The remainder of our Kruger photos…More exciting photos to come…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 22, 2022 with 2 Comments

Lindsey’s incredible photo of two hippos carrying on.

Today, we share more photos from our Tuesday visit to Kruger National Park. Our guests are still reeling from the adventure.

Early this morning, Norman, Noah, and Nina were waiting for us when Tom opened the doors to the veranda. He came to tell me, and I bolted out of bed to toss them some carrots while Tom refilled the bucket of pellets from the storeroom across the car park.

In moments, the garden was packed with wildlife, and we both were busy feeding the various animals. In no time, our guests joined us at the veranda table, coffee in hand, and reveled in the wonder of the wildlife visiting us.

Our guests had some paperwork to tackle and preferred to stay in while I busied myself with household tasks and piles of laundry now that it was sunny again. Our linen napkins were dirty, and I wanted to get them washed before our next meal at the house.

Based on our plan to go to Amazing Kruger View for dinner and Crocodile River viewing tonight before sunset and tomorrow night at Jabula for our usual Friday night dinner, I won’t be making dinner again until Saturday. Rita and Gerhard will join us tomorrow evening.

We are staying busy with our guests and looking forward to returning to Kruger in the next few days. They loved lunch at the Mugg & Bean and shopping in the fabulous gift shop at Lower Sabie. Of course, the wildlife sightings were the highlight of the day.

Tom and I are doing well. Neither of us stresses when we have houseguests. We maneuver through the days and evenings with ease. These wonderful friends are especially easy to host since they are blissfully resourceful and independent.

Plus, with them living in the two flats with their kitchen suitable for making a hot breakfast, coffee, and snacks, my only contribution is making dinner (with Connie’s help) and Tom doing his usual job of washing dishes, pots, and pans.

With Zef and Vusi cleaning five days a week, there’s little else for us to do otherwise: pick up after ourselves and clean up the kitchen after prepping and cooking meals.

They have also made their lunches since we stocked their flats with plenty of breakfast and lunch foods. Most days, when we stay in, they make sandwiches for themselves and bring them to our house for more wildlife watching during their meal. Easy-peasy for us.

As mentioned above, soon we’ll head to Amazing Kruger View for sundowners and dinner later. Hopefully, we will spot some wonders on the river, adding to the repertoire of photos they have collected during their stay.

Stay well. We will be back with more tomorrow!

Photo from one year ago today, September 22, 2021:

Impalas have such pretty faces and markings. A helmeted guinea fowl manages to “photo-bomb.” For more photos, please click here.

More photos from Kruger National Park with friends…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 21, 2022 with 2 Comments

Safari luck prevailed when we spotted these two cheetahs.

In a short time, Connie and I will head to the Imbewe Spa to have pedicures. It will be a fun break for us to luxuriate in the excellent service Patience and her staff provide. We’ll get our treatments simultaneously from two technicians, which will take about 90 minutes.

When we return, they’ll have lunch, and I’ll get back to work making bacon-wrapped meatloaf. We’ll add mashed potatoes, butternut squash, and salad to another excellent meal for the five of us. Last night, we did takeaway for dinner since we returned late from Kruger.

We couldn’t get a full-face photo of each cheetah when they never turned around before wandering off.

It was the first time since we’d been at this house. We did takeaway for dinner. Nothing on the menu worked for my way of eating, so I had leftover chicken salad and coleslaw from the previous day. We all had enjoyed our special day in Kruger and had worked up an appetite.

While I wrapped up yesterday’s post, Connie headed to the Tin Shack to pick up the four meals. At the same time, Tom and Jeff sat at the dining room table, since it was pelting rain outside, watching the Monday night football game between the Minnesota Vikings Game and the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course, the Vikings lost, and both were disappointed.

A bloat of hippos is seen from the bridge crossing the Sabie River.

Connie, Lindsey, and I sat at the table with the guys, chatting and sharing stories while the football game echoed in the background. The atmosphere was fun and festive while we all stayed indoors, reveling in our day’s adventures in the national park.

We ended up not getting off to bed until after 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs., and set up another episode of season nine of The Blacklist. Unfortunately, I nodded off midway through the show when Tom woke me up, suggesting I get under the covers and sleep. The past few days have been busy and fun since our friends arrived, after spending the past several months nursing my aching head and face and spending a part of the day resting.

Not long in the park, we spotted two moms and two babies. Our friends were so excited!

