Cooking for one…This is what a single life would be like…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 8, 2023 with 0 Comment

There’s never a day that passes that I don’t appreciate having Tom in my life. Now that he has gone away for ten days, it’s become more evident to me how much he does daily, not only around the house but to enrich the quality of my days and nights. He is a fun and loving husband and partner who also shares equally in the running of the household and its daily tasks.

Aside from all of that, his companionship, laughter, and countless warm and loving interactions are sorely missing right now. We chatted on Whatsapp at length yesterday, but with our sleeping times opposite, talking on the phone at will is a little more complicated.

Today, he’ll be busy prepping for the eulogy at Jerome’s funeral and mingling with his huge family and many friends who will attend. The immediate family alone is well over 100 people. Chatty and friendly as he is, I expect I may not hear from him today, which is fine.

Dawn and Leon gave me these thorny cactus plants that hopefully will keep the baboons away.

He’ll spend the remainder of the week with his kids, grandkids, siblings, and other relatives. If time allows, he may visit a few old friends. He’ll have plenty of stories to share when he returns a week from today, and the time can’t pass quickly enough as far as I’m concerned.

I thought I might spend some time in the evenings talking on the phone to some of my old friends in the US, but after a poor connection last night with my friend Chere, I may not do so. I use Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger, which are excellent free services with normally a good WiFi signal. The signal here is very poor at night, with many people in Marloth Park online streaming shows.

Calling using my cellphone’s Google Fi service is too expensive, especially when calls to friends can easily last for an hour or more after not speaking for a while. In any case, I’m not one to talk on the phone much. I prefer in person conversation.

Big Daddy was on a prance in the garden.

It’s surprising how well I’ve slept alone the past three nights, although I wake up when I reach for Tom, and he’s not there. That’s weird. I am still waking up at the same time as always and listening to podcasts when I awaken each day. It’s easy to maintain my usual routine.

Living this way reminds me of what it must be like for single seniors and those who have lost a spouse or are divorced. At times, it’s lonely and unsettling, especially since I have no transportation and can’t jump in the car to shop or meet friends for lunch or dinner. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to going to Jabula on Friday and Saturday nights. My friend Sindee will be picking me up and driving me home.

Our large braai broke, so we now have this smaller version which should serve us well.

It was terrific when Louise stopped by for sundowners on Monday night. Those few hours we sat together on the veranda chatting up a storm and sipping on wine were delightful. I’m sure I’ll be getting together with her and Danie before Tom returns a week from today.

There’s not much on the horizon today. I cooked enough chicken yesterday for another round for tonight’s dinner. All I have left to do is make a salad to go with it, which I will do shortly. The meals for one person have been easy, requiring little prep time.

That’s it for today, folks. Have a great day, and be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 8, 2022:

It’s a rare occasion that Tom has a milkshake, but yesterday’s anniversary was the perfect day to indulge. For more photos, please click here.

Eight lions spotted in our area…Guess I won’t be going for a walk…Today is our 28th wedding anniversary…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 7, 2023 with 2 Comments

May be an image of map — We are located in Block D, where eight lions were spotted in the past 24 hours.

Note: Sorry, we have no new photos. Due to the black worms on the veranda, I haven’t taken any photos in the past few days.

The following notice was posted last night on Facebook’s “Marloth Park Sighting Page.”

“

URGENT CARNIVORE ALERT

6th- 7th March 2023

The Carnivore Team has released an URGENT WARNING that eight lions have been spotted in the “D” SECTOR OF THE ATTACHED MAP! They are now moving between the houses.

The immediate alert is for BLOCK “D,” “E,” AND “F” as per the attached map. For those who are not familiar with Marloth, BLOCK “D” IS FROM RENOSTER, KINGFISHER, SEEKOEI, SWARTWITPENS, RATEL UP TO OLIFANT, BLOCK “E” IS FROM SEKELBOS, OLIFANT UP TO LUIPERD AND BLOCK “F” FROM RATEL, SWARTWITPENS, SEEKOEI, SOENIE UP TO OLIFANT! A follow-up alert will be supplied if they move out of these areas!

EVERYBODY needs to be extremely cautious, and an urgent alert for joggers, hikers, and cyclists in the morning and afternoon! Be extra careful at night, as the LIONS are a more significant threat in the dark! If you are having a braai, sit with your backs to a wall and keep the lights on!

Please do not allow children to roam around or play unsupervised – period! The lions could be extremely dangerous, especially where kids are concerned!

This an urgent alert for joggers, hikers, and cyclists along these areas throughout the day!

Unfortunately, the warnings are not taken seriously! The onus is on each and every one to adhere to the alerts and warn others of the dangers.

PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY CARNIVORE SIGHTING POSITIONS ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS FOR SAFETY REASONS! Rather contact any one of the Carnivore Team if you spot the lions, phone any of the following numbers at ANY TIME:

Rangers 082 802 5894

CPF/ Nadine 082 672 4545 Gerrie Camacho 082 353 9097,

Ernst Röhm /MTPA 083 626 6309,

April Lukhele: 082 807 1057. Jan Koekemoer 063 053 7601.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding – Carnivore Team, Rangers, MTPA, CPF, Security, and the Vet.

Wow!. Eight lions! It certainly would be exciting to see them, but they hunt, mostly at night, and it’s too dangerous to be outdoors looking for them. Occasionally, we hear a muffled roar, but like most lions, they don’t make a lot of noise while hunting. Lions roar as follows from this site:

“Lions will use their roar to ward off potential intruders and/or protect their territory and pride. Sometimes they’ll even roar to talk with other lions, and their roars can reach up to 114 decibels—the same noise level as a chainsaw or snowmobile.

Still, only big cats, such as lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars, can roar. This is due to their large vocal folds, which form a square shape allowing large vocal vibrations at less lung pressure, resulting in a monstrous sound that resonates for miles.

Roaring isn’t the only way that lions communicate, either. They often make a “scratch pile” with their urine or claw trees as additional ways to mark their territory and keep a distance from other lion prides. Physical features, including the darkness of a male lion’s mane, are another way of displaying their abilities to others—generally, the older the lion, the darker the mane. However, a particularly thick, dark mane indicates an incredibly healthy and well-fedlion —and not an animal you’d want to mess with.

Lions may growl, moan, groan, huff and puff, and emit gurgling growls that resemble purring because, unlike traditional purrs—which are continuous—the vibratory sounds that lions produce are only evident when they exhale. Lions also show affection to one another through actions like nuzzling and head rubbing.”

Another school holiday season is upon us soon, when more and more holidaymakers will arrive to enjoy the wonders of the bush. We hope that property managers and owners will inform the guests about the lions since we often see families walking on dirt roads at dusk when the lions begin their nightly hunt. That’s not to say the lions aren’t out wandering the bush during the day. They’ve been spotted during daylight hours on countless occasions.

Of course, we don’t like the holiday seasons due to added traffic, noise, and fewer animals coming to our garden. When the wildlife gets a taste of chips, sweets, and human foods unfit for their consumption, they prefer to visit them than come to our “healthy garden” of fruit, vegetables, and pellets. Wild animals don’t have the digestive systems to digest crisps, chips, pasta, and cookies easily. These types of foods can make them ill or even shorten their lifespan. Hmmm…it’s not a lot different for humans, is it?

Here’s the school holiday schedule for 2023:

“South African school holiday dates in 2023

First term break: 25 March – 11 April 2023
Second term break: 24 June – 18 July 2023
Third term break: 30 September – 10 October 2023
Fourth term break: 14 December 2023 – 17 January 2024″

I am thinking of you today and always with love and appreciation for our beautiful lives together. Happy Anniversary, Lover. Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. We will celebrate when Tom returns. If you are reading this from halfway around the globe…

Actually, our travel anniversary holds more significance for us since it was the beginning of a new life and a new world for the two of us that has given us more joy than we’d ever imagined we’d have in our senior years. We are very grateful for it all and for each other. I didn’t need him to be gone to realize this. I’ve known it every day.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 7, 2022:

Bossy makes sure we see she is here for a visit. “Pellets, please!” For more photos, please click here.

My first night ever…alone in the bush…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 6, 2023 with 0 Comment

Norman is getting fluffed up with a male kudu and male zebras near him. Females of any species don’t bother him at all. He’ll even share food with them.

Today’s weather is pure hell. The temperature is only 84F, 29C, but the humidity is 73%, and the dew point is 75. It would be more tolerable if it were raining, but no rain is predicted throughout the day. I’ve had a busy morning, doing all the household tasks. Tom usually does it in the mornings, along with my own.

I started a few loads of laundry but set up the laundry rack indoors in the lounge room. There’s no sun, and it won’t dry any faster outdoors than inside the house. The clothes may take three days to dry in this weather. But there isn’t anything there I can’t go without, and besides, half of the laundry was Tom’s clothes.

Zebras were in a scuffle over pellets, a common occurrence.

Usually, in the mornings. while I make breakfast, Tom plays the most recent podcast episode of Garage Logic, where his name and our web address are mentioned daily at the end of each podcast. It’s always fun to listen to this enjoyable show. After breakfast, Tom does the dishes while I begin the post.

It’s a lovely routine we both enjoy, but with him gone until March 15, we’ll wait and get caught up on the missed podcasts when he returns. It may seem odd that I can listen to a show while doing the posts, but I’ve found that over the years, it works well for me.

This morning as I am typing here now, I have a split screen on my laptop, and I’m watching the TV series “Naked and Afraid.” I stop periodically to watch a particular scene in the show, but then again, I often stop watching and pay more attention to the post’s preparation.

Also, this morning, I made a double batch of keto coconut flaxseed bread from mixes I purchased in the health food section at Spar. It has no “bad” ingredients, and it is extremely low-carb.

I have two small slices every morning topped with eggs, avocado, or smoked salmon. I cut two thin slices of the small bread and place them into snack-sized ziplock bags (which I save and reuse many times), putting them into the freezer. I take out one packet at night, but if I forget to take it out, after 30 seconds in the microwave, it will defrost. This big batch will last a month.

There was my boy Norman looking for me early this morning. It was busy in the garden, so it took him a few minutes to mosey on over to his favorite spot.

This keto bread is dense and somewhat dry, so I add a little keto barbecue sauce to the bread to moisten it. Then, I pop both slices into the toaster until lightly browned. Butter, cream cheese, or other sugar-free sauces may be added. I use the sugar-free keto barbecue sauce since it has the lowest calories (and carbs), and calories count on low carb, especially when trying to lose a few kilos.

Below is a photo of the larger two loaves I made this morning. I let them cool for a few hours, making cutting them into thin slices easier. I always keep the food I am cooling covered with kitchen towels to prevent flies and insects from crawling on them. It’s always best to freeze baked goods here due to the high humidity presenting a likelihood of mildew growing very quickly.4

Keto Coconut & Flaxseed bread doesn’t look appetizing, and it’s an acquired taste. I like it.

It’s been almost 14 hours with two more to go since Tom’s flight took off from Cape Town Airport. I should hear from him shortly while he begins another long layover. He’ll have to go through immigration and customs when he arrives at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. The lines will be long, and it could take him an hour or more to get through. It will be good to hear from him again as he makes his way on this long journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In my old life, before I met Tom when my kids were grown, I spent many years living alone without an alarm system. I did OK alone overnight in the bush. I had the fan and the aircon on in the bedroom, so I didn’t hear every little sound and never felt frightened or worried. The alarm was set, and I kept the keyfob with the panic buttom under my pillow in case I heard anything unusual. But all was fine.

Oops, I had to stop when Norman showed up. I cut him some celery tops, lettuce, and apples, but suddenly, he was joined by our frequent Big Daddy visitor. I tossed some apples to Norman and in another direction to Big Daddy, and he left Norman to eat his lunch without interruption. Norman always fluffs his hair and tail when encountering male kudus, especially those with big horns like Big Daddies.

Moments later, Hoppie’s Mom and two babies arrived in the garden. They have figured out how to maneuver through the little fence, and we’ve stopped trying to hurry them away since they are here so often.

I just snapped two worms off my shirt after sitting outdoors while Zef washed the floors in the house. Yuck!

Tom’s flight to Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, was running 20 minutes late. According to the flight information online, it arrived 19 minutes ago. I should be hearing from Tom soon. I just got a text! He’s in line for immigration, and we’ll communicate more once he’s at his next gate for the flight to Minneapolis. There’s a four-hour layover and an almost four-hour flight until he arrives at his final destination.

Busy morning in the bush. All is well. I miss my man, but he’ll return before I know it.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 6, 2022:

Not our photo. The continuing rise in the cost of food in the UK was one of the key contributors to December’s consumer price inflation of 5.4% © REUTERS (An article from Financial Times, with their link here. For more details, please click here.

Tom’s off to the US, returning in ten days…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 5, 2023 with 0 Comment

This looks like Bossy and her new baby! Ironically, Bossy had a new baby one year ago that we posted in the below photo.

It is peculiar that I will be alone in the bush house for the next ten days while Tom travels to the US for his brother Jerome’s funeral, which will be held in Minneapolis on Wednesday. By leaving today, he’ll arrive tomorrow after over 35 hours of travel time with layovers in Cape Town, South Africa, Washington DC, and then the final leg to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Leaving today rather than waiting until closer to Wednesday, allows him a day to recover after losing considerable sleep during the long journey, especially the 16-hour red-eye flight, which is, by far, the most difficult of the flights. The cost to book an upgraded seat in Business or First Class is thousands of dollars, which we don’t care to spend for the 16-hour convenience.

This Big Daddy has been visiting several times a day.

After all these years of flying worldwide, we’ve become used to long flights, frequently getting up to walk around, wearing compression stockings, and busying ourselves, watching countless movies to avoid boredom.

I charged and tested our new portable phone charger, which works great. He took it with him so he won’t run out of power on his phone while on the plane. Then, while in Minnesota, where he’ll surely be using his phone often, he won’t have to worry about running out of power when he’s out and about.

All he has to remember is to charge the portable charger overnight while he’s sleeping. I will remind him of this when we talk. He can easily become distracted by the activity around him and forget this new step in his routine. He will stay with his daughter Tammy and undoubtedly be distracted in their busy and active household.

I am staying in today. I already made a hearty salad with various greens and am cooking chicken in the oven right now to go with it. Load shedding occurs this afternoon at 1:00 pm, 1300 hrs, when I can’t use the oven, so I decided to cook the chicken now. It’s enough to last me for two or three days.

Zebras started lining up along the fence for a treat.

