Great time with Staci from Texas…Paperwork and haircut for Tom…8 days and counting…

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Staci and I by the entrance to the Red, White & Brew restaurant. The wine and food were excellent, and the companionship was spectacular. Hopefully, we’ll meet up somewhere in the future.

Yesterday, Tom decided to drop me off and pick me up after dinner with friend/reader Staci from Texas. She and I had been communicating back and forth over the years, and it was such a delight to meet her face-to-face.

Tom drove me to the restaurant and picked me up when I called later. The packed restaurant (we arrived at 4:00 pm) had excellent food, wine, and service. As a result, I was able to enjoy some fantastic red wine with Staci. 

The conversation was delightfully varied as we each reveled in the opportunity to talk to one another in person. Also, it was remarkable to share in some “girl talk” often missing from conversations when Tom and I are gabbing with other couples.

We feel so grateful for all the beautiful people we’ve met due to our daily posts. Meeting them in person is a bonus. Now, as we’re about to carry on in our world travels, many readers are writing to us, wishing us well. 

We try to respond to each message, but please bear with us if we fail to do so due to the volume of email messages. Please know that we read every message we receive and, in most cases, respond within 24 hours.

Once we leave Arizona next Wednesday, heading to India, we’ll be traveling for almost two days to reach Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Then, on the train, a few days later, most likely, WiFi will be sketchy. 

By February 8th, after the Maharajas Express (train) ends, our 55-day tour begins, again with unpredictable WiFi. Please bear with us if we’re unable to post or reply to messages as we usually would.

However, we’re hoping to upload posts and photos, which, based on information online, looks like a good possibility. We’ll have to hurry to get it done when our days and nights will be so full. But, as always, we somehow find the time to stay in touch with all of you.

This morning we ventured out in the rain to OfficeMax to print, sign and scan a few documents to send back to the immigration attorney. Once completed, we found the closest Great Clips, where Tom had hoped to get a haircut. 

The place was so packed. The wait would have been at least one hour. Neither of us cared to wait that long. Tom looked online for other facilities only to be told the wait would be one or two hours.

Instead, he decided to show up early tomorrow morning, hoping to be their first appointment. I’ll stay behind and work on other projects, which are many at this point, with departure day looming.

Today will be low-key. I’ll run out for a few last-minute items. Tonight, we’ll dine in. I have completed the transfer of my data to Tom’s old laptop, and all is working well.

In rearranging the items on the start menu and the desktop, I have made Windows 10 work for me which I am using now as I prepare today’s post. I have a lighted keyboard, touchscreen, and one terabyte of storage, and all the features work. It feels good to use a faster machine after dealing with my slow, fast-fading laptop. 

We hope you have a meaningful and productive day and that all is well your way!

Photo from one year ago today, January 21, 2019:

On many occasions, we’ve seen several bushbabies on the stand. For more photos, please click here.

Defining our digital needs going forward…9 days and counting…

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An Egyptian Goose on the far shore of the Sunset Dam in Kruger National Park. For more photos, please click here.

Tom purchased a Google Chromebook with an entirely new operating system. He was sick of Windows 10 on the Acer 15.6 laptop he’s been using for over a year. I understood his concerns.

Although I tried to help him figure out “workarounds” for the features he didn’t like, (as opposed to Windows 8.1, which he did like), unless a person is using the system day by day, it’s challenging to determine exactly what changes need to be made. Also, a part of this is about personal preferences.

His laptop was running very slow but otherwise seemed to be in good shape. My Acer 15.6 laptop (5 years old) has been showing signs of a possible crash at any time. (I’ve backed up everything, of course).

Our current plan was to purchase two new smaller (11.6) Chromebooks since neither of us cared for Windows 10, nor are we Apple people, and we appreciated the smaller, lighter size of Chromebooks.

Recently, we purchased one Chromebook with the plan to get it up and running before leaving Arizona. If we both liked it, we’d buy another for me this week. 

After setting up Tom’s compact-sized unit, I noticed several features (or lack thereof) that would make it difficult for me to keep records and to do the daily posts. It simply isn’t the most sophisticated device for my needs but works great for email, Facebook, Ancestry, web browsing, managing financial apps, and syncing with his Google phone.

After considerable discussion and the fact that I thought by “restoring” Tom’s laptop to basically “clean it up,” I could start using his with a clean slate. 

