Weakness…Working my way toward familiar every day life…

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Donkeys are highly regarded in Ireland to the point there are special programs available to adopt and a specialized Donkey Sanctuary in Cork.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Irish people speak English, but Irish schoolchildren are still taught Irish, which
is the Gaelic language.”

It doesn’t happen overnight. The past challenging three months have left me longing for our form of normalcy, by our standards, which includes getting out, exploring an unfamiliar country, learning about its people, customs, and culture.

Yellow irises were growing wild in the countryside. Please click here for information on the wild yellow irises in Ireland that often grow along the road. 

Now that the withdrawal has decreased, I’m back to walking today, adding some lunges and arm exercises to the mix. However, after lying down for almost three months with my feet up, I am weak, unconditioned, and every movement requires a concerted effort. It’s slow going.  

Many patients, after cardiac surgery, go through a rehabilitation program for a few months. With my legs being infected, leaving me unable to walk, and with the program only available in distant Nelspruit, that option wasn’t available to me. Nor could I have handled the 90-minute drive every other day.

We love the reflection of clouds in the water as we drive through the countryside.

Instead, I have researched typical exercises suitable for my situation and am determined to rebuild my strength and flexibility. I worked out for most of my life. I am very familiar with different modalities helpful in rebuilding muscle and mobility.  

The doctors informed us that the strength of my heart kept me alive with my outrageously bad arteries. Through years of intense exercise, I was able to keep my heart strong enough to keep beating while its arteries collapsed.  And now, I refer back to my years of exercise experience for this important task ahead of me.

A little sheep family was resting near the road.

The keyword here is “motivation.” Mentally, I am highly motivated, but my weak muscles and body defy me. I must work past this feeling of being somewhat “feeble” to move about freely and with confidence.  

I only started walking again two weeks ago. And yes, there’s been some improvement within the past two weeks with the walking I’ve done each day, but it simply hasn’t been aggressive enough to affect the type of change I need to stop feeling so weak.

As we approached the town of Clifden, we noticed several apartments and townhouses on the inlet.  Clifden, our area to shop, only has a population of 1,597.  “Clifden is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as “the Capital of Connemara.” Frequented by tourists, Clifden is linked to Galway city by the N59.”

Today, I decided to step it up, literally and figuratively, as hard as it is to muster the energy, to become more aggressive. I’ve managed 7000 to 8000 steps a day on my fitness device, but sadly, this is not enough. Strength building is a vital part of the equation.

This precious photo was my favorite of the day.

Last night, I slept poorly. Without the pain meds, my leg was painful and woke me several times during the night. I don’t think I slept more than three or four hours.  

I’m exhausted, but still, during the day, every hour, I will get up and walk at least 1000 steps, make a few lunges at the kitchen counter and use the spring water-filled plastic one-liter bottles of Pellegrino as hand and arm weights, performing a variety of movements. I’ll add repetitions and other exercises as I become more robust.

A dark brown ram along the side of the road.

The amount of discipline I’ll need today is over the top. Perhaps after a better night’s sleep tonight, it will be easier tomorrow. But, I’ve resigned myself to this hard reality: no excuses and no rationalizations. It’s a “must do.”

It’s necessary to keep reminding myself. I don’t want to continue to be unfit and feeble with a likelihood of falling that I’ve been over these past many months. Perhaps, I was in this state, justifiably so, but no longer. The time has come for change.

Yesterday, we crossed this single-lane bridge on the way to Clifden. We can take a few different routes from here to Clifden and will change it up each week.

I write this here to enhance my commitment and declare to our readers that a better and more healthy life is awaiting me as I continue on this mission. Are you experiencing a similar state of being? If so, join me in this process, and let’s get up and get moving!
Happy, healthy day to all!
                

Photo from one year ago today, May 21, 2018:

After dark, “Mom, Two Piglets and Auntie” came back to see us along with another male group of four zebras. For more photos, please click here.

It’s over…

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Appealing view of clouds reflecting into the body of water.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
The country’s major exports include food products such as potatoes, lamb and beef. They also export a large amount of zinc, lead, machinery, and pharmaceuticals. Their
imports include oil, aircraft parts, vehicles, and petroleum gases.”

Finally, the withdrawal is over. It took one more night’s sleep and three full days to recover. Yesterday was a nightmare. I was lethargic, agitated, and anxious. I couldn’t find a comfortable position as I lounged on the sofa all day and evening.  

Flowers are beginning to bloom all over Ireland as the temperatures are warm.

I ate more than I usually do in an effort to not only distract myself from my state of malaise but in an attempt to nourish myself with healthy foods. I drank no less than a gallon of liquids including herbal teas, spring water and two full mugs of my usual protein smoothie.

At least twice during the day, I fell asleep on the sofa and then in the evening when we attempted to watch the show “Victoria” using the HDMI cord from my laptop to the TV but I kept falling asleep.  It was only 20:00 hrs., 8:00 pm.

Taken through the dirty windshield glass, a family of sheep “movin’ on down the road.”

Off to bed by two hours later, I slept another eight hours awakening at 5:30 am. It was light when I went to bed and then again when I awoke. The curtains in the bedroom are thin and light-colored, and the morning sun easily awakens us each day.  

Oddly, there are 17 hours of daylight in Ireland which will only increase as we get closer to the summer solstice. From this site: “What is the Summer Solstice? IThe summer Solstice in Ireland and Britain– also known as Midsummer – traditionally takes falls on June 21 each year. It is the longest day of the year, i.e. when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.”

The colors on their fleece are meant to identify them from farm to farm. A post a few days ago mentioned: Set against backdrops of rolling green hills and mountains, farmers often paint their sheep. Besides pure identification of the sheep in Ireland, rams spread some color of their own during mating season. With a bag of dye tied around their neck, they leave their mark on the upper back of any ewe they mount.
As I lie in bed contemplating arising, I wondered how I’d feel when I stood up. The withdrawal symptoms after three months of painkillers, although considered relatively mild, were disabling for three days. I didn’t expect to feel better until five to seven days had passed.
 
As I stood up and made the bed (Tom was already up and about) I knew I was better. I’d done the same each of the past three days forcing myself to perform small tasks and it took everything I had. This morning, for the first time in over three months I could do so with ease.
Mom, dad, and the babies were sticking together. In some breeds, both the male and females have horns.

Of course, in Marloth Park, we never had to make the bed with the boys coming six or seven days a week to clean the house. It’s a big adjustment now without all this help.  The biggest issue is keeping the kitchen floor clean until Thursday when lovely Ann, our cleaner comes for three hours to do the entire house.

We were desperately needing to grocery shop today. We had no idea what we’d have for dinner when we’d depleted all the main dish items we’d purchased a week ago.  With the small freezer, most of which is taken up by our ice cube trays, we have little room to store meats for future meals.
This sheep was fascinated with us until we made a noise and then he ran off.

Subsequently, each week we’ll purchase two roasted chickens, one for shopping night and the other for the next night. Then, if we dine out once a week, we only need freezer space to store meats and chicken for the remaining four evenings.  

The fish guy comes once a week and most likely I’ll have the fresh fish that day for at least one night, while Tom has whatever we’ve made to last two nights. The food storage situation is merely one of those adjustments we need to make as we travel the world.

We’ve postponed our trip out of town that we’d mentioned a week ago. With the challenge of the past three days and our need to purchase groceries, we’ll save that for another day. Today, while out and about we’ll be able to take photos to share.  

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, May 20, 2018:

I sat at this table with Gail, Leslie, Pat, and Jeanine while we participated in the Royal Wedding Watch Party. There were others that attended the party but aren’t in the photo. It was a fun day! For more photos, please click here.

Pain killer issues…More discomfort…

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This morning view!

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Northern Ireland is governed by the United Kingdom, while the rest of Ireland is an independent nation.”

I deliberated over writing about today’s topic. There’s a certain amount of embarrassment and shame associated with withdrawal from necessary pain medication. We are not talking about non-medically prescribed addiction to opiates which is rampant in today’s world.

Patients often take opiates for medical issues, and when it’s time to stop, they cannot do so or choose not to do so and end up spending months, years, or a lifetime drug-seeking. In a desperate need to acquire more medication, crimes may be committed, relationships destroyed, and even death from overdoses. For more information, please click here for the Mayo Clinic in the US.

That’s not what we’re talking about today. Today, we’re sharing my personal experience over the past three months of taking a prescribed combination drug, Ultracet, which is described as follows: This product is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. It contains two medications: Tramadol (37.5 mg.) and acetaminophens (325 mg.), such as Tylenol or Paracetamol.

Although the dose of Tramadol is low, it is a scheduled substance* and considered to be an opiate, a class of drugs described as follows: “Opiate is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all-natural and synthetic substances that bind to opioid receptors in the brain. Opiates are alkaloid compounds naturally found in the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum.”

*Scheduled medications are described as follows from this site. Please remember that we don’t profess to have any special education or knowledge on this topic. Please see your physician for assistance in this manner. However, I do have a story to tell with the hope it creates awareness and support for those who may have experienced similar issues. You are not alone.

Three months and one week ago, as most of you are aware, I had emergency triple coronary bypass surgery on February 12, 2019. Three of the four of my cardiac arteries were 100% blocked. Angioplasty was not an option.

With the necessity of taking veins from the legs with long incisions, inserting chest tubes and neck IV (PICC line), and opening the chest via another 30.5 cm, (12-inch incision) and then cutting through the strong breastbone. No ribs are broken during this procedure.

After surgery, upon awakening and discovering a tube in my throat (intubation), I was in agonizing pain in each area of my body involved in the surgery. At that point, I was given morphine to reduce pain, cause sleep and reduce the memory of the experience.  

No doubt, the morphine worked when it was added to my IV. Upon waking, hours earlier than expected, I remember asking using hand signals for pen and paper to write, “Take out the tube!  It’s hurting my throat.”  

They didn’t remove the tube. They gave me more morphine, and I slept for several more hours. This next time I awakened, the tube was painfully removed while I was awake. More pain.

Over the eight days in ICU, I was given pain medication via the IV in my hand, morphine for the first day and Tramadol, for the remaining time. By the time we went back to Marloth Park, 11 days post-surgery, I was still in an enormous amount of pain.  

In the first 24 hours back in Marloth Park, I pulled a muscle in my right chest in the middle of the night, and the overall pain was exacerbated by 100%. Although Tom provided professional caregiver attention, the pain was unbearable.  

I was sent home with a box of 60 Ultracet tablets with instructions “not to worry” about the drug since the low dose wasn’t addictive and wouldn’t cause any issues upon stopping.  

The doctor suggested I take two tablets every four hours or as needed.  I chose to take one tablet every six hours. It helped make me more comfortable but didn’t relieve the pain. I decided to “suffer it out” with this lower dose preferring not to take any pain medication if I could avoid it.

Then, less than a month after the bypass surgery, both of my legs became infected. After two surgeries, more morphine and IV Tramadol during the five days, I returned to the hospital for two surgeries, three days apart, on both of my legs. I was sent “home” with another 60 mg box of Ultracet tablets.

The pain in my legs proved to be more painful than the recovery from the bypass surgery, although it was a close second. I continued to take the tablets every six hours as I’d done previously. The pain continued, if not fiercely, even when I was instructed to be on total bed rest for almost a month. Walking was limited, using a walker from the bed to the bathroom or from the sofa.

Less than two weeks ago, we returned the walker to a kindly Marloth Park resident who loaned it to us. Thanks to Louise for posting a notice on the Marloth Park website and getting several kindly responses in minutes. I was instructed to start walking.

The pain continued since I still had a massive open wound in my left leg, which required debridement at the doctor’s office every other day, and I continued to take the Ultracet, never more than three tablets a day, one upon awakening, )

The pain continued on the long 26-hour travel day and for the next several days since we arrived in Ireland. Then, a miracle of all miracles, the leg began to improve. On Friday at 6:00 am, I took the last pain pill, knowing the pain remaining until the wound closes would be manageable. I still have two almost full boxes of Ultracet.

By Friday evening, something was wrong. I had the chills, my hands were shaking, I bordered on nausea although I could eat, and I had such a degree of malaise I could hardly move from place to place. It hurts to raise my arms. Walking up and down the steps took everything I had. I knew what it was after considerable research on reputable medical sites.  

I was in withdrawal, not unusual after such a long run of pain medications, including four surgeries, two hospital stays, and a long, difficult recovery. So what am I doing to get through this?

1.  First and foremost: Not taking more tablets to alleviate the symptoms. This would be the worse thing I could do. I put all the tablets away, knowing full well, I wouldn’t be tempted to take more. I want this over with, not prolonging it by taking more pills.
2.  Stay hydrated and eat – Somehow, drinking non-caffeinated herbal tea is comforting and an easy way to consume fluids.  Plus, it’s cool here, and the tea helps me warm up. We made a great dinner last night…yes, I obliged, and I had seconds a few hours later.
3.  Sleep – I wish I could sleep straight through until this goes away. But that’s not possible. Although I had two good night’s sleep on both Friday and Saturday nights and dozed off and on all day on the sofa, I still feel extremely tired and listless.
4.  Keep active – This sounds like an oxymoron when I mention sleep above. But, I’ve found doing light household tasks, cooking, laundry, and continuing the walking seems to help.  
5.  Keep a positive frame of mind – Easy to say, hard to do. But, this will be over before too long.  Based on the length of time I was on the medication and the dose, I expect the withdrawal to last about five or six more days. Today, it’s better than yesterday, which is encouraging.
6.  Tell loved ones about the withdrawal – For some reason, there is shame associated with the word “withdrawal.” There is nothing to be ashamed of for those who’ve taken the appropriate pain killers for medical reasons under the care of a physician. If I’d continued the meds when I no longer needed them, started “doctor shopping” for more, lying to family and friends, and many more damaging forms of behavior, this could be construed as addiction. Tom is supportive, as always, and will do anything to help me get through it, although I am forging ahead trying to stay active.

Why did I write about the personal situation? Take away the “shame” as mentioned above, and we’re hoping this post, even if it only inspires one person, will make it all worthwhile. We are all in this world, in this life together. Reaching out, regardless of the cause, may open our eyes to new possibilities.

Based on the worsening of the symptoms, we decided not to go out last night to the pub in Carna for drinks at the bar and dinner. Once I’m over this period, I’ll be ready to start “kicking up my heels” once again.  

Be well.
             
                             Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2018:

There were many rainbows at the falls. For more photos, please click here.

Uncertainty…Where’s next?…Is it coming to an end?…

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A cow in a field with her two white calves.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 

“Ireland is known throughout the world for its vast amount of castles. Ireland’s history is dotted with wars and violence, so castles were built to protect families from invaders. Today, most
of the castles are still standing, and some can even be visited by tourists.”

On November 8, 2019, we’ll arrive in the US via a cruise from Southampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, we’ll head to Minnesota to spend time with family, staying a few weeks, and then off to Nevada and Arizona to see more family members.  

From this site:  “Livestock ear tags were developed in 1799 under the direction of Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, for identification of Merino sheep in the flock established for King George III. Matthew Boulton designed and produced the first batch of sheep ear tags and produced subsequent batches, modified according to suggestions received from Banks. The first tags were made of tin.  Ear tags were incorporated as breed identification in the United States, forming the International Ohio Improved Chester Association as early as 1895 and stipulated in the Articles of Incorporation as an association animal and breed identification of the improved Chester White. However, ear tags were developed in Canada as early as 1913 to identify cattle when testing for tuberculosis. A significant increase in the use of ear tags appeared with the outbreak of BSE in the UK. Today, ear tags in a variety of designs are used throughout the world on many species of animal to ensure traceability, to help prevent theft[citation needed] and to control disease outbreaks.”

Currently, we aren’t sure how long we’ll stay in the US but anticipate it will be for 60 days total. Our following booked venues are for two upcoming cruises. At this point, we don’t have any holiday homes or hotels booked in between.

Another cow on a hill.

We have no intention of stopping our worldwide travels. These gaps in our itinerary are merely a result of the challenges we’ve faced over my health in the past three months, which prevented us from taking the time to conduct research and book future venues.

In addition, the precarious nature of my long recovery caused us to wait to arrange further bookings with a fear we’d pay deposits, and my recovery would result in further delays with travel becoming an issue.

Although they all may look alike, we only share one photo of each of the ruins we encounter while driving through the countryside.

After our 25 hour travel day between last Saturday, May 11th, and Sunday, May 12th, we knew we’d be able to continue. How I managed the long trip (especially with a wheelchair) made it all possible. We won’t need to book Business Class on our next flight to Amsterdam on August 9th, when it’s a short flight only lasting for a few hours.

A red door on the ruins of a barn or outbuilding.

Our next flight from there will be on August 23rd, the day the Baltic cruise ends. We’ll fly from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Exeter, England, which is a less than a two-hour flight. Soon we’ll be booking a holiday home in the UK for a total of 60 days ending on October 24, 2019, when we’ve booked a cruise from South Hampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

There doesn’t appear to be any information about the various ruins of houses, barns, and outbuildings in Ireland.  Although, data may be found regarding the castles and larger structures.

When staying in holiday homes, medical issues become less of a burden when close to quality medical care. Recovery can easily transpire in any location like Marloth Park, South Africa, and continues now in Connemara, Ireland.

Am I fully recovered now while here in Ireland?  No. My left leg continues to be painful and requires sterile care every 48 hours. Tom does this for me, and it’s working out well. We continue to see some improvement and, as I walk several times a day, the progress has accelerated.

In Connemara, with many sea inlets, we often see bogs and waterways during low tide.

In the next few weeks, we’ll begin research for the next leg of a journey as indicated above for the 40 days in the UK and consider where we’ll be going after we wrap up the time in the USA.  

There’s no doubt there’s a degree of uncertainty about where we’d like to go after our time in the US ends. We considered many remote locations before my heart issues, but now, we’ve begun to rethink some of these.  

This could have been a house and a barn, all constructed using readily available stones on this rocky island.

There’s no certainty regarding our health or the increased potential of sustaining a debilitating injury as we age. We have no idea what the future holds, but then again, neither does anyone else. My objective now is to continue to regain strength and stability, which will take time and patience.

Tonight, we’re heading to a popular pub/restaurant in Carna, which has live Irish music. We’ll be back tomorrow with photos of our evening “on the town.”

Photo from one year ago today, May 18, 2018:

Three Egyptian geese on the shore of the Chobe River. For more photos of Chobe, please click here.

Loving the countryside…Ruins…The Belted Galloway…

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From this site:  “In 1842, a German writer and geographer called Johann Georg Kohl traveled around Ireland, publishing an account of his journey the following year. “Of all the countries in the world,” he observed, “Ireland is the country for ruins. Here you have ruins of every period of history, from the time of the Phoenicians down to the present day… each century has marked its progress by the ruins it has left. Nay, every decade, one might almost say, has set its sign up on Ireland, for in all directions, you see several dilapidated buildings, ruins of yesterday’s erection.”

