Ticks, fleas, and Arabic food (but not at the same time)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

I wrap up academic work before 6 PM. The dogs are ready for sleep, as am I. Maybe a pack of ramen first? Ramen comes in many flavors, many kinds, and from countries across the Asian Pacific. Tonight, I choose "Korean" with half a spice packet and sesame oil instead of the hot oil provided. Good but salty.

Look at all the avocados from our garden! We start giving them away - we trade kinds with our friends who want them. (They may have a different variety.) Our huge tree has grown from a spindly plant on the Porch for years after I planted a pit from an avocado I particularly liked. As soon as we shoved the plant into the garden, it took off. It's been hard-trimmed many times.

The dogs patiently wait for treats and attention. It's always a race to see who can sit by my seat as I work. If a dog gets up, another quickly lays itself down beside me.

Thursday - Happy Birthday, Waldemar!

For Waldemar, it's not a party but a long trip home from a conference in the US. We call a few times before he boards his first of two flights. The sun is shining on the bromeliads, waiting for him.

The morning light glows through an all-red alium.

The houseplants we used to pamper? They get cut back off the guava tree, with leaves ranging from 4"-12" (10-25 cm). The grey-pink leaves on the right are crushed, soaked, and packed into the mouth to soothe toothaches. People here have all kinds of medicinal uses for our former "houseplants."

The pond pot gets yet another coat of concrete before it is covered against the rain. Hopefully this layer will seal its perpetual leaks.

Whenever I'm feeling homesick for Seattle, I look at this pitiful ivy. Our Seattle garden walls are covered in it. Here the plant limps along in its little pot.

I finish my classwork this morning, thank God. But instead of resting, Anton and I spend 3 hours at the vet. After lunch, we hop in the car - poor dog jumps in the back, thinking we're going for the hike that we skipped this morning. Nope.

Side note: did you know that a restroom (called a "toilet" here) can be squeezed into 3'X3' (1 square meter)? I'm as surprised as you when I push open the door at the doc's. Pull up your knees! and don't touch the wall 3" (7cm) away, if possible. There's no sink for hand-washing, but see the tap above the water bucket? A long-handled scoop full of water is normally used as an alternative to toilet paper.

We wait a half hour for the tick-test to be delivered to the little clinic. A motorcycle courier can deliver almost anything - food, clothes, packages, you name it - across the city for 50c-$2. The city is abuzz with GoJek, GoFood, GoSend, and other motorbikes.

The results are processed on the spot. Anton has been bitten by a tick. PakG finds the bite on his head.

That's why Anton is lethargic, and perhaps why we had a "good walk!" He left the cats alone, too. He has small skin hemorrhages and black poop. He starts a 2-week regimen of meds - which he happily ingests, buried in papaya cubes.

All the dogs get anti-tick liquid soaked into their upper backs.

Back home, the women have baked 3 kinds of cookies. It's enough to refill what has been eaten in the last month.

Sooner than it seems possible, the Porch lights come on and night falls. How can it be 6 PM again? The dogs happily go into their crates to sleep.

Friday

We don't walk though the sun is out. The repair of the pot-pond continues. Another coat of cement, which is dry in early morning.

By day's end, it's painted. Oh no! they've painted part of the clay plant stand inside the pot - we've sometimes used it to elevate a bouquet. (I guess that's over!) The paint dries overnight. Over the past weeks, the dozens of fish from the pot swim in 2 old bathtubs at the far end of the yard. I hope they survive the moves. Some are at least 4 years old.

The dogs are supposed to rest and I don't mind a day off from walking 10,000 steps. We stop by the grocer before Anton's 11 AM appointment at the vet for an injection. The meds were not on hand yesterday. He's calm and cooperates.

Avocados get shared by the neighbors. We'll have more in a few weeks but who can eat 50 or 60?! at a time. They're picked green to ripen in a paper bag or on the kitchen counter. If we're lucky, that ripeness gets spread over a few days. When we refrigerate them, the process stops.

Lunch with Dina is good, her introduction to Middle Eastern flavors. We get back after 2 PM to unpack groceries. I'm packing a suitcase as well - what will I need next week?

