I smell a rat (or two?)

Saturday, August 22, 2026
We walk the dogs and have breakfast at #NaraPark. One shrub has delicate pink flowers.

I order my usual: noodles and chicken pieces. There are 3 kinds of hot sauce (sambal) and lots of chicken left over since W is off fried foods.

He builds a KALLAX Ikea shelf before Marjie and Dolly come for tea. They're lovely friends from the Bandung Book Group. We meet monthly, discussing a book one member or another has found interesting.

After lunch, Daniel and Della arrive for conversation and snacks. This round, we have new cookies (banana peanut, chocolate coffee, and some seed/nut crackers). They're at home here. I write some letters of recommendation for Daniel's next steps of education, based on what the college needs. Every school has their own requirements, and his are easy to fulfill.

In my office, the smell of dead animal is strong. Hopefully the rat (or whatever died up in the ceiling) dries up soon. I wonder if we will have a swarm of ants taking care of it - and then end up with a ceiling-full of dead ants.

Sunday
The guard hoists himself from a ladder into the gap between ceiling and roof. There's not much up there. 

The clay roof tiles rest on wood rafters strung across cinderblock walls. The light comes through, as does anything else that ants to squeeze between the tiles.

While the guys are looking for the rat, I soothe myself with some little pieces of coffee cake, brought from #QuietWatersBakery and baked by our dear friend Keelee.

PakT has no success. We lose him for 10 minutes, so I go through the Project, calling for him through the ceiling. Has he fallen? Is he ok, W wonders. He answers on the top tip of the L: no luck in finding a rat, though it continues to stink.

W and I walk a mile and he's worn out. I attend IES Bandung for the first time since March, feeling so at home even though I'm alone. My heart responds to the live worship and message encouraging us to share Good News. Ibu Titik has made a stunning arrangement, which she and Pak Chandra deliver after the Gathering.

I put the arrangement on a small wooden stand to let the greens breathe. I love her flowers but there's no obligation for her to send them our way. I consider it a gift each time she shares them, and our company at the Project appreciates the touch of beauty.

Up close, the unusual flowers are even prettier.

W and I walk to lunch at Balarasa across the street. Their menu has changed. The items are smaller, fewer, and more expensive. I order as close to my favorite dish as I can get. W can't find his option so we probably won't go back very much. 

The pattern for opening a shop or restaurant here rarely varies. First, a soft launch that features amazing offerings at an excellent price. Once the store is launched, the menu changes to more expensive and less appealing options.

The fragrant rice and chicken leg I order gets peeled apart and eaten by hand. "Tastes better if you eat with your hands," locals assure us. Look how small the drumstick and thigh are! It's maybe half the size it used to be.

W orders rice porridge. The flavor normally comes on top of the porridge, but he asks for it on the side. His stomach has been churning for 2 days so he's sticking to plain food. We gather the sides (shredded chicken, vegetables, seasonings, and shrimp crackers) into one takeaway container and give it away to the guard at the Project gate.

My restless self makes some changes to the over-patterned guest room. When I unrolled the Navaho-style rug, it was too much. I haul that up to the library and swap out the jute rug from there.

Better. I also put our white quilted cover on the bed. The colored quilt goes on our own bed. i'm still figuring out where the shelves will hang.

We've been rehoming items, tools, building leftovers, and never-used items that were stored on the floor. There's random stuff, like Brita filters, a pitcher, and a sink attachment. I post it all @$9 in the Yard Sale WA group - ping, they're gone. 

The buyer sends a photo of her bank transaction. Yes, everyone knows your bank number because that's how business is done. A motorcycle courier shows up at the gate and takes it away.

Another find is the Filipino water heater we used at the old kitchen for dishes. Would it heat the bathtub water? Once W cleans it and plugs it in, the water is only tepid after a half hour. I wait another half hour. The vibrations from the heater have settled dirt of city water in a neat grid on the bottom of the tub. I'm not getting into that! I pull the plug, empty the tub, and wash it out.

When I come back, a big lizard is in the tub. I saw it once before, scooting along the edge of the bathtub. It was big and fast enough that I thought it might be a rat. Nope, though it has lost its tail, it is still 7" / 15cm long. It leaps out of the tub while I'm wondering how to catch it. W is already asleep or he'd be the catcher.

The lizard runs around the edge, jumps onto the floor, and hides under the bathroom scale. I leave, turn off the light, and hope it is gone the next time I need the bathroom. Ugh.

Monday
I have early calls so we skip the walk. The therapist comes at 9AM as I'm wrapping up. She's pleased with W's progress. He is doing well enough - and can make enough sounds to call - so he goes back to using his office instead of the living room. After falling asleep in our room, we often wake for post-midnight devotions and readings. He reads in his office sanctuary without waking me.

Since he couldn't call out, we flipped the Beddinge IKEA sofabed down just outside our apartment. Guests walk by on their way to the Porch, which can be uncomfortable for them the past 4 weeks since he got out of the hospital.

Today we fold up the sofa and reclaim the living room. The bedding is washed and put away.

IbuS tries to find the source of the rat stench. We check on top of high shelves, pull out boxes, and check the doorframe. Nope. It's definitely above my office. How did PakT miss it yesterday? The yard man climbs up to see if he can spot it. 

"There's probably more than one dead mouse," W thinks, because the smell comes from another corner today. Indonesians use the same word for "rat" and "mouse," so there's no telling what's up there. Man#2 doesn't find anything either.

We sweep a swallow's nest off the pillars a half-dozen times. The birds are persistent. They've chosen another pillar since we didn't let them finish a nest on the first post. In the firepit, the yard man is burns the jumbles of twigs and leaves from last week's tree removal. Gradually the garden and camping area is returning to order. There's one more dangerous tree to take down, maybe next week.

I try a new recipe for stir-fried veges and rice noodles. As W and I finish eating on the Porch, PakG announces Andi and his sister Pauline. She's never been here, but he remembers us. He attended a Christmas Day fete 7 years ago in the old neighborhood. They were driving by on the way to visit another friend and thought, "Hasn't Waldemar moved to this house? Let's go in and say hi."

They sit with us as W finishes eating. We have some vegetables left over in the pan. I take it into the kitchen and fire up the hob. There's another porthion of noodles on the counter, too. Those take 3 minutes to soak before frying. Why not? In 6 minutes, I'm back out with their lunches.

Without a watch, they knew it was vaguely close to lunch. God provides. Not knowing they were coming, I'd already made enough for them. Strange. Wonderful.

IbuS brings out tea and chocolate cookies. Turns out Pauline loves chocolate. Andi promised her some because he stayed with her 3 weeks. When his kids ate all the chocolate bars, he forgot to bring more. She was chiding him on the way over.

Then God gives her chocolate cookies. I also bring out some homemade chocolate samples. "Looks like God rescued a terrible brother from the wrath of a chocolate-loving sister," we have a good laugh together. Even in this small thing, God reassures them with his care. We send the cookies home with them after we pray together. 

IbuS and I lift the long bed-table into place. "Good, when the pillows fall out of the bed, they won't fall all the way to the floor," Kirsten remarks. It's also a good spot for guests to hide an open suitcase.

After we mount a shelf, the room will done. As I'm considering the goodness of God, someone comes by my perch outside. They're raising funds for children's scholarships. Kids are learning a traditional dance which they'll perform for their village.

"Is it religious?" I ask. No = good, since we only sponsor ceremonies hosted by followers of Jesus. W has just given me money for something else. I hand it over, thanking God that I don't have to think about an amount, provision, or other details. God is in control of those.

Thanks be to God! If you wonder what the "will of God" is for your life, do the next right thing. Don't hold onto what you have. Be the hands and feet of Christ. He wants to provide for you ... and for others through you.