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Ireland has made many trading partners over the last few decades. Today, the United States accounts for 20% of Ireland’s exports, while the United Kingdom accounts for 38% of the country’s imports.”

We’ve been out each day since we arrived in awe of the wonders surrounding us.  From the ruins of various buildings to cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses along the road in our “neighborhood” (so to speak), any drive on which we embark provides a plethora of photo-worthy scenes.

This area of Connemara is not necessarily a hot summer vacation/holiday spot compared to many other European locations. We’ve seen several B & Bs and a few hotels, resorts, and holiday designated areas. Based on its online booking calendar, this holiday home is almost totally booked for the remainder of the year.  

A Belted Galloway cow. From this site:  “Belted Galloway cattle originated from western Scotland, a region whose weather is strikingly similar to Ireland’s damp climate! This makes Belted Galloways perfectly suitable for the wet, cold winters and the soft boggy terrain of Irish farms. Their long, curly outer coat is ideal for rainy weather, as its coarseness deflects moisture from the animal’s skin. They also have a soft undercoat to keep them warm in colder temperatures. The head of the Belted Galloway has long hair around its ears, preventing frostbite in a case of an extreme Irish freeze. Common nicknames for these cattle are ‘Belties’ or even ‘Oreo Cows’ due to their peculiar resemblance to the popular treat!”

Whether tourists have come here to do something comparable to our plans, sightseeing or visiting relatives, they come to this area and love it.

The rough and uneven terrain and the boggy landscape aren’t ideal for walks on the beach or gaining access to the ocean for swimming or snorkeling.  However, several beaches are within a two-hour drive for swimming and enjoying the ocean-related activities, although the cool weather may easily be a deterrent.  

We spotted several Belted Galloway cattle in the country.  The last time we’d seen this breed of cattle was while living in New Zealand in March 2016.  See our link here.

Perhaps when it’s officially summer here in June, it will warm up a bit.  The average summer temperature is between 17.7 C, 64F and 20C, 68F, still very cool. This morning upon awakening, it was only 9.4C, 49F, and now at 10:00 am, it’s a paltry 12.7C, 55F, not necessarily good weather for swimming, snorkeling, or boating.

For us, this isn’t an issue. I must admit I am thoroughly enjoying the cool weather after the heat during our 15 months in Africa. We’re more interested in the historical aspects, researching Tom’s ancestry, and, as typical for us, immersing ourselves in local culture while we make every effort to blend in.

As we drove through the countryside in Connemara, we were amazed by the number of ruins.

The kindly people we’ve met thus far seem delighted with the fact that Tom is almost 100% Irish based on a DNA test he did a few years ago through Ancestry.com, where he’ll spend hours each week in research and building his family tree.

In US records, he hit a wall. His ancestors immigrated to the US from Ireland from the 1830s, and he’s updated his family tree to the best of his ability and the availability of records available to him.  

To go further back to continue building the family tree, it’s necessary to research records from right here in Ireland that may not have been uploaded to the Internet and stay as paper files in churches, governmental buildings, and public record-keeping facilities.

From this site:  “In Ireland, large-scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. In the Republic of Ireland, a state-owned company called Bord na Móna is responsible for managing peat extraction. It processes the extracted peat into milled peat used in power stations and sells processed peat fuel in peat briquettes used for domestic heating. These are oblong bars of densely compressed, dried, and shredded peat. Peat moss is a manufactured product for use in garden cultivation. Turf (dried out peat sods) is also commonly used in rural areas.”

Fortunately, through years of research, he’s been able to determine many of the towns and counties where his ancestors lived and worked. It is some of these locations we’ll visit in our time here. 

He’s beginning to research the possible locations where such records may be found. We hope to travel to one new place each week, giving us a further opportunity to explore this scenic country while stopping along the way to go through various records at specific facilities.

Depending on the weather and how I’m feeling, we plan to go on our first exploration next week, having left this week to get settled, grocery shopping, and get into a somewhat familiar and comfortable routine.

A handsome horse at a pasture with other horses a few doors from our house.

A part of the joy of living in various countries throughout the world is when the time comes that we feel we fit in, especially when we have the opportunity to socialize with locals. As always, it’s entirely up to us to create a social life of some semblance.

There are numerous popular pubs we’ll visit in the town of Clifden, where we grocery shopped at the fabulous SuperValu market, purchased SIM cards, and walked up and down the busy streets. There were numerous pubs and restaurants we’d visit during our time here.

We’re looking forward to sharing more and more with our loyal readers, again, whom we thank again for staying with us during the trying past three months. May your lives be filled with exceptional experiences. 

Photo from one year ago today, May 17, 2019

It was surprising how many boats were on the Zambezi River at sunset.  For more photos of the river cruise, please click here.

It takes a few days to adapt…What are the adaptations?…

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John, the fish guy with Tom.  John will stop by once a week. Last night I had the haddock, which was fabulous without a single bone and the fresh crabmeat.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle. This is because of its lush greenery and rolling hills. The country receives a lot of rain each year, which keeps the grass green and the plants blooming.”

Regardless of how well equipped a holiday home may be, there are specific nuances to which we must adjust each time we move to a different country and subsequently begin living in an unfamiliar holiday home.

No holiday home is perfect. For us, the primary factors when we book a house is its location, price, views, WiFi, and other amenities. A good kitchen is a must, along with laundry facilities, at the least a washer. (We gave up interest in clothes dryers shortly after we began traveling).

Neither of us cares to live in an apartment unless it’s necessary, such as in big cities where private homes are either too costly or too far from the hubbub of the town, which we may explore on foot.

Hotels are another matter. Location is critical for access to sightseeing, along with price, breakfast, and free WiFi, if possible. We do not book hotels where we must pay for WiFi.

Freshly caught fish in John’s truck.  He may have different options each week. The crab meat was delicious when I sauteed it in a bit of Kerry Gold butter.

This morning Tom booked a hotel for August 9 to August 11, 2019, when we’ll have two nights to spend in Amsterdam before the upcoming Baltic Cruise.  Location was significant mainly for walking and accessibility to the port.

Amsterdam is very expensive. Using our accumulated credits for past bookings on Hotels.com here on our site, the cost was still Euro 364, US $408 for the two nights at a conveniently located and highly rated hotel. We selected a canal view when the scenery in Amsterdam is important to us.

However, holiday homes and hotels always seem to have some type of issues that impact our stay and require us to adapt to the nuances. This home in Connemara, Ireland, is no exception.

The most substantial issue is that the three bedrooms, including the master, are located upstairs, requiring climbing an open wooden spiral staircase.  Not only are the steps a bit slippery with the finely finished wood, but they are steep.

As mentioned earlier, Tom and I agreed I wouldn’t go up and down the spiral staircase other than once per day. He placed a plastic bin at the top and bottom of the steps to allow me to add items to go up or down, which he’ll handle.

Fishing boats in the bay.

This wasn’t an issue for me when we booked this house, but since the surgery on my legs, I’m unstable until I build up my strength and balance. I’m working on both of these each day, by walking no less than 6000 steps per day or more some days. After all, I was only starting walking about 10 days ago, after lying down with my legs up for months. Slowly my strength is building.

Another issue with this house is the double bed in the master bedroom, with no larger bed in the other two bedrooms. Typically, this would work for us, but with the necessity of finding a comfortable position for my leg, I’ve slept in the twin bed and the bedroom the first few nights. This is unusual for us. 

Tonight, we’ll try to sleep together again, and if a problem, we’ll have no choice but to sleep separately during the balance of our 90-day stay in Ireland. If the bed were a queen, such as we had in Marloth Park, there would be no issue.

Another concern is the tiny below-counter refrigerator in the kitchen without a freezer. Another fridge is located in the laundry room with a very small freezer, enough for our ice cube trays, a bag of ice, and a few packages of meat or chicken.

When the fish guy comes weekly, I’ll eat fish for two days due to lack of freezer space, as I did last night making a fantastic salad with haddock, crabmeat, and tons of vegetables. Tom had a taco salad. Running back and forth to the two refrigerators is good exercise for me but annoying. 

Shopping for groceries is challenging when we can only purchase enough to fit into the tiny freezer. Nor can we make larger quantities of our favorite dishes to freeze and have for dinner on the days we’ve been out sightseeing. The refrigerator space between the two is sufficient to handle our cold products.

Closer view of boat hauling fishing equipment.

Otherwise, the kitchen has every conceivable pot, pan, gadget, small appliance, dinnerware and flatware, and spices that we can use. The knives are wonderfully sharp. There are plenty of dish towels and a newer dishwasher. There’s even food in the cupboard (very few items we’ll use) and condiments in the little fridge.

As for the pluses, the views from almost every window are stunning, overlooking a bay surrounded by mountains. The WiFi signal is superb, the flat-screen TV set up with satellite and many channels (we only watch the news) and there’s an upright piano.

No longer will we need to watch our favorite shows on my laptop. We hooked up our HDMI cord and can watch our shows from the living room. We could have done this in Marloth Park, but it was always too hot to do so comfortably.

The furniture in the living areas is in excellent condition and exceedingly comfortable. We have two areas when we can lounge and work on our laptops. It would be nice if there were an ottoman on which I could put my feet in the evenings, but the big comfy chairs do not have this, nor have we been able to find a comfortable alternative.

The TV is located at the end of the living room, preventing us from seeing it sitting on the sofa. We may ask the owner if we can move the furniture around to put my feet up at night.

There are few annoying insects other than midges (tiny biting insects) at sunrise and sunset. Of course, as we often experience throughout the world, there are no screens on the windows. If we want fresh air, we must risk flies and midges entering the house.

Although full of vegetation, the lot on which the house is located is impossible to use with uneven land, bushes, and wild plants. There is a picnic table on the side of the house which we’ll seldom use when it is fairly cool outdoors. 

Down the road, if I start drinking a little red wine, as recommended by the doctors, we may sit at that table at happy hour. For now, neither of us is drinking any alcohol since Tom never drinks alone, nor does he miss it.

Once we get a little more settled, we begin the process. We’re quite a distance from some of the areas we’ll research, but others are within an hour’s drive. Overall, we are content and look forward to researching Tom’s ancestry, which motivated our coming to Ireland.

Tomorrow, I’ll work on the documents to apply for the waiver from our status as “undesirables” in South Africa, hopefully enabling us to return in 2021 instead of the five-year ban we received from immigration at the Johannesburg airport last Saturday.

This morning a cleaner will come to clean the house. We were surprised at the high rates charged by cleaners at Euro 20, US $22.41 per hour. That is more than we’ve ever paid for a house cleaner, although these may be the current rates in the US and other world areas. We’d considered having her clean the house twice a week, but instead, we decided on three hours once a week.

After she’s done cleaning, we’re taking off to check out Carna, another quaint town with a few shops. It’s only five kilometers from here and may prove to be handy for odds and ends we may need between shopping trips to the distant Clifden (which requires a 90-minute round trip) but has a fantastic SuperValu market. We plan to shop in Clifden once a week.

That’s all for today, folks! We’ll continue to get out to take photos as often as possible. For today, we didn’t have many photos to share, but we will be heading out after a while to see what we can roust up on this cloudy day.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 16, 2018:

A small but substantially packed ferry was arriving in Zambia from Botswana while we waited. This reminded us of the ferry boat when we arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, in September 2013. Click here for that post. For more photos from the above Chobe visit, please click here.

Settling in…Photos of this lush green island…A new feature to our site…

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Finally, we got a good shot of this pair of cows, most likely a mom and baby, after waiting patiently.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”

“Ireland is a beautiful green country located in northwest Europe. It is
an island that is separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. The island is
considered the 20th largest island in the world and encompasses 84,421
kilometers squared of land. It is home to 6.4 million people, and the capital
city of Dublin has a population of 1.273 million people. The island has hilly
geography with numerous plains and rivers cutting through the land. Its
currency is the Euro. The country’s official language is both English and
Irish. Most people speak a dialect of English. However, many families who have
lived in Ireland for generations understand and speak Irish. Ireland does not
have an official religion, but the primary religion followed in the
country is Christianity. Its flag is a horizontal flag with green, white, and
orange vertical stripes.”
The pleasant drive from the house to Clifden, although long, presents some stunning views.

There will be plenty of photos of Ireland as we get out more and more each week.  Since we’ll no longer be posting “Sighting of the Day in the Bush,” we’ve changed the feature to be befitting for our time in Ireland to “Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland.”  We look forward to learning about this country as we share these facts with all of you.

Maumturk  Mountains in the background are often referred to as the “Twelve Bens.”  From this site:  
The Twelve Bens or Twelve Pins (Irish: Na Beanna Beola; the peaks of Beola)] is a mountain range of sharp-peaked quartzite summits and ridges located in the Connemara National Park[d] in County Galway, in the west of Ireland. Topographically, the content is partnered with the Maumturks range on the other side of the Glen Inagh valley (a Western Way route). The highest point is Benbaun at 729 meters (2,392 ft). The range is popular with hill walkers, rock climbers,[2] and fell runners. The 15–kilometer “Glencoaghan Horseshoe” (Irish: Gleann Chóchan) is noted as providing some of the “most exhilarating mountaineering in Ireland” and “a true classic.” A more serious undertaking is the 28–kilometer “Twelve Bens Challenge,” climbing all bens in a single day. The Twelve Bens was known as “Slime Head” or “Slin Head” throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and possibly before — a corruption of the original Irish name (Irish: Ceann Léime).  It was one of the four “principal heads” or mountain peaks that mariners used as navigational landmarks on the Atlantic coast of Ireland.”

As I continue to recover, with the left leg still an issue, I find I am beginning to be able to move around much more. After all, I only began walking on my own and was able to sit up for a little over a week.  

From African wildlife to barnyard animals, we’ve found a degree of contentment, especially when they are as cute as these two cows, huddled together to stay warm on a chilly morning.

It takes time to regain muscle strength, stability, and mobility, but the daily progress is visible right now. Today, for the first time in three months, I am making dinner, chopping vegetables, standing on my feet, and made the bed this morning. I am very hopeful.

Cows are inquisitive. They often stopped grazing to check out who’s driving by.

As for Ireland, it’s not surprisingly beautiful when we both had been here in years passed. It’s Tom’s fourth time in the country (twice before I was on the scene) and once for both of us as a port of call while on a cruise in September 2014 when we visited the port city of Cobh, the last port of call for the Titanic.

The people of Ireland? Outrageously friendly. Yesterday, the “fish guy” John O’Flannery stopped by with his refrigerated truck to see if we were interested in buying some fresh fish. I couldn’t have been more excited to see a fish guy, but we didn’t have any cash to pay him.  

We’ve seen these three burros.  “The only real difference between a donkey and a burro is their domestication status. A donkey is domesticated, and a burro is wild. Other than that, there is no difference — burro is just the Spanish word for donkey. There is no physical or genetic difference between a burro or a donkey otherwise.”

The package from the US only arrived yesterday, containing our two new ATM cards.  When John stopped by around 1600 hours (4:00 pm), we’d yet to take the 45-minute drive to the next biggest town, Clifden, where we could finally go to an ATM for cash.

After purchasing the SIM cards at the post office, we walked along the boulevard in Clifden, enjoying the wide array of shops, pubs, and restaurants.

But, John, friendly and trusting, encouraged us to take our fish choice and pay him next week when he stops by. We purchased a container of fresh crabmeat and a kilo of haddock, fresh from the sea, for a total of Euro 14.00, US $15.66, a sufficient amount for three meals.  

Tom doesn’t eat fish unless it is battered and fried, so I’m on my own with everything we’ll purchase from John in the three months we’ll be here. Before too long, the “vegetable lady” will stop by with fresh organic produce from her nearby farm.  We love country living with these types of perks.

The strips of shops made it easy to get around the downtown area.

As mentioned above and in yesterday’s post, our package from the US finally arrived. The local DHL tried to deliver the previous day but had called our property owner Eileen to tell her we’d yet to pay the Euro 259, US $290 customs fee assessed on the package.  

Plants for sale at a local garden store. The owner came out to greet us.  The Irish are very friendly.

I spoke to the DHL driver and gave him the verification number, proving we’d paid when we received an email requesting payment several days ago. At this point, he was too far away to deliver the box and didn’t bring it out until yesterday after he received notice from the company that we had paid the customs fees.  

Contained in the box were our two new debit cards, which had expired at the end of March. We had virtually not a single Euro in our possession. We desperately needed some cash.  

The Clifden town square.

Plus, we’d tried to purchase SIM cards in Clifden on Monday for airtime, text, and data from the post office only to discover it couldn’t be accomplished without a debit card and cash, of which we had neither on Monday. All we had in our possession was our various credit cards, none of which could be used for this purpose. We returned to Clifden today with cash and debit cards, and now our phones have working calling, data, and text.

St. Joseph Catholic Church is located in downtown Clifden.

Whew!  We’ve certainly had our fair share of complications lately, but somehow, one by one, we’ve knocked them off. In the next few days, we’ll get to work on the waiver for the request to return to South Africa after we were banned as “undesirables” for the next five years when we overstayed our visas by 90 days as a result of the four surgeries in Nelspruit.

The island we encountered during the drive to Clifden.

For now, we’re settled in. For days (if not months), we’ve been reeling with handling many essential and, at times, frightening issues. We’ve always known we ran the risk of dealing with such matters, and as each of the situations, one by one, is resolved, we realize we can handle the most difficult of challenges.

Sheep are marked with paint as described here:  “Farmers “paint” their sheep for identification. Frequently, you’ll notice large pastures blanketed in green grass and dotted with sheep.  Typically, these pastures are enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and are shared by multiple farmers.  When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a customized painted sheep is easy to identify. Also, during the mating season, the male ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest.  When mating, the ram mounts the ewe, and a bit of dye is deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram.”

A most peculiar aspect to living in Ireland is the fact it doesn’t get fully dark until around 2300 hours, 11:00 pm, and it’s fully light around 5:00 am. So far, we’re succeeding at sleeping through the night and possibly getting six hours of sleep each night, more than either of us have had over the past months.

Awakening to the divinely cool mornings and spectacular views of the sea is therapeutic and enriching. We look forward to many more mornings, days, and nights in this majestic environment as we “lick our wounds” and strive for a full recovery in this peaceful place.

A ram with curved horns painted in red.

Have a fantastic evening, and thanks again to all of our worldwide readers for staying at our side during these difficult times.

Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2018:

None of the six of us or our guide Alfred could believe our eyes as we watched this male elephant build his mud pool in Chobe National Park.  We’ve seen a lot of elephants in Africa, but this was a rare sighting for us. For more photos of this elephant and others, please click here.

The travel day post…

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I took this photo from inside the house due to the high winds outdoors.  Many more and better quality photos will follow. To the left is organic salmon fishing, which is common in Ireland.