W's due home in the afternoon. Traffic is typically "Friday afternoon" so his ETA gets later and later - PakG picks him up from the shuttle stop. It's been +26 hours since he left LAX.

Meanwhile Melvi finds fleas on Bailey. So all the crates need washing with bleach and soap. (On and on it goes. Still more reliable than security guards ... ) We haven't had sick dogs before so this is a new thing. It's dogs or guards here ...

We take a short walk before it's time for W to crash into sleep!

Saturday

W and I work through tomorrow's talk first thing, sitting on the Porch in the sunshine. The chore of the day is to finish packing. Travel is more complicated than it used to be. Air tags. Liquid limits. Extra visa requirements. And every country may have different plugs so we need the right adapters for charging our gear.

We try a very short (2 block walk) but Anton starts to huff and his nose bleeds = he has low platelets, which means another trip to the vet. The breeder, on WhatsApp, is a wealth of knowledge. She tells me by the time he has nosebleeds, it may be fatal. She lost a dog that way long ago. The other big dogs go along to give blood for a transfusion. He's at the clinic overnight for observation. Prayers appreciated.

I find a bite on my ankle similar to the spots on Anton's stomach. I'll keep an eye on it, especially since I fly out tomorrow. Meanwhile I print notes, syllabus, and PPT outlines just in case I have a computer meltdown without my tech "expert" along.

Sunday

Church. Shuttle. Airport. That's the plan. Prayers appreciated.

Read more:

*The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. Deuteronomy 13:4

*You shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life. Philippians 2:15-16

Moravian Prayer: Holy Illuminator, we pray that we may reflect your truth and hope, mirroring your grace to guide and stay bright in darkness. Grant us courage to illuminate the path towards your eternal promise. Amen.

Goats galore - and an occasional amphibian nearby

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Nice to have some big projects behind us. I feel 20 lbs lighter without the book deadline hanging over my head. Onward ho! Today it's on to 2 class syllabi. It's go go wait wait on one syllabus; we pass messages back and forth with the registrar before we can set the class schedule. 

I get a message when I check my phone after 5 AM: "Are you coming?" Oops - we're splitting a leaders' meeting between two days. It's wonderful to hear how God is at work in women around the world = for me, it's life-giving.

Afterward, we walk the dogs. Attend more meetings. W and I have a "date" brunch mid-morning at #NaraPark. I order my usual, noodles with spicy sauce and hot tea. W has a beef bento box with vegetables, soup, meat, and rice ($5 complete). Neither of us are hungry at lunchtime.

We spot this huge leaf drying in the sunshine. It is over 2' (70cm) from tip to stem. The tree above sheds leaves almost every day - that's the difference between tropical areas and elsewhere. There's constant maintenance because leaves fall everywhere every day. The swish swish of brooms provides background noise all day long.

Anytime I bring out treats, I whistle and the dogs know what to do. At 13 yrs old, the littlest guy is losing teeth but he can still chomp down a raw chicken bone. I keep my eye on him though.

Thursday

Up for the first meeting at 5 AM, then go onward to other calls. By 7:30, we're on the road to the hike. Dina and Veronica ride along to Cikole Forest.

It's Anton's second woodland hike, but his first with his "kin" - 2 Labradoodles from the same poodle bloodline. They tussle a bit and chase around, having a great time together.

The trail is shaded most of the way. Eva has introduced the walk this way: "There's one hill at the beginning but then it's mostly flat." We chuckle as we drive into the hills. Eva is so fit that she probably doesn't notice the hills.

True again: sure enough, we go up steeply and then ascend steadily for 2 miles (3 km) before descending for almost as long. Someone who has just done the Camino walk (Portugal and Spain) remarks that nothing they encountered there was this hard.

The first steep hill is inspiring because of the purple grass heads that glow in the sunshine. They're as tall as we are and wave along the trail.

"No snakes today?" asks a hiker. "We used to meet at least one snake each time, a while back." Thankfully, we see no snakes despite the tall vegetation.

