What would we do without a chocolate fix once in a while?

Monday, February 19, 2024 (Lent Day 5)

I have time for one loop walk with all 3 dogs as the sun is coming up. They come running when I mention "let's walk" and sit so I can put on their leashes. I wish I matched their enthusiasm!

We peek in as we pass the Padma Hotel. The foyer is lit up for Valentines Day and Chinese New Year.

3 calls and a few text exchanges = making connections, answering questions, and praying with people. It's not a good sign when I'm craving chocolate by 9:00 a.m.

The day of editing, reading, and snacking quickly flies by. I've snagged some nuts, dried apricots, and chocolate chips from the freezer. (The nuts quickly go rancid if left out in the heat.)

The scent of 8 gardenias wafts across the room from a glass votive holder. More flowers bloom on the shrub but I restrict myself to 2 a day ... and they last for days. Perfection in perfume.

Tuesday (Lent Day 6) 

It's an early morning, up at 3:00 and in meetings by 5:30. I skip the walk since I'll walk to the team meeting later, 1 km away. At least that's the intention. It doesn't happen.

When you have staff, whether in business or the home, you have to plan what needs doing. Most routines need no instruction. But today, we're hoping for south-USA-style biscuits, using the simplest recipe. I stress that the butter must be cold (taken from the freezer since it warms quickly in the 80-85o F/25-30oC kitchen) and cut into the flour until the pieces are pea-sized. 

Baking is full of adjustments, regardless of the recipe we're attempting. Ingredients are not the same quality. Besides adjusting for altitude, we can't even find some familiar ingredients. For example, there's no buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 c milk. However, here, white vinegar is 20%strength, not 5-6% like in the USA, so we'll add 1/2 tsp instead.

"Pat it into shape, don't beat or stir beyond wetting the ingredients." Let's see what happens! Looks good, and as expected, the butter melts into the dough almost as soon as it's cut into the flour. I make beef gravy with the "Better Than Broth" brought from Costco USA. Apparently I'm hungry for a familiar taste ... a flaky biscuit. We have guests coming for lunch. 

The biscuits are not a bad first attempt. I cut them into bite-sized pieces. They need more flavor so next time maybe we'll add onion and herbs or cheese. And a bigger pinch of salt.

W is on his first return flight with one gratis hour of T-mobile internet, which he quickly uses up. WA and other text service are continuous. It's a 48 hour trip door to door, due to a 23-hr layover in Seoul.

The yardman is cutting things down this week. He turns complete shade around the fruit trees to sunny access. The mangosteen needs pruning so it will bear again and the mango tree has been shaded for a few years = no mangos. The former neighbor said it had a reputation for "the sweetest and best mangos!" We've never tasted one. And mangos are my favorite fruit.

The IES team meets on the Porch in early afternoon, enjoying cookies and tea with our small group activities.

"Are those papaya flowers?" someone asks, looking at the white blooms beside the Porch. (Papayas either have fruit or flowers, not both.) "Cooked with guava leaves and pork belly, they are less bitter." Our help is Muslim and doesn't eat pork, so the cook won't have to prepare pork. We do eat the flowers.

Want some flowers? "Sure!" I grab a rain poncho for the yardman, who climbs the ladder in the pouring rain to pluck a big plastic bag's worth. Our friend snags some guava leaves from the tree beside the Porch and is set for supper.

Wednesday (Lent Day 7)

On the morning walk with 3 dogs on one leash, I spot a 6-pack of dogs exiting a gate ahead. Gypsy has the Gentle Leader on; he sees them but doesn't react fiercely. We give them a long lead and make it home without incident.

Today the yardman culls masses of self-seeding ferns that threaten to overwhelm everything else on the green wall. The fronds are 4-5' long (1.5 m). He tucks the stems into a bucket of water. I'll cut them to size for little Round Table bouquets this weekend. (The wall before and after, below)

Three goats are hard at work in the field next door. Their cheery "neheheheheheh" echoes throughout the day. The canary sings its heart out as I eat part of a cookie from #QuietWatersBakery, chocolate infused with coffee. SOOOO good.

I check for submitted assignments from last month's class. Empty grading folders. That's ok: I'm starting work on the next class I'll be teaching. It's scheduled for a classroom in the Philippines, though it may also be hybrid; online and in person.

W arrives home late at night after the final flight from Seoul to Jakarta and a shuttle ride to Bandung. The last bit is the most hair-raising part of our travels.

He brings chocolates to tide us over in the months ahead. What a guy!

Thursday (Lent Day 8)

We all go hiking on dirt paths between the tea plantations,

and tramp overgrown trails in the forest. The track is sometimes a mere dip in the grass. We've done this many times; dog and human stride confidently forward. We feel for slick moss-covered rocks and poke our hiking sticks in when it gets really slippery.

The dogs, running ahead, clear away ground creatures but there are big spider webs at face level. ugh. The destination is a detour from the usual path to a waterfall. The palms are dripping with long strands of cherry-like pods on the way down.

The dogs go for a swim. (W's photo)

We spot a little shelter - made of bamboo and palm fronds - with live electrical cables coming from it and stretching across the fields. See the power box inside, on the back wall? I guess this is the power station for the farmers.

It's always nice to get the dogs into the car after a hike. They may be wet, muddy, and full of grass seeds but they are very happy. As are we. It was a hot and sunny walk today.

Our shoes are filthy and we usually bring a second pair to go out for lunch. Today I had these old Daiso house-slippers on when I got in the car. I guess I'll leave my sneakers on.

The old-fashioned clay teapot at Tizi's keeps the tea hot. W and I are not really impressed with the schnitzel we order, but the setting is pleasant enough.

This typical ratio of motorcycles to cars waits at the last stoplight before home!

Read more:

*Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

*Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Psalm 68:3

*His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Matthe2 25:21

Moravian Prayer: Great and awesome God, the kind of joy you bring into our lives makes us want to always lift you up in praise. Help us not to lose that disposition, but to use it to always worship and serve you with joyful exuberance. Amen.