Happy 4th of July to all of our US family, friends and readers….Oops!…Did load shedding cause our refrigerator to die?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Three different breeds of antelope in the garden today…nyala (dad) Norman, kudu Big Daddy Thick Neck, and bushbuck Lilly. What a joy to see them all together! 

We send our warmest wishes to all our family and friends in the USA on this special day of celebration of Independence Day. Use extra care when handling fireworks, cooking on the grill, and building bonfires. Also, be safe driving to visit family and friends on the highways and lakes when boating. We’ll never forget this special day with those we love and all the festivities we enjoyed together.

Life is different now and today is like any other day. Well, except for a few things. This morning, when we were digging through the kitchen’s freezer section of the big side-by-side refrigerator, we noticed blueberry juice spilling from the drawer where we keep Tom’s blueberry muffins frozen. He takes out two each evening with his coffee in the morning.

Nyala Nina and her son Noah jumped the fence to visit us today.

Why were the muffins defrosting in the freezer? Also, for the past few weeks, we noticed water on the floor in front of the refrigerator each morning. We attributed it to load shedding…on and off…on and off…power to the fridge three or four times a day.

I contacted Louise, and she suggested we empty everything in the refrigerator and the freezer and put it all in the extra refrigerator on the veranda. She told us we could ask Vusi to move it all when he arrived. Of course, it was packed. She then said to turn it off and back on in 24 hours to see if it would work properly. From experience with load shedding, Louise stated, it might reset and be OK. The load shedding could quickly be causing the “fault.”

Nyala’s dad Norman was drinking from the pool after eating pellets. Note his fluffed-up hair, due to the presence of a Big Daddy nearby. See more below.

Realizing that if the refrigerator didn’t come back on after the 24-hour pause, it could require repair, we felt it made more sense if we moved the food, placing everything where we wanted it to go into the smaller fridge on the veranda. Plus, we also have a chest freezer to store frozen items.

Most frozen food in the freezer was frozen, including mince (ground beef), steaks, and chops. But on the bottom shelf, two packages of chicken breasts were very cold; they still had ice on them but were not frozen. We needed to cook them right away. The ice cubes in bags were still totally frozen.

Norman fluffed up his hair all the more, knowing a Big Daddy was nearby.

Immediately, I lined two large baking pans with tin foil, seasoned the chicken, and immediately got it into the oven. In the next few hours, I boiled eggs, chopped celery, and onions, diced the chicken when it was done and cooled, and seasoned the entire batch using a homemade sour cream dressing I made while the chicken was cooking.

Also, I made a fresh batch of coleslaw to go with the chicken salad. We filled two good-sized containers with the chicken salad, which we’ll have for dinner for the next few nights with the coleslaw, rice, and veggies. It’s nice to know we have dinner made for a few nights after all that work.

We both got busy in the kitchen, moving all the food, utilizing the outdoor refrigerator and freezer, and cleaning. We must have run back and forth a hundred times between the two of us. We were very organized, consolidating, and organizing. As usual, neither of us complained and stayed cheerful during the entire process, which took a few hours.

Norman really fluffed himself up including his tail to let the Big Daddy know he was well aware of his presence,

We figured if we moved everything, we’d ask Vusi to clean the walls of the problematic fridge while Tom washed all the shelves and drawers. By the time Vusi arrived, we were ready for him to do his part.  Tom stayed busy in the kitchen washing all the pots, pans, and containers.

It’s still school holidays in South Africa, and the park is filled with tourists. However, there’s still plenty of wildlife stopping by to see us. The nyala family, consisting of Norman (dad), Nina (mom), and teenager Noah (their son), have started visiting us two or three times a day. It’s delightful to see how this family stays together with both parents, which is not always the case with the antelopes or other wildlife.

It’s another gorgeous day today with perfect sunny weather, no wind, and minimal humidity. Gosh, I love winter in the bush! After our busy morning and the number of tourists in the park, we’ll stay put and enjoy another blissful day with our wildlife friends who come and go throughout the day and evening.

Have a fantastic 4th, people in the US, and may everyone else enjoy their Monday, wherever they may be.

Photo from one year ago today, July 4, 2021:

Little, please be there when we return at the end of the month! He was. But he’s yet to find us at the new house, which is two km from the old house. For more photos, please click here.

Figuring out credits from canceled cruises…How much was Tom’s dental surgery today?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Wildebeests, zebras and warthogs in the garden.

I won’t get into all the convoluted particulars regarding the confusion on when and how we’ll get refunds and credits for canceled cruises we’ve booked in the past few years during the pandemic. Most travelers book one cruise, and it’s nowhere near as confusing as to when we’ve booked seven or eight, many of which have canceled after collecting our final payments.

