A little of this and that

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

We have a date breakfast at #NaraPark, where W tries a new menu item: Shakshuka. It's too watery for his taste but the bread is delicious. He compares every version with the fabulous one that #MissBeeProvidore used to make. (When theirs went off the menu, we stopped eating breakfast there.)

On our stroll back, we spot a tortoise being walked on the main street.

It's two blocks from home, nudged to the side by its owner's foot when traffic approaches. Can you see the tip of her sandal above?

The cutest scooters are parked at #MissBeeProvidore as we walk by.

Neighbors come by to pick up lamps we are passing along.

The concrete block wall, knocked down by workers felling huge trees, has been repaired by a mason. Good. Our dogs can no longer squeeze through to terrorize the neighbors. (Many Muslims are afraid of dogs.)

The orchid along the driveway has burst into flower.

Waldemar catches a shuttle to Jakarta airport, where he sleeps overnight before catching a flight to Taiwan.  Meanwhile a guest arrives to spend the week.

Wednesday

Today's the deadline for textbook submission for a Singapore class in the new year. Once that's sent off and the syllabus is half-done, I take a break. Josh delivered bags of music books earlier in the week. I look through them to see what would be useful to whom.

Robin drops in for a visit and leaves us some fun things from his latest trip to Germany. The chocolate will be consumed with joy. And the 4711 cologne? It reminds me of my favorite auntie and uncle, who wore it in the 60s and 70s when I was a child. The thunder rolls across the hills as we sip tea and eat cookies.

Thursday

No hike today since the leaders are unavailable. By day's end, I have an equivalent number of steps anyway. I start with a morning walk on the neighborhood loop. We have had a few good rainfalls so the trees have burst into bloom.

This one is 20' (almost 7 meters) tall.

How will we pass along the sorted music books? There are piano methods, choral scores and conductor how-tos, young classroom games and ideas ... it's quite the range. The ones who should get them show up at the right time.

The helpers bake boxes of cookies and 2 loaves of bread. I decide to start over on the syllabus with the university's new template. Revising it is faster but this is more current. I start at 8:00 and get up from my seat at 3:00. I eat lunch and walk our guest to a neighbor's house between, so it's not only hunching over a screen. I'm relieved when the "low battery" notification gives me an excuse to shift away from my desk. One more day should do it.

It's suddenly as dark as dusk on the Porch where I'm working so I go inside. However, the threat of rain and thunderstorms blow over without the anticipated downpour.

Friday

After a 2-loop walk, I'm ready for breakfast. On the way, I see a film crew setting up and ask them if they're filming about Indonesia or Bandung. "Indonesia," they say, "but all our locations are in Bandung." Cool.

Here's what you do if there's a deep pothole? Plant a pail in the hole so no one falls in? Cars will drive around it.

This grandpa jogged a block with his grandson on his shoulders. He was so gentle that the little boy barely swayed. Fun to watch.

Every day, the blossoms are more beautiful.

There's a water leak from new construction again. Gallons are lost every time that property springs a leak.

Our guest and I spend a few hours exploring what might suit them in Bandung. It's interesting to hear what concerns and questions pop up when families are on the move. Listening to what interests people, we connect them to potentially useful networks and existing organizations. But it's up to each one whether or not they pursue those connections.

I miss my regular morning calls. I get back to work on the course syllabus once the conversation ends. A syllabus takes time to develop. It is both the anticipation and the "grunt" work of being a university lecturer. It must be done yet you can hardly wait for the classroom where it comes to life.

The weekend stretches ahead. W's home in time for that.

Read more:

*Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. Isaiah 55:1

*That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. Mark 1:32

*In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:19

Moravian Prayers: Forgiving God, we have often fallen short of what you want from us. Thank you for not keeping a tally of those failures and help us extend that grace to our relationships. Strengthen us, so that we can stand firm in your love as challenges confront us today and always.

Lord, we are weary travelers. We don’t know what lies around the next corner or over the next hill. Thank you for walking with us, side by side. You offer us strength and guidance, particularly when we face our demons. Thank you for your companionship on our journey. Amen.

A happy life is about PEOPLE

Friday, November 10, 2023

W and I walk to Nara Park for breakfast, our first time in 6 weeks. The owls scowl at us but we're undeterred from ordering our favorite spicy noodles.

Oh nice! There are new Nara trays under the teacups. The server remembers to bring a large teacup instead of the usual little Chinese one.

They've redone the walkway, too. I like the dry stream bed.

