Immigration changed the rules again…Oops…Tom spilled iced tea on his laptop…Medical test results!!!…

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A lone zebra stopped by, but a short time later, a few friends joined her.

Based on a new document posted in the past 24 hours, it appears that Home Affairs will allow visa extension candidates who filed before March 31, 2023, to stay in the country until December 31. I forwarded the new document to the attorney and will speak with her on Monday to verify the amendment to the last agreement stating we had to clear out by April 30.

Hopefully, they don’t make any further changes impacting our preferred departure dates, which are up in the air right now. What a relief this would be if this new document is accurate. We’ll report back here accordingly.

Tom spilled his entire mug of iced tea on his laptop a short time ago. It’s supposed to be water-resistant, so we’ll see how that goes in the next few hours. I looked online, and if necessary, he can replace it at Takealot.com and have a new one in four or five days. He’d be lost without it.

Zebras are heading down the driveway to continue on their pellet search.

Yesterday morning, we met with Doc Theo for Tom’s aortic aneurysm screening and blood test results, followed by his cardiac stress test. Theo was delighted to tell Tom he was in tip-top shape. His tests were all normal. He did fantastic on the stress test. Theo couldn’t believe how Tom was so young for his age, taking no medication and having no known medical conditions.

I was a little anxious as Tom was having his stress test on the treadmill. I hadn’t had any cardiac tests since the surgery four years ago. I knew that at some point I’d have to be tested but put it off, justifying it with the fact I’ve had no cardiac symptoms.

When Tom was done, after the glowing reports from Theo, Tom stepped out to the waiting room, knowing I’d be a little more anxious with him watching me perform the test. I was worried that since I had Covid-19 last April, suffering from the headache, facial pain, and allergies, I had been relatively inactive over the past year. I was fearful I wouldn’t be able to handle the required pace on the treadmill.

A few giraffes quickly moved through the garden.

Other than running around the house performing household tasks and cooking, I’ve spent the better part of each day sitting. It was hard to feel like exercising, although I tried many times when I had the darned headache and couldn’t seem to get motivated.

But, once I got going on the treadmill, all wired up for the EKG, comforted by Theo that he wouldn’t push me too hard, I took off and could keep up without an issue. He pressed me to do the test up to my maximum heart rate for my age. All the while, he kept reassuring me I was doing great and that the results printing on the machine were all looking perfectly normal.

When all was said and done, he gave me a clean bill of health. There wasn’t a single issue during the test or after during the cool-down period. I was pleased and so relieved! Theo said there was nothing on the printout that indicated I’d ever had heart surgery or had any issues at this time. Maybe I’ll be one of those lucky heart surgery patients that never need more surgery or stents down the road.

This Big Daddy stops by every day.

Tom is willing to walk with me twice a day, once in the morning and another in the afternoon. Theo suggested we both start exercising regularly to maintain our good health. This morning, we took our first walk out on the dirt road, watching for lions or any other wildlife who may be out and about. After I build stamina, most likely, we will do one long walk in the morning after breakfast and be done with it for the day. We’ll see how it goes.

Last night, we had a fabulous time at Jabula. David always reserves our two usual seats at the bar. Our food was perfect, and the Cheers-like bar occupied every barstool. We knew everyone there. That’s what makes it so much fun, but we always love meeting newcomers.

We were back home by 8:30 pm, 2030 hrs., bellies full, and we were ready to hunker down for the night. We watched a show, but I fell asleep at the end. After that short nap, I had trouble sleeping and was awake for a few hours. A nap may be on the agenda later today, before or after the second walk.

We are very grateful for the immigration news (if it doesn’t change again), the results of our medical tests, and to be enjoying our lives more than ever with this new peace of mind.

Be well.

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

This was the first shot of one of the manatees in the warm waters by the Tampa Electric Company in Florida. For more photos, please click here.

Tom has left for Nelspruit for his medical tests…No results until Friday…

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On Sunday, on our way back from the afternoon party, we were fortunate to see these giraffes on Olifant Rd. What a treat to see the young calf! Dad must be the darker, taller giraffe on the left.

Tom left for Nelspruit this morning at 8:45 for his 11:00 am appointments for two medical tests; a chest x-ray (he coughs) and an aortic aneurysm screening (heredity issues with men in his family). I just received a Whatsapp message that he’s arrived safely, and he’ll text me again to let me know when he’s on the way back.

We won’t get the results until Friday when we return to Doc Theo for test results and our two cardiac stress tests. I’ll be glad when all of this medical stuff is completed. Hopefully, we can have peace of mind with positive results. I’m still taking all the allergy meds and the Prednisone. My allergy symptoms are gone, and the head pain is less but not entirely gone.

It’s another cooler and beautiful sunny day. This morning, I baked Tom a double batch of keto blueberry cake, one of the few keto desserts he likes. I had to hurry and get it done since load shedding is starting soon, and I can’t use the oven during that period.

Both pans are done and out of the oven. It smells good here. Now I’ll wait for them to cool so I can cut them into individual servings and place them in ziplock sandwich bags. I wouldn’t say I like using so many plastic bags, so we save the old ones and reuse them for as long as possible. We place the empty used bags in the freezer so the crumbs in the bags don’t spoil, and then take them out for the next batch. We’re able to reuse them four or five times before tossing them.

With the latest holiday season in the works, vehicles blocked our view of the giraffes. We were lucky to get the shots that we did.

Sitting here at the dining room table preparing the post, I am reminded of Tom being in the US only a few weeks ago and how long and tedious that time was without him. I wanted to go with him this morning, but he knows how I dislike the drive to Nelspruit and insisted he’d be fine on his own.

This morning, up and dressed before he left, I said, “I am ready to walk out the door with you right now.” But, he insisted he’d return in no time and for me to stay behind, get today’s post done and enjoy quiet time in the kitchen prepping for tonight’s dinner and baking his blueberry bread.

Now, with all of that done, with the house cleaned after Vusi just left, once I am done here, I’m at a loss as to how to occupy myself without him here. Yesterday, I did all the financial stuff for the first of the month, sent our Nevada accountant a message for tax filing, and feel comfortable that everything is under control.

We use credit cards for everything since we haven’t had or used checks in almost two decades. Instead of saving receipts that the credit card companies have for our purchases. Every few weeks, I enter every purchase into our Excel spreadsheet. I look at the online statements to enter the correct amounts with the exchange rate based on how the banks debit us. We’ve found we pay less in exchange rates using our credit cards than we would by using cash.

The dad was keeping a watchful eye on the traffic.

We only get South African rands for tips and miscellaneous cash transactions, which are few. We tip Zef and Vusi on the same day each month and always keep enough cash to do this. We usually go to the ATM in Komatipoort once a month. Also, Louise arranges for three bags of pellets every few weeks, and we reimburse her almost ZAR (rand) 900, US $49.24 each time for the three bags.

The pellets last longer now than they did in the winter since the bush is lush and green, and the animals don’t need or eat as many pellets at this time. Of course, I’m always giving Norman and his family carrots, apples, and vegetable scraps which they love.

As a matter of fact, Norman has already been here three times this morning, standing in the garden, looking at me. I ask him, “Norman, do you want your lunch?” His ears flip back and forth, and his mouth quivers in sheer delight. There’s no doubt in my mind, after all of these months I have been talking to him, that he knows exactly what I am saying, not unlike a dog would after repeated human language. These animals are more intelligent than most people think.

Be well.

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

Karen and Rich were married on February 11 when Omicron hit, and we stayed behind to avoid infecting the bride and groom. For more photos, please click here.

Update on headache and face pain…Hopeful…

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A Medium Daddy is sniffing and approaching a female kudu.

For a while, a few weeks or so, my headache improved tremendously. When it flared up, I took a medication Doc Theo had prescribed that contained cortisone but was instructed to use it sparingly due to potential side effects. If I could have taken it daily, I’d have been headache and facial pain-free. But I’ve only used it a few times for two consecutive days, enjoying the relief by the second day.

It wasn’t until I started taking a non-prescription antihistamine that he suggested, Fexo 18, fexofenadine, for the past week that I began to notice a good improvement in the symptoms. I never thought it was a brain issue. I am convinced it is an allergy problem and nothing more serious requiring specialists or brain scans.

This Big Daddy has been visiting us each day.

It seems the symptoms are worsened with more humid weather, but also consider the following:

“In spring and summer, during tree and grass pollen season, levels are highest in the evening. In late summer and early fall, levels are highest in the morning during the ragweed pollen season. Take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes after working or playing outdoors.”

Covid 19 symptoms vary from person to person. When we both got Omicron on a cruise ship last April, the first symptoms I experienced, besides the sore throat, were a headache over my left eyebrow and pain when touching my left cheek. These symptoms, overall, have continued since that time to one degree or another. I’ve been treated for sinus infections and would have relief for a few weeks, and then it would start up again.

Early on, I was treated for trigeminal neuralgia, which made some sense. But the excessive sneezing and runny nose didn’t coincide with that diagnosis. Plus, the medication for that condition made me sleepy and sluggish during the day and caused me to gain weight, a typical side effect of that drug. I stopped taking it a month later, and the headache and face pain returned.

He loves his pellets.

Then, off and on over the past several months, I’ve had short periods with less pain in my head and intermittent face pain. At this point, I’ve been pain-free for the past four days since I started taking the strong antihistamine a week ago. The sneezing and runny nose are less; the headache is 90% gone, and the facial pain. Perhaps, this is actually under control with this over-the-counter medication.

Years ago, when I was allergy tested, dust, dust mites, ragweed, and grass pollen were the allergens to which I responded the most. Right now, ragweed is at its highest level in the fall here in the Southern Hemisphere. There’s more dust and pollen here in the bush than anywhere we’ve ever been. Imagine the dust the animals kick up every day which enters the house. and no amount of hand dusting can eliminate it.

When we were in Minnesota in November and December, the headache almost disappeared after the first few days with snow on the ground. But, in our old lives, I experienced many symptoms in Minnesota during the summer months due to these same allergens.

Such a good-looking animal.

So now, I wait and see if the headache and face pain continue to improve. If so, there won’t be anything I need to do in the future other than continue taking this particular antihistamine when returning to South Africa next year. We’ll see how it goes.

On Friday, we’re both going to see Doc Theo. Tom would like the peace of mind of having an ultrasound called an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening test because several male family members have died or experienced this condition requiring treatment. Doc Theo will arrange for the test for Tom, which requires that we travel to Nelspruit, most likely to Mediclinci, where I had heart surgery.

Also, I am overdue for a heart scan and plan to do it on the same day as Tom’s test. Hopefully, all will be fine for both of us. We’ll report back what we discover.

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

Photo from one year ago today, March 20, 2022:

Bossy arrived with three young calves. She was on babysitting duty. This is her male calf. For more photos, please click here.

No food police for Tom in the USA…

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Those spice drops and the black licorice would be those I liked the least. Then again, the others aren’t very appetizing.

It’s not that I give Tom dirty looks when he chooses to eat unhealthy foods. He knows how I feel, and he’s adopted some healthy eating habits over the years.

But, when certain foods he can’t find when we’re living in certain countries, he can’t resist buying some of his favorites, like donuts and candy, which is the case while he is in the US right now.

It’s not that he’s out dining in restaurants eating unhealthy foods. His choices mostly revolve around certain snack foods, including candy and donuts. Mainly, the meals he eats are relatively healthy and nutritious. Whatever he consumes in these ten days away won’t harm him in the long run. He takes no medications and has no dietary restrictions.

Norman continues to stop by several times a day. It was fun for my sundowner guests to see him.

During our first conversation after he arrived in Minnesota, he said he stopped at a Fleet Farm store, his favorite spot to buy candy, none of which ever appealed to me at any point in my life, including childhood.

He loves jelly-type candies (not gummy candies), which he hasn’t found anywhere in Africa. A trip to Fleet Farm, a farm and supply store in Minnesota, has always been his favorite place to go for the candies, as shown in today’s main photo.

It’s been wonderful talking to him. Hearing his voice over the phone is odd since we are always together. It reminds me of many years ago when we spoke on the phone before we lived together.

Many impalas have been visiting.

Everything is going as planned in Minnesota. The wake and funeral are over, and the burial at Fort Snelling has yet to be scheduled, as far as I know. If the burial occurs after Tom is supposed to leave, he won’t stay and will return to the bush as planned.

If I think about it, being alone in the bush is quite an adventure. There are snakes, spiders, scorpions, and countless insects surrounding us. Add the eight lions hunting in our area, along with leopards, hyenas, and other potentially dangerous wild animals in Marloth Park, and a person living alone could easily become frightened.

This impala, we call Chevy, is often here.

Oddly, I am not afraid. The only apprehension I may have is human intervention. Occasionally, there are break-ins, burglaries, and violent crimes in Marloth Park. Our alarm system is tied to a local alarm company only minutes from here, which gives me peace of mind, but I never leave doors unlocked and unattended, even when I go to the bathroom.

I keep the keyfob in my jeans pocket and can hit the panic button in seconds. Hopefully, the loud blaring alarm would keep any potential predators at bay. In any case, I spend no time worrying, instead focusing on safety measures, which Tom and I observe when we are together.

Norman makes close eye contact with me when he’s here.

Yesterday afternoon, Dawn, Leon, and Louise stopped by for sundowners. I appreciated the companionship, and the four of us had an excellent time together. It meant the world to me that they came to visit.

To my lover… enjoy your candy and your remaining time in Minnesota with family, and know that I am looking forward to seeing you in six days.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 9, 2022:

Rapids near the bridge at the Sabie River. For more photos, please click here.

My first night ever…alone in the bush…

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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.

Zebras were looking for pellets.

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…

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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.

Bossy, her baby, and another female.

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.

There were six of them.

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.

Happy 70th birthday to my husband, lover, best friend and travel companion!!!…

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We were awaiting the flight at the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger airport on November 24, 2022.

Happy 70th birthday to my dear husband. It’s hard to believe he is 70 years old with his lighthearted and adventurous spirit. His boundless energy, good health (he takes no medication), physical strength (he hauls the heavy bags), sense of humor, intellect, playful demeanor, and endless devotion to seeing to my every need are youthful and surprising.

His strong convictions, backed by history, geography, and science, lead to an endless stream of lively conversation, constantly keeping me entertained, informed, and on my toes. Without his input, I wouldn’t have much of a clue as to what’s happening in the world, instead focusing on my own small sphere of influence.

Regardless of circumstances, he always injects humorous morsels to lighten the mood. Even with the most recent events regarding our dashed trip to Seychelles and all the money we lost, he was able to maintain an upbeat attitude, constantly influencing me to follow suit.

It’s not beyond me to whinge and complain under dire situations. Still, his bursts of frustration are short-lived, which I call “overly grumpy,” and are instantaneously followed by good humor and positivity. Without this, I don’t know if I could have traveled the world for over ten years and still looked at continuing on with any degree of enthusiasm.

This photo of Tom was taken at Amazing Kruger View Restaurant in 2018.

He makes a great case to which I immediately concur, leaving me reeling with enthusiasm and optimism once again. What a cheerleader he is for this life we lead! But his logical and uplifting spirit always presents a reasonable approach to the many benefits of continuing to live this extraordinary life.

And then there’s the romance part, which he flatly denies he possesses to any degree. His approach is genuine and varied, always keeping me intrigued and fascinated. But it’s romantic to me to have the man I love lavish me with compliments and praise me for who I am and what I do. This happens daily, and I never take it, or him, for granted.

Of course, his demeanor inspires me to be the best I can be. Although teasingly, he often refers to me as “bossy” for my assertiveness, I never take offense, while readily grasping the significance of what such a playfully spoken phrase may imply. I consider if I need to tone down my opinions. Often, I do.

I am as attracted to him today at 70 as I was when I met him when he was 38. I was 43. As a matter of fact, I am more attracted to him now, knowing full well the depth of the person he is after over 31 years of experience together. There is never a day that passes that I don’t appreciate him, our relationship, and our extraordinary lives.

I didn’t bake him a cake with ingredients for his favorite cakes this year, hard-to-find here. But yesterday, I made him a double batch of his favorite chocolate cookies. I’ll happily make them for him again once we shop in Komatipoort and I replenish the ingredients. He is savoring each cookie as if it was a golden jewel. Below is a photo of the cookies.

I placed the chocolate cookies on a plate to take the photo, but there’s no way we could leave cookies out on a plate in this climate with many insects. He loves these., crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Tonight, we’ll head to Jabula for our usual Friday night, this time dining at a table with Louise and Danie joining us to celebrate Tom’s birthday. We’ll arrive at 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., and we will socialize at the bar until they arrive. With the Marloth Park Info Centre so busy right now, which they own, they may not be able to arrive until an hour or two later. We’ll be well-entertained until they do.

Happy birthday, my love, and a happy day to all!

Happy birthday, Lover! That’s my guy, always with a heartwarming grin, even in the pelting rain. Gosh, we love this life! I took this photo in the rain when we found an overhang on the sidewalk on George St. in Sydney in January 2016.

Photo from one year ago today, December 23, 2021:

Don’t laugh! It wasn’t perfect! When I frosted the first bottom layer of Tom’s favorite type of cake, German Chocolate, it appeared I didn’t have enough frosting for all three layers. So I went a little light on the first one, resulting in none showing in this photo. As it turned out, I had enough frosting and put too much on the top layer. As it turned out, since I could not get all the ingredients needed to make this cake, it wasn’t as good as in our old lives. But he ate it anyway. For more photos, please click here.

Weird coincidence!…Back from the dentist once again…

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Marigold is so sweet.

What a weird coincidence it was this morning when I started to do the post, to be completed when we return from the dentist, Dr. Singh, in Malalane. I went to the year-ago bar to grab the photo to place at the bottom of today’s post. The heading read,

“Busy morning in the bush!… Trip to Malalane to the dentist and more…”

That’s what’s happening today, exactly one year later, as shown here. But another irony is that the first thing I saw this morning when coming out of the bedroom after getting ready for the day was as many, if not more, mongooses waiting for us in the garden (at the old house) as shown in that post.

This is Spikey, a young male bushbuck.

The only difference was that at that time, we gave them eggs. Now, we provide them with paloney, cut into little pieces, which ensures every one of them gets something. There were always a few mongooses with the eggs that didn’t get a taste. The paloney I’d cut into pieces, the size of their little heads was enough to ensure each one gets at least one bite. No one is left out.

We find our lives are filled with weird coincidences, most often revolving around events, dates, and places. How peculiar it is! Does it have something to do with the fact that our lives consist of various experiences that we’re bound to encounter similar situations? Who knows? I guess we’ll never figure it out.

Each day when I make our dinner salad, I give the vegetable scraps to the bushbucks, duikers and kudus. Zoom in to see how cute Spikey is when eating his lettuce leaf.

History is filled with amazing coincidences outlined on this website, such as:

  1. Mark Twain’s birth and death coincide with Halley’s Comet.
  2. Stephen Hawking shares his birth and death dates with Galileo and Einstein, respectively.
  3. Political adversaries Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other—on July 4th.
  4. Anthony Hopkins happened upon a signed copy of the book he was searching for in a train station.
  5. John Wilkes Booth’s brother saved Abraham Lincoln’s son from death.
  6. And that same son of Lincoln’s witnessed three presidential assassinations.
  7. An engaged couple discovered their parents almost married one another.
  8. One woman survived the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic shipwrecks.
  9. The first and last battles of the Civil War were fought next to the same man’s property—in different towns.
  10. The first and last soldiers killed in WWI are buried next to each other.

For details on the above coincidences, and more, please click here. The stories surrounding the above are pretty interesting.

Nyala Norman, fluffs up his fur when he’s in the presence of a more dominant male antelope such a Big Daddy. He pays no attention to the warthogs.

Today we drove to Dr. Singh’s office in Malalane (also spelled Malelane). Wouldn’t you know that an accident on the N4 backed up traffic for 25 minutes from Marloth Park to Malalane? Thank goodness, Tom suggested we leave at 9:00 am for our 10:00 am appointment. We walked in the door to Dr. Singh’s office exactly at 10:00 am. (Even that was somewhat of a coincidence).

Tom had his two implants seated, which looked like his normal teeth. He’s relieved to have the big gap where two teeth were pulled many months ago, finally no longer visible when he smiles, laughs or talks. He doesn’t feel any pain or discomfort.

Alas, I have to have the same thing done. My painful tooth, easily visible when I open my mouth since it’s the fourth tooth from my front tooth, has to be pulled. Dr. Singh explained it had already had a root canal (many years ago in the US), and repeating root canals have a poor success rate. I now have an abscess which is why it’s hurting so much, which I’d expected.

Known to be very shy, impalas are coming closer and closer to the other animals eating pellets.

The only alternative is to pull the tooth and have an implant after the bone heals. I cringed when I heard this. The last time I had a tooth pulled was last September, resulting in an excruciating dry socket. Dr. Singh had gone on holiday, and I suffered dearly for three weeks when I finally visited another dentist to work on the dry socket.

Statistics show that certain people are prone to dry sockets. That’s me. Oh, I don’t want to go through that again! I started antibiotics today but couldn’t make the appointment for the extraction until after returning from Zambia/Botswana on August 27th. It was too risky to do it before we left if I had complications like I’d had last time. We don’t want to be away while I am in pain.

By taking antibiotics now, a must, the pain may return by the time we leave South Africa on August 20. If that’s the case, I’ll have to go on another round of antibiotics that only help an abscess for a short time. I would have refused antibiotics if I could have the tooth pulled in the next week, but it will take three days to make the temporary bridge to see me through the three months necessary to wait for the final implant.

I assure you, during those three days while waiting for the temporary to be made, I won’t be going out and about for anything. I have no desire to look like a “toothless wonder” while waiting for the temporary tooth. Tom said, “You could wear a face mask if a social thing comes up!” Hahaha. I won’t be going anywhere that week!

Nina and Noah in the garden after jumping the fence.

This morning while we were gone, Louise and Danie dropped off a better-working refrigerator for the kitchen, and we’re thrilled! Louise unloaded and reloaded all of our food, and the new refrigerator section is roomier and easier to use. I couldn’t be more delighted and thanked them profusely. Soon, the washer part will come in, and the repair guy will install that. Then, all of our appliances will be working.

Tonight, we’re meeting Louise, Danie, and her parents, Estelle and Johan, for dinner at Jabula. David reserved a spot for us at the bar and our favorite table for six on the veranda. It’s a gorgeous day and shouldn’t be too cold outdoors for dining. We’ll undoubtedly have another fantastic evening at our favorite spot in Marloth Park.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 29, 2021:

When we returned from Malalane one year ago, these mongooses and more awaited us in the garden. Quickly, Tom began beating some eggs for them. For more photos, please click here.

Light at the end of the tunnel…Hopefully, we’re on the mend…A doctor, like none other…

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A baby duiker with her mom was the first sighting for us.

I awoke at 1:30 am and never went back to sleep. Surely, that’s a result of napping on and off all day which with this bacterial infection it’s hard for us not to do. Yesterday, Tom napped for three hours straight, but he could sleep during the night, although he woke up several times while I mindlessly played scrabble with strangers on my phone.

Yeah, I know the deal about “screen time” at night, but after countless tries without it, I still couldn’t get to sleep and just gave up trying. Worrying about not sleeping doesn’t help. I resigned myself to this reality and beat the heck out of several players, one after another. At least if I was going to be awake, I might as well enjoy some lively competition.

Before bed, we continue to watch Outlander on Netflix. We are on Season 3 with two more seasons to go. What a show! But in our weakened state the past several nights, we had an awful time staying awake, later re-watching the portions we’d missed. Tonight, I’ll have a heck of a time staying awake after dinner. If I take a nap today, I’ll ask Tom to wake me up after 20 minutes.

Last night, Tom drove to Jabula to get takeaway food for us. Doc Theo suggested I eat lean meat and pumpkin which is easy on the digestive tract, so I ordered roasted chicken, and butternut which is comparable to pumpkin. It tasted so good after not eating for a few days. For the first time in days, I was hungry. Tom enjoyed his chicken, rice, and creamed spinach, and the meal sat well with both of us.

In the past, we couldn’t get this close to shy duikers. It’s such a pleasure to see them get so close to the house.

As we were placing our food on plates since we don’t like to eat out of styrofoam containers, Danie showed up at the door. He said, “Hey, man, are you guys ok? Doc Theo was trying to call you Friday night and he’s worried that you didn’t answer”  I had left the phone on, next to me Friday night. He didn’t have the correct phone number for me.

He told Danie if we weren’t feeling better, please go to the hospital for IV solutions and more treatment and not wait until Monday when we could see him again. But, we were feeling better, drinking plenty of fluids, and felt like we were turning the corner. Danie called Theo back to tell him we were alive, improving, and thanks for worrying about us. It was almost 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs, on Saturday night, and Theo was worrying about us. Bless his heart.

Where in the world would we ever find such a doctor who cared this much? Nowhere we’ve ever been. After all, Theo diagnosed my painful jaw as a dangerous indication of heart disease and a potential immediate heart attack or stroke. Good grief! The man saved my life, and here he was, once again, providing a level of care that is rarely found anywhere. We are very grateful.

Mom and Babies and another female arrived early this morning. Most likely, the extra female is from Mom’s last litter.

Feeling a little better today, although we still have a way to go tonight; we’ll make chicken breasts on the braai with rice for Tom and sauteed mushrooms we have on hand. It will be an easy meal to make. All I will do is season the chicken, after which Tom will place it on the grilling rack, then cook the rice and the mushrooms in garlic and butter. It’s great we have a gas stove and oven in this house. When there’s load shedding, we can still use the stove.

Louise offered to cook for us, but we insisted we’ll figure it out, and we have. Here again, is it any wonder we love being in Marloth Park? Our friend’s and medical professionals’ love and kindness are enough motivation to be here.

We haven’t seen many animals the past several days since we’ve been hunkered down in the bedroom resting day and night. However, this morning, Mom and Baby warthogs returned, along with a first for us, a Mom and Baby duiker. What a sweet sighting.  Of course, we took a few photos we’ll share here soon.

Every so often, we check outdoors as we continue to rest and recover. We won’t hesitate to offer pellets to any of our visiting new friends. Many more visitors will stop by once we are better and can spend all of our time on the veranda.

Have a safe and healthy day.

Photo from one year ago today, May 29, 2021:

Hal and Crooked Face were standing at the veranda railing that morning, awaiting their pellets. For more photos, please click here.

We’re baaaack!!!…You won’t believe this…Why we’ve been away…

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Mom and Babies…

I wish we’d never have to write about being sick. But, with our commitment to always “tell it like it is,” we feel compelled to share every aspect of our lives of world travels with our readers. Even if we didn’t travel, we’d be sick from time to time. Would it be so unusual for a senior citizen to get sick once or twice a year with a cold, flu, or a virus? Certainly not.

Of course, some people never become ill, and we surely envy their sturdiness. But, we aren’t quite so fortunate. Why? We don’t know. We certainly strive to live a healthy lifestyle. Tom is considerably less likely to become ill than I am. He takes no medication and has no known conditions in his almost 70 years.

But, I don’t see him doing anything more diligently than I do, yet I fall prey to various illnesses throughout the year. This frustrates me, the person who has strived for good health all of my life through a healthy diet, exercise, and positive attitude. I guess I am missing something, or perhaps, genetics plays a more significant role than I’d thought.

Soon, the scary processionary caterpillars will arrive.

Our recent bad bout of Omicron left us both reeling with exhaustion and lingering effects, most of which continue to subside day by day. Tom had fully recovered from Covid pneumonia. We both only have a tickle of cough on occasion.

When we arrived in Marloth Park on Tuesday, although exhausted from the long journey but we both knew a few good night’s sleep, we’d recover from the two-day trip from Las Vegas, Nevada, back to South Africa, the last leg of which was a 15-hour red-eye in the coach. We each only slept an hour or two, sitting straight up in our seats. The remainder of the time was spent watching movies on the entertainment screens at our seats.

Once in Marloth Park, we were excited to complete the recovery of Covid while resting from the long journey and being fit and chipper to cherish our time back in the bush. But that was not the case.

On Wednesday, we both started experiencing severe diarrhea and stomach pain. I was feeling nauseous and very ill, Tom less so. By Wednesday evening, I had a fever and lay under four blankets on the bed, shivering all night. I took two Paracetamol (Tylenol) every six hours to keep the temperature down but never slept a wink due to the constant need to run to the bathroom and the awful feeling of having a fever.

Big Daddy stopped by to check out the action in the garden.

Thursday, I never left the bed other than to shower and run to the bathroom. Tom was struggling as well, but not quite as bad. I couldn’t eat, knowing the result would be more trips to the bathroom, but I didn’t have an appetite. By Thursday night, we acknowledged that we needed to see Doc Theo as soon as we could get an appointment, hopefully on Friday with the weekend coming.

Our appointment was scheduled for 2:30 pm, 1430 hrs, but we arrived 30 minutes earlier, and he could see us. At that point, I could barely keep my head up. We told Theo about our awful bouts of Covid and Tom’s pneumonia. He explained that Covid weakens the immune system, which is most likely why we’d both become sick at this time.

He diligently examined each of us. He ordered blood tests just for me since, most likely, we had the same affliction. He noted my case was much worse than Tom’s since he’d been on antibiotics for pneumonia only a week or two earlier, which provided him some lingering protection.

The testing lab is across the street from the doctor’s office. There was no way I could have walked, so we drove. We went back to Theo’s office to await the results. In no time at all, he called us back into his office and said I had a severe gastrointestinal infection, either e-coli or salmonella. Tom has a lighter version. How did he know Tom’s was less? From palpating our stomachs. Mine was tender to the touch where Tom’s was not. Plus, Tom’s symptoms were less severe.

He prescribed a litany of medications for each of us. Tom didn’t need antibiotics which was good since he’d recently been on two. But, he prescribed Cipro and other meds for me. Cipro is commonly used in Africa to treat bacterial infections which is what I have.

When we arrived at the pharmacy i brought the prescriptions inside and handed them to the pharmacist. But moments later I could no longer stand and went back to the car, asking Tom to go inside and collect them when they were ready. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we were back at the house, began taking our meds while I headed back to bed. We had scrambled eggs for dinner, the first food we had eaten all day. But, within minutes of eating, the rushing to the bathroom began again.

This morning I am a little better, and so is Tom. We are hopeful we are on the mend. How we got this dreadful infection is unknown to us. We went over everything we ate and drank, and there is nothing we ate the same except for the dinner we made at the house, salad (unbagged), rice (for Tom), and meat, nothing that should have caused an issue. But one never knows. It could have been either the salad or the beef, which was fresh when we cooked them.

So, that, dear readers, is why we didn’t do a post yesterday, nor did we take any new photos. I’m still not up to sitting outdoors and watching our animal friends visit. But that will come in time, and for that, we can hardly wait.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 28, 2021:

Tiny never disappointed us. His gentle nature and interest in us was delightful. Of course, he enjoyed pellets, carrots, apples, and bird seeds from time to time. We never saw him again after we returned from the US at the end of July. For more photos, please click here.