Read more:
* The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I did not turn backward. Isaiah 50:5

* But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. John 1:12

* John, writing to the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is 

to come, the Almighty.” Revelation [of Jesus Christ] 1:4-8

Moravian Prayer: Lord, there are moments that require stillness and moments that require busyness. May we discern those to which you call us to as we face uncertain times. Author of creativity, thank you for the variety of gifts and means of service by which we follow you.

Creator, how wondrous it is that you, who made all that is, care enough about us to call us your children and choose to dwell among us! Thank you for claiming us and making each of us in your image. Amen.

"Pagi," "Happy birthday," and other progress

Tuesday, August 18, 2026
After a walk and change of bedding, we're on our way to IKEA for a KALLAX shelf. First, I drop into the hospital to pray with Dina, recovering from leg surgery. We have an appointment to drop off an aquarium and pick up about 20 puzzles. Maybe we'll start a puzzle night along with the games.

IKEA is out of stock but we eat lunch there ($8 for 2 meals including bottled water). We leave with a boot tray and a lid organizer. One more stop - groceries - when we're almost home.

Lew arrives in midafternoon, followed shortly by Claudia. He's American and a doctoral student. She's Latin American and is on her way from Indonesia to her home in Colombia. Claudia and I enjoy tea on the Porch before a quick Project tour and prayer for each other.

Wednesday - Kirsten's birthday
After a morning walk, W has a checkup at the hospital. All is well. We call our daughter while we're waiting. It's her birthday already although it arrives "tomorrow" in her time zone. She's begun sewing and is making fun coconut bags, like the ones we used to buy in Singapore. Her sense of style and color is good. Like me, she's always updating her surroundings. I like the little teapot that she's found!

After paying the hospital bill, W and I walk 20 minutes downtown to a vegetarian/healthy food restaurant owned by our friend Anna. She also owns Mom's Bakery, the best baker in town. We pass a place we've never gone to and might visit. Its courtyard and gift shop are next level. Our friend Hendy waves at us from his place, where he is talking to his high school math teacher.

We have better food ahead at #GreensAndBeans. My Thai salad is fresh and delicious, combined with a colorful hot tea.

W indulges in potato wedges and a shiitake mushroom burger.

The back of the restaurant is open - so refreshingly quiet and airy.

Hendy walks over and has coffee with us as we're finishing. It's his Birthday!!! Happy birthday, Hendy. Soon W is ready to head home, though we don't have plans for the afternoon. 

Claudia asked earlier this week how long the Project took to set up once we moved in last December. It was mostly ready in a week or two once we were in. BUT that's not counting W putting up electrical conduit (curtain rods) and slipping the bedsheets (curtains) over them in November. It's not counting moving the garden over in October. And it's not counting moving everything that could be moved before we landed here the week before Christmas.

The iPad, rarely used, regurgitates photos of the renovation process that began last June. The Porch was falling apart and littered with rotten ceilings and siding.

Today it looks like this.

I forgot how bad it was. The facade was getting the wood shingles ripped off. Piles of wood were everywhere.

Now, with the start of the front garden.

Like the rest of the house, Waldemar's office had rotted away due to falling branches, nesting animals, ants, and termites. The contractors left what they could: good teak moldings and mostly intact floor tiles. Many windows were salvaged after termite treatment.

It looked like an impossible task, yet here we are. A similar area - our sitting nook and my office - looks like this now. 

Some months ago, running across the renovation pictures, I was so startled that I started a series of before-and-after posts of the Project inside and outside. Don't know yet whether or when we'll share that.

Meanwhile, small things get updated. I'm a restless one in terms of spaces. The white birdcage hung beside two black ones. At the old place, the white wires were invisible against the light at the end of the old Porch. Now it's an eyesore.

Here the cages are seen against the darkness of the forest or shaded by the terrace. When it caught my eye in April,  I left it, since I had other things to do. This week, we sent off an aquarium that we don't use. Nearby, I spot a black cage. Must be time to swap. 

PakG and W change the white outlier to black. PakG catches the budgerigars with his hands, one by one, and transfers them over. Better. From the Project terrace, the cage is invisible like the others.

My mother hasn't changed her home significantly since it was built in 1972. I was 16 years old and she let me choose the color of the living room rug. RED. Looked great with a white stone fireplace, white walls, and sparkly ceilings.

The 70s red shag carpet remains, along with icicle-drop ceilings and a comfy (once-again-cool) gold-velvet sofa. She found a needlepoint rug and put that down. In the 1990s, a well-intentioned relative reconfigured the living room. She shrugged and hasn't changed it since. It's like a mod relic of decor gone by. We love coming home.

Mom was a home-based cleaning dynamo. We lived in a spotless house with healthy homemade meals served like clockwork. She worked hard to teach me that spaces have to be clean and orderly. That lesson didn't stick until the kids grew up and their clutter left home.

She regularly commented on my need to move things around. "Rosemee, did you change things again?"

I'd say, "Oh Mom, you know me." She accepted that I'm restless and visual. I'm a serial rearranger. I came to grips with clean and orderly with a personal caveat: spaces don't need the same "order" forever. hehe

We had a rat running around the office ceiling so W put up poison. There's the stink of decaying flesh. Yeah, someone will likely have to get it unless it dries out quickly. 

Thursday
Waldemar writes a coherent update on his own health. We're glad language is coming back. The sun's out so the birds get a sun bath. The dogs come close to see what they're up to but don't push over the cages.

Lew takes us for supper at Miss Bee Providore down the street. 

Friday

Dr Ingrid drops by with orchids from her and Ibu Dani. We have tea and cookies on the Porch.

She has the cutest little Chinese electric car! It's tiny with a good turn radius plus it's easy to park. W's stomach was upset overnight, so I go downtown to pick up the shelf he has had delivered to the IKEA depot. His energy is low. He's lucky to skip the 2 grocery stops on the way home.

The speech therapist comes as usual. W is making good progress in speaking and sounds. While he's working hard, I make chocolate squares, mixing cocoa powder, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, and a few tablespoons of honey. Tastes like a dark chocolate "bar" but is cheaper and customizable.

Read more:

* O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! Psalm 95:6

* For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy:

“I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me—the very people I have created.

"I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways. I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,”     says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”

But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:15-21

He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Luke 17:16

Moravian Prayer: Surprising God, open our hearts to the unexpected ones who kneel before you today, modeling your ways in the world right now. May we delight in your surprises and shout our gratitude for your work in our world. Amen.

Happy Indonesian Independence Day

Saturday, August 15, 2026
Alice picks up a few loaves of banana bread for tomorrow's potluck at IES Bandung. We're still living off Veronica and Kiki's bananas, baked when I left for Austin.

IESB celebrates Independence Day (August 17, Monday) on the nearest Sunday: participants are asked to wear red and white (Indonesia's national colors), share Indonesian traditions in the Gathering, and bring food for the potluck afterwards. That's the joy of an international church - we belong to many cultures.

W gets a haircut at the local barber for IDR20.000 ($1.20). He drops past the university/student food court on the way back for smoked chicken burritos. One each (@$1.60) covers lunch and supper. I write some book reviews, read, and thank God for a quiet day.

I head outside to the yard to check if any branches have fallen. The tree stretches tall.

Its branches have been breaking over the yard. They have smashed the neck of the giraffe statue to bits. Woe to anyone who gets caught under a falling limb - it is wide and fragile in old age.

Along the trek back to the Project, the life-sized zebra statue needs a good cleaning and maybe repainting. We haven't gotten to that yet.

I'm slightly freaked out by my latest creation: 3 paintings called "Men behind the Veil." Women around the world wear veils for various reasons: ritual, religion, or privacy. But what if men also lived behind the veil? The scrabbling of mice in the ceiling distracts me from the process.

The last chore of the day is in the guest room. We hang hotel duvet covers with the ornate trim that I discovered in a box. I think Christine may have given that red edging to me. W has to hold up the heavy double-sheets while I fix the trim and pleats in place.