Motorbikes dig deep trenches into parts of the trails. That means maintaining a tricky balance on the sides of the gouges. We dig in our walking poles, tread carefully on the hard wet clay and all make it back in one piece.

We have lunch at Madam Sari's in Lembang. It's not big portions nor wonderful food. I borrow some rice from W's bowl to go with the small salad and a piece of chicken in my order.

Nonetheless, we're eating with nice people in a clean setting. That's good enough.

We're happy to change out of our dusty sweaty clothes and hop in the shower before we start the afternoon's work.

Tomorrow hundreds of goats tied along the streets will be ritually slaughtered for Eid-al-Adha (a reference to Genesis 22. Read the original story here. The Koran does not specify which son was with Abraham, though Genesis reports that Ishmael had already been sent away with his mother before this event.) It means 2 more public holidays (Friday, Saturday).

At night, we have a final meeting, with encouragement to move ahead on a new project.

Friday

We're up much of the night due to the ongoing chanting from mosques. People are subdued in the morning after being awake. The streets are empty except for families going to the neighborhood mosque together. Anton is a pill; he's on high alert for cats, who oblige him by darting here and there.

Jodi and I catch up. Then Gail and I call about co-teaching an upcoming class. I send off our syllabus and complete other morning work. W comes back from an errand in town before we eat lunch at Miss Bee. The staff is friendly and attentive. It rains a bit on our way home as clouds blow over but soon quits.

Saturday

Of course we walk - and this morning, Anton ("monster") is watching for cats; he's figured out where they like to sit. Today he walks past one and lunges at 3. "Leave it!" Getting there ... slowly but surely. I've had a hard workout, pulling him short for 2.5 miles by the time we get home.

The mansion down the street is coming right along - it's the fanciest in detail and the biggest house in the neighborhood, squeezed on a lot that had a modest home like its neighbors.

After I talk to Mom, I'm in the mood for crepes. They don't take long to whip up and then W and I sit on the Porch for a few minutes, enjoying breakfast. We can't believe the luxury of having good weather all year round; we eat outdoors any day  unless there's a fierce downpour or powerful mountain wind. Today the birds are chirping and the waft of jasmine drifts across the table.

'Tis the time of year for yard sales. Schools remodel and upgrade equipment during summer break. Many expats sell off their households as they prepare to repatriate to their countries. I snag a some round wooden tables (@$6.50 each) for community get-togethers. W will rent a truck to move a load in a week, once we have made room to store it.

While W takes cookies to an IES Bandung football game, I get to work. I've got less than a week to pull the first class' notes together. I teach in a week. W has to come back early as well: he's packing for a scholar's forum. A lizard hums loudly beside the Porch but I can't spot him.

Read more:

*If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:9-18

*Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:3

*The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Revelation 14:7

Moravian Prayer: Most holy Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of your glory. We stand in awe of your creation’s majesty and life- giving waters. Clothe us in your righteousness and grant us your peace. Amen.

Tall grass and rice porridge

Thursday, May 29, 2025

We're headed into the mountains by 7:40 AM. The forest-and-grassland walk freaks out some of our non-hiking friends.

"What if there are snakes? Aren't you afraid of the snakes?!" Well, having dogs run ahead helps. Hopefully their thundering legs chase everything else off the narrow overgrown paths before we get there. So far so good.

No other dogs are coming today so we risk a first hike with Anton. Anton still pulls when we walk him in the neighborhood. So, is he ready for the forest trails? Will he run off and not come back? Will we have to leash him the whole hike? Yes, no, and no.

W wants to keep him on leash the whole way but I let him off when the other two run free. He bounds ahead with them, comes back often to check what we're doing, and returns when we call. Good boy. These city dogs love to stretch their legs and negotiate challenging terrains.

We're in the forest without the map of sections until we're almost done with our hike. We wander around, get lost, backtrack, and finally find our way out. (Someday we'll keep going where we turned around today. There must be another trek back but we haven't found it yet.)

On the way, we spot wild ginger, a beautiful flower that pops out of the ground without leaves.

The mossy trees are full of mushrooms and lichens after the extended rainy season.

Many trees have fallen across the trails - we climb under, over, and around. My ribs are still sore so I bend with more care than usual.

The kids notice the long stems on leaves.

And we find cones and other interesting botanicals.

One pine tree has slashes across it, roots growing over it, and peeling bark. So much texture!

The kids perch on a fallen log.

We head down from the mountains for lunch. A cat casually walks across the cart inside the Sundanese restaurant where we eat. Cats are everywhere.

Congratulations to Lyong, who graduated from her university with top grades. She finished 2nd among the top 5 students! Wow - that is no small feat with +1500 graduates! We're so proud of her.

Her brother Eki accompanies their parents into town for the event but she has only one ticket, which her dad uses to watch her graduate. The rest of the family waits outside during the 6-hour ceremony. 

We host the family overnight. What an honor when our "kids" introduce us to their parents. Shortly after they arrive, the heavens open with a heavy downpour. Good timing, you guys.

Friday - Happy birthday, Isaac! 

Far away, our 3rd grandchild celebrates his special day. He's sometimes speaks or acts so much like his dad and his grandpa that I just stop and blink a little to take it in. We get to talk to him later in his day.

After the morning dog walk, we eat breakfast with our guests. Before going home yesterday, IbuA and IbuS prepared rice and the main course for supper. (I cooked side dishes and set the table.)

The women also cooked bubur ayam (chicken and rice porridge), which warms in the rice cooker overnight. Yum - Eki's mom used to sell bubur and she pronounces it delicious in Sundanese style.

Good thing I didn't try to cook that! haha Indonesian and Western tastes are far apart. While we have gradually grown accustomed to local food, a Western breakfast of pancakes or toast and eggs would be unsatisfyingly foreign to most Sundanese.

I finally finish the initial edit of a book its publishers are waiting on. Then I print out a 2-pages-per-sheet paper copy for the final edit = 204 pages of small print to pore over one more time.

Adik sends over homebaked artisan cranberry and cheddar rolls. They smell good. We're supposed to heat them but before we see that instruction, we enjoy them fresh out of the box.

Our water dispenser gave up the ghost so W goes off to buy a new one. I work on the Porch, enjoying warm breezes and the company of the dogs. I give up at 4 PM, with my head full of words.

I use a spoonful of "Better than Broth" from USA Costco to flavor 2 c of boiling water, toss in ready-made dumplings, chopped beans and carrots, and leftover sausage. Voila: supper. Though W initially refuses it, the smell is tempting. We both enjoy it.

Saturday

The house is quiet when we leave for the walk. We check on a nearby project and shoo away a slumbering cat before Anton can chase it. W has a study so we only do one loop (2 km). The big dogs are happy to accompany us.

Potholes may be ignored, deepening for weeks or months. Eventually, the repair is messy and organic. This is the driveway repair nearby. No need to have a smooth surface, which gets slippery with molds and mosses in the constant humidity. Instead, the cement is beaten level with small rattan brooms and left with ripples and grooves. If they've cleaned the pothole first, it may stick. Otherwise, the new paving will soon lift and ... be repaired in a few months?

God's work is more precise - and prettier. The flowers bloom in the neighborhood.

Right beside it is this perky golden display.

Our own garden offers only frail yellow flowers but it's time to make the Sunday bouquet. The live leaves and alliums from 2 weeks ago act as structure. I add silk flowers. The back is as riotous as the front.

This is probably - maybe - the front.

It's a slog going through the printed copy of the book edit. I make it through Chapter 3 before I need a break. "Why are you doing this?" W asks. Because I committed to it before I realized how long it would take?

Read more:

*Jesus said, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32

*The Lord said, “I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid.” Leviticus 26:6

*In days to come nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 22:4

*Jesus said, “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:20

*Pursue peace with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

Moravian Prayer: Forgiving God and Lord, gird us to seek peace daily with our neighbors and those whom we see as foes—for whatever reason. Help us to offer the olive branch in our hands, and the love for you in our hearts.

Ascended Lord, we wait for your return, but we are not idle. Gift us with fearlessness and acts of love, proclaiming salvation through you and life eternal with you. Your kingdom come. Amen.