Hahaha, it’s so busy in the garden, I can’t get anything done!!!…It was almost two years ago…Can’t stop thinking about it…

    Broken Horn is persistent about pellets, scaring off any intruders with his horns.

I am sitting at the big table on the veranda and can’t stop laughing. There are so many animals stopping by I can hardly type a word for today’s post. Between Little, Broken Horn, ThickNeck/BadLeg, Spikey, and his mom, 25 helmeted guinea fowls, Frank, Go-Away birds, and other warthogs and bushbucks, I can’t sit still long enough to type a word.  I keep getting up for more pellets and seeds.

The sights and sounds of the bush grab my attention, especially knowing that in 59 days, we will be leaving South Africa, unsure as to when we’ll return. It could be one year. It could be two. It’s all subject to what transpires with Covid-19. We do know that beyond the end of February, after friends Karen and Rich’s wedding in Florida, whether or not our cruises to Japan sail or not, we will be leaving the US to continue on our journey.

A few Go-Away birds have been hanging around for days. We love their funny sounds.

Of course, if Covid continues to rage throughout the world, and if there is nowhere safe or without restrictions for us to visit, we may have to rethink the possibility of plans outside the US. The alternative has been our long-range plan to travel to the US, and in the worst case, the time to do that may be coming sooner rather than later. At this point, we don’t have a clue.

As for most of us, Covid-19 determines our future fate, especially regarding travel. We’ve often thought about renting an RV to eventually travel the US when we were getting too old for long-distance travel, hauling heavy bags, and flying on countless red-eye flights. Is the handwriting on the wall and that time may be sooner than we’d hoped?

This tiny bushbuck couldn’t have been more than a month old but already knew about pellets. Her mom is in the background.

It will be less than two years ago that we stayed in Apache Junction with Tom’s sisters. We particularly loved the days and evenings we spent with them, socializing and having fun. Now, as the days tick away for us to leave Africa, where we’ll be soon, looms heavily on my mind.

But, the days in-between those delightfully fun social interactions were hard for me. It reminded me too much of what our lives would be like if we gave up our journey and settled somewhere in the US. After all, we’ve seen and done. Such a thought is far removed from our reality. The trips to the supermarket, Walgreens, Target, the bank, and more remind me of a life I struggle to embrace at this point.

Bossy and Broken Horn, together in the garden.

We never imagined our life of world travel would end due to a pandemic. Who imagined they’d lose their jobs, work from home, home school their kids, and wear face masks every time they stepped out the door? Who imagined their social lives would be small and fraught with worry and concern over “catching” the virus?

Even those of us vaccinated are still proceeding with caution in everything we do, everywhere we go, when the media and even science continue to throw us curve balls on what we can and can’t do, what is safe for ourselves, and our family. Will a booster jab be necessary? No one seems to know for sure. When will the numbers come down? Are the numbers real or exaggerated? None of us knows for sure. We live in a constant state of limbo.

Lots of pigs in the garden!

Many of our friends who usually spend time in Marloth Park never came here, frightened of their fate, their safety. Are we no different in deciding to leave when we don’t even know if it’s safer in the US or not? Based on the stats from Worldometer, the US is still in the #1 spot on the list of countries. Why would we assume it’s safer there?

Arizona, where we’re going in 59 days, is listed in the 12th position out of 56 states and US territories. There’s a large senior population in Arizona.  From the web:

“The number of elderly (persons over the age of sixty years) in Arizona will grow from a current level of around 900,000 in 2000, representing some 18 percent of the population to 1.8 million and 24 percent in 2020 and almost three million and 26 percent of the population in 2050.”

If 24% of the current population in Arizona is senior citizens, what percentage of those are recent cases of Covid-19?

From this article:

Arizona’s older population could mean more COVID-19 deaths.

That’s a higher share of the elderly than some states that have so far seen more significant outbreaks than Arizona. About 18.6% of people in California are over age 60, 19.1% in Colorado, 20.6% in Washington, and 21.2% in New York.

“Those that are over the age of 60 or those that have other significant medical issues are the ones most likely to suffer that mortality rate from COVID-19,” Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer for Banner Health, said. “The age of a country or a state or even a town will determine the death rate.”

One Wart, a regular visitor to the garden.

No, we don’t dwell on this every day. Of course, we will continue to avoid a sense of doomsday and be optimistic for the future. But now, as the time to return to the US nears, it’s unavoidable to free ourselves of such thoughts when we are out in public and at gatherings, just as we’ve done here in Marloth Park.

And, as I sit here today, surrounded by our wildlife friends, I already feel the sense of loss I’ll feel leaving here. If it weren’t for the necessity of going every 90 days for a visa stamp, undoubtedly, we’d have stayed longer.  But, without a doubt, we’ll have a good time in Apache Junction, Arizona, with Tom’s siblings and then on to Florida for the wedding.

Life goes on. Thank God for that!!!

Photo from one year ago today, August 23, 2020:

One year ago, this photo was posted in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #153. This is St. Mary’s church in Bampton, known as Church of St. Michael of All Angels, as shown in the series Downton Abbey, where Mary married Matthew, Edith was jilted at the altar, and eventually, Matthew was buried. For more photos, please click here.

Day #5, water is back!!!…Yeah, what a relief…

With no water and unable to refill the birdbath with clean water, Benny (Benny, Henny, Lenny, and Penny) decided to drink from the pool. We’d never seen a warthog do this.

During the night, the reservoirs began to refill, then the pipes to the houses filled, and this morning we had water. It felt great to take a hot shower, although the water pressure was still a little low. By the end of the day, pressure should return to normal, and we’ll be good to go.

The dishwasher will be running most of the day with the accumulated dishes we had from the first day when we tried to cook without water. We gave up the next day and dined out for the duration except for today when we’re “back in business.”

Broken Horn was sharing pellets for a change when we had nine warthogs in the garden yesterday. (Not all nine are shown in the photo).

According to Eskom, the electric company who made the repairs, we may experience some outages during the week when they fine-tune the repairs. Hopefully, that won’t result in a day-long outage. Being without water for four days wasn’t easy, but it was easier than being without electricity and WiFi.

Without power, we constantly have to keep the food in the fridge and freezer safe to consume until the power is restored. We can’t do our posts, stream shows, or entertain ourselves in the evenings without WiFi. The daylight hours are much easier when we can go to Kruger or sit outdoors with our animal visitors, But, at night, without lights and streaming, we’re subject to playing dumb games on our phones which gets boring quite fast.

There were warthogs everywhere but no Tiny.

Without power or water, cooking is a challenge. It feels unsanitary to prepare food without being able to clean up afterward. Although we have the gas braai for cooking meat, we have an electric range. Last night, without water at dinnertime, I ate a small piece of leftover meatloaf, heated in the microwave, and a salad. Tom ended up ordering takeaway from Bos restaurant, ordering chicken tenders and chips (fries).

Today, worried about ingredients spoiling after not cooking for days, I knew I had to make low-carb pizza for Tom. In contrast, I’ll have grilled chicken breast, skilpadjies (Skilpadjies is a traditional South African food, also known by other names such as Muise and verjuice. The dish is lamb’s liver wrapped in netvet (caul fat), the fatty membrane surrounding the kidneys) and salad. I know this doesn’t sound very good, but it’s pretty delicious.

Little often comes to the side of the veranda. This way, he doesn’t have to share pellets with many others.

There will be enough food to last us through Tuesday. I always enjoy making meals to last for days, allowing me to have some days where I don’t have to cook at all. We only heat up what I’ve prepared. As much as I enjoyed cooking in our old lives, I don’t want it so much anymore.

Cooking for three days is an easy solution to cook less often, even though it takes more time on the day we prepare the food. Tom helps a lot. Today, he grated cheese for the pizza and has done all the food prep and dirty dishes from the past five days.

Little is afraid of One Tusk. Whenever One Tusk arrives, Little takes off, as do many other warthogs.

We no longer purchase pre-grated cheese when unnecessary chemicals are used in the preparation of the product. Also, buying grated cheese prevents us from knowing the source of the cheese. We purchase high-quality aged cheese, which Tom always grates by hand and also does the messy clean-up.

Currently, free from kitchen tasks, Tom is watching the Minnesota Vikings pre-season game on his laptop, using the “NFL Gamepass,” which only allows viewing outside the US. He’s been using this app for almost nine years, and it has served him well. The price for this service is now ZAR 1515, US $99 a year, when it was much higher when he began using it.

A lone mongoose positions herself with a birdseye view of what we’re doing in the hope of more food being offered. Here again, we’re to please.

It’s a quiet day in the bush. We haven’t had as many visitors today as we did yesterday. Mostly, we’ve seen the usual bushbucks and a few groups of warthogs. Frank has been by a few times without The Misses, and three of our four usual hornbills banged on the window for seeds. We complied, of course, as always.

Enjoy your Sunday wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, August 22, 2020:

With our new site going live during this period last year, we could not post on this date. As a result, there were no photos on this day while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #152.  Please check back tomorrow for this feature.

Day #4, no water…No power?…We knew what to expect in Africa…

A young giraffe and a few zebras blocking the road on our way to Jabula.

Note: All of today’s photos were taken last evening while going to Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for our usual Friday night dinner out. It was such fun to see these fantastic animals blocking the road while all drivers waited patiently for them to pass. Tom and I both said simultaneously, “Where in the world do you see such a sight?” Nowhere that we know of. What a delight!

We had no delusions about what to expect coming to Africa. Our expectations were low, with poverty, crime, and corruption raging through many African countries, including South Africa. Most tourists come to South Africa to experience its wildlife and beauty and don’t stay long enough to get caught up in its downside.