Of course, this was subject to its functioning as a new computer. Otherwise, we’d have no choice but to purchase a new Windows 10 laptop for me, which with all the features I need and want, could run $700 or $800.

After the all-day-long process of restoring his laptop and bringing it back to the original Windows 10 operating system, I started entering my information to determine if the restore brought it back to out-of-the-box condition. It did! I was thrilled.

Over the next several days, I will continue to set up my apps and transfer my files. Then, I will restore my old laptop to wipe everything out to see if one of Tom’s sisters can use it. If not, before we leave, we’ll take it to a computer recycling facility.

It will be a significant relief to have this behind us, adding to our peace of mind in leaving the US in a mere nine days. There’s yet much to do to be ready by a week from Wednesday on January 29th, but as always, we’ll get there.

I am looking forward to today’s 4:00 pm get-together with friend/reader Staci in Mesa.

Have a fantastic week!

Photo from one year ago today, January 20, 2019:

The hippo’s skin is gray to brownish-red with pink areas around their ears and under their chin. They have very few hairs on their body but do have stiff whiskers on their broad lips that feel like a broom and a small amount of fuzziness around the edges of their ears and on their tail. For more photos, please click here.

Third cruise in and around Japan…10 days and counting…

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On our way to the alpaca farm in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on this date in 2016, we stopped at a few scenic overlooks in the rain. For more photos, please click here.

Saturday was yet another fun day and evening. Around 4:00 pm, we grilled New York steaks on the grill at Colleen’s home. I’d brought a salad and broiled the butterflied garlic shrimp under the broiler in her oven.

Colleen made potatoes, gravy, and garlic bread, and a fantastic dinner, sitting inside at two tables for the eight of us, away from bees on the patio.

After dinner and cleanup, we started yet another round of Buck Euchre, but we set up two tables this time, and most of us played for hours. There was endless laughter, teasing, and banter among all of us. 

This morning was relatively uneventful. I prepped everything for tonight’s dinner, which we’ll have some time during the football games. By 9:30, I was fading and headed back to our place to unwind and relax. Tom joined me around 11:00 pm, and by midnight we were fast asleep.

By 1:00 pm, Tom was settled in front of the TV to begin watching the NFL football playoffs. With little interest in teams other than the Minnesota Vikings, who now are out of the running, I kept busy doing laundry and other household chores.

Today is a good day for me to research our future travels. As we’ve lined up these three cruises in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific, it gives us a point from which to backtrack for locations that appeal to us before the cruises in 2022.

This week will be busy. Tomorrow evening I meet with friend/reader Staci in Mesa for dinner. On Thursday, all the family is driving an hour to Tom’s niece (Mary and Eugene’s daughter) Laurie and her husband Craig’s home in Goodyear, Arizona, where we’ll all spend the day.

No doubt, in between, there will be more “happy hours” celebrations in the neighborhood as we wind down our time in Apache Junction. And, before we know it, we’ll be completing our packing to be on our way to India.

Here is the information on this third and final cruise in and around Japan. We’ll be back with more later.

12 nights departing April 24, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $1,988
Our Inside $784
You Save 61%
Brochure Oceanview $2,248
Our Oceanview $914
You Save 59%
Brochure Balcony $2,548
Our Balcony $1,064
You Save 58%
Brochure Suite $6,848
Our Suite $3,274
You Save 52%
Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, April 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 7:00 pm
Monday, April 25 At Sea
Tuesday, April 26 Hakodate, Japan 7:00 am 4:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27 At Sea
Thursday, April 28 At Sea
Friday, April 29 Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia 8:00 am 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 30 Cross International Dateline (Cruising)
Sunday, May 1 At Sea
Monday, May 2 At Sea
Tuesday, May 3 At Sea
Wednesday, May 4 At Sea
Thursday, May 5 At Sea
Friday, May 6 Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00 am 

It’s blissfully warm here today, in the 70s! It’s about time it warmed up!

Carpe diem!

Photo from one year ago today, January 19, 2019:

A rhino beetle we found on the veranda on Thursday. They are harmless to humans and don’t bite. They have a horn in the center of their foreheads comparable to a rhino. Thus the name “rhino” beetle. For more, please click here.

Another cruise booked in and around Japan…Great times at birthday party yesterday afternoon and evening!…More today!…

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One year ago today, we visited Kruger National Park to see this elephant family crossing the road with a few babies protected by the parade. For more photos, please click here.