Sunday
Each time I draw open the curtains, the apartment at the foot of the Project feels peaceful.

The little sitting area overlooks a green sideyard.

We walk and W gets more words. For some reason the hilarious competition song, "Anything you can do I can do better" gets stuck in my head. W finds it online and we have a good laugh together. I hang the "Men Behind the Veil" paintings in my office. I'm no feminist but I am happy with equal opportunities for equal gifting and experience.

It's a quiet morning with a relevant, encouraging online Gathering. We lunch at Homeground, a nearby Chinese-Szechwan eatery. One of our favorite dishes is the Szechwanese green beans. So flavorful.

I order Taiwanese noodles. I like spicy + noodles!

Tota, Tetty, and Reuben drop by. I love the themed outfit - Tetty is a fashionista in Indonesia's colors of red and white.

They bring #TitikBadudu 's flower bouquet in the same colors. The whole room lights up.

Every Indonesian island is filled with craftsmen and artists. This tall screen is from Papua - but was found in the Project's backyard.

Monday - National Day in Indonesia

Hardly anyone is about when we walk after 6am. WE've had the first rainstorm in weeks overnight. The leaves and garbage that collect on the shoulders of the streets have washed into the roads. We step carefully to avoid small sticks that could roll under our sandals.

W has a speech therapy session with Agnes. As I prepare for brunch, I pull out a new-ish commercial wok to steam dumplings. Oh my - someone has scraped up the non-stick coating of our best wok in the main kitchen, stirring in it with metal tools. Generally, our best kitchen tools cannot be not shared with local helpers because they don't know how to care for them. This commercial-sized wok was a find at 90% off in a chef supply store closeout. 

I'm disappointed that the finish is ruined. The helpers say they never use it. So the only other option is that a one-time cook at an event must have scraped it, heating their food. Oh well, off the shelf it goes - along with many other things that have been broken around here.

We eat dumplings and siu mai with baby potatoes and homemade dipping sauce. Melvi, home from her teaching stint up north, has brought back shrimp-flavored crackers. 

Her German-language class has 30! students in it. She's a skilled teacher. It's nice to have her join us at the Porch table.

Sayaka gives W a myocranial therapy session; DrG and Melvi come to say hi and have tea on the Porch. Beside us, the persistent swallows are back, trying for the -nth time to build a nest atop a Porch support post. W chases them off with a squirt gun and dismantles the start of a nest - again. The chirping and twittering of our budgerigars, lovebirds, and a canary and the scattering of their seed attract lots of wild birds. We have big cages and have had our birds for years.

Staff is taking the day off so the Project is quiet and peaceful. Tomorrow everyone will be back at work but for now, we set out dishes and food: tea, cake, and cookies. Cleanup is simple - back to the kitchen go the dishes; the food goes home with our guests.

I started on a pita recipe in the morning. It's a lot of work, kneading, stretching, and proofing the dough. By evening, it is ready to fry in a hot pan. Totally worth it - 1 part yogurt to 3 parts flour, with a pinch of yeast, sugar, and salt. You punch it down after an hour or more, then let it rise again before cutting it into pieces (about 3/4c / 180gm size). Then roll it out and fry - with low or no oil.

Tuesday

What a nice walk. The irises are starting to emergy.

Someone strings a wire between 2 trees at the street and hangs their laundry.

They set up shop about 10 years ago along the street, a small seller of fruit. Then they built a structure with a tin roof. Now it's a family dwelling, illegal but solid, right across from one of the best-maintained Padel clubs in the city. Rich and poor live side by side.

A 10" 25cm spider watches it all from above, waiting for food in the web it built across the street.

Read more:
* You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Job 10:12

* For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

* He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” John 9:11

Moravian Prayer:  Protector, you have sheltered your people in the past. Preserve us this day, we pray, from spiritual blindness and earthly trials by reminding us of your unending abundance and penetrating light. Amen.