We’re back…Sorry we missed a post…Brain fog continues…Planning for the future…

“A large, bulky, gray-brown ibis with an iridescent green-purple gloss on the wings. It has a bicolored black-and-red bill and a white streak across the cheek under the eye. Pairs and small flocks occur in a variety of habitats including open country, wetland margins, and forest edge; they forages on the ground, digging, probing soft soil, and picking up invertebrates with their long bills. The frequently-heard call is one of the most characteristic sounds of Africa: a loud, raucous, trumpeting “ha-da-da,” which gives the bird its name.”

We failed to upload a post which was a fluke. It was the first morning since April 20, when we were first diagnosed with Covid-19 on the last two days on the first cruise; we awoke feeling better. There was no compelling need to be laying down, no lightheadedness, and no body aches.

I looked at our WordPress editing app, and it appeared I’d done a post the previous day but failed to upload it. Ah, I thought, this works. I’ll add that post and won’t have to give it another thought. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. I had already uploaded that post.

Was it possible after six weeks, we were finally getting better from Covid-19 and, most recently, the dreaded gastrointestinal bacterial infection that began with a vengeance last Wednesday night, only one day after arriving in Marloth Park? Everything Doc Theo prescribed for us had done its job of freeing us from those horrific symptoms.

This was the first time we were this close to one of these birds.

We were so excited to feel better that we ran about the house, organizing cupboards to open up more storage space, knowing in an hour or two we’d planned to drive to Komatipoort to buy groceries, stop at the dentists, Luzaane’s office to arrange teeth cleaning appointments. Suzanne welcomed me with a warm hug inquiring about how we were feeling. It seems everyone in town knew we’d been sick from seeing our Facebook entries or reading our posts. She suggested we wait a few more weeks to recover further before having the cleanings.

After that, I went next door to Doc Theo’s office, and as soon as he came out from seeing a patient, he came right over to me, inquiring how we were feeling. I told him it was our first day out, and we were feeling so much better.  I thanked him profusely for calling and checking on us several times and prescribing medicines that worked so well. I took different meds than Tom since my case of Salmonella/e-coli was so much worse. But, here we were both feeling better.

Tom dropped me at Spar to the grocery shop and headed to the nearby petrol station to fill up the little car. It took at least an hour to shop. With a good list on the Bring app on my phone, were were able to find everything we needed for our various menus for the next week. Tom came into the store to push the car and load up the food at the register in no time at all.

We were thrilled to see the giraffe visiting.

It took everything I had to bag up those groceries into the various bags we’d brought along. By the time we were back on our way to Marloth Park, we were both pooped. On the return drive, I was thinking about reorganizing the kitchen space to fit all the items we’d purchased.

The refrigerator space is no issue as it has been in some past rentals. The kitchen fridge is an enormous side-by-side model. Plus, the an extra fridge on the veranda and a chest freezer in the dining room. We never have to worry about running out of space for perishable foods.

When there is load shedding for 2½ hours, none of the perishable foods spoil. But some outages last for many more hours or even days from time to time. We can move the bulk of the perishables to the chest freezer, where the items will remain fresh for days. Let’s face it; this is the bush. Things are different here.

Giraffes don’t interact with humans in the bush but they are always a majestic sight to see.

I rearranged all of the kitchen food storage space, making room for everything we purchased. It feels complete, and it will be easier to find everything. Since Tom has lost so much weight in the past six weeks, I made a double batch of his favorite blueberry muffins this morning. The muffins he used to pick up at the market were made with many chemicals based on a massive list of unknown ingredients.

If Tom is going to eat sweets, at least they need to be homemade with good ingredients. I baked two dozen muffins, enough to last for 12 days when he eats two each day.

While making the muffins, I also made Low Carb Beef and Mushroom Casserole, enough to last for a few dinners. In one way, it felt good to be cooking again, but afterward, I felt exhausted from all the work. We’ve been lying around for quite some time. I look forward to my energy returning when I can start walking again.

In the past few days, we worked on a plan about where we’ll go when our visas are up on August 20. We’ve made a plan and booked reservations, which we’ll share in tomorrow’s post.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 1, 2021:

Three go-away birds at the birdbath. The grey go-away-bird (Crinifer concolor), also known as grey lourie, or kwêvoël, is a bold and common bird of the southern Afrotropics. They are present in arid to moist, open woodlands and thorn savanna, especially near-surface water. For more photos, please click here.