Power, water, and WiFi outages are to be expected rather than viewed as an anomaly. The time spent by various providers to repair such issues can be far beyond what we may be used to in other countries. It’s unlike anything most of us have experienced in the past.

Everyone waited patiently for the animals to clear the road.

This morning as I first began preparing this post, the power went out. No water. No power. Of course, when the power goes out, so does the WiFi. I suggested to Tom that it would be an excellent time to drive to the pharmacy in Komatipoort. I needed a prescription for antibiotics filled when the tooth for which I’d had a root canal was still hurting from six weeks ago.

Yesterday, I contacted Dr. Singh, and he wrote me a prescription. I had initially refused antibiotics hoping it would heal on its own. I’d had enough antibiotics for my teeth in the past year or more. But, after six weeks, he said it was imperative. If the drugs don’t work after the five-day cycle, I’ll have to have the tooth pulled. It’s the last molar on the bottom right, and I suppose I won’t bother to get an implant when the missing tooth isn’t noticeable when I smile or talk.

We drove to Komati, got the prescription filled, and headed back home. All the while, we were wondering what we’d do for dinner tonight. The dishwasher is filled with dirty dishes, and with a single sink in the kitchen, even if we boiled water, it would be cumbersome trying to rinse everything.  I told Tom to forget it. It’s not worth the hassle. We’ll use paper plates or eat out until the water comes back on.

Several giraffes were waiting to make their next move while on the side of the road.

Speaking of dining out, last night we went to Jabula for dinner. The receptionist, Danienne, for Dr. Singh in Malalane, brought the prescription to me since she lives in Marloth Park and, like us, she loves going to Jabula on Friday nights. We thanked her profusely and bought her and her friend a drink.

We ended up dining at the bar we’ve done before when it’s just the two of us. Dawn and Leon were both there, and we had lots of fun with them and other guests while we sat at the bar. Arriving at 1700 hrs, 5:00 pm, by 2030 hrs, 8:30 pm, we were out the door and headed back home for a pleasant remainder of the evening, streaming a few episodes of Netflix series.

Neither of us was in the mood for a day and night without power, water and WiFi. So, this morning when we returned from Komati, around 11:00 am, the power was restored, which made us both very relieved. Now, at almost noon, we are so grateful to have power and WiFi that we aren’t fussing so much over the water.

If it were a nice day, we would have gone to Kruger. But it’s drizzling off and on, and we’ll stay put.  Gosh, it’s hard to believe we’ll be leaving South Africa two months from today to head back to the US once again. If you missed our story yesterday about why we are returning to the US for a short stint, please click here.

Every zebra has its unique markings, not unlike a fingerprint. Note the unique patterns around this zebra’s eyes.

A special thanks to many of our readers who have written to us in support of this tough decision, all of which was precipitated by the difficultly of travel throughout the world right now. Sure, it may be easier to travel for a one or two-week vacation, but with us frequently being on the move or even staying in one location for a few months, Covid-19 has undoubtedly put a damper on our desire to visit many countries.

Plus, news about restrictions and quarantine requirements seems to change daily. We are not interested in losing more money due to this pandemic than we already have, which is well into the thousands of dollars.  We’re still hoping our five scheduled cruises beginning at the end of February 2022 will set sail and allow us to continue on our world travel path and objectives. Only time will tell.

May your travel goals and objectives also be realized over the next year, when we all hope and pray for a better outcome than being experienced now.

Photo from one year ago today, August 21, 2020:

From the year-ago post while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #151. One of many towers at Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens in St. Petersburg, Russia. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, a decision…This news may shock you!!!…It shocks us!…Also, day #3, no water…

Frank, eating his seeds from the veranda railing where no warthogs or bushbucks will bother him.

It took a lot of research and conversations, but we finally decided where we’ll go when we need a new visa stamp by October 23, 2021. We’d considered many options, but most countries in Africa have poor Covid control, inaccurate tracking, millions of unvaccinated people, many requiring quarantine, and are still, in one form or another, in lockdown.

When we’d planned a trip to Kenya months ago last minute, we had to cancel our plans when a new lockdown was instituted, making it impossible for us to go. We lost quite a bit of money when certain aspects of that trip were non-refundable. Over the past 18 months, after canceling the balance of our tour of India, overall, we have lost several thousand dollars due to Covid-19.

This lone mongoose was staring at us, looking for paloney or eggs. Once we go inside to get them, she signals to all her friends, and suddenly dozens are waiting for the treats along with her.

We do not want to risk losing more money, with more possible cancelations, lockdowns, quarantines, and being subject to added exposure to the virus. After all, we got the J & J vaccine which apparently provides less efficacy than the other two-shot vaccines. Neither of us wants to take the risk of becoming ill in a country with poor medical care and infrastructure.

Perhaps we are overly cautious. But, when we keep hearing about people dying, even here in Marloth Park, many of whom were vaccinated, we came to the hard realization that we must return to the US for now. Yes, the cases in the US are increasing daily. But, if we did become ill, we feel we’d have the best chance while in the US instead of seeking medical care in such countries as Zambia, Kenya, or another African country.

As of yesterday, we booked our return flight to the US for October 21st, the best day for travel at the best possible pricing. This does not mean we are stopping our world travels. It simply means we will spend a total of four months in the US in Arizona and then Florida (for our friends Karen and Rich’s wedding). We’re surprised at ourselves for making this highly logical decision, not motivated at all by our usual desire for wanderlust.

Thick Neck/Bad Leg started eating the leftovers of Frank’s seeds after he’d wandered off.

Our first stop will be Phoenix, Arizona, where we will spend more time with some of Tom’s siblings. His sister Colleen, who won’t be coming to AZ this season due to her husband Gene’s health, has offered her place to us in Apache Junction. Yep, it’s back to a park model and RV park, but this time, it’s much larger than the one we rented two years ago. Photos will follow once we arrive.

But, staying in this location allows us to spend time with some of Tom’s sisters when they arrive in Apache Junction in November for the winter season. Tom is the youngest of the now remaining eight siblings after others have passed away. Originally, there were 11.

At this point, we have five cruises pending, the first setting sail in February 2022. If this and the other cruises don’t set sail, we will make a new plan to continue our world journey. At no point are we considering stopping our lives of world travel or stopping our daily posts. We need to take a breather during these terrible times of Covid-19.

Siegfried and Roy are back in close contact with the mongooses who don’t eat pellets.

If a booster for the J & J vaccine is instituted, potentially increasing our immunity while we are in the US for added protection and the purpose of future travels, we will most likely opt to participate. These are crazy times.

Our flight back to the US is booked, our stay at the wedding venue in Florida is booked, and we will use this time to enjoy ourselves and make the very best of the situation. Thanks to Tom’s sister Colleen for offering her place in Apache Junction, AZ, and also to friends Karen and Rich for inviting us to stay with them before and after their wedding. Good times are on the horizon, for sure.

Many of our friends in Marloth Park will be gone in November and won’t return until later in 2022. It will prove to be a good time for us to depart, returning once we know more about the future, the same position many of us are in at this time. We won’t travel to Minnesota in the winter months but will see everyone again when we return to the US again in May if that particular cruise sets sail.

Several kudus stopped by for pellets.

Now, for the harsh reality of today…it is day #3 without water. No showers, no clean dishes, no laundry being done, no easy toilet flushing. We wash our hands and bodies with bottled water, taking “sponge baths” each day. Thank goodness we have plenty of hand sanitizer, which we’re often using. We’re wearing the same clothes three days in a row to save on laundry accumulating, as we did while in lockdown in India, only changing into clean underwear daily.

At the slow pace of the repairs, we expect to be without water through the weekend or longer. They just found the parts for the repairs, and they are on their way, but it could be days until the repairs are completed.

Last night, it was easy when we spent the evening with Louise and Danie. Tonight, at 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs, we’ll head to Jabula for our usual Friday night dinner. Rita and Gerhard are still gone on their road trip to the Drakensberg Mountains, while Kathy, Don, Linda, and Ken are on safari at Sabi Sands in Kruger. We always enjoy time at Jabula, whether it’s just the two of us or with our friends.

May your day be filled with wise decisions. Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 20, 2020:

There was no post on this date one year ago when our new site was in the process of going “live,” and as typical during such transitions, we were unable to post.

Day #2, no water…After all, this is Africa..

A Go-Away bird was sitting at the birdbath for a drink.

Whether it’s no water, no power, or no WiFi, this is the “nature of the beast” (no pun intended).  The infrastructure is delicate. Theft of cables, copper, and various parts for running the water system in Marloth Park is the culprit. Yesterday, we were informed of a theft at the water station.

This morning I signed up for a WhatsApp group for updates, and here’s the most recent, as of a few minutes ago:

“Eskom (the electric company) has reported another theft at the Fig Tree substation near Masibekela. Copper blades were stolen last night around 2300 hrs (11:00 pm). The power supply has been restored. However, low voltage is still being experienced. Water supply is affected due to the low voltage. Eskom is attending the matter urgently.”

Another Go-Away bird is ready to drink from the bottom portion of the birdbath.

Another post from WhatsApp::

“This will happen when power is off. Ideal for perpetrators.”

The question in my mind is, “How are these perpetrators being allowed into Marloth Park to commit such crimes? A lot of controversies exist in regards to the security at the entrance gate.” But, to avoid an unpleasant back and forth with locals, I won’t get into this.

After all, we are just visitors here and not property owners. We have no say in what transpires in the park. Many people are actively involved and work hard in an attempt to avoid such situations. But, again, “This is Africa,” and not everything goes as one would like. Preventing crime is a complex process in this area and other parts of South Africa.