As we’ve decided on future cruises, we’ve decided that three cruises in and around Japan make sense. The prices are good for these highly coveted ports of call, and after spending 28 days living in the country plus three cruises, we feel we’ll have scoured Japan as well as possible.

Subsequently, we’ll be in the area of Southeast Asia from February 27, 2022, until May 6, 2022, for a total of 68 nights. We love that we will have time to explore Japan and gain a more expansive perspective of the country and its culture.

Tomorrow, we’ll share the details of the third and final cruise in and around Japan. At this point, we don’t have plans as to where we’ll go when the cruises end other than to visit family in the US, (as mentioned in yesterday’s post) when the third cruise ends in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As for yesterday’s events, we headed to Mary and Eugene’s house at around 3:15 pm to find no less than 20 local residents in attendance. As the day progressed, more and more people arrived.

The decibel level was ear-splitting but festive and fun. Eugene appreciated the attendance be so many of their friends. Word got out through the neighborhood and by evening’s end, there was well over 25 well-wishers. 

“Any cause for a party” is the motto around here and we jumped right into it shortly after arriving in Apache Junction over a month ago. I’ve been carefully monitoring my wine intake, and after a few glasses, I switch to sparkling water which takes me into the late evening.

After most of the guests departed, we wandered across the street to Margie’s house to play more Buck Euchre. It was Tom and me, Kevin and Margie who lasted well after midnight playing the fun game. 

We didn’t get to sleep until after 1:30 am but managed to get in a total of six hours leaving us both feeling okay. Today, the festivities begin again around 3:00 pm, when we dine at Colleen and Gene’s for steak and shrimp. 

I never got around to making the butterflied garlic butter broiled shrimp last night and decided to save it for today’s big meal for the eight of us. I have no doubt, at some point, we’ll play cards again today rotating players so those of us interested are able to have a turn.

Most of the group of us have been up past 1:30 am for the past four nights. I bowed out a few nights, knowing I needed to get some sleep. But the rest are a little raggedy from staying up so many late nights in a row.

At our place, we continue to work on setting up items and sorting and organizing supplies we’ve received in the past few weeks. This morning Tom installed a glass screen protector onto my phone. 

When we recently purchased the two Google world phones, Tom had installed a similar screen protector on his phone. But, since I’d bought a phone case that closes, I didn’t think I’d need one. As time has gone on and yet to scratch the screen, I decided it would be best to add the extra protection.

As mentioned above, here is the information on the above-mentioned second cruise in Japan. Our costs are slightly different based on our cabin selections, but we’ll post those costs after we sail on each of the cruises:

14 nights departing April 10, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $4,998
Our Inside $2,269
You Save 55%
Brochure Oceanview $5,698
Our Oceanview $2,609
You Save 54%
Brochure Balcony $6,798
Our Balcony $2,999
You Save 56%
Brochure Suite $13,698
Our Suite $6,799
You Save 50%
Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, April 10 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 6:00 pm
Monday, April 11 Shimizu, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 12 At Sea
Wednesday, April 13 Kobe, Japan 7:00 am 9:00 pm
Thursday, April 14 Kochi, Japan 8:00 am 6:00 pm
Friday, April 15 Hiroshima, Japan 9:00 am 6:00 pm
Saturday, April 16 At Sea
Sunday, April 17 Nagasaki, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Monday, April 18 Busan, South Korea 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 19 At Sea
Wednesday, April 20 Hakodate, Japan 8:00 am 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 21 Aomori, Japan 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Friday, April 22 At Sea
Saturday, April 23 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 8:30am
Sunday, April 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan Disembark

That’s it for today, folks! Gee…we are only 11 days from departure, looking forward to the next leg of our journey.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, January 18, 2019:

The baby elephant is at play with family members. For more photos from Kruger, please click here.

In our world, two years is not a long time, New cruise booking…A year ago birthday party…A birthday party today…

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Ken set up the camera on a timer to take this photo of all 10 of us! Fantastic! For more photos, please click here.

Two years may seem like a long time away, but in our lives, two years fly by in a blur. The past seven years have passed so quickly. We can hardly believe it. When we now recalled two years ago, we were in Argentina six days away from flying to Ushuaia, Argentina, to board Ponant’s Le’boreal to sail to Antarctica.

So now, as we book cruises well into the future, we realize how quickly that time will come up, and we’ll be on our way from Singapore to Japan. Recently we booked three cruises around Japan in 2022 that ultimately will provide us with excellent experiences in this part of the world.

