Yesterday while shopping at Spar Market in Komatipoort, I thought of the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones in this video here.

Lately, we’ve been enjoying various Asian stir-fry dishes, using chicken or steak for both of us and occasionally a separate batch for me, using prawns. The Asian seasonings are crucial to making these stir-fries delicious and authentic. A few months ago, Spar sold all the sauces and spices I needed to make these delightful dishes.

But when I ran out, I couldn’t find them again. I must have been the only person buying those products; they didn’t replace the inventory once they were gone. I looked and asked each week. But, TIA, “This is Africa,” and things aren’t the same here as they are in the US, and often products are available, and then they are never to be seen again.

Also, when we shopped, there was no celery. I asked the produce guy if they had some in the back room. There was a language barrier (my problem, not his), and I had a hard time explaining what celery was. Instead, I pointed to the place on the produce shelf where the celery usually sits. Then, he understood. He explained that it might be back in stock tomorrow and to come back and see.

Hmm…I don’t want to drive for an hour round trip to “it might be in tomorrow, but maybe not.” I maintained a friendly smile, thanking him for his assistance. This is the way it is.

So, today, I thought, of the 2.5% of citizens of South Africa of Asian descent, that there surely must be an online Asian market. There was! I was thrilled to find A-Mart on this site.

This morning, I purchased enough spices and sauces to avoid a shipping fee and will have the products within a week. After that bit of research, I made a new recipe for Keto coconut bread. It was the first time I’d made the recipe, and it came out perfectly. This way, I can toast it each day and top it with avocado and Himalayan salt for a fantastic start to the day.

I’ll toast one piece of the bread and top it with one of the little avocados I buy at Spar, ripening them on the counter in a glass bowl and, once ripe, storing them in a sealed plastic bag in the produce drawer in the refrigerator. They keep for a few weeks this way.

Last evening, as usual, we headed to Jabula for sundowners and dinner. Lately, we’ve decided to go to Jabula on Fridays and Saturdays, as it’s become too hot to cook as we roll into summer. More of our friends are arriving soon, and some weekend nights may include social gatherings. We’ll leave our options open for other events.

While at the Spar Market Centre, we headed to the pet shop to see if we could find some food for our boy Aggie, the colorful agama lizard that lives in our garden. They didn’t have worms, crickets, or any food Aggie would like to eat. Pickings are slim for him now, with the soil hard as a rock. I may start collecting some dead bugs and saving them for him to place in the “V” in his tree.

Of course, before all this shopping, Tom had his dentist appointment to get his teeth cleaned, and I had an appointment with Doc Theo. I want one more day to pass on new meds to share what we discovered and my all-new treatment. I am very hopeful. I am also very excited to be off that awful medication that made me sleepy all day.

I got up this morning feeling energized, prompting me to make the Keto bread and a big batch of Keto taco seasonings (packaged taco spices containing wheat and chemical preservatives). Tomorrow, we’ll make taco salad, chopping onions, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes, and cook the lean mince we purchased yesterday. Usually, I cut up celery for the salads since we both like the crunch. But not this time.

We’ll be back tomorrow with my new medical protocol and how once and for all, I am hoping to be rid of the lingering symptoms since having Omicron in April.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 15, 2021:

It’s been entertaining watching the various animals stop by to eat the lucerne. With the hot weather, it’s surprising they come by at all. Today will be 100F, and 38C with high humidity makes the heat challenging to bear.  Right now, at noon, it’s 97F, 36C, rising by the minute. It’s not even summer yet. This is only going to get hotter over the next few months.

We avoid using aircon during the day to acclimate ourselves to being outdoors on hot days. Surprisingly, one does become accustomed to it to a point. But once it’s over 100F, 38C, it’s much more noticeable. Last night when we had sundowners on the veranda, it was 101F, 38.33C. As more and more animals ventured into the garden, we both forgot how hot it was and enjoyed ourselves.

With oldies music (and some more current hits) playing on our fantastic JBL speaker, which we keep inside the house to minimize the decibels, it’s our favorite time of day. We’re done with research, posts are done and being read by our readers, dinner is fully prepped and ready for finishing touches, the table is set, and we’ve selected what shows we’ll stream when we hunker down.

The insects are intolerable this time of year, making it challenging to stay outdoors after dark with any lights on. Neither of us cares to be outdoors in total darkness. A few outdoor lights allow us to see animals arriving but not to the extent during the daylight hours. Nor is it a good time to take photos. We leave that for our trail cam, which kicks on as darkness falls.

Most afternoons, especially when it’s hot, Tom comes into the bedroom for a short nap. I don’t nap, but usually, I stay in the bedroom with him since the fan is on, and it’s a nice break from the mid-day heat. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we’re all set up for the evening hours we’ll spend on the veranda.

Tom sprays the bedroom with Doom to kill any flies, mosquitoes, bees, or flying insects that may have gotten inside. We always keep the bedroom door shut, but it only takes a second for insects to enter when the only bathroom on the main floor is the “en suite” in our bedroom. With all the liquid we drink during the day, we may likely open the bedroom door ten times a day, with plenty of time for annoying and biting insects to enter the bedroom.

I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of DEET I put on my skin each day by wearing socks, long pants, and shirts with sleeves. When applying DEET, it’s not necessary to use it on skin that’s covered by clothing. But it’s a catch-22, more clothes, hotter in scorching weather; fewer clothes are likely to cause me to be bit unless massive amounts of repellent are used.

Recently I bought some “natural” repellent that was supposed to be chemical-free, but after using it for a week, I noticed I was itching, but it wasn’t from bites. It was the paraben they use in the product as a preservative which I am allergic to. Good grief. Back to DEET, which doesn’t seem to bother me.

Today, I am wearing lightweight leggings, short socks with shoes with my ankles covered, and a 3/4 sleeve cotton button-up shirt. The only areas on which I must use DEET are my hands and arms, up to the elbow and neck, which the biting insects love to bite. My clothes aren’t making me uncomfortable, but having dozens of bites would ruin my day and night.

Soon, Tom will drive to Daisy’s Den to order more lucerne for the animals. We’ve decided to keep buying it until the rains come and the animals have a ready supply of nutrients in the bush. When we have lucerne, we use fewer pellets, and the cost between the two is similar.

That’s our update for today, folks. Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 13, 2021: