Oops, we goofed…Go figure!…Talk about preoccupied!…

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The elephants walk by in single file with many cape buffalos in the background.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
The lioness picked up her head long enough for us to capture this distant photo.

When friends Tom and Lois gave us their flight information several months ago, somehow it stuck in our brains that they were arriving on October 9th when that was their departure date.  

When we read on Facebook at the Marloth Park Sighting Page that lions had been sighted, we dashed to the river to see if we could get some good photos. Unfortunately, the lions were hard to see when hidden behind a tree.

Dumb us, we didn’t stop to think that they’re coming from the US and won’t arrive until October 10th. You’d think we’d know this by now after all these years of travel. But, in our enthusiasm, October 9th went on our calendar.

We were sitting on a bench watching the cape buffalo, and suddenly these elephants walked past us.

Last night when sending email messages back and forth to confirm their estimated arrival time, we realized they wouldn’t be here until October 10th, most likely reaching Marloth Park by around 1:00 pm.

We were surprised to see so many cape buffalos along the river.

Louise had planned for Zef and Vusi to do the “spring clean” today, but once we realized this, we suggested they come tomorrow, which worked out better for her after all.  

 With school holiday guests leaving many of her rental properties yesterday and today, having the boys available today to clean the houses made lots more sense today than tomorrow.

They were scattered along a one-kilometer stretch of the river bank.

As a result, the boys will be here tomorrow, and we’ve changed our plans to return to Komatipoort for more shopping until tomorrow so we can be gone while they’re here.

In one 45-minute period, we saw three of the Big Five on the Crocodile River.

We can only recall how much work it was preparing for houseguests in our old lives when we wanted everything to be as perfect as possible. Now, with perfectionist Zef and Vusi, there’s little for us to do other than clean up some clutter and coordinate plans and upcoming meals.

As I write this text, the company that provides WiFi is here upgrading something in the system. The WiFi will be down for an hour at most, but we’ve decided to stay put and wait for the work to be completed. In the interim, I’ve completed the post-offline using a special blog posting page in Microsoft Word, a solution I’ve used when we don’t have a working connection.
We were able to zoom in to see a youngster grazing.
With the change in plans and Tom and Lois’s expected arrival time, we’re taking advantage of the extra day to complete some organizing and reduce some of the clutter. Although we’re relatively tidy day-to-day, with limited cupboard space, closets, and drawers, as is typical in many holiday homes, we’ve created some clutter in a few areas and today is the perfect day to address this. 
Most tourists only stay for short periods and often don’t even unpack their bags.  We carry literally “everything we own” with us everywhere we go. We prefer not to “live out of a suitcase” and find space for all of our stuff.  
They aren’t particularly handsome animals, but they are an important part of the animal kingdom.
Keeping in mind, we don’t necessarily have that much stuff, but being here for this extended period, we’ve found ourselves accumulating more than usual. It’s easy to do without realizing it. I guess by nature, we humans really are packrats and have a hard time avoiding collecting “stuff.” 
With only four months (visa extension providing) until we depart South Africa, we need to begin thinking of what we need to donate and clear out before our departure. Since I’ve recently lost a lot of weight (more on that later), most of my clothes no longer fit and will be donated before we leave. Once we arrive in the US in April, I’ll have to replace any items, as will Tom, who’s also losing weight. 
More elephants on the river.
Of course, the reality always remains that our limited wardrobes wear out after washing the same items over and over again. For the first time in years, I actually have holes in my jeans and shirts.  
 
I see that holey jeans are fashionable in the US, but I’m too old to wear that style, although I do see some old-timers at my age wearing them. I don’t get that. But, who cares? To each their own.
Today, we plan to head out for another search for wildlife to see what more we can find. 
Have a fulfilling day!
Photo from one year ago today, October 8, 2017:
In Costa Rica, a pair of Inca Doves landed on the veranda railing and posed. These pretty birds mate for life and spend considerable time preening one another’s gorgeous feathers that appear to be small scales. For more photos, please click here.

Comments and responses Oops, we goofed…Go figure!…Talk about preoccupied!…

  1. Diwakar Reply

    Hello Jessica. I just forget to comment on your blog post which is so worth seeing and I love wild life. Pastor Diwakar

  2. Jessica Reply

    Dear Pastor Diwakar, thank you so much for reading our posts and enjoying the wildlife along with us. Cherishing wildlife gives us each a perspective that can take us outside of our heads from the chaos in today's world.

    Please say hello anytime.
    Warmest regards,
    Jess & Tom

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