Busy morning…Off to Komatipoort and back and back…

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What a thrill it was to see this adorable dark impala at the entrance to the airport.

As I begin today’s post at 11:00 am, it is currently 102F, 39C, scorching for this early in the day. Oddly, at noon the temperature will begin to drop rapidly, as much as 30 degrees by dinnertime. Whew! That’s good news. Usually, the temperature drops like this result in severe weather. But, according to the weather report, which is reasonably accurate for South Africa, the chance of precipitation will be at a maximum of 30%, with a minimum of 10% throughout the remainder of the day.

This morning we headed to Komati (short for Komatipoort) to grocery shop. However, while we’re there, we thought I’d pop in and see Dr. Theo about the rash on my left leg that now has become very painful, although the blisters are healing. I want to make sure there’s no infection attributed to the pain.

The only time I’ve had a rash with pain was over three years ago when we first arrived, and I had shingles which Dr. Theo treated with particular medications. I had already had a vaccination for shingles but got it anyway. Sound familiar these days?

When I tried to get an appointment this morning to coordinate it with our grocery shopping trip, the calls wouldn’t go through to his office. I contacted Louise and asked her to try calling his office, but she couldn’t get through either. I decided it would be best if we showed up at his office to see if they could squeeze me in. He was the only doctor in the office this morning (out of their usual three), and the only time he could see me was at 12:30 pm. That was at 9:30.

We decided to go the Spar to shop, load up the car, drive the 25-minute drive back to Marloth Park, unload the groceries, and then head back at noon in time for the 12:30 appointment. That’s in 26 minutes from now, so I’ll keep banging away on the keyboard, knowing I’d never be finished by the time we have to leave.

Another view of this adorable dark impala, which is an anomaly, something we’ve never seen in the past.

We unloaded everything and put it away, sweating like pigs, in the high temperature in the kitchen while we attempted to put everything in its place, leaving us time for a few tasks before we headed out again. I managed to make a lovely salad for tonight’s dinner and only got this far until it was time to head out again.

I have the weather channel app on my phone, looking at it from time to time to see when the temps start dropping. In less than two hours, it’s supposed to drop down by 20 degrees. That certainly will make the rest of our day a breeze, no pun intended.

“Everything can change on a dime” as “they.” Part of the charm for us is that unpredictability, although this flows into the running of the government, the bureaucracy, and political issues. (No, I won’t get that here.) That’s what we like about Africa…nothing is predictable.

Yesterday, the drive to Nelspruit to take Kathy and Don to the airport went quickly, with the four of us chatting on the way. We hugged our biggest hugs and said goodbye, not knowing for sure when we’d see them again. Such close friends for both of us. We will miss them terribly. But then, there’s always Hawaii where they live, and it wouldn’t be that unusual for us to head there to see them at some point in the future.

They’ve even offered us to stay in one of their rental properties near them in Oahu. Of course, we love Hawaii, and we love them, all the more reason to visit before too long.

Oops, time to go. Be back to finish later on.

We’re back.  I am not surprised by Dr. Theo’s diagnosis. I have a combination of hives from allergy to dust mites, and on the back of my left leg only, I have shingles for the second time in three years. Apparently, as it heats up and chickenpox becomes prevalent, many people get shingles this time of year. I thought this is what I had, as mentioned above.

He gave me a prescription for a drug that should help in a few days, said to continue using calamine lotion, and of course to use the encasement mattress cover I ordered from Takealot yesterday. Within a week or two, I should be free of all the itching and pain. It’s helpful to know what is going on, freeing me from any worry or concern.

That’s all I have today. We’ve been too busy for me to take many photos. But, we got the above main photo yesterday at the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport entrance, a dark-colored impala. We had seen this anomaly when we went to the airport to fly to the US in July, when it was much smaller. It was fun to see it again.

Be well.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #240. This was Thanksgiving with friends at our place in 2018 while living in the Orange house. For more photos, please click here.

We’re off to the airport!…My plan worked!…Pig in a pond!…

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Little rested in the cement pond on a sweltering day, his ears flicking as he listened to me talking to him.

This morning at 11:45, we’re heading to Kathy and Don’s house, to head to the airport in their car, and then when we return, dropping off their car back at their house, which we’ll lock in their garage. We’ll jump in our rental car. and head back to our bush house in time for dinner.

Kathy and Don are heading back to Hawaii for their glorious winter weather and the holiday season. They prefer to avoid the busy holiday season in the park and, of course, the sweltering weather, some of which we’re experiencing now.

After yesterday’s 105F, 42C, temperatures, today’s predicted ten degrees cooler will be easy. Yes, we sat outdoors last night when it was still 100F, 38C, with no breeze and high humidity. Although we get used to the heat over time, it’s impossible not to feel some of the discomforts that go with these outrageous hot temperatures.

Based on our travel plans, we’ve accepted the fact that we’ll continue to spend more hot summers in Africa (when it’s winter in the US). When we return to Marloth Park in December 2022, 13 months from now, again, it will be during the heat of the summer.

On another note, yesterday, I devised a plan to help me get some sleep. At the same time, I continue to itch ferociously for many days to come from my dust mite allergy that kicked in last weekend, leaving me reeling in the misery of hundreds of raised red welts on my left side. The pain and itching of these welts usually last for over two weeks.

After no more than three hours of sleep over the past few nights, I devised a plan yesterday. I’d use no anti-itch creams during the day (putting them on seems to make it worse). Before bed, I’d shower again, using hot water, which seems to help for a few hours, and afterward apply copious amounts of calamine lotion, which I can dab on as opposed to rubbing in creams.

Benadryl. When I crawled into bed after the above, I waited until 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, to take what I’d planned would be two-25 mg. When I was so tired, I decided to take one 25 mg tablet, leaving one out on the nightstand for a second dose if I woke up itching during the night. According to the leaflet, the dosing for adults is 25 mg Benadryl, one to two tablets every four to six hours for allergy relief.

A benefit of this over-the-counter medication is that it can cause sleepiness. The one tablet knocked me out 20 minutes after I took it, and I didn’t wake up once during the night and slept until after 5:00 am. Although I needed more sleep, I decided not to take the second tablet and get up and start my day earlier than usual. I’d hope to get today’s post uploaded before we have to leave for Kathy and Don’s house around 11:20.

Back to sitting outdoors on the veranda late yesterday afternoon…I got a fantastic treat. Little showed up at 4:00 pm, as usual, give or take 20 minutes, and after we’d fed him a few piles of pellets, he crawled into the cement pond filled with rainwater to cool off.

He’d done this on another scorching day when we lived at the Orange house in 2018. Not only did he get into the cement pond, but he climbed the seven slippery tile steps up the veranda and came into the house. We wrote a post about this in several past posts, entitled Pig on the Porch, Pig in the Parlor, Pig in the Pond shown in this link, and another shown here.

Seeing a “pig in the pond” makes us laugh, especially when it’s Little, who makes us laugh over and over again from his funny antics. He’s got so much personality, and no doubt he loves showing off for us, not unlike a dog or cat would do to impress their owner.

So, folks, we’re off for the day, most likely returning in plenty of time for Little’s regular visit at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, to once again enjoy a lovely evening in the bush.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #239. TKaahumanu Church, in Maui, on the US National Register of Historic Buildings For more photos, please click here

Good genes vs. bad genes…The differences for Tom and I…

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Two kudus grazing on the side of the road.

Tom had dental surgery yesterday, which included moving bone between his gums and sinuses to create a bridge for two implants. It will need to heal for over six months, and once we return in December 2022, Dr. Singh in  Malalane will permanently make the crowns sit atop the metal implants.  In the interim, he still has the noticeable gap on the right side of his mouth, which shows when he smiles.

Why not get it done sooner than 13 or 14  months from now? The foundation won’t be ready while we’re in the US, and if all goes as planned, we’ll be on the move in many countries outside the US. It will be best to wait. He’s fine with that. Also, the cost for the two implants is 70% to 80% less in South Africa than in the US.

After the 45 minute procedure, he came out to the reception area and looked fine except for the wad of gauze he had in his mouth. Comparable to when his teeth were pulled, he has to be extra careful not to disturb the site while it heals by eating on the opposite side, avoiding brushing in that area and not touching it, or playing with it with his tongue.

Surprisingly, he had no pain after the anesthetic wore off and had no trouble eating a bacon-wrapped fillet mignon and rice for dinner. He passed on vegetables and salad but will have them tonight with his pork chops cooked on the braai. He says he’s feeling fine with no discomfort at all.

Medium Daddy and his girls.

When I had my tooth pulled recently, I suffered dearly for three weeks with a dry socket and a few days ago noticed a bone spur sticking out from the gums in that area. Oh, good grief. My appointment with Dr. Singh was before Tom’s, and in no time at all, he numbed the site and, using a laser while I wore special glasses, he filed down the bone spur.  The area will heal in a few days. Thank goodness, no pain or discomfort from this easy procedure.

But, all of this brings to mind how different Tom and I are when having an illness or medical procedure. Tom recovers without incident, and I go through hell with complications that can haunt me for weeks, if not months, after I have any medical issue, surgery, or procedure.

The vast difference is in our genes is that Tom’s family members are robust and healthy. His mother, Mary Lyman, lived until almost 99, and before her final days, she wasn’t on any medication. Tom takes no medication other than a few vitamins. I envy how fortunate he is but am grateful we don’t have to deal with any medical issues.

On the other hand, my family’s genes are a mess. Many suffer (mainly on my mother’s side) with diabetes and other metabolic diseases, obesity, heart disease allergies (such as asthma and hay fever), cancer, and more, all inflammatory-type conditions. Thus I’d have diabetes if I didn’t eat such a low-carb diet. I have coronary arterial disease and am riddled with many allergic conditions, including asthma, hay fever, and a high propensity for reacting to allergens with hives, especially in South Africa.

The females are bossier about getting pellets than the males.

As mentioned a few days ago, the usual dust mite invasion in the bed, typical this time of year, causes me an outrageous amount of massive, crazy itching welts. Most mattresses and stuffed furniture, bedding, and pillows have dust mites in them. Most people don’t react to these nasty invisible mites unless they are allergic to their presence, as I am.

Unbeknownst to me, this past weekend, in one night, the dust mite invasion happened as the weather had heated up, and in the morning, I had red, raised welts all over the entire left side of my body. I lay on my left side, barely moving all night long. This is not new to me, as mentioned previously. But, by the time I had developed the welts, it was too late. The itching typically lasts for two to three weeks.

Louise was all over this. She arranged for Zef and Vusi to make an all-out attack on the dust mites in the mattress by washing all the linen in scalding water and drying it all at high temperatures. Then she purchased an ultra-thick mattress cover which was added after they vacuumed every inch of the bed and sprayed everything with a particular non-toxic chemical, specifically for this purpose.

This was all done yesterday on Monday. The hard part was that I already had the welts, and last night, I had no way of knowing if what they’d done would be beneficial. I can only wait until the welts heal. The itching is unbearable. My Fitbit says I slept for only three hours each of the last two nights.

With several types of cream on hand, cortisone-based and antihistamine-based, I got no relief after slathering it on every few hours. The itching only lessened for an hour or so after I got up during the night and took a hot shower. The heat seemed to help as opposed to advice online saying heat would only make it work. Dr. Google isn’t always right, although I did find a few entries stating heat could be beneficial for some types of allergic responses.

Of course, I took two different long-acting antihistamines, 12-hours apart, with no relief whatsoever. Today, I am trying to do things differently. I haven’t used any cream yet. This morning we went to the little store, and I purchased calamine lotion. I determined that touching it every few hours was spreading the welts. Tonight, before bed, I will take another shower and then gently apply the calamine lotion with a cotton ball. I am not scratching at all, as tempting as it is.

Then, around 11:00 pm, 2300 hrs, I will take two 25 mg Benedryl, which we have on hand, hoping this will help the itching and put me to sleep. I didn’t use any Benedryl yesterday since I had taken two other non-drowsy antihistamines, providing no relief.

I keep looking at the time, for once, hoping this day passes quickly. We’ll busy ourselves in the bedroom after dinner streaming a few favorite shows to distract me. We’ll have the aircon on since today is the hottest day we’ve had here since we arrived last January.  Right now, it’s 104F, 40C, and rising by the minute. It’s too hot to sit outdoors or even in the lounge.

With it so hot, the animals are hunkered down at water holes and in the shade. There have been no more comments about the lions, but we’ll keep you updated.

Have an excellent day! Please check back tomorrow!

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India on day #238/ Mandatory Credit: Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times/Shutterstock (11008794b) Crowded street of Ranade road for Diwali shopping at Dadar west, on November 8, 2020, in Mumbai, India. Diwali Festival 2020, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – 08 Nov 2020. For more photos, please click here.

Off to the dentist again!…They’re back!…The greening of the bush…

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Stringy has a little plant growing at the end of his left horn. Too cute or words.

This morning, I awoke early and had to get out of bed. I was itching so severely from dust mites in the mattress I couldn’t lay there any longer. I contacted Louise, and she’s going to hire an exterminator. Today, after we leave for our dental appointments, Zef and Vusi will change the bedding, spray the bed thoroughly with a dust mite eradicator, and install a new mattress cover.

Years ago, when I had skin tests for allergies, dust mites were the worst reaction. We’ve only experienced them a few times during our travels, in Morocco in a holiday home, in Minnesota in a hotel, and here in this house in Marloth Park (but never in other properties we’ve rented in the bush). It’s seasonal and unpredictable.

Such an adorable face!

Dust mites don’t bite as described here:

“Unlike other members of the mite family, dust mites do not bite. Dust mites do not feed on the blood of humans as some other mites do. Although they may “hitchhike” on clothing, it is a myth that dust mites live on people. They feed primarily on dander, or flakes of dead skin that fall from humans and animals.”

Either we are shedding a lot of skin, or the proximity of the wildlife to the house is a contributing factor. Hopefully, I will get a good night’s sleep by tonight after Zef and Vusi do the treatment, which has helped in the past. Last night, I slept atop the covers using an extra blanket. But, the allergic reaction happened a few days ago.

Bushbucks are such pretty animals. They are hard not to love.

I may not have gotten new itchy welts last night, but the ones I awoke to several times during the night to add more cortisone cream to my left side, the side on which I sleep every night. There wasn’t a single welt on the right side. What an annoyance!

Speaking of annoyances, in a short while, we’ll head to Dr. Singh in Malelane for our two dental appointments. Tom is finally having his implant bases inserted. I am having a bone spur removed that appeared at my recent tooth extraction site, which only adds to the frustration over the problems with that tooth and eventual socket that’s given me one problem after another.

Hal stopped by this morning. We’ve yet to see Broken Horn today, but surely he’ll stop by.

Oh, I don’t like to whinge. And yes, we are grateful we are otherwise healthy, and all is well. Like most people, including senior citizens, this kind of “stuff” must be dealt with from time to time. Just because we travel the world doesn’t make us exempt from dealing with such issues.

