This photo was on the Marloth Park Sighting Page on Facebook to thousands of viewers. Others recognized him. But, I wrote a comment, “That’s our boy Broken Horn, LOL” He is known by other names at other bush houses, but to us, he is Broken Horn, and he responds to his name!
It was quite a night. After days of heat and humidity last night, there was a rainstorm with thunder and lightning, resulting in a power outage lasting for hours. Fortunately, before we went to sleep, the power was restored, and we were able to sleep in the heat with the air-con on.
This morning is so hot and humid that the air is thick and almost hard to breathe. Our clean clothes are already soaked in sweat. The temperature today is expected to rise only to 93F 34C, but the humidity is the killer. Right now, at 11:00 am, based on the dew point of 72 degrees, it feels like 98F, 37C, and will worsen as the day progresses. It will begin to cool down after 6:00 pm, 1800 hrs.
Gosh, we are grateful we are retired and don’t have an outdoor job. We often think of Danie and his crew building houses in this weather. And it’s just the beginning of summer. Knowing that at any point, it becomes too much, we can always go into the bedroom, turn on the air-con and the fan to cool off for a while. We stay only a short time and go back outside or into the lounge room, whichever is cooler.
Ah, enough about the weather! Cooking on the stove is two pots, one with seasoned beef for taco salad and another with seasoned chicken for me. But, it is difficult not to mention it when we’re sitting here in a pile of sweat. Tom just poured me an icy cold, insulated mug of Crystal Lite Ice Tea. What a treat.
I avoid beef, but I love chicken taco salad with avocado. Of course, we don’t use the shell bowl; instead piling the meats atop a bed of crispy lettuce, with sliced green olives, diced purple onions, diced celery, and hand-grated cheddar cheese and sour cream and avocado for me. It’s a perfect meal on a hot day.
Tom is grating the cheese now, and since I got up early this morning, all the other ingredients are prepared and in plastic containers in the fridge. Hopefully, the power stays on so the meat doesn’t spoil. With so many holidaymakers in the park, it could go out any minute, which has already happened several times in the past week since they started arriving.
This morning, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors in the garden. There were several kudus, bushbucks, and warthogs. It was nice to see them after they’ve been away for the past week tending to the new human’s offerings of pellets and some nasty foods they shouldn’t be eating but love anyway.
Kudus don’t know what’s good for them. They eat what tastes good, just like humans. A bushbuck may never have eaten chips, crackers, or bread but love the taste. But, they too are subject to diseases similar to humans from eating unhealthy processed foods.
This is a perfect opportunity to mention that we no longer use taco seasoning packets and haven’t done so for several years. The packages are available here, but they are filled with wheat and chemicals. I make my taco seasoning as follows in this recipe, not my own, but found online some time ago. Here it is from this site:
“Keto Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried onion or onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
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Add all the spices to a mason jar or large zip-seal bag. Close and shake or stir until fully combined.
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Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
Notes
Use 2 tablespoons for every packet of taco seasoning called for in a recipe or for every pound of meat with no additional salt added.
Nutrition
I’m still contemplating what dish to bring to Flo and JiJi’s New Year’s Eve party on Friday night. I’d prefer it to be easy in this heat and be able to sit out in the heat and humidity for several hours. That’s limiting. Maybe a dessert, cookies, or bars would be best since they hold up better than any kind of meat or vegetable dish. We’ll see how the weather rolls out over the next few days.
May you have a pleasant day and evening during this holiday-in-between time.)
Photo from one year ago today, December 28, 2020:
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| This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #278. Pineapple is a commonly grown fruit in Fiji, often available for the taking in many areas. At the farmer’s market, they mostly sell to visitors, not many locals. For more photos, please click here. |