No word on Covid test results yet…Who were we kidding about compensation for delayed bags?…Ourselves!…

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Spikey’s horns have grown since we were away! It was beautiful to see him again.

Today, we heard that a bad virus, not Covid, was going through the area like wildfire with symptoms similar to Covid. As yet, I haven’t heard about my test results, but I am assuming it will be negative. I have this awful bug. The dinner party we missed at Kathy and Don’s house last night was canceled when Gerhard got sick. I hadn’t been sitting near him at Jabula last Friday night when we all got together, but at that point, I was feeling fine.

The reason for today’s late post, it’s now nearly 3:00 pm, is because we spent the entire morning trying to process the claims with United Airlines for our missing bags on the way to the US and then again on the return. We’d read about how great they are in compensating passengers for missing bags, even after being found and returned.  We decided we were delusional in thinking we’d be compensated for the gross inconvenience and having to pay for the most recent bag’s delivery to us.

Peter, Paul, and Mary are back again!

I won’t bore you with the tedious details other than to say, when all was said and done, we got a promise from United Airlines for a credit of US $225, ZAR 3240, toward a future flight or for overweight baggage, and reimbursement for the clothes we had to buy Tom when his entire bag was missing for three days when we arrived in Minnesota. He had nothing but the clothes on his back which he’d already worn for two nights and three days while traveling.

I suppose, in reality, perhaps that is all we were entitled to receive. We did finally get the bags. But, based on how their reps talked on the phone, it might be more. We have mixed feelings about using United again, but we may have to at some point. Besides, they don’t care if we don’t fly with them or not.

Today, after all the commotion on the phone almost all morning, I must admit, I’m not highly motivated to spend another moment on my laptop if I can help it. So today’s post will be minimal and certainly lacking in any creativity or fascinating photos. I apologize for the shortfall.

The Imposter, a smaller version of Tiny, who’s yet to appear, is ingratiating himself with us, showing up several times a day.

I am feeling a lot better today and am looking forward to getting out soon. If I continue on this path today and again tomorrow, we may head to Jabula for dinner tomorrow night. With Covid restrictions continuing, the restaurant won’t be open beyond 8:30 pm, especially when the curfew is at 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs when all residents must be back in their homes for the night. The curfew is lifted at 4:00 am, allowing time for workers to get to early morning jobs.

It’s a beautiful day today, sunny and warm with highs in the 80s, 27C range over the next week. Now, we see flowers blooming in the bush, a good indicator of spring on the horizon. Could it be that winter, which ends on September 22nd, is genuinely almost over?

That’s all we’ve got today, dear readers. Thanks for hanging in there with us through these quiet and uneventful times, of which there have been many with limitations imposed by Covid-19.

Be safe. Be happy and have a good day.

Photo from one year ago today, August 5, 2020:

From the year-ago photo while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #135. The Arc de Triomphe was a busy location filled with cars and tourists. For more photos, please click here.

Our bag is here!!!…What a relief!…Tom’s dental disaster…

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This is not Tiny, whom we’ve yet to see, eight days after our return. This is The Imposter, who resembles Tiny. He’s become a regular visitor whom we welcome with pellets.

There was no question that someone had gone through our bag with a fine-tooth comb. We had purchased vitamins in the US and hundreds of Vitamin D3 gel caps that spilled all over the bottom of the bag, and everything else was askew. Some of our toiletries spilled, but nothing seemed to be missing.

Our five pairs of shoes were intact, as well as the clothing items. We have to figure out if we are filing a claim and how and when we’ll be reimbursed. We were informed that there would be no compensation for the “inconvenience,” only the items we had to replace. As mentioned earlier, there was nowhere near us to replace any of the contents in that bag while we were without it.

It was delightful to see Torn Ear return to our garden.

We’ll take whatever airline credit we can get and see if we’ll ever bother to use United Airlines again. But that is behind us now, and we’re anxious to put the annoyance to rest. Tom is currently at the dentist in Malalane, and I’m home alone trying to recover from my current flu virus of some sort.

I don’t believe I have Covid, nor did Tom. It was just a bad cold, the same cold/flu Tom had a week ago, from which he has since fully recovered. Soon, I’ll hear from him when he leaves the dentist to find out what transpired there.

Whoa! I just got a call from Tom. He had to have two teeth pulled! I feel so badly for him. It is disheartening to lose teeth, especially when it’s a reminder of the ravages of aging, and it leaves a gaping hole that must be dealt with in three months after it fully heals.

Based on feeling under the weather, we haven’t taken many photos the past few days.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post here, there’s no escaping the realities of health issues regardless of where we live in the world. Fortunately, here in South Africa, we have access to excellent dental and medical care, a fact we fully appreciate. This isn’t an assurance in many countries we’ve visited in the past and something to consider going forward.

Over the next few days, Tom will be recovering from the two extractions. We intended to go to Kathy and Don’s home tomorrow evening for sundowners and dinner. But based on how I am feeling and now, Tom’s recovery from his dental work, neither of us may be able to go. It isn’t very reassuring.

But, Kathy and Don will be here until the end of November, and hopefully, we’ll have plenty of time together with them and all of our friends in Marloth Park.

We dumped all of the sweet potatoes into the garden for the wildlife. They quickly got in the bag indoors, requiring us to put them in a pile outside. Within a few hours, they were gone.

Based on my being sick and Tom’s recovery from his extractions, it doesn’t look as if we’ll be too active today. I’d taken tenderloin out of the freezer and placed it in the fridge to defrost overnight. Tom won’t be able to eat steak tonight. Instead, I’ll make scrambled eggs with cheese for him, which will be easier to eat.

He’s since returned and seems to be doing well, albeit with a little bit of pain and discomfort. The dentist gave him a prescription for probiotics and mild pain killers. The antibiotics we had him taking over the past four days were exactly what they would have prescribed, suggesting he continue them for one more day.

Hopefully, in the next few days, he’ll be feeling better along with me. Weirdly, we’re both under the weather at the same time, but we will continue to take care of one another.

Torn Ear preferred the pellets over the sweet potatoes. But, once he devoured all the pellets, he got to work on the potatoes.

May your day be pleasant and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, August 3, 2020:

From a post on this date while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #133. Our photo, as we drove into the city of Paris. It was an experience in itself. For more photos, please click here.

It’s not always easy…But, that’s how life is, regardless of where we live…Hornbills are back!!!…

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This hornbill is contemplating eating seeds we placed on the railing.

If we lived in a retirement community in the US, we’d be no more exempt from day-to-day issues, illnesses, and challenges than we are now. In essence, it all boils down to the adage, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” This is especially true in today’s world, now more than ever.

This darned pandemic is rampant in most countries throughout the world.  If a person tried to escape it entirely, they’d be kidding themselves if they thought those countries with low case levels were any safer than anywhere else in the world. Many more obscure countries aren’t reporting cases of Covid-19 or don’t have the medical infrastructure to do so.

Hornbill is eating Frank’s seeds.

Sure, at this site, Worldometer, out of 220 countries, there are a handful of countries with no deaths recorded, based on a small population. But there isn’t one country of the 220 countries listed with no cases of the virus whatsoever. If such a haven of health existed, no doubt, a particular faction might choose an extended stay for their long-term safety.

As Covid-19’s Delta strain cases continue to ravage many countries, we look at the stats in South Africa, and comparatively, if, at all accurate, we are safer here than we were in the US during our four-week visit. As we’ve read more and more about the fully vaccinated becoming infected anyway, we now wonder how careful all of us must be going forward. There’s no clear and concise answer to these questions. Opinions are all over the place.

One aspect we feel confident may be reasonably accurate: if one were to contract the virus after being vaccinated, it may, and I emphasize, “may” be a milder case. I suspect that boosters will soon be required for better protection regardless of the brand of vaccine one received. If a booster is required for future travel and our safety, we will opt-in.

Hornbill in a tree.

While here in South Africa in 2018, we went to Dr. Theo for boosters for vaccines we had before leaving the US in 2012. I don’t suppose, in our minds, getting a Covid booster will be much different, providing it is readily available to us. We never received a text for an appointment from South Africa’s vaccine registration app after we’d applied within days of the app’s availability.

We’re assuming; since we’re foreigners, we’d never be included. This may be the case when and if a booster is available in the province of Mpumalanga. The controversy surrounding the vaccine is as rampant here as it is in the US and other countries. We choose not to judge anyone for their choices. We all have the right to make our own decisions.

Amid all this madness, life continues, albeit in a less familiar manner to most of us. I don’t believe most of us take the impact of this virus in our stride. It’s changed everything. Only about 18 months ago, life as we knew it is becoming a distant memory as we all struggle to accept mask-wearing and social distancing.

Hornbill at the bushbaby house.

Life goes on. Sickness and illness continue in other ways besides Covid-19. We get flu, viruses, coughs, and colds. Tom is now recovering from a cold he got weeks ago. Over the weekend, I developed a bad sore throat which is now on the downswing; no cough, no fever, no loss of taste. I’m just feeling a little tired with a sore throat that is gradually improving hour by hour.

I attribute the tiredness to the severe lack of sleep we experienced for a week. That is also improving with a considerable amount of sleep each of the past three nights. Tomorrow, Tom has a dentist appointment in Malalane since he’s had a bad toothache for several days.

It’s good that we have access to excellent medical care within a half-hour drive of Marloth Park. It provides us with tremendous peace of mind. In many countries we’ve visited over the years, we didn’t feel confident about medical care. We will strive to be conveniently located to quality medical care in the future, especially as we age.

Another hornbill took a turn at the seeds on the railing.

We still haven’t seen Tiny, but his look-alike, whom we call “The Imposter,” has become quite a regular. “The Misses” is back to visit us, along with Frank,  as well as many other regulars. Since our return one week ago, we hadn’t seen as many warthogs as before we left. However, it’s been wonderful to see Little and his new family a few times each day. Hopefully, in time, Tiny and his friends will return.

In the interim, it was fun seeing our favorite hornbills once again, pecking at the windows while chirping at us for seeds. We’ve been happy to comply, as shown in today’s photos.

Hopefully, today, Leonora will return from the airport with our missing bag.

Have a pleasant Monday!

Photo from one year ago today, August 2, 2020:

This one-year photo is from the post while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #132. Tom is as content as he could be while in Costa Rica at La Perla de Atenas. For more photos, please click here.

What???…An elephant in Marloth Park…The missing bag saga continues…

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Kathy’s photo of the elephant’s footprint in the Marloth Park side of the fence between MP and Kruger National Park.

Yesterday morning when Kathy sent us photos via Facebook Messenger, our mouths were agape. An elephant had torn down the fence between Kruger National Park and Marloth Park, entered the park, tore down a few small trees, and of course, as they do, let a few piles of dung.

The Big Five (leopard, lion, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo) typically do not live in Marloth Park, although leopards have been spotted regularly at night, and a lion or two from time to time. Warthogs are known to dig under the fence, leaving an opening allowing the cats to enter.

Kathy’s photo of the fence that the elephant knocked down.

The concept of Marloth Park as a conservancy was to include most wildlife, not including the Big Five, for the safety of its residents. Since the fence separates MP from Kruger National Park, it’s to be expected that, on occasion, one or more dangerous animals may find a way to enter.

Generally, they don’t stay long, preferring to return to their familiar territory. Thus, when an elephant tore down the fence yesterday, it didn’t last for long. However, it was long enough to enable many residents walking along the wall for their morning walks to see evidence of the elephant’s visit.

In the year 2000, a flood caused the fence to fall, and for a few years after that, elephant herds were able to enter Marloth Park. During that period, elephants and humans were able to cohabitate without serious incidents. We can only imagine how exciting that time may have been. But now, we appreciate the remaining wildlife that shares their lives with us. It is indeed a treasure.

Kathy’s photo of the elephant dung in Marloth Park.

It is imperative to note that the rangers must be called if any of Big Five are seen in the park or other dangerous animals that may attack, if frightened or threatened, such as wild dogs, hyenas, and of course, venomous snakes. As tempting and “fun” as it may be to see these animals up close and personal, tourists here often have to react around wildlife, and severe injury or death may result. They can be reached at 0828025894.

As for our missing bag, yesterday between Tom and I, we spent an hour on the phone, leaving us frustrated. The bag is currently awaiting pickup at the Airlink office at the Nelspruit Airport. We shouldn’t have to go pick it up and spend half a day driving on the crazy N4. We didn’t lose the bag.

An excellent photo by Maureen, a Marloth Park resident. Thanks, Maureen!

When speaking to United Airlines, they claim it is now out of their hands, stating that Airlink should pay for a courier to deliver the bag. Airlink says United should pay for the bag. They’re responsible for the failure of the bag to arrive in Nelspruit. Neither will budge, and wouldn’t you know, we have to pay for the bag to be delivered, and maybe, just maybe, United will reimburse us when we submit a bill for the inconvenience.

At this point, they are offering to pay for any items we had to purchase to replace the items in the bag before the bag ultimately arrives in our hands. We didn’t go shopping for the missing items. We had many suitable alternatives here at the house as far as the disappeared toiletries were concerned.

Kathy’s photo of more elephant dung.

As far as the clothes and shoes we’d purchased in the US. We couldn’t replace them here in South Africa when no such stores exist in this country, such as Cole Haan, Old Navy, the Gap, and so forth. We chose to shop in the US when we knew and preferred our favorite brands. We decided against taking advantage of this “refund policy” (only accepted with receipts) when it simply wouldn’t work for us.

We both were exhausted and suffering from no sleep for days. We weren’t about to drive to Joburg or Cape Town to shop for replacement clothes and shoes. We only had five days during which we could purchase replacements. We weren’t looking for a windfall of buying more “stuff.” We just wanted our bag back.

The result? We have to arrange and pay for a courier to pick up and deliver the bag to us. We found a woman who offers courier service to and from Marloth Park to Nelspruit. Tomorrow, Leonora will pick up our bag and deliver it for a meager cost of ZAE 150, US $10.27. United may consider reimbursing us this cost, with emphasis on “may.”

On top of that, United  Airlines has agreed to give us some arbitrary credit for a future flight, but only for one of us. They won’t tell us how much this will be until after the bag is in our hands. Go figure. If we accept such a coupon/credit, it forces us to use them again, which we doubt we’d want to do after this bad experience. But, getting in and out of South Africa to and from the US leaves few options. So it goes.

Once we receive the bag tomorrow, we’ll submit a few measly receipts, and we’ll put this experience behind us. It still baffles us how three bags became lost on this round trip to the US. Hopefully, as of tomorrow, we’ll have all three in hand. In any case, we’re glad to be back, be safe, and amongst our wildlife and human friends in Marloth Park.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Photo from one year ago today, August 1, 2020:

We posted this photo one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #131. We walked a portion of this long pier in Chalong Beach in Thailand. For more photos, please click here.

First of many fantastic evenings with friends in the bush!!!…No bag yet…

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Don and Rita were toasting the occasion.

Last night, it was cold and dark on the veranda at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant, but the seven of us weren’t hindered at all by the weather. The food and service, as always, were superb, and the companionship was over the top. Finally, Kathy and I were together once again and well as my friend Rita.

The three of us girls sat at one end of the table, and the boys, Tom, Don, Gerhard, and their friend from Germany, Achim, came to visit them for a few weeks. It was a celebration of Gerhard’s birthday. He doesn’t care for cake, but Dawn and Lyn have decorated the table for the occasion.

Our gift to Gerhard? Four bales of prepaid Lucerne from Daisy’s Den, to be delivered whenever he and Rita decide.  On Wednesday, we stopped to purchase the bales, seeds for Frank and The Misses, hornbills, and a big bag of sweet potatoes for the wildlife. We included the receipt for the Lucerne in the birthday card with a note explaining the gift, included with Daisy’s Den’s business card, making the ordering as easy as a quick phone call.

Now, as I type this, we hear the funny little chirping of the mongoose who’ve arrived in a small band. Tom raced indoors to get his leftover rib bones from last night’s dinner. Mongooses are carnivores, and they like bones, but hilariously, they try to crack them open on big rocks in an attempt to get to the marrow. It’s rather funny to watch.

Tom, Gerhard, and Achim to the right. Happy birthday, Gerhard!

As for last night’s get-together, the conversation was delightful among the group as a whole and in the male and female groups. We had so much catching up to do after being gone for four weeks. It was wonderful to be back with our friends once again.

Kathy and Don are hosting a goodbye get-together this upcoming Wednesday at their riverfront bush home. We’re bringing our meat, the dessert; apple crisp served warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. Rita’s bringing the salad, and Kathy and Don will host the side dishes.  We all bring our beverages, making hosting a dinner party so much easier when planned this way.

Kathy and Don each ordered the jumbo prawns.

Today, another cool day with sunshine that will hopefully warm the day soon, we’ll stay in. I have to get back to work on post corrections which I’ve ignored for the past week. This morning upon arising very early, I got to work organizing things around the house.

Before we’d left, I filled a large tote with items I’d planned to go through once we returned, mostly old clothes I had to consider giving the heave-ho. It felt good to empty this huge container and make the proper decisions about replacing old worn-out items. Also, I did three more loads of laundry, hung them on the clothes rack, and started chopping and dicing for tonight’s dinner, homemade taco salad.

This is Gerhards’ eisbein, a huge pork knuckle.

Since those flat little taco seasoning packets contain wheat and tons of chemicals, I found a good low-carb recipe for taco seasoning. It took only five minutes to measure and put together the various spices and shake them until blended. Soon, I’ll cook the big package of mince (90% hamburger meat) in a large pot atop the stove, adding the spices after the meat is cooked and drained.

While we were in the US, both enjoyed taco salads, which aren’t necessarily available in South Africa, other than in big cities like Johannesburg or Cape Town. When making these salads, we don’t use prepackaged grated cheese, which also is infused with chemicals. Here’s an article on why pre-shredded grated cheese is not worth eating.

Now, I have to finish working on dinner and then get to work on corrections. In the meantime, I’m on hold with United Airlines for the 10th time to find out where our bag is and when it will be delivered since it didn’t arrive yesterday as promised. It’s frustrating.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow! Have a pleasant Saturday!

Photo from one year ago today, July 31, 2020:

From the year-ago post while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #130.A surprising close-up of what appeared to be a blue stalk from afar. For more, please click here.

Our bag is supposed to arrive today…We’ll see how that goes…I made a mistake about Tiny…

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Little and his newly adopted family stop by for another visit. Pellets on the menu!!!

When we packed that duffel bag while still in Nevada, we included five new pairs of shoes for both of us. I tossed all my old shoes in our hotel room that Id replaced with the three new pairs, leaving me with only two spare worn-out pairs of shoes. Tom did the same, and now he, too, has only two pairs of shoes left.

If we don’t get that bag today as promised by United Airlines, we are up a creek when it comes to shoes. None of these brands and styles can be replaced here in South Africa. Our only option would be to buy them online in the US and have them shipped to us via DHL for more exorbitant costs.

Mom and Baby bushbuck which was born while we were gone. She is so tiny!

We also had our toiletries, including two Braun electric toothbrushes, newly ordered boxes of our business cards, new insulated mugs, and drink koozies, all valued at over US $25, ZAR 365, each, none of which are available for purchase in South Africa.

Also included were several new clothing items and underwear we both desperately needed. Do we trust that the bag will arrive? Not really. We’ll be pleasantly surprised if it does. We arranged for the bag delivered to Louise and Danie’s Info Centre, where they will be all day since the roads to our house might deter a driver from bringing it directly to us.

Baby bushbuck and an older youngster sharing pellets from the container which we use for the bushbucks, to keep the guinea-fowl from stealing all the pellets.

In the interim, we grocery shopped in Komatipoort. We had hoped to go to the liquor store for light wine for me and brandy for Tom but based on the current lockdown in South Africa, liquor sales were suspended from Friday through Sunday, in an attempt to inhibit heavy liquor use over the weekends. When people drink heavily, there are more accidents and injuries, resulting in more of a need for more emergency services and hospital visits during these times of Covid. At least the total ban ended the day after we arrived.

Today was the first time we shopped since our return from the US, although Louise shopped for us for basic supplies on Monday. But, we still needed many items and ingredients for recipes I’d like to make over the next week or two. After today’s extensive shopping we’re probably good for the next ten days, depending on how often we eat out.

Hal and Blue Gnu are coming onto the veranda.

Now, that we’re both rested and recovered from the long travel period from the US to South Africa, we can begin to socialize, starting tonight with a get-together planned for tonight at Jabula to celebrate Gerhard’s birthday. It will be a small group of seven, but tonight, finally, I get to see my dear friend Kathy, who arrived here in the bush a few weeks ago, and Rita and Gerhard, whom we also missed during our time away.

I made a mistake about Tiny. We have not seen him. Instead, I’d mistaken a Tiny look-alike, whom we called The Imposter before we left. In my enthusiasm, I wanted to believe it was him. But, when The Imposter was here with his friend Narrow for quite some time, we both realized it wasn’t Tiny.

We love wildebeest. The expressions on their faces is priceless

Good grief. Not to sound species-specific profiling, but many of the animals do look alike. Often it’s the most subtle of markings and traits that enable us to determine who is who. Although massive, I should have picked it up that The Imposter wasn’t as big as Tiny, nor were the size of warts on his temples.

Now, we wait with bated breath for the real Tiny to return to us. It could be days, weeks or months, or even never. We lost Tusker when we were at the Orange house, and he never returned after Basket scared him away, declaring his territory. A similar scenario could have transpired in the four weeks we were gone. Also, warthogs are often hit by cars on Olifant Road, the main paved road in Marloth Park.

As in the past, Broken Horn stops by each day.

We’ll be sad if Tiny doesn’t return, but we realize this is the bush, and anything can happen to these majestic animals living in the wild.

We hope all of our readers are safe from harm and still managing to cope with the throes of Covid, still facing all of us worldwide.

Photo from one year ago today, July 30, 2020:

This photo is from the year-ago post while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #129. Check out the size of the fish and steak portions. Tom was craving peanuts, and we added a few packages to the stash. The brats in the bottom right of the photo are gluten, grain, and sugar-free. The total cost for this haul was US $109,38, ZAR 1595. For more photos, please click here.

Busy morning in the bush!…Trip to Malalane to the dentist and more…No bag yet!…

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    When we returned from Malalane, these mongooses and more awaited us in the garden. Quickly, Tom began beating some eggs for them.

Tom caught a bad cold on the plane, improving rapidly over the past 24 hours. He took cough medicine with codeine at night, which helps for about three hours, and an antihistamine every 12 hours. With us both suffering from a severe lack of sleep from the nine-hour time difference, more than anything, we both needed a good night’s sleep.

As was the case when we arrived in Minnesota, it took three or four nights until we finally got the sleep we needed. Last night, three nights after our arrival, we could sleep for eight hours. Today, at almost 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs, we both feel a little like taking a nap, which we may do when done here. I am not one for naps, but the past few days, it’s been tempting.

We are well aware that mongoose may carry rabies and also may bite, causing severe infections. We proceed with caution around them.

At the end of June, I had a root canal treatment done by fabulous Dr. Singh, the favored oral surgeon of all of our local friends. The tooth had been infected, as I thought, and Dr. Singh suggested I take antibiotics. After taking antibiotics a few times in the past year, I declined to take them and was willing to wait it out.

Tom brought out the big pan of scrambled eggs, which they love.

After having the procedure a week before we left for the US, I had pain that seemed to last for days. Finally, it tapered off, and I was only left with tenderness when I brushed my teeth. Before leaving the US to return to South Africa, I contacted Dr. Singh to ask if the ongoing pain was an issue. He suggested I come in so he could check it. That’s precisely what we did this morning.

The tooth is healing, and he suggested we wait until the pain is gone to do the crown. I have another tooth that could use a new crown, so sometime in the next month, I’ll return and have both crowns done, requiring two appointments. Dental work is so inexpensive here; it makes sense to get these done while here.

A pile of mongoose eating raw scrambled eggs from the pan.

On another note, included in our missing bag was a new pair of jeans I’d purchased while in the US. At this point, I don’t have a single pair of jeans. After the dentist, we stopped at a local shop in Malalane, and I purchased one pair of jeans and two warm shirts, both suitable for cold weather.

It wasn’t easy to find a pair that fit me right. Sizing is very different here. But, after trying on several pairs, I managed to find something suitable. Also, I bought two warm tops that will be useful when we go out at night when the temperature drops, and it’s so cold.

What a joy to see Broken Horn once again. It only took him three days to find his way back to us.

Buildings and houses aren’t heated in South Africa since the winter season is short, and then the rest of the months are hot and humid. When we’ve been so tired over the past several days and nights and feeling especially cold, we had to bundle up with blankets to get comfortable. I’ve even worn socks to bed.

We don’t have room in our bags for bathrobes, resulting in frigid mornings when showering and getting dressed. While in the hotel overnight in Joburg on Sunday, there was no hot water, and we both had to take cold showers that morning we left. That was one chilly morning! Fortunately, I have fashioned some leggings and long-sleeved tee-shirts into what I use as pajamas.

Several kudus stopped by this morning. More and more are returning each day.

Today, we all are pleasantly surprised with a warm day. Right now, it is 82F, 28C, and it’s perfect. No doubt, by tonight, the temperatures will drop again to a low of 59F, 15C. Although that doesn’t sound very cold, it feels very cool when there’s no heat indoors. The past several days have been 10 degrees cooler. Our teeth were chattering.

Last night, Tom fell asleep at 7:00 am, 1900 hrs. I stayed awake until 10:30 pm, 2230 hrs, or later trying to fend off the temptation to fall asleep for as long as I could. It worked; although I awoke at 1:00 am and stayed awake for 90 minutes, Tom had to wake me this morning for the dentist appointment. It is good to feel like my “old self.”

Together, Frank and The Misses are back.

As for the missing bag, last night I called United Airlines again to hear the same report. The bag is on its way to us. But, we don’t feel confident when today is the fourth day since the bag was lost in Newark or Johannesburg. We can only wait and see what transpires.

Many more of our old animal friends have been dropping by. This morning we saw Broken Horn, many bushbucks, mongoose, and several kudus. Frank and The Misses were here eating seeds and drinking water from their little container a short while ago. We didn’t see Little or Tiny yesterday but hopefully, this late afternoon, they will return. Each day is filled with surprises!

Have a pleasant day and evening and be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 29, 2020:

From the year-ago post on this date while on day #128 in lockdown in Mumbai, India. We were at the Kampong Cham Temple in Cambodia on this date in 2016. For more photos, please click here.

Perfect bush home upon arrival…No lost bag yet…But, lots of visitors coming to see us!…

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Little seems to have adopted a family of three, a mom and two growing piglets with whom he happily shares pellets.

When we entered our bush home on Monday, we were happy to see how it looked and smelled after a deep cleaning was executed while we were away by Vusi and Zef, our two much-appreciated household helpers. Not only was every space neatly organized, and cleaned but the house even smelled fresh.

Living in the bush with all the wildlife, every space is subject to accumulating excessive amounts of dust, including pellet dust, dust from the dirt in the garden, soot from burning sugar cane, and the usual collection of dust from human occupants. Now, of course, once we unpacked, we cluttered the house again with papers and receipts to process in the next few days.

Tiny seemed happy to see us, although he hesitated for a moment to ensure it was us. He is timid, unlike Little. We are thrilled to see him once again!

For us, returning from such a trip is more than just unpacking, doing laundry, and putting things away. There are countless papers to deal with, especially since we have to file claims for lost luggage. Our missing bag with all of our new items did n.ot arrive yesterday as they’d stated it would.

This morning I called United Airlines lost baggage department and found it was still at the airport and yet sent out for delivery. The rep requested a quick turnaround, and hopefully, it will soon be on the move, arriving in the next few days. They insisted it wasn’t lost and will it would eventually arrive.

I swooned with delight to see Frank return. We spotted him in the garden, called for him, and he came running right to his container of seeds. Once again, his two to three daily visits will continue. No sighting of The Misses yet, but maybe soon.

Once the bag arrives, we are entitled to compensation for the inconvenience and concern. We’ll have to call back to determine exactly what that is since online, and there are conflicting references to such compensation. We’ll see how that rolls out.

As for our visitors, they’ve been returning, one after another, each eliciting an enthusiastic response from us,  with pellets tossed to them with enthusiasm. Not all of our favorites have returned, but both Little and Tiny, our two favorite warthogs, arrived yesterday. It’s lovely to see them again.

Mongoose has visited four times in the past 24 hours. We always enjoy their cute antics.

If a pig can look happy, they both looked delighted to see us. No, it wasn’t a smile on their faces but instead a little kicking up of heels and quickly approaching the veranda. Tiny was always shy in coming too close but, Little neer hesitated to get up close and personal. I couldn’t have been more relieved and delighted to see them once again.

They’ve yet to return today, but it’s still early, and we fully anticipate they will return later in the day, often close to 4:00 pm. Ah, the joys of the bush.

This is Little, my boy and favorite warthog since 2018. The fact that he found us here, a few miles from the Orange house, is a miracle. But,\ pigs are smart.

Of course, I flipped out with joy when Frank came running when we called him to partake of seeds we placed in the usual location on the veranda. Even without his daily diet of seeds suddenly taken away for four weeks, he looked healthy and happy to see us as well. The Misses was nowhere to be found. Perhaps, she’s sitting on some eggs during these cold winter days.

Gosh, it’s good to be back. Our friends are giving us a few days to recover from the long journey, but we’ll see them soon. Tom’s been a little under the weather with a cough since we left the US and these few quiet days are good for him. We still have yet to get onto a good sleep schedule. Last night, I was awake for four hours during the night, feeling groggy when it was time to get up.

Although very pushy and determined to monopolize the pellet show, Bossy is also very pretty and sweet.

Vusi came this morning, cleaned the house and veranda, and delivered the chicken and mince Louise had stored for us in her freezer during the power outage. To be safe, I am baking the chicken in the oven right now, which, when cooled, I’ll shred and freeze for future use in a variety of dishes. Gosh, it’s good to be back. I know I repeated it, but it simply is a pleasure to be back here where we belong.

Thanks to all of our readers for hanging in there with us during our break away. Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 28, 2020:

Our photo of the Blood Moon from July 27, 2018, was taken from our garden in Marloth Park in 2018 and was posted one year ago today, while in lockdown on day #127, in Mumbai, India. For more photos, please click here.

Airline challenges, but we’ve made it to Joburg…Photos from our last night in Las Vegas…..

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We dined in Henderson, Nevada, at Lindo Mochaicans. a fantastic Mexican restaurant, noisy and fun. This drink is called a Coronarita. Get it? 

While on the first leg of our long journey, I wrote this, an almost five-hour flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Newark, New Jersey. I was hopeful. If the flight continued at this pace, we expected to arrive early in Newark, at around 7:30 pm, Eastern time.  

Our next flight to Johannesburg, the 15-hour red-eye, was scheduled to depart at 8:35 pm, giving us ample time to get to the gate where we were to board.  Our fingers were crossed for more ‘safari luck,” especially appropriate as we make our way back to Africa with wildlife in mind.

Guacamole made tableside, served with homemade tortilla chips.

Toward the end of the Newark flight, I spoke to the flight attendants. They told us the next flight would wait for us since we’d booked everything with United Airlines, except for the leg from Joburg to Nelspruit, leaving on Monday at 11:20 am and arriving less than an hour later, when we collect the rental car and make the 90-minute drive to Marloth Park.

With only 46 minutes between the two flights to make our way to a distant gate, naturally, when we deplaned, hearing the pilot telling the other passengers to make way for those with immediate connecting flights, we didn’t think we’d make it. The flight attendant noticed us walking by and said, “Barrel on through. People wouldn’t budge. Make them move!”

I giggled at her comment and pressed on through the crowd, with Tom behind me, handling the two carry-on bags. We exited gate C121 in Newark and thought we could make it in minutes to gate C125 in no time at all. Oh, no, not the case. My Fitbit clocked over 3000 steps from one gate to the next.

Once we arrived at the gate, the doors were closed with a sign reading “Boarding closed.” Fortunately, an agent stood behind the desk and checked us in, alerting the plane we’d made it. Whew! We were so relieved to have made it. I was incredibly relieved to see the two seats were empty next to me on row 45. I could stretch out to sleep. Tom only had one free heart next to him, at his seat across the aisle from me.

I was glad we hadn’t upgraded to business class, which we’d considered. But, at the cost of US $2000, ZAR 29702, we couldn’t justify it. One bad night’s sleep could be recovered in a few nights.

The almost 15-hour flight was relatively uneventful. The food was awful, nothing I could eat, and nothing Tom would eat. Before landing at 5:45 pm, 1745 hrs, they served an egg McMuffin-type thing with one cooked egg and a slice of ham. I ate the egg and the ham and left the bread. Tom ate his.

Once we arrived at Joburg airport, after over an hour of searching, the big duffle bag containing most of our new clothes and shoes was missing at the carousel. We filed a claim and hope we’ll receive it in Marloth Park by Tuesday. If not, we’ll have to file another claim for the value of its content. What a pain! But, we are grateful to be here safely with only one more leg to go.

We’re spending the night in the airport hotel in Johannesburg and will be ready to get back into the airport in the morning. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some sleep tonight. It’s almost 10:00 pm here in South Africa, but it’s still 1:00 pm for us. I can’t imagine falling asleep anytime soon.

There it is, folks, another long journey behind us with many more to come in the future, health-providing, speaking of which, we’re grateful to return to SA fully vaccinated after a great family visit. Time well spent.

The view of Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, is seen from the restaurant window.

We will be back tomorrow with an update on which of our animal friends are back to see us! We’ve been gone four weeks and hope they weren’t too discouraged to return to us.

Photo from one year ago today, July 25, 2020:

From the year-ago post on day #124 while in lockdown in Mumbai, India. Classic scene of three vultures on a limb in Kruger National Park. We were thrilled to get this shot from quite a distance. From this site: Vultures are, however, great ecologists, having a high sense of personal hygiene and are a manifestation of the adage of patience as a virtue. They clean the veld of carrion, thereby minimizing the impact of animal disease, and they bathe regularly in rivers after gorging themselves at a kill.” For more, please click here.

Making the most of time available for family and friends…Scary news in South Africa…

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We couldn’t believe our eyes on this date in 2018 in Kruger National Park when we spotted this elephant digging a hole to access water in the ground below.  For a video and more photos of this sighting, please click here.

Yesterday was a diverse day for me. At 1:00 pm, we arrived at Tom’s sister Patty’s house for eight of us to play dice and later have dinner. We all sat at the table in Patty’s kitchen that was extended with a table leaf. Patty gave each of us a little Tupperware cup for quarters for playing various dice games.

I never seem to win at games of chance but give me a strategy game, and I may have good luck. At 3:15 pm, Tom and I stopped playing while he drove to drop me off at a local pub and restaurant to meet my dear old friend, former business partner Theresa Steichen, who is still in real estate, successfully so, after almost 30 years.

With Theresa and I both on time for the 3:30 pm get-together for a late lunch or early dinner, we couldn’t have embraced each other with more love, warmth, and enthusiasm. The next few hours sailed by quickly while we engaged in lively and animated conversation, as we always had.

Not only were we great friends, but we respected and admired each other for our innate skills in dealing with clients and other professionals. I had retired and left our business shortly after the market crashed. I’d had enough after decades in the business, and we couldn’t have made the transition more easily from business partners back to friends.

The last time we were here in 2019, Theresa and I got together for lunch with our mutual friend Cathy. What a treat it was to be with her once again. It was difficult to end our time together, and again we hugged when we parted with smiles on our faces, tears in our eyes for a beautiful few hours we spent together. We plan to see each other again each time we return to Minnesota in years to come.

Theresa drove me back to Patty’s house, where the remaining seven were eating dinner and enjoying every moment together. Our time is winding down rapidly now. We leave for Milwaukee in three days and plan to pack in as much family time as possible during the remaining hours.

Elephants were forming a line to stop traffic in Kruger National Park.

The fun dice games continued after their dinner, and after a full day, we headed out around 7:00 pm, after traffic had cleared. We were about 40 minutes away, and avoiding traffic was a priority. When we reached our hotel room, we had settled in for a quiet evening, streaming a few shows and nodding off on another excellent night’s rest.

Today is daughter-in-law Camille’s birthday, and we’re all meeting for dinner to celebrate at a favorite restaurant from our old lives, Maynard’s in Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka. There will be seven of us for the celebratory dinner including, Tom and I, Greg and Camille, and grandchildren Maisie, Miles, and Madighan.

I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. We leave for Las Vegas in five days and then leave Las Vegas for South Africa in only 11 days. I don’t know if it is due to old age or simply due to the good times we’re having, but the days are flying by quickly.

My dear friend Kathy travels from Sacramento, California, to Johannesburg, South Africa, where husband Don is picking her up in a few days. She’s at the airport now awaiting her first flight for the long journey. There is civil unrest in South Africa, awful enough that President Cyril Ramaphosa has called in the military. The road we travel from Nelspruit to Marloth Park has been closed off for days due to riots, carjackings, and murders. It’s the only road providing access to the park.

Of course, all of us will proceed with caution and pay lots of attention to news reports as to the status of the highway. It’s a 90-minute drive on that highway, always packed with police. Now, it may also be filled with the military. Then again, only 20 minutes from where we are in Minnesota is equally dangerous. Nowhere in the world is entirely free of risk. We stay informed and proceed accordingly. We’d be waiting to hear from Kathy if she and Don could get through on Thursday.

If the road is closed in Nelspruit, we’d have no choice but to hunker down there for a few days until it is safe again to travel. We always have to consider backup plans.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 13, 2020:

We found these shells on a beach in Australia. The next day, we returned all the shells to the beach where we found them. For more photos, please click here.