Lots of mongooses wondering what is on the menu today: Paloney? Eggs? Leftover meat?

But, it’s not exclusive to South Africa or Africa itself when we hear about crime throughout the world, including our own USA. The bottom line is, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”  Nowhere in the world is exempt from awful people who commit crimes upon fellow humans, animals, and property.

Today, we have no water pressure at all. Early yesterday morning, while we still had some water, I had put a load of laundry in the washer. When the water stopped running, we now had a load of dark clothes, soaking wet in the washing machine with no way to rinse or spin them. The washer doesn’t have separate settings for these features alone. If the water isn’t restored today, we’ll have to remove all the clothes and wring them out by hand, hang them to dry, and rewash them at a later date.

As for showering, no such luck, this morning, I did a  “sponge bath” using bottled water warmed in the teapot. That worked out well. Tom’s hair is another issue. Without a shower, he looks like the “nutty professor.”

Siegfried and Roy cuddled on a cool morning.

After last night’s dinner, we had dirty dishes sitting in the dishwasher. This morning, Zef used pool water to wash the floors, a daily must-do with all the dust from the animals in the garden. We’re still using pool water to flush the toilets. That also works out well.

Thank goodness we have electricity. No water and no power is quite the nightmare. We are very grateful to have power and WiFi. We can cook, but we can’t clean up after ourselves. We’ve heard stories of water outages in Marloth Park that lasted for weeks. Hopefully, this time won’t be such a case. Two or three days are tolerable. Longer becomes exceedingly annoying.

At 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs, we’re heading to Louise and Danie’s to drop off the money we owe for pellets and stay for a little social time. That will be a nice break!

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 19, 2020:

There were no photos posted one year ago today while our new site was going live, and the “to be expected” temporary issues prevented us from doing so.

Special trail cam sighting…No water today…

    Last night’s trail cam photo #1 of the porcupine visiting our garden.

Every morning Tom removes the data card from the trail cam and carefully goes through each photo, looking for something other than warthogs and bushbucks. We see plenty of them during daylight hours. The nocturnal wildlife piques our interest, which was the purpose of purchasing the trail cam many months ago.

Last night, once again, we were gifted with a visit from a porcupine, as shown in these two photos captured by the trail cam. No, they aren’t as clear or bright as we’d like. I tried editing them, but the result was less visible than those posted. Right now, we don’t see a wide variety of wildlife. Mostly, it’s those same warthogs, including Little, about eight bushbucks, Broken Horn, hornbills, and of course, Frank and The Misses.

Last night’s photo #2 of the porcupine.

Don’t get me wrong. We love seeing our “regulars” and respond to their visits with enthusiasm at every opportunity. But, we are limited right now on the number of photos we can offer on each days’ post. We will soon return to Kruger National Park, but we are busy making plans for the future this week, considering our visas expire at the end of October.

After booking flights and places to stay, we will post what we’ve decided to do in the next several days. With the state of the world now, we have many considerations as we watch the increase in Covid-19 cases in most countries, even as more and more become vaccinated. It’s crazy! Why are the numbers going the wrong way?

On occasion, we move Frank’s seeds to the table when other animals try to eat them. He’s content to jump onto the table even when we’re sitting there.

No doubt, we are in a quandary as to where to go next. At this point, we know for sure that we are heading to Howey-In-The- Hills, Florida, in February for dear friends Karen and Rich’s wedding on February 11th. Yesterday, we booked three nights at the resort where the wedding will be held.

At either end of the wedding, Karen and Rich have invited us to stay with them at their house In Apollo Beach, right on the water. It was hard to resist their invitation. After staying with them in 2019 for our three-week visit to Minnesota, we know the four of us to have a great time together and can easily live under the same roof.

Handsome Big Daddy stopped by for a visit.

Yesterday, after considerable research, we managed to book a car with Budget in Tampa, Florida, for around ZAR 13411, US $900, which is reasonable for vehicles in the US. In this case, it paid to book as early as possible. Florida is a busy place in the winter months.

Staying with friends and family isn’t always easy. We each have our peculiarities and routines, Tom and I included. But somehow, Karen and Rich have similar routines and habits, making staying together easy and seamless. Plus, we have so much fun together. It’s irresistible!

We’re looking forward to spending time with them once again. We plan to be in Florida for about a month.

Old Man also stopped by for a visit and a few pellets.

But, the dilemma now is what we will be doing when the end of October arrives and our visas expire once again. The more and more research we do, the less confident we feel about traveling to other countries in Africa. Many African countries aren’t reporting Covid cases, nor have they since the onset of the pandemic. It’s a guess to determine which countries are safe and which are not.

Breakthrough cases of vaccinated individuals are rapidly rising worldwide, and the unavoidable reality is…where do we want to be if we become infected? What countries have adequate medical care? Also, we’re not well informed yet whether or not the one jab J & J vaccination was sufficient to provide ample protection. At this point, no medical organization has definitive answers about the necessity of boosters or the long efficacy of the various vaccines.

Hal likes to wander the park with his friend, Old Man.

It is no wonder that so many “vaccine objectors” exist worldwide when information is sketchy and uncertain, with endless exaggerations from social media impacting people’s views. However, we don’t judge others for refusing the vaccine. Each person has the right to choose what is appropriate for themselves and their loved ones.

We chose to be vaccinated based on our desire to continue to travel the world. Only time will tell if our five booked cruises will set sail in 2022 when such awful news is posted daily about Covid cases on cruise ships, even for the vaccinated.

There’s no water pressure today in Marloth Park. Some thieves ripped off electric cables to run the power for the water plant. As a result, we are without running water at this time. Thank goodness we have bottled water for drinking and hand washing. We’re using pool water to flush the toilets.

May our world become safer in months to come.

Photo from one year ago today, August 18, 2020:

One year ago, there was no post on this date while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #148, due to my dear sister Susan’s passing

Sorry, if we missed responding to your comment…Remembering…

Zebras along the bank of the Vurhami Dam in Kruger National Park.

Within the inner workings, on the admin pages, I can see comments posted by our readers. Each day before I begin preparing the post, I check the “comments” section to read comments posted on any past or present posts. Comments may be posted on historic entries as far back as our first post on March 15, 2012.

Recently I noticed I hadn’t responded to some comments, and I apologize for that. In the future, I will make every effort to respond to each comment and email. Some days we receive more email messages that I can respond to in a day. So please bear with me as I attempt to get caught up.

A zebra was taking a drink at the Vurhami Dam. Note the elephant on the opposite side of the wall.

With some technical issues impacting our WiFi signal in the house, I haven’t been able to work on the corrections for the past posts for several days. After uploading this post, I will spend the remainder of the afternoon beginning this process once again. At this point, I still have 1200 or so posts to correct.

So far, I have completed about 2286, which was quite a task in itself. But, it’s the nature of the beast, and I chose to go back and do the corrections, never knowing how long it would take. Since I can comfortably correct about ten posts per day, I expect I won’t be done with this task until four months from now, hopefully by the end of the year. It will be a relief to have my afternoons to work on other things I may enjoy more.

There is an adorable youngster in this photo.

Life is filled with responsibilities, some pleasant, some not so much. This morning I made Tom homemade, from scratch, blueberry muffins. His weight remains stable, and he’s been able to enjoy some treats. Each time we grocery shop, he makes his way to the bakery section, checking out the muffins and doughnuts.

He’d added a few items to our grocery trolley on a few occasions, but after trying them with his coffee the next day, he always mentions they aren’t very good. Finally, I made homemade blueberry muffins for him, not from a box but scratch. I found a good-sounding recipe at this link, entitled “To Die For Blueberry Muffins.”

A group of zebras is called a dazzle.

By the time I finally finished making and baking the muffins, he’d already had his coffee for the day. But, he didn’t waste any time, eating two warm muffins, each topped with a dollop of butter. He loved them! I was thrilled. I’d made a double batch ending up with 18 muffins. To keep them fresh, I froze them in ziplock bags of four. The entire batch will last a total of nine days, eating two muffins a day.

I won’t be surprised if he asks for another batch at the end of the nine days, and of course, I will be delighted to make them again. In the meantime, I was tempted by his muffins which aren’t gluten-free, sugar-free and low carb. As a result, I made a batch of suitable lemon/poppyseed coconut flour muffins for me. I have been longing for such a treat for so long.

This elephant was too far for a good shot.

This morning, the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen brought back many memories of past times. I’m reminded of all of the years I worked full-time and spent my spare time cooking and baking for us, for family, and friends. I love the life we have now. No, I don’t miss that life. But, it’s pleasant to go down “memory lane” when amazing smells fill the house, stirring up memories from the past.

Today, we’re staying here, cooking a flattie (a flattened chicken) on the braai and some side dishes, feeding our endless stream of visitors and continuing to revel in this life in the bush, seven months after arriving, with almost six more months to go. Then, we’ll be off again to other adventures in this chaotic world, as restrictions and lockdowns allow.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 17, 2020:

One year ago, this photo was posted in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #147. Taken from our seats on the Eurostar from Paris to London in 2014. The seats were more comprehensive than airplane seats. I had pictured a four-seat configuration with a table in front of us, which was not the case with our seats. For more photos, please click here.

Busy morning in the bush…Paid off a debt hanging over our heads…

This is our boy, Torn Ear. So adorable.

This morning’s visitors were plentiful. We had no less than eight bushbucks, seven warthogs, 50 mongooses, and Frank and The Misses. Tom was busy feeding everyone while I showered and dressed for the day. Once done, I was outdoors and joined in on the feeding and usual chatting with the wildlife.

It’s odd to think about talking to wild animals, but many of them look into my eyes, tilt their heads, flick their ears in response to the gentle, albeit high-pitched voice. No, they don’t necessarily know what I am saying, but I often repeatedly use the exact words, and they may quickly become familiar with those words.

Lots of mongooses this morning!

At this point, the most frequent warthog visitors do a little dance when I say, “Do you want some pellets?’ It’s not different than asking your dog, “Do you want to eat or go for a walk?” Pigs are listed as smarter than dogs. Is it any wonder that the warthogs and other wildlife would eventually associate my words with actions after a while? It’s not surprising to me at all.

The most significant joy of interacting with the wildlife is the way they make eye contact. As I’ve mentioned in the past, zebras don’t seem to make that same type of eye contact. I genuinely believe that the lack of emotional interaction with them is why we seldom see them in our garden, although they do visit from time to time.

In today’s heading, I’ve mentioned the payoff of a debt hanging over our heads. When I had open-heart surgery in February 2019, and our then insurance company refused to pay, we had to pay the entire balance out of pocket. After we paid off the bulk of it, we had a remaining balance which we agreed to pay monthly to the tune of ZAR 10000, US $678, a month.

Big Daddy stopped by.

On Friday, I made the final payment. The actual US dollar amount varied monthly based on the rand (ZAR) value, but we chose to pay in rands rather than US dollars, which ultimately saved us some money. We could have used personal funds to pay this off, but it made sense to pay it off this way when no interest was charged. Now that this is finalized, we can put this behind us.

We used a credit card each month to make the payment using a South Africa payment app through a bank, but we paid off that card every month, as we usually do, avoiding any interest charges. It feels good to have this behind us since we have no debts, without a home or car and accompanying lifestyle.

Being debt-free is a good reason why we always strive to live within our means. That way, we never have to worry about money which can be an enormous stressor. Sure, from time to time, we’ve charged substantial amounts on our credit cards to pay for expensive cruises, but we’ve always managed to pay them off quickly.

Bossy drank from the pool as opposed to the birdbath.

I easily recall being a single mom while owning a business subject to the ebb and flow of the housing market and how financial struggles kept me awake at night. I never stop appreciating how fortunate we are these days, not to worry about money. But, here again, we live on a tight fixed income, and foolish spending is not within our realm.

Speaking of spending, finally, after 12 days, we’re going grocery shopping once again. Having dined out several times during this period and using all the meat we had in the freezer, we made it through. But today, we’re down to the “bare bones,” and grocery shopping is a must.

That’s it for today, dear readers. And thank you for all the kind and thoughtful messages regarding yesterday’s post about losing my sister, Susan, one year ago while we were in lockdown in Mumbai.

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, August 16, 2020:

One year ago, this photo was posted in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #146. With almost 13,000 restaurants listed on Trip Advisor in Paris, it’s tricky deciding on where to dine. For more photos, please click here.

Losing loved ones in times of Covid-19…Today is a sad anniversary…

A few days ago, we read a post on Facebook that the husband of a well-known couple in Marloth Park passed away from Covid-19 at 52 years old, only after two days in the hospital. Their adult daughter, a popular singer, and performer has been in hospital in ICU for the past five weeks, hanging on for dear life, also with Covid. Neither had yet been vaccinated since their age group for the jab hadn’t come up yet. This is heartbreaking.

There’s no doubt that many of our readers have suffered such losses due to Covid-19 in the past 18 months since this nightmare began, impacting all of our lives in one way or another. Whether we lost a loved one, lost a job, lost income due to cutbacks and closings, lost a business, and lost a dream for the future, no one has been exempt from the ravages of the pandemic.

What brought this to mind, especially today, is that one year ago on this date, my elder dear sister Susan (four years my senior), who was already bedridden and suffering from many conditions (primarily hereditary), passed away. My sister Julie and Susan’s daughter Kely were at her side when she took her last breath.

A lone yellow-billed stork at Sunset Dam.

A few days later, Julie, who hadn’t worn a mask while at Susan’s side, tested positive for Covid-19 and experienced a horrifying case of the virus, still plaguing her yet today, suffering from what is called “long haul Covid.” Little is known as to how to treat these lingering symptoms.

After these events, I felt confident that although Susan was suffering from many conditions, none of them were imminently life-threatening. With Julie getting sick only days later, I am convinced that ultimately Susan passed from Covid, or at least her many conditions were exacerbated by contracting Covid while living in a small nursing facility.

The hardest part for me was finding out she’d passed by a phone call, which transpired while Julie read one of our posts to her, while we were on day #145 in lockdown in a hotel room in Mumbai, India. There was nothing I could do. Tom, who also cared for Susan, cried along with me that day when the only thing we could do was sit on the edge of the bed in each other’s arms in our hotel room and let the tears flow.

Elephants were heading to the river.

