Cough cough, cookies, and a lot of steps

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Anton walks beside me and sits when he should because I have treats in hand. Ugh, my palm is greasy from small fatty chunks of "dog beef" found in the freezer. Oh well, he pays attention and does what he's supposed to. Worth it, 5300 steps later. Another walk comes later in the day. We're sure getting our steps in.

W and I are preparing for a full week ahead: overnight guests, events, and more. W snaps my picture and sends it off to the academic dean who will obtain a visa so I can teach in his country. I finish writing Sunday's talk. W reads it through with me and helps edit it into shape. My head is less fuzzy today, thank God.

How about a gardenia from the shrub beside the Porch? Its fragrance fills the entry. The other good smell is IbuA baking chocolate chip cookies. Her version adds smashed Kopiko candies for a crackling coffee flavor.

Two fond memories pop up on FB: the first is the 17-year friendship with my college choir director #SylviaPittsFry. I was her choir pianist all three years in the 1970s (!). One year I even played a 10-day choir tour with mononucleosis (rousing just enough to coordinate the accompaniment with her conducting at the front and end of each piece. I did the rest mostly asleep.) 

Sylvia and I were young and anything was possible. She'd just finished a bachelor in music and done some composing. I was working on a piano performance degree, so music flowed between us on autopilot. I'd hear what I was playing when everyone else did, without much forethought. My fingers slid into harmonies without conscious placement, unless we were following a score.

A second memory is from 11 years ago: I was trying to rehome Lewis, our toy poodle, in preparation for moving to Indonesia. Sylvia didn't have a dog at the time we were packing up, but I remembered how she spoiled her Pekinese "Sonatina" during college years. She generously took our Lewis home to Toronto, where she renamed him "Buddy" and pampered him until he died earlier this year, aged 18. He became a therapy dog for many in her seniors complex, beloved by all. Good boy! (and she was a good friend.)

Wednesday

We're up early, walking and meeting our dear friends, JP and Judy on the loop for their last time. They move to the USA today. How we will miss them!

Life abroad means constant adjustments of relationships and interactions. People come and go. Between are initial invitations, warm friendships, good working relationships, meals together, and emotional goodbyes.

I sit on the Porch with a breakfast of fresh bread and NZ nut butter, writing book reviews. I track down the syllabus for an upcoming class. It needs revisions due to new texts, research tools, plagiarism detectors, and - of course - defined ethics for using AI to write or revise theses and papers. My general philosophy is if students do their own research and initial writing, getting help from a spell- and grammar-checker is a good idea.

We have pizza for lunch. Then W heads out to a study while I do another walk. If nothing else, I'm getting more fit with two long walks a day. Looking at the grey clouds above, I take Anton out early, wandering here and there up various side streets until we've gone over 10,000 steps. I'm happy to come home.

The joy of doing research is discovering new data. I'm wading through 270+ responses to a survey and finding it really interesting. The first task is spotting trends and worthwhile suggestions. I make popcorn and munch it on the Porch as I evaluate. There's even time to finish an upcoming Macomber novel and write a few reviews.

The rain comes after 4 PM. The yardman is gone until tomorrow; today he clipped the lawn-ish ground cover (whatever it is). The helper leaves before the sky darkens. Then a hard rain descends, and lightning jags between the mountains. Most of us are inside and dry. What a blessing, which we don't take for granted.

Thursday

We usually hike but most people are away and I'm still lung-compromised. We settle for long neighborhood walks (5 miles, usually). Living on the side of a mountain, there are enough inclines and descents wherever we walk. We pick up Casey's old crate - she's happily traveling with her people and all arrive safely in Atlanta.

Today's a bonus workday since we don't have to travel to hike. W goes to town to get his phone fixed at the tech mall while I go through survey data on the Porch. We're ramping up for a seminar next week, so I check in with team members.

A friend drops for an hour of discussion, tea, and cookies. We learn that it's a Dutch custom to eat only one item with a cup of tea: one cookie, one snack, or one piece of food. To eat a second, you must be served a second cup of tea. We tell him to load up and send a bunch of cookies home for his wife to enjoy.

Friday

First up is a meeting with a counselor, the monthly check-in to make sure I am on an even keel while living abroad. Then IbuSiti comes to give me a thorough massage. Loosening the remains of the past two weeks is a good idea. We call the grandkids and enjoy a visit online - they're getting over a cold so are coughing more than I.

I want to join the Book Group but most members are seniors. The last thing they need is what I had. I stay home. I send 6 books and take photos of what I send over so I know where my books are. They keep 3 and send 3 home.

W visits a friend down the hill and comes back with 2 huge smoked-chicken burritos @50.000 (student rate: $3.00 for both.) They're so big that we eat only half and put the delicious remains away for tomorrow. 

Read more:

*I will not fail you or forsake you. Joshua 1:5

*The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. Psalm 19:7-10

*Suddenly the heavens were opened to Jesus and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. Matthew 3:16

Moravian Prayer: Faithful Father, God, we thank you for the assurances you give of your abiding love and care for us, and that you allow us to share your love and compassion with the world. Amen.

Sleepless in Bandung

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Ugh. Since COVID I seem to get respiratory stuff. From "never sick" to stuck with the flu two times a year? I'm not a fan, but I try to lay low and heal quickly.

3 hours of calls start at 5:30 AM. Then we take Anton the new dog around on his own. Instead of 3000 steps, I'm at 5500 before we get home. Steps add up with "let's backtrack-and-resume" leash-work each time he lunges ahead. He's responding better each day but today is a tough one for him. This is Day 5 so he's right on track. Good boy.

Puppies need 16+ hours of sleep (and a 14 month old Standard is mostly puppy). He snoozes in his favorites spot at our feet while we work on the Porch.

It's lunch before we know it. In late afternoon Alice, Angie, and I brainstorm, planning an upcoming seminar. The helpers spend a busy day baking.

Wednesday

More calls. I have to walk Anton, no matter how rotten I feel. He goes crazy, trying to beat me out of the gate. He has variations of yanking, jumping, and lunging. Both he and I have a good workout before I get out the gate first, for our 6 AM walk. The second walk in the afternoon is calmer. He sits on command (pointed finger) more often than not. We play fetch and he follows anyone he sees around the Porch and yard. His curiosity and intelligence are high.

DrT calls from a Himalayan country. I can barely croak a response. He's asking me to teach a masters cohort in mid-June. I can get the class material together, teach, and grade. He promises to take care of the visa but I need in-house permissions as well. W makes all our travel arrangements so I send him DrT's contact info.

Thursday

It's May Day across Europe and another Red Letter Day in Indonesia: "Labor Day." There have been 15? public holidays already this year. Today all the help takes the day off. The house is quiet as we wake to the smell of oatmeal bread in the breadmaker. It smells good but is too dense for our liking. 

My watch says I've slept for 2:08 overnight and that's pretty accurate. The breakfast bread, baking on an overnight schedule, has rested longer than that. My lungs ache and my head pounds but a baby aspirin takes the edge off the pain. We do a COVID test because I've been sick since the weekend. (It's negative, yay.)

The May e-newsletter drops and garners comments that hearten us. I send some emails requesting extensions for projects that need clear focus. Everyone's gracious and I write the new deadlines on the calendar. My head is so fuzzy that I don't try much academic work. We make a few calls, and that's about it. 

Anton and I do an early morning walk to work off some of his energy. He's well-behaved on the 2 mile (3 km) circuit. W takes the other dogs out after we return so A isn't distracted during training.

Anton has been shredding things as soon as W lets him out in the morning. A solution may be to put Tabasco on those delicious pink flip-flops that he's almost ripped to pieces. Will that deter him? Luckily he leaves things in his crate alone.

I try to snooze on the Porch while W buys the Tabasco but have no luck. Neighbors are going in and out of the gate so the dogs are barking and running to see what's going on. W comes back home with lunch at 10 AM so we eat it while it's hot.

Someone brings over a pail of used tennis balls. We can't have tea together but I give her $6 and a bag of cookies. Anton and Bailey (almost 13) run around and play fetch for an hour. The other dogs just nap. By 1 PM I'm toast. Ready for a long nap. 

Friday - Happy Birthday, dear Melissa!

Our daughter-in-love was born May 1. With a 14-hour time difference, we call her this morning instead of staying up late to wish her a happy birthday. Our boys hit the jackpot in marriage. We sure love the young women who chose them - and our sons get along in the families they married into.

It's dog grooming day. Both Juno and Anton's feet are sliding around the Porch so they need a foot shave; too dangerous to run hikes on wet stones and slippery bamboo bridges with hair between their toes.

Anton gets a poodle face clip, too. We're not big fans of wet chins or slobber (a furry labradoodle trim) when dogs run over to be petted. After grooming they get favorite treats: raw chicken bones. Even Bailey, who's starting to lose teeth at age 13, chomps his bone with vigor. Then it's nap time for them.

I may catch up on some work today. My headache is receding, and brain fog is lifting. Yay. The sun's out, banana bread is baking (thanks for bananas, Veronica!), and I don't have to cook lunch.

One final walk, supper, and editing. The book I'm working on is written by an Asian academic, examining Asian religions, cultures, and Christianity. My education was in intercultural studies so the local perspective of a scholar reflecting on religion and culture is fascinating.

Read more:

*Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

*It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21

*The Lord said, “When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” Luke 17:10

Moravian Prayer: Lamb of God, our all in all, be among us today. Give us tender hearts and inspire us to go the extra mile for all the weak and weary in spirit. Be the rock we build upon. Mold us as examples of service and unconditional love. Amen.

Oh bed you're dead

A messy bedroom: thankfully not mine, before or after!

Is your bedroom relaxing and calm? Or do you heap 101 unfinished projects or books to read in the corners and on the furniture?

I thought it wasn't too bad on my side of the bed UNTIL I started clearing. Yesterday I emptied the drawers of my nightstand, washed the bedding, and hung the down duvets in the cold sunshine. Today I tackled the floor beside my bed: 5 magazines, 30+ books. 2 letters to be answered. That's a lot of reading; thankfully I'm well on the way through most of it.

A relaxing bedroom, also not mine

By the time I write, the publications are sorted, separated into library and mine, finished and must-read, and shelved. The fluffy sheepskin rug is shaken outside, the floor vacuumed, the furniture dusted, the long bins under the bed moved and replaced (DIY tools and purses in separate bins. Important things stay close at hand.)

I've stuck to my goals of re-homing something every day on Freecycle and having a bag or two every time a charity calls. Gradually, as I promised myself for the New Year, I'm leaving behind the past for the future.

The outside reflects what God is going on the inside, helping me shed old habits for new graces. I am grateful.

Australians can request household clearing
pickup from their city. Good idea!

Due to a  miserable cold, I have resisted going out to spread it. So I've missed two engagements I was really anticipating. Raclette with friends and a writers group. One has been rescheduled. One is a loss.

But my side of the bedroom is clean and tidy. "Never shun small gifts!" she tells herself as she smiles and tosses the dust rags into the wash.

What have you been putting off? Do you have an unexpected morning or evening to deal with it?

Read more:
Here's a marvelous "inner room of the heart" de-clutter and cleanup message, sent by my friend Tillie Porter:

*Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.


For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 NIV

-----------------
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
    No light in the darkness you see?
    There’s light for a look at the Savior,
    And life more abundant and free!
      
 Refrain:
        Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
        Look full in His wonderful face,
        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
        In the light of His glory and grace.
 
  Through death into life everlasting
    He passed, and we follow Him there;
    O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
    For more than conquerors we are!
  
 His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
    Believe Him, and all will be well:
    Then go to a world that is dying,
    His perfect salvation to tell!
 
      -- Helen H Lemmel 1922

Pause

"We'll address your specific needs as soon as possible. You are caller #9 in queue." It's a bit ridiculous trying to schedule a doctor's appointment.

The next message is the same, a few minutes later. I'm still #9. I guess once clients reach a person in the doctor's office––after the maze of touch-tone options and waiting––it's important to stay on the line as long as possible.

These pauses remind me how time-conscious we are. The looping message, spieled by alternating female and male voices, tries to keep us engaged with: "Thank you for your patience. We'll be with you momentarily, and thanks for holding." After ten minutes, I'm #5 in line. It takes 20 minutes to reach the receptionist. (No wonder the recorded message advises calling "911" if it's an emergency.)

God's pauses may seem similar. We hear no answer beyond a familiar buzz of Bible promises and stories of heroes of the faith who hung in there. Most eventually got an answer though few expected the outcomes that God gave.

The vital difference is God' engagement with us. He doesn't queue us up and deal with us one after another. The synchronicity of God's power, his loving interest, human free will––ours and others, circumstances, and our prayers ensures that we are neither abandoned nor forgotten. Not even for a minute.

If you're in the middle of a pause or a period of silence, remember that in all things, God works together for good.

It's irritating to hear Romans 8:28 treated like a vending machine for personal happiness. Scripture doesn't promise that everything works together for MY good, no matter what pop paraphrase versions claim.

God's purpose is to build his Kingdom and bring his "good" salvation to all. That's not always comfortable nor convenient for us along the way. A more consistent translation––especially beside readings of the prophets and Hebrews 11!––is, "... in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good..." (NIV alternate)

This morning, my pause pays off. I'm given an appointment with the only one with an opening, the same person who gave me unimpressive medical advice nine years ago. I bet he'll tear a sheet off the prescription pad and send me on my way after a five-minute breeze-by (at the end of a 3/4 hour waiting room visit) ... like last time.

On the other hand, maybe I'll get lucky and he'll say, "You're on the mend. It's a 1-1/2 week flu that goes away on its own, so you're almost done. Rest up today and have a good time on your trip." Well, I'm definitely more cheerful thinking about that. I think I'm feeling better already.

3pm update: I saw a nice she, not a he, and the graph about the attrition of flu symptoms on her wall shows I am on the mend. Might have made it another 9 years ...

Read more:

*Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 50:15

*I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, 
     and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
      more than watchmen wait for the morning, 
     more than watchmen wait for the morning.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
      for with the Lord is unfailing love 
     and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel 
     from all their sins. Psalm 130:5-8 NIV

*I lift up my eyes to the hills—

    where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

   the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 

the sun will not harm you by day, 

    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm —
    he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore. Psalm 121   NIV

*The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, our Friend, you are so much more willing to help than we are to ask. As any friend affects those he or she touches, through our prayers, cause us more fully to resemble you and to care about the people you care about. Amen.