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| Tom, comfortably situated in the usual position reviewing his Ancestry.com files, a daily occurrence. Later in the day, he checks the stock market when it opens here at 4:30 pm. |
On Tuesday night when I crawled into bed, a spider jumped into the air, landing on the back of my calf close to my ankle, biting me. Immediately, I washed the area and placed a plastic bag with ice on the spot.
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| The chicken wire fence is necessary to keep the Monkeys out of the house. If they enter, they are horribly destructive and poop everywhere, a veritable fiasco. |
Although it stung like crazy, it didn’t seem to swell more than a mosquito bite so I didn’t give it much thought and went to sleep. Upon awakening, it was simply an annoying itch with a bit of a stinging sensation. More ice and I’d be done with it.
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| Tom’s view of the bush today in the rain from the upper-level veranda at the African Reunion House. |
Last night when I went to bed, the itching and discomfort increased but still no major swelling. Tired, I went to sleep. Around 1:30 am I awoke to crazy itching in my left elbow and I mean crazy. I could have bit my arm off. Jumping out of bed I looked for and found a first aid kit. But nothing inside the kit could alleviate that degree of itching.
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| Louise and Danie brought us a power reel when we’d mentioned that we’d moved upstairs away from the rain to work on our laptops. As we’ve traveled, Tom has figured out the use of our various adapters, converters, and power strips, handling all the recharging duties each day. |
Of course, at the same time, the back-of-the-ankle spider bite was also itching. like crazy. Apparently, in my sleep, another such or similar spider bit me on my elbow. It was definitely not a mosquito bite due to the pain and itching. Was I worried? Not at all. I just wanted to sleep.
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| The last of the four bedrooms we’ve shown at the African Reunion House. This particular room left us in a quandary as to what bedroom to chose when we moved in on Sunday. We chose the bedroom shown previously, with its convenience on the main floor. Isn’t that what most seniors would do? |
I took a bag of ice to bed, moving it back and forth between the two bites. After a few minutes of icing, it dawned on me to slug down a Tylenol PM which contains Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that diminishes itching and causes drowsiness. Forty minutes later I was in a fitful state of sleep, dreaming of itching. Both bites are better today.
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| The bedroom, as in the case of the other three, is beautifully decorated with the finest furnishings and amenities. Note the double sinks and corner soaking tub. |
We’re living in the bush. I accept this, reminding myself the entire time I was fussing. But no one no matter how long they’ve lived here is exempt from occasional annoyances such as this. In some cases, a sting or a bite is more severe and requires medical care. I’m grateful that was not the case for me.
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| These two lounging chairs provide a private seating area for guests sharing the house with others. |
This morning, we’re situated on the second-floor veranda at the African Reunion House. It’s raining too hard to sit on the first-floor veranda with all of our power cords. Up here, it’s comfortable and dry.
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| We’ve yet to use this upper-level living room. We’ve discovered that living rooms in general are not important to most African homeowners when they build a house. They prefer to spend most of their free time outdoors experiencing nature, rather than indoors watching TV or playing video games. |
They’ll be no visitors today. They too, prefer to be sheltered from the rain. This is the one place we’ve visited in the world thus far that we welcome the rain which is vital to growing more abundant vegetation for the animals. Also, the clouds and rain create a welcomed coolness compared to the usual sunny and humid heat typical in Africa’s summer months.
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| A renowned local artist painted this picture for Louise and Danie, specifically for this house. |
All that I say here is moot, based on my aching heart, knowing that in 15 days we’ll be leaving. No, I won’t miss the snakes and poisonous insects. But, they are such a small part of life in Marloth Park.
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| This was the second piece of art painted by the renowned local artist. |
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| This handcrafted art piece is more beautiful in person, in its many details. |
Hunkered down for the day, we are hopeful that tomorrow will be dry by late afternoon for our upcoming final game drive and bush braai in Kruger National Park neither of which are fruitful in the pouring rain.
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| The male version of the above artwork, equally appealing to the eye. |
May your day be filled with joy, curiosity, and wonder as you embrace your surroundings, however cold, hot, snowy, or rainy as we attempt to do the same in ours.