"Happy birthday, Levi!" and Christmas cookies

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Lew's here from Jakarta overnight to work on his dissertation. We have supper together with Alice, who was in his congregation in Jakarta.

I'm trying to fix this sad tree on the porch. The tree itself is a good one but its feet are broken off. W cobbles together a stand. It's been years since someone has pulled it into shape. I unwind two strings of lights - how did anyone wind them up and around that way? I've never seen (or unwound) anything like it. I'm grateful it is short rather than full-sized!

Wednesday

W and I clean the aquariums on the porch every few weeks. Today's the day. Remove plants. Siphon out water. Scrub glass. Add drinking water. Toss in the plants. Done. There are no filters, heaters, or lights needed for the porch bowls. The fish population self-regulates. Sometimes there are more, sometimes less. This Bali handblown glass is 2' (70 cm) tall and sits on wooden tree roots.

Everyone gets a day off from the house. It's another national holiday. Today, regional elections gather votes for governors, mayors, and other local officials. As per law, all posters and promo have been removed 3 days ahead of the vote. What a good idea. 

PakG is a proctor in his village; his team must ensure a rain-proof cover (which collapsed yesterday and had to be rebuilt) and fair voting conditions. They will also count the votes. They've had four days of training to do that.

Lew leaves for home before the great thunderstorm in the afternoon. The rain keeps the gardens green and the wind strengthens the tree trunks. Inside, all is cozy and warm. I put a cup of tea on the wide seat of the chair and curl up to work.

Thursday - American Thanksgiving and Levi's birthday

It's our grandson's eleventh birthday. Wow - don't kids grow quickly? We have no Thanksgiving plans so it's a quiet day. First, I edit W's version of Sunday's talk. Whoever writes it, the other revises it. Then we present it together.

We enjoy the walk in the forest with hiking friends. Veronica is driving while PakG catches up on sleep. Being a voting supervisor is a grueling 24-hours-on-call process.

Above, you can hear the 60'/20m pine branches scraping each other as the wind passes through. Several trees have fallen in the recent storms. We hop over.

Each time we reach the "Dutch forts" in the mountains, I think of young soldier boys holed up against the enemy in such shelters - whether the opposition was the Japanese, Indonesians, or Dutch. The ceilings were scraped out of the mountain rocks. Now their cool concrete walls are covered in graffiti.

Looking out the windows to the tall stone walls, you can almost smell the terror of war.

We're glad it doesn't rain. The weather is perfect: 80oF/27oC, with a slight breeze and 60% humidity. There are almost as many dogs as humans.

After we knock the mud off our shoes, we eat  traditional Sundanese food at Balibu. The eatery is decorated with various shapes of bamboo.

The food is spicy and flavorful. We have lamb kabobs, tofu, and various vegetables.

Coming home, we drive down steep and narrow mountain roads. The city stretches out below. Thunder rumbles as we reach home.

We bring some spicy foods home for the helpers, who are back after their day off. Their chore today is baking Christmas cookies for giveaways and events. They box up dozens of peanut butter cookies and several batches of ginger.

I lounge with a cup of tea beside the Christmas tree as I write newsletters and make lists for tomorrow.

Friday

After a walk, W heads to town for errands. I tackle my work but don't finish editing a dissertation into a book. I'm due at the hall at 11:00. A good group of volunteers is decorating for this first weekend of Advent. Tetty, Titik, and I redo the old Christmas tree with help from Reuben, Lela, and Alice. Daniel and Della are creating beauty on the old stage.

"How old is this thing?" asks a helper as we strip the tree. (Over 20 years old, purchased 4 pastors ago.) Last year, Daniel wired it together and the top half leans only slightly. We turn that part to the wall. Straight-on, it looks ok.

"Why don't we toss it and get a new one?" somebody else asks as we pull off strands of lights, ancient ornaments, and ribbon. It's so dusty that we have to wash the lacquered balls and shake the gold mesh garlands outside. We check the lights. I'd rather spend money on people and worthy projects than a tree ... but it's getting close to being sampah (garbage.) One more year. Please.

I've looked for a tree during post-Christmas discounts for the past 6 years. The price we're willing to pay hasn't shown up yet. When it does, we'll purchase a new tree. Until then, I only buy lights and ornaments on sales. 

Our little red stepladder gives us the boost we need to dress the top. We put it on a table for height, hoping it lasts another season.

PakG has knocked the ripe jackfruit out of the tree by the time I come home in late afternoon, dusty and ready for a shower. After noodles and vegetables, W and I relax with a K-drama. So funny.

Read more:

*O Lord, may you ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us. Isaiah 24:12

*Paul wrote: Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

Moravian Prayer: Lord, you have restored us and given us your peace through your son, Jesus Christ. We rejoice that your love and peace dwell within us, and we pray that we will be united by having the mind of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Mama mia!

Friday, October 4, 2024

My mom's 88 and W's mom is 92. Neither is in good health so it's a gift to be able to return annually. We will visit twice this trip, during our first and last week.

We leave Seattle early in the morning for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Canada. It takes less than that long to remember what was so difficult about living here: GREY! October through April = grey skies, grey-green and grey-blue plants, grey-brown bare tree trunks ...

When the sun comes out, the blackberries (foreground, below) pop out green while the rest of the landscape stays grey. In a month, even their vines will be ... brown-grey. It's obvious that few can afford helpers. Untrimmed trees, weeds, and overgrown plants dominate the yards and grow in tufts along the highways.

W drops me off at my mom's in our hometown of Chilliwack and drives to see his mom in Langley. Autumn is definitely here. The big trees are shedding leaves. Their colors boast a last hurrah before the dark winter.

It's fun to catch up with my family and meet Mom's caregivers. Today, Tracy is at the house. I've never seen such a divine flow of helpers. Each one is respectful and a person of integrity. Mom practices ringing the bell on her night table before swinging her feet out of bed. That way someone is always with her when she walks. It's nice to meet Barb in the evening, too.

After W returns, my brother Norm drops in with a supper pizza.

Saturday

Mom sleeps in while I contact the siblings and family. I send everyone pictures: "What do you want from Mom's house?"

Sandy has asked me to label items by preference. I take heed of the family's requests and put their names on a strip of masking tape. There are some wild items from long-ago travels, before conservation was government-mandated.

Mom hasn't changed the house much, adding to the collection of photos, cards, and picture albums without taking things away. So the house is a kickback to the 1970s. Yes, that is original red shag carpet - wall-to-wall. Might be my fault. Mom narrowed down a few colors in the carpet swatch when they were building the house.

"I like the red!" I told her - and was surprised and happy when she agreed. That's what they ordered. No one else I know was that brave. It's in good shape, 52 years later.

Mom remains the glue that holds my 3 brothers and me together since Dad died 3 years ago. She talks regularly to each of us, scattered around the world. Then she brags on us and shares our news with the others.

We have a running joke: "Who is the favorite?" (I tell our kids, "Whoever is in front of me is the favorite, of course.")

But when Norm asks Mom that, she slips around the question with, "You are one of my favorites." haha. He should be the favorite son. He sees that she gets wonderful and consistent 24-hr care and can live at home. Well, his admin Sandy does that with excellent organizational skills and her connections.

Mom, W, and I eat lunch, hers prepared by Barb while W's and mine is leftover pizza. Yum.

The drive to Seattle goes across an empty border. After 2 quick stops for items to take back home to Indonesia, we stop for supper at Burgermaster off the freeway. I can only eat half of my burger.

 It's always lovely to come to our flat. The flowers by the door are ready for a top-up of water. 

The foraged seeds find their place on the book table.

We read tomorrow's talk together and prepare our hearts for the morning.

Sunday

During the night, I finish the book of Job and the first 20 Psalms. Jetlag can be useful for listening to scripture. Listening to the praises of God from the songs of David, my heart is full. 

I eat the second half of my burger for breakfast. I'm working my way through cupboards and food. Today I choose an Earl Grey Bravo leaf tea. Oh look! W must have purchased some glass thermoses. I try one out with the tea leaves. The strainer on top of the water keeps the leaves out of my cup.

It's quickly obvious that you have to hold the handle of the strainer as you pour or it shifts. I dump the leaves and tea from my cup and start again ...

We speak at a local congregation today. Part of our work involves raising funds for projects like sembako (food for the poor) and education. Another piece of what we do is raising awareness among prayer partners. We do our best but it's a quick trip as usual.

Monday

It's a learning day. At NU, Cathy and Kevin take us through organizational and spiritual leadership for teams. They're informative and funny. I find the solution for some challenges and get a heads up about a few mistakes with my own team. A very useful day indeed.

Read more:

*Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are accounted as dust on the scales. Isaiah 40:15

*Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Yes, of gentiles also. Romans 3:29

*I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. Hebrews 2:12

Moravian Prayer: God of all, your glorious creation is a gift. We pledge to care for all you have laid out before us. From the smallest insects to the great trees of the forest, like us, they are yours. Most of all, we will work to care for the people of the Earth in the ways you have taught us. Help us to care for others with the love that comes from you. Amen.

Bamboo trails and friends for tea

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

We miss celebrating birthdays with friends on the West Coast. Happy Birthday, Rich! Hope to see you soon.

Today the helpers scrub floor to ceiling of the office and the prayer room. They come home for lunch - we've ordered chicken and I make rice. You may think cooking rice is no big deal, but here? Moms teach their children to rinse and cook it from childhood. 

My mom showed me how to pour rice from a bag into a pot with 2X water - and we were done. It tasted fine to us.

Here, I rinse and rinse, then put the de-starched rice in a rice cooker. I've learned to pour drinking water to the depth of my first knuckle above the raw rice. Close the lid, hit the switch, and voila ... rice, Indonesian style. 

"Your rice is good," says IbuA. WHAAAT? Woohoo! That accomplishment means as much to me in learning culture as did my 2012 TESOL certificate. Hehe.

It's a day for writing newsletters. In the last week of the month, we gather news for partners and IES Bandung attendees. It matters less how many readers engage than that there's a rhythm and routine of updates = "I could read this if I want." The content and relevance for the reader changes month to month.

New Zealander Lisa comes for tea, pumpkin pie, and salty cheese bugles. Her company is a pleasure. And the snacks are addictive.

W's teaching his last of three weeks to students from around the world.

Thursday

The dogs and I hit the trail for our sabbath rest, especially if you consider walking amid good company restful. The hiking group gets along well; they patiently wait for me going uphill (harder since COVID) and others who have more trouble going downhill (bad knees or balance issues). We are slow enough that no one is sore after hiking 5-8 km (3-5 miles).

The trail starts upward to a tunnel cut into the rock.The cutout is called "Mossy Tunnel" (Lorong Lumut). The bamboo path is rotting underfoot so slats have been placed across them in irregular spacing. Look carefully where you step. The trail is dusty. Red clouds puff up as the dogs run ahead and back and cover us in fine grit. It hasn't rained up here for weeks.

In the early 1900s, Dutch colonizers planted vast acres of pines to shade the coffee plantations they planned on the mountain slopes. They were driven out by Indonesian and Japanese soldiers during WWII. The pines thrived but the coffee was never planted.

After, we go to Pipin's Japanese restaurant Matsuri for lunch.

The food is fresh and delicious. I have soba noodles.

By the time we get home, PakG has arranged the GG classroom tables and washed Bailey, the small white dog. The helpers are finish cleaning the hall, so they're tidying the house and porch.

They scrub two bags of baby potatoes. I coat those with olive oil and herbs. They bake while I'm sluicing the hike's mud off in the shower. A change of clothes. And I'm ready for grading and writing.

Seven deans of universities are on my list. I've contacted them and set up a few in-person meetings for next week. We need volunteers to teach English to disadvantaged kids. Who better to make a difference in the city than faculty or students?

