Monday, April 14, 2025
Oh a new week! I miss our walk because meetings start at 5:30 AM and run through mid-morning. The Sunday bouquet, standing on the Porch overnight, comes inside as soon as I clear last week's grasses from the entry table.
I'm on my third 16 oz (470 ml) mug of tea by the time I start editing. Three projects came in last week; I only got halfway through them on the weekend. I wait all morning for W to finish his study so we can run errands. But he wraps up late, and then he can't come along. Why?
There's no water available in the house when I want to use the kitchen washbasin. W calls the plumber while PakG and I fill pails and pails from an outside faucet. We have guests coming and going all week. What if we have no water for days? Better to be safe than sorry.
W pauses the invitation to this week's movie night until the plumber comes and tells us what's happening. He diagnoses what's wrong, gets the replacement part, and has the water flowing again for about $20. Whew. The movie invitation goes out and the list fills up quickly.
I have to make a pickup near IKEA. W and I talked about buying a half-dozen stools (@$3) and some IKEA tote bags (@60c). We schlep all kinds of things to events and people borrow items - those sturdy totes are just right. But it's not worth an extra trip.
Since I'm a block away, I pop in, eat a quick lunch, and check out the "As Is" section.
It's worth a cruise through the "rooms" for new ideas. I like how they spray-painted white paper lamps to look like planets in a kids' room.
One more stop on the way home at the grocers nets us vegetables, eggs, fruits, and salads for movie night. Unpacked and put away = a tidy kitchen. Good.
Dinner is quiet. I make creamy pasta but we have to pick out the papaya flowers. Whew - that's too bitter even for me. The dogs enjoy our leftovers though. A music store employee shows up at the gate and takes the bass amp in for repair. The rest of the evening is peaceful. Thanks be to God.
Tuesday
It's a 5:30 AM start again. After some meetings, we enjoy breakfast with W's study group at Ethnic. On the walk down the lane, a lady is climbing onto a motorcycle. She's probably taking her kids to school. From grandpas and grandmas to infants, that's the usual mode of transport.
The study group meets weekly and started in person. As the lecturers' families grew and COVID hit, they moved to online meetings. Thus in-person meetings are a special treat and a priority for each person. I leave after breakfast - I have work to do ...
In the garden, the daylilies bloom bright yellow against the hedges.
Wednesday - April Movie Night.
Who knew that our wedding gift from Uncle Erich would be used for so many years? "This the best cookware I could find. Be careful with them," said my Auntie M.
they gave the same set to a cousin who married 2 years earlier. Aunti M cautioned us to keep them from burning or getting ruined - and demonstrated how to clean the stainless steel. I followed her advice and they're in good shape. (We've replaced one pot knob since I got them.)
I smile every time I think of Uncle Erich and Auntie Molly. He's frail in health, and she's been gone for 20 years, but I've used those pots almost daily ever since W and I married on a September day, over 47 years ago.
"Don't take your good stuff along overseas; leave it here," Mom urged me. "You never know if you have to leave it behind."
But we live in Indonesia. Every hard-working or beautiful item we enjoyed in Seattle is also a blessing here. This morning I thank God for all the people who have invested their love, prayers, and other resources in us. [If that's you ... THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.]
I brought the set of heavy-bottomed cooking pots with us six years ago. Today, as every month, the biggest is used to make spaghetti sauce. The smaller ones heat up sweet and sour sauce or other goodies.
We couldn't find spinach anywhere, and creamed spinach is a favorite. (And a way for this mom to get veggies into the young adults.) Otherwise, it's the regular menu of sausage, chicken, meatballs, eggs, spaghetti, rice, potatoes, salad, cheese balls (Thanks, Claudia and Ibu Sumi!) - and desserts at intermission.
The whole house smells of cooking. (Below, the last of five sets of chicken trays). I'm ready to be done.
W and I leave the house for lunch. There's a new pasta place at the end of the lane. W likes his "drenched in sauce" lasagne.
I order oil-saturated chicken and mushroom fettuccini. There's one mushroom in it, cut into pieces. It would be easier to eat if they didn't cut the noodles so short. Oh well. On movie day, I am not hungry for anything in our kitchen and don't have much of an appetite.
A young girl sitting nearby is delighted when the servers sing "Happy Birthday!" and hand her a chocolate pancake and a balloon flower.
Mid-afternoon, the clouds roll over and the sky darkens. The projectors and screens are up; tech is in place and running smoothly. The furniture is rearranged. W and I walk to the hall to pick up cookies from the office fridge. Oh oh, the varieties are gone and only chocolate is left. (Hope our guests like chocolate!) We end up with a wide variety of desserts because guests bring treats to share.
It's a wonderful time together - the rain holds off, the house and Porch fill up (+70 people), and the mood is warm.
The crowd devours the food.
"The line stretches out the door!" exclaims one participant. Yes it does, both for supper and for dessert at intermission.
We love the mix of young and old. Tonight we represent 15 nations. Everyone is gone before 11:00 PM and we fall into bed at 11:30.
ThursdayOur backpacks are packed with a raincoat, small change, and drinking water. Sunglass and a wide-brimmed hat is ready. We're out the door at 7:15 AM. What a good hike, up and down wet rocks, slippery trails, and wading a few shallow creeks. We're soaked, muddy, and content. After last night's heavy rains, the water churns through mountain canyons and cascades over 4 waterfalls.
The scale and beauty of nature's power is stunning.
We're missing our fearless leader Veronica, who attends to family matters. The six dogs run back and forth. They don't splash in the water because the current is too strong, but they steal a sip along the trail now and then.
Most bamboo bridges have been repaired and a few have new handrails. YAY! Some bridges are still iffy - our old dogs have done this many times so they're confident. The younger dogs are getting the hang of crossing. Sometimes on narrow ledges or cracked bridges, they are leashed and pulled across to safety.
The old Dutch irrigation systems still work.
The last part of the walk is a challenge. In places, we balance on narrow or medium width metal or plastic irrigation pipes. Many have leaks that spray water on the trail or us. We make a few stops where the pipes are broken and spurting gallons of water. We're wet already but it's nice to clean the clumps of mud off our shoes and socks.
When we reach the cars, we pull off drenched trail shoes, rubbing the gunk off our calves with the back of a wet sock. W and I bring flip flops as post-hike footwear.
Today the food at Saka Bistro is excellent. It's Ernesto's last hike in Indonesia - he's off to France next week so we all treat him. I order basil gnocchi. Yum.
W has fried chicken and rice.
At home, the helpers have restored the living room, washed and put away the dishes, and ironed clothes. WOW - thank you, Ibu A and Ibu S. For us, a hot shower is first on the agenda. Then it's back to work with our feet propped up.
Read more:
*Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 118:4
*You shall not cheat one another, but you shall fear your God. Leviticus 25:17
*Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5
Moravian Prayer: Blessed Jesus, majestic and humble, you stir our hearts with divine love. Your sacrifice is immeasurable. Your triumphs ring pure. Grant us the courage to enter Jerusalem with you and bear our crosses each day. In your name, we pray. Amen.