It's a calm stroll up to the hall, where W is checking on tech.

A few months ago, some visitors to IESB mentioned that this towering Norfolk Island pine was their live Christmas tree about 30 years ago. Whew! (That's a 3-storey building in the background.)

No harnesses or ropes for these roof workers - they are replacing someone's rafters and walk along the wooden planks as they go.

Every week this truck comes around the neighborhood and guys load the trash by hand.

A neighbor has left their garbage in a heap beside ours. That's extra work for the pickup crew. Since Jez and Nao moved away, there's drama of one sort or another next door.

I work my way into a decorating mood with Pinterest suggestions. This craft looks simple enough. PakG suggests using bamboo, of which we also have a ton. He cuts 5 sections for me to try.

There are many scrap twigs from trees cut next door.

Do you think we'll find enough?

The house transitions from the disarray of after-movie-night-chaos into a new season. The living area and entry go from this 

to this. It's missing artwork but that will be done soon.

The view from the dining room goes from this

to this. We know we're on our way when the Christmas tree is lowered from second floor storage to the ground floor. 

About 1/3 of the decorations fall off the tree into the cover. We wrapped it and hauled it upstairs intact last year. More stuff falls off when we send it back downstairs.

"That's it!" W and I agree. "Next time around, we take it apart and store it in boxes." The new-to-us brass candleholders are from our USA trip.

A tall (2'/2.7 meter-tall) arrangement is rearranged for the entry table.

It's time to think about decorating the hall for Advent. This year will be simple and natural. I quickly sketch what I'm thinking for the stage. Daniel agrees to decorate the rest of the hall.

And there's one less meal to cook: the leftovers from movie night are delicious.

Nara's great for families, too. Our friends from Jogja let their kids run around the courtyard and enjoy the "little zoo" of hedgehogs, owls, tortoises, and rabbits.

Saturday

Outside my office, the orchid is blooming again. What a country! We love Indonesia's natural beauty. Some places it's more subtle, like in this tone on tone stem.

I work on the house most of the day. The tree is finished by nightfall.

Sunday

The worship team practices before the Gathering. We love being part of this international community of faith.

I didn't get into the garden to make an arrangement this weekend. Instead, I add another clump of silk ivies to the vines already on our front table. We take that to the hall.

Aren't these flowers pretty? Twin gals who attend the Hangout bring them for us. The Porch is full of laughter and games until mid-afternoon.

Sunday's chores include emptying a big handbag's contents into the shoulder bag I travel with. It's a tiny, efficient holder.

Everything fits: snacks, money, makeup, phone, notebook, raincoat, visa, and more! It zips shut without a problem.

The afternoon settles into a quiet overcast day. What a blessing is the beginning of the new week!

Monday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR REBEKAH!!

We call our beloved daughter in love for her birthday - she's treasure we don't take for granted. After a day of meetings and grocery shopping. I'm reminded how dear old and new relationships are to us and how much we learn from the people around us.

Read more:

*All the ends of the earth shall turn to the Lord. Psalm 22:27

*Jesus told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Matthew 13:33

Moravian Prayer: Good Shepherd, we are people from diverse backgrounds, with varied interests and innumerable ideas. Transform our thinking and lead us away from self-minded activity. Move us, in accordance with the Holy Spirit, to serve you and bolster your community of faith. Amen.

Movie night is about the Bad Guys

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

I can't get over ... "November." Already? We buy some tree stumps from the trees cut down next door for extra seating in the back of the yard. We'll soak them in salt or something stronger to prevent termites and ants from enjoying them before we do. And then they have to dry out.

Our helpers had yesterday off so it's their first time to work since our return. They tackle 2 sinks full of dishes, wash floors inside and out, and start laundry, including bedding. There's movie night preparation and it's the time of year when they bake Christmas cookies. We need about 7000 this year for various events. Today's cookie flavor is chocolate.

W and the guys disassemble the living room, creating a storage room of my office. I do some academic research for upcoming courses before the team meeting on the Porch. It's so good to see everyone again. Several members are in transition so it will be interesting to see what emerges in the next few months.

The second "tea and cookies" event happens in early evening. Immigration officers drop by for an in-person interview. 2 men and a woman represent their office well and take home a bag of cookies. The house rule is if we plate something, our guests may share it as takeaway. We try not to bring anything back into the house.

We're almost through getting a 5-year visa. We missed the deadline by 2 days in early 2019 and had to restart the process from year 1. Whaaat? In 2019, our flight to the USA left 2 days before our visa interview so we've waited another 5 years for our KITAP. This time it's moving smoothly due to better communication and hard work by RJ, an exceptional immigration processor.

Wednesday - movie night

I wake at 2:30 with 7 hours of sleep since we crashed at 7:30pm yesterday. I read in bed and listen to scriptures until 5:00. It's the best pace of preparation today: slow, relaxed, and organized. For flow, it's easiest to cook a sauce plus 2 main dishes at once, adding another as each one finishes and is put away for later.

I scrape the sauce and pan juices into the spaghetti and basko water - curry, barbecue, hot, cream, and black pepper. It flavors a delicious broth for lunch plus the helpers' households and ours. I cook "clean," putting things away and washing as I go so I can reuse our commercial pots multiple times. The last dishes soak in the sink for the helpers to wash up.

By 8:30? 3 kg (6.6 lb) spaghetti plus spaghetti sauce, 200 black-pepper meatballs (basko boiled in leftover spaghetti water, then marinated and baked.) Also under wraps for reheating later are +200 sausages in curry sauce and 3 kg of creamed spinach.

Between calls and emails, I bake spicy chicken wings and butter the bread Ibu S baked yesterday. That replaces the high-effort Brazilian cheese balls everyone loves. Since we got back Saturday from a month away and have had a busy week,  we streamline what we can. I tape food signs in place, grab the seasonings (can't have dinner without spicy hot sambal), and make sure there's enough cutlery.

The Bagotte robot vacuum sweeps and mops the kitchen floor. What luxury is this gift from our daughter last year! Thanks, K. She's also suggested this month's movie: The Bad Guys. I avoid animated movies as they drive me crazy. The students will love it.

W hangs and tests the projectors by mid-morning. Yesterday, he and the guys hauled away carpets, grabbed seating pillows from upstairs, and shifted furniture inside and on the Porch. He finishes setup with pictures of previous placements; I'm finally out of the setup loop. Takes a load off my mind not to be interrupted as I track what is cooking, needs mixing and stirring, or is finished in the kitchen.

I treat myself to a long nap before the helpers arrive at 3:00 to cook rice, chop salad and fruit, and make deviled eggs. By the time guests arrive, the kitchens are clean. The ladies replenish food as serving bowls are emptied.

The Porch fills with conversation and food. First-timers are always nervous but the "family" (+3X attendees) knows their job is to make everyone feel welcome. Soon there's a buzz of friendship, new connections, and updates.

The movie questions of the night are: "What assumptions have people made about who you are and what would you like them to know about you instead?" and ... "What does it mean to be truly good?" People hang around for over an hour after the movie, chatting, meeting new friends, and sharing their stories with us.

When everyone leaves, the Bagotte robot vacuum zooms around the main room for a few hours. It's hiding under the sofa in the morning and the floors are delightfully clean.

Thursday

W heads off for a hike. I'm not yet acclimated to the altitude and weary. I stay home.

You can't host this kind of event if you're the person whose sofa is placed "just so" and not moved for 10 years. Here "everything is everywhere" as the floors are mopped. Extra chairs and seating pillows, chafing dishes, big pots, and serving bowls are sent back to storage upstairs. Carpets come back into the room, along with the dining table and shelves. (Soon I'll have my office back - hurrah.)

I attempt a Christmas-y mood because there's no sense in pulling the house apart twice in a month to decorate later. If we put away non-festive items now, we're closer to preparing for the season. But I admit to just going through the motions.

Purple sofa cover and pillows are swapped with festive red. The woven orange Pakistani carpet is exchanged for a black-and-white stripe.

I start the morning with a cup of tea at the picnic table overlooking the deconstruction. My perch returns to a dining room within a few hours.

My actual chores should be updating a syllabus for an online January class for Singapore students. The registrar sends a reminder that it's due next week. I also must schedule a July in-person course in the Philippines. My head's not in the game yet. Patience, Rosemarie. Give yourself some grace.

We meet Doug to discuss mentorships and future partnerships mid-afternoon.Maxi's is a welcoming restaurant a few blocks away from our neighborhood.

Read more:

*I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2

*Your way, O God, is holy. Psalm 77:13

*Jesus said, “I came from the Father and have come into the world.” John 16:28

Moravian Prayer: God of all, since the beginning of time, you have provided for your people. Let us never take you for granted. May we always feel your presence, which upholds us and leads us to eternal life. Amen.