We’ve never quite figured it out. Are the animals visiting other homes in the bush for food and pellets, or are they bothered by the noise and traffic and staying undercover? It could be a combination of both. This morning we saw Broken Horn, Gordy, Mom and Babies warthogs, and of course, Frank, who never fails to stop by.
Francolins tend to stay in their chosen territory, rarely, if ever, leaving their immediate surroundings, which is right here in our garden in Frank and his family members. We can always depend on seeing him daily, offering him the Misses and other family seeds and freshwater.
Many have asked, “What happens when we leave?”
They won’t starve. Surely, they’ll often stop by looking for us, but they won’t go hungry. They will eat insects, fallen fruit, and seed, and other pickings they find in their daily scouting of their territory. This will also be the case with the other wildlife who stop here for pellets, greens, carrots, and other vegetable scraps. None of them will starve without our contribution to their diets.
Now, with the lush vegetation in every direction, there’s plenty of food for all of the animals. Often, they come here for pellets but only take a few bites, which we witnessed this morning when only a few wildlife stopped by.
At 11:00, we headed to Sindee and Bruce’s home to pick up the salad bowl we’d left, along with a wine glass and plastic container. Since we were already out, we drove along the fence to Lionspruit, hoping by a stroke of luck we’d see the lions that are loose in the park. We had no such luck, but it was worth looking anyway.
On the return drive to our area and bush home, we observed some zebras, impalas, and giraffes, all busy munching on vegetation. Back at the house, I put a pan of skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the oven. Last night, we ate so much of the prime rib, there wasn’t enough left for both of us for tonight’s dinner.
Tonight, Tom will finish off the prime rib while I’ll have chicken breasts with salad and a few cooked eggs, enough to fill me up. Unfortunately, my formerly delicious little cake went moldy sitting out, and I had to toss it. I still had at least three or four servings left. I should have known better and frozen half of it.
Disappointed, I considered making another one today but decided against it. I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed and couldn’t buy them in Marloth Park. There was no way we felt like driving to Komatipoort for a few ingredients. Perhaps, I will make another sometime in the future.
This morning, Tom finished off his birthday cake and is ready to go back to healthy eating, without any sugar or starch, except for his small daily portion of rice. Since cooked white rice is considered a “resistant starch” that doesn’t get absorbed by the gut (for some people, not me), Tom is able to eat the rice and still lose weight. He only gained a few pounds (2 kg) after eating that entire three-layer cake by himself and will quickly drop it in the next week.
Today is another quiet day. I’ve done three loads of laundry, prepped everything for tonight’s dinner, and have the remainder of the afternoon to be lazy if I so choose. It’s only 1:00 pm as I write this now and should be done within 30 minutes. I love the luxury of not having anything to do other than put dinner together at the end of the day.
May you have a pleasant day and evening as we wind our way toward the end of 2021.
Photo from one year ago today, December 27, 2020:
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| This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai. India, on day #277. In 2014, at the overlook to Mount Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii, the crowd roared with excitement each time there was a new eruption. For more photos, please click here. |