Friday

Guests for the first meeting are running behind a bit so I try a new recipe: vegan cheddar cheese. "Needs more salt," is the general consensus. It's not bad on the fresh bread baked by IbuS.

It's a delight to meet friends on the Porch and pray together. God will hear and answer the deepest longings of our hearts. We send cookies home with them, as per our house rule: "Once food is taken outside, it doesn't come back in."

After lunch, there's a pause before the next meeting. What to do with a half hour? Well, while sorting papers last night, I found the recipe for JD's Bangkok Brownies. So guess what I'm baking today? Yup, JD's brownies, made famous while he lived in Bandung.

Local-baked brownies tend to be cake-like and minimally chocolate. They may have waxy local cheese grated on top. Many foreigners either can't taste that cheese or don't like the texture. (Cheese and chocolate? I'm not convinced either.) These are deeply chocolate = one cup of powdered baking cocoa per pan.

W wraps up his course with Q&A sessions while I host one meeting online and another in person. I miss an appointment based in Thailand because it overlaps with another. The host has logged off by the time I get there.

Saturday

I'm in the mood for egg sandwiches and a friend is coming for tea on the Porch. Between yesterday's brownies, banana bread, and 2 last pieces of pumpkin pie, we're covered.

W and I carry on with Duolingo. He's +200 days ahead of my 750-day streak. He's learning a LOT. It's not like I know all the words so far, but I'm tacking on sentences here and there. This unit is about medical terms. Easy, right?

We're praying today for a 16-yr old whose attention got diverted while he was driving a motorcycle. 24 hours later, he's unconscious in intensive care with three broken bones. One of my brothers was in a weeklong coma at about the same age, after a similar accident. We pray, understanding the agony of the family who is waiting for their child to wake up.

A mouse has died in the kitchen ceiling. There's no access to the carcass. As it desiccates, the odor is foul. Meanwhile in the garden, dozens of fish and some frogs are thriving in a 130 cm (50") flowerpot that serves as their pond. The solar fountains bubble happily to aerate the water.

The gardens are dry. There's been little rain for weeks. It's hot until noon after a sunny morning, but the temperatures cool as the cloud cover blows over. W has a lunch meeting and I have a mid-afternoon group. The weekend is in full swing.

Read more:

*Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food? Job 38:41

*So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Moravian Prayer: We’re pondering you, Beloved, as gracious gardener— tilling, planting, tending, harvesting—all to feed us and all of creation. The earth is your garden; our hearts are your garden. May we, together, bear the fruit of healing, wholeness, life, light, and love. Thank you, gardening God, for your love and trust. Amen.

Pines and finds

Monday, July 9, 2024

We wake slowly and quietly with birds chirping in the treetops.

Our first order of business is trimming the birches growing toward the cabin. The shop loans us their extendable saw. (Thank you!) 

From several sides, the brown stained siding and green roof almost make the cabin disappear. We've kept as much greenery as we can. The dappled shade from the trees cools the house without air-conditioning.

A call to Mom takes precedence. She is in continual pain, has trouble eating and drinking, and it feels like she's fading away. Her prayers and counsel remain powerful. My brother arranges the first phase of home care for her.

On a walk, I spot these cheerful wildflowers.

Beside the park bench, a children's ring (google-y eyes) waits for pickup.

On another lane, the decades-old firetruck waits. 

W's biggest chore this year is removing the creaks from the stairwell. He got partway there in the past days. Today he's happy to finish up. Top steps and bottom steps are on the agenda. He removes the wooden 2"X4" supports and replaces them with angle-irons. It's much better without the creaking of wood on wood. W protects the treads with a coat of water-based sealant.

The high schoolers arrive for their week of camping. They're noisy, finding their peer groups, and totally self-absorbed. It's more fun watching their social antics from a distance than it was making friendships happen as a teenager, that's for sure. Given the option, I'd never relive my teens, 20s, or 30s! Would you?

Two girls stroll by, never glancing in my direction or at the couple walking behind me. After living in a high-respect culture, it's interesting to watch American youngsters ignore everyone older than themselves. The parental cautions from childhood to adulthood about avoiding strangers isolate them from anyone they don't know well. I feel sorry for these kids.

Tuesday

Another slow-waking day, though this one starts at 6:00 a.m. I didn't measure the distance of the camp streets the last time I did them all. With W's gout, he hasn't been walking much, so I take my time to laze through the campground every day. The early morning sun glints off the river.

W's leaving to cabin to stroll to the wifi spot. He's taking my computer along when I reach the midway point of my walk: our cabin. I go along and catch up on the morning news. It's amazing how fast the trees have grown around the cabin ... and how tall the trees can get. The firs can reach 80-100 feet (25-30 meters).

When we laid the cabin foundations, the camp caretaker felled 3 huge firs with this comment: "Don't worry. If there's one thing Montana does well, it's this. We grow trees." He was right. We've kept every tree we could. This year, there's a fir spouting through the front cluster of birches. I debate whether to keep or cut it.

One of our challenges is caring for our parents from so far away. On this unexpected trip to the US, we blocked a day to drive to see them in Canada and come back the same night. That may have to expand as my mom is not doing well.

I spend a good part of the morning on the upper balcony. I remember a rocking chair under the cabin. W hauls in out, pokes the wicker back into place, and we clean the chrome and seat thoroughly before dragging the chair upstairs. The balcony is a comfy perch for reading.

I guess we did ok: here's the chair when it's new. We must have a rip-off. I find a second one, which we clean later on.

I've cooked more in 2 weeks at the cabin than in the months before in Bandung. We're almost through the leftovers and fresh produce in the fridge. W's happy: his low bid for a sleeper compartment on the Amtrak train is accepted. (He saves $400 over purchasing the seats outright.) So we'll lie flat overnight when we leave tomorrow.

I call Mom, who is doing better today. Then I call my 93-yr-old Uncle E, who lives in the middle of Canada. What a treasure he's been, praying for us through my lifetime. We pray for him each day, too. I call Mom with the update about him ... it's round and round keeping connected.

Wednesday

Time to clean up before we head back to the city. We walk the morning streets, greeting many volunteers who make the camp a safe and beautiful place. The echos of teen voices pierce through the trees from the breakfast line.

Room by room, the cabin is pulled into shape.

I haven't dusted the old wasps nests and the birch branches at the door - but most everything else is done. We pack up, haul the garbage away, and clean the appliances last.

We have supper with Gary and Philly, Paul and Kathy (K's famous pizza - YUM!) at the Rohde cabin before Gary takes us to the Whitefish station at 9:30pm. The train's running late due to speed restrictions in the overheated plains. They go 20-40mph so there are no sparks igniting the grass beside the tracks.

In the dark, W and I stroll around Whitefish for a half hour, admiring the stained glass windows at the Presbyterian church. The windows tell the Story and honor those who have lived well.

Thursday

Our train leaves at 3:30 am instead of 10:30 pm. W's  sleeper car lets us stretch out and sleep. We get the free breakfast in the dining car about 7:00 before I go back to sleep. At 9:30, the attendant knocks until I get up and insists she has "to make up the suite before Seattle." Ok ... except Seattle is 5-6 hours away. I really could have used more rest.

We cross ranch land where cattle graze in open fields

and find shade where they can.

Since we're 5 hours behind, the dining crew assembles a midday meal of leftover potatoes, gravy, and a bit of meat for "beef stew." We sit across from Mike and Gina at lunch, praying with them for their estranged son.

Pictures taken from the train windows have the glaze of faded old photos.

It's travel with no obligations = restful. "Would you get a sleeper again?" W asks. Yes, definitely. Being able to lie flat is a great blessing.

Read more:

*He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV

*Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:1-6

ABC Prayer: Eternal Father, we admit that we cannot save ourselves. Help us to believe in your love and your provision of Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then teach us to commit ourselves to following and obeying you as the ancient believers did. Thank you for paying the debt we could not pay and forgiving our sins completely. We honor and worship you today. Amen.