A house "warming" week

Monday, June 1, 2026
The morning is already hot: 80oF/27oC. K and I haven't taken photos together this trip so we snap one in front of the sunflower field.

Cars are parked across the sidewalks, as usual. We go around.

Little acorns are growing overhead.

Kirsten and I have a fulfilling in-house work day. We both enjoy decorating and redesigning our homes. A UPS driver drops a huge box with her new mattress on the porch. She knows how to twist and turn that cardboard monster before we wrestle it onto the bed. First, we pull the old one off and prop it against the wall.

We swap the bulky risers of the outdoor sofa for smaller ones that arrived earlier today. The two of us lift the corners of the sofa, kick out the tall old risers. We hold up the sofa just long enough to replace the risers. We're both sweating in the +90oF and wipe our faces as we go inside.

Several packages also arrive with new pillow covers.

We match what goes together, trying out various combinations.

Moving the pillows to other sofas changes the look completely. The sofas are purple-red, brown, and beige.

We take pictures so that we can compare the combos with less bias.

Mid-afternoon, we have a bowl of ice cream, along with Indian-spiced potato chips = weirdly satisfying.

Tuesday
The sun comes out as we're walking. The temperature quickly soars into the 90s. We stay inside most of the day. K changes the lock at her house with a new model sent by the company for her review.

I read and write book reviews, between watching some episodes of renovations with K.

Wednesday
K's neighbor Kat and I start down a mud trail in the neighborhood forest. It's overgrown. The path disappears and reappears; the direction isn't very clear. By the time we reach a stream, our shoes have clogged up with wet clay from the rainfall overnight. We retreat to the neighborhood street, looking for the bike path that bisects a main street nearby.

We map out a route for tomorrow, which will be an early one! and on a nicely-paved road through the forest = wide enough for 2 cars to pass in Bandung and 2 bicycles to pass in Austin ... if there are no pedestrians in sight.

Kirsten makes a gift bag for a friend who is moving away. We join a few women for supper. The Supper Club meets biweekly at an eatery. They're forming friendships as they explore food options - which are abundant in Austin.

Tonight we're at HEB for barbecue. The meat is tender; the sides are "just right." The portions are enormous. One slab, cut into pieces, would satisfy a family in Bandung. (Below, one serving of smoked turkey and beef.)

Afterwards, the women line up for a photo, making us all laugh at their antics and obvious friendship.

K and I do a quick grocery run around the store, checking off items on K's shopping list.

Thursday

Kat and I have to skip the early morning walk. The rain starts pelting down as our alarms go off. We text each other "Saturday?" and agree to meet then to explore the neighborhood trails. When it starts to dry out, puppy-dog Mika and I do a few warm-up laps. The clouds splatter us with light rain twice before the sun pops out.

On our mother-daughter to-do list for this visit? "Bake chocolate chip cookies." Kirsten remembers these from her childhood. To save money when the kids were little, I put in half the specified amount of chocolate chips and pecans/walnuts. Today we stir in 3/4 of the additions. There are plenty of chocolate and nuts in each bite.

We'd share some cookies with you if you were here. Check out the recipe if you want to bake your own.

When they've cooled, I freeze three quart-sized bags of cookies, putting the rest in a bowl. So yummy = a taste of nostalgia.

Read more:
* In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise. Psalm 56:10

* Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives.  But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:9-14

* And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Moravian Prayer: Dear Lord, we ask you to show us your way as we start a new month. Thank you for your son who always knew how to show love and compassion to those around him. May we approach this month to be of good service to those around us. Amen.