This morning at 11:45, we’re heading to Kathy and Don’s house, to head to the airport in their car, and then when we return, dropping off their car back at their house, which we’ll lock in their garage. We’ll jump in our rental car. and head back to our bush house in time for dinner.

Kathy and Don are heading back to Hawaii for their glorious winter weather and the holiday season. They prefer to avoid the busy holiday season in the park and, of course, the sweltering weather, some of which we’re experiencing now.

After yesterday’s 105F, 42C, temperatures, today’s predicted ten degrees cooler will be easy. Yes, we sat outdoors last night when it was still 100F, 38C, with no breeze and high humidity. Although we get used to the heat over time, it’s impossible not to feel some of the discomforts that go with these outrageous hot temperatures.

Based on our travel plans, we’ve accepted the fact that we’ll continue to spend more hot summers in Africa (when it’s winter in the US). When we return to Marloth Park in December 2022, 13 months from now, again, it will be during the heat of the summer.

On another note, yesterday, I devised a plan to help me get some sleep. At the same time, I continue to itch ferociously for many days to come from my dust mite allergy that kicked in last weekend, leaving me reeling in the misery of hundreds of raised red welts on my left side. The pain and itching of these welts usually last for over two weeks.

After no more than three hours of sleep over the past few nights, I devised a plan yesterday. I’d use no anti-itch creams during the day (putting them on seems to make it worse). Before bed, I’d shower again, using hot water, which seems to help for a few hours, and afterward apply copious amounts of calamine lotion, which I can dab on as opposed to rubbing in creams.

Benadryl. When I crawled into bed after the above, I waited until 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, to take what I’d planned would be two-25 mg. When I was so tired, I decided to take one 25 mg tablet, leaving one out on the nightstand for a second dose if I woke up itching during the night. According to the leaflet, the dosing for adults is 25 mg Benadryl, one to two tablets every four to six hours for allergy relief.

A benefit of this over-the-counter medication is that it can cause sleepiness. The one tablet knocked me out 20 minutes after I took it, and I didn’t wake up once during the night and slept until after 5:00 am. Although I needed more sleep, I decided not to take the second tablet and get up and start my day earlier than usual. I’d hope to get today’s post uploaded before we have to leave for Kathy and Don’s house around 11:20.

Back to sitting outdoors on the veranda late yesterday afternoon…I got a fantastic treat. Little showed up at 4:00 pm, as usual, give or take 20 minutes, and after we’d fed him a few piles of pellets, he crawled into the cement pond filled with rainwater to cool off.

He’d done this on another scorching day when we lived at the Orange house in 2018. Not only did he get into the cement pond, but he climbed the seven slippery tile steps up the veranda and came into the house. We wrote a post about this in several past posts, entitled Pig on the Porch, Pig in the Parlor, Pig in the Pond shown in this link, and another shown here.

Seeing a “pig in the pond” makes us laugh, especially when it’s Little, who makes us laugh over and over again from his funny antics. He’s got so much personality, and no doubt he loves showing off for us, not unlike a dog or cat would do to impress their owner.

So, folks, we’re off for the day, most likely returning in plenty of time for Little’s regular visit at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, to once again enjoy a lovely evening in the bush.

Photo from one year ago today, November 17, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #239. TKaahumanu Church, in Maui, on the US National Register of Historic Buildings For more photos, please click here