it turns out.

The metallic gold lining sparkles. British design magazines are once again full of excessive decor, back to the 1990s. I remember when our Seattle living room had a curved 101-button Victorian sofa (in gold velvet, no less). Our 12'/4m drapes had European floral motifs.

 Our afternoon walk is a bit drizzly but it's a relief to stretch after a day at a desk. The wind broke off a branch, leaving green and blue berries intact between red leaves. What a spectacle of nature's colorway.

Friday
After a morning walk, the dogs get ready for breakfast. They're trained to sit and wait until we release them. Today, kibble is mixed with meat leftovers from the butcher at the expat grocer. They love it!

W heads to Jakarta overnight for meetings. I stay home for the restart of the English program. 

Today's evaluation is whether the volunteers know how to set up the class areas without us at home. They find out where the keys are hung and where volunteer snacks are stashed. It's half the size of the usual program, with many kids sick and some attending activities at their schools.

Keelee's cookies are an ongoing blessing for me. She put scripture stickers on the packets. 

I open the journal from last week and find random paintings on postcards, I played each day with watercolor and Chinese brushes. It took a while to get the right saturation - sure didn't happen on this first attempt.

None of it is precious. This used an eyebrow pencil, a water wash, and a dip into black paint. It's my favorite of the one-a-day fun.

Some gets tossed out and others are left behind.

Working on the Porch, I remember that the yard started like this (below). We planned a playing field for kids, with half left wild for camping. However, while we were away one day, the contractor poured concrete paving paths. It seemed too much trouble to pick them up again, so we planted around them.

"At least no kids will be kicking or hitting balls through our windows," W said, looking at the bright side. 

From the main porch, we have a great view and a good workspace. After 3 months, half the backyard is still treed and half is lawn. The seeds we plucked on a hike have produced +8'/ 3m flowering annuals. The plants will keep growing to about 10'/3.3m and then dry up. By then, they've reseeded. The next batch starts to flower when it is knee high.

The day fills with edits and chores. And ends with a bath.

Saturday
Juno and I walk before coming back to the day's work. It's mind-blowingly relaxing not to plan a Sunday talk, check in with the team about weekend details, or lay out clothing to minimize Sunday morning's decisions.

The morning feels cold. Yesterday I wore a sweater the whole day. Today may be the same. PakG calls in sick so is not here to help set up for the kids or move the car. Ugh. Good thing that I didn't go to Jakarta. We pray that the rain holds off until the children leave. Yesterday's deluge arrived at 2:30PM; it was so fierce and heavy that there's no way we could have held classes.

About half the usual number of kids show up. There's a big school swim meet and a bunch are sick. I get to hug the volunteers and pass out cookies. Answering our prayers, God keeps the tropical downpour away until everyone is safely home. We show the team where the staff snacks and keys are stored.

It's exciting to watch the splashdown of the moon capsule off San Diego. What wonders the universe holds. How generous of God to add curiosity and mental acuity to the gifts He invested in humanity! He could have made us dumb, blind, and unaware but instead, He chose to explore and delight in his creation ... with his creatures.

Some of us have more courage than others. The upswing into the helicopter from the Front Porch raft would be enough to make me feel faint. Never mind floating around the moon while doing math and science experiments, before entering the atmosphere at a blistering 5000oF at 30X the speed of sound. Boom! Not for me. But I like to cheer others as they succeed in their adventures!

W comes back in early evening.

Sunday
We smell the new gardenias along the street and notice a double flower nearby

On the shoulder of the street, these roots hang from the branches above. The growing tips are red but the long strands have paled to creams and beiges.

The gardens of #WaroengEthnic are mature. The lacy basin at the bottom of a fern anchors it to the tree.

I'm in the mood for spices so lunch is Rendang (beef stewed in spices and coconut milk) with Sambal Hujo (hot sauce) on the side. Yum.

While we were away, a huge tree fell on the roof of a coffee shop on the next street.

We want to support them, so W orders coffee and a sampling of donuts.

They have a marvelous gardener (look at that Spanish moss!) and a relaxing courtyard, 20'/6m lower than the street.

Fragrant verbena lines the path to our table.

Monday
On the morning walk, we spot the last blooms on a pod. One-day flowers start to open at the bottom of the clump. Over the course of a month, petals emerge higher and higher until they last ones reach the tip.

After meetings, it's "off to work" on the Porch. Feeling blessed.

Read more:
* And the LORD stood beside Jacob and said, “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land.” Genesis 28:13,15

* Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:16-19

He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.” Luke 22:35

God, you love us all the time: when we are traveling and when we are home. The trials of the road tend to sweep from our minds your gift of peace. Forgive our forgetfulness. Restore your joy to us. Amen.

From sunshine at the beach to afternoon rain at home

Last week, we took a break in Bali, a 2-hour flight away. We don't usually "need" or take holidays since we live in a place that feels like a tropical adventure every day. But we were long overdue for time away.

The beach weather was wonderful most of the week, refreshing our souls and unwinding our bodies after wrapping up the last season. The beauty of Easter, the power of the resurrection, and the joy of our salvation lifted our spirits.

On the last morning's walk, I stubbed my toe, which bruised almost to mid-foot. That put a damper on plans to run around on our final day.

We flew to Jogja overnight, which lies mid-island (Java). The art and pottery made there are beautiful. Some reminded me of Mexican painted pottery.

 I found a ceramic plate and a lamp base. Both will be shipped to us (for $4.50). The final leg home was on the train, a long .... journey that landed us in our own city. (It's one way to skip the hair-raising shuttle from Jakarta airport.) The greens were green outside the train window.

Parts of Java are very mountainous, with rice paddies carved into the slopes.

Little sheds dot the fields.

Some paddies are on the edges of villages.

As rice grains are harvested, the stalks are tied in bundles that are removed when they dry up.

Many rivers run through the island, making irrigation a simple diversion into the rice fields.

We pulled into Bandung shortly after sunset at 6PM.

PakG was waiting at the station. It was raining so we were happy we didn't have to flag down a taxi. PakG pointed out some trees that fell in last week's tornado and the heavy rainfall that swept across the hill last Friday.

A big tree pulled out of the ground directly across the street from the Project where we live. It toppled into the lane of our old neighborhood, missing the houses on either side - including ours. Its branches snagged the gates on both sides and blocked the neighborhood's entrance. That's a great concern with so many elderly living there.  Everyone worked together to get the trees cut up and the branches off the road and fences.

We were thankful for God's protection on everyone! 3 blocks away, a huge tree decimated the fence, roof, and walls of a coffee shop and crushed a car. Since no one insures their property, the loss is borne by the owner.

"Very unusual. I've never seen anything like it," PakG said. Near his place, he watched a landslide happen. Though he shouted "Landslide" at the neighbors, no one would come out of their house. The locals were terrified because of the wind: it sounded like a freight truck coming their way. 

Wednesday
We're home! How wonderful to wake in our own beds. We missed the drama of the weather here, but the yardman comes to help tidy up what is left after PakG and others cleaned the yard and driveway, raking away leaves, dragging fallen branches, and unplugging drains.

After a walk, IbuSusi drops by to say hello and share cookies and tea. She lives next door to our former house. She remembers when the Project was an unfenced lot with a small house on it. "The kids used to play ball in the field." When someone bought it, he fenced it off and built his big house on it. After he died, the Project fell into ruin, sitting empty for a decade.

How we miss our LIPI neighbors! They are the kindest, most gracious people. I invite her back, telling her to bring a few more women along next time. We'll have tea together.

It's good to have Ramadan and the heavy travel season over for another 11 1/2 months. Muslims around us are eating again. The fasting month is hard on everyone. Energy is low; people are hungry and thirsty by nightfall. 

For lunch, IbuS cooks rice plus chicken minced into vegetables. W and I head to the grocer for fresh produce. At a nearby clothing outlet, he exchanges a gifted batik shirt (2XL) for one that fits.

Fresh-baked bread is my supper. I top it with Lisa's NZ chocolate-nut blend. Yum. We stashed the remainder of a birthday treat (chocolate cake from #Mom'sBakery) into the freezer before we left for Bali. We couldn't take it along but it was too good to waste. The cake has frozen brick-solid but thaws quickly in the 80o (26C) room.

We hear the hiss of water hitting the leaves across the yard and watch as the rain sweeps in. I hang some rooted sweet potatoes on the lips of the big vases holding tropical fish. Let's see if they will keep the unfiltered water clean. Since tropical fish are naturally happy in this weather, we don't bother with a heater. Snails and rain overflow keep the water mostly clear and fresh. Solar fountains aerate the water with a 6-8" spray.

Read more:
* You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5

* How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! Psalm 84:1

* [Jesus told his disciples] In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

* The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26

* So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

Moravian Prayer: Resting Savior, we mourn your death. In spirit—we visit your resting place and remember your suffering. We thank you that our grief is not like the disciples’ grief, for we know what comes on Easter morning.

Finally, God of life, after long, dark days, you make the sun rise once more, for the Son has risen. Our lives are changed. Our hope is reborn. Now thank we all our God! Amen.