Tom was tossing pellets to Broken Horn and a young male kudu we call Medium Daddy.
This morning, we awoke to our usual band of mongoose looking for meat and fat, which we’d cut up into bite-sized pieces after last night’s beef roast Tom had for dinner. I have been eating soft foods until the loose temporary crown gets replaced on Monday when we return to Dr. Singh in Malalane.
Moments later, Broken Horn arrived in his ceremonious manner, scooting every other animal in his path to leave a clear spot in the garden for “his” pellets and carrots. A mongoose grabbed a big chunk of carrot, carrying it to the cement on the side of the pool, banging it over and over again, assuming he could crack it open to see what was inside. This always makes us laugh.
There are about 24 helmeted guinea-fowls that occupy our garden most days and in the early evening until they take off to hunker down for the night.
After a while, a warthog approached him and snatched the chunk of carrot, eating it while making loud crunching noises. It’s a laugh and fun fest every hour of every day. Now, as the days dwindle to our departure, I can avoid feeling sad about leaving, knowing we’ll return 14 months later.
Now, with this peace of mind, I can allow myself to embrace our upcoming trip to Arizona while we stay put for three months in Apache Junction until we fly to Florida in February for Karen and Rich’s wedding.
There were nine kudus in the garden, certainly not the most we’ve seen at once but enjoyable to see.
While we are in Arizona, I plan to meet up with my sister Julie (who lives in LA) to spend a few days in Scottsdale. We will drive to the airport to pick her up when she arrives, head to our planned hotel where he’ll drop us off. He’ll return to Apache Junction to spend time with his sisters while I am away and then pick me up when it’s time to drop Julie at the airport to return to LA. Julie and I hadn’t had much alone time together except when she came to visit us in Kauai in 2015.
We wish we could go to Minnesota, but it will be the worst of the winter there while in the US, so we may not head there this time. However, we may be returning to the US at the end of the booked cruise from Tokyo to Seattle in the spring, a much better time to go to Minnesota. As always, we have to wait and see what happens with Covid-19.
This “forkl” of kudus consisted of eight females and one young male shown in the forefront.
While cases of Covid-19 escalate to some of the highest-ever levels, we’ll be somewhat isolated in Arizona in the retirement community. Few “snow-birds” will have arrived while we’re there, and many, with fears of Covid-19, may stay away during the upcoming winter. There are still many cases of Covid-19 in Arizona, which is in the #10 position of the most cases of all states in the USA.
Of course, while in Arizona, we’ll avoid crowds and large gatherings and wear our masks anytime we go shopping or to public places. We hope to be able to get vaccine boosters while in Arizona at some point, based on the fact we had the one-jab Johnson & Johnson on the first of July, which means six months will have passed since the original jab by the end of December while we’re still in Arizona. Such a booster for J & J has yet to be determined.
Kudus are gentle and relatively non-aggressive, but caution must be exercised. They are wild animals and rather large, with males possessing massive, dangerous horns.
Tonight, as always, we’re heading to Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for dinner. We usually arrive at 5:00 pm (1700 hours) and hang around at the bar, chatting with owners Dawn and Leon and any other guests who happen to stop in. We are careful to maintain safe distances from other guests, particularly those we don’t know who may not have been vaccinated. A few hours later, we head out to the veranda to sit at a table for our meal at dinner-time. On occasion, we may eat at the bar.
Tomorrow night, Kathy and Don will join us for yet another evening at Jabula. Again, we’ll arrive at 5:00 pm, but they usually arrive at 6:00 pm. They are less inclined to sit at the bar and prefer having drinks and food at a table on the veranda. This works fine for us, giving us a little schmoozing time at the bar ahead of their arrival.
After most of the females wandered off, this lone young male and Broken Horn hung around for a while.
Sunday will be a low-key day. We’ll stay in, make Sunday dinner while I’ll continue to spend the better part of the day working on corrections. I am on a roll right now, getting through a full page of 20 posts each day or more. At this rate, I have 48 pages of 20 posts to complete. As of today, there are 41 days until we leave for Arizona. I am hoping to be done by the time we go here on October 21st. It’s a lofty goal but doable.
Well, folks, not much excitement around here right now, but we are content. We have power, WiFi, lots of visitors, lots of friends, and the weather will be cool, up until next Tuesday, according to the 10-day forecast. I have a few itching mozzie bites at this time, and we haven’t seen any snakes or many venomous insects in the house. What more could we ask for, living in the bush?
Oops, I have to go! Frank is back looking for his seeds, and Broken Horn is barking from the garden, looking for pellets and carrots! I’d better get this show on the road!
Happy day!
Photo from one year ago today, September 10, 2020:
This photo was posted one year ago while in hotel lockdown for ten months in Mumbai, India, on day #171. As we wandered through the busy local farmer’s market, open daily, it was hard to decide which vendor to choose for our purchases. We purchased the following for FJD 22, $10.12: two red bell peppers (also called capsicum here); six medium-sized aubergines (eggplant); three heads of cabbage; and eight large carrots. For more photos, please click here.
We just returned from Sturgis Mustang Rally, had dinner with Maury’s brother and sister-in-law in Sioux Falls (they are not vaccinated). Maury started having a cough and aches and pains when we hot back. We were tested, he has Covid, I do not. He’s feeling better after 4 days, hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. Be careful, wear your masks. Be safe.
Peggy, I am so sorry to hear this! I bet it’s been a challenge to isolate from Maury. But, I am happy to hear he’s on the mend. You both were vaccinated, from what I recall. Hope you don’t end up with it. But, it certainly illustrates that the vaccination prevents hospitalization and intubation in most cases. We are careful wearing our masks when out and about but do worry about dining out. We are especially concerned about returning to the US with so many cases. Let us know how you both are doing.
We just returned from Sturgis Mustang Rally, had dinner with Maury’s brother and sister-in-law in Sioux Falls (they are not vaccinated). Maury started having a cough and aches and pains when we hot back. We were tested, he has Covid, I do not. He’s feeling better after 4 days, hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. Be careful, wear your masks. Be safe.
Peggy, I am so sorry to hear this! I bet it’s been a challenge to isolate from Maury. But, I am happy to hear he’s on the mend. You both were vaccinated, from what I recall. Hope you don’t end up with it. But, it certainly illustrates that the vaccination prevents hospitalization and intubation in most cases. We are careful wearing our masks when out and about but do worry about dining out. We are especially concerned about returning to the US with so many cases. Let us know how you both are doing.
Love,
Jess & Tom