There are no photos today other than the above main photo. It’s  May 14th.  Tuesday and Tom just returned from Dublin, a seven-hour roundtrip after accidentally leaving the duffle bag behind when we picked up the rental car Sunday morning. The cameras were in the bag.

Travel day consisted of 25 hours from the airport in South Africa to the house in Connemara and then, requiring him to drive back to Dublin to pick up the forgotten bag, a seven-hour turnaround. We’d tried to have it shipped to us, but at the cost of Euro 401.46, US $450 for an express delivery, Tom decided to make the drive.

The duffle contained our laptop power cords, two cameras and their equipment, my sheepskin, my small pillow and blanket, and more. We needed the items promptly. I felt terrible he had to go, but now, this afternoon, after leaving at 6:00 am, he has returned, and that’s behind us. Stuff happens.

I’d written part of the post below on my phone but had yet to post it while on Sunday’s last of the three flights. Subsequently, here it is.  Many of our readers have written to us asking about the long travel day, and it is described in detail below.

Tomorrow, we’ll return to our old schedule with photos and our usual format.  We’ll be heading to the town of Clifden tomorrow to buy SIM cards for our phone and get cash from the ATM. On our way, we’ll take photos which we’ll include in tomorrow’s post late in the day, as this one is now.

Now that Tom has returned, my laptop is plugged in and charging, and thus I can do today’s post. See below for the travel day post. And, of course, thanks for your patience while we have been dealing with these issues.

“I almost don’t know where to begin.  I’m seated alone on a row of three in business class on the last flights from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga to Johannesburg to Dublin. We left Marloth Park 19 hours ago and have the remaining two hours of this last leg and a three to four-hour drive ahead of us after we pick up the rental car in Dublin.

We expect to arrive at our new home for the next three months around 2:00 pm.  It will have been a long 25 hours.

Surprisingly, I held up better than I expected. Business-class on the luxury 747B, two-story Lufthansa aircraft was superb, especially when my seat fully reclined to a flat position. The pillows and blankets are of excellent quality and large enough to stay fully covered in the chilly aircraft. I was disappointed when Tom told me he never slept at all when I’d managed four hours, albeit intermittently due to a lot of turbulence as we flew over the continent of Africa to Frankfurt, Germany.

A wheelchair was awaiting our arrival at each location, but the worst and most confusing pickup occurred in Frankfurt when the attendant couldn’t figure out how to seamlessly get us to the final gate.

I must have got in and out of the chair five times when the attendant needed to leave us waiting in chairs while she ran and helped someone else. We finally made it to the gate and were rushed aboard with little time remaining until takeoff.

But, this was relatively insignificant in the realm of things. We had three significant concerns awaiting us in Johannesburg, listed below in order of importance:
1.  Expired visas for South Africa by almost three months when the bypass surgery kept us from leaving the country as planned. Tom had applied for the extensions while I was in the hospital, but we never received an answer.  It was always in a pending status. At this point, we were considered “undesirables” when we landed in Johannesburg and could be charged outrageous fees and be detained long enough to miss our flight 90 minutes later. We had letters from the doctors for all four surgeries and copies of statements clearly stating the relevant dates and procedures. We also had a copy of the prepaid flight to Kenya for February 15th, which we never used, the last day of a prior visa extension.

Another more competent wheelchair attendant rolled me up to the immigration agent’s kiosk as Tom stood waited, practically holding his breath. After checking our passports, it was evident they had two “undesirables” on their hands.

We were whisked away to an office to meet with “the boss,” an intimidating burly guy with a plastered-on stern look on his face. The you-know-what was about to hit the fan!  And then, safari luck kicked in. Not only did he not ask to see the papers, but we weren’t fined the possible ZAR 8000, US $563.25. We easily could have been charged

However, we were banned from South Africa for five years unless we applied for a waiver by filling out forms and providing copies of the medical records. Since I couldn’t use my computer I wasn’t able to get to work on this. 

We have a fantastic western Africa cruise booked to return to South Africa in 2021 with a non-refundable deposit. We have 10 business days to get it completed (eight remaining), which we’ll do for sure before this weekend. Plus, we’ll want to get back to Marloth by then. We already missed the wildlife and humankind.

2.  Excess baggage fees – We were worried we had to pay for overweight luggage. My bags were OK since I was flying Business Class.  But Tom’s bag was heavy. Well, safari luck once again…no overweight fees.

3. Short layovers with a high risk of missing the second and third flights – Amazingly, we made it to the plane in Johannesburg even with the immigration delay. Being in the wheelchair, although slow-moving in the enormous airports, got us priority placement in the queues for security, immigration, and boarding. We barely made both the flights in Johannesburg and also in Frankfurt. Safari luck prevailed once again.”

We quickly found the distant and remote house in Connemara, and once inside, we realized we’d forgotten that access to the bedrooms was via an open wood spiral staircase. We’d booked and paid for this house long before my surgery. Walking upstairs is still difficult with my bad left leg, and…based on the fact I hadn’t been walking until about a week ago, my strength and stability are marginal at best.

Tom insisted I not go up the steps until bedtime, thus making one trip up and down per day. He placed a plastic bin at either end if there were items to go up or down, such as dirty or clean laundry, my mug, etc., which he carries for me on either trip. This plan is working well so far.

As of this morning, everything is unpacked and put away. We are settled in with the duffle bag here and unloaded, and the grocery shopping is done (more on that tomorrow). More tomorrow on the house, the location, the market, and the arrival of our package with a mix-up, which finally arrived today.

I hope all is well your way.


Photo from one year ago today, May 14, 2018:

The Victoria Falls Bridge was crossing the Zambezi River from Zambia to Zimbabwe. We drove across this bridge and were mesmerized by its beauty. For more photos, please click here.

Almost there, folks!….

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So sorry we haven’t been able to post. When we accidentally left the carry-on duffle bag at the car rental place on Sunday in Dublin, today we got to work trying to arrange to have it delivered to us.

Currently, I am writing on my phone, which is slow and cumbersome.

The best price we could get for express delivery was US $450.  There’s no way we are prepared to pay that much.

Subsequently, Tom has decided to drive back to Dublin to pick up the bag. The round trip will take about 7 hours, but Tom insists on going.

Our two cameras are in that bag, and we’ve yet to take the first photo of Ireland and our stunning location.

By tomorrow night, after Tom has returned, I will be able to upload a new post that I prepared on the airplane explaining how we managed to get through immigration in South Africa, with our “undesirables” status and more.

