Aircon working again…Packing getting done…Three days and counting…

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The marina in Kauai, where we were picked up for a whale-watching tour.

Ah, it feels good that we have cool air circulating. I had better brace myself for the warm weather in Marloth Park, which has no central cooling and only aircon in the bedroom, which we only use at night. We have spent the past 15 months in air-conditioned comfort, and that’s all about to change.

As always, we’ll acclimate to the differences within a few days while reveling in the treasures before our eyes. It’s funny; I haven’t seen a bug in the past 15 months, and there’s another adjustment we will make, along with checking under the bed before we go to sleep for snakes or other critters. We will become more observant and mindful once we live in the bush once again.

But none of that worries or stresses us. After all, we’ve spent over four years in Africa out of the past 12 years and quickly adapted to our environment each time we’ve arrived. In a way, it’s all a part of the adventure of being in this wild place.

This morning, after making breakfast, I got to work on all the items in the bathrooms that we’ll pack in the checked bags. Gosh, I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff living in the US for so long, all of which we’ll use and most of which I can’t buy in South Africa. Familiar products and supplies we frequently use usually can’t be found there, indeed not the brands we’re used to, such as toothpaste without fluoride, antiperspirants without chemicals, and products for doing my nails.

In the past, we’d place an order and have such items shipped to us, but now, with the cost of shipping and poor delivery service in South Africa, even by UPS, FedEx, and DHL, I made a point of buying everything we’ll need for the next six months. There are no trips to Target to pick up a dozen toiletries items, and the brands generally found in South Africa aren’t the quality we’d prefer.

Of course, the cost of living is very different there, and most products there are based on economic conditions and affordability of the general population,

“The average monthly salary in South Africa is around $1,500 USD. However, the average income can vary depending on factors like job type, education level, and cost of living.”

It’s easy to see why most of the products we’re used to using aren’t readily available. Even such items as laundry soap, easily available in the US and other countries, can’t be found unless one is willing to pay an exorbitant price, for example, for Tide Pods. We can’t bring laundry soap with luggage weight restrictions, and subsequently, I try to buy laundry soap for sensitive skin, such as for babies, which we can buy. The harsh chemicals in their low-cost soap have caused us skin irritations.

All the toiletries are packed, including what we’ll need for the next few days. I took everything out of packages to save on weight. As for kitchen stuff, I am only taking a few favorite kitchen gadgets. We’ll each have two checked bags, resulting in $100 for each extra bag. Virgin Atlantic only allows one checked bag per person, even for international flights.

We’re allowed 22 pounds in carry-on items. Tom will carry the computer bag, and I’ll have my small wheeled bag and a handbag. That should work out fine.

At this point, I don’t have much more to do. Since we don’t have to leave the condo until around 7:00 PM on Saturday, we can wrap up the final packing and ensure everything fits within the weight restrictions. The packing has been relatively easy since I’ve taken my time. Tom has yet to pack his clothes. I do the bulk of the packing, and Tom does all the loading and hauling of the heavy bags.

That’s it for today, folks.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago, February 26, 2015:

The sunset progressed to this point, giving us hope the clouds would provide a fantastic view. For more photos, please click here.

We’re back!…Hot, hot, hot!…Four days and counting!…

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Unusual tree trunk at the Botanical Garden in Kauai, Hawaii.

Yesterday was a busy day. To use the food we had on hand, I made taco salads (no shell) using organic, grass-fed ground beef, two small jars of green olives, which I sliced, grape tomatoes I cut in half, one whole yellow onion chopped, diced celery, grated cheddar cheese, and homemade Greek yogurt salad dressing.

After cooking and draining the ground beef, I seasoned it with keto taco salad seasoning and one can of low-sugar tomato sauce and let it cook for another 30 minutes on low heat to absorb the flavors. Once it cooled, I put it in the refrigerator with portions to be heated in the microwave at dinner time.

There was enough meat, cheese, and vegetables to last for three nights, and we’ll do takeaway (delivered) meals for the remaining four nights. Our flight isn’t until 10:20 on Saturday night, so we’ll order food in the late afternoon to ensure we’ve eaten before the flight, which may or may not provide food on this late flight. Plus, most of the items they serve on flights aren’t suitable for my way of eating.

Once we arrive in Marloth Park on Monday afternoon, it will have been a long haul before we eat dinner again. We’ll be fine, as always. Going without eating for a day or more is not a big deal.

Yesterday, I packed most of my clothes, and we weighed my bag. It’s at the 50-pound maximum. Today, I will pack another bag of supplies. After being in the US for so long, we accumulated several items we’ll be able to use in Marloth Park during the six months there, which includes two stays, three months each, less the time we stay in Minnesota in June.

When we eventually leave South Africa, we will have to donate the items in the overflow extra bag and return to three checked bags: one clothing bag for each of us and one supply bag, our preferred maximum. When we go to the US in June for Maisie’s graduation, we won’t need to bring everything, only enough to last the two weeks we’ll be in the US.

The cooling system in the condo isn’t working. I awoke at 3:00 am from being too hot when we went to bed on Sunday night. I got up and saw the thermostat reading that the indoor temperature was 90F, 32C. Today, a repairman was scheduled to arrive at 8:30 am, and now it is 9:3,0, and no one has arrived. We’ll see how that goes.

The aircon isn’t working. When we set it to 70F when we went to bed, it was 90F when I got up sweating at 3:00 am to discover this. Hopefully, the HVAC person will be here soon.

As soon as I upload this post, I will return to work on the packing. I prefer to do a little each day rather than all at once. Gosh, it’s hard to believe we’ll be flying away in only four days!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, February 25, 2015:

Barking Sands Beach is located on the west side of Kauai on the Pacific Missile Range Facility grounds. This beach is part of a 17-mile-long stretch that extends from Polihale Beach to Kehaka Beach, close to the end of Highway 50. For more photos, please click here.

One day and counting…Packed and ready to go…

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Hertford Bridge, the “Bridge of Sighs” in Oxford, England, is similar to the one we saw in Venice the previous summer.

Yesterday afternoon, after I had a pedicure with my dear friend Chere at the beauty school in Hopkins, Tom picked me up at 2:30 to drive to Billy’s Bar & Grill in Anoka for our final get-together with Tom’s siblings for dinner and happy hour. It couldn’t have been more enjoyable to see everyone and visit with familiar patrons who stopped by.

But the highlight of the evening was when Tom’s long-time friend from the railroad, Tommy, stopped by to say goodbye to both of us and wish us well. Tommy has always been special to me, as well. This wasn’t the first time he stopped at Billy’s to see us. He has been reading our posts for 12 years and knows plenty about us, as many of our dear readers do from years of reading about our daily lives.

But Tommy has always been very special to me and Tom, and it was delightful to spend some time with him yesterday. Tom had pulled my wheelchair close to the big round table where we all sit every Friday, and when Tommy arrived, he sat between Tom and me while lively conversations ensued. When he left, we immediately continued our discussions with his family, and the time passed quickly. Thanks for stopping by, Tommy!

Before we knew it, it was time to go, and we headed back to the hotel, only stopping to fill the rental car with fuel for today’s drop-off. Tom left a short time ago to go to the airport to drop off the rental car and pick up another larger vehicle, preferably a roomy SUV. He’ll pack the car before we head out tomorrow and then shower afterward.

I just received a text from Tom informing me that he requested an upgrade for a large SUV. It was an extra $35 a day, but since we’ll drop it off in Cleveland on August 27, it will be well worth it. Once we know how long we’ll be staying in Cleveland, we’ll arrange for another rental car or not, depending on how close we’ll be to Cleveland Clinic at whatever hotel we book for the extended period.

This morning, we packed everything we own and were done in less than two hours. It proved to me, once and for all that I don’t need to start packing days ahead as I’ve often done in the past. Even in my current condition, where I run out of breath from walking across the room, I packed all the household items, my clothes, and the toiletries. Tom packed his clothes, and now we can relax for the remainder of the day.

Greg’s lovely girlfriend Heather will stop by within an hour to say goodbye since she could not join us and Greg’s family at Pizza Luce at 3:00 pm. She is driving from a location an hour from here. No words can express how much I appreciate this remarkable woman. I’m so grateful she and Greg have found each other. Heather has three children, who are a little older than Greg’s three, and together, they form a perfect blended family in which everyone gets along well.

These past three months in Minnesota have been a fantastic opportunity to spend valuable time with family and friends. It’s sad to say goodbye. God willing, everything will go well in Cleveland, and we’ll be back many more times.

That’s it for today, folks.

We’ll return with more tomorrow while I post “from the road.”

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 24, 2014:

The varying colors of the row buildings created a charming feel in the village of Oxford. For more photos, please click here.

Packing day…

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Angel’s Trumpet flowers…Brugmansia is a genus of seven flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae. They are woody trees or shrubs with pendulous flowers and have no spines on their fruit. All parts of Angel’s Trumpets are considered poisonous and contain the alkaloids atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. Ingestion of the plants can cause disturbing hallucinations, paralysis, tachycardia, and memory loss and can be fatal.

The laundry and half the packing are done, as I write here now. I do it in short spurts. We picked up luggage tags from the front desk and will use them on the three bags we’re leaving behind. The only reason we have so much stuff is in preparation for the many months we’ll stay in Cleveland for many months. Once we’re ready to fly again, we’ll have used or will unload the excess “stuff.”

Also, over time, I’ll dispose of some old clothes but keep them to wear here and then in the coming months. Right now, getting new clothes is unimportant to me. I have enough to get me through. As mentioned, once I know the surgery date, I’ll order some items to get me through the recovery period.

We just returned from breakfast in the hotel, which is marginal at best, and fortunately, yesterday, I made a batch of chicken salad, which we’ll have for tonight’s dinner. Easy is of the utmost importance at this point. We’ll most likely have breakfast here tomorrow morning before we leave so we can get on the road and not be concerned about stopping except for restroom breaks and refueling the car.

The distance to the hotel is 344 miles and should take about five hours of driving time. We plan to be on our way by 9:00 or 10:00 am, arriving in plenty of time to see the other family, four of whom are also staying at the same hotel. Most likely, we’ll all have dinner together tomorrow evening. Then, on Saturday, the Jubilee festivities, mass, and luncheon will transpire throughout the day.

The four family members will be leaving to return to Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon, but we’ll be staying overnight on Saturday to spend time with Sister Beth on Sunday morning for a few more hours. It will be good to spend time with her. She’s fragile with health issues and will appreciate any time we can spend with her.

Years ago, Sister Beth was in a horrible auto accident while in the car with three other nuns. Two of the nuns were killed in the accident, and Sister Beth suffered severe injuries, including a broken neck, which significantly impacted the quality of her life today.

However, typical of the Lyman family, they don’t complain or feel sorry for themselves. They all forge ahead with smiles on their faces. Seeing their strength, determination, and resolve inspires everyone who has the privilege of knowing this fine family.

It’s time for me to get back to packing. Most likely, there won’t be a post tomorrow. We’ll take photos of the festivities and post the story and photos of Sister Beth’s 70th Jubilee, 70 years since she became a nun. Numerous nuns are honored this weekend, including 14 other nuns celebrating 70 years, like Sister Beth, four nuns celebrating 75 years, four nuns celebrating 80 years, and two nuns celebrating 85 years. That’s amazing!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 13, 2014:

Last night’s view of the moon and the lights from our veranda over Campanario, Madeira. For more photos, please click here.

Three days and counting…Time to “get the show on the road”…

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It is a commonly seen type of wall art in Morocco, utilizing well-crafted stained glass.

The month in Apache Junction is almost over. We’ll drive away in three days. Colleen and Margie are the only two sisters yet to leave, and they’ll be returning to Minnesota in a little over a week. Of course, once we get to Minnesota around May 12, we’ll see them all again, except for Rita, who lives in South Dakota.

Tom has six sisters, a few of whom we hadn’t seen while in Arizona this past month. One is Patty, who lives in Blaine, Minnesota, and his sister Betty, known as Sister Beth, who lives in a retirement home for nuns in Milwaukee, whom we’ll visit on our way to Minnesota, most likely seeing her around May 9 or 10th, while we spend one night in Wisconsin. The next day, we head to Minnesota.

We have a reservation in a Residence Hotel in Eden Prairie for May 23, when we thought we’d stay here longer. But, since we’re leaving early, we’ll need accommodations when we arrive, two weeks earlier than planned. But, in this case, we’ve decided to wait to book those first two weeks to avoid having any pressure during the road trip. That way, we can take our time.

Also, we haven’t informed Sister Beth that we’re coming to see her and won’t do so until a day or two before our arrival. That way, it will prevent her from being concerned about our arrival.

We’ll do our last loads of laundry tomorrow morning and then join Colleen and Margie for “Taco Tuesday on Monday” at the local VFW. We’ll have a late lunch and won’t be concerned about dinner. If we get hungry, we can eat the remaining bacon and eggs.

Yesterday, I made a turkey breast with leftovers for today, with rice for Tom and salad for both of us. Today, before visiting Colleen and Margie, we eat the leftovers. Soon, I’ll make a fresh salad since we have ingredients we need to use. We’ve used everything that was in the freezer and most of the food in the refrigerator.

We’ll be taking seasonings and non-perishables with us since we were in Minnesota, and we’ll have a full kitchen at the residence hotel and be able to cook. We could be in Minnesota for quite some time and don’t want to eat out every day as we’ve often done. Dining out is very costly in the US.

Last fall, we were shocked in Minnesota when we started ordering Jimmy John’s unwich sandwiches to pick up rather than have delivered where there are so many fees. However, we get free delivery with Grubhub, which is offered to Amazon Prime members. The cost was $22 for each sandwich, including no sides. It doesn’t make sense to pay that much for a breadless sandwich. We can purchase the ingredients at a grocery store and get two to three meals by making our own.

We’ll possibly be staying in the hotel in Minnesota for two to three months as we await my appointment at Cleveland Clinic. With the cost of staying in a hotel for so long, we will be mindful of our other expenses. Also, renting a car in the US for such an extended period will be costly. It would be fine if we could keep our food costs in check. No one ever plans to live in a hotel for so long, but with a kitchen, we’ll be fine.

Once we get to Cleveland, we will repeat our living style in Minnesota, staying in a residence-type hotel with a kitchen and making our meals. While I am recovering, Tom can make easy meals, order takeaway, or pick up food ready to eat.

I took a break from this post and emptied a full-size suitcase for us to use to take in and out of the hotel in Santa Monica and on the road trip. This way, we won’t have to haul all of our bags into the hotel room each night. We have a big blanket to cover any bags in the vehicle’s trunk. My main clothing bag is packed, and I have a bag of clothes to drop off at Goodwill in Apache Junction.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 28, 2014:

Baskets of spices outside a spice shop in the souk in The Big Square in Marrakesh. For more photos, please click here.

Winding down…Two fun videos…

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This video was posted at this post on this date in 2018. It was such a joy to see this again! Also, see the video below from ten years ago today, in 2013.

In speaking with friends Linda and Ken yesterday (it was Linda’s birthday), she explained they are also going to be in Marloth Park in a few months; around the same time, Rita and Gerhard will also be visiting, who will be staying in our old house  It’s too bad we won’t be there to be with our friends  If it were one year later, we’d also be there.

Instead, we’ll enjoy the photos and experiences they will share with us during their time in Marloth Park. During that period, we’ll be in South America, having experiences of our own that we’ll share here in photos and posts with them and all of our worldwide readers.

With “White Night’ upcoming on the Azamara cruise beginning on August 1, I ordered a few items, including a pair of white jeans and a white top that fit without trying them on. I ordered the jeans directly from Levi’s since I have two pairs of Levi blue jeans, figuring if I purchased the same size, the white jeans would work, and they did, much to my relief. The shirt also worked, and I am ready for that special event.

Tom is all set, too. While in the US a few years ago, when we knew we’d be going on Azamara cruises, he also purchased a pair of white jeans.

Speaking of clothes, I went through the closet yesterday to see what items I could donate to the Salvation Army. Since I take good care of my stuff, I feel comfortable donating some of my used items. Going online to the Salvation Army’s local site, I was able to schedule a pick-up for this coming Friday. I am hoping to lighten my baggage weight substantially.

No longer, in this life, do I ever get attached to clothing items since most can be replaced. Although, in many foreign countries, I can’t find anything to fit me based on my height, I am much taller than most women. Here’s a small sampling of the average heights of women in various countries from this site.

“Country Average Height for Women

The Netherlands 5 ft  5.5 in. (168.7 cm)

Barbados 5 ft  4.2 in (165.5 cm)

United States 5 ft  3 in. (161.5 cm)

China 5 ft  2.4 in. (159.8 cm)

Iran 5 ft  2.3 in. (159.7 cm)

Nigeria 5 ft  1.3 in. (156.4 cm)

Guatemala 4 ft. 8.8 in. (149 cm).”

As a result, it’s difficult for me to find pants and tops that work for my frame. Most of the items I can fit into are from stores in the US that offer tall sizes. These items can often only be purchased online when most shops don’t carry tall sizes due to lack of need. Thus, I rarely have an opportunity to try something on, so I must buy the same brands over and over again to ensure they’ll fit.

Usually, while in the US making some purchases, I have no interest in buying things to try on and potentially return. Paying extra for return postage is foolish, so I am cautious about what I buy. For Tom, it’s a lot easier, as it often is for men.

In any case, I’m thinking about packing, although I am not putting anything into suitcases yet. That process will begin next week as we prepare the suitcase we plan to send to Minnesota to avoid taking everything with us and incurring added baggage fees, far exceeding the cost of shipping the bag.

This morning was stormy again. We haven’t walked in days due to inclement weather. Once we leave, we’ll get plenty of walking in, even when walking back and forth on the ship each day and going on excursions. I am considering working out in the fitness centers on the two upcoming cruises and again in the hotels in Nevada and Minnesota. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked out in a health club, and I will do so carefully.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, July 17, 2013:

A video (not ours) of a motorbike ride through Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy, on this date ten years ago. For the text, please click here.

Two days and counting…A smooth transition so far…

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Mom and Baby mongoose sucking out white and yolk from an egg.

It’s all going well. We are feeling organized, and everything is getting sorted and packed. It seems it works better for us when we pack over several days rather than rushing on the last few days, especially when we’ve accumulated more stuff than usual during the past 14 months.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We’ll be heading to Komatipoort for the required Covid-19 PCR tests and will get the results by email on Wednesday morning, the day we’re leaving. We’ll have Louise print off the report, the only item we need to have printed.

Over the years, we’ve found we don’t need paper copies of flights, hotels, cruises, and car rentals as long as we have the reservation or confirmation numbers on our phones. The documents may say to print a copy, but we’ve done fine without hauling pages and pages of documents. It’s wasteful and unnecessary in the majority of cases. Once we show our passports, providers can easily find us in their system.

How quickly the youngsters learn the value of an egg.

We’ve gone through all of the Covid-19 restrictions for this upcoming flight and our two upcoming cruises. It’s all under control. We’re pleased with how organized we’ve become over the years. But, it took us a while to learn the best way to handle all the necessary documents clearly and concisely. There is so much paperwork it can be overwhelming without an easy-to-use system.

But, who knew how to travel the world? In the beginning, technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now. And yet, in some countries, technology is far behind, and actual printed pieces of paper are required for many venues, rentals, and other services. We continue to learn as we go.

Today, I did laundry for the last time. With the high humidity, clothes usually take two days to dry, so today was the day to wrap that up. The cupboards are empty of our foodstuffs, and the refrigerator only contains enough food for tonight’s dinner. Tomorrow morning when we head to Komatipoort, we’ll have breakfast at Stoep Cafe.

This little one was unsure how to crack open the two eggs.

We’re going out to dinner at Giraffe with Louise and Danie tomorrow evening. We always enjoy their company. It will be wonderful to spend our last evening in the bush with them.

Throughout all of this busy packing, I’ve continued walking, staying at a full 25 miles, 40 km, per week. Even when we’ve been out for the majority of the day, I catch up when we return or, in a few cases, add to the next day. Surely, while traveling, I should be able to keep pace with all of the walking at airports.

There’s no doubt we’ll be exhausted when we arrive in Tampa. Thank goodness the drive to Karen and Rich’s house is less than 40 minutes, in regular traffic. They are planning a nice dinner for us. Karen wrote a thoughtful message, asking if we would prefer to eat a light meal when we arrive since it will be later at night to us, after being awake all night.

It pays to learn from Mom how to do it.

I explained how that wouldn’t be an issue for us. We prefer to immediately adapt to the new time zone, eating and sleeping based on the times of the day and night where we are currently. This helps us to acclimate more quickly and avoid severe jet lag. Usually, after two good nights’ sleep, we are back to our “old selves.” But, on a few occasions, we were a little tired for a few more days. Missing a night’s sleep in itself can cause that!

When we arrive, we’ll avoid napping and get into the groove as soon as possible. Surely, by 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, we’ll be ready for bed on Thursday, our day of arrival. Thanks to Karen and Rich for thinking of us and inviting us to stay at your lovely home. I can’t wait to see the ocean once again!

Two little ones were trying to get in on the action.

That’s all for today, folks. It’s time for me to start walking again to ensure I stay on track. When we get to Florida, I may be able to walk outdoors, hopefully, avoiding running into any alligators!!! Then again, it would be fun to take a photo!!!

Be well.

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

Frank eats out of the seed container. There were so many warthogs in the garden I set this down for Frank. The warthogs love to eat the seeds, leaving none for Frank. This was a good solution at that point to ensure Frank and The Misses got their share. For more photos, please click here.

Three days and counting…We’ve accumulated too much “stuff!”…

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This is Bossy’s baby who may be a boy with a lumpy structured forehead that will eventually have a full set of horns that last a lifetime.

I am busy sorting and packing, deciding what to leave behind for when we return, what to throw away, what to pack in our bags, and carry-on. Tom packs all of his clothes and digital equipment, and zillions of power cords. But, as always, which he prefers, he doesn’t start until the day before we leave.

Since I am the cook, I prefer to pack all the kitchen items we’re leaving behind since we aren’t taking any of those items with us. Also, Louise provided us with many household goods from her inventory,  and we are sorting and keeping those separate to return to her. It’s been a daunting task.

Bossy arrived with three young calves. She was on babysitting duty.

Usually, when we’re moving out of a holiday home, we only have to pack our clothes, toiletries, and equipment. But, this time, it feels like another time in my life, many moons ago, when moving from one house to another. Every cupboard, drawer, and cabinet in this house has our “stuff” in it.

It’s not as if we did a monthly run to Costco, loading up on inventory of household goods. But, over the 14 months, we’ve spent in this house, we accumulated enough to make packing more challenging this time. I have run out of room in the two plastic totes I borrowed from Louise, and she, too, is also out of empty containers. Soon, we are heading to the hardware store to see if we can find a few more bins.

Two youngsters were fussing over one another.

As for leftover food, we are in great shape. We will have used every frozen item and all meats by tomorrow night. Tuesday, we’re dining out with Louise and Danie on our last night. Tonight and tomorrow night, we’ll be eating grilled chicken breasts with sausages, green beans, rice (for Tom), and salad. We’re using all of our eggs and bacon. Since we don’t snack, we don’t have leftover chips and other snack bags to toss.

The few things left in the fridge, such as unopened butter, cheese, sour cream, and a few condiments, we’ll give to Zef and Vusi. Plus, I have accumulated a pile of clothing for their wives and daughters in good condition, which they may or may not be able to use.

It was tricky getting the three young kudus in one photo.

Shortly after returning from the local hardware store, unable to find any large plastic containers, Vusi showed up at the door with another large empty tote. Louise emptied it so we could use it. That’s her! She’s always thinking of everyone else. They are such great friends and the best property managers in the world. We know from experience!

We enjoy our wildlife friends in the garden even though it’s a school holiday and the park is packed with tourists. We couldn’t believe the number of tourists at the shops, the water park at the Bush Centre, and the restaurants. At these holiday times, we don’t often see many animals. But these boys and girls know, after 14 months, which “side their bread is buttered on.” Pellets are still offered in abundance.

Here’s all three of them together. Kudus are very social animals.

We have over two 40 kg, 88 pounds bags of pellets left to use before we go in three days. Certainly, we’ll have no trouble getting them tossed into the garden in the next few days.

Our flight from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport is at 6:30 pm, 1830 hrs, so we don’t have to leave here on Wednesday until about 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs, leaving us plenty of time to drive the problematic N4 highway, in the event of any unforeseen slowdowns.

Are we excited about our upcoming visit with Karen and Rich in Apollo Beach, Florida? Absolutely! We missed their wedding due to Omicron, and it will be fantastic to spend time with them at their oceanfront home. As for the two cruises, we’re very excited to be cruising again and surely will enjoy both Atlantic crossings on two very different ships.

Bossy and the three babies.

Then, of course, we’re excited to spend time with our adult kids, grandchildren, Tom’s siblings, and hopefully, my sister Julie (who may come from LA) in Minnesota and then off to Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada, to see son Richard and his girlfriend. If time allows, we hope to see some of the many friends we left behind in 2012 when we began to travel.

Thanks to many of our readers who have written to wish us safe travels. Finally, you’ll be able to read and see photos of something other than wild animals in our garden! They never bore us, but they may have become “old news” to all of you.

We hope you have a pleasant Sunday. We’ll be back tomorrow with more!

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

These three warthogs, whom we’ve named Bennie, Hennie, and Lennie, visit several times a day. But in the past several months we haven’t seen them together. For more photos, please click here.

Pack or sort???…

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Yesterday, was a “sorting” day. 

The definition of sort, a verb as found in the Dictionary.com:

  1. Arrange systematically in groups; separately according to type, class, etc.: “she sorted out the clothes.”
  2. Look at (a group of things) one after another in order to classify them or make a selection:  “she sorted through her mail.”

Henceforth, in this blog, I will use either of these two words, “pack” or “sort.”
“Pack (in our case), referring to the systematic, relatively insane process (in my case) of placing myriad clothing, electronics and personal effects into four suitcases and two carry-on bags with the ultimate goal of being dragged (yes, dragged) around the world.

Oh, there is one exception to the above “pack,” the process of packing a variety of memorabilia into approximately four over-sized plastic totes which our adult children have offered to store for us in their basements. Thanks, kids!

“Sort” (in our case) referring to the systematic, relatively insane process (in my case) of examining and determining the fate of myriad household items as I peruse endless cabinets, closets, drawers, containers, boxes and old totes. 

Yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon sorting only a few items: a small plastic cabinet filled with office supplies and another smaller plastic cabinet filled with cosmetics. 

As I pulled these two dusty cabinets from my walk-in closet where they’ve resided for years in the living room with the TV on in the background, placed them in from of my comfy chair with a “to save” bin on my right an a “trash” bin on my left, working on the smaller cosmetic container first.

Small and smaller plastic cabinets

Two hours later, after picking through every single item, testing, smelling, washing, tossing I discovered I had found 26 years of good quality make-up brushes as shown in the above photo.  

After washing each and every brush and tossing a few, I placed them in this neat little black foldout makeup brush case.  I was thrilled!  It was like brand new, definitely going into the “to be packed in suitcase” pile.  

Toiletries to pack.

On the island of Madeira, Portugal, located off the coast of Africa where we’ll spend 2 1/2 months beginning May 2014, if I need a little paint brush, it will be right there!  As for a makeup brush, yes, I will use some of these, not all of them. As I wrote this today, reality hit me. 

These brushes, minus, two or three for the trip, must go in the “to be sold” pile. If I have had these brushes for so many years and still hadn’t used them it was time to say, “Bye, bye brushes.”

Bye, bye, office supplies.  Bye, bye little cabinets.  But, hello middle photo of miscellaneous toiletries (minus the brushes) including three pairs of false eyelashes that I can’t seem to get to adhere to my own lashes (bye, bye, perhaps?), eight packages of plastic brush teeth picks (our dentist says we’ve saved our gums using these), a portable magnifying mirror, silver cleaning polish (for my silver jewelry), and a plastic container with my cosmetics, enough to last for at least two years.

Office supplies for the estate sale.

All afternoon?  Well, I did four loads of laundry, ironed a pile of clothes, made dinner, washed all the display glassware in the kitchen and spoke to a friend in Florida for an hour, who also retires in the fall. 

Today? Back to the “sorting” in preparation for the upcoming shredding event next Saturday morning; one “to save’ bin on my right and one “to shred” bin on my left.

Clothes, clothes and more clothes…mostly mine…

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As a “girlie girl” all of my life, with an affinity for the feminine flair, as far removed from “Tom Boyishness” as a female can be, I unabashedly admit to being the female stereotype when it comes to clothes.  

Although, annoyed by the process of purchasing clothing and its varying accouterments, there is a certain sense of glee when finding a bargain on an item I am particularly interested in acquiring. Not an impulse shopper, I rarely purchase items I don’t need or want.  There isn’t a single unworn, still price- tagged item in my closet (less the items we are purchasing for our journey).  
It’s all about “the hunt” and in some cases, “the negotiation” that get my shopping juices flowing and then, the subsequent acquisition of a high-quality, well-priced, properly fitting item to add to my repertoire of varying taste and style.  

Not a fashion maven, I  possess an uncertainty of my “personal style” as encouraged by an endless pouring of style and fashion shows on TV which I seldom watch. 
Moderately comfortable Easy Spirit fashion flats
Shall I say good-bye to these?

From time to time, I peruse a current fashion magazine in a genuine effort to become familiar with current hemlines, popular colors and shoe styles, always hoping they are befitting my body type, relevant to my age and commensurate with my comfort needs. 

As a result, my current wardrobe consists of a mishmash of layering pieces which I tend to wear without layering, with either a comfy pair of jeans or more often, not so comfy pair of jeans, the comfort factor based on what I had to eat in the past two days.  Sound familiar?

Shoes?  Not so much.  Yes, I have some high heels (seldom worn), fashion flats, (most often hurt my feet), sandals (no flip flops when I can’t stand to wear anything in between my toes), boots and those staples you’ll see me wearing in the grocery store; workout shoes, Keds slip-ons,  Easy Spirit anything and Aerosoles. (In the 70’s, I could wear Candie’s high heeled shoes for 18 hours straight. Not now.)
Comfy old Keds slip-on shoes.  Are these worthy of taking along?

Assessing mine and Tom’s current wardrobes some months ago, realizing how long we’ll be traveling, we both made the decision to sell all of our old clothing at our upcoming estate sale on the weekend of October 27, 2012 and to bring only new appropriate clothing with us.  

There’s no sense in bringing lots of jeans and sweaters to Belize, Africa, Italy (in summer), Madeira and Hawaii and other warm climates.

Old, worn, favorite comfy Dexter’s flats.  Shall I make room for these?  Here again, probably not, based on worn condition.

Here’s my list.  I posted Tom’s clothing list on Thursday’s post, May 31, 2012. Hold onto your shorts!  I said that I’m not a “clothes horse” but, I do like having choices:

  • 15 casual dresses, for everyday wear, easy to dress up or down, roll in a ball in a suitcase
  • 4 dressy dresses, for formal nights on cruises
  • 5 pairs jeans
  • 5 pairs Capri pants
  • 9 pairs shorts, mostly Bermuda length (acceptable to wear in public on hot days)
  • 1 black maxi skirt
  • 16 tee shirts
  • 12 various tops 
  • 4 cardigan sweaters, 4 shrug cover ups (for breezy nights aboard ship, matching dressy dresses)
  • 2 light weight jackets (1 blazer, 1 rain coat)
  • 1 hoodie sweater
  • 3 sets of workout clothing
  • Exofficio BugsAway: 2 pair convertible pants, 2 long sleeve tee shirts, 2 hats, 4 socks
  • 2 belts for dresses
  • 2 scarfs to dress up outfits
  • 4 bathing suits, 2 bathing suit cover up dresses, 1 black pareo
  • 6 sets sleepwear, mostly tanks and shorts, 1 lightweight robe
  • 1 pair workout shoes, 2 dress shoes, 2 pair walking shoes, 3 pair sandals, 2 casual shoes
  • 5 bras, 12 panties, 2 shape wear items for those formfitting dressy dresses
  • Various costume jewelry to match outfits – We will be selling all of our “real” jewelry prior to leaving due to the high risk of exposing oneself to theft while traveling
  • 3 handbags; 1 large, 2 small
Undoubtedly, I am unknowingly leaving out some items at this point.  As the packing begins, I’ll post photos of our packed goods and post a list of all the non-clothing items we will find necessary to pack.  

Most certainly, frequent travelers will laugh when they see our extensive lists.
I would only ask them this one question, “When have you traveled when you are never going home to repack, carrying everything you own for a period of no less than 3 years?”  Now, tell me we’re taking too much!