Announcements, Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett Announcements, Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett

LET'S GO RAMBLING BLOG TOUR 2012 AWARD CEREMONY

LGRBT 2012, LET'S GO RAMBLING BLOG TOUR launching my new picture book, One Day I Went Rambling, illustrated by Terri Murphy (published by Bright Sky Press) culminated yesterday at with the LGRBT AWARD CEREMONY. A couple of couple of handsome friends, Pucia & Brujita, drew the WINNERS of our LGRBT Cool Prize Giveaway. ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING's talented illustrator of and blog tour organizer extraordinaire, Terri Murphy, recorded the festive finale on U-TUBE. WATCH THE AWARD CEREMONY HERE: And the WINNER IS... Huge thanks to our blogger friends who hosted and toasted and boasted  (not roasted) us and ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING.

LET'S GO RAMBLING BLOG TOUR STOPS:

June 8:     “Author School Visits BY STATE!” Illustrator Interview by Kim Normanhttp://stonestoop.blogspot.com/2012/06/pleasant-ramble-with-illustrator-terri.html

  • “Kim Norman’s School Visit & Author Blog” Book Review by Kim Normanhttp://www.kimnormanbooks.com/www.kimnormanbooks.com/Blog/Entries/2012/6/8_REVIEW__One_Day_I_Went_Rambling.html

June 9:   “Simple Saturday” Book Review by Debbie Gonzales http://www.debbiegonzales.com/simple-saturday/2012/6/8/things-to-love-about-one-day-i-went-a-rambling.html

June 10: “Vonna Carter.com” Author Interview by Vonna Carter http://vonnacarter.com/wordpress/?p=7783

June 12: “Little Deb’s Doodling” Book Review by Debbie Meyer http://www.thelittledeb.blogspot.com/2012/06/one-day-i-went-rambling.html#links

June 13:    “Four Thousand Sentences to Go” Book Review & Author Interview by Cindy Faughnan http://www.cindyfaughnan.com/faughnan/index.php/4000-sentences/item/37-picture-book-one-day-i-went-rambling

June 14:  

  •  “The Story Continues -- The Writer's Plot” Book Review by Pam Zollman http://www.thewritersplot.com/news/2012/6/kelly-bennetts-newest-picture-book-one-day-i-went-rambling

June15:

June 16:    “On My Mind” Illustrator Interview with Alison Hertz http://www.alisonhertz.blogspot.com/2012/06/new-picture-book-one-day-i-went.html

June 17:    “Writing on the Sidewalk” Author & Illustrator Interview with Sarah Tomp http://writingonthesidewalk.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/one-day-i-went-rambling-by-kelly-bennett-illustrated-by-terri-murphy/

June 18:    "San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review" Book Review by Tammy McCartney http://citybookreview.com/2012/06/one-day-i-went-rambling/

June 19:   

June 20:      “Kids EBook Bestsellers.com”  Author Interview with Karleen Tauszik http://www.kidsebookbestsellers.com/2012/06/rambling-through-cyberspace-with-kelly.html

June 22:    “Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting & Writing” Illustrator Interview by Michelle Kogan http://moreart4all.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/terri-murphys-journey-of-a-picture-book-one-day-i-went-rambling/

Thank you to everyone who joined, liked, shared stories, blogged, tweeted, twittered, chirped, chime-in. . . RAMBLED ALONG!

If you're wanting a creativity boost, the whole long and winding ramble is on the LGRBT 2012 Facebook Page

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Trinidad Stories Kelly Bennett Trinidad Stories Kelly Bennett

If the Right Side's the Wrong Side What's Left?

So what if it meant driving on the other side of the road, in a strange car…I didn’t think driving in Trinidad would be a big deal. I drive rental cars in strange cities all the time. For the past 7 years I’ve been riding behind the driver on the wrong side of the road in Indonesia. That would get a person used to that side of the road, wouldn’t it? But everyone else said it would be a big deal. And then they started making a big deal out of me not having driven yet. So…

Thursday I bit the bullet and dragged myself out of bed when the alarm buzzed—before light—so I could drive Curtis to work. You know how those “brilliant” ideas sound so good the night before… I packed my walking shoes so I could drop him, walk the Savannah and be home before my usual morning even began. The Savannah is a circular park across the street from the BPTT Office (BP Trinidad). FYI: At 3 miles-around, it’s the largest round-about in the world (Guinness Book of World Records concurs.)