So plan to see a new post by this time tomorrow, although there won’t be photos until the following day.

Thanks for your patience. We look forward to touching base soon.

Have a great day and evening! 

Today, we depart!…Love and understanding in two different worlds, yet in one…

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The second time he came up the steps he was a little more brazen and came right into the house, while we were sitting on the sofa and didn’t see him right away.  We howled.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Mutton Chops and Scar Face stopped by many times but we haven’t seen them in months after Basket chased them and Tusker out of our garden.  Now Basket visits with his new girlfriend with whom he actually shares the pellets.

It’s 11:00 am and we’re packed and ready.  All we have left to do is to close the bags and weigh them on our portable scale.  Once we sort out any overweight discrepancies, if necessary, we’ll remove some items and place them in the duffle bag along with a few odds and ends.

Little, tentatively climbing the steps to the veranda for a few pellets we gave him when we found him kneeling like this from the top step.

I’ve managed to fit all of my clothes in my one suitcase after giving Zef a huge plastic bag filled with clothing I’d never wear again, some too low cut for the big scar on my chest and others not appropriate for any of our ongoing travels.

Little, “Pig in a Pond.”

But, today’s story isn’t about packing or medical issues nor will future posts be about such over the upcoming months.  With the doctor confirming that my leg is healing sufficiently and that we won’t need further care at a wound clinic, we can manage the care on our own.  Yesterday, we purchased all the necessary supplies.  


Every other day, we’ll clean the wound, apply the cream and bandages and it should heal within three months or sooner.  It continues to be painful but I can live with that, as long as I know it’s on the mend.


Today’s story and photos brought tears to my eyes.  Last night when we were out to dinner with Kathy, Don, Linda, and Ken, Don asked me, “What is your best memory from the past 15 months, excluding good times with friends?”
I began to answer but the table of us became distracted by a young man from Holland who stopped by to say hello and share a drink with the boys.  

His feet were muddy and he made a mess but we didn’t care.  It was Little, coming to call.

Quietly, I sat at the head of the table with Kathy on my right and Linda on my left, my girls, along with Louise and many others, who kept me holding it together these past months.  (I toasted them, alcohol-free, on Thursday night at the dinner table with tears in my eyes).


The answer to Don’s question lingered in the air, unanswered but surely, this group of friends (including Tom) knew exactly how I’d answer.  My answer wasn’t necessary, especially knowing most of them will read this final post from Marloth Park.


It was Little.   


“Pigs are actually considered the fifth-most intelligent animal in the world—even more intelligent than dogs—and are capable of playing video games with more focus and success than chimps! They also have excellent object-location memory. If they find grub in one spot, they’ll remember to look there next time.”

He was nervous at first, as he wondered if this was acceptable.

Was it his intellect or sensitivity that attracted me to him from the first time we saw him over a year ago?  Most likely it was both.  When I looked into his eyes and spoke to him in a soft loving voice, in time he’d actually stop eating the pellets to listen to me.
                                             
His response so much reminded me of the amazing interactions we had with our dogs over the years.  They listened when we spoke, often tilting their heads from side to side trying desperately to decipher the meanings of our words, our tone, and our demeanor.


Over time and countless interactions, this very same behavior from Little became evident to me in many ways.  He’d often look for me, to the point, he’d climb the treacherous slippery tile steps from the garden to the veranda traversing the steps, back and forth in order to maintain a foothold. 
                                  

Video of Little in the house.

His spikey toenails are used for digging up roots, not necessarily for climbing on slippery surfaces.  He took the risk of stumbling down those dangerous steps to see me.  No doubt, pellets were also on his mind, but we’d gladly toss pellets to him in the garden, all he could eat.  It wasn’t necessary for him to climb the steps.


The look on his face when he stood in the doorway on many occasions, was sheepish, often like that of a dog that knew the possibility of reprimand was at hand. And in his intelligence, he chose to take the risk, knowing full well it would be worth it.  I’ll miss him.  He’ll miss me.

Once he realized he was welcome, he settled in for a long nap.

He wasn’t as attached to Tom since on a few occasions when he was very muddy Tom shooed him off the veranda, scolding him.  He didn’t forget this scolding but it didn’t stop him from trying over and over again.


In the past several days he’s come to call many times.  Does he know we’re leaving?  Didn’t our dogs and cats become anxious when they sensed we were going away?  Pigs are smarter and more sensitive than dogs and cats.  Why would they not sense such a departure, such a loss?


During his visits in the past week when I’ve finally been able to walk to the edge of the veranda to see him, (he heard my voice many times during my recovery but hadn’t laid eyes on me), those beady little eyes were so intent and serious when we made eye contact, that I found myself in tears, knowing we’d be leaving soon.

A few days after Little’s first visit inside the house, he brought a friend to show him the goodies.  We aptly named his friend “Little’s Friend” and he often visits on his own and now responds to his name.

As I spoke to him in familiar words I often repeated his shook his head from side to side, acknowledging our connection.  I’d say, “Is that you, Little?” or “Little’s a big boy?” or “How’s my boy today?”  And, if pigs could smile, he would have.  I smiled for both of us.


Now, we go, we carry on, with memories of this magical place, these magical and mysterious animals whom we’ve come to know and love and we leave nothing behind.


With us, always in our hearts, will be the memories that we’ll carry with us, tales we’ll share with others who  will look dumbfounded when we try to explain the power and meaning of Marloth Park and these special relationships.

Little has brought us so many laughs and so much joy.  When I talk to him, he shakes his head in acknowledgment, not unlike a dog or cat would do.  Pigs are listed to be smarter than dogs.  Why wouldn’t they relate to us in the way our pets do?

I realize I can’t hold the attention with tales of Little at a table for 10 during dinner on a cruise ship.  But I can always smile to myself as the tears well up in my eyes over the memories of this special friend, in this special place and during this special time.


Goodbye Little.  Goodbye, Little’s Friend, Frank, and the Mrs., Cupid, Big Daddies, Wart Face, Scar Face, Wounded, Basket, Tusker, Wildebeest Willie; Ms. Bushbuck; zebras, giraffes, lizards, Froggie, Mom & Babies, Sigfried and Roy, Mike and Joe, hornbills and many more.  We’ll miss you all.


It was Little.

______________________________________



Photo from one year ago today, May 11, 2018:

Around 2:00 pm on Friday, one year ago today, we arrived at the Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone, Zambia. For more photos, please click here.