Breakfasts are easy with eggs and avocados. I don’t plan on cooking much while Tom is gone, so I purchased plenty of wild-caught tuna and salmon to get me through several days. I don’t snack often, but if I feel like I need something, I purchase plenty of imported Emmenthal cheese which is always a satisfying snack to hold me until the next meal.

It’s going to be very weird to me with Tom gone. I doubt I will do sundowners on the veranda, especially since some disgusting slimy black worms are slithering around. Once they are gone in the next few days, as predicted, I’ll look forward to spending more time outdoors with our wildlife friends. But, I don’t drink wine alone, even my lightest of wines, so most likely, when I do sundowners, it will be with a big chilled mug of cinnamon green iced tea.

Perhaps, a few of our friends may stop by to visit while Tom is away, but if not, before I know it, Friday will arrive once again, and I’ll be heading to Jabula with friend Sindee who offered to pick me up and bring me home. I only agreed to allow her to do this if she let me buy her dinner both nights. It will be a fun “girl’s night out” for both of us, along with all of the other locals we’ll chat with who often appear at the bar.

Before I know it, I will be writing here that Tom is returning, and we can settle back into our old routine of this glorious life in the bush, enjoying abundant wildlife and friends.

Sending love and prayers to Jerome’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and new great-great grandchild, Tom’s siblings and all of their family members, and everyone who knew and loved Jerome, of which there are many, including us. W will miss him.

Tom just sent me a Whatsapp. He arrived safely at the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport, checked his bag, and is now boarding the plane. I have a feeling we’ll be sending lots of messages back and forth in these next ten days.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 5, 2022:

Bossy doesn’t bring her baby to see us every time she visits. In time, she will get her more often. For more photos, please click here.

Tom is off to the US on Sunday…Our first time apart in 10½ years…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 4, 2023 with 0 Comment

The view from friend’s Karen and Rich’s home one year ago when we stayed with them in Apollo Beach, Florida.

Note: We’ve been preoccupied and haven’t taken any new photos in several days. Today’s images are from Florida, where we were one year ago.

It will feel very strange for Tom and me to be apart for ten days when he leaves for the airport in Nelspruit to start the long journey to the US. On his way there, the flight and layovers will have 31 hours of travel time. On his return on March 13, arriving on March 15, it will be much longer when he has to stay overnight in Joburg at the airport hotel to avoid driving the dangerous N4 highway in the dark.

This will be the first time we have embarked on an international flight without the other. Not only was it imperative for him to be with his family for brother Jerome’s wake and funeral service in Minneapolis, but also to spend precious time with his kids, grandkids, and siblings. I will feel a lot better when I hear that he has arrived safely and when he walks in the door a week from Wednesday, back with me once again.

Our dear friends Karen and Rich while we were all out to dinner in Florida.

As a blended family, we’re constantly juggling and allocating time between our families when we are together in the US. It has always worked out well, but this time, he won’t have to worry about carting me around, dropping me off, and picking me up after time with my son Greg and his family.

For a minute, we may have considered having me go with him, but the more we thought about it, this made the most sense. Plus, he can sleep at his daughter Tammy’s house, where I’ve never been able to stay since I am allergic to cats. The same is the case with staying at my son Greg’s house, where they have three cats.

When it’s the two of us, we prefer to stay in a hotel, especially when we consume so much WiFi and spend so much time online doing daily posts and other research. Also, as a couple, we prefer privacy and quiet when staying in a hotel when we travel.

View of the bay from Karen and Rich’s home in Apollo Beach.

The only exception to this has been when we stay with our dear friends Karen and Rich in their huge house in Florida. The four of us are so much alike, we don’t annoy one another, and it’s always been easy for a week or more. We all like the same kind of food, and our daily habits are oddly similar. This isn’t always the case with many friends who have generously offered us to stay with them.

Tom just finished packing, considering it’s still freezing in Minnesota. When our bags were lost on our last trip, we bought sweatshirts and flannel shirts to stay warm. He now has three flannel shirts, a few new zippered sweatshirts, and plenty of jeans to keep warm. He isn’t bringing a suit when few men at the service will be wearing suits. But he will wear a newer long-sleeved black shirt and pants to the services.

This morning, we headed to Komatipoort to grocery shop for whatever I’ll need in the next ten days. Mostly, I’ll prepare easy chicken and seafood meals while he’s away, along with a salad. When he returns, I’ll make a special dinner for us to celebrate our missed 28th wedding anniversary, which is on March 7.

These past ten years, we have always made a bigger fuss over our travel anniversary on October 31 each year. Still, we’ve always done something special on our wedding anniversary, often going out to dinner or making a fancy meal wherever we live.

This evening, we’ll return to Jabula, the second night in a row to be with our local friends at this entertaining establishment. Last night, we had an excellent time, reliving the fun we all had at my birthday party last Saturday. It’s hard to believe that it was almost a week ago.

That’s it for today. Next time I write, I will be alone for the first time in so long I can hardly remember; although we were apart at night when I was in hospital in 2019, Tom was with me every day, well into the evening. But this is different. I am not afraid of being alone. I’ll watch for lions when I am outdoors and those disgusting slimy black worms that are still falling on our heads. Yuck.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 4, 2022:

Once again, the porcupine returned to the garden at night. For more photos, please click here.

No word on the funeral date yet…Tom’s departure up in the air…What about his pending visa extension…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 3, 2023 with 0 Comment

We spotted this leaf insect on the outdoor refrigerator door. The Phasmida (stick and leaf insects) are plant-eating insects, often resembling sticks or broad leaves. They do not have their hindlegs adapted for jumping as in the closely related order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, crickets, and relatives). While there are about 3000 species, only about 30 are leaf insects.

Tom is still waiting to hear from his niece when her father and his brother Jerome’s funeral and memorial service will be held in order to book his round-trip flight to the US. He has to time it correctly to ensure he is still in the US on March 9. the expiration date on our current visas.

If he returns after March 9, which he will, he will receive a new 90-day stamp to reenter South Africa will cancel the requirement for his pending visa extension we did with the law firm in Cape Town. Since I am staying behind, the visa extension will continue as planned. At some point, I’ll have to go to Nelspruit to the immigration office to open the “secret” envelope to determine my new visa extension date.

This morning, I wrote to the law firm to explain the situation and ask if there are any issues we need to be aware of before Tom leaves to ensure there are no surprises. I just heard back from the law firm, and he is good to go. He only needs to bring the receipt we received when we submitted the visa extension a few weeks ago. I found his receipt, which he will place in his passport.

Hopefully, the required exit dates will coincide as to when we will be required to leave South Africa. If those dates are different, which we expect, we will leave together on the earliest date. Fortunately, we haven’t had to book a flight out yet and will do so once we know more. We don’t stress about not knowing. We’ve both become used to having travel plans “up in the air.”

Today in the US, Jerome’s family will meet with the funeral director to arrange the service. With the eight-hour time difference, Tom won’t hear anything until later this evening, most likely after we return home from Jabula. Tom still wants to go about our normal lives while he waits to make plans for his departure to the US.

Leaf mimicry often is elaborate among the leaf insects, with the insects’ wings and legs closely imitating leaf color and form. Female elytra typically resemble, in their vein pattern, the midrib and veins in a leaf. Some species are even adorned with markings that resemble spots of disease or damage, including holes. Nymphs may sway side to side as though mimicking the movement of a leaf in the wind. Leaf mimicry is thought to play an important role in defense against predators. Some species possess rows of tubercles on their antennae that, when rubbed together, produce sounds that may also serve to ward off predators.

Once we know and he books the flight, we’ll head to Komati for a few things I’ll need while he’s away. At this point, we don’t know how long he’ll be gone, but most likely, it will be for a week or more. We shopped last Thursday, and although I won’t fuss over meals for myself, I’ll need a few items to last while he’s away and also for the first few dinners after he returns.

I don’t want Tom to have to grocery shop with me as soon as he returns after over 36 hours of travel time. He always recovers quickly after no sleep on the plane, but we’ve rarely felt like embarking on a big shopping trip right after we return from a long travel period.

Am I concerned about being alone in the bush for eight or ten days and nights? The reason bush houses often have a security system using a security company in Marloth Park is due to several break-ins and attacks at times. But this house has a good alarm system connected to a local service, and a security vehicle could be here in about three minutes.

I will keep the house keys with the emergency key fob in the bedroom. If anything worries me, I’d only have to push the red button to immediately alert the security company to head this way. Plus, that button triggers a loud alarm that won’t shut off until disarmed by the alarm company or me.

As for the animals, I have no fear whatsoever. If the lions show up, I’ll go inside the house. The other animals pose no risk as long as I continue to respect their space as we always do.

I won’t have a car while Tom is away, but Louise and Danie will help as needed, and I’m sure friends at Jabula will ensure I have a ride both ways if I decide to go on Friday or Saturday nights if Tom is still; away. If I don’t need to go to the market, which I won’t, otherwise, I won’t need transportation.

In tomorrow’s post, we’ll likely know more and report here accordingly. No words can express the gratitude Tom and I feel over the multitudes of thoughtful condolences expressed by our family, readers/friends on our site and Facebook. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and condolences over losing Tom’s dear brother Jerome.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 3, 2022:

Our resident tree frog lives atop this structural post on the veranda. She croaks intermittently during the day but ramps it up at night, communicating with other frogs. For more photos, please click here.

Sorrowful family news…Tom is heading to the USA…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 2, 2023 with 12 Comments

Jerry and his lovely wife Lee, his favorite Norwegian.

We knew that eventually, we’d lose a loved one, which would require an imminent trip to the US, mainly because Tom is the youngest of his remaining eight siblings. Sadly, last night Tom’s eldest sibling Jerome, 94, passed away after a short illness resulting in him being in hospice care at the VA hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over the past few days.

This morning, Tom awoke to a message from his daughter Tammy and Jerome’s daughter Jerri that Jerome passed during the night. Tom hasn’t been able to talk to anyone in his family yet since he found out it was the middle of the night in the US with the eight-hour time difference. As soon as the family starts waking up today at around 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs. when he will talk to the family to find out when the services will be held to ensure he gets to the US in plenty of time for the funeral.

Jerome has been an integral part of the lives of Tom’s family members and our lives. In the first several years of our world travels, we sent him our posts daily so he could listen to them on his talking computer. Jerome was totally blind and had been so since 1970 but had adapted amazingly well to this limitation. (We always admired Jerry’s strength and ability to fend for himself, and he has lived in his own home until this recent illness).

When we decided to leave to travel the world, Jerome encouraged us to do so with gusto. We even wrote a story about his enthusiasm for our travels in this post dated December 18, 2012, only a few months after we left. Please refer to that post which so well shares Jerry’s powerful and supportive message that “we’d be his eyes as we traveled the world.”

Jerome was a twin, born on a farm in Winsted, Minnesota. His twin, a boy named James, passed away several days later. The family always honored the loss of his twin and, of course, Jerome, as the eldest of 11 children in the family. The family includes well over one hundred multigenerational members, many of whom we’ve yet to meet with many recent births.

Jerome was a great-great-grandfather. His beloved wife, Lee, whom he referred to as “his favorite Norwegian,” passed away in December 2013. They’d been married for 61 years. He and Lee had three children, Jerri, Steve, and Kathy, with many young ones following from his eight grandchildren and now great and great-great-grandchildren. Jerome always said his only regret was being unable to see the faces of his grandchildren and eventual great and great-great-grandchildren.

Jerome’s attitude and demeanor left all of us reeling with wonder. His blindness was but a blip in his daily life and was often a source of well-intended good humor by his family, teasing him about driving a car and giving great driving directions. He was masterful at playing cards using special Braille-marked cards. Family members often played cards with him, including us, when we lived in Minnesota and when we visited in the past 10-plus years.

When I first met Jerome in 1991 at my then house in Minnesota, long before Tom and I were married, I told Tom after everyone left after a fun day by the lake, “Your brother Jerome “felt me up” (non offensively, of course). He felt the sides of my body and the features on my face. I stood there patiently, not saying a word, nor did Lee, his wife, sitting beside him. Tom laughed and responded, “That’s how Jerry can tell what you look like.” We often told this story accompanied by a heartfelt chuckle.

Jerome loved that we were living a dream life by traveling the world. When we called him, he often asked many questions and was fascinated by our stories and adventures. And we could spend hours listening to his stories of the decades of family life and his experiences before and after he went blind. Like their dear mother, Mary, Jerome was a fine storyteller up until the end of their lives. never forgetting even the most minute details, including dates and events.

Jerome will be sorely missed by all the lives of those who knew and loved him or anyone who may have been fortunate enough to cross his path.

We send our love and prayers to all the family members whose hearts are broken and saddened by this loss of their dear man. We grieve along with you and pray for his restful eternity with his beloved wife, Lee, “his favorite Norwegian.”

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 2, 2022:

We looked forward to sitting here and watching the visitors stop by. But now, there are so many worms I won’t sit outdoors. They fall on my head and face. Yuck! For more photos, please click here.

The party’s over…Regular life continues…Muddy garden…Lots of black worms everywhere…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 1, 2023 with 0 Comment

The worms are everywhere, hopefully, to be gone within a few weeks.

Now that the party is over, it’s back to regular life. It seems to be hotter and more humid now, or perhaps in the flurry of activity for the party; I didn’t notice it as much. Today’s biggest challenge is getting yesterday’s laundry dried, which is still soaking wet in the humidity, but worms keep crawling all over the clothes.

May be an image of outdoors — We borrowed this photo from Facebook. This is the veranda of a Marloth Park resident. These worms don’t appear every year but are awful this year. Our invasion isn’t as bad as this, thank goodness.

Tom moved the laundry rack to the sun on the wooden deck, but now the black worms are crawling all over our clothes. If we try to kill them when they are on clothing or towels, they leave a permanent stain. The tee shirt Tom wore today and yesterday will have to be thrown away with all the worm stains on it.

I’ve preferred to stay indoors seated at the dining room table with fewer worms, although some climb the little step from the veranda to access the inside of the house. Yuck! Many residents and visitors to Marloth Park are posting photos of their worm invasions. Thank goodness our isn’t as bad as the above photo we posted from Facebook. Yuck.

Then again, what do I always say? TIA. This is Africa, and instead of talking about the worms all day, we’re still enjoying the visiting wildlife. We plan to go into Kruger when it hasn’t rained overnight for a few days to make the roads more accessible.

Both Vusi and Zef are now cleaning. Zef is on the veranda sweeping up worms while Vusi is working on cleaning the store room from when the work was done for the new inverter system, leaving everything covered in dust. Extra dishes, serving pieces, small appliances, linen tableware, and our iced tea supply are kept in that room. It will be nice to have the extra dust out of the house.

Four bushbucks were in the garden, and four more outside the little fence.

I bolted out of bed early this morning to work on tonight’s chicken stir fry dinner. I cooked the defrosted chicken and veggies in garlic and ginger seasoned sesame oil, later adding all the wonderful seasonings and spices. Tom will have his dinner on a bed of white rice, and I’ll have mine on cooked cabbage with a side salad for each of us.

I prefer to get as much done as I can for dinners in the early morning when it’s cooler rather than be stuck in the kitchen just before we eat, standing over the hot stove. Plus, the kitchen has fewer flies when it’s cooler in the morning. When it’s time to eat, I’ll reheat the pot, cook Tom’s rice and toss the salad with homemade dressing, taking only a few minutesi n the kitchen. We can be on the veranda the remainder of the time, enjoying our wildlife visitors.

Even with the worms out there, we still spend our evenings on the veranda, and then, if the insects are really bad, we’ll enter the dining room with a clear view of the garden while we enjoy our dinner without too many insects intruding. When there are few insects in the cooler winter months, we spend more time outdoors in the evenings.

On another note, I’m still thrilled that I didn’t have the tooth pulled. After taking an x-ray, Dr. Singh determined there was nothing wrong with the tooth, but it was irritated from over-flossing. To avoid issues with my gums, I tend to floss too much and too often, using too thick a flossing string. I am still smiling over the fact that my tooth didn’t have to be pulled, leaving me to enjoy this week without the pain and discomfort and then dealing with getting an implant.

Zebras were taking off after we stopped tossing pellets.

My teeth are very close together, and I often feel like I need to floss. Dr. Signh convinced me that flossing once a day was enough, and I will now wait to floss after dinner. He did a full mouth x-ray with this modern equipment and said every tooth in my mouth and my gums are healthy, especially for my age. In the long run, our obsession with flossing and also having our teeth cleaned professionally every three months has paid off. It’s been easy to have the cleanings here with Luzaan, but once we leave in June, it may not be possible to do so when we’re in even more remote locations.

We’re looking forward to heading to Jabula on Friday evening. As it turned out, Dawn and Leon knew everyone at the party, making it fun. It will be great to catch up with them over the weekend.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 1, 2022:

View of kitchen from the dining room. One year ago, we posted photos of this holiday home before we moved to this house. Please click here for more.

Part 3…Wow!…What a fantastic party!…Video from the party!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on February 28, 2023 with 0 Comment

Today is our last post about my 75th birthday party in Marloth Park, attended by 28 guests, our four wonderful helpers, as shown in the above video, and our dear friends and caterers, Louise and Danie Thiart. It couldn’t have been a more enjoyable evening, and from the positive feedback we received in the past several days, everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

I must admit, I am still smiling over the event and will remember it with the warmest feelings for years to come. Every aspect of the party was meaningful and special to me, from the guests in attendance, our caterers, the decorations, the welcome drinks, the starters, the main courses, and all the many side dishes and specialty items.

These are well-seasoned little meatballs among fig quarters, cucumber rolls, and grape tomatoes were delicious!!

Unfortunately, I was so busy having fun that I failed to take photos when the main items were served, including many braai types of meat, homemade bread, and all the fixings to accompany them. I wish I had stopped long enough to take more fantastic food photos.

Both Tom and I always enjoy traditional African dancing and music. We all enjoyed the above video when Martha, Mpumi, Vusi, and Zef performed a special African dance for our guests. Please take a moment to click on the video to see what we could savor later in the evening when our helpers stopped long enough from cleanup and dishes to dance for us.

They served dozens of these spoons filled with taste-tempting treats, including such items as prawns, smoked salmon, and cheeses.

We’ve had an opportunity to see dancers perform throughout Africa over the years of traveling on the continent. It’s hard to sit still when watching since the music and energy always have such an enticing beat that it’s hard to stay seated during such delightful cultural events.

So, dear readers/friends, this is the last of our stories and photos about the party. Still, the experience will remain in our hearts for many years to come; we are grateful for our friends Louise and Danie and their amazing helpers and, of course, our friends who took the time to celebrate with us on this milestone birthday.

I peeked in the refrigerator when we arrived 30 minutes before the party started, finding all the yummy food waiting to be served.

Again, it rained last night, and the bush is thick with bright green leaves and vegetation to feed the animals in the park. Whether we or others offer pellets, vegetables, or fruit, the animals are well-fed. Anything we may provide at this point is comparable to giving a treat to a beloved animal.

The decorations were particularly appealing after dark.

This is the most rain we’ve seen in the seasons we’ve spent in Marloth Park. Many locals say the same as well – the best rainy season ever!

Today is another low-key day for us. It’s too wet and rainy for us to head into Kruger National Park, but we will embark on a self-drive safari when the weather is good for taking photos. As always, our visit will include breakfast at the Mugg & Bean and browsing through the enticing gift shop, which I always love to do. Tom has no interest in shopping!

Our friend Matthieu took a photo of me taking a picture of him. We laughed out loud! He’s a professional photographer who does game drives in Kruger.

We’re working our way through the leftovers in the freezer since our braai is broken and will be replaced in the next few days when,l once again, we’ll cook outdoors. And, before we know it, it will be Friday and Saturday nights when we’ll return to Jabula for fun at the bar and to dine on their great food, which we always enjoy.

Have a fantastic day, and be well. The only difference is that these wild animals can easily fend for themselves in the lush and full bush after all this rain.

Photo from one year ago today, February 28, 2022:

I kept thinking about Little stopping by several times after leaving and not finding us there. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Wow!…What a fantastic party!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on February 27, 2023 with 2 Comments

These delightful amuse-bouche spoons were a party favorite. There were about 100 of these spoon starters (appetizers). There were several unique contents. They were fun to eat and delicious!

We’re rushing this morning, hoping to get as much of this post done before we leave for Malalane to Dr. Singh’s office for my dental appointment, All went well, and I didn’t have to have the tooth pulled after all. I am thrilled, to say the least.

We caught this kudu eating a display platter when Louise was putting out the food. We removed the food afterward but couldn’t stop laughing. Danie was keeping an eye out to ensure this didn’t happen again.

I cannot begin to tell you the positive responses we’ve had from many guests who attended my party. My Whatsapp notification has frequently been dinging in the past 24 hours, and we couldn’t be more delighted. Of course, we can take no credit for the party. It was all due to Louise and Danie’s efforts.

Pretty decorations adorned the veranda at the party.

Some comments include:

From: Alan and Fiona: “Good morning, Jessica! Thank you for having us at your incredible 75th birthday celebration. The venue was lovely, the food was outstanding, and the company was great! You will always remember this one! Fiona and I wish you and Tom much happiness in your future travels, Much love from us!”

From: Alan and Fiona to Louise and Danie: “Hi Louise and Danie! Wow! What a magnificent spread last night! I don’t think Marloth Park EVER had a party catered to that standard before! Congratulations! I’m sure the birthday girl was impressed because the guests didn’t know what hit them!”

Fiona and Alan, coincidentally, were back from the coast for a few weeks and were able to come to the party.

From Dawn: Dearest Jessica and Tom, what a magnificent evening on Saturday…the best home birthday party I have ever been to. Thank you for all the trouble you went to. We love you lots.”

From Leon: Good morning! Saturday night was out of this World…too many things to mention. One of the best-prepared birthday parties we’ve been to in many, many years…Thank you. Please thank everyone involved from us!”

From Janine and Vasco: Good morning Jess…just want to thank you for an absolutely fabulous birthday get-together. Have a superb day, and please don’t forget to send photos, as I have none.”

In all, we had 28 guests arrive at the party. Many of the guests knew one another.

Last night, we had a pleasant evening again, eating more leftovers from the freezer since after the party, when we didn’t feel like cooking, although the only thing I made for the party was the two cakes, one of which we wiped out at the party and the second, which we took home. It’s a keto chocolate cake that is not as moist as a regular cake made with flour and regular sugar, but to me (and to Dawn), it tasted great.

More cheeses and toppings for Danie’s homemade bread.

Last night after dinner, I cut myself a big chunk of the keto cake while Tom ate two cupcakes Louise had made for the party as shown in the photos below. They certainly looked delicious, and Tom said they were definitely tasty!

Louise set up this beautiful display of cupcakes she had made for the party. Tom was thrilled there was a dessert with regular flour and sugar, and he loved them!

Now back from the dentist with the good news, we can both sit back and enjoy another rainy day in the bush with many wildlife visitors. We have lots of red wine left, including some given to me as gifts and many bottles of white wine. We went through 11 bottles of Prosecco at the party with one bottle remaining.

Tom, me, Theo’s wife Myrdah, Doc Mel and his wife, and Doc Philip’s wife.

Together we brought 40 bottles of wine (including Prosecco) to the party and went through only about 20 bottles plus, we brought five cases of 500 ml (16.9 oz.) Lion beer and went through 1½ cases (24 packs). I guess the Prosecco and the beer were the biggest hits. Now we have plenty of beer and wine left for our personal needs (and guests) until we leave here in June. This is the place to come for sundowners!!!

Vusi and Mpumi are in this photo, but Zef and Martha were all there to assist. They did a fantastic job of helping and cleaning the house and all the dishes the next day.

We’ve put everything away, including all the white wines in the refrigerator and all the red wines in boxes in the closet. I got some lovely gifts even after telling everyone no gifts! Thank you to all of our guests and all of our family, friends, and readers for a wonderful birthday I will always remember!

Tomorrow, there will be more photos from the party and an exciting African dance video of our helpers you will love!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, February 27, 2022:

Tag: South Africa

“South African school holiday dates in 2023