Traffic circles the Savannah one way, thus eliminating concerns about which way to set off. It’s a simple matter of going with the flow—and if need be, keep going around and around— until I became accustomed enough with driving from the passenger side to attempt turning onto a 2-way.  Surely the 3 miles once around the Savannah would be enough?

It’s not just a matter of driving on the opposite side of the road; the driver also sits on the other side of the car. In theory, driving from the passenger side seems simple. Don’t we all mentally drive when riding shotgun? What you don’t think about is the feeling of having cars so close to your right side when you’ve always driven with the traffic close on the left. Maybe it’s knowing if you stick your head a little too far out the driver’s side window an oncoming car could easily rip it right off with its side mirror….

The entire instrument panel is flipped, so the radio are on the other side, the gear control is on the other side, and, as I discovered when I flipped the indicator to signal I was pulling out, so is the windshield wiper lever. If this is any indication, I’m  going to have a very clean windshield.

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Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett

Rambling On About Rocky Road...

We’re a little late, but since we’re Rambling by way of celebrating One Day I Went Rambling--which sometimes happens on Roads, and in my family, with Ice Cream--why not treat ourselves? Grab a sweater (don’t forget the jingle) and let’s go get us some!

Nanny, my grandmother, was always up for an evening walk. She’d grab a sweater (cause it “might get chilly”) stuff her pockets with tissue and jingle, and we’d set out. Our first stop was usually just up the street to pick up Nanny's sister, Aunt Evelyn.  Ostensibly these walks were to check out neighborhood garden, see who'd painted, put their house up for sale or sold. A corner cottage on a wedge of land was the home of an artist, so we'd make a point of walking past to see her latest painting on display in her front window. Regardless of which direction we set out or the number of twists and turns along the way, by unspoken agreement we’d stop for ice cream. Depending on whether we set out on a walk, a long walk, or a longer walk, we had a choice of three: if we needed supplies and/or popsicles tickled our taste buds, we'd make our way to the grocery at Valley Center; a long walk led to Dairy Queen for Buster or Dilly bars; a longer walk led to Freedom Center and the proper ice cream counter. Given the choice, my mother always chose Rocky Road. Where it began:  William Dreyer invented"Rocky Road" flavored ice cream in 1929. Before then most settled for chocolate, vanilla,  strawberry or other fruit flavors. Some thought Dryer was nuts: Why go mucking up creamy ice cream by adding "mix-ins'? Unheard of! Scandalous!  The Holiday Insights website (http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/June/rockyroadday.htm) says  Rocky Road ice cream was  a very popular treat during the Great Depression (Wonder if that poll was taken at a Bread Line...)

Rocky Road Day is always celebrated on June 2nd. We’re a little late, but hey! Since we’re Rambling by way of celebrating One Day I Went Rambling--which sometimes happens on Roads, and in my family, with Ice Cream--why not treat ourselves? Grab a sweater (don’t forget the jingle) and let’s go get us some!

If Rocky Road Ice Cream isn’t available, you can make your own.  Just add chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are our favorite), marshmallows and chocolate chunks (broken candy bar or chocolate chips) to softened ice cream (usually chocolate, but any flavor works—it’s your road, claim it!)

Or, skip the ice cream and cook up at slab of Rocky Road Squares. Here’s how:

Rocky Road Squares Recipe

This candy is quick and easy to make. The only problem with this candy, is resisting the temptation to eat too many of them.

Yield: 2 pounds

________________________________________

Rocky Road Squares Ingredients:

•           11 1/2 ounces milk chocolate morsels

•           4 cups mini marshmallows

•           1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

________________________________________

How to make Rocky Road Squares:

1.         In a saucepan, slowly melt chocolate on low heat.

2.         Stir constantly to avoid scorching and burning the chocolate.

3.         Remove from heat and beat until smooth.

4.         Stir in marshmallows and walnuts.

5.         Spread mixture out in a buttered pan.

6.         Chill to harden.

7.         Remove from refrigerator and cut into squares.

This recipe was posted on the Holiday Insights website: http://holidayinsights.com/recipes/rockyroad.htm

 

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One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett

Rambling On!

I'm a Rambling Gal/Made a lot a stops/all over this land . . . Ricky Nelson I hope you’re reading this cause we're singing your song—and we’ll keep on singing it from now until June 22nd. Why? Because it’s time! Time to welcome ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING, a new picture book, illustrated by Terri Murphy and published by Bright Sky Press.

What better way to celebrate a story about a boy who finds magic in the ordinary and adventure where ever he goes that by cranking up our imaginations and sharing stories.

That’s just what we’re doing for the next two weeks-June 8-June 22, Rambling’s Birthday Celebration is on. Come join the fun. Here’s how:

Tell a story of when you found something that turned out to be extraordinary, or a ramble day for you, sing a rambling song, draw a picture---Everything counts. Everyone’s creative. We’re Ready for Adventure, won’t you come rambling, too??

SHARE YOUR RAMBLINGS and ENTER THE GIVEAWAY now! Here: http://terrimurphy.typepad.com/mermaid_waves/

Lots of friends are helping us celebrate with reviews, blogs, stories, interviews---including some never-before-asked-or-answered stuff. Read and see for yourself. Here’s a list of who’s doing what when:

Let’s Go Rambling Blog Tour Stops:

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW, HERE'S HOW: www.brightskypress.com/infostore/ca.cart.asp?sAction=DisplayDetails&pid=219

DON'T LEAVE THE PARTY WITHOUT PLAYING...WON'T YOU COME RAMBLING, TOO???

 

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Writing & Writers Kelly Bennett Writing & Writers Kelly Bennett

What's That You See?

What Inspires: Looking At It SlantAccording to a blurb in the Authors Guild Bulletin, Crime novelist Peter James, spends one day a week with friends at the police force, much the way fictional best selling novelist Rick Castle in one of my favorite-escapes TV series, Castle,  shadows love-interest detective, Kate Beckett. (Hard to imagine the "friends on the force" James pals around with are anything like Castle's Kate Beckett, though...) In a PW interview, James said he asked the Detective Inspector he was shadowing in Sussex what it felt like to be a detective.  "Do you view the world differently?"James asked.

"You're looking through the windscreen at a beautiful summer day," the Detective Inspector responded. "I'm looking for a man who is standing in the wrong place."

What are you looking for?

Here's the trailer for Peter James' new book, Not Dead Yet

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Announcements, Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett Announcements, Found Fun, One Day I Went Rambling Kelly Bennett

LET'S GO RAMBING BLOG TOUR-June 8-22, 2012

 

Register for the Let's Go Rambling Blog Tour!

In Celebration of the release of ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING, Illustrator, Terri Murphy and I are sending our brand new picture book Blog-hopping--make that Blog-Rambling!

 From June 8th until June 22, ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING will make guest appearances on our favorite blogs in the form of book reviews, interviews with the author or illustrator, or  spotlight mentions.  Anyone who participates in the blog tour, or comments on a guest blog post, comments/friends Terri or me on Facebook,  tweets about  our book with the hashtag #letsgorambling, or attends and participates in our Facebook event--One Day I Went Rambling Virtual Book Launch on June 8th will be eligible to win cool prizes.

What cool prizes you ask?  Well,  ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING is a story about an fun-loving boy, Zane, whose wild imagination allows him to see magic in the ordinary. He has a sidekick....a chameleon, who changes color to match Zane's friend with the most creative idea in that scene (Terri's clever add-in!).

 LGR Blog-Tour Cool Prizes:

1st PRIZE- This signed original illustration of the chameleon from the book’s dedication page.

2nd PRIZE- An autographed copy of the book, and this zany color-changing Chameleon!!

3rd & 4th PRIZES..ONE DAY I WENT RAMBLING,  authographed, of course!

If you'd like to participate in the LGRBlog-Tour 2012, please fill out the registration form in the clickable link at the top of this page.  I will send you a pdf of the book, and Once again, anyone who posts a blog *3, comments on a blog *1 or posts a Facebook mention *1 (link the author's or my page to your mention) or tweets *1 (hashtag #letsgorambling), or buys the book *3(send proof of purchase to murfslawblues@gmail.com) are eligible entrants.  The numbers reflect how many times your name is in the hat. The prize drawing will take place on June 23rd. Winners will be posted and notified.

You can start by pre-tour commenting here! It'll count. Why not share a few lines from a time you went Rambling, and found something that turned out to be extraordinary....

We're ready to Celebrate! Won't You Come Blog-Rambling, too? P.S.  If you haven't yet, friend me and Terri on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/kellybennettbooks

https://www.facebook.com/terrimurphyart

 

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Writing & Writers Kelly Bennett Writing & Writers Kelly Bennett

Handle With Care

I walked into the most enticing antique shop in La Mesa, California, today. The window display pulled me in; Candlewick glassware and vibrant Fiesta dishes-transparent and dainty juxtaposed with bold, hearty ceramics.  

So like me; so like most of us. . .

In her recent posting on Write at Your Own Risk, the unofficial Vermont College of Fine Arts Faculty blog, Coe Booth discusses her novel-in-progress when it’s at what she calls “The Fragile Stage.”  When, as she describes it, “We're excited about our ideas, but we haven't hit that stage in the writing process where we can see the path to the end.”

Anyone who’s ever painted a picture; planted a garden; rearranged a room; cooked a meal, moved. . .  has been there. You know: that time when you can so clearly picture exactly what you want the end result to be, but. . .  But right then, with the necessary ingredients unpacked, scattered, detritus here and there, parts missing,  it looks like a mess, garbage, hodge-podge, heap of junk?

Oh yeah…THAT “Fragile Stage.”

When a project is in The Fragile Stage, Booth notes, our “own self-talk can make ‘That's a good idea!’ into ‘Ugh, that sucks’ so fast your head doesn't have time to spin.” Self-talk makes or breaks you.

Lured by the Candlewick and Fiesta ware in the window, I stepped into the Antique Shop with—no surprise to anyone who knows me—one paw already on my wallet. I was sure I’d find that something I needed to buy waiting inside. A sign with big, black on white bold lettering posted just inside the door set my Candlewick Core quaking:

YOU CHIP IT, YOU BUY IT!

What to do?  If I start browsing, I risk chipping something; if I don't browse I won't find the treasure; I'll miss out on finding my prize; I've worked hard all week, I so deserve a prize, but. . .

I’ve had to buy something I broke before—most recently a jade good-luck talisman in a Bali Shop, which the saleslady wrapped up and gave me, saying I could “glue it together.” (Yeah right, as if gluing it back together will put the good luck jube-jube back inside.)

As Booth says: “Listen to your self-talk.”

Negative self-talk “can stop us before we put word on the page,” or plant in the ground, paint on the brush, fork in the drawer or foot through the door.

Positive self-talk “keep us motivated as we find our way…”

And, if your inner-critic is shouting too loudly, stifle it the way the guy did in the song, Make up your own little sign:

FRAGILE STAGE IN PROGRESS

HANDLE WITH CARE

Post your sign in a prominent spot, tune your inner-station to a happy song and get after it!

Read Coe Booth’s May 14, 2012 blog posting, "The Fragile Stage" : http://writeatyourownrisk.posterous.com/the-fragile-stage

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Jakarta Stories Kelly Bennett Jakarta Stories Kelly Bennett

Feels Like Rain-Remembering Rohemon

It’s a gray, drizzly, looks like it should be cold out, steamy shower room sort of day in Port O Spain. It’s right that it should that kind of day. Rohemon is dead. Rohemon, our gardener/jaga for the past seven years, all the time we lived in Jakarta, died today, Friday May 11, 2012, sometime in the afternoon.

The news came to us via email. And because it was already late night in Indonesia when we read it, we have not called Rusnati to give our love, or find out more. Laura Evans, their current employer, sent this note:

“Roheman passed away today.  Don't know any of the details. Rusnati got a call on the hand phone and started crying, really loud and hard. She rushed out the door forgetting her helmet and keys. Roheman hasn't been into work this week as he slipped and hurt his ankle on Monday. So she got a lift home from one of our gate security guards. Sugiman [the relief driver] called Rusnati's hand phone and her daughter told him about Roheman. I'm so sorry to be delivering such sad news, but thought you might like to know.”

Rohemon, at most was in his early 50s. A husband to Rusnati, our housekeeper; only child of his diseased parents; father to 3 daughters: Andrea, his baby, the one most like him in temperament and looks; Lia, the middle daughter, a teacher and student; and Linda, married and 4 months pregnate with Rohemon and Rusnati’s first grandbaby. Linda and I emailed just yesterday. I asked if she was getting a fat "mommy" tummy yet. She said she'd say hi to her folks for me.

What a difference a day makes...

Today, I was supposed to attend a “Chari-Tea” benefiting a boy’s orphanage. I set out on foot to find it. It was mostly an excuse to get out of the house and stop thinking about Rohemon and Rusnati and their family. The urge to pick up the phone and talk to Rusnati was so strong, it was all I could think about.

Muslims traditionally bury their loved ones on the day they die. They hang a yellow flag in front of the house as a means of notifying everyone a person died there, and to let them know which house to stop at to offer sympathy, to pray and to make offerings of food or money to help with the funeral.

Rohemon’s family, like Rusnati’s are from a village near Cirebon. Rohemon’s mother and father are buried there. When Suharti, Rusnati’s sister died, the family took her body to Cirebon that day. As I walked purposefully down the road in the direction of where I thought the Chari-Tea was being held, I wondered if Rusnati and her girls  were in route to Cirebon? Had Rohemon’s body already been interred? Were they all piled together sleeping in the safety and comfort of Rusnati’s parent’s home? Many people, when separted from love ones, make note of the moon: “The same moon that lights your nighttime sky, shines down on me,” they say. It started drizzling as I walked the streets of Westmoorings, fruitlessly seeking Number 7 Sunset Drive, and I found myself wondering if it was raining there, on the other side of the world. Feels like Rain…

When I returned home, I decided to stop pretending and give the day up to remembering Rohemon. It seems fitting, especially after all the days he gave to tending me, my family, my garden, my fish—rather, our garden and our fish (as time went by they became more his, really.)

So, I went back through my Jakarta News postings, spanning March 2005-March 2012. I was looking for one specific day, a day that sticks in my mind as particularly Rohemon-ish. That day, I’d gone outside in the yard to think about an essay I was writing. I’d been pacing when some round black rocks caught my eye, they were scattered here and there midst the plants and red dirt, but they didn’t belong, so I began collecting them in a plastic pot. Picking up rocks wasn’t the point; it was simply the vehicle to get my mind moving, so I wasn’t really there, there.  Sometime while I was collecting, Rohemon silently joined me. Not wanting to offend him by leaving, although I was more than ready to be finished with rock collecting and go back inside, I pushed on. And so we worked, silently, side by side, collecting round rocks until they had all been gathered. Then he smiled and took the pot from me. Later, Rusnati gave me the rocks back, all clean and washed and asked what I planned to do with them. After all that work, I didn’t dare tell her the truth, “throw them back.” So I kept those black stones in a bag in the pantry and we used them many times after to anchor down orchids, “bulan angrek.” Rohemon was a master orchid grower.

So many of those Jakarta stories focus on Rohemon, the gardener, keeper of the fish, guard, father, husband, friend.  I’ve reposted a few here as a way of remembering:

 March 12, 2005: (2 weeks after we moved into our Jakarta home.)

 Ruswanti and her husband Roheman, brought plants from their house to plant in front of our house. She said they had lots and yesterday morning they dug some up to dress up our home. What a treat--and the way to my heart!