I have no idea if Tom will be in pain and unable to eat dinner tonight, so that we will play it by ear. As for my bone spur, most likely, it will require surgery to remove. Yuck! I can’t wait to get that out of the way.

Notice the green bush after many rainstorms.

This morning when I got out of bed shortly after Tom, he was busy in the garden with dozens of visitors. Either the lions moved on, or from reports we read last night, they are staying in the area of Gate 1, which is far from us. We always use Gate 2 to exit and enter the park. The two gates are several kilometers apart. Lions, like most wildlife, are territorial, as stated here:

“Lions are highly territorial and have occupied the same area for generations. Territory size depends on prey abundance, as well as access to water and denning sites.’

At one point, we had bushbucks, wildebeest, impala, warthogs, helmeted guineafowls, and Frank and The Misses and their two kids.

They left Kruger National Park when they determined hunting would be more prolific in Marloth Park on this side of the Crocodile River. Last night, an observer mentioned on Facebook they’d seen eight lions in Marloth Park. Wow!  Of course, that could be inaccurate. No photos have been taken as yet. It’s not easy to take photos of lions at night, especially when you can’t get out of the vehicle for a decent shot. Time will tell.

In the interim, our unusual animals are back, and it’s lovely to see them munching on the new vegetation in the bush. It is filling in quickly as leaves on the trees and ground vegetation grows, as shown in today’s photos.

We’ll be back tomorrow with updates.

Be well.

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #237. Mr. & Mrs. Ostrich were trotting down the road. Moments later, they took off on a fast run into the bush. Ostriches can run up to 70 km (45 miles) per hour. For more photos, please click here.

Still, few visitors due to lions…Two kills found in Marloth Park…Seventeen hours without power…Heat, humidity, dust mites in the bed again…

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Note: Due to WiFi issues today, I am unable to post the caption for the photo below, which  should read:

This is Stringy. He often has dirt and vegetation on his horns, as was the case this morning. Please zoom in to see a string stretching across his two horns. Very funny!

We have been shocked to see so few visitors to the garden over the past several days. Last night, when we were getting ready to go to Jabula for dinner for the second night in a row, Little appeared, waiting on the edge of the veranda closest to where I sit. I was busy inside getting ready to go out.  He’ll wait there patiently for me until I come out to say hello. Not only does he love the pellets, but he also enjoys it when I talk to him, moving his head responsively and animatedly.

Last night while at Jabula for yet another pleasant time chatting at the bar with Dawn and Leon and some of their guests, we heard that two kills had been found in Marloth Park, obviously due to the four lions sighted days ago. They are still roaming the park for readily available food. Two Impalas were sighted, including a rare sighting as told by Jabula hostess Lyn,…vultures circling above the carcasses.

This is Stringy. He often has dirt and vegetation on his horns, as was the case this morning. Please zoom in to see a string stretching across his two horns. Very funny!

The wildlife in Marloth Park is subject to kills by leopards often seen at night. But, lions hunting is more unusual when they usually prefer to stay on the other side of the fence in Kruger National Park. The only way we’ll know for sure that the lions have left is when the animals return to our garden, as they’d done so before this event.

In the past few minutes, ten impalas appeared in our garden. Is this a good sign the lions may have moved on? Maybe, maybe not.

Stringy was sharing with the ten impalas that stopped by while I was preparing this post.

Some residents take the presence of lions very seriously, refusing to go outdoors, while others conduct their usual walks on the uneven dirt roads throughout the park. But, there is always a dusk-to-dawn walking curfew.  As we’ve done several times this week, one must consider their safety when leaving restaurants and gatherings when returning to their vehicles and bush houses after an evening out.

We always bring a rechargeable lantern with us whenever we are out after dark. Last night, with the power outage starting about while we were at Jabula, the light came in handy when walking from the carport to the house, turning off the alarm, and opening the front door.

The Big Daddy of the herd of impalas seemed to get along well with Stringy.

Lately, we’ve been seeing insects everywhere, including mozzies, ants, cockroaches (prevalent in the bush), scorpions, spiders, and many more. Now, during the spring season and summer looming, we need to start paying extra attention to avoid letting insects into the house when we open the door and watch for snakes coming out of winter hiding as the weather warms. Snakes will be next.

It was evident that many of the females were pregnant with bulging bellies, as shown in the center of this photo. Soon, we’ll see plenty of calves from this herd.

As for the dust mites, they are back, infesting our bed. Vusi and Zef will change the linen tomorrow, and when doing so, they will spray every inch of the mattress with the dust mite killer and repellent. At the moment, I have no less than ten areas of my body covered in hive-like welts from the dust mites, which are very itchy. I am using cortisone cream, which seems to work well.

As for the power outage, as of this writing, it has been 17 hours. We can still use our inverter for charging laptops and phones and running one fan in the bedroom. But with only two bars remaining as a charge on the inverter, that may stop working later today, at which point we won’t have WiFi, the fan, or a means of charging our digital equipment.

Impalas, who can grunt and bark, seemed to be harmoniously sharing pellets with Stringy. As shown, the bush is getting green after all the rains that have knocked out our power.

Hopefully, the power will be restored sometime today, and all will be well. Our biggest concern is always about saving our food.

Otherwise, all is well with us. We’re staying upbeat and looking forward to being done at the dentist in Malalane tomorrow. Tom is getting his implant bases set, and I’m having a bone spur removed from the space where the tooth was pulled six weeks ago. Oh, dear.

Have a great day!

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

This photo was posted one year ago in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #236. The various colorful displays were set up in the hotel to commemorate Dawali, the Hindu holiday. We asked the staff if we could come downstairs to take photos. For more, please click here.

A long ago memory with relevance today….Four lions spotted in Marloth Park…Are the animals hiding?..

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On a walk in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2012, shortly before we left the US to travel the world, we stumbled across this saying on a large slab of stone.

Around this date in 2012, Tom and I went for a walk in the Old Towne area in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were staying there in a lovely condo for a few months while we wrapped up all the seemingly endless details of preparing to leave the US for our anticipated years-long journey.

We chose Scottsdale in an attempt to determine if and when, in the future, we may decide to settle somewhere. Would Scottsdale be an option? After spending two months there, we found it wasn’t quite for us. But during those two months there, we enjoyed ourselves as our first foray away from Minnesota, where Tom grew up, and I’d lived for over 40 years.

A male waterbuck at sunset on the bank of the Crocodile River.

During that time, we set up all of our new digital equipment, continued making bookings into the future, and handled insurance and other business matters that required attention before we left the US on January 3, 2013, from San Diego, California, on our first cruise. Oddly, the memories of that time are as fresh in our minds today as if it was yesterday.

Today’s main photo popped up from one of the clouds we use as a “memory.” It made us laugh when we remembered encountering this message on a stone slab during the walk that day in Scottsdale. At the time and even now, we perceived it as an omen that we would enjoy our travels together in the upcoming years, knowing the depth and quality of our relationship. We’ve never been disappointed.

Sunset from Kathy and Don’s third-floor veranda.

At that time, nine years ago, we had no idea how long we’d travel, if we’d enjoy it for the long term, after facing many of the challenges we’ve encountered along the way. We knew our desire and commitment were firmly in place along with our established criteria which we’d fined tuned during the ten prior months that we’d spent conducting research.

If you find the sign difficult to read, the quote from Mark Twain reads: “I have found that there is no surer way to find out if you like people or you hate them, than to travel with them.”

How true that’s been for us and surely is for other couples who travel, whether they are partners or friends. Never once in the past nine years have either of us questioned we are with the “right traveler,” the “right companion,” or the right “love partner.”

A crocodile on the move on the river.

After hearing about our ten months in lockdown in India, many have commented that they’d be at each other’s throats being stuck in one room for so long. We comforted each other and provided support and encouragement to one another during the challenging time. In the end, it only made us stronger individually and as a couple. Go figure. Who knew we’d spend 10% of our travels stuck in a hotel room? We are very grateful we didn’t get Covid-19 and that we came out in good spirits.

As for the lions in Marloth Park, four have been sighted over the past several nights by rangers and others. Two males and two females are obviously on the move and hunting for food, which is plentiful in Marloth Mark, perhaps even easier to find than in massive Kruger National Park.

A male impala grazing on vegetation on the bank of the river.

A weird phenomenon we’ve observed these past three days since the sighting has been the lack of wildlife visiting our garden, less daily than we’ve seen since we arrived last January. While in the national parks in India searching for tiger sightings, the rangers explained that the various antelopes, particularly the Sambar deer, give off bark as a warning sign for all animals when a tiger is in the area.

Is it possible our antelopes here in Marloth Park have given off such notice to all wildlife that their lives are in danger with the nearby lions roaming through the park? We feel confident this is the case. Not even Little, other warthogs, or our usual 10 to 12 bushbucks are stopping by. We’ve only seen bushbuck Gordon Ramsay each of the past three days, but he is very skittish and nervous, constantly looking around.

Frank and The Misses don’t seem concerned about the lions in the park. They aren’t much of a meal for a lion.

Word is out not to feed the animals since it will cause them to gather in groups making easy prey for the lions.  With no animals in the garden except for the mongooses, that’s not a problem for us. We haven’t tossed pellets in days while we wait for this scary time for the animals to come to an end.

Hopefully, the lions who’ve arrived from Kruger, from the other side of the fence between the two parks, will return from whence they’ve come. But, if they find the pickings are good here, they may not leave for quite a while. In the interim, we all must be diligent about being outdoors at night and during the day. Lions may prefer to hunt in the dark, but we’ve seen them with “kills” during daylight hours.  Of course, we are being cautious when outdoors, day and night.

Well, folks, that’s our news for today.  Please stop by again tomorrow for more.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 13, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #235. This photo from Maui, Hawaii, almost looked like a scene from New England by the sea. For more photos, please click here.

First time sighting since arriving last January!!!…Too cute for words!!!…

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Three little pigs are less than two days old. The Mom was here with her big belly 48 hours earlier by herself. Then she appeared yesterday with the three little pigs in tow. She is the mom of Barbara and Lori, whom she “kicked to the curb” a few weeks ago.

Although we’ve been here since last January, we’d yet to see newly born piglets. Now that our favorite mom, the mother of Barbara and Lori (Shark Tank), sent those two youngsters on their own to fend for themselves, she was getting ready to give birth to more piglets, this time three.

It was such fun to see them and how active and alert they are after only being born a few days earlier. We were happy to toss pellets to mom, knowing she must feed these three little ones. Surprisingly, the piglets seemed interested in the pellets and ate some. It was very cute and funny to watch.

She is a good mom, paying lots of attention to what the piglets are doing. She snorts when she calls them to be at her side.

Watching the antics of these newborns is hysterical. We couldn’t get enough until finally, mom had her fill, and the four of them wandered off to their following location, enticing other residents to toss pellets her way. It was as cute as it could be. We have no doubt, they will be back many times in our remaining time in Marloth Park, and we can fawn over them again.

It will require constraint not to publish more and more photos of them as they grow. But, our goal is always to include a variety of photos, not the same over and over again.  But, as all of you have seen, that’s not easy to do, especially when the same animals stop by over and over again with few new visitors.

The piglets weren’t concerned about being so close to Broken Horn, nor did Broken Horn mind sharing pellets with them.

We always strive to keep it as varied and exciting as possible. In a few months, when we’re in Apollo Beach, Florida, with our friends Karen and Rich, awaiting their upcoming wedding, the scenery and subsequent photos will change dramatically. Except, after a few months in a country, the photos can easily become repetitious and it’s also the case when we’re in the US.

However, right now, as mentioned repeatedly, we are thoroughly enjoying our time in Marloth Park. Last night was no exception when we attended yet another fantastic braai for eight of us at Kathy and Don’s riverfront home.

Mom, with the perfect curly tusks, has been a regular here. Now, we expect to see them all often.

At many braais in South Africa, guests bring their preference of drinks and the meat they’d like to cook on the prepared fire the hosts have prepared. The hosts prepare all the side dishes such as potatoes, vegetables, and salad. Kathy goes over the top in making each of the sides delicious and unique each time.  Plus, she always ensures there are sides that I can eat. What a fantastic host!

Don is an equally fabulous host when he often plans fun games for all of us to play after dinner. Last night we had a blast playing “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with questions he designed suitable for the guests. It was such fun!

The piglets were unfazed by the impalas, and they were unfazed by the three of them. So sweet! The piglets ran about the garden exploring every thing in sight.

As for the food, as picky as Tom and I are about only eating steaks without a lot of fat. We brought two good-sized fillet mignons, which Tom cooked rare for me. When we make fillets at our house, I usually butterfly Tom’s steak so we can put them both on the braai at the same time. Mine will be rare, and his will be his preferred medium-rare.

Yesterday, when I cut our steaks from the huge piece of tenderloin, I asked Tom if he’d like me to butterfly his portion. He said it wasn’t necessary. Thus I cut them both the same size, which was very thick. Three minutes on each side would result in “blue” rare servings.

Kathy, Louise (another Louise), and me. Lesley was busy chatting with the four guys at the fire. I wish we’d included her in this photo and that I would have smiled.

As it turned out, mine was perfect as usual, but then Tom’s was too rare for him. He ate it anyway, not wanting to leave the table to return his to the now waning fire. Now I know why he kept cutting off chunks of meat and putting it on my plate while he sat across from me. Later, he mentioned that it was too rare for him. Next time, we’ll do better and butterfly his or start his on the braai earlier.

Tom, Kathy, Lesley, Manie, Louise and Andrew.
Don and Tom.

We had a fantastic evening once again and were back home after 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, for a good night’s sleep, waking joyfully this morning, ready to tackle another day. )Today’s high will be 95F, 35C with relatively high humidity. Tonight, Kathy and Don will join us for our usual Friday night dinner at Jabula for the last time before they depart Marloth Park for Hawaii next Wednesday, when we’ll take them to the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Airport. We will miss them.

May you have a lovely and fulfilling weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, November 12, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #234. It’s a challenge with these unusual fruits in Hawaii, which we could not identify after searching hundreds of photos. For more photos, please click here.

Another fabulous evening on the river with friends…

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    Two hippos lounging in the Crocodile River.

Note; Please excuse our lack of clarity in today’s photos, taken at dusk and from quite a distance.

With one delightful social event after another, we are reeling from the flurry of activity over these past many weeks. Tonight will be one more enjoyable event with dinner at dear friends Kathy and Don’s home, overlooking the Crocodile River. Soon, they will be leaving to return to their other home in Hawaii. We will miss them.

Many of our friends leave the bush for the holiday season, partly due to other commitments and partly due to avoidance of the heat of the upcoming summer. For some, they leave due to a plan they’ve made to spend many months here and then spend the remainder of the year in their other homes, often located in equally enticing areas.

On average, hippo males weigh 3,500 to 9,920 pounds, 1588 kg to 4500 kg,0, and females weigh 3,000 pounds, 1361 kg.

We’re content we don’t have multiple houses in various locations, leaving us free of concern over upkeep and expenses necessary to maintain another home elsewhere. We love the fact that we don’t have the expense and maintenance of one home anywhere.

Renting holiday homes that include maintenance, utilities, and WiFi costs is a must for us. With nary a thought about how much our utility bills, property taxes, and upkeep costs will be, make our lives all the easier. Oddly, we don’t miss the feeling of being rooted in one location. We never give it a thought.

We realize this life is not for everyone. The only couple we’ve met in years that live like us is Carrie and Jim, who joined us at our house for sundowners over a week ago. After they return from a surprise event for Carrie’s birthday, we’ll be getting together again, meeting at Two Trees on the Crocodile River. The four of us have so many stories to share.

A hippo group is called “bloat.” Often they wander off on their own.

Last evening, we joined Louise and Danie and eight of their family members at the chalet they rented at resort Ngwenya for a week. We were honored to be included for a “family night” and have the opportunity to meet two more of Danie’s grown kids. They were all wonderful. I’d baked two low-carb cheese pies to bring, and they served a wide array of delicious foods and treats.

Not only was it fantastic to commiserate with all of them, all of whom live in South Africa, most from Cape Town. They were all curious about our way of eating, our time spent in lockdown in India, and our overall world travels. They flattered us when saying they hope to travel someday, like us, and of course, we encouraged them to do so if they could.

Another lone hippo, but other members of the bloat are nearby.

When we left, Louise loaded our chill box with a loaf of homemade bread and a popular South African dessert, Brandy Tart, both of which Tom loves and will savor over the next several days.

This morning Tom had the Brandy Tart with his coffee. South African’s love these types of desserts, anything with doughy tarts covered in a caramel-type custard sauce. It’s quite the go-to dessert in South Africa. Of course, I’ve never tasted it, but Tom said it was fantastic this morning with his coffee.

We were fortunate to take some good hippo photos last night from the veranda on their place in Ngwenya. The views from the veranda were outrageous!

This afternoon is easy peasy. It is hot again today but only with a high of 90F, 32C. We can easily handle that without even noticing. It’s funny how we’ve adapted to the hot weather as it’s gradually heated up. Next month and January will be another story.

Have a pleasant day wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, November 11, 2020:

Tom’s beautiful bird photo, a small Green Parrot in Costa Rica in 2017. This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day # 233. For more photos, please click here.

It’s over!!!…Done! Done! Done!…

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Waterbucks are pretty animals that live at the edge of a body of water.

The freedom I feel today is almost more exciting than the day I decided to retire. Ending the tedious task of spending eight hours a day or more working on my computer for my then business wasn’t nearly as gratifying as now. I am officially done with the corrections after spending the better part of every afternoon for the past year.

The idea of being free in the afternoons after I finish the new day’s post leaves me wondering how I will spend the newly acquired precious time. We can now go to Kruger National Park with an easy mind, knowing I am not tacking on another day to the end of this daunting task.

Waterbucks, at dusk, on the far side of the Crocodile River.

If I feel like taking a nap in the afternoon, I will be able to do so. If I felt like a nap in the past year, I ignored the need, knowing it would throw me off my regular schedule.  If I want to watch a show that Tom doesn’t like, I can watch it while doing my exercises or folding laundry. I will be able to do so.

No, the posts aren’t perfect. I could probably spend the next year going through them again, finding more errors. But I am letting it go. When new readers visit, they’ll find mistakes. So be it. I don’t have a staff of editors working with me each day, as do big sites, like Amazon, where I seldom find an error. It’s just me.

It was getting dark, impacting the quality of our photos. But, it was delightful to see these lovely animals.

Even with Tom proofreading each day with his laptop’s editing app picking up some errors along with those he finds by reading each word, it still won’t be 100% correct. As I worked my way through them, many posts would require me to re-write them due to WiFi issues when they were posted. That would have extended my work time to two or three more years. I prefer to live my life.

Today, I’m making two low-carb cheese pies (cheesecake, to some) to bring to Louise and Danie’s, where we’re going late this afternoon for sundowners with their visiting family members. We’ve already met most of the eight that are visiting. It will surely be fun! Most likely, I’ll end up doing something productive with this extra time rather than getting caught up in mindless drivel.

A male waterbuck with good-sized horns, taking a drink.

Speaking of good times, we met with Cees and Rina at Amazing Kruger View for sundowners and dinner last evening. We had an excellent evening chatting with them while we watched a bit of activity on the Crocodile River, photos of which are included here today. The food was fine, although not of the caliber of Jabula, where we’ll return on Friday.

It was a busy social week. We’ve had plans every evening except Sunday and Monday. As it turned out, the event at Frikkee’s Dam was canceled on Sunday due to heavy rains over the weekend, The roads in Lionspririt are rougher than here in Marloth Park, and the gates were locked. Instead, we stayed home and have been enjoying the egg casserole we’d make for the event and eating it for breakfast each morning since freezing each day’s portion.