Today, we’re sharing details of the first three cruises that sail on February 27, 2022, 25 months from now. This cruise has four ports of call in Vietnam, with three ports we hadn’t visited in the past. The only city we’ve seen in the past is Hanoi, and we loved it so much, we won’t mind returning.

The other three locations in Vietnam and those in the balance of the itinerary listed below are new to us, and we’re excited to be able to see these locations.

After today’s posted cruise ends, we’ll have a total of 28 days to spend in Japan. What an excellent opportunity to experience this exciting country! In the future, we’ll search for a holiday home that we can book for this period, hopefully in the countryside away from the crowds, smog, and traffic. From there, we’ll board a back-to-back cruise around Japan and Korea ending in Vancouver, at which point, we’ll visit the family in the US once again. By then, it will be April, and we may avoid too much bad weather in Minnesota. We have no idea how long we’ll be in the USA at that time. We’ll figure it out in the future.

Here is the information on the first of the three cruises. For ease, I copied and pasted it, which often causes issues. Please excuse the formatting.

      14 nights departing February 27, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $3,698
Our Inside $1,619
You Save 56%
Brochure Oceanview $4,298
Our Oceanview $1,919
You Save 55%
Brochure Balcony $4,898
Our Balcony $2,079
You Save 58%
Brochure Suite $10,598
Our Suite $5,149
You Save 51%

 

Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, February 27 Singapore 6:00 pm
Monday, February 28 At Sea
Tuesday, March 1 Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, March 2 At Sea
Thursday, March 3 Chan May, Vietnam 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Friday, March 4 Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam 10:00 am
Saturday, March 5 Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam 1:00 pm
Sunday, March 6 At Sea
Monday, March 7 At Sea
Tuesday, March 8 Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan 6:00 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, March 9 At Sea
Thursday, March 10 At Sea
Friday, March 11 Kyoto, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Saturday, March 12 Shimizu, Japan Noon 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 13 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 7:00 am

As for today’s birthday party, it’s brother-in-law Eugene’s 82nd birthday. At 3:00 pm, we’ll all be getting together at his and Mary’s home along with several neighbors to partake in the celebration of this special man.

Yesterday afternoon, and well into the evening, we all met at Colleen and Gene’s home to play the card game Buck Euchre. I hadn’t played in years and fumbled through the first game, but I was thoroughly enjoying it by the second and even won, much to my delight.

Most likely, with all the guests at today’s party, the celebration won’t include card playing until much later in the evening when it’s back to the eight of us. It will be another fun social time.

Ironically, one year ago today, we hosted and celebrated our friend Rita’s birthday at our house in the bush. Great memories were made that day too.

Thus, the socialization continues as we’ve begun preparing for our upcoming departure. Yesterday, I set up Tom’s new Samsung Chromebook, and it appears all is going well for him. He loves not dealing with Windows 10.

May every one of our readers enjoy a festive weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, January 17, 2019:

One year ago today, we celebrated our friends Rita’s birthday at our bush home in Marloth Park. The boys from left to right are Danie, Leon, Tom, Gerhard, and Ken, toasting a good evening. For more photos, please click here.

Setting up new laptop today…More tasks before departure…

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Two years ago today, this scene at La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires particularly caught our eye. For more photos, please click here.

Today is another busy day. This morning we started transferring files from Tom’s current laptop to a flash drive which, once I am done here, I’ll begin loading his new Chromebook with his files.

We’re going to do it a little differently this time. He’s placed most of his essential files into online Dropbox. He’s had some issues with some of his files, creating problems when they’re transferred over. This time, we’ll go for simplicity and only transfer the bare minimum.

If we both like the new Samsung 12″ Chromebook, much smaller than our 15.6″ Acer’s with Windows, we’ll head back to Best Buy to purchase another identical or similar model for me. The weight differential is substantial enough that this transition to smaller, lighter laptops is a big plus for us.

Today we’ll spend the bulk of the day at Colleen and Gene’s house playing the card game Buck Euchre. This morning, Tom got out a deck of cards and re-introduced to me how to play the game. In only a few minutes, it all came back to me.

Years ago, he and I played this fun card game with my sister Susan while she lived with me when Tom and I were dating. It will be fun to play once again.

We’ll rotate playing the four-person game. In between my playing, I’ll work on Tom’s new laptop, getting everything set up and transferred to his liking. He’ll play the game while I’m working on the laptop. Then, I’ll step in and play for a while. 

Over the next several days, we’ll continue to work on other projects we have in the works as we prepare to leave the US in 13 days. We’d hoped to be able to spend time while we’re still in the US, booking properties to rent while in the UK and Europe this upcoming summer. 

But, as it turns out, we’ve decided to see if we’ll have some downtime while in India during our two months in the country. If not, we’ll book everything while we’re on the 29-night cruise before we arrive in the UK and Europe. 

We aren’t worried at all about getting this task completed on time. We have flexibility on dates, and in the worst case, we can always find a bed and breakfast or several hotels within the budget.

Tom just left to walk down to Colleen’s while I wrap this up. I need to stop at the rental office to print a return label for a belt we purchased at Amazon that didn’t fit Tom. Tomorrow, I’ll run it to the post office to return. This morning I ordered the replacement in his size. So many little things to do.

When we’re outside the US, we can’t do any returns, and generally, we’re meticulous in ordering the correct sizes and items that won’t require a return. We erred in this case and have to handle a return.

Off I go, folks. I’ll pack up the laptop and cord, my bottle of Crystal Light lemonade, and a few more items to take with me for card-playing day. 

Gee…I’m looking forward to sharing “BIGGER,” “BETTER,” and “MORE INTERESTING” events in our daily lives.

Stay tuned. We’re only a few weeks away from that transpiring!

May your day be pleasantly eventful and exciting!

Photo from one year ago today, January 16, 2019:

One year ago today, Little was lounging in the water in the cement pond. For more photos, please click here.

Two weeks from today and we’re off…Fun night last night with new arrival, another family member…

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Two years ago, Tom and I sat in the hotel bar in Palermo, Buenos Aires, watching the Minnesota Vikings playoff game. We were the only patrons in the bar but had a wonderful evening together.
Last night, Tom and Eugene picked up Kevin (Mary and Eugene’s son and Tom’s nephew) at the airport. Kevin retired a few years ago from a lifetime career as a police officer and wanted to spend some time with his parents for 11 days.

While they were gone, I finished the final details of the meal we were bringing over to their home to share with everyone. Tom dropped Kevin and Eugene off, and when he returned here to load up the hot food into Margie’s car, we continued to use it.

By 8:00 pm, we were having dinner amid non-stop talking and laughter. By 10:30, I pooped out and drove myself back to our place, falling into bed. It was a busy cooking day and a good night’s sleep was on the menu at that point.

In minutes I dozed off and awoke at 1:30 am when Tom came in. In no time at all, we both dozed off. Today won’t be as busy a day. All I have to do is go to OfficeMax to have the India 26-page itinerary printed and stop at a local outlet store to buy a few more items.

At 4:00 pm today, we’ll walk to the pool area, where the usual Wednesday evening fire pit get-together will be held. Most likely, we’ll spend the remainder of the evening in, dining on leftovers and relaxing.

There are several social events over the next several days, and most likely, we’ll attend most, if not all, of them.

Our long-time reader/friends Pat and Dan referred their adult daughter Christina to discuss suggestions for a single woman traveling to South Africa alone to spend a few weeks in Marloth Park.

Christina called yesterday afternoon, and we chatted for quite some time. It was delightful talking to her. She is a ranger in Yellowstone Park, and the thought of Marloth Park is a dream come true for her. Plus, she spent two years in India as a missionary, and it was fantastic to hear her enthusiasm for India.

Many people have stated concern about overstaying in India for so long, all of whom have never been there. Yes, we’re well aware of the pollution (and other issues) in the country. A few days ago, our two high-tech filtered face masks arrived. We don’t care how we look wearing them, which we’ll do when appropriate in big cities.

On Monday afternoon, Tom will drive me to Mesa (and pick me up later) to meet up with another dear reader/friend, Staci, with whom we’ve been conversing for several years. She’ll be in Scottsdale for a business trip and carved out time to meet up with me so we could get together for dinner and “girl talk.” 

I am so excited to finally meet Staci after chatting back and forth online for these past years. Hopefully, I’ll take photos and post them here the following day.

That’s it for today, folks. May you all have a fabulous day.

Photo from one year ago today, January 15, 2019:
Tom was sitting at the end of the big table on the veranda. It was such a happy time for both of us. For more from that date, please click here.

A year ago memories…That never happened…

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She decided to look at her reflection in the glass of the little red car, assuming it was another hornbill, perhaps a possible mate. For more, please click here.

As I read the year-ago post, I felt a little melancholy. It was a post about how we assumed we were leaving in one month on February 15, 2019. See the post here.

We were getting ready for an upcoming birthday dinner party for our friend Rita (husband Gerhard), whom we’d met from our site, who ended up living in the same house in Marloth Park where we’d lived for three months in 2013/2014. 

They rented the house when our site-directed them to Louise, our dear friend and property manager who’d rented the Hornbill House to them and us, and then four years later rented the Orange House to us. 

Rita and Gerhard became friends fast enough to host Tom’s birthday party on December 23, 2018, and reciprocate joyfully. We decided to host Rita’s birthday party several weeks later. 

The same wonderful group of friends was coming to the party. Linda and Ken from Pretoria were coming to stay with us for a week, adding to the excitement and fun.

In the interim, we were all headed to Tambarina Restaurant for dinner that night for the first celebration of Rita’s birthday. We all loved a reason to celebrate, and then again, we didn’t always need a motive other than the pleasure of sharing time.

Kathy had arranged a going away “girl’s day” for me on February 5th to include pedicures and lunch. That never happened.

Kathy and Don were hosting a going away party for us on Friday, February 8th. That never happened.

The next night on February 9th, our last Saturday night in the bush, we were all getting together for dinner at Jabula. That never happened.

Leaving for Kenya for a fantastic tour and numerous safaris was on the schedule, with our intended departure date on February 15th, the day our visas ended. That never happened.

Eighty-four days later, we were supposed to be in Minnesota. That never happened.

On Friday night, February 8th, after the heart disease diagnosis with the subsequent emergency open-heart surgery scheduled for February 12th, Kathy and Don invited all of us for dinner at their house. I’ll never forget that night when we all sat around the fire in their garden, sharing stories and our deepest feelings.

The next night, February 9th, we all met again for my pre-surgery dinner party. It was a bittersweet evening with loving friends. I’ll never forget these times with heartfelt gratitude and devotion.

So, reading yesterday’s post reminded me of all of these events, which will permanently be emblazoned in our hearts and minds, grateful for our friends and for Dr. Theo, who discovered my condition on a hunch.

Yes, as we look forward to heading to India in 15 days, we’ll never forget what we’ve left behind and prayed for the days we’ll all be together again.

May you enjoy good health and loving friends.

Photo from one year ago today, January 14, 2019:

“Pig in a pond.” Mom opted for a sitz bath on the steamy hot day while the youngsters played nearby in the bush. For more, please click here.

Recipe request from many readers…More fraud on one of our credit cards…

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One of several giraffes we spotted last night when dropping Rita and Gerhard back at the Hornbill house. The partial moon is shown in the photo. For more, please click here.

After yesterday’s post and mention of our dinner last night, we had many requests for the recipe. I must mention this high-fat recipe is only recommended for those on a keto or low carb diet, having converted their bodies from burning sugar for fuel instead of consuming sugar-inducing foods such as sugar, fruit, wheat, and other grains and starches. (More on this way of eating here).

We both decided to resume intermittent fasting several days a week to aid our health as described here, which may be highly effective in maintaining health and losing weight. These two means are effective for many health conditions, including heart disease, as described in a Harvard study.

(Please keep in mind, we are not providing medical advice nor recommending you eat this way. Please check with your physician before starting any new health regime or diet).

Many, who have been following us all along, may wonder, “If these ways of eating were so effective, how did I end up with the cardiovascular disease and the subsequent bypass surgery?”

The doctors in both South Africa and the US explained that I’d had hereditary CVD for 30 or 40 years, long before I started this way of eating. Also, I exercised all of my life. They stated that my low-carb diet and exercise most likely prevented me from having a fatal heart attack. 

Also, this way of eating and exercising prevented me from having type 2 diabetes, another hereditary condition. Before I started eating this way, my blood sugar was construed as pre-diabetic. Surely, by now, I would have been on medication.

Everyone has to make decisions that work best for them based on many factors, including heredity, lifestyle, sleep patterns, and stress. When my children were young, and I was a single parent with two young sons, owning a stressful business with no child support being paid, my life was exceedingly stressful. 

At that time, I drank caffeinated beverages all day to maintain a certain level of energy. However, I exercised all of my life and, at that time, consumed a low-calorie, low-fat diet. This, coupled with my bad genes, was highly instrumental in my developing severe cardiovascular disease.

I began this way of eating in 2011, and there is considerable information here on our site. If you type in ‘”low carb” into the search box on the right side of our home page under the word “Search” located below the advertisers, you find many posts on this topic.

Thus, here is the link to the recipe mentioned above, which we found many years ago. If you decide to make this, let me know if you love this dish as much as we do.

Today is a busy day, taking care of financial matters. We had another credit card number used fraudulently. That’s two-card numbers stolen since we arrived in Arizona. Go figure. This is more fraud than we’ve experienced in any other country. We’re awaiting the new card in the next few days.

May your day be pleasant and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, January 13, 2019:

I’ll feed gentle Ms. Bushbuck from my hand, one of few instances in which we do so. For more, please click here.

The Minnesota Vikings continue to disappoint…Social evening softens the blow…Prescription drug error…

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In Kauai, Hawaii, on this date in 2015, here is another of Tom’s exquisite sunrise photos. For more photos from this date, please click here.

Yes, we were sorely disappointed by the Minnesota Viking’s loss yesterday afternoon. The playoffs and the season are all over for them until next season, when preseason games begin in August and the regular season in September.

Tom watched the game with the boys at Colleen’s home while I stayed behind at our place, continuing to work on more of the contents of our package that arrived on Friday night. A year’s supply of my three prescription drugs had to be popped out of the plastic packs and placed into bottles with my name and prescription on the label. 

Carrying loose pills in those plastic containers asking for trouble. The medications could cause a real issue if stopped at security, as we discovered early on in our travels.

Also, I’d ordered several bottles of supplements suitable for the cardiovascular disease instead of taking statins, a decision I made many months ago. As mentioned, Tom and I went through the vitamin bottles consolidating as much as we could while leaving them in the original bottle.

In the process of going through the newly arrived prescription drugs, I noticed that the bottle of thyroid medication I’d been prescribed while in the hospital (when I was running out before the surgery) was for the wrong dose, .25 mcg as opposed to .75 mcg. 

My new prescription was for the correct amount of .75 mcg. Subsequently, I’d been taking ⅓ of my previously required medication. After all, we’d been through, I never looked at the tiny print on the bottle, but I did notice the pills were round, not oval. 

Since many drugs look different from country to country due to a variety of generic drugs, I didn’t give it another thought…not until yesterday, and then I understood why, after all this effort to feel 100% failed in part by not taking the appropriate dose of this vital drug.

Subsequently, I’ve had typical symptoms of hypothyroidism which may be found here. I wondered why I gained weight over the past year (15 pounds) and have been unable to lose it as I’ve always been able to do it easily. Also, it explains why I’ve had a hard time getting up in the morning, staying in bed until 8:00 am or later.

This all makes sense. I was always the early bird, along with Tom, bolting out of bed at 6:00 am, ready to tackle the day. Today, I took the first correct dose, but it takes about a month to see an improvement.

In India, I’ll continue to eat a healthy diet of mostly fish, chicken, and vegetables, and of course, we’ll be walking a lot while on tours over the next several months.

A few days ago, we received our final itinerary for our almost two-month tour in India. We were able to check the menus at the various hotels. Neither of us will have a problem based on these menus. 

The hotels are four and five stars and appear to have excellent, highly rated restaurants. No beef, of course, but plenty of other meat options that will work for both of us. Tom doesn’t eat lamb, a popular item on their menus, but he occasionally eats fish and chicken. We breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, after the game, Tom returned. I sliced the remaining roast beef we’d cooked the previous night, reheated the huge pan of mashed potatoes, cooked green beans, and made a salad, all of which we loaded into the car and brought back to Colleen and Gene’s home.

The seven of us gathered around the big kitchen, eating our reheated leftovers that everyone seemed to enjoy. We had a great time! The conversation was lively as always, with many funny stories flying around the room.

This morning I made a favorite low-carb hamburger casserole with a big salad for tonight’s dinner. We’ll stay in while Tom watches more football today, and tonight, we’ll stream a few shows we’ve been watching.

May you and yours enjoy a fantastic Sunday!

Photo from one year ago, January 12, 2019:

Frank and The Mrs and friends stopped by for a visit. Frank is on the far right, the Mrs is found on the left. They never had a chick the entire time we were there. Maybe next time. For more photos, please click here.