            Roheman loves his new lawn mower--his toy! I think he mowed the back lawn 3 times. He tinkered with the engine and stuff until he had it working perfectly. He and I don't talk much. I would talk with him. I write down phrases to tell him about how nice the yard is, etc. But I don't think he wants me to talk with him, he prefers his wife to do the communicating. I don't know if that is an Indonesian thing, or specific to him.

            They have 3 girls, Leah, Andrea and Linda. The oldest just finished school, one in middle school and one in elementary school. Ruswanti brought me a picture of her family and I showed her mine

March 30, 2005:

First, some background. The patch of garden Roheman has been restoring with foundlings from the jungle beyond has been in peril. Something is wrong with the rain gutters. The roof, made of red tile, curves up at the edges so the water is guided to holes in the roof through which chains drop to the ground and disappear into concrete drainage holes. When they work well, the water runs down the chain to the ground and into the hole. Runoff problem solved--except for the corner of the roof directly over Rohemon's garden recovery project--there the water runs right off the edge and straight down, hammering anything below it. Sunday night it had washed 3 of Rohemon's seedling away. Sunday morning I'd rescued the seedlings and gingerly placed them on a scrap of cardboard along with some fern I dug up. I'd carefully placed the cardboard in a sheltered patch by the patio, but in a spot Roheman was sure to find. Thinking that my gardener's heart and his were connected, I knew he'd find these and know just what to do with them.  Fast forward to Monday morning. I'm busy e-mailing and trying to work with one eye trained on the back yard so I can catch Roheman and explain about my solution for the water problem. I know the word for plant is "tanaman" and the word for child is "anak" (while children is anak-anak) so I'm set.

 

I spot Roheman, race outside calling good morning, "Salamat Pagi" he answers with a big smile that quickly fades and is replaced by a frown as I try to ask about the "tanaman anak-anak" that had somehow disappeared, along with the cardboard. With him watching, puzzled and now a little scared that maybe he's done something really wrong, or I'm accusing him of stealing, I tear inside, open my language books and start flipping for words that might help.

I string a few together: yesterday, plants, water, broken, where? and head back outside. Ruswanti, worried now, too, and wanting to help me get my point across and save her husband, is on my heels. Using over exaggerated hand signals and embarrassingly slow, loud words, I reenact my plant rescue and finish with where tanaman? Roheman repeats words he's said a few times already, but this time Ruswanti translates. She points to the row of plants "he put them right there," she tells me. I can't even begin to ask what happened to the baby fern, casualties of the language barrier.  We all laugh--humor the lunatic woman. Roheman and I, with Ruswanti hovering protectively, then proceed to handle our water problem. Using extra red border bricks and a big, red clay pot directly below where the worst of the runoff flows we defuse the problem. No, the bricks don't get laid where I think they should go, and rather than being placed on it's side so it won't fill with water, the red pot sits bolt upright--a mosquito breeding ground in the making, but it works. Anyhow it won't be for long. Tomorrow morning I plan to sneak out and tip the pot over the way I want it. Maybe, if I'm very careful, and wash all the red clay muck from my feet and hands afterwards, Roheman will never know. More likely, he'll notice it's tipped and right the pot again.

More to come. 

Oct 10, 2005:

Here's the formal announcement. We have a new addition to our pond family!

Ruswanti came running in Saturday to ask me if I'd bought some new fish for the pond. I said no of course, and I hadn't. Because now that everything seems to be going so well with the pond, I didn't want to stir up trouble. Other than ripping out handfuls of creepy crawling water hyacinth every Sunday--when no one but Curtis is here to watch--I haven't been messing with the pond. Anyway, Ruswanti pulled me out to show me our new baby fish.

Goldfish start life black-colored, probably a survival tactic, and as they get older, they change. Well, we squatted beside the pond and spied at least two babies. One a mottled black-orange-white, and one still black. Our babies! We are calling Rohemon, Kakek Ikan, "Grandfather fish", and he seems to enjoy his new name!

January 2006:

 Last Thursday I returned to Jakarta. I finally arrived home about midnight--a good thing. It was too dark and too late for me to go exploring in the back yard. One day in December, after having had guests over the night before and as one does, seeing my garden through new eyes, I'd instructed Roheman to yank out an overgrown clump of ginger and prune the bushes around the pond. As is his way, Roheman made a through job of it, Roheman didn't just prune, he PRUNED. What I hadn't considered in my mad haste to have the offensive scrubs banished is the broad expanse of bare dirt and scrawny leafless stick-scrubs left afterwards. With less than a week to go before leaving for the States, I was in a dilemma: if I left the dirt bare, it wouldn't be bare when I returned, Roheman would see to that.

Images of what the area would look like scrolled through my mind: a forest of sproutlets scrounged from who knows where; or knee-high weeds, if Roheman left the area bare thinking I wanted it that way; kitchen herbs that looked like weeds; or best scenario, vegetables. Any way I looked at it, if I didn't take control of the bare patch now, I'd have to deal with it when I returned--and worst, I risked hurting Rohemon's feelings if he did plant the area and I didn't like it. Why couldn't I have ignored the overgrown mess for a few more days?

            So, my last Sunday in town, two days before leaving, Aan and I went on a plant buying spree. We returned home after dark with a car stuffed with new plants. Aan shook his head and laughed when I said Roheman would be surprised. He was. And happy. (He loves to dig.) The planting went like this: I talked and he nodded--without understanding. Roheman watched while I placed each plant where I wanted it. Afterwards we had a long pantomime-bahasa Indonesian-bahasa English discussion about "poo poos" and "composti" which I took to mean that he would add some fertilizer to the area. The discussion ended with a chat about the pond--specifically the lack of fish in the pond.

 March 13, 2007

Now, three months later, everything is spruced up and the new pool deck in place. I decided I should do our part of maintenance, too. Curtis sent the patio furniture out to be refinished, I ordered covers for loungers and a new mattress cover for the Bali bed. The deck was edged by 6 large planters each planted with bogunvillas. The planters were moldy and dirty looking. I asked Rohemon to repaint these pots. He told me, "tidak ada cat", we don't have any paint. I said I'd buy some. We smiled, conversation over. But, before it was over, I made the mistake of saying that after the planters were finished, I wanted them to be arranged differently. I even went so far as to decribe how I wanted them to be rearranged. I though my explanation was perfectly clear. From the way Rohemon nodded and smile, I thought he thought so, too.

So, yesterday, I went to Ace Hardware--yep! Ace is in Indonesia, and it is the Expat's friend since we can find products there imported from America.

It's more expensive, but at least it's familiar. And, some products, like Tilex and KILZ, aren't available in Jakarta. They have a slang term here: "lembiru" which means "throw away and buy new." And that is exactly what those who have money do--the rest live with whatever.

Well, yesterday Rohemon painted the planters around the patio. He didn't put down paper when he painted,I noticed this, but didn't say anything. Today, we have lovely white planters, and lovely white splatters on the pool deck.

We also seem to have more white planters. In fact, I hadn't noticed just how many white pots of plants we had before. Rohmeon's gone crazy with the dollie I borrowed from a friend, I surmised, and moved all the white planters to the pool area. I figured wrong, sort of...  He had gone crazy with the dollie. He has also gone crazy with the KILZ! Just now, I was out on the patio, eating lunch and reading a book, when Rohemon came around the back corner with the paint and a rag in hand. Hmmmm, must be adding a second coat of paint to the planters, I thought, praising him in my head for doing a thorough job. Thorough he is. Turns out he wasn't adding a second coat to a white pot--he's added first coats to lots of formerly terra cotta pots. In fact, he's busy right now covering a lovely, burnt orange pot with KILZ. How many of the pots is he planning to paint? How many is he going to move to the pool area? Will we even be able to get into the pool when he's finished? Should I stop him before the KILZ craze spreads to the leaves and branches?

Choosing the path of least insistance, I picked up my book and lunch things and came inside to write this.

If the next note you get from me is just a blank, WHITE page, you'll know it's no mistake—it's Rohemon!

 

Ah Rohemon. Peace be with you. You will be missed.

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