A male impala grazing on vegetation in the bush.

Now, with more time on my hands, I may become motivated to cook unique low-carb dishes. With so many of our friends gone or leaving soon, we’ll probably spend more time on our own than socializing. However, social beings that we are may inspire us to reach out to get involved in more social events.

In either case, I am so content now that this year-long project has ended, and soon I will get to work on the four lengthy SEO (search engine optimization) posts I need to accomplish in the next month. One thing at a time. For the next few weeks, I’m coasting in my freedom!

Happy day!

Photos from one year ago today, November 10, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #232. That morning’s view of Savusavu Bay when the clouds had cleared for a short period. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, a cooler day!…Load shedding continues…We’re losing water…Off to see old friends for dinner…

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Gordon Ramsay, our newest bushbuck visitor, visits daily after discovering the goodies we offer.

Marloth Park is practically a disaster area right now. Some residents have been without power for four or five days. Many others have no phone service, TV service, and WiFi, especially if they have Vodacom (we do not). Tom, who usually takes a shower at 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs, each day, is taking one now at 10:00 am before our water runs out, as it has for many others in the park.

The electricity that services the pumps that run the water system is out, impacting everyone in the park. We can only imagine the frustration for those residents who’ve been without power for four or five days. Indeed, they’ve lost all their perishable food in the fridges and freezers by now.

Another view of Gorden Ramsay.

For those of us who still have electricity, load shedding is at Stage 4, which translates to 7½ hours per day without power, spread over three 2½ hour sessions. That’s nothing compared to those who haven’t had power since last Wednesday. Plus, being unable to be online or make a phone call is a terrible hardship for those residents.

Sure, an unsympathetic type could say, “If this was the mid-1800s and earlier, people had none of these services for the majority of their lives. They managed,” But, that isn’t comforting at all. Our lives are adapted to modern technology, and we shouldn’t have to be without that which has become an integral part of our lives in this day and age.

Here is Sylvia, named after my mother. She’s a loner, as are most bushbucks.

Imagine the frustration for those who continue to pay for the services and yet have none whatsoever. They’ll play hell trying to get credits for the periods they’ve been without the services. After all, TIA, “This is Africa,” and such infrastructure failures are expected as the norm.

And yet, for now, we choose to be here. No, we’ll never buy a house here, nor would we live here full-time if we decided to stop traveling and settle somewhere. Both of us agree to this without hesitation.

Sylvia loves cabbage.

Our holiday house uses a different WiFi company, Tech Connect, and we’ve had no issues recently. We have Google Fi on our phones and can easily make calls if necessary and access data. But, Google Fi shares towers with many of those that aren’t operational at times, and we may not have services.WiFi is out mainly because of the ongoing theft of the batteries at the stations that run services from the towers. Thieves come to the park in the middle of the night and steal the batteries.

Vodacom is sick and tired of replacing stolen batteries for its towers. They need to come up with another plan for those who are impacted. How about an impenetrable storage system for the batteries? It’s not rocket science. But again, TIA and things don’t get resolved like they do in many other parts of the world.

Our entire garden is now muddy due to the much-needed rain over the past week.

One might say, “Move away if you don’t like it.” But, in this and many other African countries, people can’t afford to leave when the cost of living is lower here than in many other parts of the world. Permanent residents, including retirees in Marloth Park, have no chance of moving away. With load shedding issues throughout the country, they’d have to move to another country that is not affordable or sensible for most.

For tourists, such as our friends, Rina and Cee, meeting today for sundowners and dinner at Amazing Kruger View. It is challenging. One spends money to come here for a holiday, enjoy the wildlife and end up without water, power, WiFi, and phone service. Such occurrences can easily impact tourists’ future decisions to come to Marloth Park. A lack of tourists affects property owners who need holiday rental income to cover their living costs. It’s a vicious cycle.

The cement pond, which we’ve kept free of water due to breeding mosquitoes, is now filled with water.

We accept the reality of the situation and must continue to do so for the next 74 days until we depart for Florida, US, where we’ll be spending 75 days, until our cruise sails across the Atlantic Ocean from Fort Lauderdale Southampton, England. No, we don’t wish time to fly by quickly. We are savoring every moment.

While we’re sitting on the veranda on a cooler, cloudy day, Froggie, who lives in the rafters above our heads, is entertaining us with his frequent croaks. Lori and Barbara (from Shark Tank) are sitting in the bush with an eye on us, waiting for the next visitor to our garden to whom we’ll toss some pellets. They’ll move in, scare them away with their bossy personalities and take over the eating of the pellets.

Our power just went out due to load shedding, but we’ll be fine during the 2½ hours. We’ll still have WiFi due to our inverter. Thanks to Louise and Danie for providing the valuable device for us during our year-long stay. Gordon Ramsey (bushbuck) just showed up for some pellets and cabbage. I’d better run and get his lunch!

Have a good day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 9, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #231. Tom checked in at the reception desk at the dental office in Savusavu, Fiji, while we waited outside with no indoor seating areas. The dental office was located on the hospital grounds. For more, please click here.