"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.

Some memories and memorable people

Wednesday, August 12, 2026
W comes back before noon, after an overnight observation in the hospital. Lew treats us to supper at Warung Ethnic. The sun falls as we eat.

W orders chicken and basil sambal (hot sauce).

I have the stewed beef. The rice, cooked in leaves, is one of my favorites.

Alice orders fish, complete with head. She helps me finish my rice.

Thursday
It's good to connect with Will, my brother, as he sits at Mom's bedside in the care home. First, we walk.

W poses by the panel truck, a typical size for Bandung deliveries.

I make our usual: oatmeal porridge.

There's a dead spider in the guest bedroom.

I comfort myself with Keelee's coffee cake and a mug of tea. The tea set was a birthday gift from Kristi and Jojo years ago. Everytime I use it, it brings a smile to my face.

We need groceries and rice for next week's giveaways. The broken pavement at the edge of the parking lot is typical.

A woman rapidly crosses the parking lot as I lean on the wall to wait for the guys. She pulls me away from the wall and the tree above. She points to the clusters of caterpillars that have eaten every leaf off. "They will bite you and sting your skin," she says. I move.

For lunch, I make vegetable soup and dumplings.

JP and Judy left us 3 hanging chairs last year. They've leaned on a bedroom wall for 8 months. I take them to the old "stable". When W comes outside, I show him where they go. He hangs them right away.

At 2pm, five pastors show up - Joel, Esther, Ian, Siti, and Dian. We enjoy chocolate cake and fresh-baked chocolate cookies. The helpers smashed Kopiko candies and added those to the dough - the cookies have just come out of the oven.

On the Project tour, the guests head straight for the hanging chairs (a mere half-hour after they've been put up) and swing, enjoying the view of the yard.

They leave sweet fruit, which W has for a snack after they leave.

Friday
Ps Lew heads back to Jakarta after a week of study. IbuS comes by to give me a massage. In late morning, Amy and Eva drop by with a big basket of fruit. We hang out on the Porch with tea and cookies and tour the yard. Everyone loves those Schultz hanging chairs and has to try them out.

We trot across the street for another go at Ayam Pepes Malarasa, a hit with the gals as well. How we miss the hikes with them! They show us pictures of the last one on Thursday - a beautiful new trail. Can't wait to join.

A second rose is blooming on the kitchen windowsill. The fragrance envelopes the room. Two more buds are getting ready to open.

W has a speech therapy session - and then we feel "done" for the day. I post some of the drying durian logs as a giveaway in the Yard Sale Group on WhatsApp. That app is the global go-to for videos, calls, messages, and groups, though Meta's Messenger seems more popular in N America.

The logs are good for seats or small tables when epoxied and the bark stripped off. They're surprisingly comfortable.

Saturday
17 years ago, we made our first trip to Jakarta, Indonesia. The Bramono family warmly welcomed us, treated us to delicious new foods, and showed us their city. We had no inkling that we would move to Bandung 3 years later. We've loved being here for the past 14 years.

On our morning walk, W clearly says pagi ("Morning!") 13X to passersby who greet us. Wow! Each time we celebrate the miracle of speech.

My friend Martha and I chat online. It's always a blessing to see her face. She's a prayer warrior. We discuss the possible role of prayer among widows in the Early Church. Certainly, they have a vital role and were warned not to gossip. How else would they know the latest news, unless they were privy to prayer requests and/or visited needy believers?

It's muggy and overcast. Seems like it's not a clean-air morning. Oh oh, when I check, the Air Quality Index (AQI) is 191. That would be considered very hazardous in North America or Europe. Here it is just another day. 

I look up the definition of the cause: PM2.5. It means "fine particulate matter with a diameter of -2.5 micrometers. It is a major air pollutant made of tiny solid or liquid pieces from smoke, dust, and car exhaust. Because these particles are very small, they can go deep into your lungs and blood." 

Yes indeed, neighbors are burning garbage and leaves; it hasn't rained in weeks so it's very dusty; and tourist traffic is high for the weekend. Well, that explains that. Is it better not to know?

On another pollutant note: I drop a bowl while getting leftovers out of the fridge to send home with staff for the long weekend. There's glass, sweet water, and corn everywhere. Yuck-y. Although, being a Saturday that kicks off a long weekend, we're happy and thankful.

Read more:
* You are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Psalm 25:5

* Sing aloud, O daughter Zion, shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you. Zephaniah 3:14-15

* Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. Matthew 7:7

* So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Ephesians 2:17

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, you once said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Help us see what we can do to make peace in our lives, in our communities, and across divisions. Heal us from our own judgements and make us whole. 

Savior, we trust in your work of redemption. Teach us to wait for you and listen for your guidance. Open our ears, hearts, and eyes to see where and how you are asking us to be your loving presence. Amen.