Soon, Rita will arrive to pick me up for our outing to  Stoep Café in Komatipoort. Afterward, Rita and I will head to Spar Market to shop for groceries. Since I need quite a few things and don’t want to keep Rita waiting while I shop, she will drop me off, and Tom will pick me up when I’m done.

He always loads the food at the register while I help the bagger pack the groceries into our various bags, some insulated, some not. He loads the car and brings everything into the house. Next, he empties all the bags while I put everything away. It’s a practical system that works well for us.

Since I had that dreadful open heart surgery 3½ years ago, I have had trouble bending over, a common lingering side effect of having one’s sternum cut in half. Tom pulls up a chair to the refrigerator so I can load the food neatly on the lower shelves and in the produce drawers. This would be impossible for me to do otherwise.

Besides that, I can do almost everything required for household tasks and cooking, but I have a fantastic helper who makes life much easier. I never have to ask for his help since he pays attention to everything I’m doing, either out of curiosity or love. In either case, I always appreciate sharing tasks chosen by one’s abilities, strengths, and interests.

How lucky we are to have one another, and neither of us ever forgets that for a day. Often, in the evening, while sitting at the table on the veranda, watching the animals, while listening to oldies (not too loudly) using the fantastic JBL Bluetooth speaker. It’s our favorite time of the day. Sometimes, we have sundowners, and sometimes we drink iced tea, but we enjoy this pleasant break from responsibilities and household tasks.

The only exercise we get on those evenings is getting up and down to feed the wildlife. Speaking of iced tea, this is the first time in our travels that we’ve been out of Crystal Light iced tea. As mentioned, our shipment is tied up in customs to ensure the iced tea isn’t a bomb or toxic chemical. Good grief.

I made cinnamon green tea, using tea bags to make iced tea for me. I added non-caloric sweetener, and it tastes pretty good. But Tom doesn’t like it, and right now, he’s drinking water or Sprite Zero since he ran out of Crystal Light only yesterday. We should have had the package delivered weeks ago but now it’s held up in customs due to the many packages of Crystal Light.

We’ve had this tea sent to us while in South Africa in the past and have never had such a problem with it. We can only wait and see what happens in the next week. It would be nice to get this shipping fiasco off our minds. I am considering if we’ll ever order supplies again and make purchases in the country we are in at any given time.

Within the year, an Amazon facility is opening up in South Africa. Hopefully, they will carry most of the products they sell in the US. If so, that will eliminate the need to ship items to us from the US.

Have to run now, folks. Rita will be here shortly and I am trying to get this uploaded before I leave the house.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 8, 2021:

Last night we made a rack of lamb for me and a small rib roast for Tom on the braai. We’ll have leftovers for Tom’s easy meal with veggies, salad, and rice. As a result, I won’t spend too much time in the kitchen today on yet another perfect weather day.

We’ve seen a good flow of animals in the garden this morning, including lots of kudus, warthogs, wildebeests, and, much to our delight, five giraffes with photos we’ll share here today. It’s warm, and there’s no breeze but not uncomfortable by any means. I’m trying to do laundry, but there’s trouble with the washer, and I can’t seem to get even one of the two loads to go through a complete cycle. We’ll deal with this tomorrow since we don’t like to bother Louise and Danie on the weekends.

It’s not uncommon for a major kitchen appliance to bite the dust. Load shedding has a significant impact on the performance of electrical appliances. It even has caused problems with my Fitbit, which keeps losing the connection to the WiFi when the power goes on and off. We have power now and don’t expect load shedding today but it can happen at any time with little to no warning.

When I left the laundry room across the driveway, I saw a couple walking on the road. They approached, asking if they could come closer to take photos of all the animals in our garden. They are renting the house next door until Tuesday. We stopped for a delightful 15 minutes chat. People are so friendly in South Africa, not unlike we found it to be in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.

Without any construction (not allowed on Sundays), it is so quiet today; that I can hear the fluttering of birds’ wings as they fly by. Unfortunately, from 42 years on the railroad, Tom has lost about half of his hearing and doesn’t have the advantage of cherishing the myriad sounds of the bush that I find enchanting.

Each time a hornbill eats seeds off the birdfeeder on the trolley above the side garden, I can hear the enthusiastic pecking and pleasing chirping they express while eating…a happy sound. I can listen to the footsteps of a quietly approaching animal, often inspiring me to jump up and see who’s coming. I am never disappointed.

Tom will frequently jump up from his comfy spot on the veranda to toss pellets to whoever has graced us with their presence. It’s such an easy existence, one we never tire of or find boring. There’s never a moment or hour of the day where we feel bored. We’ve even learned to entertain ourselves during the frequent power outages.

Tomorrow, I’ve committed myself to get all our tax stuff ready for the accountant in Nevada to do our taxes after filing an extension some months ago. I would have done it sooner, but we were traveling, requiring my undivided attention for several hours. I must admit I have put this off, but now I am putting it in writing to ensure I follow through. It’s not due until October. It’s the one task I procrastinate over, year after year.

But, for the rest of today, I am free to putter around the house, perform little tasks, prepare vegetables for dinner, and try to get the laundry done if the fickle washing machine cooperates.

Next Sunday, we’ll be busy preparing for our sundowner gathering of friends we made that came to Marloth Park due to reading our website over the years. There will be nine of us, maybe 11, and without a doubt, it will be an enjoyable day. We are looking forward to this special event.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 7, 2021: t

Last night, Louise stopped by with a buffalo meat pie for Tom. I couldn’t eat it due to the crust, but I did sample the meat, which was delicious. Tom loved it and will eat the rest tonight for dinner. Generally, we don’t eat “bush meat.” For us, the idea of eating any of the gorgeous animals we enjoy in the bush is unappetizing.

But then again, I love cows, pigs and chickens, which we eat. If eating a low-carb diet wasn’t necessary for my health, I could probably be a vegetarian. Many years ago, I was so for 11 years. But now, with blood sugar and inflammation being an issue, I must avoid grains, sugars, and starches, all typically consumed on a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Sure, I looked at the pie last night and thought of how nice it would have been to cut myself a big slice, but instead, I had salmon salad, cooked cauliflower and green beans, and a green salad which proved to be very satisfying and filling. I’ll do the same tonight while Tom finishes the buffalo pie.

Soon, we will be heading to Komatipoort for an eye exam with the optometrist next door to Dr. Theo and the dentist. Tom has noticed some black spots in his vision in his right eye. For peace of mind, he’ll have the doctor check it out. Most likely, it is floaters, the same thing I noticed about a year ago. I confirmed it by a visit to the same optometrist and exact diagnosis. Nothing can be done for floaters, a typical, relatively harmless condition afflicting many seniors as they age. We’re hoping Tom’s condition will be the same.

After that appointment at 12:30, Tom will drop me at the pharmacy for some toiletries. I shop at the pharmacy for some items I would typically have purchased at a Target store in the US. There is no such store like Target anywhere in South Africa, although there are a few Big Box stores in the bigger cities. But there is nothing like it within an hour’s drive.

After the pharmacy, I’ll walk the short distance to the Spar Market while Tom refuels. Petrol prices are high here as well, as are groceries, which have increased about 30% in the past year, particularly meat products.

Still, compared to our recent experiences in the US, groceries are about 40% less here. Rent is about 40% less than in the US, and car rentals run around US $500, ZAR 8421, a month plus petrol. As a result, our cost of living is considerably lower here in South Africa than in many other countries.

If tomorrow is a nice day, we’ll most likely return to Kruger. By no means are we expecting our next visit to be as good as the last, but it’s an excellent way to spend a day and to get us out of the house. That’s not to say we feel like we need to get out. We don’t. We could easily spend most days situated on the veranda enjoying the bush. To be able to sit here on a perfect weather day.

It will be sweltering before too long. We’ll still sit on the veranda each day and evening, but it won’t be as wonderful as it is now with this gorgeous winter weather.

I must head to the kitchen to prep the salad and vegetables for tonight’s dinner. It’s a great day. We are as content as we could be.

We hope you are content on this day as well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 27, 2021: