A lovely evening with friends in the bush…Technology issues…

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Tom’s photo! Mr. Bushbuck is sitting in the bush waiting for the warthogs to leave so he can have a few pellets.

We had such a great evening last night with Linda and Ken at our home for dinner. With no time constraints, a meal I mainly prepared ahead of time, the four of us sat out on the veranda well into the evening. The weather was pleasant, warm, and not at all uncomfortable. The bugs seemed to be repelled by the repellent candles and coils Tom placed in key spots on the veranda before they arrived.

We didn’t see a lot of wildlife while they were here, but enough to entertain us when peering out into the garden. A tiny frog, noisy as could be, made us laugh as they enjoyed the new birdbath, now filled with water from the rain. Since it’s close to the house for our easy viewing, few birds will stop by, if any. But, we’re undoubtedly enjoying the wildlife, stopping for a drink of fresh water.

A male bushbuck with a plant growing from his muddy hoof after a big storm. This makes us laugh.

As I write, Bennie, Hennie, and Lennie are resting in the garden within three meters of us. We’re assuming they’re related based on their similar characteristics, with tiny tusks and good-sized warts. Periodically, one will groom another, a common practice among warthog family/friend groups.

A female they seemed to know stopped by to join them in the past few days. She could also be a family member. Warthogs generally give birth to four or fewer piglets based on the fact they have four teats. It’s incredible how nature takes care of itself.

Last night, I didn’t get much sleep. In the past several days, I have been bitten by something that left me itching all over again, all night long. My arms and legs were covered in red, swollen, itchy bites that were itching more and more throughout the night. I’d taken an antihistamine that provided no relief and used every anti-itch cream I had on hand, trying to get some relief.

Although she looks small in this photo, she is a good-sized kudu. Known as the Greater Kudu, females can weigh up to 400 pounds, 181 kg, while males may weigh up to 620 pounds, 181 kg.

As a result, I didn’t sleep more than four hours, according to my Fitbit. I managed to use Crazy Glue to glue the parts to my Fitbit together to keep the band together until my new one arrives sometime in the future in the package we’re ordering from the US in the next few days, once the night trail cam arrives at our mailing service in the next few days.

I am not my spunky self today. Last night, I only drank two small glasses of my low-alcohol wine, and by 6:00 pm (1800 hours), I switched over to iced tea for the remainder of the evening, so that didn’t keep me awake. Hopefully, this afternoon a short nap will revive me a little.

You know how easily one glass too many at a social function can impede a good night’s sleep for red wine enthusiasts. I’m always very mindful of this for that very reason and with consideration of long-term health. A good night’s sleep is vital to how one feels the following day and the overall well-being of the future.

A young male kudu, with Bossy in the background. He could easily be her son from several seasons ago. She stood still for almost an hour, watching him out of the corner of her eye while he ate pellets.

The past few days, I noticed my phone was acting up. We purchased two pricey Google Pixel 4XL phones in December 2019 before leaving the US for India the following month. So far, we’ve been thrilled with the performance of our phones until about three days ago, I began having trouble opening some of my apps, but not all of them. This was frustrating.

This morning, after the fitful night’s sleep, during which I couldn’t play one of my favorite games to lull me back to sleep, I knew I had to do something. I had no choice after trying many options but to do an entire factory reset. Since I didn’t have an old phone from which to copy all the files, I am now, as I write here, stopping every few minutes from downloading yet another app to restore my phone to its original apps and settings.

I took a photo of all of my apps to refer to when downloading many of my favorites, knowing I could have taken screenshots. But, as cumbersome as Chromebook is, I preferred to take the photos instead of downloading screenshots to my drive. I still miss the convenience and ease of Windows 8 with easy access to folders on the desktop.

Check out the length of the horns on this male bushbuck. These seeming sweet animals could inflict serious harm or a fatality if frightened into protecting themselves. Otherwise, they appear very gentle.

Those days are long gone based on new operating systems available in the marketplace today. More and more plans will go to using a drive/cloud for storage instead of locally stored files on our system, which I always preferred, being responsible for saving my data as I preferred. Oh well.

By the end of today, tired as I am, I’ll have everything set up on my phone as I prefer and can put this minor inconvenience behind me. For the remainder of today, a nap, and maybe watch another episode of “Fear of the Walking Dead,” which I’m streaming during the day when Tom is busy with Ancestry.com and Facebook, his two favorite pastimes. Of course, at night, when we’re done sitting on the veranda and well after dinner, we always watch an episode or two of a streamed show together, of a favorite show we’re binge-watching.  For today, that’s all the energy I have.

Have a fantastic day, dear readers!

Photo from one year ago today, March 23, 2020:

The two dining cars on the train, The Maharajas Express, were tastefully appointed with the most refined dinnerware and table settings. For more photos, please click here.

A storm unlike any other…Power stayed on!…Yeah!..Wet, humid and muddy terrain…

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Wildebeest Willie, also known as a gnu, gave us quite a thrill when he arrived. In no time at all, two more Willies stopped by. It’s nice to see the animals drinking from the birdbath.

Last night, our dinner reservation at Jabula was canceled via text due to the outrageous storm that started around 4:00 pm (1600 hours). We hadn’t taken anything out of the freezer for dinner, not anticipating we’d be dining at home. With the prospect and the likelihood of the power going out due to the thunder, lightning, winds, and rain, we were at a loss as to what to eat for dinner.

It’s not as if we have a freezer filled with prepared store-bought frozen foods. We only consume fresh, non-processed meals except a few canned fish, zero-carb condiments such as mustard, and spices. We were at a loss as to what we’d prepare. With all the meat frozen, it would have taken hours for anything to defrost.

But, they say, “A drink from the pool is quite acceptable.”

The stovetop and oven are electric, and with the lights blinking off and on during the storm, Tom suggested we have tuna salad with hard-boiled eggs. The trick would be to get the eggs boiled before the power went out. We hurried and placed six eggs in a saucepan of purified water and put it on high.

We held our breath while the pan of eggs came to a boil. If we could get a vigorous boil, we could turn off the burner and let the eggs finish cooking in the pan with its lid on, the method we typically use to make hard-boiled eggs. Thirty minutes after turning off the burner with the lid on the pan, the eggs would be cooked perfectly. As soon as the vigorous boil started, the power went out, and we immediately covered the eggs. Whew! We’d have tuna salad after all.

And then, there were three.

We made a huge batch, dividing it between two plates, and enjoyed our dinner inside the house. There was no way we could sit outdoors while the pouring rain continued. Shortly before we ate, the power resumed, and much to our surprise, we had electricity all night. We’d heard several homes in Marloth Park are still without power, yet to be restored. We dodged a bullet.

Tom just read me a message on Facebook from the Marloth Park Municipality stating there’s a water shortage. It was a busy weekend with holidaymakers staying at many bush homes in the park, using water resources. We’ve all been asked to reduce our water consumption over the next several days.

They shared the pellets harmoniously.

The property owners and managers have struggled during the pandemic, with few tourists booking any properties. Many bush homes have sat empty for over a year. It’s been a tough time here as well as all over the world. With Easter weekend coming up soon, more activity will be in Marloth Park, not many foreigners, but more likely South African citizens.

Tonight, Linda and Ken arrive for dinner at 4:00 pm (1600 hours) for sundowners and starters (appetizers). While it was still cool this morning, I spent time prepping most of the meal in the kitchen before working on today’s post. We’ll start with a wide array of starters and finish a few hours later, cooking lemon pepper seasoned flatties (flat cut whole chickens), which Tom will prepare on the braai, along with rice, roasted vegetables, and a green salad with fresh feta and grape tomatoes. We won’t be having a dessert after such a hearty meal.

Other wildlife was on the sidelines but thought twice before entering the space of this trio.

This morning, we’ve had several visitors, including more wildebeest, which stopped by yesterday before the storm, as shown in today’s photos. Several bushbucks, kudus, and an endless stream of warthogs, commonly seen most days, visited. Frank and The Misses have been hanging around regularly, often right at our feet, asking for seeds. We don’t waste a moment offering them a good-sized portion.

Speaking of sightings in the garden, Tom spotted the porcupine run across the garden for the fourth time last night. I have yet to see it, although I look for it many times during the evening. They are nocturnal. We’re considering purchasing a waterproof night-vision trail cam before our shipment goes out in the next few days. Amazon will deliver it to our mailing service in 24 hours in time for the load to go out to us. We’ll check this out today and decide on which model to purchase.

A new female warthog we don’t recognize. If she continues to return, we’ll give her a name.

Now I need to get back to work on the treadmill, which I avoided this morning while busy in the kitchen, and finish some tasks for tonight’s dinner guests.

We hope you’ll have as good a day as we expect you to have. It’s cooler today after the rain, although very muddy and humid. But, that won’t keep us from having a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 22, 2020:

What beautiful sunsets over the Arabian Sea while we sat outdoors by the pool, awaiting our fate as Mumbai began to shut down. For more, please click here.

It was one year ago, the bad news sunk in…No regrets…

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Oh, look! Mr. Young Kudu drinking water from our new birdbath. Tom refills it with fresh water every morning.

One year ago today, we wrote the following in this post::

“It was a bad sign this morning when we went to breakfast that there was no buffet. Only five rooms in this 120 room hotel are occupied and it made no sense for them to continue to offer a buffet. Besides, buffets are breeding grounds for germs. 

Is this the beginning stages of this hotel closing in the next several days?

The hotel is no longer allowed to accept new reservations. In a matter of days, we could be the only guests here. That’s kind of freaky. It won’t be the first time we were the only guests in a hotel.  On Christmas Eve and Christmas day in 2017, we were the only guests in a boutique hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We ended up having a great time after all. See this link here.
Mr. Young Kudu is standing on the veranda in front of me, looking woefully into my eyes, begging for pellets. We tossed out a big dose into the garden for him.

But, those circumstances were entirely different. It was a fluke there were no guests in the small hotel. In this case, as you all so well know, the circumstances are entirely different. Covid-19 is the cause of many businesses, now including hotels worldwide, closing their doors.”

Little did we know when we wrote this, that on March 24, 2020, a few days later, we’d be kicked out of this hotel to find ourselves with nowhere to stay in Mumbai, with literally all of our bags stranded with us without an available booking in any hotel in the huge city. In the next few days, we’ll reiterate some of the challenges we faced when no hotel was open to take us in. It was one of the most frightening moments in our then 7½ years of world travel.
Now, when we look back at that time, we are literally shocked by the challenges we faced. But, at the time, our only option was to return to the US. With cases rapidly escalating by the day, we decided we’d feel safer to stay in Mumbai, provided we could find a safe and suitable hotel which, fortunately, last minute, we did, with the help of a kind hotel concierge. More on that later.
Frank eats out of the seed container. There were so many warthogs in the garden I set this down for Frank. The warthogs love to eat the seeds, leaving none for Frank. This was a good solution at that point to ensure Frank and The Misses got their share.
As much and as often as that experience floods our minds since we arrived in South Africa on January 12, 2021, it hasn’t left us with negative thoughts and feelings. When we recall, even the worst day’s experience on March 24, 2020, after being “kicked out” of the SunNSand Hotel when they closed, without a reservation or other options available at the time, we are reminded of the strength, determination, and resiliency that got us through it all.
We have no regrets. Somehow we managed to protect ourselves from falling prey to Covid-19 and now we pray going forward, we can continue to do the same as we venture out of South Africa and head to Kenya for our upcoming required new visa stamps for South Africa, providing us with another blissful 90 days in Marloth Park.
Last night, we changed our plans to go to Jabula for dinner and will go tonight instead. We both feel it is important to support our favorite restaurant in Marloth Park by coming for dinner at least once a week. The prices are reasonable, the food is great and the love and interaction we have with owners Dawn and Leon, their fabulous assistant Lyn, and their staff members, make every visit enjoyable and worthwhile.
Siegfried and Roy stop by at least once a day. But another unknown warthog was hovering in the background.
It was when Louise and Danie invited us last night for sundowners that we decided to change our plans. With Linda and Ken not arriving until today, and unable to join us for dinner at Jabula, it was a perfect opportunity to accept Louise and Danie’s invitation to meet Danie’s son Niel, his wife Anja, and their adorable 8-month-old daughter, Klara. It was a fun and lovely evening.
Back home by 8:00 pm, I ended up speaking on the phone to my dear, almost 13-year-old grandson, Miles in Minnesota, and later, my sister Julie, in California. We laughed so hard we cried when sharing names and stories about the wildlife that visit us. She was thrilled to hear Little had found us once again. What amazing stories are unfolding before our eyes, each and every day, not only with the wildlife yet also the amazing human friends we’ve made in the bush.  We are truly blessed and grateful.
They’re back… Bennie, Hennie, and Lennie are now regular visitors. They shooed this kudu away when she was too close to their bounty.
May your day be lively and fulfilling.
Photo from one year ago today, March 21, 2020:
We sat comfortably at a table with an umbrella by the pool, sipping on a cold beer, attempting to make the best of the situation, wondering where we’d end up in a few days. Little did we know we may have been drinking our last drop of alcohol in the 10 months to come. For more, please click here.

Good news brings relief!…Newly named friends…What are QR codes?…

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These three warthogs, whom we’ve named Bennie, Hennie, and Lennie, have started visiting us several times a day.

Note: One year ago today, we headed to the airport in Mumbai, India, with airline tickets in hand, and we were turned away and refused entry to South Africa due to the border closings, never boarding the plane. It’s hard to believe that was one year ago.

Last night, the email message came through from iVisa informing us that our Kenya visas have been approved and processed. They are now in our inbox, ready to print when we have to print many documents to bring with us to Kenya when we leave Marloth Park on April 8, 2021. We’ll enter Kenya on the 9ths and fly to the Maasai Mara on the 10th.

Everything we needed to prepare for the trip was done other than the printing. In a week or so, we’ll email Louise all the documents, and she’ll print them all, including a document from her that we’ll be renting for the next 90 days in Marloth Park. South Africa requires proof of a place to stay while in the country.

One odd thing we encountered during the visa acquisition process is that iVisa is that we received a QR code that looks like this, as indicated below.What is QR Code? Is it safe to scan QR codes | Kaspersky Since leaving the US in 2012, many companies, governments, and businesses have started using a QR code, like a barcode that smartphones can read after installing a QR app on your phone or other devices. Scanning such a code (I don’t know what the above QR code reads. I downloaded this example online).

We’re assuming they are brothers from the same mother based on how well they get along.

Earlier on, while touring India, our tour guide/driver’s car had complimentary WiFi. To access it, it was necessary to scan the QR code they had on a plastic-encased card kept in the vehicle. While in the Marriott hotel during those long ten months, while in Mumbai, India, they used such a QR code which, if we scanned the code using the QR code app on our phones, the hotel’s restaurant menu would come up, on our device.

QR stands for “quick response.” See this article here fIt clearly states the value and simplicity of using the QR codes for more details and the safety of using QR codes with your phone and device.

Occasionally, they’ll rest separately, especially on hot, humid days.

Thus, when iVisa sent us a QR code stating in the email that this code would bring up our already processed health questionnaire document as required by Kenya when we go through immigration upon entering the country. IVisa filled out the form for us since we cannot open it by scanning it. When we go through immigration, Kenya will scan the QR code, review our health questionnaires, ask us if we have any Covid-10 symptoms, and provide proof of negative PCR tests, which we’ll have done a few days before we depart.

So many new procedures are required to travel now, some seemingly worthwhile and others ridiculous and unnecessary. Only you can determine if traveling is worth all this “monkey business.” For us, we’ve decided, at this point, the answer is yes.

We still don’t know what we’ll do in July when the next 90 days end. We’ve decided to see how things go on the trip to Kenya after we return on April 14th. Also, we’re looking at where we can get the Covid-19 vaccine. It’s up in the air now if South Africa will allow foreign nationals to get the vaccine while in the country. We’ll see how that goes in the next few months.

When carefully observing these three warthogs, we’ve observed, they each have unique personalities.

For now, we can sit back and relax a little while still maintaining safety protocols when out and about and around people, such as when shopping and dining out. Linda and Ken had planned to join us at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for dinner tonight. However, based on the news they’ve read, traveling from Johannesburg to Marloth Park is not safe today due to several stoppages on the highway.

They plan to travel the five-hour drive tomorrow, if the situation improves, and then join us for dinner at our house on Monday evening as planned. However, in South Africa, everything can change on a dime, so we shall see how it goes. Tonight, we’ll have dinner at Jabula on our own, enjoying ourselves as we always do.

On occasion, only two will rest together. But, the three of them are always together from what we can determine. This is Hennie and Lennie.

Today, it’s a little cooler than past days, but it’s still hot and humid. I started working on the treadmill again today since the awful itching has been tempered, and I am feeling better overall, especially after last night’s much-needed good sleep.

Yesterday there was no load shedding after the power was restored, but we did lose the WiFi signal for a few hours last night, preventing us from streaming our usual series. We stayed busy chatting and laughing and enjoying the quiet time together, as always.

This is Bennie and Hennie. They all seem to enjoy visiting us and hanging around the garden long after we’ve stopped offering pellets.

May your day be filled with wonders. Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 20, 2020:

This hall at the temple site is used for weddings, arranged marriage meetings, relaxation, and prayer. For more photos, please click here.

Outstanding drive in the park…Excellent new photos…

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I could not take the photo of this elephant from the car, and thus, I got out, walked down a narrow, uneven path, and made my way to the fence.

We’ve yet to go into Kruger National Park. We’ve been busy with documents, bookings, and planning for our upcoming Kenya trip, leaving Marloth Park in 22 days. Our Kenya visa application has been kicked back to us a few times when they didn’t like that our passports weren’t flat enough when we took the photos. It’s not easy to get a passport to lie completely flat. We had to redo that portion of the visa application twice already.

Hopefully, now that we haven’t heard from IVisa in a few days, everything must be in process. If all goes well, we should have the visas in our inbox within a week.

A herd of impalas sheltering in the shade with a few babies seated in the front.

Then, I was dealing with the awful side effects of the antibiotics I took needlessly when I didn’t have an abscessed tooth or any teeth problems after all. Then, the itching from the dust mites got so bad. I could barely sit in the car for hours, focusing on anything but the itching. It’s fantastic we had guests during those periods and even ventured out to dinner.

On top of it all, we had several occasions when our site wasn’t up, and there was no way I’d feel comfortable going out for a full day until the issues were resolved. Collectively, there was little opportunity for a day to Kruger. Now, with the Maasai Mara upcoming in three weeks, we’ve decided we’ll wait until we return.

An impala family stood in the road, most likely parent(s) and auntie (s) protecting the baby.

Hopefully, if all goes well in getting our new 90 day-visa stamps, we’ll apply for our Wild Card entrance pass to Kruger National Park, good for one year. It pays for itself in three or four visits, so buying it is worthwhile even if we aren’t here for an entire year.

With fewer animals coming to the garden this past week, most likely due to the heat, yesterday afternoon, we decided to drive through Marloth Park to see if we’d find any new and exciting wildlife. We weren’t disappointed. We took enough excellent photos to last for days, hoping more visitors would stop by in the interim. It’s almost 10:30 am, and we’ve yet to see anyone, except for a young male kudu who just showed up as I wrote this.

We’ve yet to have a Big Daddy (two in this case) visit our garden due to the dense bush, making it difficult for them to maneuver with their long curly horns.

Last night, while I was putting away my laptop for the night, after watching a few shows, I turned on the garden light to see Ms. Bossy standing there looking at the door, wondering where we were and if we had some pellets. Tom had set the alarm for the night, so I gently shooed her away with the wave of my arm to let her know standing there all night would do no good. Surely, she’ll be back sometime today or this evening.

Last night, as we lounged on the veranda while cooking a roast beef on the braai for dinner, Tiny wandered into the garden at exactly 4:34 pm (1634 hours) and stayed with us for over an hour. He ate a few leftover bones we’d saved for him and a few tosses of pellets, after which he lay down to stare at me while I talked to him. He shows up about the same time each evening and, on occasion, in the morning. (Now we have four kudus visiting. I spoke too soon).

Another Big Daddy is seen from inside the car through Tom’s window.

After dinner, I called my eldest son Richard to wish him a happy birthday. He was a St. Patrick’s Day baby and now is a mature, successful businessman with a fulfilling life. He’s one of the top real estate agents in Nevada, and if you are looking to buy or sell a home in Las Vegas, Nevada, or surrounding areas, you won’t be disappointed if you contact him. Yes, I know, that’s a biased mom talking, but check out the reviews he gets at Zillow at this link. It was great talking to him, as it always is when speaking to our family members.

While I waited at the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park, he was facing away from me. I’d hoped we’d do better than a rear-end shot when finally, he turned around.

However, many family members prefer to “chat” via email, text, Facebook, and other social media. That’s the way of the world these days. But, we are grateful to be traveling at this time in history, when communication is accessible via the internet, and it’s easy to stay in touch. Talking on the phone seems to be a luxury these days, which many will understand.

Finally, we got a full photo of this handsome elephant.

We are off to Komatipoort to grocery shop during the heat of the day. It’s pleasant to ride in the air-conditioned car during the 20-minute drive. The crowds while shopping prompt us to take extreme care while in the market when many don’t correctly wear their masks.

We hope you have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 18, 2020:

On the last night on the Maharajas Express, we were all assisted in dressing in traditional Indian attire. For more photos, please click here.

Back to our house…Dust mites may be gone, gone, gone…

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The new stone birdbath in our garden as of this morning.

Several of our friends have reported they cannot find any available supplies of dust mite spray or treatment. The entire country has been bombarded with dust mites, and my current situation is not unique. The heavy rains and humidity over the past few months most certainly contributed to the proliferation of these invisible pests, causing havoc for those with allergies and sensitivity to their presence.

Not only did Louise and Danie use the “bombs” to fumigate the house, but Vusi and Zef aired out the house to reduce the smell, which was mostly gone by the time we returned yesterday around noon. While airing the house with all the doors and windows open, they did a deep spring cleaning. There wasn’t a speck of dust or insects to be found anywhere.

Last night, I slept better when I wasn’t itching as much all night as I had on other nights. I still have the old itchy spots all over my body, but in time, they will heal, and I should be able to sleep through the night. The itching has been going on for the past two months. It will be a welcome relief to be free of it.

Giraffe, we started on the way to the little market in Marloth Park.

This morning, Zef and Vusu delivered a heavy stone birdbath fixture, as shown in the primary photo, that Danie offered to us after he said it would look more appropriate in Greece than in the African bush. We agreed with him but jumped at the chance to have this garden adornment in our garden, perhaps encouraging birds to stop for a drink, and thus, we can take photos of our feathered friends.

They placed the statue, or birdbath, within reach of the garden hose, enabling us to add fresh water daily. No doubt, the animals that can reach the water will regularly stop for a drink as well. The lower section would be adequate for the warthogs to drink, but Tom insisted we put water in the lower area.

Warthogs, bless their hearts, are like “bulls-in-a-China-shop. (Hmm, that’s the second time I’ve used that expression regarding warthogs in the past week). There is no doubt they’d knock the thing over if they started drinking out of it, regardless of how heavy it is. There are plenty of water holes and cement ponds in Marloth Park, where the warthogs drink and roll in the mud.

A rare visit from a shy duiker, the smallest of the antelopes in Marloth Park.

I thought about a birdbath when we’d seen Frank and the Misses sipping water from the condensation drip hose on the outside of the house from the air conditioner in our bedroom over the past several days. In the morning, after the air-con was on all night, a decent amount of water drips from that hose, and Frank and his Family enjoy drinking from it. It makes us laugh out loud.

Francolins are territorial and seldom leave their chosen location, even to find water. Francolins don’t fly much (they can fly), preferring to walk fast, run, run, run. Having this birdbath may inspire them to fly up for a drink. Oh, how easily we are entertained! It will be fun to watch what happens.

Tiny visits every afternoon between 4:00 PM (1600 hours) and 5:00 PM (1700 hours), never missing a day.

I’m sure many of our readers have birdbaths in their gardens and don’t give it much of a thought other than occasionally observing birds partaking in the water. Ah, the simple things become profound and fascinating while living in the bush, such a glorious place filled with wonders.

Tonight, we’ll cook a well-seasoned beef roast on the braai and once again enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal.  Today, the high will be 92F, 33C with the usual high humidity. Although this temperature doesn’t sound that high, sitting outdoors on the veranda certainly leaves us hot and sweaty. But, over time, we’ve become more used to it, especially when there is a slight breeze.

Tiny often lays down while I talk to him and listens attentively, his ears flipping back and forth in the process.

May your day be sunny and bright!

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

The leading cremation site on the Ganges River, seen while on an old wood rowboat on the river during the early morning ceremonies. For more photos, please click here.

A funny kudu experience at Louise and Danie’s home…Returning to our house soon….

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It was a bit odd spending the night away from our little bush house, sleeping in another king-sized bed, dining at the elaborate bar in their luxurious lounge while watching another episode of Shark Tank. Before and after dinner, we enjoyed sitting on the veranda, watching wildlife wander by on the dirt road adjoining Louise and Danie’s property.

Lately, I dread bedtime with all of my itching bites when all the itching seems to worsen. We’re hoping the extensive fumigation will have eliminated the issue. Hopefully, we’ll know that I don’t get any new evidence of the dust mite allergy over the next few days.

Ms. Kudu didn’t mind the oxpecker on her head.

Last night, on WhatsApp, we spoke to friends Rita and Gerhard from Washington, USA. Years ago, they stumbled across our site and eventually came to Marloth Park when they’d read so much as to how we love it here. When they arrived in 2018 and stayed for a few months, we had an opportunity to meet them, and we hit it off so well that we became fast friends,  spending lots of fabulous times together.

In December, they hosted a fantastic surprise birthday party for Tom, and a month later, we did a birthday party for Rita. Now, they are in the process of getting their “retirement visa” for South Africa using the law firm that we’d use for the waiver to return to South Africa when we overstayed our visas when I had heart surgery, and we were banned for five years.

Within minutes of her arrival, the oxpeckers landed on her and refused to leave. She gave up trying to shake them off and went into the trance-like state we’d never seen before.

At some point, we may decide to apply for a retirement visa, eliminating the hassle of having to leave every three months when we come here. This doesn’t mean we’d live here permanently. It simply means we can go and stay for six or nine months every few years without the hassle. We shall see. As with everything right now, plans are up-in-the-air due to Covid-19.

Recently, we found out from dear friends Kathy and Don. It looks like they may have their retirement visa finalized by May and will be able to return for another few months’ stays. They will be able to return to Marloth Park in July.; That’s a long time away, but hopefully, we’ll all be able to get together again, as more and more friends eventually return to Marloth Park, especially after receiving their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Three or four oxpeckers started working on her as the trance-like state began.

Also, we’re thrilled Linda and Ken will be back in Marloth Park for a few days. Saturday night, we’ll all dine at Jabula, and Monday night’s dinner will be hosted at our house.

But, even for us, so much is up in the air. Will we have to return to the US when our next visa is up in July to get the vaccination allowing us to cruise and travel in the future? Only time will tell when right now. At this point, South Africa will not provide vaccinations for non-citizens. This could change. We’ll continue to watch the news.

The more the oxpeckers worked on her, it was funny to watch her ears droop, and her eyes stare into space.

Last night, while sitting outdoors on Louise and Danie‘s veranda, we had a hysterical time, laughing for almost an hour, over the antics of a kudu mom and her two youngsters, when they were bombarded with oxpeckers, the funny birds with orange beaks, who eat insects and clean wounds of some of the wildlife including kudus, giraffes, warthogs, and others.

These birds are persistent, and even if the animal shakes them off, which they often do. They are relentless and will return seconds later. Last night, when a flock of oxpeckers stayed attached to the three kudus, we laughed over something we’d never seen before…the kudus appeared to be in a trance with their ears down while the oxpeckers did their thing.

Even her young male’s ear also started to droop when a few more oxpeckers descended on him.

Soon, once load shedding ends, we’ll head back to our house, which is currently being “spring cleaned” by Zef and Vusi. The house was clean before the fumigation, but Louise insisted that every inch of the house was thoroughly cleaned of any potential dust, and each room aired out to eliminate the smell from the fumigation. As a result, we took several photos, most of which we’re sharing here today.

We are so grateful for their attention to detail, along with the commitment to rid the house of any possible dust mites. In the meantime, as much as we’ve enjoyed it at Louise and Danie’s home, we’re anxious to get back to our little house. Louise sent me a photo from when she was overseeing the work where Frank was looking for me. He was peering inside the screen door, wondering where his seeds were. She spotted the seed container, leaving a little pile on the veranda floor so he and The Misses could partake. So sweet.

The look on her face was unique, one we’d never seen before.

The bush always surprises us! May you have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 16, 2020:

Another of our favorite tiger photos was taken while on safari in India. For more, please click here.

Today, is our 9 year anniversary of posting…Will we make it to the 10-year milestone?

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This is where we’ll sleep tonight. We won’t even have to change the bedding when Zef and Vusi take care of everything tomorrow. We appreciate them too, as we do Louise and Danie, for always making everything perfect for us.

Today is the ninth anniversary of our first post being uploaded, which may be found at this link. It’s a little hard for us to wrap our brains around how much time has passed since we began posting. At that time, we infrequently wrote, only as often as three times a week at most. But, a year later, as reader interest grew, we began posting daily and have continued doing so as long as we had access to the internet.

Speaking of the internet, we have no WiFi at the moment. Load shedding is happening, and often WiFi goes out simultaneously.

Will we make it to the ten-year mark? We’re hoping so. Of course, it’s always predicated by our health a year from now. All we can do is continue to make every effort to stay as healthy as possible for as long as we can.

The view toward the braai from where we are seated now.

This morning we’ve moved into Louise and Danie‘s beautiful home while they are fumigating our house and living in one of their gorgeous rental properties with some of their visiting family members. It’s almost as if this is a mini one-day holiday for us, with different surroundings and the finest of amenities one would only find in such a luxury property. We are quite content, although we do enjoy our little house on Luiperd Street. (Translates to Leopard).

As we were packing to leave this morning, Little stopped by, sitting in his favorite spot next to my chair off the edge of the veranda, waiting for me to come outside to see him. Tom gave him some pellets while he waited while I was showering.

Last night, we cooked extra mozzarella stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken breasts, enough for us for tonight’s dinner. All we’ll need to do is reheat the chicken and Tom’s white rice in their microwave. We didn’t want to make a big mess in Louise’s kitchen and decided leftovers would be fine.

Tonight we’ll sit at this lovely bar and enjoy sundowners in  Louise and Danie’s home.

Over the weekend, Louise and Danie visited Daisy’s Den to purchase some mite control spray. They discovered I’m not the only one who’s been suffering from dust mite allergies. Many residents of Marloth Park have been trying to figure out ways to eliminate these pesky, impossible-to-see insects. Even Louise’s arms were covered in itchy spots like mine.

In a way, it is comforting to know that I’m not the only one suffering from dust mite allergies. Of course, dust mites will no longer be a problem once the winter comes in a few months and temperatures cool. They increase in hot, humid climates. Today is a little cooler than yesterday at only 87F, 31C, with an expected high of 90F, 32C. Tomorrow will be hotter and more humid once again and continue throughout the remainder of the week.

Yesterday, Tom got to work on finding a good deal for a rental car for our next three months beginning the day we return to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport on April 14th. Since we don’t have a car of our own, with coverage for rental cars, we’ve been renting cars, one month at a time, when our credit cards offer complimentary insurance, good for only 30 days. Thus, when we’ve rented for three months, we have to make three separate contracts.

Tom is situated at the end of this big table on the veranda.

This time, based on higher rates in South Africa during Easter, we had difficulty finding fair pricing, month by month. By an odd bit of luck, he found a car through Thrifty at the airport for three months, including full insurance coverage for the entire period for US $1207, ZAR 17958, making our monthly rate US $402, ZAR 5981, as good a price as we could as for with the insurance is included. We usually select the smaller, less expensive cars, which work well for us.

Now that we have all the bookings we need for the next three-month period in South Africa, we have peace of mind and can rest easy except for our need for the Covid-19 vaccine. It appears that non-citizens of South Africa will not qualify for the vaccine. We’ll have to consider what our other options may be. We’ll need a new Covid-19 test before we leave for Kenya in 24 days, which we can get at the lab in Komatipoort a few days before we depart.

At the moment, the power and WiFi have resumed. It’s almost 1:00 pm, and as soon as we finish here, we’ll have the remainder of the day ahead of us to relax and do as we please, free of any pertinent paperwork or research for bookings. This is a first for a while. We’ll certainly take advantage of it.

Have a pleasant, peaceful day.

Photo from one year ago today, March 15, 2020:

This is the grass left from harvesting rice. Note the horns on these buffalos. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. It is a preferred feed for cattle, horses, and elk in all seasons. In spring, it is considered a preferred feed for sheep, deer, and antelope and a desirable feed for sheep, deer, and antelope in late fall and winter. For more photos, please click here.

Sultry Sunday in the bush…Peculiar nighttime invader…

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An insect on the screen door that looks like a dried leaf or plant.

Since we wrote here yesterday, we’ve had three load shedding sessions of 7½ hours without power, an eight-hour session with no WiFi, and a five-hour session with some animal sounding as if they were trying to dig their way into our bedroom last night. Could it have been the porcupine Tom saw on two late-night occasions?

Neither of us cared to venture outside in the dark to see what it could have been. Even Tom, with his poor hearing, could hear the rambunctious scratching sounds coming from the bedroom’s exterior wall. I guess we’ll never know what it was unless we stumble upon it while we’re outside on the veranda in the dark.

Mr. Bushbuck was chasing around Ms. Bushbuck all day. Hmm, we wonder why?

Lately, mosquitoes have been so hungry for my flesh that we can’t stay outdoors after about 8:00 pm 2000 hours. They seem to get worse when it gets dark, even more so than at dusk. Once winter comes, we’ll be excited to stay outdoors much later.

Last night, when we returned from another fun dinner at Jabula Lodge & Restaurant in the dark, we found Ms. Bossy Kudu waiting for us at the edge of the driveway, along with her youngster and another female. No more than moments after we entered the house, the three of them were in the back garden waiting to see if we had some pellets. We did. We freely offered them a few good-sized portions, which they devoured with enthusiasm.

I should mention how grateful I am that Dawn and Leon, owners of Jabula, who have special ordered my low-alcohol wine, Four Cousins Skinny Red, and also have special ordered hamburger meat without the usual fillers that restaurants often include in their burgers in South Africa, such as sweet sauces and flour. Dawn ordered the plain mince (ground beef) and personally cooked the two unless burgers for me last night, topped with “real” cheese instead of processed cheese used on most burgers.

The mating hornbills continue to return, but no babies yet.

On the side, I had three perfectly prepared fried-in-butter (not oil) eggs, cooked to my liking turned over medium. It was a perfect meal. Rather than leave them with a partially used bottle of red wine which would spoil before we return in a week, we always purchase the entire bottle, bringing the remainder home with us. We so appreciate their friendship and their caring service with their thoughtful attention to detail.

Before too long, we headed to our bedroom, turned on the air-con, and settled in for a few episodes of BritBox TV series, Shetland, which friends Linda and Ken (now back in Johannesburg) recommended. Oddly, season two of this series is missing. If any of you know where we can find Shetland’s season two, please let us know. We searched online with no results.

Right now, we’re doing a free 7-day trial of Britbox through Amazon Prime, but we won’t be able to get through all the seasons (even without season two) when we only watch two episodes a night. We set up my laptop atop the wooden kitchen cutting board to keep it from getting too hot on the bed. We’re willing to pay for Britbox for the next month to complete the series.

Bushbucks are constantly on guard when other wildlife stops by.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll pack and head to Louise and Danie‘s house where we’ll stay over, for one night, while they fumigate the house until the regular service provider returns from his two-week holiday when he’ll come out and take care of a second treatment. We’d have to move out again for another 24 hours at that time too. Instead, we’re hoping he can come after we leave for Kenya in 25 days, on April 8, 2021.

Load-shedding is expected to start again soon. As all of you know, lately, many WiFi issues have impacted our ability to upload posts in a timely fashion. Most times, the WiFi stays active without the power running, which we’re hoping will happen again so we can continue this post, add some photos, and upload it in a reasonable time frame.

Taller animals drink from the pool, but now that the water in the mosquito breeding pond has been removed, warthogs and birds have nowhere to revel in our garden. Today, I put out a bowl of water.

Well, it’s after 11:00 am, and the power didn’t go off as expected. We can anticipate it will go off at some arbitrary time later today and tonight. It’s nice to know in advance, allowing us to plan accordingly, but that’s not always possible. With Eskom, the unreliable South Africa power company, such inconsistencies are typical.

That’s it for today, folks. We intend to post tomorrow after we move out of the house for 24 hours. So, please look for us then. We hope you have a pleasant Sunday, wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, March 14, 2020:

This kind man, Mr. Ganapthay of Cholan Art Village, made the experience of visiting his nine-generation family’s bronzing business all the more special to both of us. For more, please click here.

Hesitated to write about this…More of what?…

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dust mite medical 3d illustration - typical dust mite dust mite stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images
Yikes! This is a dust mite, un-seeable by the naked eye.. (Not our photo).

I hesitated to write this story today. Genetic health issues, primarily from my mother’s side of the family, left me with a variety of medical problems which I’ve struggled with most of my life. As a child, I had severe asthma beginning at about three years old. As I got older, I developed hay fever, which only exacerbated the situation.

In my 20s, I started taking cortisone tablets daily, which continued for 14 years, wreaking havoc with my health and well-being, but at least I could breathe.

In my 30’s I went through all those allergy tests and subsequent weekly injections to reduce my symptoms while at the same time tapering off the cortisone tablets, which took two years. Finally, the injections were completed, and I was truly free of symptoms for many years.

On top of that, as mentioned in the past, I suffered from metabolic syndrome causing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and constant battles in attempting to maintain my weight at a healthy level. These issues have only recently been entirely resolved when I once again changed my diet, becoming more strict in a low-carb way of eating while in that hotel room in India. I no longer have high blood pressure (off all medication), and I am no longer pre-diabetic.

As I continue to learn about metabolic syndrome, I have realized that constant high blood sugar and high blood pressure caused me to develop cardiovascular heart disease, often a high-risk factor in diabetes and hypertension. Also, after 40 years have passed since I had those allergy injections, the positive effects have worn off. The allergies have returned and manifested in different ways.

Kudu, named Bossy, was surrounded by mongooses and didn’t seem to mind a bit as long as there were pellets around. The mongooses don’t care for the pellets.

Yes, after all my posts about my health over the years, I hesitated to write about it again today. But, over the past few months, I’ve thought that if perhaps my writing about this could provide one of our readers with a morsel of curiosity about their conditions, resulting in their pursuit of answers, it was well worth any potential retribution or criticism. I can only imagine many of our readers thinking and saying, “Here we go again.”

So here is my most recent allergy dilemma. I am suffering from severe hives (or what appears to be insect bites) from dust mites. When I had the allergy tests 40 years ago, dust mites were the number one allergen I responded to, number two being grasses.

This house we’re in is impeccably clean. You’d have a hard time finding a speck of dust anywhere. Each day Vusi and Zef clean every inch of space. But the harsh reality regarding dust mites is that they live unseen in mattresses, pillows, stuffed furniture, and clothing. Dust mites, per se, don’t bite their victims. See below from this site:

Tom mixed ups yet another batch of raw scrambled eggs.

“What Are Dust Mites?

Dust mites are microscopic, insect-like pests that generate some of the most common indoor substances—or allergens—that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in many people. Hundreds of thousands of dust mites can live in the bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets, or curtains in your home. They feed on the dead human skin cells found in dust.

Dust mites are not parasites; they don’t bite, sting, or burrow into our bodies. The harmful allergen that they create comes from their fecal pellets and body fragments. Dust mites are nearly everywhere; roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed.”

Here is information on rashes caused by exposure to dust mites, which I appear to be suffering from over the past few months. I do not see new rashes during the day or evening while outdoors. But, at night, when I go to bed, I start itching like crazy and discover new rashes all over my body in the morning, particularly areas that touch the mattress and pillows.

Utilizing extreme caution and the frequent use of DEET repellent several times a day, I no longer am getting many mosquito bites. For a while, I thought the rash might be a result of the harsh laundry soap. Louise had Vusi and Zef start using baby-friendly chemical-free laundry soap.

We rarely feed the impalas. There are so many of them, and we’d draw even more if we did so. Occasionally, they visit when there are already pellets on the ground. There is plenty of green vegetation for them to graze at this time.

We purchased the same type of laundry soap for our laundry, clothing, and towels.  Although there was a slight improvement, I’d still awaken in the morning with new outrageously itchy spots all over my body, particularly any exposed skin. A few nights, I wore winter pajamas with long tight pants and long sleeves. This helped, but it’s tough to wear these hot clothes to bed when temperatures are in the 100Fs, 40Cs, during the day. The air con in the bedroom couldn’t keep me cool enough to be able to sleep.

My arms are the worst, covered in inflamed, red bite-like spots that continue to itch for no less than three weeks once I have a new batch. My neck and face have been covered at times with the rash. When old patches recover, new ones occur. I try not to complain. My Fitbit shows how poor my sleep has been, often around four or five hours intermittently. I take antihistamines daily and use prescription cortisone cream several times a day and night. Nothing helps.

Last week, Vusi and Zef cleaned and sprayed all sides of the mattress and pillows with anti-dust mite spray. It lasted only two nights and then was back with a vengeance.

Yesterday, in dire frustration, I threw my arms in the air. I asked Louise to find a professional exterminator to come and fog the entire house, hopefully ridding us of this problem. We insisted we pay for this service. As it turned out, the only professional in this area is gone for two weeks. Instead, he told Louise and Danie how to fumigate the house and what products to use that will hopefully provide some relief until he returns and does the full-professional treatment.  I feel bad that they have to do this. But, that is how they are, always concerned for our well-being and the well-being of all their clientele.

Bossy always stares at me for more pellets. She has us both well trained.

Monday, we have to move out of the house for 24 hours while they come in the morning and do the temporary fumigation job. They insisted we stay at their wonderful current home while staying in another of their fabulous properties with family joining them for a few weeks’ visit. Monday morning, we’ll pack up an overnight bag and head to their beautiful house, only minutes away.

So there it is, another of my recent dilemmas. This same thing happened to me last time we were here in 2018 and when we stayed in a hotel in Minneapolis during a six-week family visit in 2017. There were no such issues during those ten months in India. Thank goodness.

Last night our friend Alan came to visit, and we had an enjoyable evening. Tonight, we’re going to Jabula for dinner. Soon, we’ll visit Kruger National Park once we wrap up this situation and complete a few looming tasks.

Happy day. Be well.

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

“Buffaloes are believed to have domesticated around 5000 years ago in the Indus Valley and thrive best in the areas of moderate rainfall as they require plenty of water for their daily bath.   Indian buffaloes are considered to be an important source of milk today. They yield nearly three times milk like cows. Interestingly, 47.22 million milch buffaloes produce 55 percent of milk, which is more than half of the total milk produced in the country. Whereas, 57 million cows contribute only 45 percent of the total milk yield.” This is from the post one year ago, when we knew we had to end our 54-night private tour of India prematurely due to Covid-19. Please click here for more.