Pictures of the week: birthday, walk, studies, and the fastest-breakfast-ever

Every neighborhood has an office where preschoolers come for free checkups, children come for vaccines, where disputes or claims are made to the neighborhood chair (elected each year or two), and for other community meetings.

This is typical. See the small curb and the +1' (30 cm) hole? Someone has kindly put two more pieces of broken concrete into the hole. Not even little kids or grandparents will trip on the little curb  or fall in the hold. Those are everywhere and we watch our feet.

We walk 1 mile around the neighborhood each morning. It's one loop ... though sometimes we make another round. Afterward, breakfast is yogurt and a refrigerator cookie. 

Make it quick in any amount: 1/3 peanut butter, 1/3 oatmeal or other rolled grain, 1/3 seeds and nuts. Roll into balls and refrigerate or freeze until you're hungry.

Trader Joes in Seattle is selling a small staghorn fern for $16. Everyone's excited. I go to the yard to take a picture of ours. See the curly ferns on the lower half of this 10' wall? Those are staghorns in their natural environment. They make a pretty ruffle on the green wall. We keep dividing them.

I'd bring you one, but I'm not sure the 3' fronds would do well in the suitcase. (Oops, no plants allowed through customs.) Around them are birds nest ferns, with 3' (1 meter) fronds.

For one lunch, I mix rendang (spicy stewed beef) with a bowl of leftover chicken-veg stew, frozen beef vegetable soup, a can of Italian spicy tomatoes, and a can of kernel corn. No flavor adjustments. It's fabulous. I'll never be able to replicate it. Too bad. Everyone at the house loves it.

The mirror W puts atop the pitted and peeling bathroom mirror crashes to the floor in a spectacular way. It's the second attempt to put a new one over the old one. Hmmm. For now, I guess I'm painting on eyebrows through the haze and cloud.

I find this verse on my desk. It's a personal ongoing priority.

It would have been my dad's 90th birthday this week. He made it to 88, a man of integrity and godly character who loved his wife, kids, grands, and great-grands. His mantra to all of us was, "Be yourself. Don't let anyone put you in their box."

Yeah, Dad, what love we remember. What a risk-taking legacy you left us. The whole family constantly breaks out of other-constructed boxes, popping out as ourselves all over the planet. = Not always comfortable but we're creative, unafraid, and unfazed by failure or success.

On the Thursday walk, we pass a couple who are wood-cutters. They haul branches down the mountain in homemade carriers that straddle their shoulders. You have to be strong to do this, and they're no youngsters.

Since 2 years ago when I had COVID, my heart rate hangs out at 150-170 going uphill. Downhill or on the flat, it goes back to normal, beat by beat. I pick up energy once it's under 120 BPM.

W records the steep slopes and valley descents on a trail app.

Back in the city for lunch, we walk another kilometer (2/3 mile) to the Turkish restaurant. As you can see, curbs can be low or over a foot (25cm) high. Many are taller than our knees. We step down and back up the next,. Mountain trails are good practice for city walks here.

On the sidewalk, a man has set up a tire and repair pop-up for motorcycles. He'll wheel his shop home in the evening or when he is tired of fixing things.

The food is good at the Turkish restaurant - it takes an hour to order and eat, not bad timing for here.

A friend asks for a study of David for her group. It takes me 2 days to write the 8-week study. I print it out and send it to our admin for the printer.

Nope, I'm not done. It comes back. Apparently the printer wants a PDF; it takes me a few hours to align the font and set photos in place. (For whatever reason, the printer can photocopy a PDF but cannot copy copies.) By week's end, it's sent off to be printed. I'm not a fan of the cover but it's the painting that was requested. I paste on 2 text boxes. (Yup, I'm no book cover designer.)

The growing collection of studies includes Moses/Joshua, Psalms, David, Acts, and more. Topics are written when needed but we reprint them, too.

The next study is almost done: 30 Days of Belief - we may use it for Advent. It examines 30 core beliefs about Jesus and ourselves = for followers of Jesus and anyone exploring the Christian faith. I'll take that study along to finish next week. (And I'll make sure it's formatted as a PDF.)

We're packing for a short trip. The house will be full of people and the yard full of dogs as usual. It's "everyone's house" much of the time. W is teaching an in-person class so I'll go along.

Read more:

*Love the Lord, all you his saints. Psalm 31:23

*Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 102:1-2

*When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2

*Why are you afraid, you of little faith? Matthew 8:26

*And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly Father, walk beside us today. Let us know and be sure of your love with every step. Then, by your grace, help us to reflect that love to a world in need. 

You have promised, Lord, to be with us through flood, fire, and calamity. Today, we pray not only for those in need, but also for those who protect and serve people in need. Show how we can support the needy and help those who serve. Amen.

Happy birthday, Mom, and more

 Monday, August 1, 2022

August.

I know. Yikes. August was always a 3-birthday month in the family for my mom, my dad (deceased), and my older brother.

It was Mom and Dad's anniversary month, too. This year would mark 69 years since they married. They got married the week Mom turned 18 "so that she could make an independent decision and not need her dad's signature," my dad explained to me.

Days are getting shorter up north and "back to school" ads are everywhere. Here the kids are heading back to class in staggered times, depending on their school. It's an overcast day without rain. Maybe dry season (usually here about May) has come?

Calls. Writing. Revising. Newsletters. An online workshop. A full day.

I'm doing a 30-day challenge to write 500 words a day. I think I write more than that on a normal day - maybe I should add 500 to my usual output?

Tuesday

It's my mom's birthday. Woohoo! Happy birthday mom! Her special day starts 14 hrs early on this side of the planet.

There's no one like my mom. Born a peacemaker, she nurtured her marriage and our family, plus numerous friends and relations. She sees the best in others. How I've wished I had her capacity for kindness and loving others. She's friends with everyone.

I'm taking on another challenge - 20 days of making a botanical journal with sketches and paintings. I dislike the rumpled look of my handmade journal. Our first job is to steam it to dye the pages with flowers. 

Oh well. I persist - there are things I want to learn from these instructors. I snag flowers from the garden as assigned, and sketch them with a fine-tipped marker. It's ok but rumpled.

W and I start the day by recording for Sunday. We eat our weekly date breakfast down the hill. On the lawn, workers do their first sweep of leaves into a dustpan and garbage bag. They'll do that a few more times before the day is done.

On the other side of life, our friend Josh's dad passes away. Josh is far from his hometown. We send flowers and condolences; W, already in town, gets a ride to the next city where Josh lives. They pray together while many friends around the world pray God's comfort over him and his extended family.

It's a pleasure to plop down in the chair to read and write later in the day.

Then W and I curl up in front of the TV for a couple of hours to unwind. It's tranquil and mostly quiet around us. We start getting sleepy but I check my phone before turning out the lights. There's a lot going on, in many directions. 

There's a notice and link from my spiritual director: we meet tonight. Eek! I'm late. How could I forget! This is a special event every month. I love the prayer she closes with: an affirmation of God with us.

Wednesday

I've been craving nasi goreng. If Indonesia has a national dish, it's probably fried rice - and I like the way IbuS makes it.

PakAD has cut down a few trees and trimmed others: the yard is still full of trees. We planted a lemon tree that has continually born lemons since before the pandemic. There are a dozen or so on its branches now. Rather than cutting off the taller branches, PakAD has wrapped two of them with cloth.

"I'm rooting them," he explains. I've done that in the past but never in Indonesia.

And as evening comes, it's pleasant to find a relaxing chair. The big work of this week and next is writing. I have 2 studies in the works, one about the life of David (8 weeks) and one for Advent (30 Days of Belief).

Thursday

We walk a new 8 or 9 km trail with its ups and downs. We start with a moss tunnel.

Since COVID 2 years ago, my heart rate stays about 150-170 on the uphills. I feel out of breath. But putting one foot ahead of the other, we top the longest hills and then, lucky us, we get to walk back downward.

Friday

Kristi and MJ are back from their scuba trip a day early. We go to Baby Dutch for supper and cross the street to Vilo for gelato. They're headed back to the States Sunday. I can hardly believe how quickly Kristi's 5 months have flown by. She's been involved in many groups and encouraged many people during her stay. We hope she comes back!

Saturday

Danny's sends over 5 kg of veggies from Tanikota Farm. Alice distributes them to neighbors, schools, and dorm students.

First thing to do for Sunday's floral arrangement is to cover the much-used oasis with leaves from the garden. The vase is about 12" (25 cm) tall.

With the base filled in, I pluck two big leaves from beside the house and add those. A bouquet may have an overall structure, but it evolves plant by plant.

The leaves are beautiful in their own right. Into the back, I poke in some bamboo, stripped from along our fence.

I could have/should leave it at this. But there are more flowers soaking in the sink, so I keep going.

And it's ready. With abundant natural material, it takes less time to arrange than to walk around the yard to gather the colors and greens. I remove the big leaves, letting them shine in separate vases elsewhere.

The groomers come by to cut knots out of Gypsy's pelt. Gypsy growls and fidgets. They stop partway since he's so mad about being touched.

But they turn Bailey into a princeling. He loves showing off his fluffy white cut as he chills out at my feet.

Sunday

The Gathering at BIC is always the week's highlight. It's Kristi's final Sunday with the kids. 4 boys "graduate" from Sunday School to the youth group as well.

This picture pretty much describes the difference between American and Indonesian parents. See the 5-yr-old hanging from the swings after church (above his 2-yr-old sister's head)? Ben and Yara are adorable. And agile from having fewer restrictions.

Today W is speaking. I sit back and enjoy his gift of teaching. We have a porch full of young people waiting when we get home.

A first-time Hangout participant brings cheese buns. "It is our custom to gift something for the house the first time we visit," she explains.

The visitors laugh, eat, talk, play games, and hang around until evening. What a privilege to have a porch to share with them.

The flowers start to wilt. I didn't soak them long enough yesterday. I love the drooping petals: they don't fall off, they just look tired.

Monday

It feels like autumn on our walk. The leaves are falling off the trees. Branches are bare overhead while the streets are brown with composting leaves.

We have meetings, lunch with the team at the house, and I start to write the two studies. Someone drops by the porch for a chat from 4:00-6:00. She leaves as the mosquitoes get fiercer. Slap. Slap.

Tuesday

W and I record Sunday's online talk in the office. Then we're off to a date breakfast at #NaraPark. Look at all the bowls of sambal (chili sauces) that come with our dishes!

It surprises me that no one gets stuck in these narrow lanes. It's one-way traffic, so if you turn in when someone else is coming, you'd better know how to back up in a tight space.

I decide to rehome the palaudarium in the office. We're not in often enough to keep it in tip-top shape. It's a great learning tool for a school or a beautiful addition to a home. I especially love when the fogger coats the surface of the water.

I stretch my legs between writing chapters. These are blooming in one side of the yard. There's so much going on that I don't even both to go to the other side.

I know. (I'm astonished every time I go outside.)

The lemon tree has bloomed and borne lemons for 3 years without a break. It emits a lovely fragrance.

Isn't it wonderful? It's like this all year long.

Read more:

*He is named wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

*O greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong! Daniel 10:19 NKJV

 *Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

*Your pain will turn into joy. John 16:20

*So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 1 John 4:16

Moravian Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we are faithful, but in times of great need, we turn to you for your peace. We ask that you remove what troubles us and teach us to fear not. You have the ability to turn pain into joy, and we ask that you do that now. Lord, remove the suffering we are experiencing and remind us of all you have done and will continue to do for us, for you are a loving and caring God. 

Prince of Peace, in gratitude that you keep our hearts and minds as we abide in you, show us how to share that peace today, so that others may know the peace which surpasses understanding. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.