Hmmm…I wonder why they don’t cancel them before we make the final payment. Are the cruise lines in such a dire financial situation that they need the “float” of our money for three or four months until they get on their feet? That’s a harsh reality and frustration for world travelers like us, who book several cruises over a year or two.

That’s wildebeest Bad Ear looking at me.

In almost ten years of world travel, we’ve sailed on 27 cruises, few of which we ever canceled. If there were cancellations, there were precipitated by the cruise line for one reason or another. In our case, we may have moved several bookings to future dates before the final payments were due to satisfy the needs of our upcoming itinerary. Still, none of these incurred any penalties or refunds.

With the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, we’re seeing some of the cruises we booked making changes we didn’t request, and now we’re struggling to get our money back consistently and seamlessly. Often, a small amount appears as a credit on a credit card we used to pay for a cruise. We never know which one it is without calling Costco, being on hold for an hour, and often holding on the line for another 45 minutes while Costco Travel calls the cruise line to get it figured out.

Tom was checking out Bad Ear after he jumped the fence to get closer to us.

We don’t blame Costco Travel. The long hold is the only issue we have with them. But, the perks they offer as an incentive to their customers are well worth the inconvenience of continuing to work with them. The refund issues are not their doing. That’s entirely up to the cruise line.

When we think about how much money we’ve lost due to the pandemic, it’s in the thousands. This was no one’s fault. It was the nature of the dreadful virus, and many lost money on travel-related expenditures, wages, and business revenue. When we were in the US, we couldn’t believe how many small and medium-sized businesses have failed due to these tough economic times.

Bossy often jumps the fence to remind us she is here.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on most of us in one way or another. Now, we are all faced with rising fuel prices, let alone the cost of living in most areas worldwide.

At this point, we have a few airlines holding credits for us that won’t provide us with a refund. We have no idea if and when we’ll ever be able to use those credits. All of these losses certainly have impacted our budget, and we’ll proceed cautiously to ensure we remain vigilant and maintain control of our expenses.

In the interim, we’re happy to be in South Africa, where the cost of living is considerably less overall than in many countries. Tom just spent an hour in the dentist’s chair having dental surgery for his implants and the total bill for that hour was ZAR 1266, US $79.78, as shown in the statement below.

Tom’s dental surgery bill for today was ZAR 1266, US $79.78.

After the appointment, he headed to the pharmacy for three medications due to the surgery, including antibiotics, non-narcotic painkillers, and probiotics, which are always prescribed with antibiotics in South Africa. The total pharmacy bill was ZAR 424.05, US $26.71, as shown in another photo below. Where would we pay so little for this amount of service and products? Nowhere that we know.

Tom’s pharmacy bill, ZAR 424.05, US $26.71.

As “they” say,…it all comes out in the wash. We’ll continue to stay on top of the credits we’re due for the cruises via more phone calls and diligence, ensuring everything is accurate.

Have a delightful weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, June 24, 2021:

A red-backed shrike was sitting atop Rita’s hat while we were at Two Trees. For more photos, please click here.

It’s the first day of winter…The winter solstice…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
My favorite kudu, Bossy, from the old house.

Here are a few tidbits of information about the winter solstice in South Africa:

“When it is the winter solstice on 21 June in South Africa over what line of latitude is the sun directly overhead?
The Tropic of Capricorn
The sun’s rays are directly overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn (the latitude line at 23.5° south, passing through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) on December 21.
Kudu family.
Which Month Has The Shortest Days In South Africa? On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Cape Town will witness the solstice (the winter solstice). In comparison to the December solstice, here is a 4-hour and 32-minute shorter day of the year. The shortest day is on this date in locations south of the equator.”

It’s odd for us Northern Hemisphere people to wrap our brains around the fact that the winter solstice begins today, June 21st. Of the past ten years of world travel, we’ve spent five of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, experiencing this peculiar sensation of winter beginning in June.

When Bad Ear walks along the dirt road, as soon as I call him, he makes a sharp turn and comes to visit. It only took him a few days to learn the sound of my voice and his name.

I suppose it’s all about what one is used to for most of their life. But, after all these years, it’s not unusual for us to experience the beginning of winter in June. But, the fact that winter begins in June in South Africa doesn’t mean that we are free for an extended period of the hot summer months when winter is short. In a matter of only three or four months, the temperatures will climb, and it will become hot again, and the insects, including mosquitoes, will be back among us.

However, we will savor each day of comfortable weather over the next three or four months. I will still need to wear repellent as I am right now, to deter the stings from chiggers, sand fleas, and pepper ticks. It’s not unheard of to see a few mosquitos this time of year.

Impalas and Lollie.

