I realized it was tax prep day, but I had an urge to cook. All the prep shown in today’s photos was done by 10:00 am, and now I can work on the post. After the post, I’ll work on the tax prep and forward everything to our accountant in Nevada. The vegetables are in the oven now and should be done soon after turning them every 30 minutes during their 90-minute roasting time at 375F, 190C.

The roasted vegetables taste good hot or cold. I may have a cup full during the day and another cup with dinner, heated in the microwave. Often, when I make this much, I freeze half of them to eat the following week. I season them well since I like them spicy, but they can be made mild for those who don’t.

By roasting them now, the oven will be available to cook the two pans of meatloaf. I cook both for ease of use when eating the leftover loaf down the road. We defrost it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave later on both occasions; it’s moist and delicious, like the leftover roasted vegetables.

I prefer to cook a lot at once, leaving me free on other days only to make a salad and the rice for Tom. It’s a rarity that we’ll make a meal for only one night, except when we have guests for dinner and never serve leftovers. Even when we have something easy on the braai, we’ll buy at least two nights of meat but only cook one each evening. It seems to make life easier for our lives.

No doubt, my days are hectic. I hardly ever sit and do nothing, even when we’re enjoying the wildlife, for which I jump up every few minutes to feed them pellets or, in today’s case, fresh veggie scraps. Unfortunately, none of the animals like the veggies visited us this morning. The long holiday weekend ends tomorrow, and our furry friends will return to see us.

We’ll keep the veggie scraps in the refrigerator until they return. We can only imagine how refreshing moist, cool veggies taste to them on a warm day. We can easily detect their enthusiasm. This morning, we did see our usual band of about 40 mongooses. Did we have some treats for them!! Last night Tom had the remainder of a small prime rib, and I had the remaining four tiny chops from a rack of lamb. We carefully prepared the leftover meat and bones in bite-sized pieces for them.

Of course, they arrived this morning, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to share this special treat with them. I know this sounds unbelievable. When we see the mongoose in the garden, we make a clicking sound, and they scramble to get to us. They know this sound from the old house two km from here, and they respond quickly, all the while making their hysterical cackling sound.

As for the exciting news on the horizon, our old friends from Minnesota, Connie, and Jeff, with whom we’ve been friends for over 30 years, are coming to Marloth Park and will stay with us in the guest house on the property. Jeff always dreamed of coming to Africa, and now, we’ll have the opportunity to share this special experience with both of them. They will be here in mid-September which isn’t too far away! How fun that will be!

The last time friends came here to stay with us was Lois and Tom, in October 2018, whom we met on a cruise in 2016. We had a fantastic three weeks together and loved sharing the wonders of Marloth Park. When we were in Florida in April this year, we met up with Lois and Tom for lunch. It was such a joy to see them and share the fantastic experiences we had in the past.

We’re excited to build these same memories with Connie and Jeff. Nothing can compare to sharing the adventures in Marloth Park and Kruger National Park with newcomers to Africa.

That’s it for today, folks. As they say, “I have other fish to fry” and must continue with today’s tasks.

Be well.

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

It was a long time ago that we experienced a Sunday while living in the US. We always made a big breakfast. Our kids and grandchildren would sometimes come for breakfast, and I’d make eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, toast or homemade cinnamon rolls, and fresh fruit.

In 2011, when I began eating low carb, I’d make coconut flour pancakes; everyone seemed to like those as well as the usual white flour-based version. It was fun with everyone sitting at the big bar in the kitchen, chatting and laughing with the little ones running around screaming and laughing. But, those days are no more.

After the kids left, we’d watched the recorded version of the show Sunday Morning while Tom kept his head stuck in the newspaper. I always joked that Tom read every word in the paper, including the page numbers. He was very thorough. With my short attention span, I always liked to stay busy, doing laundry and preparing the next meal.

The remainder of our day was often determined by the time of year. If it were winter and bitter cold, most often, we’d stay home. If it was the other seasons and good weather, most likely, we’d be outdoors, like many others, working in the yard, lounging on lawn chairs, or fishing off the end of the dock. It was a pleasant but simple life. At other times, we had social events with friends, family, and grandkids.

Of course, we miss everyone and always will. But, life is very different now. And we love the way it is. We’ve never turned on the TV in this house. We don’t get a Sunday paper. Today, another Sunday in the bush, we spent the morning hanging out with the wildlife. They often visit the most in the mornings and late afternoons. We had a little breakfast. We did some laundry, including washing the big fuzzy blanket we love having on the bed on these cooler nights.

Tom hung it outdoors on the clothesline. I only hang clothes on the portable rack. Since I had that surgery, I have had a hard time raising my arms over my head for any length of time.

The mongoose came to call, and I chopped up paloney for them. Tom tossed it out into the garden, and they wildly devoured it in no time at all. Their funny cackling noises make us laugh. They didn’t hang around this time. The holidaymakers are still here, so they have more options for meat treats elsewhere.  The school holidays end next weekend. It will be quiet again in the bush.

After that, I began chopping and dicing vegetables for tonight’s dinner. We are making two stir fry dishes, one with beef tenderloin and the other with prawns. I was excited to finally find some Asian sauces and spices at Spar, enabling me to make these dishes we haven’t had in a long time. Tom will have fried rice with his meal, and I’ll have the prawn dish with lots more vegetables.

After dinner, when load shedding begins again, we’ll head into the bedroom to cozy up with the dried fuzzy blanket and stream a few shows on my laptop.

Tom just tossed out a bowl of fresh vegetable scraps and pellets to duiker Derek, who, along with his sometimes mate, Delilah, are here many times each day. It’s another great Sunday in the bush, similar in some ways to many of your Sundays, but with a different spin. Life is good.

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

Yesterday, we decided to go out to dinner, even though we’d be out on Friday night, as always, at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant. Since we returned almost a month ago, we hadn’t been to any other restaurants and thought a meal at Giraffe would hit the spot.

Their food isn’t as good as Jabula’s delicious dishes. Also, they only have one option on the menu that works for me, a salad with chicken and vegetables, which is tasty but not very filling. For an occasional bite to eat, it’s an excellent place to eat and drink for most locals and visitors.

We left the house at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., thinking we’d better get there early due to the holiday weekend. We didn’t plan to eat until 6:00 om, 1800 hrs., but it can be fun to sit at the long bar at that restaurant, too, especially when we run into people we know. Immediately upon entry, we found seats at the bar.

I ordered a glass of low-alcohol white wine, and Tom ordered a Castle beer. He prefers Lion beer, but it hasn’t been available locally in the past several months, most likely due to the after-effects of the pandemic. There were several TVs, and they all were tuned to a cricket game. It was a little loud. The environment didn’t fit our socializing goals, and an hour later, we were on our way to Jabula, where we knew we’d have a good time.

Well, of course, we did!  We were warmly welcomed by Dawn and David and felt as comfortable as we could be. The bar quickly became packed with every seat taken, and as always, we were included in multiple lively conversations. The evening flew by in a flurry of delightful interactions.

Around 6:30, 1830 hrs., we ordered our meals but gladly ate at the bar. It was too cool for our liking to eat on the veranda, and we often enjoyed continuing the banter while we ate our dinner at the bar, which many customers do. After dinner and more chatter, we decided to head back to our house to stream a few more episodes of Outlanders. We’re well into season five with only one more season to go. The final season seven is in the works to be released in six to eight months.

By 10:15, 2215 hrs., we turned off our JBL speaker and the laptop and hunkered down for the night. We both slept well. Thank goodness, the nighttime coughing from having had Omicron has ended, and we’re both able to sleep much better. Overall, we’re both feeling great, a massive relief after being sick for over a month. In a few days, it will be two months since we first tested positive. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed.

With the holiday weekend, we’re seeing fewer animals in the garden today. But, we did get a lovely visit from the nyala family, with mom, Nina, Dad Norman, and baby Noah. It’s so sweet the way the three of them are always together. This is not the case with bushbucks, duikers, and other species when we seldom see a dad with the mom and baby. But the nyala family is a unit. It’s fun to see.

Often kudu moms and babies visit on their own, but occasionally we may see a group of kudus, known as a forkl, with moms, dads, and babies. We never see zebras or wildebeests with moms, dads, and babies, who group into a “dazzle.” Warthog dads don’t stay with the mom and babies. But, it’s fun to see impalas, known as a herd, with moms, dads, babies, and more family members in large herds. This morning a large family stopped by. They bark. It’s funny to hear.

Oddly, a group of wildebeest is called a ‘confusion” which may include both parents for some time. Then, the young males wander off into male bachelor groups, not unlike male Cape buffalos.

Ah, nature, it’s a wonderful thing. We feel blessed to be among it and all the wonderful people we meet along the way. And yes, although we went to Jabula last night, we’ll be going again tonight per our usual schedule. More fun to be had.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, June 17, 2021: