Yesterday, we had a wonderful day on my birthday. The day was light and fun as we chatted on the phone with several friends and family members. I was thrilled to see messages from many worldwide readers, musical messages, and online cards.
I even received a thoughtful snail mail paper card from friends Kathy and Don in Hawaii, whom we will see in Marloth Park in a few weeks. We all arranged our visits to South Africa to coincide, and we’re so excited to be able to spend time with them and our other countless friends in the magical place.
At 4:15, an Uber picked us up and drove us to Richard’s home. We then took off in his vehicle to drive to Texas Roadhouse, where the four of us had drinks and a delightful dinner. We love that place! They certainly give their customers plenty of fresh, well-prepared food with many sides. Tom loves their buns but doesn’t care for the honey-cinnamon-sweetened whipped butter. He had no trouble getting regular butter after asking the server.
After dinner, we returned to Richard’s home to watch the second half of the US/Canada hockey game. Then, we sat at the dining table and played an entertaining board game, Mind the Gap, a generational trivia game. We laughed the entire time we played. When we said goodbye to the two of them, I felt a twinge of sadness, knowing we may not return to Nevada for a few more years with our upcoming busy world travel itinerary. But, as always, we’ll stay in touch.
At around 11:00 pm, we ordered another Uber at half the price we’d paid earlier during rush hour and returned to our condo. We never fell asleep until around 1:00 am, and I awoke around 7:00, feeling tired and too lazy to get out of bed. I lingered until 9:00 am and finally got up to shower, dress, and make bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Today is an easy day. We are heading out for dinner tonight, most likely to The Pub, which is located at the bottom of one flight of stairs from the floor on which our unit is located. The exit, with a keypad entrance code, is a short walk down the hallway. It takes about two minutes to walk to The Pub.
This morning, I wrote to Louise asking her to get three bags of pellets from the pellet guy who comes to her offices weekly, two bags for us, and one for Kathy and Don. Also, she will get us a few groceries for our first morning’s breakfast and repellent, which I apply three times a day. Although it’s heading into winter there soon, there are mozzies year-round, which, of course, are worse in the summer months,
We don’t use malaria medication since we are there too long. It’s unhealthy to take that medication for extended periods since it has some side effects. However, using repellent several times a day on exposed skin is a necessary precaution and works quite well. While using it, I rarely get bitten. On the other hand, Tom never gets bitten, even without using repellent around the clock. On humid “buggie” nights, he may put some repellent around his neck and ankles.
We constantly change into long pants when sitting outside at night. Even when it’s hot, I wear long pants or jeans. The less DEET one uses, the better, and I don’t want to be lathering the only repellent that works for me on my legs three times a day. Skin products are easily absorbed into one’s system. I’ve read that people with blood type O, which I am, are more prone to mosquito bites. Tom is type A.
That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more as we approach our departure date.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, February 21, 2015:
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