Color, lines, and staying sane

Zoom. Another week gone by quickly. How are you coping?

And now zoom has another meaning: Zoom = lots of online meetings. I've talked to people from every continent in the last few weeks via the Z app.

I was getting so distracted trying to listen that I began opening a fresh page in my little (4"X5") journal whenever a meeting started. After a week, there's a lot to see.

I have plenty of markers, so I spread them on my desk.

I filled up the brush in a cheap watercolor set ($5 Koi)

And I dragged out scraps of paper, receipts, and other glue-worthy junk.

 One of the groups that came to visit left behind scrapbooking supplies: glue, scissors, stickers, paper ... and we've used up most of it.

What's left has been begging to be used. This week, facing another barrage of online connections, I think, "I hear you, I hear you," and pour a box of treasures  onto my desk.

Depending on the length and complexity of the meeting, I can put a lot of things on a page spread without too much effort.

I've cut letters into little envelopes and glued music on the page. I've smeared tea over the pages, too. The colors remind me of the mood of the gathering. The one above appeared during a board meeting--with good ideas from the members. 

The one below was made during a more subdued get-together, with an agenda of problem-solving. Everyone was worn out.

Mostly, the hand motion and colors let me focus on what people are saying. I keep a pen handy to take notes. But I'm remembering the conversations better with my side gig.

It's fun to remember the meetings as I open my journal pages. I have another book for writing down ideas and my thoughts, so the art journal only has one purpose: drain off the excess energy that comes from trying to sit still for an hour or two.

How are YOU keeping sane during the many online meetings? I'd love your ideas.

Or do you wish someone would call you because you're lonesome?

Read more:
*The Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. Deuteronomy 26:7

*The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever. Isaiah 51:6

*Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? Luke 18:7

*Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Luke 21:33

Moravian Prayer: Great Provider, so much of our days are spent trying to receive material things that lack permanence. May we have the courage to refocus our lives on receiving the gift of everlasting life that you grant us. 

Gracious Lord, hear those who cry in the night. Be with your people who suffer at the hands of others. Bring justice and mercy to your world. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Bloom where you are - Happy Mothers Day

Sunday, Mothers Day, May 10, 2020
My beautiful mama - I get a chance to wish her a Happy Mothers Day. Tech can be wonderful!

Supposedly she's taking it easier every year, but she admits that she's gardening, walking outside a few times a day, and still cleaning. "I'm not what I used to be," she grumbles. Who would, with three 60-something-yr-old kids?

On a MD call from one of our sons, his daughter recites James 1. It's a LONGGGGG chapter - and she's got it! She contorts her body so she can focus on the words. W and I keep giggling as her body twists and turns. In this pic, we can see part of her face. Sometimes she disappears completely behind her long limbs. Her little brother photo-bombs her but she's working hard and doesn't notice. W and I smile.

Friday night:
Andrea does a zoom call to teach us to make apple pie. I'm salivating, imagining the fragrance of apples and cinnamon. I don't have enough apples and want to concentrate on instructions. What to grab?

I pull out my little junk journal so I can paint, glue, and mark and write my way across its pages throughout the hour. Nothing fancy, just movement that lets me focus on Andrea's lesson. Here are a few pages.

Saturday, W goes to the grocery store and brings back baking apples. So I make a pie. I remember most of the recipe and just wing it. I'm not a pie baker, but this is delicious. It tastes like my mom's and makes me miss her even more.

There are so many flowers in the yard. While I weed, I pluck some and take them into the house. This little copper mug stuffed with pink coleus and an Aussie shrub stands in the back hall.

Two vases with hydrangea and dill land on the LR end tables.

On the LR coffee table, the Thursday rose from #RuthsRibs is still blooming. Can you tell that I chopped tons of dills off the shrub in the back? It's 4'X4' and keeps growing so I have to prune it back and back every month or so.

As I was hacking through the garden, I took out some prolific 8' high (2.6 meter) flowering stems. I'd tucked a few seeds in my pocket while going through a friend's field last year. The plants keep growing and blooming from the time they're about 2' tall. They reseed around the yard.

We tear them out when they reach head height and start to shade other flowers. These got away from me; I haven't seen the maximum height, but have had a 3' (3 meter) one before removal.

The tips are in full bloom so I shove some into a tall vase. The arrangement in the entry is 3' (1 meter) tall. Every morning, new blossoms open up. It's quite spectacular. And simple to do.

Thinking back through the dozen or so Zoom calls in the last days, I remember a special one on Thursday. We had a third online meeting with longtime friends from Washington State and Idaho. It's wonderful when friendships continue over decades.

This week's host is in his 50s but he was a youth pastor when our kids were little. Such fun to see everyone continuing to love and serve God into old age. We pray for each other after giving updates of what's new in the circles around us.

Well, that's it for today. Our eighth Sunday online service is over (BIC ONLINE replay available here).

It's time for a Mothers Day lunch. How nice to have Kirsten here for another beautiful day in our neighborhood. Of course, we miss our other kids and parents, too ... just like you do if you're in isolation. In some ways, you understand the distance of cross-cultural work better now than ever before, right?

May God's blessings rest on each of you - especially you hard-working young moms. And peace to those who remember and celebrate their own mothers this day. Hugs and warm greetings from Indonesia.

Read more:
*The Lord your God has blessed you in all your undertakings. Deuteronomy 2:7

*It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 1 Corinthians 4:2

*Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. 

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:15-20

Moravian Prayer: Loving Jesus, empower us to be trustworthy stewards of your church. We pray for all who answer your call to serve as lay leaders and ordained clergy. Bless them with patience, courage, and understanding. Amen.

What did you eat today?

What do you know about other cuisines? Are you an adventurous eater? Or do you like the food your mother made and nothing else? We're eating interesting and tasty dishes in Indonesia. Learn something about Indonesia below. (Note: I wrote this and didn't send so the days are unsynched.)

Thursday, April 30, 2020
Wasn't it just April Fools? I'm wondering if this diver is making a fool of us - he filmed this exquisite little creature under the Antarctic ice and posted it in a nature magazine. Doesn't it look otherworldly?

In the last 2 days, I record almost 20 hymns on the keyboard. I can't get inspired on a keyboard, no matter how "realistic" or "pianistic" it claims to be. I'm spoiled by having 2 Bösendorfer grands in our Seattle living room for a decade, I guess. Either of them were inspiring. Our keyboard is not.

 A friend sends over Chinese-style dumplings for lunch Tuesday, which taste great.

 He also sends some pastries, which disappear over 2 days.

When we walk down the neighborhood lane, a cadre of 4 women chit-chats while they stop people without masks from passing. No, they're not wearing masks. Sigh. Neither is the guy taking people's temperatures if they want to enter the next village lane.

I pull out a quilt made of British and American fabric. The backing is a bedsheet I purchased off UK Ebay in 2004 (while W was finishing his doctorate in Cambridge.) I pieced it together 10 years ago, took it to Montana, quilted about 2/3 of it ... and last year brought it to Indonesia.

Time to finish the thing. Hand-quilting is time-consuming and boring, even when you love the colors and the quilt top. I'm ready to have it done. The stitches are tiny - so I don't want anyone else to work on  it.

One of the ways to support small business is to eat good food. Our friend Ruth has restarted her catering company, though her restaurant has to stay closed.

 This is what she sends - and it's one of the best meals I've had in ages. #ruthsribs #ruthsrise

She includes a rose for each menu item. I tuck the three pink roses in with a branch that's already in place in the entry. Pretty.

I bake homemake pretzels, with chia seeds, oatmeal, and a few other additions today. I boil them for a minute to give them the rubbery skin of bagels. But they need a hotter oven than ours to bake properly. In the end, they taste good but I'm not happy with the texture or color. W says he likes them.

May 6 Wednesday
The walk yesterday was beautiful. Flowering trees and tree trunks full of moss.

Ruth sends a hand-crochet card holder. Artsy friends are best!

And I'm on the second-last unit of the Growing Gills workshop. That has been a lifesaver during the pause of regular activities. "Build habits that move you toward deadlines." That's the gist of it, but working through a project with a group has been great. The quilt has 5 new squares finished in 2 sessions. Yay!

I'm taking notes to capture the seminars I'm listening to. I've also gone back into old notebooks and begun color-line the sections; helps me find things quickly and reference information I need or want. (Above, deliberately dark and blurry. You need your own notebooks!)

This isolation time has offered me some of the most productive hours - and some of the most restful - I've experienced since we moved to Indonesia nearly 6 years ago. Wait! has it been that long?!

Read more:

*Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. 1 Chronicles 22:19

*Run in such a way that you may win the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Moravian Prayer: Dear God, it is delightful to seek you in all that is beautiful. It is delightful to serve you by using the gifts you have given us. It is delightful to be alive with you, here and in the life to come. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

May Day(s), including 2 snack recipes

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Happy May Day to all who celebrate it!

By 5:30am, the sun's coming up and the birds are singing. The swing in sunlight during the months is always a surprise. When it starts to get light at 5:20-ish, I may put on eye masks. Until then, I swing my feet out of bed at 5:30 and get moving.

My first task is to clear emails and watch a seminar video. All is peaceful from the office window. I miss the BIC office; we're set up there for BIC Online so others use it. This is a close second. The floor-to-ceiling windows are blocked at the bottom by the dining-table-turned-desk. (The landlady's table, it's a heavy teak that I want to keep in good condition, so it's covered in plastic.)

Yesterday we visited with an artist friend. I've been driving around with this in my car for months. My connection was bad, so I missed some of what she said. W heard her say "keep it," and if that's true, I'm going to dress her up! before I send her home.

I'm going to try making health bars that look something like Costco's nut bars. I could gobble the Costco ones every day. They're delicious. Might as well learn to make my own.

Another thing I learned was how easy it is to sew beanbag covers. Haven't made one yet, but seriously, a simple twist in seams? I can do that with some of my extra fabric and then stuff them.

I also pan-baked some chocolate chip cookies - you put these in a cast-iron pan and cover them on medium heat for 10 minutes. I had a stainless pan that was too hot; we lifted them out without the burned bottom and they were delicious. Modifications coming up. Just smoosh all this together, heat your cast-iron skillet, pop in the cookie-sized dough, and cover for 10 min? I can do that. (The ones I put in the over were delicious, too.

This morning is our regular team meeting. Only two are missing; love this groups of hard workers.

Read more:

But where can wisdom be found?

    Where does understanding dwell?

No mortal comprehends its worth;

    it cannot be found in the land of the living.

The deep says, “It is not in me”;

    the sea says, “It is not with me.”

It cannot be bought with the finest gold,

    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,

    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,

    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;

    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;

    it cannot be bought with pure gold.

Where then does wisdom come from?

    Where does understanding dwell?

It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,

    concealed even from the birds in the sky.

Destruction and Death say,

    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”

God understands the way to it

    and he alone knows where it dwells,

 for he views the ends of the earth

    and sees everything under the heavens.

When he established the force of the wind

    and measured out the waters,

when he made a decree for the rain

    and a path for the thunderstorm,

then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;

    he confirmed it and tested it.

 And he said to the human race,

    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” 

[a poem from Job 28:12-28 (the oldest book of scripture)]

*Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:1 NIV

*Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:21-22

Moravian Prayer: God, surely you are good to us, for you know our weakness and our disobedience, and love us anyway. May your love make us bold to approach you in prayer. May we be grateful for how you respond. Amen.

Ordinary times in new normals

Monday, May 4, 2020

How cute was he before the cats outside our gate got him?

The shrubs along our walk are blooming.

We pull out some weeds and get things ready for vegetables.

We flip the calendar to May this week.

The office is still empty - though we do BIC Online from there.

We work through the topics coming up.

I find an old picture and remember how far away we used to sit at BIC - before we moved the seats into semi-circles. The empty chairs make me miss the BIC community even more.

The dogs run around the grounds and enjoy the freedom of a big fenced yard.

One of the things we're doing a lot more of is DISHES. More home cooking, more cleaning. It makes us more appreciative of help that frees us for our work.

 The house is so quiet without the usual dozens of weekly guests.

 The flowers are still beautiful, but it feels still inside.

 We enjoy Ruth's cooking, chicken and special rice - thank you, friend, for good food!

 What's your week been like? Were there highlights? Or surprises?

Read more:
*Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Psalm 51:11

*Those he gathered from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south: Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Psalm 107: 3, 8

*And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.’ Luke 14:22-23

*We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Colossians 1:3, 13

Moravian Prayer: Holy One, be with us as we experience the trials and tribulations of life. Remain steadfast and help us to see that you are our light in darkness.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your unconditional love and grace. Inspire us to share your word with those around us through our actions and provide us the words when needed. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.