But, amid all the good times and commotion, I am finally beginning to feel better after almost a week on the increased dose of the medication. I can hardly express how grateful I am to be improving a little more each day. I still get the headache a few times each day, but the facial pain is gone as of a few days ago.

This morning we had a close encounter with a single giraffe who came up the veranda. She was gone when I got the camera, and we never got the photo. We were pleasantly surprised by how many animals came to visit this morning in the rain, but we took the time to enjoy each one of them, tossing pellets into the garden.

This photo was taken about one kilometer across the Sabie River. That’s the best my camera could capture.

We’re staying in today since it’s raining hard, off and on, every hour or so. Tonight, after sundowners, we’ll have a nice dinner inside the house and continue the delightful conversation.

Be well.

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

This morning, the mongoose’s fur got wet and looked spikey! Ironically, it’s raining today. They’ll look the same if they visit. For more photos, please click here.

A rewarding day in Kruger National Park with friends…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 20, 2022 with 0 Comment

With rainy weather on the horizon today and tomorrow, we all decided to chance it and go to Kruger National Park this morning. We realized the risk of a rainy and windy day existed, but we were all willing to give it a go. By the time we left, it was drizzling, but we were happily on our way.

Fortunately, we spotted some decent sightings before the rainfall escalated about an hour into the drive on the paved road. It always surprises us when we see so much wildlife when driving on the only tarred road in the vicinity of the Crocodile Bridge. But sightings are galore, and we’re rarely disappointed.

No more than 40 minutes into the drive, several “parades” of elephants gave us quite a show, and Tom and I were excited for our three friends to experience the sightings. It is an exquisite joy to share this with our friends from afar. They often expressed their utter pleasure in these experiences.

The rain impeded our views from time to time, but we forged on with enthusiasm and commitment to see as much as possible. We were lucky to see what we did and look forward to sharing more photos in days to come. We didn’t get back to the house until almost 5:45, which meant we spent a whole day in Kruger after arriving shortly after 10:00 am. Often people say you can’t see anything of significance unless you arrive at the break of dawn, but we’ve never found it necessary to arrive so early in the morning. We don’t like getting up at 5:00 am to go to Kruger.

We stopped for lunch at the ever-popular Mugg & Bean, enjoying a nice meal and conversation! How fun it is to share the wonders of the bush with our friends who have never been to Africa in the past. Connie, Jeff, and Lindsey were shocked by the reasonable prices of the food and the quality of our lunches.

Baboons were hanging off the bank of the Sabie River.

The bridge over the Sabie River offered some good hippo sightings. We took many photos of hippos, as shown in today’s pictures, let alone the many others we’ve yet to post. After lunch, we headed to the Sunset Dam to see crocodiles, storks, herons, and hippos, which further rounded out of viewing experience.

We didn’t return to the house until after 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., which was too late to defrost meat for dinner, so we decided to order takeaway from the Tin Shack restaurant, the first experience for all of us. There were leftovers from last night’s dinner that I opted to eat as opposed to ordering takeaway for myself. There’s rarely anything on a takeaway menu that works for my way of eating.

It was a great day with friends, sharing Kruger National Park, including their shopping spree in the fantastic gift shop at the Mugg & Bean. They loved every moment and made several purchases.

It rained most of the day, and the rain continued as we rolled into the evening. We dined indoors at the dining room table, which was lovely. Tom and Jeff watched the Vikings football game together while seated at the dining room table while we all had dinner and much delayed sundowners.

Be well. More to follow tomorrow.

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

Wildebeests in the driveway. They eventually headed to the back garden for pellets; for more photos, please click here.

It’s wonderful having houseguests…Can’t wait for Monday!…Exciting new sighting!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 18, 2022 with 0 Comment

Sorry, this is the back of a ground hornbill, a large bird we’d never seen in Marloth Park in the past. We couldn’t grab the camera quickly enough, but they moved away fast; these two shots were all we could get.

Why would I possibly wish time to fly at my age? There are only two reasons: one, the holidaymakers will have left after the weekend, and the animals will return to our garden; two, we’re having lucerne delivered, and more animals than we’ll be able to count will finish off an entire bale in one day.

Sundays are always quieter in the garden except, so far this morning, Norman, Nina, and Noah, several bushbucks, Delilah, and three ground hornbills (the first sighting for us other than when we’re in Kruger) also ran through the garden quickly preventing me from taking good photos other than the few I have posted here today.

Another distant view of the ground hornbill.

Our guests are still in their little cottages after a long flight and two travel days, but as I write this now, Lindsey just arrived and was happy to see a bushbuck in the garden. They missed the morning influx, but hopefully, more will come throughout the day.

This was a little lunch I put together yesterday for my boy Norman. He loved every bite.

Last night during dinner, which turned out well, we only had three huge warthogs in the garden napping at the edge of the veranda. From the size of the tusks, we determined it was Mom and Babies, and they hung around for a few hours. But our guests enjoyed seeing the pigs but weren’t quite able to understand my affection for warthogs. In these next few weeks, I genuinely believe they will understand why.

My boy Norman came to call this morning before our friends were up. We hope that he and his family return soon.

We are thrilled to have Connie, Jeff, and Lindsey here. We have had a great time commiserating with them since we’ve been friends for over 30 years, have many great memories, and are excited to make new memories. Last night’s dinner was fantastic, and now as I write this after taking many breaks, the three of them are sitting at the table on the veranda.

Nina, Norman’s partner, also stopped by this morning.

It’s a beautiful day today, thank goodness not as hot as yesterday’s 98F, 37C. There’s a slight breeze, and the humidity is relatively low at 26%. By dark, it cools down considerably when we’re sitting outdoors enjoying our dinner and watching for wildlife.

Last night’s dinner was a huge success. We were surprised the our three houseguests held up so well after the two travel days, including yesterday’s long drive from Johannesburg to Marloth Park. By 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs., they headed to the two cottages for the night. After a good night’s rest this morning, they are all feeling better and ready to enjoy time in the bush.

This morning Louise dropped off another battery-powered lantern, so each of us has enough to get us through the frequent load shedding that escalated to Stage 6 as last night. This means that for 10 hours a day, we won’t have power for 12 hours. This is too much. Eskom is supposed to have a big press conference today to discuss the 500 billion rands they need to stop load shedding, which translates to about 28.4 billion US dollars.

We doubt that will ever happen, so we don’t see an end to this. There’s no way this country can come up with that sum to alleviate the possibility of a total blackout. I just read an update from Eskom stating that Stage 6 is unavoidable, or there would be a total blackout. This would be a fiasco and certainly impact our desire to continue our desire to stay here much longer.

We can only wait and see what happens. As I’ve been typing this post, our power went out again. It’s been a few hours, and it hasn’t come back on yet. Louise checked on it, and apparently, it’s a municipal fault, not more load shedding. We’ll get more of that starting in a few hours. Oh, good grief.

TIA…This is Africa. This is what happens here. We do everything we can to get through this. Meanwhile, we’re enjoying time with our friends and looking forward to seeing more of our wildlife friends.

Be well.

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

When peering out the kitchen window, we saw this image in the front of our house. For more photos, please click here.

Adults only, please…Mating efforts in the garden…The best thing since sliced bread…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 16, 2022 with 0 Comment

Young duiker Derek was trying his hand at mating with Delilah. She wasn’t interested. Note: the observer is on the other side of the fence.

We feel privileged to witness the cycle of life in the bush while sitting on our veranda, day after day. We watch all aspects with a sense of awe and wonder over the relationships of wildlife right before our eyes. Most of the wildlife are loving to their mates and exhibit gentle behavior. We find a great joy to behold.

From time to time, he took a pause to allow her to eat pellets.

Even resident warthog Lollie, with two “boyfriends,” Reuben and Busybody, shows loving interest when either of them is here. The tricky part is when both males are here simultaneously, during which they often get into a scuffle. Rueben is more aggressive and often chases Busybody away.

Gosh, it’s fascinating to witness all of this exquisite animal behavior. Hours pass in a blur when we’re watching the wonders in the garden, day after day. No wonder we have little interest in going out when the “show” is right here, before our eyes.

A female bushbuck observed the activity.

Here’s some information about the breeding habits of bushbucks.

From this site:

“Common Duiker Breeding

After a gestation period of about six months, the females gives birth to one young weighing about 175 g, and very seldomly gives birth to twins. Before giving birth, the female will hide in dense vegetation. The young are well-developed at birth and can run within their first 24 hours, yet the mother hides them at first. Females give birth once a year, and first mate at the age of 8 – 9 months, only being fully grown at 7 months. Having no specific breeding period, duikers give birth at any time of year with a possible peak during the summer months. According to habitat and locality, their mating systems vary from monogamous pairs to males with more than one female.”

It’s spring here in a few days, perhaps attributing to this mating ritual.

From this site:

Mating Habits

These animals form monogamous breeding pairs. This means that one male mates and lives only with one female. No evidence for a peak breeding period has been found. Females are known to produce young at any time of the year, with gestation probably lasting 4-7 months. A female will seek out very secluded and thick cover for the birth. Normally one young is born, though sometimes there are two. Newborns are well developed when born and are able to run within a period of twenty-four hours. Both parents look after them. Young are weaned at 2 months of age and reach adult size in 6 months. Females attain reproductive maturity at 8-9 months and males at 12 months of age.

Perhaps, success? With a pellet in her mouth! Who eats during sex?

Ewes reach sexual maturity at 14 months. Even though rams reach sexual maturity at 11 months they generally do not mate until socially adept at the age of three years.”

This morning Tom was up and about at 5:00 am and did two loads of laundry while I stayed in bed, wide awake but still too sluggish to get up. These drugs I’m taking for the head and face pain knock me for a loop for about 12 hours. I started taking the 25 mg dose at 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs., and today, I awoke with no pain for the first time.

Derek’s enthusiasm continued over about 30 minutes,

I don’t know how long that will last since it’s been coming and going over the past few days since I upped the dose. I am finally very hopeful—perfect timing with our friends arriving tomorrow. I still feel sleepy during the day and will lie down for a few minutes when I have time. According to the literature, the drowsy side effect will diminish over time.

Finally, Delilah rests after the challenging events of the day.

We were concerned about our houseguest suffering on the hot nights when there were 2½ hours of load shedding during the night. There are no inverters in those two units, and it can be hot at night on 100F and 38C days. When we expressed our concerns to Louise, within hours, she and Danie made the long drive to Nelspruit to purchase three chargeable fans, one for each of the two flats where our friends will stay and one for us to use while sitting outdoors when the temperatures rise very soon.

Here’s a photo taken of one of the fans, which are all charging right now since load shedding ended a few minutes ago:

The greatest invention since sliced bread…a rechargeable fan, ideal when power interruptions occur frequently. The fan will last 10 hours on a low setting, and six hours on a high setting, making it suitable for load shedding.

Louise pays all the utilities, but we are very mindful about using electricity, especially for the air con unit in the bedroom. Now when it’s outrageously hot during the day, instead of going into the bedroom and turning on the air con, we can sit in front of the quiet rechargeable fan. We appreciate the fans for our guests and us. She never misses a beat on satisfying the needs of her guests. She and Danie are both fantastic!

Now, I have to return to work in the kitchen making 24 regular (non keto) blueberry muffins and two pans of mushroom, onion, cheese, and crustless sausage quiche, a pan for each of us for breakfast over the next few weeks while our guests are here. For freshness, we’ll freeze individual portion sizes to keep in the freezer at both houses.

I will post again tomorrow since we don’t expect our guests to arrive until the afternoon. I’ll go back and forth, making the dinner for tomorrow night and working on the post, getting everything prepped by the time they arrive.

Tonight? Jabula with Rita and Gerhard!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 16, 2021:

A helmeted guinea fowl and her chick are looking for pellets at the veranda’s edge. For more photos, please click here.

Off to Komati…Lots to do to get ready for company…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 15, 2022 with 0 Comment

We love the colorful heads on helmeted guinea fowl who visit us every evening around 4:30 pm, 1630 hrs., and then 90 minutes later head off in single file into the bush to “go to bed.” Early birds. We laugh every time we see this.

We don’t have many new photos today. I’ve been so busy taking care of travel-related projects or financial stuff and then nursing my aching head and face that I haven’t focused on taking photos as much as I had. I hardly have any photos in the folder on my desktop entitled “Today’s New Photos.”

We’d intended to return to Kruger National Park, where photo ops are aplenty, but bouncing around in the small rental car has held little appeal with the headache. Although I have experienced some relief in the past few days after increasing the dose of the medication, the slightest motion or sudden turn of my head starts it all over again.

When we returned from shopping, these four bushbucks were mainly female, waiting in the garden for us.

I’ve learned that standing quickly after sitting fires it back up again. I am trying to learn to be mindful of such activities to enjoy the pain-free periods for however long they last. This morning, after awakening without pain, I bolted out of bed, realizing I had better get on the ball and get up.

I planned to get up early and clean the main refrigerator, making room for all the groceries we’ll be buying today after my breakfast at Stoep with Rita. Once showered up and dressed, I immediately tackled the fridge cleaning, and 20 minutes later, we had plenty of room for the new influx of food.

Tulip decided to take a rest in our garden.

While doing this, I kept thinking about how much I longed for a cup of coffee but decided to wait until I was done and then reward myself. Alas, I forgot to turn on the kettle, and just like that, load shedding started. Of course, the kettle wouldn’t work, and I didn’t feel like boiling water in a pot on the gas stove, using a lighter to start the gas burner. Yes, we are grateful we have gas burners, although the oven is electric.

When load shedding occurs during dinnertime, which it has done every day so far this week, it helps to use the stovetop to prepare our meals instead of waiting until 7:30 pm, 1930 hrs., to eat dinner. We prefer to dine by 6:00 pm, if possible, although it may be later when dining out.

Any minute, Rita will arrive to pick me up. I have the most extensive grocery list on the app on my phone than I’ve had in a very long time. But with three guests who eat foods we avoid, my goal is to be mindful of what they like instead of what we always eat. So, I will be buying both ways – low-carb; meat, eggs, vegetables, and some high-fat dairy, and also for our guests, the typical US diet of grains, starches, meats, vegetables, and snacks.

I tossed some cabbage out to them. They love the moisture in fresh vegetables.

Tom will come into the market with me, and we’ll use two trolleys. This way, we’ll be able to keep it all straight. I only plan to purchase enough food for four or five days, and then Connie and I can go shopping together, choosing what we prefer to cook and eat. I am sure it will all work out well.

Back from Komati…

Rita and I had a lovely breakfast, after which she dropped me off at the pharmacy to fill my prescription and a few toiletries. When done, I walked the short distance down the strip mall to the Spar and began shopping while waiting for Tom to join me. Our plan worked well; we kept their food and supplies in one trolley and theirs in another. We spent a small fortune.

Once back at our place, we brought their food to the cottage, and once it was all put away, we headed back to our house to unload our food into the two refrigerators and the chest freezer. We purchased enough food for five dinners and breakfasts, lunches, fruit, and snacks for them. Whew!

For the rest of the day, which is rapidly ending, we’ll hunker down and have a nice dinner of leftover mozzarella stuffed meatballs topped with homemade Italian sauce and grated mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, with steamed broccolini and a big salad.

Tomorrow, I’ll make a huge batch of blueberry muffins and a few pans of crustless quiche to share with our guests. The next few weeks will be busy, but we’ll do everything we can to make it seamless and stress-free. Staying calm is of the utmost importance in making house guests feel at ease.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 15, 2021:

Broken Horn can’t get enough visits to our garden, even napping when he needs a restful break. For more photos, please click here.

Preparations for our friend’s arrival in three days…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 14, 2022 with 0 Comment

This morning we stopped at Louise’s office, the Marloth Park Info Centre, to discuss the housing needs for our guests arriving in three days. Initially, it was going to be only Connie and Jeff, but now their adult daughter Lindsey will be joining them since she has been able to get a passport in time for tomorrow’s journey from the US.

Instead of staying in our house, they’ll be staying in the two additional guest houses on the property, next door to one another. Since Jeff may need assistance at night, having easy access for Connie and Lindsey will make all the difference in the world. The two guest houses are next door to one another with their own mini kitchens, refrigerators, coffee pots, linens, and amenities. This will make them all most comfortable.

Stringy, giving us a look, wondering where the pellets are hiding.

Vusi and Zef will clean the two units five days a week, making it easy for all of us. Plus, they’ll be able to spend their days with us on our veranda animal watching, when we aren’t in Kruger. Louise will check and ensure we can do a few guided game drives if Jeff can sit in the vehicle’s front seat next to the driver. It’s quite a challenge for anyone to climb up high into the safari vehicle, let alone a person with any limitations.

Tomorrow, after breakfast at Stoep Cafe with Rita, she will drop me at the pharmacy to pick up the new prescription for the medication I have been taking for my head and facial pain. Over the past few weeks, I upped the dose from the original 5 mg to 10 mg to 20 mg and finally, last night, to 25 mg, and miraculously I am so much better today that I can’t believe it.