When we lived in Minnesota, the summer was short. It didn’t warm up much until May or June; by August and September, we could feel the temperatures dropping as we’d rolled into fall. Often, by November, we had snow.

This morning is a little warmer than the past few mornings. We kicked off the extra covers when the bedroom warmed up at night. This morning, for the first time in weeks, we’re outdoors on the veranda without additional layers. Both of us are wearing shirts without long sleeves. It’s a beautiful day in the bush.

Big Daddies and impalas.

Soon, we head to Komatipoort to get our teeth cleaned at Komati Dental, next door to Dr. Theo’s office. While here, we’ll often have a cleaning every three months. The cost of the cleaning is 75% less than in the US, typical for most medical services. No dental insurance is needed here.

In a few days, we’ll book the appointment for Tom for the final step in his dental implants after having two teeth pulled about six months ago. He’ll be relieved to have this done since the gaping hole is obvious whenever he smiles. He’ll return to Dr. Singh, the dental surgeon in Malalane, about a 35-minute drive from here, who initially pulled the teeth and placed the foundation for the implants.

This is a good-sized hadada bird that’s been hanging around the garden.

After our teeth cleanings, we’ll stop at the pharmacy and Spar to pick up a few items. This way, we won’t have to shop again until next week. We have taco meat left over from last night, so tonight, we’ll have one of our favorite dinners, homemade taco salad. We don’t use the carb-laden shell. We load up diced tomatoes, sliced green olives, chopped purple onion, hand-grated cheddar cheese, seasoned meat, and lettuce into big bowls. I add sour cream and sliced avocados to my salad.

I make the spice mix for the meat from scratch, which doesn’t have added chemicals, starch, and wheat found in store-bought taco seasoning mix, which, surprisingly, they sell here. Spar Market has a small supply of ingredients for various ethnic recipes. The spices are plentiful, so I have no problem making the seasonings. If you’d like the recipe for the spice mix, please comment, and I will post it.

Time to walk again before we head out. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, June 21, 2021:

For the first time, gray louries pecked at Frank’s seeds. For more photos, please click here.

It was a lovely Father’s Day in the bush…The animals are already back!!!…Check out today’s new video, taken moments ago!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

This morning, they returned from the busy holiday weekend.  The animals, I mean. As I type this, there is a forkl of kudus, two Medium Daddies whose horns are halfway to full-grown, three moms, and three babies, one of which can’t be more than a few weeks old.

Also, a herd of impalas joined in on the excitement, and in moments, we had 20 or more animals in the garden, inspiring me to make the above video. It’s such fun for us to see so many wildlife in the garden. We never tire of greeting the latest to arrive.

Lollie is munching on pellets with them. The animals have become used to her being a permanent fixture in our garden, allowing her to “dine” with them. She’s a little bossy also, never failing to let the other visitors know, “this is my house!” It’s hilarious that she is here almost all day and night.

Last evening, during sundowner time, the mongooses arrived, cackling, running like crazy, ensuring we knew they were here. The band of about 50 crazy little critters piled atop one another in the side garden, waiting patiently while I cut the paloney (a large baloney type roll we buy at Spar) into bite-sized pieces, ensuring enough for all of them.

We had a pleasant Father’s Day!. No, we didn’t do much since the park was packed with tourists, and we didn’t want to deal with the Crocodile River crowds. or the groups on the bumpy dirt roads, but today, it’s quiet again since most of them had left. The school holidays will begin in a few weeks, and it will be busy, maybe for the entire three weeks.

Something has been on my mind about our posts the past few days. We’ve mentioned this in the past and will repeat it here today. Sometimes, nothing is going on to write about. After almost ten years of living in other people’s houses, visiting all seven continents, countless countries, cities, towns and villages, and hotels, we sometimes like doing nothing.

That’s not to say we don’t have many exciting plans. But, without a doubt, the pandemic has significantly impacted us. Thousands of flights were canceled worldwide last week. Cruises are being canceled right and left. Prices for transportation, including airfare, rental cars, taxis, and Uber, have skyrocketed. Even the cost of living in Africa has

Some world travelers are on the move right now, certainly more frequently than we have been in the past few months. But considering how much we did in the two months we were away from Marloth Park, we feel a break is in order.  Also, we consider  the time spent in booking the following, which also contributes to our desire to stay put for a while:

  • Flights: 4 trips, 9 flights
  • Cruise: 1 (plus canceled 1 cruise due to contracting Covid-19 on the first cruise)
  • Transatlantic crossings: 4
  • Hotels (plus one period staying with friends): 6
  • Long distance driver, taxi, Ube, limo: 5
  • Rental cars: 4

In two months from today, we’ll be on the move again as we make our way to Zambia and then on to Botswana where we’ll stay for a week with many bookings required for that trip.

But, in between times, especially considering all the problems still encountered due to the pandemic, and the difficulty we encountered in those two months, we don’t hesitate to take advantage of this quieter time. As a result, sometimes, we have little to share.

We think about how dull it would be if we lived in a country without the constant stream of wildlife at our door, after we’d done a fair share of sightseeing and taking photos, as we’ve done in many countries worldwide. Right now, we are happiest here.

Also, we don’t forget that in five months, we’ll be off on another six-plus week adventure while we cruise for 42 nights from Athens to Cape Town. We won’t be short of any photos to share and stories to tell. So, in the interim, please bear with us with our mundane stories and lack of exciting new photos. Yesterday, we posted a recipe. Who knows what we’ll post tomorrow other than photos of wildlife and the nuances of our daily lives?

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 20, 2021:

We had set Frank’s seeds on the table to keep the warthogs and bushbucks from coming onto the veranda to eat them. Suddenly four hornbills decided to dig in. For more photos, please click here.

Quiet in the bush…Longevity…how do we attain it?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Beautiful female bushbuck jumped the fence to enter the garden close to the house.

It’s cool. It’s quiet. Every half hour I get up from my seat on the veranda and walk, walk, walk. It’s boring and tedious but I know I must do it, for my heart, to extend my life, to stay fit and agile to enable us to continue traveling the world.

Fast approaching 75 years old, I wonder how much control I actually have over extending my life considering the precarious cardiovascular disease I possess, acquired from heredity, certainly not my lifestyle. From the time I was 16 years old, having seen family members die from heart disease and diabetes, I went on a rampage of exercising and eating a healthy diet. And yet, it didn’t save me from developing cardiovascular disease. But it may have kept me alive.

This is our favorite new warthog, Lollie, since her tusks are lopsided. She spends most of her days and nights in our garden. She already knows her name and comes when we call her.

However, like all of us,  we have stress in our day-to-day lives, and as a single mom, breadwinner, and business owner, I had my share. There was no escaping it. Now, I have little stress, living this blissful life, barring a few obstacles along the way.

If happiness results in a long life of good health, we should live until well into our 100s. I have this cardiovascular situation, but I know many who’ve had the surgery and have gone on to live long and full lives. I hang onto that hope, trying not to spend any  time thinking about having a heart attack, stroke or even another surgery. The worry alone could result in enough stress to impact the outcome. I choose not to go down that road.

Yet to be named baby bushbuck.

But, even with perfect health at 75, one’s days might be numbered. For me, it’s not about fear. It’s about passion for continuing to live this beautiful life with my loving partner, husband, and friend. I couldn’t ask for more. Nor could I ask for more meaning and purpose in our day-to-day lives.

Unabashedly, I admit that writing here daily is highly instrumental in enhancing the quality of our lives. Why is this the case? For many reasons, some are hard to explain. In part, it’s the magical process of seeing our lives in print each day. Who does that? We whine, cajole, praise, and critique everything we encounter along the way. This is therapeutic in a manner that is difficult to explain. It reduces stress once we have an opportunity to write it down.

Mom and baby bushbuck and perhaps an auntie or older sibling.

Often psychologists and therapists suggest patients write down their feelings and experiences. Could the benefit of this often prescribed undertaking have an impact on our lives as well? Being vulnerable and documenting our flaws and foibles provides a sense of reality that makes us look hard at ourselves and how we can improve as individuals and as a couple.

The profound sense of inclusion and support is a natural by-product of our daily postings. When I wrote about the chigger bites, countless readers wrote with suggestions. In one’s life, do they have such a pool of opinions from which to glean information? For us, it’s only a click away.

Kudus eating pellets in the garden.

We have a lot to learn. That will never change. But, learning in the senior years has been proven to add to longevity, mental acuity, and good health. Our lives are abundant in learning. Every single day we research information about our surroundings wherever we may be in the world.

You’d think after so much time in Africa; we’d fulfilled our desires for knowledge about this continent, its people, its cultures, and its wildlife. We haven’t experienced or learned more than a grain of sand on 100 miles of beach compared to what we could know after spending decades on the continent.

A young female kudu checks us out.

The secrets to longevity from the medical community are fraught with conflicting opinions, studies, confusion, and uncertainty. Eat this, eat that. Drink this, drink that. Red wine is good; red wine is bad. Oh, good grief. We are left to our knowledge and perceptions on what will benefit us in the long haul. And once we’re gone…well, we’ll have no perception then.

So, what do we do? For us, we consider our genetics and proceed from there. We implement that which makes us “feel well” and healthy. But, in reality, it may be as simple as “when your number is up, your number is up.” Perhaps it boils down to the quality of life. What does it take to make us feel good, living one day at a time? What does it take to feel content, fulfilled, and ultimately happy? Do that, not something else.

Be well. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, June 18, 2021:

Tiny and Bossy were waiting for treats. For more photos, please click here.

Fun and very late night in the bush…Zebras!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Note the cute marking on this zebra’s left upper leg, a perfectly formed polka dot.

Today, I had planned to write about wildlife being killed on the road by speeding visitors and residents. But, when I saw the photos of the kudu that had to be shot when its legs were broken from being hit by a speeding car on Olifant Road, I decided not to post them. It’s heartbreaking.

As the season moves into school holiday time with more and more tourists visiting Marloth Park, this issue becomes more and more worrisome. Every weekend several animals are killed. This is terrifying for those who treasure every being in the park that we are blessed to enjoy. These poor animals deserve to live out their lives free from harm by humans.

This is the same zebra, as shown above, that has the polka dot marking on its upper left leg. How cute is that!

We know many of our readers are visiting our site who live in South Africa and many other countries whose citizens come here to experience the joys of living in the bush, even if it’s for only a few days. Please, tourists, consider the lives of these fantastic creatures and come here with the intent of sharing in their beauty and majesty by driving slowly on all of the roads, including Olifant Road, the paved road, and all the dirt roads.

Last night, friends Alan and Fiona came for sundowners at 4:30 pm, 1630 hrs., and stayed until after 1:30 am. By the time we cleaned up and got to bed, we didn’t drift off until after 2:30 am. Fortunately, we both slept until 8:30 am and feel pretty good today. Six hours of sleep isn’t enough, so that a short nap might be on the agenda this afternoon. Twenty minutes is all it takes to make us feel refreshed.

This zebra was being pushy with me about tossing more pellets. I complied. I can’t help myself!

In any case, we had a great time catching up with our dear friends. We hadn’t seen them in seven months since they left here to go to the Durban area and several timeshare properties in other regions of South Africa. It was great to see them again. They will be leaving again in September, but surely we’ll see them many more times over the winter.

The food, the wine, and the lively conversation flowed easily, as it always does with our bush friends, some from here and others from different parts of the world. The commonality we share of our love and fascination with wildlife and the unique lifestyle of living in the bush brings us all together in a magical way, unlike anything we’ve observed anywhere else in the world.

Undoubtedly, that fact is highly instrumental in our desire to return here, over and over again. As we always say, over and over again, life in the bush is magical based on its people and wildlife, a perfect combination for joy and adventure. It’s never dull. No, it’s not always an adventure, but invariably something comes up that grabs our attention and interest.

The zebras walked around the garden to drink from the pool.

Louise and Danie stopped by this morning. We’ve been having some trouble with the inverter, which provides us with an opportunity to use a lamp and fan in the bedroom during power outages. But, more importantly, during outages and load shedding, we can use WiFi since the inverter provides power to the router.

This way, when the power is out, we can still stream shows on our streaming services, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Otherwise, it can be dull at night in the dark without power. We can’t see any animals stopping by; the only distraction would be dumb offline games on our phones. Plus, after a while, the phones go dead.

With the inverter, we can charge our devices, stream shows and be in the bedroom with one lamp working. Running a fan at night is the difference between sleeping and staying awake in the heat when it’s hot in the summer.

Tomorrow, Danie will return and resolve the inverter issue, and we can continue to have peace of mind. For the past two weeks, there hasn’t been any load shedding, but surely, it will start up again soon, which is always the case.

Today, we’ll dine in, cooking two rib-eye steaks on the braai, rice for Tom, steamed green beans, and salad. It’s an effortless dinner on a lazy day.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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

Little and some friends. For more photos, please click here.

Sunday in the bush…An easy day…An easy life…Staying engaged in life…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Late yesterday afternoon, this baby bushbuck found a comfortable spot inside the fence and rested in this spot for a few hours. Could she be any cuter?

Did it take two months of being away to realize how much we treasure this easy life in Marloth Park? No doubt, we appreciated being here in the past. But, after all the challenges we encountered during those two months, we are in a different head space right now.

Over the past few days, as we’ve begun feeling better at almost 100% of our old selves, it’s been all the more relevant for us to be ultra-aware of our surroundings, especially how few requirements there are of us to enjoy daily life. Other than the daily tasks of cooking, tidying up, doing dishes, and laundry, so little is required of us. We pay our bills once a month, do taxes once a year, and keep our posts updated daily.

Jumping over the fence to eat the vegetation on the other side.

Taking photos for the posts doesn’t feel like a chore, nor does preparing the post incorporating those photos therein. If we didn’t do the posts, we’d still take pictures. But, like many tourists, what do you do with all those photos? Have a slideshows for guests when they visit? You know how unenthused guests are to that prospect. See your vacation photos? Nah, not interested.

That’s not to say that everyone in our old lives is interested in our travel photos or posts. Some of our family members read our posts, but many do not, and at any given time, other than our kids, may not have a clue where we are and what we’re doing. We get that.

Fluffed up female bushbuck.

We may read a blog or website by other travelers from time to time. But, we stop in for a quick view and skip through the majority of the content. We are always amazed by how our readers continue to read our posts, day after day, year after year. We’re sure that many of you read like we do, skipping over content to glean a morsel of information that piques our interest.

What do we do all day after we’re done with the post and the day is still young? We don’t watch TV, go to Home Depot or make repairs around the house. We don’t work in the garden, sweep the driveway, paint a wall, or pick up our dog’s poop in the grass. We don’t walk dogs. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in Marloth Park.

Two bushbucks and two duikers.

But, pets aren’t befitting our lifestyle. We have all the “animal joy” we could want with all the wildlife visiting us all day. And even when the wildlife is sparse on some weekends, we still revel in the sights and sounds of the bush and, of course, the constant anticipation of who might suddenly appear.

This is Bad Ear. He stops by each day.

Funnily, it’s like fishing. It may be quiet for a while, but the anticipation of a nibble on the hook keeps an avid fisherperson engaged for hours. That’s us. We never get bored. So how do we fill our time?

As always, we’re outdoors on the veranda. There are a half dozen kudus in the garden which backs up to parkland. A gentle breeze is wafting through the trees, adding another layer of sound typical for the bush. The sun is shining. The temperature is mild with low humidity. It’s a perfect day. What more could we ask for? Nothing.

Yep, that’s Bossy. She’s found her way to us once again.

Besides our favorite Garage Logic, we listen to podcasts on topics that appeal to us. After dinner, we stream shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu at night. Occasionally, we add another streaming service to one of these apps when there’s a particular show we’d like to see. It’s a simple life.

Be well.

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

A little altercation between Medium Daddy and warthogs. For more photos, please click here.

Oh, what a night!…The social life begins…Pig on the porch!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Wouldn’t you know? A pig on the porch. It’s quite a hike to get up onto the raised veranda but leave it to a determined warthog to figure it out.

The social life has begun. Last minute, Louise and Danie stopped by for sundowners on Thursday evening. I put together a little cheese board and the conversation, as always, was lively and animated. We had a lot of catching up to do.

Last night, we commenced our usual Friday night tradition, hanging out at the bar at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant to later order dinner. Based on how cold it is outdoors at night, we dine indoors at the bar. Often Dawn and Leon dine with us. As more and more guests join the “party,” the decibel level increases along with the pop music in the background. It couldn’t be more fun.

Last night, we met a delightful couple from Nelspruit whose upbeat and playful attitude only added to the evening’s festivities. By 8:00 pm, we were both ready to return to our bush home, especially since we hadn’t socialized in so long due to our recent illnesses.

We couldn’t stop laughing over Mom (of Mom and Babies) foray onto the veranda.

Feeling much better, I drank a few glasses of my light red wine, Skinny Red, by Four Cousins, a South African winery, and Tom sipped on a few brandies and Sprite Zero. Ironically, last night I slept better than I had in the past six weeks. When I awoke this morning, my phone’s battery was still at 93%, indicating how little time I spent playing Scrabble with strangers during the night. Tom also slept well, and we both feel great today.

We feel confident we can start planning more social events, including heading out with our portable chairs to watch wildlife on the shores of the Crocodile River, often an environment for meeting new people and commiserating over the wonders along the river.

Today, we’re staying in, making a lovely dinner, doing some laundry, and observing the wonders in the bush on the veranda. With plans set for what we’ll do for our next visa stamp, we can relax and enjoy ourselves at long last, feeling well and like our “old” selves. We appreciate feeling well more than we can say.

She scoured the area, but we didn’t put pellets there, instead of placing them on the ground outside the little fenced area.

Wildlife visits aren’t as plentiful right now over the weekend since the park is busy with lots of tourists. Either the animals are busy with the newcomers or hiding from the added commotion. One can never know for sure. We often assume they are being fed food not suitable for wildlife that tastes a lot better than the dry pellets, but unaware tourists who don’t realize the harm they are doing feeding the animals human snacks and treats.

Yesterday, we finally found the camera bag that contained the charger for the camera’s battery. We unpacked when we were sick and haven’t been able to find a few items. The loss of the camera bag would have been frustrating, but we felt we couldn’t have lost it or left it behind in a hotel on this last awful trip since we hadn’t taken the bag with us. However, we had brought along the camera, the battery, and the charger.

We never used the camera on this dreadful trip and, thus, would never have a reason to use the charger. We knew it was somewhere in this house, but we weren’t sure where. After going through all the luggage and removing all of our clothes from the shelves in the bedroom, we finally found them tucked away behind some beach towels on a top shelf in the bedroom. We were thrilled.

Even Big Daddy feels like he has a right to be inside the little fence.

At that time, we realized we only had one battery that worked for our newest camera. Since we will be going on safari in Botswana in a few months, we’d need another battery. Looking online at Amazon, we couldn’t find the exact model. Instead, I found it at Walmart in the US. It will ship to our mailing service, where we are accumulating another order to be shipped, mainly with enough Crystal Light Ice Tea to last us through this upcoming year. Once the battery arrives on the 17th, we’ll be able to order the package with the help of our mailing service in Nevada.

Once again, it will cost a fortune to ship, but that iced tea is just one of those things we don’t choose to forego in our world travel lifestyle. After shopping for a few items in the US, I realized how many food products we miss using. But, once again, it’s all about adaptation, and we’ve learned to find alternatives for many items we used in our old lives.

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you may be, heading into summer in the Northern Hemisphere and heading into winter, like us in the Southern Hemisphere. What a weird phenomenon that is!

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2021:

We were worried for Broken Horn, who was picked on by the three other wildebeests, including Crooked Face. Maybe now, that explains why he often visits alone instead of with “friends. For more photos, please click here.

We’re back…Sorry we missed a post…Brain fog continues…Planning for the future…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
“A large, bulky, gray-brown ibis with an iridescent green-purple gloss on the wings. It has a bicolored black-and-red bill and a white streak across the cheek under the eye. Pairs and small flocks occur in a variety of habitats including open country, wetland margins, and forest edge; they forages on the ground, digging, probing soft soil, and picking up invertebrates with their long bills. The frequently-heard call is one of the most characteristic sounds of Africa: a loud, raucous, trumpeting “ha-da-da,” which gives the bird its name.”

We failed to upload a post which was a fluke. It was the first morning since April 20, when we were first diagnosed with Covid-19 on the last two days on the first cruise; we awoke feeling better. There was no compelling need to be laying down, no lightheadedness, and no body aches.

I looked at our WordPress editing app, and it appeared I’d done a post the previous day but failed to upload it. Ah, I thought, this works. I’ll add that post and won’t have to give it another thought. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. I had already uploaded that post.

Was it possible after six weeks, we were finally getting better from Covid-19 and, most recently, the dreaded gastrointestinal bacterial infection that began with a vengeance last Wednesday night, only one day after arriving in Marloth Park? Everything Doc Theo prescribed for us had done its job of freeing us from those horrific symptoms.

This was the first time we were this close to one of these birds.

We were so excited to feel better that we ran about the house, organizing cupboards to open up more storage space, knowing in an hour or two we’d planned to drive to Komatipoort to buy groceries, stop at the dentists, Luzaane’s office to arrange teeth cleaning appointments. Suzanne welcomed me with a warm hug inquiring about how we were feeling. It seems everyone in town knew we’d been sick from seeing our Facebook entries or reading our posts. She suggested we wait a few more weeks to recover further before having the cleanings.

After that, I went next door to Doc Theo’s office, and as soon as he came out from seeing a patient, he came right over to me, inquiring how we were feeling. I told him it was our first day out, and we were feeling so much better.  I thanked him profusely for calling and checking on us several times and prescribing medicines that worked so well. I took different meds than Tom since my case of Salmonella/e-coli was so much worse. But, here we were both feeling better.

Tom dropped me at Spar to the grocery shop and headed to the nearby petrol station to fill up the little car. It took at least an hour to shop. With a good list on the Bring app on my phone, were were able to find everything we needed for our various menus for the next week. Tom came into the store to push the car and load up the food at the register in no time at all.

We were thrilled to see the giraffe visiting.

It took everything I had to bag up those groceries into the various bags we’d brought along. By the time we were back on our way to Marloth Park, we were both pooped. On the return drive, I was thinking about reorganizing the kitchen space to fit all the items we’d purchased.

The refrigerator space is no issue as it has been in some past rentals. The kitchen fridge is an enormous side-by-side model. Plus, the an extra fridge on the veranda and a chest freezer in the dining room. We never have to worry about running out of space for perishable foods.

When there is load shedding for 2½ hours, none of the perishable foods spoil. But some outages last for many more hours or even days from time to time. We can move the bulk of the perishables to the chest freezer, where the items will remain fresh for days. Let’s face it; this is the bush. Things are different here.

Giraffes don’t interact with humans in the bush but they are always a majestic sight to see.

