Fun social weekend…Results from our visit to Doc Theo…

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This is Gordy, aka Gordon Ramsey. He is a frequent visitor and is often waiting for us early in the morning.

As mentioned in an earlier post, based on Tom’s family history and his age of 70, he felt it was time to have a screening for Aortic Aneurysm, resulting in several deaths, treatments, and surgeries for several of the men in his family. Also, he needs a chest x-ray since he coughs more than he should.

Doc Theo arranged for these tests for him at Mediclinic, where I had open heart surgery in 2019. I offered to go with him, but he insisted he was happy to make the drive on his own when he knows I don’t like that long drive through the gorge and don’t necessarily feel enthused to relive the memories of being in that hospital for four surgeries. I didn’t press the issue.

Obviously, if something were wrong, I’d go with him. But, he has no symptoms of heart or artery disease. This test is for preventive care and caution only. He should be done in a short period, other than the waiting time, which can be for hours at the busy hospital. His appointment is on Tuesday at 11:00 am, and he’ll leave around 9:00 am, hopefully returning mid-afternoon.

Tom takes no medication and has no known medical conditions. Theo said it was time for him to get checked out, and he ordered a plethora of blood tests and scheduled not only the two tests at Mediclinic but also next Friday, at Theo’s office, he’ll have him do a cardiac stress test on the treadmill, all of which is set up in his office.

Then, it was my turn, and of course, the big topic of conversation was the long-term Covid triggered headaches, itchy eyes, runny nose, and overall itching. He put me on a 10-day regime of Prednisone, tapering off gradually over this period, and prescribed three other allergy medications to help me get through this challenging period.

We then headed to the Komati pharmacy, where I got the prescription filled and then grocery-shopped for everything on my list. I was prescribed six-five mg. tablets as soon as we got home. By then, it was 1:30 pm, and within three hours, my eyes stopped itching and burning, my nose stopped running, and the pain in my left forehead was almost completely gone.

Norman seems to become used to seeing Big Daddy here. He doesn’t appear as fluffed up as he had weeks ago. They are often here at the same time.

I took the remaining meds as prescribed, and today, I feel much better. There’s still a little discomfort on the left side of my head but nowhere near as much as I had a few days ago. The pharmacist told me many people have been suffering from severe allergy symptoms over the past many months. Mine started with Covid and continued with the massive amount of allergens in the bush.

This issue has come and gone, as I described many times in past posts. There were times I thought it was gone and wrote about it here. Alas, a week later, the symptoms were back. But that’s how allergies are…they come and go when exposure to allergens changes with weather and circumstances.

Doc Theo explained that the more accurate and comprehensive treadmill street test would be a better assessment of how my heart and arteries are doing, so I am scheduled with Tom for next Friday morning. We’ll have the stress test results right away, along with the results of Tom’s blood tests, and we are praying all is well for us to continue. It will give us both peace of mind.

Of course, we’ll report the results here next Saturday, and hopefully, no further testing is required. As “they” say, “it’s hell to get old,” and such testing becomes necessary as we age, whether we have health conditions or not.

After returning from Komati, we put the groceries away, and both of us took a nap. It’s a rarity for me to nap, but after being awake sneezing the last night, the rest was refreshing before we got ready to go to Jabula for sundowners and dinner. As usual, we had a very fun evening and are returning with Louise and Danie tonight for another great evening.

On Sunday afternoon, we’re going to another party at a house overlooking the Crocodile River hosted by local friends, where we bring our meat to cook on the braai with sides prepared by the hosts. Since we don’t eat most South African side dishes since they rarely are low carb (Tom is back to healthy eating with me now that he wiped out the disgusting jelly candies he brought back from the US).

This morning we made a keto chicken salad which we’ll eat instead of bringing meat for the braai, which makes the party more relaxing for us when we don’t have to wait for a turn on the braai or watch some type of meat cooking. I like steak rare; it is often difficult to cook correctly when sharing a grill with multiple conversations occurring nearby. Invariably, when we’ve brought steaks to such events, they end up overcooked.

Tomorrow morning, I will make coleslaw and place them in two individual containers along with the two containers of chicken salad, which will also serve as plates. We’ll bring a few forks, napkins, and our beverage with glasses and ice. Easy peasy.

If we’re hungry later in the evening, after returning to the house, we can also have leftover chicken salad and coleslaw so we won’t have to cook. Many of these early afternoon parties end by 6:00 pm, 1800 hrs. when everyone goes home to continue their evening plans. We don’t mind these early parties.

As for today, we’ve had a busy morning feeding the wildlife, prepping food, and doing a few loads of laundry. Norman and Big Daddy have stopped by several times, and of course, after chopping vegetables, Norman had a nice bowl of “Norman’s Lunch,” including a few bananas and apples tossed in. He enjoyed every bite. When we got up this morning, he was the first visitor of the day waiting in the garden, as often is the case. We never tire of seeing him, Nina, and the baby.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow. Have a fantastic weekend.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 25, 2022:

The view of Karen and Rich’s pool and bay from our bedroom’s veranda! Amazing! For more photos, please click here.

Rushing to town…

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Derek was sniffing Delila. Breeding is year-round; the female gives birth to one fawn after a gestation period of 6 to 7.5 months.

Whenever we’re heading to Komatipoort to shop and, on occasion, have a dental or doctor’s appointment, I feel rushed trying to get the post done before leaving. This morning is no exception. I tried getting up and ready for the day, but somehow, I got sidetracked by a few household tasks.

We both decided against having breakfast today, waiting to see if we’re hungry after the 11:00 am Doc Theo appointments for both of us. If so, we’ll walk over to Stoep Cafe and have a bite to eat. Recently, Lousie was sick for a day or two after eating there, and it made me wonder if all the load-shedding lately may have spoiled something they served.

Not every restaurant has inverters and generators, and they hope the food stays fresh during the load-shedding period of two to two and a half hours. There’s never been a problem at Jabula since they use generators for their fridges during outages. Speaking of Jabula, tonight we’ll be returning for sundowners and dinner at the bar, and tomorrow night, Louise and Danie will join us.

Busy morning in the bush. At that point, we counted nine antelope in the garden, not all shown in this photo.

The fact that we’re dining out tonight made me less interested in eating lunch out (instead of breakfast). It seems kind of weird to eat out twice in one day, which we only do when staying in hotels, and all meals must be eaten in restaurants.

When I checked last year’s post for a “year ago photo,” I noticed there was no post on this date last year. We were traveling to Florida to spend a few weeks with our friends Karen and Rich before sailing on a transatlantic cruise to Southampton, a voyage during which, on the last two days, we both tested positive for Omicron.

By contracting Covid-19, we had to cancel the following cruise, sailing away a few days later when we both became very ill. We lost the money for that cruise on the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New Yrok when they only gave us an extension for ten months that we couldn’t use within that timeframe.

Norman and Big Daddy are trying to get along while eating pellets.

We had a good time in Florida, but unfortunately, our friend Karen became ill (not Covid) while we were there. Wow! How time flies! It’s hard to believe that was a year ago.

Also, today, after our appointments with Doc Theo, we’ll head to the pharmacy, where I’ll get some refills and a few toiletries. With no store like Target, we must purchase toiletries not carried at Spar supermarket, at the small pharmacy with limited brands. Somehow, for all the time we’ve been here, we’ve managed to get most of the items we use.

Norman, Nina, and the baby have been visiting several times a day. Look at how much the baby has grown!

After refilling my prescriptions, I’ll return to Doc Theo one more time before we leave. The pharmacist has agreed to give me one year’s worth of my medications after I get new prescriptions from Theo. That way, I’ll have enough of what I need to get me through until we return one year later. I don’t want to have to find a doctor to write prescriptions, wherever we may be during that year away.

We hadn’t grocery shopped in three weeks before Tom left for the US, other than picking up a few items in the local shops. Mother Hubbard’s cupboards are bare, and our two refrigerators are almost empty.

Time to head out. We’ll be back tomorrow with more.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 24, 2022:

There was no post one year ago today due to a travel day.

Meet Ruffles, an adorable female kudu…A fitful night with weird circumstances…

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The female kudu facing the camera is Ruffles since her ears are ruffly, unlike the other kudus.

The days seem to pass quickly lately, but the nights sometimes drag on. Last night was one of those nights for me. I awoke at 2:00 am itching from mozzie and chigger bites. I got up and put on some numbing cream, the only product that seems to help me sleep when itchy.

After leaving the bathroom after applying the cream, I crawled back into bed, hoping I wouldn’t wake Tom. He stirred but seemed sound asleep, with a soft snore passing through his lips, which never bothered me. Wide awake after getting back into bed, I plugged my wired earpiece into my right ear so I could comfortably lay on my left side, figuring I’d watch an episode of Naked and Afraid to lull me back to sleep. With the earpiece plugged into the phone, Tom doesn’t hear the show.

Watching a show on my phone always helps me fall back to sleep. But, often, the show continues to play, wearing down the battery. If I awake a few hours later and can’t go back to sleep, my phone may be dead. There’s a power cord next to the bed, but it’s very short, and I have to lay close to the edge of the bed to have it charge while I am using it.

Our Big Daddy regularly stops to enjoy some pellets.

There’s a shortage of outlets in houses in Africa with no particular building and zoning laws requiring an outlet every so-many meters. As a result, charging our laptops and phones is sometimes challenging, and we have to share certain outlets with multiple pieces of equipment.

Sitting at the dining room table, there is nowhere to plug in my laptop (with an adapter and converter). I can plug my phone into my computer, but that drains the laptop’s battery more quickly. The only place in the house to plug in my laptop is next to my side of the bed, with a tangled mass of cords on the floor that I have to navigate every time I get up to avoid tripping.

So, anyway, last night, when I got back into bed planning to watch the show, my phone had gone into some peculiar “talk-back” mode. I could not manipulate any apps on the phone, let alone get into “settings” to figure out how this happened. After playing around with the phone for about 30 minutes, I decided the only way I could figure this out was to load my laptop and look up instructions to stop this weird feature.

Big Daddy is enormous,

When I got out of bed, I likely hit something on the phone that triggered the “talk-back” feature. I didn’t want to awaken Tom; I was cautious the screen wouldn’t be in his eyes. Luckily, he was facing the opposite way, and I was able to load the laptop.

In only a matter of 60 seconds, I found instructions on how to disable “talk back.” It was to double press both sides of the volume button on the right side of the phone, below the start button. It worked immediately. Of course, during the entire time I tried to resolve this situation, I kept the phone charging on the short cord, or else I may have had a dead battery by the time the issue was resolved.

Finally, the phone was charged sufficiently, and I could load Express VPN and then the Discovery app to bring up the show, Naked and Afraid, and I rolled over onto my left side to watch the show. Within minutes, I was back to sleep to find the show had automatically moved through two more episodes while I slept until 7:30 am, overall getting enough total sleep to feel OK. Next time I watch the show, I’ll return to where I left off when I fell asleep.

Again, Big Daddy and Norman face-off, but both stay calm.

Sure, I’d love to be one of those people who fall asleep after their head hits the pillow and then proceed to sleep through the night. That’s never been me. But, overall, I get enough sleep, usually seven to eight hours each night. My Fitbit seems pretty accurate in logging how much sleep I get each night and the quality of that sleep.

Today, we’re staying in and again cooking on the braai with pork chops for Tom, a lamb chop for me, rice for Tom, and salad for both of us. The weather is tolerable, humid but not too hot, but certainly, we’ll enjoy a lovely afternoon and evening with the wildlife and perhaps sundowners on the veranda.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Komatipoort for our appointments with Doc Theo, a trip to the pharmacy and grocery shop, and, if time allows, lunch at Stoep Cafe. Also, tomorrow evening, we’re off to Jabula for more fun at the bar and restaurant. It will be nice to get out.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 23, 2022:

We always had a reason to celebrate. Here is Don (Kathy and Don) and Rita (Rita and Gerhard) at Jabula celebrating our friendships. For more photos, please click here.

Let sleeping kudus lie…Dazzle of zebras came to call…Easy life…

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Big Daddy was napping in the garden.

As we sit here enjoying views of the massive garden surrounding our holiday home on this slightly cooler and less humid Tuesday morning, we are reminded of the leisurely pace of our day-to-day lives. We love these times of low stress and less paperwork consuming our time.

Sure, there’s always work we could tackle, but right now, we’re both reveling in this quiet time back together in the bush and freeing ourselves from obligation and planning. In the next few weeks, we’ll have to ramp it up and start planning where we’ll go when we leave South Africa on June 8.

We think it will make sense to spend at least a month in an African country that we may not visit in the future since it borders South Africa, and when staying in this country, we can’t get our visas stamped for another 90-day stay in any country nearby.

He was nodding off before he finally succumbed to sleep.

Our first cruise sails out of Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 1. Since the UK is so expensive, spending from June 8 to August 1 in Scotland may not make sense. If we spend another month on the African continent in a country we haven’t visited, we’ll save money while enjoying a new country, going on unique safaris, and immersing ourselves in yet another culture. It seems like a logical plan for us.

When the month is over, we can then head to Scotland, where we’ll spend about three weeks reveling in the wonders of that beautiful country that we’ve never visited in the past. We always love trying new locations when we have already seen so much of the world in the past ten-plus years.

Sure, each day, we conduct a little research to decide in a few weeks. With a decision, it will make the pinning down of plans easier and less time-consuming. Some African countries don’t have many holiday homes suitable for our needs, and we may have to consider staying in a resort or hotel, which is OK for us after we’ve recovered from our ten months in a hotel in lockdown in India.

Zebra butts while dining on pellets. Check out the face on the second from the left!

At the time, we may have said we never wanted to stay in a hotel other than for a few nights. But, as time marches on, we’ve let that go and know that on some occasions, we may need to stay in a hotel or a resort, which we now fully accept as a possibility.

We can easily stay in a hotel suite where we may have a refrigerator, even if it’s small. Also, we prefer to stay in hotels and resorts that include breakfast, reducing our cost of dining. Also, the prices for many holiday homes have doubled since the pandemic and become less affordable when many hotels have had fewer increases.

Since we still only eat two meals a day, in the case of included breakfast, our only dining expense is for dinner and a drink, if desired. When staying in hotels in Minnesota and Nevada, we seldom had a drink with dinner, not because we were being frugal but more so because neither of us needs to drink alcohol every time we go out. For us, it’s more about a social scene.

This zebra kept watch while the other nine zebras ate pellets.

Tonight, we’re finishing our stir-fry dinners. Tomorrow, we’ll make something to last for two nights, and then it’s time for Jabula again. Friday night, we’ll go on our own as usual. On Saturday night, Louise and Danie are joining us to finally catch up after Tom’s return. We always have plenty of catch-ups to do with this lovely couple.

Have a fantastic Tuesday, and be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 21, 2022:

A mom and baby mongoose sucking contents from an egg. For more photos, please click here.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate….

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Today is a memorable holiday, primarily celebrated by people of Irish descent, including the following:

“Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat.”

Although Tom is Irish, I am not, and he doesn’t make much of a fuss about this particular holiday. In our old lives, if it fell on a day that Tom was off work, I would make the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner which we both enjoyed. Most people would boil the corned beef in water with the vegetables.

I preferred to roast the meat, like a pot roast, covered and slow-cooked in the oven for several hours, along with the vegetables in the pan, cooking in the tasty juices. We found this method much more delicious than the typical “New England Boiled Dinner,” a favorite of some Americans. On occasion, to maintain the Irish tradition, I’d make Irish soda bread, but Tom wasn’t a big fan of the dense bread.

Gosh, my mouth is watering writing about this. At the time, I was still eating carbs (it’s been 12 years since I went keto) and loved the heavy bread, especially when some recipes called for raisins added to the dough. Tom doesn’t eat raisins in anything. I do miss each bread of any type, although I make keto bread which in no way compares to the “real deal.”

Many people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day did so in a bar, possibly drinking green-dyed beer. I’d never developed such a tradition since today is also my eldest son Richard’s birthday.

Today will be a delightful usual Friday for us when around 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., we’ll arrive at Jabula for yet another Friday evening filled with fun and merriment with Dawn, Leon, David, and countless other locals and holidaymakers who stop by for their enjoyment as well. Tom hasn’t been to Jabula in two weeks, but I was there last weekend, as mentioned, on Friday and Saturday nights. Our friend Sindee drove me both ways, both days. We had a great time together.

This morning we went to the local meat market and loaded up on various types of meat to last us for the next ten days or more. We bought mince, short ribs, lamb neck, chicken breasts, prawns, and bacon. After having that fantastic meal at Louise and Danie’s on Monday and, for the first time, eating lamb neck, I was anxious to buy one of them to cook. Tom doesn’t eat lamb, so he’ll have pork when I make it.

On Sunday, I plan to make two stir-fry dishes, one with prawns and veggies for me and the other a beef and broccoli dish Tom loves topped with salty peanuts and served over a bed of white rice. I will make large enough batches to last for at least two nights’ dinners, as I often do, to keep cooking time to a minimum on hot, humid days.

Right now, we’re beginning to feel the weather changing. It’s not a huge difference, but we’re finding it to be slightly cooler some days with a little less humidity. Today’s dew point is in the 60s, not the 70s, which is way more comfortable.

It’s so wonderful to have Tom back with me. We’re still feeling the magical glow of being back together again. Based on how we are, this feeling will last indefinitely.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 17, 2022:

Due to a WiFi issue of some sort of WiFi issue, I cannot load the year-ago photo today. For the post, please click here.

Tom is baaaack!!!How wonderful to be together again!!!…In his words…

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Could these three female kudus be any cuter?
There are no words I can use without sounding too syrupy to have my man back in the bush with me. He arrived not much later than we’d anticipated. We hugged warmly, but he wanted to brush his teeth before planting a big smooch on me. He hadn’t had access to his toothbrush and toothpaste since he left the US almost two days earlier. I always carry a travel toothbrush and a little tube of toothpaste, just in case. But Tom hadn’t done this.
He spent a night at the City Lodge Hotel at the Tambo Airport in Johannesburg with nothing but the clothes on his back and a clean pair of underwear. His one piece of luggage was in limbo at the time, causing him some stress after recent events.
Kudus love eating bird seeds off the bird feeder ledge.
Tom had written the following to his kids and siblings when they’d asked him about his return trip:
“When I got to the airport in Minneapolis, I received a text on my phone saying my flight was delayed two hours. Apparently, the plane coming from Denver was delayed getting out of there. I was worried because my layover in Newark, NJ, was only 90 minutes, and I would miss my 16-hour flight from Newark to Johannesburg, South Africa. 
This route is only available two to three times a week. I would have been stuck in Newark until I could get on another 16-hour flight.
Also, I had booked a hotel room at the airport in Johannesburg due to a 14-hour layover to catch my last flight from Johannesburg to Nelspruit, South Africa. If I couldn’t get on this new flight, I would have to pay for the hotel room and not get there in time to use it.
Check out the width between this Big Daddy’s horns.
Quickly, I approached the airline counter, asking what I could do. They told me to go to a  different gate with an earlier flight from Minneapolis to Newark.
When I checked at the next gate (same airline), they said I might have a chance to get on that flight, but I would be on standby and have to wait until all the other booked passengers were on the plane.
I had checked my bag for the first flight, so the gate agent called about it to see if it could be moved from my booked flight to this flight. They told her they would try to get it done.
I’ve never been on a standby list before. I waited about 2½ hours.
While I was waiting there, many others were trying to do the same thing that I had done, get on the standby list I was on. Some of these passengers were getting angry and raising their voices.
After they boarded the plane with booked passengers, I was relieved when they announced that only three seats were available for standby passengers, and I was #2 on the list. When I got to my seat, I heard other passengers talking, saying this particular flight had been delayed; it was scheduled to depart several hours earlier. I was fortunate it was delayed and that I could get on it.
Then I was concerned if my checked bag made this flight. I went to the hotel without my bag, with no toiletries and only a change of underwear I’d put into the computer bag. I didn’t know until I arrived at my final location to find my bag was there. What a relief after what we’d been through recently with lost baggage.

The candy made it without being an issue. I’m happy to be back!”

Adorable Little Johnny contemplating jumping over the fence

Yesterday, we never spent a moment out of each other’s sight. We had a lot of catching up to do, along with an entire afternoon and evening filled with laughter, countless warm interactions, and smiles on our faces. After never being apart in the past over ten years (other than the nights I was in hospital), I can’t even describe how wonderful it feels to be back together again.

Today, now 24 hours later, we’re still reeling. Even breakfast tasted better than ever this morning. Last night upon Tom’s insistence, I never made the chateaubriand but instead cut the meat into sizable steaks, which we enjoyed topped with garlic mushroom, wine sauce I made just before we ate, along with a crispy green salad and rice for Tom.

He hadn’t slept well in the airport hotel and slept only about four hours in the past two days. I could tell he was tired but couldn’t doze off when he tried to take a short nap around 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs. In a funny way, he reminded me of a little kid excited to be where he was and unable to wind down long enough for his nap. It warmed my heart. I am so lucky.

Norman has visited several times already this morning but was annoyed with nearby male kudus, causing him to fluff up with his head low.

Louise wrote to me that last night I was the “happiest woman in Marloth Park.” So true, dear Louise. And I am still reeling today. They say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But my heart was already pretty fond before he went away. In reality, we feel as lucky to be together today as we always feel.

Today, we’re making burgers on the braai (no buns) with bacon and the leftover garlic mushroom sauce, salad, and rice. Sundowners on the veranda on this lovely sunny day will begin at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., as always—dinner around 6:00 pm, 1800 hrs., and later streaming our favorite shows. Tom slept well and is experiencing no jet lag whatsoever, but surely another good night’s sleep will be worthwhile.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 16, 2022:

It didn’t take long for the wildebeest fight to commence. We knew that something would happen once they were on their knees. For more photos and a video of the battle, please click here.

Oops…forgot to upload yesterday’s post…Tom returns today!…11 year anniversary of our posts!…

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A kudu mom and her young son who will eventually become a Big Daddy.

Gee…  late last night, I started getting messages that there was no post yesterday. Then it dawned on me that I hadn’t uploaded it since I was waiting to hear from Tom since he always proofread the posts within minutes of it being uploaded so we can correct any errors.

The time slipped away when he was on the plane for 16 hours. And I became so distracted by hearing his voice when he arrived that I forgot entirely about uploading the post. Neither of us thought of it when all that was on our minds was him getting back to me in the bush. Gosh, it’s been a long ten days.

Once he got situated in his hotel room in Joburg after we’d talked, he noticed I hadn’t uploaded the post and sent me a message. By then, I was under the covers and thinking about dozing off. It had to wait until this morning. If I got up and turned my laptop back on, I’d lose the sleepiness I was feeling.

Zebras wander over to the railing for pellets.

First thing this morning, I uploaded yesterday’s post, and now I am busy doing today’s, which I will remember to upload. I am still in one piece, counting the hours until Tom returns. I can’t tell you how many readers wrote to me wondering if a lion had eaten me.

A few minutes ago, I got a message from Tom that his Airlink flight from Joburg to Nelspruit had been delayed, a rare occurrence for that airline. They are always on time, from our experience. Oh, dear, so close and yet so far away. Now, I am waiting to hear from him as to when his expected arrival will be. He still has a long drive from Nelspruit to Marloth Park, with lots of traffic and endless trucks traveling on the N4 highway during the week.

I just heard from Tom. He’s on the plane. He should be landing in about 40 minutes. Then, he’ll get his bag and the rental car to begin the drive.

Zebras continue to stop by daily.

This morning I started working on tonight’s special dinner. I’m planning to make Chateau Briand with a fine piece of beef tenderloin with a lovely red wine mushroom sauce with roasted carrots and onions. But we may decide to have fillet mignon steaks with the mushroom sauce since we both like a different degree of doneness…he prefers medium-rare, and I like rare, which is tough to do when making Chateau Briand. It’s got to be one or the other. Plus, there’s load shedding from 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., to 7:30 pm, 1930 hrs., and we won’t be able to use the oven. This dish is best prepared in an oven as opposed to a grill.

So we shall see. He’ll have rice, and both of us will have salad which I already prepared this morning, adding the homemade dressing at the end. It’s an easy dinner to prepare, leaving us plenty of time to catch up and enjoy the remainder of the day and the evening on the veranda.

We often find ourselves rereading specific posts, often many we’ve forgotten we ever wrote. It was 11 years ago today that we uploaded our first post, which may be found here. Maybe we will reread that post together this evening during sundowners on the veranda. It’s such fun to review our lives in such detail whenever it appeals to us.

Hoppie’s Mom and piglets can’t resist breaking through the fence to get into the garden.

Also, seeing old photos is a special treat. We didn’t post many photos in the first year, but after our readership grew in leaps and bounds, we realized adding photos was a must, along with uploading a new post daily. Initially, we thought we were doing the posts to keep the family updated. Little did we know it would eventually grow in leaps and bounds to reach readers worldwide. We are very grateful to all of our readers.

Soon Vusi will be here. He’ll fill the water dispenser with water so I can make Tom a huge batch of his favorite iced tea. Then, he’ll refill the pellet bucket so Tom won’t have to do it when he arrives. Plus, Vusi will fill the birdbath with fresh water and the birdseed containers with seeds. I’ve made lots of ice using our ice cube trays, so Tom won’t have to do that either. I want his first few days back to be free of household chores so he can relax and do what he loves.

Thanks for all the love and support from so many while I’ve been alone in the bush these past ten days and nights. It’s meant so much to me that I never really felt alone.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 15, 2022:

Warthogs often photobomb! For more photos, please click here.

Fantastic evening with friends in the bush…Tom’s on his way but ran into an obstacle…An uninvited visitor in the house…

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Danie was preparing our dinner on an open fire which included slow-roasted lamb necks, roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and more This was truly a South African meal. Delicious.

Note: I was so distracted by Tom returning I forgot to upload yesterday’s post!  Here you go…

The only way last night could have been better was if Tom had been with us. We all missed him and spoke of him often. That aside, we had a wonderful evening. Louise and Danie certainly know how to turn a meal into a memorable event serving fantastic food, a wide array of options, and an ambiance one would only expect in fine dining.

Most people don’t often invite half a couple for dinner. They wait until the partner has returned from wherever they may have been and then invite them as a couple. But Louise and Danie didn’t hesitate to invite me by myself, never giving it a thought that cooking for one guest may be a lot of extra work. These two special people aren’t afraid of work.

They’d been staying at the Khaya Umdani house, where my birthday party was held three weeks ago, since it has solar power, whereas their own home does not. Load shedding has been awful lately. I feel bad they put this massive inverter system in this house to ensure we are comfortable, yet they haven’t put it in their own home.

Khaya Umdani is the most upscale of all their rental properties (although all of them are very nice) and has always been our favorite. From time to time, when it’s not rented (a rarity), they use it themselves to get away from the annoyances of load shedding.

In 2014, we stayed at Khaya Umdani for about three weeks and cherished being there. We’d love to be able to rent it regularly, but it is out of the range of our budget, and we don’t expect Louise and Danie to lower the price and lose money with us staying there for so long. The price is about three times more per night than we pay for this lovely house that fulfills all of our needs and expectations.

The evening started with adult beverages and keto starters of ham, cheese, and dill pickles, perfect for my way of eating. By the time we stopped chatting long enough to eat the main course, I already felt full. But, not surprisingly, when they put that huge slow-roasted lamb neck on my plate, I dug right into it, savoring every morsel, never thinking, as the meat melted in my mouth, about how full I was getting. I wasn’t leaving a morsel behind.

This is where I sat at the table at Khaya Umdani last night at sunset when Louise and Danie prepared a fantastic meal for me. I brought my bottle of low-alcohol wine.

Yesterday, I baked two keto cream cheese pies with almond flour crusts, which I know they both love, one to bring to them and another for me. I only tried a few tastes of side dishes, which were also delicious. If I’d had more room, I’d have also piled them onto my plate. (Tom doesn’t care for it). I’d hoped to save space in my full stomach for a small piece when I got home.

They get up each day at 4:00 am and had another busy day working and prepping the lovely meal. They each had a small piece of pie and offered some to me, but I wanted to leave it all for them and also needed a little time for my food to settle down before I could enjoy the pie. Louise drove me home when  I insisted it was time to go around 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs.

The ride back was special when we saw a lot of wildlife hunkered down for the night along the dirt roads. It’s incredible how they all look out for one another. They only looked up for a few seconds when we drove by to ensure they were safe. It’s quite a sight to see.

Back at the house, no more than a minute after Louise dropped me off, I ducked when a huge bat flew over my head when I was in the lounge room. I thought I’d better quickly cut my little piece of pie and head off for the bedroom, knowing I’d never open the bedroom door again until morning.

Once I was settled with my pajamas on, I noticed a message coming in from Tom that his flight from Newark (where he was) had been delayed, which would cause him to miss the 16-hour flight to Joburg, which ultimately could delay him by as much as a day. He texted me at 2:00 am to let me know he’d be in the air before too long when the airline booked him on an earlier flight so he’d make his connection.

Louise had made cole slaw, salad, and creamed spinach, all of which were delicious. I ate an entire lamb neck, but a little of the sides since the meat was so large and delicious. I took bones and scraps for the mongooses I hadn’t seen in days.

With that flight often taking 16½ hours, plus going through customs and immigration in Joburg, most likely, he won’t arrive at the airport hotel until around  10:00 pm, 2200 hrs., or later tonight, where hopefully he can get some sleep and recover for his morning flight from Joburg to Nelspruit on Airlink. He still should arrive here by 1:00 pm, 1300 hrs., at the latest. Whew! What an ordeal!

Vusi is here now and hasn’t seen the bat anywhere, either. I suppose it will appear tonight when it’s dark. With the lions in the area, I don’t feel safe leaving the doors open after dark, plus doing so would invite more nocturnal creatures into the house. We’ll see how it goes. I am not panicking. I just don’t like bats flying around the room.

Anyway, that’s it for today. folks. Thank you for sharing these past long days and nights alone in the bush without my lover, partner, husband, and travel companion. Soon, he’ll be home. I am in the process of planning a special dinner for him. I will post the menu tomorrow.

Be well.

Two “Go-Away” birds are enjoying the birdbath in our garden. Photo from one year ago today, March 14, 2022:

For more photos, please click here.

Cooler day…Two days and counting…

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Our beautiful Delilah, a duiker, the smallest of the antelope in Marloth Park, visits us several times a day. Her mate, Derek, isn’t as daring as Delilah and seldom jumps the little fence.

Yes, I am counting the hours until Tom returns, let alone the days. In about 48 hours, he’ll surely walk in the door with a wide grin on his face. He appreciated the time he spent with family, especially those spent with his kids, alone without me. We’ve both always felt that some alone time with our adult children is good, especially since we are a blended family and fully understand that our children may enjoy time alone with their parent, instead of the two of us.

No offense is taken by this fact by either of us. When we go to Minnesota, we spend some time together with my son Greg and his three children, but I spend time with them on my own while Tom is busy with his kids and grandkids. We make a point of spending any holidays that occur while we’re together, perhaps at different times of the day.

We’ll be back in the US in September, which is a mere six months from now, and again, we’ll shuffle around to see everyone. We’ll be staying a total of three weeks in the US, one week in Nevada with son Richard and renewing our driver’s licenses, and then fly to Minnesota to see our three other children, grandchildren, and other family members and friends.

The bush is lush and green after all of the rain these past few months.

In the past few years, we’ve spent more time in the US than we had in the first five or six years of world travel, which has proven good for us all. No doubt, living away from grown children and their families is not easy, but many seniors move to warmer climates and are away from their families for extended periods. We’re trying to coordinate our travels to allow more time with family as we continue on our journey.

We’d never have stayed in Minnesota if we hadn’t decided to travel the world. With the cold, ice, and snow, we, too, would have sought warmer and safer climates as so many people do as they age. Many seniors break bones, including hips (especially women), from falling on the icy roads and pavement. Walking out to one’s car in a parking lot was terrifying when walking on glare ice. Even young people often fell and hit the icy ground with a thud.

It’s been snowing quite a bit while Tom has been in Minnesota, but soon, he’ll return to upcoming fall weather in South Africa, when it will begin to cool down on days like today. It’s heavenly with lowered temperatures and humidity with a high of only 84F, 29C.

Bossy is so pretty.

Tom suggested that perhaps our readers may not be interested in the weather in Africa. But recently, many have written that it’s interesting to them to see how our weather compares to theirs and how different it is across the world.

This evening, I am invited to Louise and Danie‘s home for the lamb braai. Soon, after load shedding ends (when I can use the oven with the inverter system), I am making them a keto cheese pie which they both love. I always make an extra pie for me which I savor in small pieces each evening after dinner. It keeps well for several days in the refrigerator. Tom doesn’t care for it, so I won’t concern myself with saving some for him. I offered to bake something for him for his return, but he said he had donuts left in the freezer and that he’ll enjoy those with his coffee each morning.

I am planning a special dinner for the night he returns. I imagine it will be an early night since he’ll arrive here around 1:00 pm, 1300 hours. He may take a short nap to be able to enjoy the evening with me. It only takes us one good night’s sleep to recover after not sleeping for two days, and I am sure that will be the case for him this time too.

Although we’ve talked a lot on the phone since he’s been gone, we’ll have plenty to catch up on. The time can’t come quickly enough for me. I’ve realized as I’ve aged not to wish for time to fly quickly and to savor every moment of our lives. But, this time apart leaves less opportunity for savoring life, although I’ve had some very fun times with our friends while he was away enjoying every moment.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 13, 2022:

This is Little Imposter. He pretends to be Little by mimicking Little’s behavior, but the differences in their appearance make it easy for us to determine who is who. For more photos, please click here.

Few animals stopping by…Photos from seven years ago…Boredom…

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A single beautiful lily in the lily pad pot in the yard in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in 2016.

Note; Due to a lack of photos right now, today’s photos are from a post on March 10, 2016, when we lived in New Plymouth, New Zealand, for three months on an alpaca farm. See the post here.

I think the black worm invasion is over. I sat at the table on the veranda this morning, and not a single worm fell on me. A few nights ago, when I got into bed, I felt something on the top of my foot. It was a black worm! I let out a little startled scream. I don’t usually scream when I see insects or even snakes. But, a hairy, slimy, black worm slithering on my foot surpassed my level of calmness.

I must have picked it up when I’d gone into the kitchen to turn on the little lamp, close the blinds and turn off the overhead light. Yuck. I’ve had it with them. This morning, when I didn’t see a single worm on the floor in the house or the veranda, I sighed in relief. They are gone. Finally. They were here for about four weeks.

Similar to Australia, many of the beaches in New Zealand are uneven and rocky.

As a result, I was able to sit at the table on the veranda to eat my breakfast of smoked salmon and two eggs atop two thin slices of homemade keto bread. What a treat! There’s no breakfast I could enjoy more. The only addition I could use is having breakfast outdoors with Tom. Gee…these next five days can’t pass quickly enough.

His absence has created a feeling of boredom I haven’t experienced in over ten years. I’m never bored when he is here. If a thought pops into my head, I need only to approach him, and he immediately stops whatever he is doing to pay 100% attention to me. Who does that? Of course, I’m not a pest, and when he’s engrossed in something, I can leave him alone until he’s done.

The nights are easier than the days. I’ve been binge-watching a TV series….911 Lone Star with Rob Lowe, and although it’s totally unrealistic, it’s entertaining enough for me to watch it while I play games on my phone. I should be done with it by the time Tom returns.

We often stopped at this favorite spot for photos of Mount Taranaki.

But, during the day with Tom away, when I’ve completed the post, usually by 1:00 or 2:00 pm, 1300 or 1400 hrs., is when I find myself feeling like a lion in a cage, practically pacing the house with nothing to do. In my old life, I would call a friend or family member, run an errand, work out at the health club, or work on a project around the house. I was never bored then.

But now, with the house always clean, the bed always made, and dinner prepared early in the day due to the heat, I find myself watching mindless drivel on a streaming service on my laptop to ward off my feelings of boredom, perhaps interspersed with profound feelings of missing my partner, my lover, my friend.

I may sound like I am complaining. I am not. It’s more of an observation I’ve experienced these past five days. It’s not as if we spend every moment in each other’s presence when he is here. It’s the calming and comforting sense that this delightful human being, my husband, is available to me at a moment’s notice to make me laugh, smile or feel loved. I am so grateful for him, as he is for me. We never take each other for granted.

The beach on a cloudy evening.

On occasion, Tom asks me, “Are you bored?’

I always say,  “No, are you bored? I am never bored”

His answer is the same. This life we’ve chosen to live, however peculiar it may be to some, never leaves us feeling bored. At any given turn, there is something that attracts our attention, often inspiring us to take photos or “write about it.” The anticipation of that fact alone prevents either of us from ever becoming bored. Even something as simple as each other attracting our attention is sufficient to keep us entertained, wherever we may be at any given time. We are very blessed to have one another.

Tonight, I will be entertained going to Jabula when my friend Sindee picks me up at 5:00 pm, 1700 hours, and bring me back to the house later in the evening. I haven’t decided if I’ll return to Jabula on Saturday night as we always do.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 10, 2022:

Helmeted guinea-fowl chicks have yet to develop the blue and red facial features shown on the adult on the far left. For more photos, please click here.