When I saw Doc Theo last Monday, he gave me a new prescription for 25 mg, saying if I wasn’t better by now, to get the script filled. How did he know that 25 mg was the magic number to provide me relief? No wonder I love this guy! Of course, I have to be realistic that the pain could return at any moment, but I am optimistic about the future. If a positive attitude can impact pain, I am all over it.

Anyway, after the stop at the pharmacy, I walk to the Spar Market and start grocery shopping. I asked Connie for a list of foods they eat, and oddly, for us, this will be the first time in years I shopped for bread, juice, fruit, sweet yogurt, and a variety of snacks. This won’t be a problem for me since I have no trouble avoiding such foods, even if they are in front of me.

I do not doubt that Tom will partake in some of these non-Keto items since he has no health issues and little motivation to avoid them when they are in the house. After we left Louise this morning, we headed to Daisy’s Den to purchase lucerne to be delivered to our garden on Monday and Thursday next week. Plus, we bought another bottle of non-toxic dust mite spray.

Then we headed to the meat market at the Bush Centre to purchase prawns and some meats typical for South African tastes and diets. Connie, as a professional chef, is especially curious to experience some local foods. But since there are dozens of cultures in South Africa, it’s not easy to pin down one or two. Once we get out to eat, she’ll have a better opportunity to experience some of the foods.

Medium Daddy is on his way to becoming a Big Daddy.

Speaking of food, suddenly I am hungry. Now that the power is back on after load shedding for the past 2½ hours, I can head to the kitchen and see what I can roust up for a quick bite to eat.

We have excellent leftovers from the freezer to get us through the next two days. Then, on Friday, we’ll head to Jabula for dinner and social time, as usual. With our guests arriving on Saturday, we’ll be busy that day getting ready for our guest’s first dinner in the bush. It will be such fun to share this life with them!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 14, 2021:

Thick Neck and/Bad Leg with mud on his horns from digging for food. For more photos, please click here.

Zebra Day and Baby…On a rainy morning…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 13, 2022 with 1 Comment

Mom and baby zebra. Of course, Lollie is photobombing.

What a way to start the day with nine zebras hanging around for a few hours, including a mom and very young foal, suckling every few minutes. Typically, zebras kick, yip, and pass gas when pellets are tossed. It was cute to see how the mom scooted the foal out of the way of the commotion. Zebras are not ruminants. They have only one stomach. Constantly grazing on vegetation, they become bloated and gassy.

The zebras approached the railing for their pellets.

The zebras never seem to injure one another when they get into a frenzy, but, let’s face it, the animals are hungry. No wonder they carry on over a few pellets. They all still look healthy, and we pray they can remain so until the “greening” of the bush. We’re moving into spring in a mere week or so.

The baby is tiny compared to the adults, as shown in these photos.

Three months later, it will be summer when the heat, humidity, insects, and mozzies will be in full force. But, the magic of summer is the beautiful green bush for the wildlife to eat. With so much food on hand at that time, you’d think they stop by less and less for pellets, but the fall and winter habits have been established, and they continue to stop by regularly.

Fortunately, this morning it’s drizzling, the perfect type of rain for the bush as opposed to a downpour that merely runs off. It must have rained at night since we see a touch of green in the usually dry, brown bush. This indicates times to come when the rainy season begins soon.

Mom is determined to keep the baby away from the rowdy others.

As soon as I stepped outdoors this morning, after another fitful night’s sleep, it was exciting to see nine zebras, including a very young foal, in the garden. Tom had already taken several photos and tossed several batches of pellets. Of course, I decided to try for more shots to be added to today’s post, hopefully.

They moved closer to the veranda railing.

The animals were finally returning to our garden with the drones overhead last week and a bush weekend packed with tourists. We were a little concerned when it was sparse of wildlife with friends Connie and Jeff arriving in four days. We hope all of our regulars and more will stop by to meet them. The thought of sharing this wonderful environment with our friends is exciting.

Further out in the bush, away from the others.

I’m feeling slightly better today. The headache and facial pain are about 50% better. Maybe after 18 days of taking the tablets at night, relief is coming. I am hopeful. Having this pain for the past five months has been challenging and frustrating. I’ve tried not to complain or limit my activities. In the realm of things, this may have been the best way for me to handle it rather than lying in bed, feeling sorry for myself.

A few zebras were lying down in the background.

Unfortunately, the medication makes me sleepy during the day. I may have to take the drug for a long time, hoping the sleepiness goes away. On the 15th, if the pain isn’t completely gone, I am to increase the dose by 5 mg per day for a total of 25 mg per day. I started at 5 mg, and it knocked me for a loop. But today, I feel a little less groggy and maybe won’t need a nap in the afternoon, which was a rarity for me before Covid-19.

Little zebras seem to be dazed most of the time.

With our friends coming, I don’t want to be sluggish and tired. I will do my best to stay alert and engaged in sharing the wonders of the bush with them. We hope to go on a few game drives with a guide and do several self-drive safaris in Kruger National Park. Once they arrive, we’ll be able to plan our events based on how Jeff feels and can maneuver in his wheelchair. We can only wait and see how it goes. The long journey from the US is exhausting and requires a few days to recover.

A little grooming of the foal by the attentive mother.

Tom is sitting at the table on the veranda, which has a roof while watching football on NFL Game Pass, an app for which he pays an annual fee to watch all NFL games while out of the US. I came inside to sit at the dining room table when Vusi was here cleaning the veranda and have stayed here, now and then, getting up to do something. Tom is no more than four meters from me, and from this location, I can partially see into the garden in case a visitor stops by.

It’s blissfully cool today, and we’re both wearing hoodie sweatshirts. I love days like this when it’s cool and rainy.

The baby is fearful of leaving his mother’s side.

May you have a blissful day, as well.

This zebra stood in the garden sleeping for over an hour. Typically, zebras sleep standing up to ensure they can dash in a hurry if danger approaches. With the hungry lions in the park, they are mainly on guard.

Photo from one year ago today, September 13, 2021:

Little was using a rock for a pillow. For more photos, please click here.

Interesting observation of relationships between species…Awful load shedding over the weekend…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 12, 2022 with 0 Comment

Spending the better part of each day on the veranda, it’s not surprising that we have an opportunity to see various species interact. Many tolerate one another with minimal interaction, and others are aggressive. Most fights we’ve seen over the years are within a species, such as wildebeests, warthogs, kudu, and impala, primarily during the mating season and over territorial issues.

In Kruger National Park, we’ve seen hippos, wildebeests, and Cape buffalos engage in aggressive behavior among their species, and some may fight to the death. However, we’ve never witnessed such an event. Occasionally, animals in the garden will get in a scuffle over pellets, most often zebras, kudus, warthogs, and, most recently, bushbucks.

The animals are hungry—the bush is dry and parched. Few leaves remain on trees and bushes. Sitting here, I see a Big Daddy kudu pulling down branches on a tree with his massive horns to get to the few remaining leaves he can’t reach.

Norman and Noah have been here twice already this morning. Tom was outdoors the first time they stopped by, but I was there the second time. When they stopped by the first time, he and his son Noah jumped the little fence, and Tom tossed them some pellets.

A single zebra stops by, wondering what’s on the menu. Two kudus are in the background, one lying down, another standing.

When I got up a short time later, they were gone, but within minutes they arrived. I assumed they must have heard my voice echoing through the bush and wandered back for more treats. I cut several carrots from the big bag into bite-sized pieces suitable for them to chew. For the duikers and bushbucks, I cut them into much smaller pieces. The warthogs can manage an entire large carrot, but for safety’s sake, I cut those up into three or four chunks.

A Big Daddy kudu approached the fence as Norman and Noah enjoyed their carrots. He was no more than three meters from Norman, who saw him from the corner of his eye. He never turned to look at the kudu. Instead, he fluffed up his mane and tail to make himself appear larger and scooted sideways toward the fence to the kudu. We both watched in amazement.

A Big Daddy was standing on a mound in the garden.

A full-grown male nyala weighs 275 pounds, 125 kg. Male kudus with much larger horns can weigh about the same but appear much larger due to their massive horns. When Norman fluffed up, he appeared much larger to the kudu. As Norman inched his way toward the fence, in the sideways motion we’d never seen, the kudu retreated and moved away.

Gingerly, Norman returned to the carrots and again began munching to his heart’s content. During this interaction, Noah never stopped eating and paid no attention to what his dad and the kudu were up to…the blissful ignorance of youth.