I rearranged all of the kitchen food storage space, making room for everything we purchased. It feels complete, and it will be easier to find everything. Since Tom has lost so much weight in the past six weeks, I made a double batch of his favorite blueberry muffins this morning. The muffins he used to pick up at the market were made with many chemicals based on a massive list of unknown ingredients.

If Tom is going to eat sweets, at least they need to be homemade with good ingredients. I baked two dozen muffins, enough to last for 12 days when he eats two each day.

While making the muffins, I also made Low Carb Beef and Mushroom Casserole, enough to last for a few dinners. In one way, it felt good to be cooking again, but afterward, I felt exhausted from all the work. We’ve been lying around for quite some time. I look forward to my energy returning when I can start walking again.

In the past few days, we worked on a plan about where we’ll go when our visas are up on August 20. We’ve made a plan and booked reservations, which we’ll share in tomorrow’s post.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 1, 2021:

Three go-away birds at the birdbath. The grey go-away-bird (Crinifer concolor), also known as grey lourie, or kwêvoël, is a bold and common bird of the southern Afrotropics. They are present in arid to moist, open woodlands and thorn savanna, especially near-surface water. For more photos, please click here.

Getting organized in the house…Many new visitors…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This Big Daddy jumped over the fence to see what treats we may have for him while his brothers grazed beyond the fence.

Since we’ve been sick for two days after we arrived last Tuesday, other than unpacking, we haven’t had time to get organized in the house. We’ve finally worked out a sound system for doing laundry. Danie delivered the clothes rack, making it easier for me to hang clothes. After having open-heart surgery in 2019, I can’t easily raise my arms over my head. Using an outdoor clothesline is impossible for me. This was an easy solution with a good-sized clothes rack in the outside laundry area.

With that problem solved, Louise brought over some items to make life easier for us, including some kitchen items. The spice drawer in the kitchen was already stocked with our spices. All I need to purchase when we go to Spar next is garlic and chili powder to make the spice mix for taco salad which we’ll make some time in the future when we’re feeling better and can eat spicy food.

This morning, we made a good-sized bowl of chicken salad with the leftover chicken breasts from last night’s dinner. We boiled a dozen eggs, peeled and chopped them when they cooled, and chopped celery and purple onion while I made the delicious sour cream dressing. We tossed it all together and placed it in the refrigerator to chill for tonight’s dinner. There should be enough left for tomorrow’s dinner too.

A warthog we don’t recognize. Once we get to know them better, we’ll begin assigning names.

It took everything we had to make the salad when we both were weak and out of sorts. Diarrhea has stopped, but we both still have a long way to be our old selves. Hopefully, we’ll feel well enough to go to Jabula for our usual Friday night dinner by Friday evening. We’ll play that by ear. Right now, it would be impossible. Neither can stand for long, let alone keep our heads up to sit at the bar.

Somehow, I managed to get the laundry done, doing a little bit at a time. When it is so cool outside, it takes two or three days for everything to dry outdoors when not in direct sunlight. Tom has stayed on top of all the dishes and kitchen clean-up. So, the house is orderly and ready for our needs right now.

Vusi just arrived to clean the house and change the bedding. He and Zef don’t clean on the weekends, and the floors get very dusty with the doors wide open. With no screens on the doors and the dusty terrain, it’s no wonder the house gets dusty in a hurry. But, we’re used to this fact and take it in our stride. We are so grateful to have Zef and Vusi taking care of us.

Since we haven’t been outdoors much, fewer animals have stopped by, but we notice that more visitors come to call each time we sit out there. This morning, we saw duikers, bushbucks, warthogs, kudus, and many helmeted guinea fowl who like to get in on the pellet offerings.

More Big Daddies in the garden.

The remainder of the week will be spent taking care of our health. We hadn’t had a sundowner since the first night we arrived when we dined at Jabula. There’s no way a drink sounded good when suffering from gastrointestinal distress, and even yet, I can’t imagine sipping on a glass of light red wine. It makes my stomach turn. Friends Linda and Ken in the UK, who got Covid a week after us, still avoid happy hour when they don’t feel right either.

Do we have lingering effects from Covid? Right now, it’s hard to tell the difference if we’re sick from the residue from Covid or the gastro infections. We feel wiped out and lethargic. Last night after dinner, I was feeling awful. I drank a glass of water with electrolytes, which helped a little. I can’t get any water down today, but I am drinking a Sprite Zero. It seems as if the bubbles offer some relief like 7-Up, which seems to help when sick.

We are looking forward to being excited, upbeat, and positive once again as we embrace the usual pleasant life in the bush. We are anxious to get back to Kruger National Park to see what we can find in the way of big game and, of course, to see our human friends as well.

Take care, and have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, May 31, 2021:

Crooked Face, a unique and handsome devil. For more photos, please click here.