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.
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.
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.
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.
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.’
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.
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| 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. |