It was a busy weekend in the bush, with many tourists visiting and staying in the myriad holiday homes throughout the park. Sometimes, we wonder if the day will come when there are too many holiday homes in Marloth Park, stripping the animals of their much-needed vegetation.

If that day ever came, I’d doubt we’d return. As much as we love the wonderful friends we’ve made here, our interest would wane substantially without the animals. We can always visit our friends throughout the world, but nothing can compare to the experiences we’ve had with wildlife.

A Big Daddy approaches us, looking for pellets.

In five days, our friends Connie and Jeff arrive. We’re looking forward to their arrival and will soon be getting things ready with a grocery store and liquor store shopping and stocking the little house with supplies they may need, such as toilet paper, extra towels, repellent, etc.

Over the weekend, load shedding escalated to stage four, resulting in a total of 10 hours, in 2½ hour increments. without power in a 24 hour period Our only worry was the food in the refrigerator. We managed to be without power during our dinner party on Saturday night. We used lanterns and candles for light at the table on the veranda. As planned, dinner was served before the load shedding started at 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs, ending at 9:30 pm, 2130 hrs., at which point, everyone had gone home.

Noah and Norman have already visited us three times today.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of our food. I was still under the weather and preoccupied with getting the meal served before the power went out. It all worked out, and we had a lovely time. Everyone seemed to enjoy the cashew chicken stir fry, with some returning to the kitchen for seconds.

Now, with no social events planned until Rita and I go to Stoep Café on Thursday and Jabula on Friday night, I can spend the rest of the week taking it easy and preparing for our friend’s arrival on Saturday.

Be well.

Photos from one year ago today, September 12, 2021:

Broken Horn stops by at least twice daily, checking out what’s on the menu. For more photos, please click here.

21 year anniversary of September 11th…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 11, 2022 with 0 Comment

A photo of a rose growing in our garden in Madeira, Portugal, in 2014.

On the 11th of September, for the past 20 years, we are constantly reminded of the horrific loss of lives on this date. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and compassion for those who lost loved ones or sustained injuries during this unbelievable historical period.

Last night at our dinner party, when this topic was discussed, I chimed in by saying that the losses on this date impacted the entire world. But, now, these days, we also remember all of those who lost loved ones due to Covid-19 in the past 2½ years. In reviewing stats on Worldometer, it states that 6,516,076 lives have been lost worldwide since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Many naysayers complain that the stats are incorrect. Yes, they may be inflated or even minimized. We hear stories of those who passed from cancer or a heart attack being counted as Covid-19, who may or may not have tested positive at the time of their sorrowful demise.

But, then again, what about all the cases and subsequent deaths that weren’t counted, such as in rural or impoverished areas where statistics weren’t counted when many couldn’t afford medical care or didn’t seek medical care, thinking it would go away on its own?

Most likely, the overcounting and the undercounting balance out, and the number of death may be fairly accurate. We’ll never know for sure. In any case, on September 11, the pandemic and everyday life resulted in the loss of loved ones and no single event. In my opinion, it is more or less heartbreaking to loved ones who have lost those they held dear.

When we hear about the loss of an elderly person, often we hear, “They lived a long and full life.” I appreciate this statement and its kind intent. But, the reality is, regardless of how old a person was at the time of their death, those who loved them still miss them and feel tremendous grief that they are gone.

Another phrase I often hear is, “They are out of pain now.” So true. But, do their loved ones not suffer because their special person is gone and sadly suffered for extended periods? The grief remains, often for the rest of our lives.

I lost my dear sister Susan in August 2020, during the worst of Covid-19. She had many life medical problems and had been bedbound for years. She may or may not have passed due to Covid-19, except my other sister Julie, who sat at her bedside at the end, tested positive three days later and was very ill.

Most likely, Susan passed from Covid-19. Most likely, within a year, she would have died anyway but that didn’t lessen the significance of her death and a Covid-19 diagnosis. She was never tested while living in a hospice care facility. Losing her left me reeling with grief while we were in lockdown in a hotel room for ten months in India. I still think of her with an aching heart each and every day. I never got to say goodbye.

So, to everyone who ever lost a loved one, we extend our deepest sympathies for this life-changing experience. It’s all the more reason for us to live our lives to the fullest, perhaps stepping outside the box, reaching for the stars, and embracing every special moment we encounter.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 11, 2021:

Tag: South Africa

“Common Duiker Breeding

Mating Habits