At that point, unbeknownst to us, we were only halfway through those ten months in lockdown in India, waiting for the Mumbai and Johannesburg airports to re-open to international flights so we could finally be on our way to South Africa. I wonder if we’d known then that we were only halfway through the lockdown if we’d have done as well as we did, with the grief of losing my dear sister and the fear of losing other loved ones in the process.

Our inconvenient situation in lockdown was nothing compared to the sorrow of losing loved ones and becoming ill with the dreaded illness. The fact we stayed safe all those months still surprises us. At that time, if one of us had become sick and required hospitalization, the public and private hospitals were full. Ill patients were placed on “Army cots” outdoors in parking lots.

The terrain along the Sabie River.

That was a terrifying thought to both of us, especially as the months passed and new guests entered the hotel, staying on our floor, talking loudly, with few wearing masks and social distancing. We often forgo walking in the corridors when other guests were careless coming in and out of their rooms.

Today, again, I mourn the loss of my dear Susan and will do so each anniversary to come, along with the anniversaries of others we have lost over the years, regardless of the cause.

May you all find peace and comfort in recalling great memories of loved ones you have lost over the years. Stay well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #145. Good thing I couldn’t eat any of this. We’d have spent a fortune, and I’d have gained so much weight I wouldn’t fit into my clothing. For more photos, please click here.

Thinking ahead in the short term…

We spotted this crocodile with its mouth open at Sunset Dam, beyond the Lower Sabie area. Crocs rest with their mouths open to cool off since they don’t sweat.

Last night, at dinner at Jabula with Rita and Gerhard and Linda and Ken, we all discussed our plans for the next several months, which includes the Christmas season, which is only four months from now. Linda and Ken are returning to their home in the UK after selling their home in South Africa months ago.

Rita and Gerhard are heading back to their home in the state of Washington to spend the holidays with their adult children, not returning until February or March.  Kathy and Don will head back to Hawaii. Next month, Alan and Fiona will depart for her home near Durban, South Africa, and won’t return until March, when we will most likely be gone.

We were surprised by how many crocs we saw in one day.

We’re fortunate to have other friends here in Marloth Park, including Louise and Danie, Dawn and Leon, and others, but with the holidays looming and Covid, we aren’t sure of their plans. It just may turn out that we are almost entirely on our own over the holidays. Thank goodness for great food, fun, and festivities at Jabula, where most likely, we’ll celebrate the holidays.

As of this moment, with uncertainty looming about travel, we’re hoping to go to Zambia again at the end of October for a week for our new visa stamps. But, at the end of January, when our visas expire once again, we’re seriously considering going to Florida, US, for dear friends Karen and Rich’s wedding on February 11th.

Two crocs were lounging in the sun.

How long we’d stay in Florida is up in the air, subject to the anticipated cancellation of three cruises we have booked beginning February 27, 2022. Between these cruises, we have a month to fill in and around Japan. For that part, as in the rest, we have to “play it by ear.”  If these cruises do sail, we’ll disembark in Seattle, Washington, on May 6, 2022, and from there, we will stay in the US to visit family once again while we await the next two cruises on June 29, 2022.

As cruises are experiencing more and more cases of Covid by vaccinated individuals, at this point, we’re wondering about cruising in general over the next year or two. Here is an article about 27 vaccinated individuals who tested positive on August 13th, on a Carnival Cruise, 26 of whom were crew members along with one passenger, as follows in part:

Another crocodile on the bank of the Sabie River.

“Twenty-seven vaccinated people who are on board the Carnival Vista cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Belize Tourism Board. Twenty-six of the positive cases are among Carnival crew members, with only one passenger testing positive. According to the tourism board, everyone who tested positive was vaccinated, and “most are asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms. 

The ship departed from Galveston, Texas, and headed to Belize when the authorities reported the outbreak. Last week the cruise line reported positive cases on the Vista, but it would not disclose the number.

“We have managed the situation utilizing stringent health protocols which included placing those who tested positive in isolation and close contacts in quarantine,” Carnival said in a statement on Friday to ABC News. “Guests onboard the July 31 and August 7 sailings were notified and kept updated, and the CDC and destination officials have been apprised.”

Contact tracing was initiated for the other almost 3,000 guests and 1,500 crew onboard the ship, which docked in Belize on Wednesday.”

This news further leaves our future travel plans up in the air, as is the case for many past and future cruisers who’d like to make cruising an integral part of their upcoming travel plans.

A creek was running over the rocks at the Sabie River.

Tonight, we’re off to dinner at Alan and Fiona’s home, starting with sundowners at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs. We are savoring any time we can spend with friends until many have left Marloth Park for other destinations in the months to come.

That’s it for today, dear readers! Stay diligent. Stay healthy. This isn’t over yet.

Photo from one year ago today, August 14, 2020:

This photo was Tom’s dinner at an upscale restaurant in Paris, posted again one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #144. Tom’s filet mignon with fries and butter for the breadbasket. His steak was very small. For more, please click here.