Our resident starling is named…Off to Komatipoort; Doc Theo, dentist, grocery shopping and…the pet shop!…What???

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Vega, our latest named resident creature in our garden.

We have a bright blue iridescent starling that lives in our garden. Whenever another bird stops by, he goes after it to chase it away, except for other starlings, which are allowed to eat the seeds from the trolley between two trees and the bushbaby stand.

“Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name “Sturnidae” comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage.”

He’s most appealing when the bright sun is on him. But, in this heat, he tends to alight in the shade.

“The Cape starling, red-shouldered glossy starling or Cape glossy starling (Lamprotornis nitens) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Southern Africa, where it lives in woodlands, bushveld and in suburbs.”

Starlings are commonly seen birds, especially when they can scavenge for food. We often see them at the Mugg & Bean in Lower Sabie, walking on the dining tables, eating crumbs left by diners. Some are so brazen, they will alight while the diners are eating. Their diet consists of the following:

There are several other species of starlings, but we rarely see them or are able to determine which birds are the other species. No, we’re not birders, nor do we wish to become birders, although we enjoy seeing and taking photos of birds, especially those that are colorful and less commonly seen.

We named him Vega, which is listed as #5 in the top ten brightest stars in the night sky, as shown below from this site:

“The Top 10 Brightest Stars At Night

1. Sirius A (Alpha Canis Majoris)

Our number one star on the list. As mentioned, this star is part of the constellation Canis Major with an apparent magnitude of -1.5 and is 8.6 light-years away from Earth. You can spot this star from anywhere on our planet.

2. Canopus (Alpha Carinae)

This star is named after the mythological character Canopus who was a navigator for Menelaus, king of Sparta. It’s part of the constellation Carina and located at a magnitude of -0.72, 309. It is 310 light-years away from our Sun and can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.

3. Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri)

At only 4.36 light-years from Earth, this star is part of the closest star system to our Solar System and consists of three stars with Rigil Kentaurus being the brightest. It is part of the constellation Centaurus with an apparent magnitude of -0.29. It is best spotted from the Southern Hemisphere.

4. Arcturus (Alpha Bootis)

The brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. This star is part of the constellation Bootes with an apparent magnitude of -0.04 and is about 37 light-years away from Earth. Its name originates from Greek and means ”Bear Watcher” or ”Guardian of the Bear” due it’s proximity to the Ursa Major (Big Bear). Fun fact, this star is actually a red giant.

5. Vega (Alpha Lyrae)

The name Vega comes from Arabic and literally means falling vulture. This is the most luminous star in the Lyra constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.03, and it is relatively close, only 25.5 light-years away from Earth. Vega is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

6. Capella (Alpha Aurigae)

Cappella or the Goat Star is the shiniest star in the Auriga constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.08, 42 light-years away from Earth. This star is also best spotted from the Northern Hemisphere.

7. Rigel (Beta Orionis)

The brightest star in the constellation Orion, Rigel (from Arabic – ‘the left leg of the giant’) has an apparent magnitude of +0.18 and although it is 860 light-years away from Earth, it shines so bright because it’s a Blue giant star. It can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

8. Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris)

Procyon, just like Sirius, is also part of a binary star system with its twin being a dwarf. It is located in the Canis Minor constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.34 and at a distance of 11.46 light-years away from Earth. This star is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

9. Achernar (Alpha Eridani)

Its name Achernar is derived from Arabic and means ”The End of the River”. This shiny celestial being is located in the Eridanus constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.445 at a distance of 114 light-years away from Earth. You can spot it from the Southern Hemisphere.

10. Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis)

And lastly, we have Betelgeuse which is the second most luminous star in the constellation Orion with an apparent magnitude of +0.42 and at a distance of 640 light-years away from Earth. The name Betelgeuse also derives from Arabic and means either ”the armpit of Orion” or ”the hand of Orion”. This star is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.”

Although #5’s description for Vega specifies a vulture, the starling is not in the vulture species. But, their behavior around food may cause one to consider them as somewhat of a vulture with their scavenging nature. They consume the following:

“Starlings mostly consume insects when available, especially beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and caterpillars, also spiders, snails, earthworms, and other invertebrates. Especially in fall and winter, eats a wide variety of berries, fruits, and seeds.”

How do we know Vega is a male? See this information below:

“The female starling looks less glossy and oily than its male counterpart but a key difference to tell the sexes apart is by the colour of their bills; blue for the males and pink for the females.”

Vega is a male, as shown in today’s photos.

Researching information about wildlife that stops in the garden is great fun. We hope our readers find these stories interesting as well.

Will Vega learn his name? I don’t know, but he just might as often as he’s here, and I say it to him. Frank, a francolin bird, learned his name at the last house. We shall see.

It’s about time for us to take off for Koomatipoort for today’s appointments and shopping. We’re heading to the pet shop to buy worms or crickets for Aggie, our colorful agama. We’ll be back tomorrow with Doc Theo’s assessment of my headache and facial pain. See you then!

Photo from one year ago today, October 14, 2021:

Geese in flight on the Crocodile River as seen from Amazing Kruger View restaurant. For more photos, please click here.

Those darned monkeys!!!…

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This is one of three beautiful blood lilies blooming in the garden. Now, we are only two since this monkey plucked one to eat. These flowers are toxic and are not fit for human or animal consumption.

It’s been entertaining watching the various animals stop by to eat the lucerne. With the hot weather, it’s surprising they come by at all. Today will be 100F, and 38C with high humidity makes the heat challenging to bear.  Right now, at noon, it’s 97F, 36C, rising by the minute. It’s not even summer yet. This is only going to get hotter over the next few months.

We avoid using aircon during the day to acclimate ourselves to being outdoors on hot days. Surprisingly, one does become accustomed to it to a point. But once it’s over 100F, 38C, it’s much more noticeable. Last night when we had sundowners on the veranda, it was 101F, 38.33C. As more and more animals ventured into the garden, we both forgot how hot it was and enjoyed ourselves.

With oldies music (and some more current hits) playing on our fantastic JBL speaker, which we keep inside the house to minimize the decibels, it’s our favorite time of day. We’re done with research, posts are done and being read by our readers, dinner is fully prepped and ready for finishing touches, the table is set, and we’ve selected what shows we’ll stream when we hunker down.

Two pesky monkeys sniffed, realizing it wasn’t meant to be eaten, and left it on the ground. Other animals have stopped to sniff it, but thank goodness none are eating it. People have stopped to take photos of these pretty flowers.

The insects are intolerable this time of year, making it challenging to stay outdoors after dark with any lights on. Neither of us cares to be outdoors in total darkness. A few outdoor lights allow us to see animals arriving but not to the extent during the daylight hours. Nor is it a good time to take photos. We leave that for our trail cam, which kicks on as darkness falls.

Most afternoons, especially when it’s hot, Tom comes into the bedroom for a short nap. I don’t nap, but usually, I stay in the bedroom with him since the fan is on, and it’s a nice break from the mid-day heat. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we’re all set up for the evening hours we’ll spend on the veranda.

Tom sprays the bedroom with Doom to kill any flies, mosquitoes, bees, or flying insects that may have gotten inside. We always keep the bedroom door shut, but it only takes a second for insects to enter when the only bathroom on the main floor is the “en suite” in our bedroom. With all the liquid we drink during the day, we may likely open the bedroom door ten times a day, with plenty of time for annoying and biting insects to enter the bedroom.

The Vervet monkey gave up on it and dropped it to the ground.

I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of DEET I put on my skin each day by wearing socks, long pants, and shirts with sleeves. When applying DEET, it’s not necessary to use it on skin that’s covered by clothing. But it’s a catch-22, more clothes, hotter in scorching weather; fewer clothes are likely to cause me to be bit unless massive amounts of repellent are used.

Recently I bought some “natural” repellent that was supposed to be chemical-free, but after using it for a week, I noticed I was itching, but it wasn’t from bites. It was the paraben they use in the product as a preservative which I am allergic to. Good grief. Back to DEET, which doesn’t seem to bother me.

Today, I am wearing lightweight leggings, short socks with shoes with my ankles covered, and a 3/4 sleeve cotton button-up shirt. The only areas on which I must use DEET are my hands and arms, up to the elbow and neck, which the biting insects love to bite. My clothes aren’t making me uncomfortable, but having dozens of bites would ruin my day and night.

Busybody is standing on his back legs, trying to eat pellets off the railing we’d left for Norman. Notice Spikey, the young male bushbuck, lying down in the shade on top of the pile of lucerne.

Soon, Tom will drive to Daisy’s Den to order more lucerne for the animals. We’ve decided to keep buying it until the rains come and the animals have a ready supply of nutrients in the bush. When we have lucerne, we use fewer pellets, and the cost between the two is similar.

That’s our update for today, folks. Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 13, 2021:

That morning, while Tom was seated at the table on the veranda, an animal purposely tipped over the birdbath. The culprit was The Imposter, but we weren’t mad at him. For more photos, please click here.

Errors!…Ugh!…A long time ago…Wonders in Africa…

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Females and young lions were lounging in the shade of the tree. Our perception was that the male lions hang out with the family, which is not the case. Once these young males mature, they’ll go off on their own to hunt, mate, and occasionally hang out with their male sons and siblings.

This morning, I accidentally clicked on the post from October 12, 2013, instead of October 12, 2021, when searching for the “year-ago” post. When I reread that post here, I noticed that my grammar correction app, Grammarly, indicated I had 82 errors on the page. Yikes! That will take a while to correct.

A fantastic morning in the bush in the Maasai Mara in 2013.

A few years ago, I went through every post, searching for errors that I corrected. Now, I find that mistakes are appearing on old posts again. I have no interest in spending hours a day going back into old posts to start this process again, especially knowing that, for whatever reason, the errors seem to reappear. As of today, we have 3700 posts. Can you imagine how much work that would be?

A cool guy in the bush.

If I had a job and were being paid a salary or by the hour, I’d have to go back and make the corrections.  But because we do this website for love, not money, I have to leave it as is. We continue each day to make every attempt to correct errors, but no matter how hard we try, we miss a few things. And, no doubt, many of you notice them.

Mom and baby eland.

Occasionally, a reader will write, commenting on an error I’ll immediately correct, thanking the reader for bringing it to my attention. But, if all of our readers did this (please don’t), my entire day would be spent dealing with corrections. That’s not what our lives are about. Obsessing to be perfect was one of the reasons we decided to change our lives. This simpler life leaves little room for such unrealistic goals.

Anderson, our guide, busied himself setting up our breakfast, only allowing any of us to set up the camp stools.  Notice his well-equipped picnic basket. The stainless steel containers were filled with our still-warm breakfast, thoughtfully prepared by Ambrose, the chef, very early in the morning.

Back to the old post I encountered this morning, I hadn’t seen those photos in a very long time, and it was fun to see them again. It is a post from our first safari in the Maasai Mara nine years ago today. We’d posted photos over two to three weeks since we had more photos than could be published in a few days. It was an exciting time.

With room for four at the small table, some of us sat nearby, eating breakfast on our laps. There were croissants, cold cereal, pancakes, eggs, sausage, and a wide array of fruit. Although I could only eat the eggs and sausage, I was content.

But, the WiFi signal at the house in Diani Beach, Kenya, was awful, and we struggled to insert photos and text, which attributed to the many errors I spotted today. As mentioned above, when I attempted to make the corrections a few years ago, many of them didn’t stick for whatever reason. Today, I will correct that post only and, of course, any errors that appear on today’s post.

Anderson took this next photo of us, a little blurry but worth keeping, the only shot we had of our group of safari mates.

Speaking of WiFi issues, currently, there are two techs here from the company supplying internet service to this house trying to solve a WiFi issue we’ve been having since late yesterday afternoon. They got it to work last night so we could stream our shows, but it’s going in and out this morning as it had yesterday afternoon for several hours.

Such a relaxing day, lounging with the family!

Whether it’s power, water, and other services, stuff happens. After all, TIA, “This is Africa.” In our old life, we often experienced WiFi and cable TV issues. It is not a lot different here with the WiFi. We’ve never turned on the TV here. It’s upstairs in the second lounge room, and we have no interest in spending time upstairs. There’s aircon in that lounge, but we don’t use aircon during daylight hours, and we wouldn’t want to be out of sight of our wildlife visitors.

Our safari mate, Susan, was so excited to see this turtle.  With hers and Linda’s new giant cameras in hand, none of us minded stopping for a photo op.

So today, we are posting some photos from the old post from October 12, 2013, and do so with sheer delight over the memories from so long ago. Enjoy them along with us. I have included them with the captions we used nine years ago.

Most likely a mom and a maturing baby, butt to butt, in quiet repose.

A few minutes ago, another bale of lucerne was delivered. We’re looking forward, once again, to our animal friends enjoying the fresh green hay in two areas of the garden.

Have a fantastic day.

Photo from one year ago today, October 12, 2021:

Impalas must be hungry to come so close to us. They usually steer clear of humans. We generously fed them. For more photos, please click here.

Hot and humid the rest of the week…Water is back…Thanks, Lindsey for Kruger photos…

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This buffalo looks sleepy, not angry.

Today’s photos are mainly Lindsey’s from a visit to Kruger National Park with her mom Connie, shortly before they left here after the passing of her dad Jeff. We didn’t join them that day, feeling that time of their own in a place Jeff loved might be good for them.

Plus, they wanted to spend plenty of time shopping for gifts for friends and loved ones at the fantastic shop at the Mugg & Bean in Lower Sabie. Without us, they could take all the time they wanted and not be concerned we were waiting for them. Before Jeff passed away and on our first trip to Kruger together, Connie and Lindsey helped him pick out several golf-type shirts and tee shirts with various Kruger National Park logos.

Several Cape buffalos crossing the road in Kruger National Park.

Fortunately, they were able to return everything after Jeff passed away and use the credit to purchase the gifts as a pleasant reminder of how important this trip to Africa was for him. What a thoughtful gesture!

We’ve heard from Connie several times, and they are busy planning the two memorial events for Jeff, one in South Dakota and the other in Minnesota. As a professional chef, Connie will have her staff prepare the food for the two events while she keeps a watchful eye on the quality of the food and ingredients, leaving her free to mingle with the guests.

They took their time, sensing no urgency to hurry.

Although we won’t be there with her, Jeff will remain in our hearts and minds for the magical four days we were able to spend with him. We wish it could have been longer, but as it turned out, the timing worked for Connie to acquire most of the necessary documents required from South Africa and the USA. A few documents remain, which may require the assistance of an attorney.

On another note, today is another scorcher with slightly lower temperatures but higher humidity. The dew point is slightly under tropical, making it very uncomfortable and causing us to sweat. This morning, I made a favorite low-carb hamburger (mince) casserole to get us through three dinners with leftovers to freeze for another time.

We always chuckle over the faces of the Cape buffalos. They look angry.

Tom helped, doing all the dishes, pots, pans, and hand-grating cheese, which made it much easier for me. But, I was running around the kitchen, sweating up a storm, for almost two hours getting all the ingredients put together and into the baking pans to be cooked an hour before dinner.  I prepped Tom’s rice for later cooking, and all I have left to do is make the salad, which I will do once I upload today’s post.

I awoke this morning without a headache, making this lofty cooking task much easier. Also, today, I don’t feel the pain in my face. I’ve been trying to figure out why I had the headache yesterday but haven’t had it for the last seven days. Both nights I’d slept well, and there wasn’t anything I ate or drank that varied from the previous pain-free days and nights.

Quite the hunter, the fish eagle is often seen in Kruger.

This morning, when I logged on to our site, there was a comment from one of our readers…they will be in Marloth Park next week for about a week. We hope to meet them while they are here if the timing works for all of us. It’s always such fun to meet people who’ve come here from reading our site.

So far this morning, we haven’t seen many animals in our garden, although yesterday was a busy day. It was cooler and less humid yesterday. The animals stay undercover in their favorite shady spots when the weather is uncomfortable. Norman has stopped by a few times, along with Gordy, Lollie, and a few kudus.

A vulture scoping out its next meal.

Birds have been plentiful, drinking and swimming in the birdbath, which keeps many of the animals well hydrated with its two levels. Even the mongooses drink from it. Tom refills it with fresh water, especially easy now that the water has been restored to Marloth Park after six days. We keep thanking Danie and Louise for providing us with the JoJo tank allowing us to have water, except during load shedding.

That’s it for today, folks. May you have a comfortable and yet purposeful day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 11, 2021:

Two hornbills were banging on the kitchen window, an almost daily occurrence. For more photos, please click here.

Update on the headache…Thank you all for your concern…15 kudus in the garden…

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This is the most kudus we’ve seen together in quite a while. Most of the holidaymakers are gone now that the school holiday has ended.

Gosh, our readers are wonderful. You write to us whenever something is wrong or problematic, offering thoughtful concern, suggestions, and support. It means so much to us. YOU mean so much to us. When we read about other bloggers who often read painful criticism along with toxic vitriol from ‘haters,” we feel fortunate that we don’t get any of that garbage. If someone doesn’t like what an online presence writes, they shouldn’t bother to read it.

We’re not immune to harsh words. Over the past almost ten years (in three weeks from today), we’ve had a few readers who posted hateful messages in our “comments” section at the bottom of each post. We’ve shared a few of those with you, our readers.

But some were laden with such negativism and hate, we decided to toss the messages rather than respond to them online (or offline) for all of you to see. I certainly understand the curiosity to see those toxic messages. It is natural to be curious about “good and bad.” But, I didn’t want our fine readers to feel compelled to take the time to “defend us,” which many would have done. Why waste time on naysayers?

Busy morning in the garden.

Let’s face it, we make mistakes, not only in grammar and spelling but in our lives, and we strive to learn from those mistakes that always seem to appear at some point, slapping us right in the face. But we’re living a life that takes lots of learning by trial and error. We’re not unlike children in some ways, learning from painful experiences and hopefully utilizing that new knowledge to make our lives easier and more fulfilling.

In posting on our site, I can delete any comments I feel would create a negative spin on our site. Over the past ten years, there’s only been a handful of such comments that we chose to delete rather than respond to. Tom and I always discuss the content before deciding to delete it.

This doesn’t mean we are above criticism. But if a comment or series of comments would turn our dialogue into a “back and forth” unpleasant exchange, we aren’t interested. In part, I blame myself for this. I abhor conflict and will go to any lengths to avoid it. I learned long ago that saying a genuine “I’m sorry” has a much more powerful effect than being defensive or getting caught up in a hurtful exchange.

Lots of Moms and Babies.

I suppose, in part, this is why Tom and I get along so well. I won’t fight. I prefer an honest, forthright sharing of opinions over getting engaged in words that can’t be taken back later. Tom always teases me when reminding me that it’s no fun to argue with someone who won’t participate in a furious battle….a discussion? Yes!…A battle?… No! We laugh about this.

That’s how we made it through ten months stuck in lockdown in a hotel room in Mumbai, India, in 2020. I ignored him if he got grumpy which he can do on rare occasions. Ten minutes later, he’s cheerful again. I credit him for his ability to snap out of it so quickly, which can be a daunting task for  some “hotheads.”

Also, he has an outrageous ability to be compassionate if anything is wrong with me medically. I don’t complain much, so that helps, but he is so kind and caring of me; I do not need to continually vocalize my imminent suffering, including my most recent Covid-19 headache and face pain that has lasted almost six months.

The little ones are so cute and trusting.

Well, folks, here’s the most recent scoop on that. For the past eight days, the headache has been almost completely gone since I increased the dose of amitriptyline to 35 mg., taken at night only. This drug is used in high doses for convulsions and depression., of which I have neither. But in low doses, it’s been found to help with neurological pain.

I wasn’t optimistic, when 25 mg. a night didn’t touch it. But, when doc Theo increased the dose to 35 mg. three days later, I awoke tentatively enthused that the drug worked. I still have facial pain, but since it is only in one spot, I wonder if I’m having a sinus problem from Omicron and not trigeminal neuralgia. The pain has been in the vicinity of my sinuses. I will return to Doc Theo on Friday to discuss this further. I will keep you updated.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 10, 2021:

This heartbreaking photo of a precious little duiker who encountered a porcupine, who responded by releasing quills, makes us cringe in horror. How can she possibly survive these massive injuries? (Not our photo). From this site: “Porcupines are solitary, slow-moving animals that largely keep to themselves unless threatened. The quills usually lie flat against the porcupine’s body until they encounter a threat, at which point they “puff up” and erect their quills, swinging their spiny tails until the threat either leave them alone or gets a sharp whack and a face hand, or paw full of quills.  Quills are stiff, hollow hairs with microscopic, backward-facing barbs at the tip (kind of like tiny fish hooks), so when they come into contact with flesh—human or animal—they get stuck and pull free from the porcupine’s skin.” For more photos, please click here.

It’s a scorcher today!…108F, 42C…Still no water in most of Marloth Park…Wildlife loving lucerne…

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The three warthogs, Mom and fast growing Babies made a comfy nest for themselves. They slept there for hours.

Ironically, the temperature was also outrageously high a year ago on this date. I was making two pies to bring to Kathy and Don’s house in the bush; one pumpkin and another cherry, specifically for Don as his favorite. But any baker knows rolling dough for pies on a hot and humid day will end up being a fiasco, and it certainly was, as shown in our year-ago photo below.

I wrote in that year-ago post here:

“Kathy and Don are hosting an early Thanksgiving dinner for their American friends, Rita and Gerhard, and the two of us. Kathy managed to find a small turkey in Nelspruit. Turkey isn’t often consumed in South Africa and is usually purchased only for visitors from the USA.

The last time we all had Thanksgiving dinner together was in 2018, when we lived in the Orange house. The day before the event, I made eight pumpkin pies, which I described in this post. It was a hot day, with temperatures running at 102F, 40C, and pie crust dough. See that post here.”

Mom stood up when she saw me with the camera while her two youngsters were comfortable lounging in the lucerne.

We’ve had such memorable times with our friends in Marloth Park. There’s one occasion after another that we celebrated, for whatever reason, with great food, drinks, and lively animated conversation. Rita and Gerhard are now staying in Bali at the same fantastic oceanfront property we stayed at in 2016. See the photo below and our link to one of our first days there.

We stayed at this villa in Bali in 2016. Now, Rita and Gerhard are staying at this same house and loving it as we did then. See our post from that date here.

Kathy and Don are still in Hawaii at their beautiful oceanfront property. Hopefully, sometime they will be able to return to Marloth Park when Don fully recovers from an illness. We miss them too. Tonight, we are calling them at 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs., since there is a 12-hour time difference between here and Hawaii. It will be wonderful to hear their voices once again.

It’s serendipitous how all of our lives are intertwined after living in Marloth Park for a while. We are so grateful for all of our friends. Last night, once again, we were reminded of that fact when we went to Jabula for the second night in a row. We are always so grateful for the close relationship we’ve built with owners Dawn and Leon over the past nine years. We can’t seem to get enough of that place and the two of them.

On days like this, when it is so hot and uncomfortable that I may spend part of the day in the bedroom with the curtains drawn and the fan on. I don’t use the aircon during the day if I can help it, to do our part in the overuse of electricity in Marloth Park. If everyone uses their bedroom aircon all day and night, surely, there will be an outage. Then, we’ll have no power when trying to sleep, which is considerably less tolerable than during the day.

Check out the mouthful this Big Daddy took for himself.

With the fan on, which uses much less power, it is tolerable now with the temperature outside at 101F. 39C. The temp will rise to 108F, 42C, in the afternoon. I can’t imagine sitting outside for sundowners starting at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., but I imagine we will. Tom is outdoors right now and is fine with the heat.

Our JoJo tank still provides sufficient water, while Marloth Park is still without water, but today, I had to do some laundry. I’d hope to wait until the water is restored from the dam and the pipes fill up once again, but we have so few clothes doing laundry was a must.

Spikey loved the lucerne we had delivered yesterday. We leave the huge bale outside the fence and a small batch for the smaller animals inside the fence. This was, they all get some of the fresh green hay.

As I was hanging the clothes on the portable outdoor rack, they were practically drying in my hands. There are very few wildlife visitors today since they usually stay undercover on hot days like this. Today is the last day of the school holidays, and with lower temps expected tomorrow, we should see many of our animal friends in the morning.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 9, 2021:

The cherry pie crust was thick due to the awful heat and humidity today. Hopefully, it will taste good. For more photos, please click here.

Bittersweet birthday party last evening at Jabula…Day 3 without water in Marloth Park…Headache update…

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An oxpecker working on insects on this giraffe’s hide.

Last night we attended a birthday dinner gathering for our friend Sinndee who recently lost her dear husband, and our friend, Bruce. It’s difficult to extend birthday wishes to a grieving spouse, but the small group of us made the best of it with lots of hugs, compassion, and support.

While at Jabula last night, we were delighted to see our friends Janet and Steve, who’d only arrived back in Marloth Park a few days ago. They bought a lovely couple from the UK with them. We are looking forward to seeing them soon, once they are settled. Then, Lynne and Mick, their close friends from Jersey, will arrive in November.

New friends we made, Les and Jerry, when at the Mugg & Bean in Lower Sabie, a few weeks ago. It was fun to have them visit us before their departure. They live in Alaska.

They’ll all leave before Christmas, and we’ll be gone for about ten days in November, but surely we’ll all have great social times together.

Off and on throughout the evening, we were warmly greeted by people we’ve come to know in Marloth Park, and it filled us with a strong sense of belonging. It was outrageously busy and the love and care highlighted the atmosphere to all by owners Dawn and Leon. We have built a strong friendship with the two of them and always feel so included.

A waterbuck on the shore of the Crocodile River while we were dining at Amazing Kruger View.

Many say that Jabula epitomizes the magic of the “Cheers” bar on the TV series from the 1980s…the place where everyone knows your name. There is nowhere we’ve ever been in the world with the atmosphere of this fine restaurant, bar, and lodge with exceptional food, service, and ambiance.

More lucerne was delivered this morning, and we’ve already had countless animals stop by for a nibble. Some are gluttonous and will stand there and eat for an hour or more, and others will take a few bites and wander away in no time. We love the fresh smell of the lucerne, a large bale of hay, green and moist, and a great source of nutrients for the animals, especially needed right now in this dry period with little rain.

Egyptian geese looking for food on the bank of the Crocodile River.

In months to come, we should see plenty of rain and the greening of the bush, which provides vital food for the animals. When that happens, they will still stop by for pellets since they love the ease with which they can eat, and many enjoy the interaction with humans. Humans often underestimate how adapted certain species can become when interacting with us.

Giraffes in our garden. They return often.

For us, who spend all day observing their behavior, it’s easy to see how much they enjoy being near us. It’s not entirely about food, which many claim is the case. We’ve spent the better part of our days and nights watching them, and it’s evident that they associate being in our midst with a positive emotional and physical experience. How ridiculous for us humans to think all animals only care about is food.

We are always excited to see giraffes stop by.

We never grocery shopped in Komatipoort this week, fearful of food spoiling due to load shedding. However, it appears Eskom has suspended load shedding for the next several days. The only reason we can think of why they stopped load shedding is the upcoming scorching weather tomorrow, predicted to be 107F, 42C, and the potential backlash from the public when there could be 7½ to 8 hours a day without power to run the aircon. This type of heat is dangerous for many without the aircon working due to power outagges.

Norman and his son Noah enjoying this morning’s lucerne delivery.

South Africans are fed up with power outages. And, can you imagine tourists coming to South Africa to see wildlife only to discover there is no power and, like the past three days, no water here in Marloth Park? People spend hard-earned money to afford to get here, only to live without power and water. For four of the next six days, the temps will be over 100F, 38C, the projected hottest tomorrow.

We’re staying in today but decided to return to Jabula again tonight. Eating out a few extra days is ideal with only a little meat on hand. It’s hard to get excited about spending time in the kitchen on such hot weather days.

Be well.

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

Yesterday afternoon, when this warthog stopped by, we were hopeful that it was Tiny. After carefully examining the photo of Tiny shown below, we were sure he was not Tiny. For more photos, please click here.
This is a photo of Tiny we posted on February 21, 2021. The differences between him and the pig we saw yesterday are distinct.  Note the eye bags, the size, and shape of the facial and temple warts, and of course, the size and shape of the tusks. For more photos, please click here.

Yesterday’s memorial service…

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This is Derek, the duiker who is a mate to Delilah. He is timid and won’t jump the fence to the nearby garden, although Delilah doesn’t hesitate to come over.

Yesterday morning, we left the house at 10:50 to arrive on time for the memorial service for our friend Bruce Barnes who passed away last week, only six days after our friend and houseguest Jeff passed away at our holiday home on his “dream visit to Africa to see the wildlife. We were shaken by losing two friends in such a short period.

Bruce and his dear wife Sinndee were long-time residents and homeowners in Marloth Park. Bruce owned a thriving electrical business serving the needs of Marloth Park and surrounding area residents. He was only 58 years old and sadly passed from the horrible COPD, which had taken the lives of other dear friends in the past 11 or 12 years.

We met Sinndee and Bruce at Jabula many moons ago and started an easy and delightful friendship with them. We spent last Christmas Day at their home with their family, Dawn, Leon, and a few other friends. It was a day we’ll never forget. We were grateful for the opportunity to spend Christmas at their home and to feel so included.

Zebra visitors this morning.

The Sunday before our friends Connie, Jeff, and Lindsey arrived, we visited Bruce at their home, and it was apparent he was struggling to breathe. It was heartbreaking to see him struggling, but he and Sinndee had a good attitude and continued to make plans incorporating the oxygen equipment they’d have to take with them whenever they’d leave the house.

But, when we left their home a few hours after we arrived, we didn’t feel optimistic about Bruce being able to travel. And then, only a few weeks later, Sinndee found him at home when she returned from work. He had given up the flight and succumbed to this dreadful disease while she was at work. We are heartbroken for her and her family.

A local pastor conducted the memorial service. It was beautifully presented with about 40 family members and friends in attendance at the outdoor braai at Jabula, which easily had ample room for everyone. Dawn, Leon, David, and their staff provided excellent service for beverages and casual lunch-type delicious food. I didn’t eat anything since most of it was sandwiches and fried foods, but I had breakfast before we left the house, so it didn’t phase me not to eat.

A mom and a growing youngster eating pellets.

When the memorial ended and guests started wandering off, we headed to Daisy’s Den to purchase two more bales of lucerne to be delivered next week on Saturday and Wednesday. Tom had to use the squirt gun to chase off the four zebras who were about to wipe it out if we didn’t intervene. They left enough lucerne for other animals who will stop to eat the next few days.

After Daisy’s Den, we dropped off the keys to Louise and Danie’s place for the two guest houses on our property, where our guests stayed for two weeks. Before we knew it, after lively conversation ensued, we were sitting at the table on their veranda, having sundowners (it was 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., by then), enjoying every moment with the two of them and the same visitors coming into their garden as do ours, which is only five houses away.

I must admit I was a little envious to see their francolin family who visited us last week but always returns to their home. It was a Frank and The Misses and one adorable fast-growing chick. Their other five chicks had been eaten by the genet that often visits at night, perhaps the same genet we get here. The parents were keeping a watchful eye on their remaining chick. It was interesting to watch their behavior. We do miss having Franks at our house.

Zebras often drink from the pool: Lollie, photobombing.

By 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., we were back at our house with plenty of time to make dinner and enjoy a restful evening at our holiday home.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 5, 2021:

Stringy, who arrived months ago with vines hanging from his horns, has become quite a regular, even responding to his name. Now he visits this house, almost two kilometers away from the last. For more photos, please click here.

Where are we going in 2023?…Planning for the future…More of Tom’s great photos…

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“The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon-colored bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved bill. Its call is a soft “oop-oop-oop.” It is native to Europe, Asia, and the northern half of Africa. It is migratory in the northern part of its range. It spends most of the time on the ground probing for grubs and insects. The clutch of seven to eight eggs is laid in an existing cavity. The eggs are incubated by the female and hatch asynchronously. Some ornithologists treat the African and Madagascar hoopoes as subspecies of the Eurasian hoopoe.”

We will leave Marloth Park in approximately eight months and may be gone for a year. We’ve decided we need to pick up the pace and visit those locations we’ve had on our minds for a long time. It’s been easy to settle into an easy routine in this blissful environment, this land of wonder, wildlife, and ever-expanding friendships.

Plus, the low cost of living for us in this country can’t be matched anywhere we’ve visited in the past ten years of world travel. (Yes, this is our tenth anniversary month which we’ll celebrate. We left Minnesota to travel the world on October 31, 2012).

Once again, Tom took some fantastic photos of this Eurasian hoopoe.

Of course, we’re considering what we’ll write about on that special day, four weeks from today. Instead of repeating places we’ve been in the past years, which we’ve mentioned repeatedly, we’ve decided to post a new itinerary and the most significant highlight of each of the ten years with photos, if available.

We are building the itinerary, something we haven’t done in a long time. So much has changed due to the pandemic, which has prevented us from booking venues beyond a few months in front of us, except for a few cruises, some of which have been canceled over the past two years.

Tom was excited to take photos of the woophoe.

At this point, engaged in research, we’ll avoid mentioning where we’ll be going until we are able to pin down some venues, pricing, and dates. By the end of this month, we’ll have an idea of what will work for us. As always, the cost of these preferred locations is a significant factor.

We lost a lot of money on bookings during the pandemic, and we don’t want to risk that happening again. Also, after paying entirely out-of-pocket for my heart surgery and subsequent surgeries in 2019, we’ve had to tighten our belts and be very selective about what we choose to book.

Several Big Daddies have been eating the leaves from this bright green tree in our garden.

Plus, we must renew our passports since most countries require a passport with at least six months left until it expires. We’ll have to start this process soon to be able to go on a few of our upcoming cruises in 2023. We’ll start that process soon. Since we began traveling in 2012, we’ve used up our ten-year passport, a two-year passport, and a four-year passport. We’ll explain why we had so many US passports in tomorrow’s post. Please check back for that information tomorrow.

It’s been a long time since we allowed ourselves to become engrossed in travel planning, other than going on those trips to obtain a new visa stamp for South Africa. As much as we’re enjoying our time in this country, we realize it’s time we can think about the future and fulfill some of our objectives to visit unique locations that have always been on our minds.

A female kudu was eating a potato we’d tossed into the garden. We had potatoes left from our recent friend’s visit. Many antelopes dig for roots and thus enjoy eating most root vegetables.

With the school holiday in full force right now with many holidaymakers in Marloth Park, we plan to stay put most of the week, except for a memorial service for our friend Bruce tomorrow at 11:00 am at Jabula, whom we visited a few weeks ago, before Connie, Jeff and Lindsey arrived, when sadly, Jeff passed away at our home. Bruce was suffering from COPD, a life-ending pulmonary disease.

It’s hard to digest that yet another dear friend has passed away in a mere ten days. We offer our love and prayers for the loved ones left behind in their time of great sorrow and sadness.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 3, 2021:

Multiple species in the garden. For more photos, please click here.

Was lucerne a hit on a holiday weekend?…Funny photo of appreciative animal…

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Last night’s photo, taken in the dark from a distance, of Bad Ear resting in the remaining pile of lucerne. Later, his eyes were closed, and he was asleep.

Yesterday morning, after the bale of lucerne was delivered, we didn’t see any wildlife for quite a while. Finally, they started drifting in, one by one; wildebeests, Earl and Bad Ear (who ate the most); warthogs, Busybody, Lollie, Rueben, and pesky Trouble; bushbuck Marigold, Tulip, and Lilac, and a variety of impala, all of whom we call Chevy (there’s too many of them to name).

Last night, some activity was around the bale, but wildebeest Bad Ear laid right on top of it, as shown in today’s main photo. We couldn’t stop laughing after he claimed the entire balance of the lucerne. We took the main photo, and the trail cam picked up the other.

Two young kudus were nursing by one mom. It’s rare for kudus to have twins.

Today is a cooler day, and it feels especially good to be outdoors on a cloudy day. Load shedding ended this morning at 9:00 am, so I took my time getting up. With the increased dose of the medication for my headache starting two days ago, which makes me sleepy day and night, I somehow managed to sleep through the night and was still groggy when I started moving around.

The pain from the Covid-19 headache I’ve had since April tends to come and go right now instead of being constant. Doc Theo ordered a new prescription for me for 35 mg as opposed to the 25 mg I had been taking for two weeks when I reported the headache was still there. But, every few days, I experience relief for several hours, during which I hope it won’t return.

A giraffe visited our garden this morning.

Alas, several hours later, it returns. I can’t pinpoint what causes it to return. It’s not as if I am doing anything to precipitate it. This morning, after that long sleep, I awoke with it, but now a few hours later, I am pain-free for who-know-how-long? When it’s gone, I find myself having a little more energy and using the time to complete tasks around the house. I can’t wait for it to be gone.

Four Big Daddy kudus just arrived and are enjoying the remnants of the lucerne. Also, we had some potatoes left from our friend’s visit, and they are finishing those off. Vegetables are a safe food for the wildlife since many frequently dig up roots for sustenance when the trees are bare during these dry months.

Bad Ear was still sleeping on the lucerne this morning.

We’re staying in today, enjoying quiet time in the bush when fewer vehicles are driving on our dirt road. Many holidaymakers go to Kruger National Park on the weekends. During busy times, they must make an appointment to enter the park. We don’t care to go when an appointment is required.

If that many visitors are in the park, too many vehicles are gathered near a sighting, often too many for us to even take a single photo. We will return when this current holiday period ends in a week. Nor do we care to drive to Two Trees to search for wildlife on the river. We couldn’t find a place to park the last time we headed that way.

When Bad Ear left, Norman stopped by the lucerne this morning.

Sometimes, we worry that the magic of this special place will fade away as more and more houses are built. As more ground surface is covered by homes, driveways, and fenced gardens, there is less and less natural habitat for the wildlife to eat. We see this fact when we drive around and see so many houses being built. In time, the animals could be gone, mainly from dying of starvation. It’s an awful thought.

Many say that regular culling is a solution. But doesn’t that defeat this magical place’s entire value and purpose? There’s no easy answer. There are many sides to this perplexing situation, all valid to one degree or another.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 2, 2021:

No photo was posted one year ago today.