Last night’s surprise dinner guest!…Everyday brings something new!…

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As soon as piglets are born, they are lively and animated, running all over. The boys have facial warts. The girls do not.

Our friends Rita and Gerhard left Marloth Park at the end of September. We were sad to see them go but excited for them that they were heading to Bali to stay in the same house we rented in 2016, and we loved every moment. They, too, have loved it there, and we’ve been excited to hear of their adventures in that special house and distant area from the capital city of Denpasar, a five-hour harrowing drive.

Sadly, an awful storm recently devastated the beach and many homes in the area, but somehow “The Beach House” is intact. Gerhard and I wrote back and forth on Whatsapp, as they’ve treasured the exquisite location with the same passion we did so many years ago.

When Louise wrote a few days ago and asked me if we knew Gerhard was back in Marloth Park without Rita, we worried something was wrong.  No, he hadn’t contacted us. But, as it turned out, he had returned to sell the “bakkie” they bought here a few years ago, realizing they wouldn’t be returning here for about a year, and the expenses and upkeep of storing the vehicle in Johannesburg made no sense while they were away.

I was so excited to see the piglets that I didn’t hold the camera steady.

But why hadn’t Gerhard let us know he was coming, and eventually was here? He wanted to surprise us once again. But, when Louise told us he was here, I immediately contacted him to invite him for dinner, not realizing his arrival was meant to surprise us. The two of them love surprises!! They showed up at Flo and JJ’s annual New Year’s Eve Party, which we attended to surprise us, and a surprise it was. They are so funny how they love surprises!!!

Last night at 4:30 pm, 1630 hrs, Gerhard arrived at our house for dinner carrying a brown paper bag with Krispy Kreme donuts for Tom, as he always does! It was great to see him. Of course, we understood why Rita didn’t join him since it was easier for him to fly out on his own to set up the vehicle sale.

As of yesterday, all of the details for the vehicle’s resale have been accomplished, and in the next few days, Gerhard will fly back to Bali to the beautiful house and his dear Rita. We’ll see him again tonight at Giraffe for drinks at the bar and dinner before he heads back to Bali. Gerhard was an executive at an airline, and he travels economically more easily than most of us.

I didn’t want to get too close and scare off the piglets.

Last night, sitting outdoors on the veranda was one of the hottest nights we’ve experienced in a year, but it was great to hear Gerhard’s stories of their blissful time in Bali. They’d not only come to Marloth due to our site but also to that fabulous oceanfront holiday home with a huge infinity pool. We spent all our days in that pool overlooking the ocean, and Rita and Gerhard did the same.

While outdoors, we saw a mom and three newly born piglets for the first time this season. Louise, whose house is only a few doors from us, said they were born yesterday under her veranda. A few hours later, they were here. We couldn’t have been more thrilled, as shown in today’s photos.

Lucerne was delivered this morning, and it’s been unreal to see so many animals come by to partake in the fresh green hay bale. We had no less than 25 animals standing over the bale at one point, enjoying every bite. I kept getting up to take photos which we’ll share in tomorrow’s post.

Also, I keep jumping up to do the steps. I made it to 7500 yesterday and hope to make it to 8000 today. Today, I had a late start when I slept over nine hours last night. This increased activity level makes me sleep better, which is an excellent side benefit. Getting in so many steps inside the house and on the veranda is challenging, but I don’t care to walk on the uneven dirt roads nearby.

On another note, I don’t know how comfortable I’d feel walking on the roads by myself right now when lions have been seen during daylight hours. I’ll continue to walk at the house.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 26, 2021:

Sunset over the Zambezi River, the longest river in Africa. Notice the spray from Victoria Falls in the left rear of the photo. For more photos, please click here.

Storm of the century!…Well, kind of…What a night!…Thank goodness for rain…

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Mongooses were wondering when I’d cut up paloney for them. Upon seeing them at the door, I complied promptly. There ended up being about 40 of them by the time I was ready to toss it to them on the grass. Could they be any cuter?

With the dew point over 70 most of yesterday, it seemed likely to rain at some point. We made it through dinner but dined indoors at the dining room table, thinking it could start raining any minute. By the time we finished eating, the rain had begun. We immediately locked the veranda door.

While Tom did the dishes, as usual, I set up my laptop and the JBL speaker on the bed, wondering what we’d watch with the WiFi out the minute the winds kicked in. Without WiFi, we had nothing to watch except the 900 movies Gerhard had downloaded on the external hard drive he and Rita gave me last year on my birthday. What a great gift!

Big Daddies in the garden eating lucerne and pellets.

We’d seen many of the movies over the years, and without WiFi to look up the storyline, we’d choose movies based entirely on the title and the pictures on the front of the movie. It was hard to tell. But we decided to wing it and found two movies that managed to entertain us mildly. They weren’t great, but they were ok.

Each time we watch one of those 900 movies, we delete it from the hard drive. Otherwise, we’d have to remember which ones we’d already seen. Mostly the movies were from 2015 to 2017. When we’ve often streamed TV shows and movies, we’ve watched more TV series than movies. We prefer a series with numerous episodes to allow for binge-watching.

This is a blue waxbill, a tiny bird that loves to eat the seeds on the bushbaby stand.

As a result, we haven’t seen many movies over the years we’ve been traveling. We only watch something if we are home from evenings out by 8:00 or 9:00 pm, 2000 hrs. to 2100 hrs; Tom doesn’t care to watch anything later than that since I tend to fall asleep if I watch something after 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs.

The WiFi never came back on until this morning. The company serving our house and others in Marloth Park could not make the outdoor repairs when the storm raged for hours. A few times, the power went out, but we were still able to watch the movies when my computer was fully charged, and we had the inverter providing energy to our devices when plugged in at the outlet on my side of the bed.

It isn’t easy to describe the intensity of the night’s rain, lightning, thunder, and wind. On several occasions, we felt the lightning hit something in our garden outside the bedroom window. It may sound crazy, but we both smelled smoke. Tom went outside to check to make sure everything was ok. After all, we, like many residents in Marloth Park, are in houses with thatched roofs that can easily catch fire.

It’s a rarity for Big Daddies to jump over the little fence.

By no means were we panicky. As soon as we saw everything was fine, we went back to watching the movie. The storm continued until about midnight. Often, I wondered where the animals were hunkered down. Surely, they’ve all experienced such storms in the past and knew how to keep themselves safe and out of harm’s way.

With the sun back out this morning, it was hot and humid with the dew point at 72, considered “tropical,” which is very uncomfortable. But, the bush looks green with the dust washed off the leaves on the trees, and soon, from the rain, the bush will begin to green with fresh new vegetation for the wildlife. Lots more rain is needed to provide the lush green nourishment they so much need to thrive.

This is Aggie, our resident agama. He changes colors almost daily. Today, he showed us these orange spots on his body. I wish we could find things to feed him.

Of course, along with the rain comes the hatching of mosquitos. In a few weeks, we’ll begin to feel their wrath. I am already wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts to reduce my use of DEET and prevent getting too many bites. I have had three new bites in the past 24 hours, all under my clothes. I may have to use DEET before dressing for the day.

Norman, Nina, and Noah have spent the entire morning with us, hovering in and near the garden. It’s always such a joy to be with them. Also, bushbuck, Bad Leg, has been resting in the garden against the little fence. Every so often, I bring him some pellets, cold cabbage, and carrots since he’s not able to forage for himself with his injury. The birdbath has fresh, clean water so all of the animals can drink.

This is a millipede with zillions of legs. With red on her underside, I don’t believe this one is venomous.

Lollie lives outside the little fence, but she finds waterholes from which she drinks and takes mud baths almost daily. We watch her leave for a few hours, later to return a muddy mess which eases our minds that she has access to water. If and when a time comes when waterholes may dry up, if we don’t get sufficient rain, we’ll put out a shallow pan of water for her each day.

My headache is still gone, but the facial tenderness continues. I am icing it a few times each day, hoping it will resolve soon. I am still walking, regardless of the weather. Today, I will do 7500 steps toward my goal of 10,000 by the weekend.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 25, 2021:

Zebras were grazing on the grass at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia. For more photos, please click here.

Sorry we missed a day…Our hosting company was having issues…

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A newly named Bad Leg, a male bushbuck who’s been spending most of his days in our garden since he injured his leg a few weeks ago. It seems to be improving a little each day. We feed him extra food since he has trouble foraging with his injury.

Yesterday, our hosting company, Hostinger, was down for emergency maintenance. Where they are located, it was the middle of the night instead of during the day here. Such maintenance is often conducted during the night to have the least impact on operational sites.

Bad Leg feels so at ease and safe in our garden he doses off to sleep.

I contacted them immediately upon being unable to open the editing page to start yesterday’s post. Immediately, I panicked, thinking it was a problem on our end. Still, I relaxed after writing to them and receiving a prompt reply regarding their emergency repairs for the outage.

Baby zebra.

However, there was no way I could notify our readers that we wouldn’t be able to upload a new post until the problem was resolved. That occurred well into the night here, making it too late for me to work on the post.

Other bushbucks stop by and rest in the garden with him.

I decided to go ahead and write the text for the post on Word, which I could later copy and paste onto our editing site at WordPress, hoping this would be possible by the end of the day.  I imagined millions of sites were down besides ours. Mostly, those sites would be in our category,  not as big as shopping sites and major sites with many more hits than we receive in a day.

Surely, our readers will know that something is wrong, but often when such an event occurs, our readers are concerned we’ve suddenly stopped posting, or something awful happened to us. We hope you didn’t make that assumption. All is well here.

Kudus looking for food.

As a matter of fact, more than “all is well here.” We are doing quite well. The headache is gone, and two days ago, I started walking again for the first time since April 20 when we tested positive for Omicron. Over the past months, I’ve spent about three hours of the day resting in the bedroom. I was too unwell to feel like sitting up all day.

Besides resting for those three hours, I cooked meals, did laundry, took countless photos of wildlife, spent considerable time preparing the posts and editing photos, and conducted research for future travels.

My boy Norman, never fails to stop by several times a day.

But resting for that many hours a day left me weak and unfit. Regardless of how hard I tried to motivate myself, I just didn’t feel I could do steps when I was feeling poorly. Having a headache for six months was more debilitating than I imagined.

Now that I am done taking all the medications, I have begun to feel energized enough to start walking on Saturday. On my first day, I managed to do over 4000 steps. Yesterday, my goal was  5000 steps, and by 1:00 pm, I had it accomplished. By the end of the day, I’d done 5800 steps.  I will increase it by 1000 steps per day until I get to the point that feels right to me.

Lots of zebras have stopped by for lucerne.

It’s not only imperative for me to walk for my cardiovascular health but also to strengthen my legs after lying around for so long. Before we know it, we’ll be leaving for Seychelles. I have one month to get myself in better shape to go on walks and tours.

I am thrilled Hostinger is operational again, and I can upload today’s post without issue.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 24, 2021:

As soon as we were situated on the resort’s veranda, we were excited to see the spray from Victoria Falls at a distance. For more photos, please click here.

Adults only….Duikers…the smallest of the antelopes…Mating occurs throughout the year…

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Mating is not always successful.

We’ve observed mating behavior over two male duikers pursuing one female in the past few weeks. They run fast through the property, leaping through the air; it’s a delight to see. We know one of the males, Derek, but not the other, and of course, it’s adorable Delilah, who often hangs out with us for hours.

The past few days, we spotted her hiding in the garden to avoid being chased by the two males, including this morning over a few hours. When I was showering, Tom took these included photos of one of the males attempting to mate with her, which didn’t appear successful.

Amazingly, female duikers are ready to mate at a young age, as indicated below from the Kruger National Park website.

Duikers are very shy. We’re thrilled they feel safe enough around us to go about life’s usual activities.

Diet

What does Duiker eat?
Duiker browses a wide range of broad-leaved forbs, trees, and bushes; they eat fruit, pods and seeds, roots, bark, flowers, fungi, caterpillars and even nestling birds. In arid areas wild melons are eaten for their water content. They may be a problem in crops, orchards, vineyards and plantations.

Vital Statistics

Weight (Female)
17 – 25 kg
Weight (Male)
15 – 21 kg
Length (Female)
110 cm
Length (Male)
110 cm
Gestation Period
6 months
No of Young
1 lamb
Sexual Maturity
8 months
Birth Weight
175 g
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Bovidae
Horns
10 cm (record – 18 cm)

Breeding

The female will give birth to one young usually after a gestation period of around 6 months. Single lambs, very rarely twins, are born at any time of year, possibly with a peak in summer. Full grown at 7 months, females first mate as early as 8-9 months, and give birth at one year.

Mating system probably varies with locality and habitat from monogamous pairs to males with more than one female. Lambs are born at any time throughout the year. The female hides in very dense vegetation before giving birth.

Although the mother initially hides the young, they are well developed at birth and can run within twenty-four hours.

Behaviour

They are mainly active in late afternoon and into the night with other peak periods in the early morning hours. The males and females are territorial chasing away others only of the same sex Male and females tend to share territories but only come together for mating purposes They are probably the most successful bovid species in Africa.

The lifespan of a Duiker is 8-11 years. They are important prey for medium and large carnivores. They are solitary or a female with a lamb, they are rarely in male-female pairs. Scent-marks are produced by the preorbital glands and glands between the front hooves.

Where Duiker are Found

They do not occur in forests, although they will take refuge in forests when hiding from a predator. Widely distributed in Southern Africa, but absent from desert regions. The Common Duiker is usually seen at dawn and dusk in open scrub country. They avoid open grassland where there is no shelter. They are found throughout Africa south of the Sahara, except in the rain forests of Central Africa.

Predators

The Duiker avoids predators by lying quietly or freezing motionless and dashing away at the last moment if approached closely. Runs with a distinctive diving, zig-zag motion from which comes the name duiker, Afrikaans for diver. Uses its horns and sharp back hooves as defensive weapons.

The alarm call is a nasal snort, if caught bleats loudly, a sound that attracts other Duikers, and calls mothers to assist lambs. Lambs can run within a day of birth, but remain hidden in heavy cover, with the mother returning to suckle and clean them.

All the medium takes them to large predators but their main predators are Eagles, Leopard, Jackal and Python. Crocodile takes some.”

There’s lots of sniffing.

The only contradiction of duikers in Marloth Park is that we see them throughout  the day and evening. But, life for wildlife is different in Marloth Park than in Kruger National Park and we often see our two most visible duikers, Delilah and Derek all day and evening. It appears they live here since we see them so often. If we are to gaze into the garden and nearby parkland for about 10 minutes, we always spot them.

From time to time, they may run across the dirt road but return a short time later, running and jumping through the air. They are shyer than other antelopes, but since they are used to being around humans in the park, it’s not unusual for us to see them only a few meters from us, looking for pellets. They don’t seem to care for the lucerne but love pellets even more than carrots, apples, and cabbage.

We’ve never been able to be so close to duikers in other holiday rentals in the park as we have been here. The house we are currently renting is Louise and Danie’s old house, and they, like us, spent lots of time outdoors, inviting wildlife to stop by. Now, we’ve enjoyed the benefits of their passion for wildlife.

Tonight, we’ll return to Jabula. Last night, I stepped “outside the box” and ordered spicy peri-peri chicken livers instead of grilled chicken or hake. It was a nice change, and I may do the same again tonight. As always, it was great to be with Dawn, Leon, and friend Sinndee whose husband (and our friend) Bruce passed away about three weeks ago.

Above all, stay well.

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

Tom couldn’t stop smiling while eating the tiny hot buns at our table in the hotel restaurant in Zambia. He was in “bread heaven!” For more photos, please click here.

Enjoying cooler weather this week…Cloud cover…Rain coming soon…

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A forkl of kudus is looking for breakfast this morning. Of course, we served it to them.

It’s been a quiet time for us these past few weeks as I continue to work on my recovery. Our only plans for the rest of the week are dining out for three nights, once at Amazing Kruger View, with new readers who came to stay in Marloth Park after reading our posts. They are Elden and Pam from the US.

On Friday and Saturday, we will do sundowners and dinner at Jabula to be with Dawn and Leon, our dear friends. Leon is very ill (not contagious) and is still his kind and loving self. We are spending more time with them right now. More on this later.

Soon another batch of lucerne will be delivered. Several bushbucks hang around the garden as if waiting for the delivery. They will undoubtedly be the first animals to dig into the new batch before the larger wildlife stops to check it out. The wildebeests seem to consume the biggest portion of the lucerne, as well as the kudus.

Today, we’re awaiting the delivery of a package from the Asian grocer with spices and sauces for making stir-fry dishes we’ve been enjoying recently.  As mentioned, we often can’t find certain ingredients at the Spar Market, and we prefer not to drive for three hours to Nelspruit and back for grocery items. Many people in the park do that, but for us, it’s a big waste of time and petrol when shipping is free from most online sites if a purchaser spends a certain amount.

Could they be any cuter? We don’t think so!

According to a report from Eskom, the power will go out for six hours straight in a few minutes. Some repairs must be made here for all the properties on the Gate 2 side, which includes us. Soon, Tom will place the metal bowl filled with ice in the refrigerator to keep the contents cold for an extended period. It’s always something.

Soon, we must prepare some documents South Africa requires in November for all airline passengers departing and entering the country. More paperwork, but we no longer have to get PCR tests for departure and reentry. Also, yesterday, we received a message from Intrepid Travel on our upcoming cruise in Seychelles in November that a PCR test is no longer required to enter Seychelles or to board the ship. This is a relief. We’re weary of paying for PCR tests and the inconvenience of arranging the tests.

A few nights ago, we started watching a great show, “And Just Like That,” the spin-off from the 90’s show, “Sex and The City.” We both enjoyed the original series and are now enjoying the new one which apparently was so popular that a season 2 is being filmed now. I’d watched all of season 1 on a plane in the middle of the night when we flew back to the US in May. But I knew Tom would enjoy it and am happy to watch it again with him. The series can be found on Amazon Prime for a fee, but it is well worth it.

Also, we’re watching the latest and perhaps last season of Seal Team on Amazon Prime but without an extra fee. I enjoy this show more than Tom, but he watches it with me. As more and more shows in the US and other countries are introduced this time of year, there’s no shortage of entertaining series to watch. If you can suggest some shows with many episodes on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, please don’t hesitate to share them with us. We enjoy watching a few series before heading to sleep each evening when we stay in.

This is a male bushbuck whom we’ve now named Bag Leg. He hurt his front leg and is hobbling. He parked himself in this spot this morning, and we brought food to him so he could eat in this position. We will continue to feed him regularly to ensure he gets ample nutrition while he heals.

Luckily, I prepared everything for tonight’s dinner this morning while the power was still on. We’ll be dining out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, making my life easier. We still have plenty of meat in the freezer to get us through next week, but we will probably head to Komati for vegetables and a few odds and ends for meals beginning on Sunday.

That’s it for today, folks. Sorry, we don’t have much excitement, but we’re maintaining a low profile while I am still on the drugs for the next several days. In a little over a month, some excitement will begin again when we head to Seychelles on November 24.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 19, 2021:

Yesterday, four wildebeests stopped by (without Broken Horn, who is a loner), and after a long while, we finally saw Crooked Face and Hal, along with two friends, Bart and Ben. For more photos, please click here.

Day 3… Antibiotics and Prednisone…No side effects except lack of sleep…Many readers responded with long-haul Covid-19 symptoms…

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She was most aggressive in eating the lucerne. She may be pregnant.

It wasn’t surprising to hear from many readers with long-haul Covid-19 symptoms. Some had been infected with the original Delta strain, which was most horrific before vaccines were available, and others from Omicron and other strains. The symptoms that most were suffering from varied, from brain fog to memory loss, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, breathing issues, heart problems, neurologic problems, newly diagnosed diabetes, and an endless array of peculiar symptoms.

I suppose my forehead headache and facial pain might seem as if they fit into the peculiar symptoms category. Still, after some research, I discovered my condition was not that peculiar. Whether a patient had a severe case of Covid-19 or its strains or anywhere in between, reputable medical sites state that just about any symptom resulting during and after infection may possibly be considered long-haul.

A forkl of kudus eating the lucerne. Everyone was in on the action.

Here are a few links to a few highly reputable sites with information you may find helpful if you’ve been wondering if your current state of health may be attributed to your past infection. Even mild infections may result in long-haul symptoms.

  • John Hopkins:  https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-long-haulers-long-term-effects-of-covid19
  • Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351
  • Yale Medicine: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-symptoms-wont-go-away

    Mostly, they grab big mouthfuls fearing it will soon be gone. And it was!

Most importantly, one must be proactive in seeking care from medical professionals and conducting research on your own, which, for me, made me realize my symptoms were not that unusual after all. But, as an avid researcher of all types of information, I tend to avoid health articles published by the news media when they are seeking more readers and sensationalizing snippets of information. Those articles can easily cause stress and anxiety when seeking more reader susing their fear tactics.

Long-haul Covid-19 is now a medical specialty. It’s wise to allow your doctor to direct you to such resources if they feel it is beneficial for you. But, not surprisingly, many primary care physicians are becoming knowledgeable in handling less aggressive cases, such as mine.

Even the young ones love the lucerne.

Many of our readers are working with cardiologists, neurologists, pulmonary specialists, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists, and others since many symptoms seem to cause anxiety and depression, which also can be a part of long-haul symptoms. I suffer from neither.

I have been fortunate to be able to function since I had these symptoms. However, I suffered for the past six weeks from taking the medication for neurological pain, exhaustion, and extreme daytime sleepiness. I have been off that drug since my final dose last Thursday night and no longer feel sleepy during the day.

Mongooses cuddling in the garden is typical behavior for them as they wait for me to cut up their paloney.

I have the opposite problem with Prednisone, but as mentioned in yesterday’s post, I have the opposite problem. Oral corticosteroid medication typically causes insomnia during administration. But, this side effect usually dissipates a few days after stopping the drug. I am on day three, with seven more days to complete the prescription.

Thank you to our many readers who wrote to share their stories. The most severe case I received was from a dear past client who reads our posts, who has been to hell and back in the past year with horrible symptoms and what may be lifelong conditions, difficult to treat. We send our love and prayers to Lisa and all of our readers suffering from long-haul Covid to find relief in days to come.

Since they are carnivores, they don’t eat the lucerne, but they like to burrow near it.

We are sticking close to home as I go through this treatment regime. Although I don’t feel many side effects from the new medications, I don’t feel like venturing out much right now since I have doses to take at various times of the day while I continue to try to rest as much as possible, which everyone who wrote stated that rest has been helpful for them.

After eating their paloney, they often wait around for a while, hoping for more.

Everything for tonight’s dinner is already prepared, only needing to be heated later on top of the stove. Today, I will tackle the easy job of making Tom’s keto blueberry scones which he’s been enjoying lately, and occasionally cutting carrots and fresh pears for Norman’s daily lunch. He stands in the garden staring at me, asking, “Where’s my lunch?” I can’t jump up quickly enough to get it for him. I love the joys of the bush!!!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 17, 2021:

A year ago, we wrote about local artist Dawie Fourie. His paintings are so exquisite. They appear to be photographs taken by a professional photographer. For inquiries about Dawie’s artwork, please email him: at dawiefouriearts@gmail.com. For more photos, please click here.

Update on post Omicron symptoms…Not an easy solution for six-months of long-haul symptoms…

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On an early morning visit, Norman is waiting for us to get up.

As promised in the last few posts, and after several readers wrote asking for an update, I am sharing where I’m at with these awful post-Omicron symptoms plaguing me since we were both infected aboard a cruise in April. When Tom got Omicron on the cruise ship, a few weeks later, after struggling with the virus, he developed Covid pneumonia.

While in the US two weeks after we tested positive and finally tested negative, we were both pretty sick. We went to Urgent Care for Tom, who had been prescribed six medications for what the doctor described as Covid pneumonia, causing his lungs to look like a “honeycomb.”

Earl, walking off from the lucerne pile a few mornings ago.

During the three weeks that we were in the US in Minnesota and Nevada, we couldn’t spend any time with our kids, grandkids, and other family members since, although testing negative, we were both still sick. Days passed while Tom lay in bed in the hotel room in Minnesota without knowing what day it was…he was so ill.

I was very sick too, but nowhere near as bad as he was, so I could handle his inhalation therapy and meds every two hours. It was quite a challenging time. During that period, my worst symptom was a constant dull headache above my left eye on my forehead, a pain in my left cheek, and a peculiar rash all over my body, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

I bought several creams at the local pharmacy to stop the awful itching that kept me awake most of the night. I knew it was from Omicron and figured all these symptoms would dissipate in time. After not seeing our family since we were both coughing so much, we headed back to Marloth Park, arriving on May 24, Tom had begun to feel better, but I was still suffering from the rash, the facial pain, and the headache.

Zebras were enjoying lucerne in our garden.

When Doc Theo wasn’t in his office on the weekend, I’d had enough and needed prescription medication. So, we went to the medical clinic in Marloth Park on a Saturday. They said I had eczema and a sinus infection that caused my Omicron and gave me a five-day course of antibiotics and a cortisone cream to use on the awful itchy patches all over my arms, legs, and back. I was grateful it wasn’t on my face.

I used all the medication as prescribed and finished the antibiotics just before we had to leave to go on a visa run to Zambia and Botswana. I still had the same symptoms during the entire week we were away; nothing had improved. We returned to Marloth Park, and the following Monday, I scheduled an appointment with Doc Theo.

In describing my symptoms, facial pain and headache only on my forehead, and when the antibiotics hadn’t worked, he dismissed the idea of a sinus infection. He considered I might have trigeminal neuralgia, brought on by Covid, a symptom seen in some “long-haul” patients.

Big Daddy was stopping by to see what was on the menu.

He prescribed Amitriptyline in a low dose, often used in high doses for seizure disorders and depression. But a low amount was effective for trigeminal neuralgia. I was hopeful, starting at only 5 mg and ending at 35 mg (still a low dose). At 35 mg, the headache improved, but the facial pain remained. However, the common side effect of this drug is daytime sleepiness, although I only took it two hours before bed.

For six weeks, I felt so drugged (it’s not a narcotic) I had trouble moving around during the day and was only comfortable lying in bed. We still socialized to fight off the symptoms, went to Jabula, and attended various events. During this time, friends Jeff, Connie, and Lindsey came to stay with us, and Jeff passed away in bed during the night on September 21st.

I don’t know how I got through all of that. I could barely keep my head up. But I did and made every effort to appear to be feeling normal. It took everything I had to cook a meal. For the last several days, Connie and Lindsey were here. We ate out four nights in a row which was good for all of us.

Kudus eating lucerne in the morning.

I’d hoped the sleepiness would fade over time, but when it didn’t, and the symptoms began to return, I made an appointment with Doc Theo this past Friday to assess my symptoms and come up with our next plan. He suggested we go to Nelspruit to Mediclinic for a brain scan, but I wasn’t ready to do that yet.

We both decided to start over with a new diagnosis. Long-haul Covid-19 symptoms are insidious. They aren’t easy to detect with typical scans and tests. We returned to the theory that I had severe sinusitis, which could easily account for the symptoms. In my head and face, since both pain locations are directly where two sinuses on the left side of my face only are located. However, when I told him the names of the antibiotics I got from the clinic on the weekend, he explained those drugs are resistant to treating sinusitis of this magnitude.

We headed to the pharmacy after the appointment with Theo and filled the four prescriptions: Prednisone. Levofloxacin, a steroid nasal spray, and a decongestant. Today, it’s been two days since my first dose of the medications. The headache is almost completely gone, but the facial pain remains. The itchy spots are improving from the Prednisone, which I will take for ten days, reducing to a lower dose in five days.

Tom cleaned up a messy result from a baboon invasion this morning.

We’ll see how it goes. Usually, antibiotics don’t fully work until the third day. The cortisone keeps me awake at night, but I am not concerned about that right now. The last dose I took of Amitriptyline was Thursday night, and it’s now out of my system. I no longer feel sleepy, forgetful, and trip over my feet, which is a huge relief.

I’ve even felt motivated to do a little cooking and some tasks around the house. If the pain isn’t gone by Thursday, I have to call Doc Theo to plan our next step. We’ll see how it goes.

No doubt, I am a bit fearful I won’t get better, and then what? I dread going back to Mediclinic, which I haven’t been back to since my four surgeries related to open-heart surgery and follow-up appointments which ended 3½ years ago.

There’s the story, folks. If you have suffered from long-haul Covid-19 symptoms, we’d like to hear from you. Right now, the only person I know who has long-haul symptoms is my younger sister Julie. It appears that long-haul is hereditary.

Be well.

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

There was Little hanging around in the garden at 5:45 am. We weren’t up yet, Little! For more photos, please click here.

You can’t always get what you want…

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Two horn-bills were enjoying the birdseed in the trolley.

Yesterday while shopping at Spar Market in Komatipoort, I thought of the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones in this video here.

Lately, we’ve been enjoying various Asian stir-fry dishes, using chicken or steak for both of us and occasionally a separate batch for me, using prawns. The Asian seasonings are crucial to making these stir-fries delicious and authentic. A few months ago, Spar sold all the sauces and spices I needed to make these delightful dishes.

But when I ran out, I couldn’t find them again. I must have been the only person buying those products; they didn’t replace the inventory once they were gone. I looked and asked each week. But, TIA, “This is Africa,” and things aren’t the same here as they are in the US, and often products are available, and then they are never to be seen again.

Also, when we shopped, there was no celery. I asked the produce guy if they had some in the back room. There was a language barrier (my problem, not his), and I had a hard time explaining what celery was. Instead, I pointed to the place on the produce shelf where the celery usually sits. Then, he understood. He explained that it might be back in stock tomorrow and to come back and see.

Lollie is the sweetest warthog we have ever known.

Hmm…I don’t want to drive for an hour round trip to “it might be in tomorrow, but maybe not.” I maintained a friendly smile, thanking him for his assistance. This is the way it is.

So, today, I thought, of the 2.5% of citizens of South Africa of Asian descent, that there surely must be an online Asian market. There was! I was thrilled to find A-Mart on this site.

This morning, I purchased enough spices and sauces to avoid a shipping fee and will have the products within a week. After that bit of research, I made a new recipe for Keto coconut bread. It was the first time I’d made the recipe, and it came out perfectly. This way, I can toast it each day and top it with avocado and Himalayan salt for a fantastic start to the day.

Lollie and Busybody, who is lying on the pile of lucerne, chasing off any other animals that stop by. Lollie is such a sweetheart; she doesn’t mind sharing, especially not one of her two boyfriends, Busybody and Rueben.

I’ll toast one piece of the bread and top it with one of the little avocados I buy at Spar, ripening them on the counter in a glass bowl and, once ripe, storing them in a sealed plastic bag in the produce drawer in the refrigerator. They keep for a few weeks this way.

Last evening, as usual, we headed to Jabula for sundowners and dinner. Lately, we’ve decided to go to Jabula on Fridays and Saturdays, as it’s become too hot to cook as we roll into summer. More of our friends are arriving soon, and some weekend nights may include social gatherings. We’ll leave our options open for other events.

While at the Spar Market Centre, we headed to the pet shop to see if we could find some food for our boy Aggie, the colorful agama lizard that lives in our garden. They didn’t have worms, crickets, or any food Aggie would like to eat. Pickings are slim for him now, with the soil hard as a rock. I may start collecting some dead bugs and saving them for him to place in the “V” in his tree.

Broken Horn stopped by for some lucerne and pellets.

Of course, before all this shopping, Tom had his dentist appointment to get his teeth cleaned, and I had an appointment with Doc Theo. I want one more day to pass on new meds to share what we discovered and my all-new treatment. I am very hopeful. I am also very excited to be off that awful medication that made me sleepy all day.

I got up this morning feeling energized, prompting me to make the Keto bread and a big batch of Keto taco seasonings (packaged taco spices containing wheat and chemical preservatives). Tomorrow, we’ll make taco salad, chopping onions, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes, and cook the lean mince we purchased yesterday. Usually, I cut up celery for the salads since we both like the crunch. But not this time.

We’ll be back tomorrow with my new medical protocol and how once and for all, I am hoping to be rid of the lingering symptoms since having Omicron in April.

Be well.

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

Above is the photo we took this morning of Bad Eye. Her eyelid has improved tremendously without medical intervention. To see her immediately after the injury occurred, please click here. For more photos, please click here.

Our resident starling is named…Off to Komatipoort; Doc Theo, dentist, grocery shopping and…the pet shop!…What???

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Vega, our latest named resident creature in our garden.

We have a bright blue iridescent starling that lives in our garden. Whenever another bird stops by, he goes after it to chase it away, except for other starlings, which are allowed to eat the seeds from the trolley between two trees and the bushbaby stand.

“Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name “Sturnidae” comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage.”

He’s most appealing when the bright sun is on him. But, in this heat, he tends to alight in the shade.

“The Cape starling, red-shouldered glossy starling or Cape glossy starling (Lamprotornis nitens) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Southern Africa, where it lives in woodlands, bushveld and in suburbs.”

Starlings are commonly seen birds, especially when they can scavenge for food. We often see them at the Mugg & Bean in Lower Sabie, walking on the dining tables, eating crumbs left by diners. Some are so brazen, they will alight while the diners are eating. Their diet consists of the following:

There are several other species of starlings, but we rarely see them or are able to determine which birds are the other species. No, we’re not birders, nor do we wish to become birders, although we enjoy seeing and taking photos of birds, especially those that are colorful and less commonly seen.

We named him Vega, which is listed as #5 in the top ten brightest stars in the night sky, as shown below from this site:

“The Top 10 Brightest Stars At Night

1. Sirius A (Alpha Canis Majoris)

Our number one star on the list. As mentioned, this star is part of the constellation Canis Major with an apparent magnitude of -1.5 and is 8.6 light-years away from Earth. You can spot this star from anywhere on our planet.

2. Canopus (Alpha Carinae)

This star is named after the mythological character Canopus who was a navigator for Menelaus, king of Sparta. It’s part of the constellation Carina and located at a magnitude of -0.72, 309. It is 310 light-years away from our Sun and can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.

3. Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri)

At only 4.36 light-years from Earth, this star is part of the closest star system to our Solar System and consists of three stars with Rigil Kentaurus being the brightest. It is part of the constellation Centaurus with an apparent magnitude of -0.29. It is best spotted from the Southern Hemisphere.

4. Arcturus (Alpha Bootis)

The brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. This star is part of the constellation Bootes with an apparent magnitude of -0.04 and is about 37 light-years away from Earth. Its name originates from Greek and means ”Bear Watcher” or ”Guardian of the Bear” due it’s proximity to the Ursa Major (Big Bear). Fun fact, this star is actually a red giant.

5. Vega (Alpha Lyrae)

The name Vega comes from Arabic and literally means falling vulture. This is the most luminous star in the Lyra constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.03, and it is relatively close, only 25.5 light-years away from Earth. Vega is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

6. Capella (Alpha Aurigae)

Cappella or the Goat Star is the shiniest star in the Auriga constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.08, 42 light-years away from Earth. This star is also best spotted from the Northern Hemisphere.

7. Rigel (Beta Orionis)

The brightest star in the constellation Orion, Rigel (from Arabic – ‘the left leg of the giant’) has an apparent magnitude of +0.18 and although it is 860 light-years away from Earth, it shines so bright because it’s a Blue giant star. It can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

8. Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris)

Procyon, just like Sirius, is also part of a binary star system with its twin being a dwarf. It is located in the Canis Minor constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.34 and at a distance of 11.46 light-years away from Earth. This star is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

9. Achernar (Alpha Eridani)

Its name Achernar is derived from Arabic and means ”The End of the River”. This shiny celestial being is located in the Eridanus constellation with an apparent magnitude of +0.445 at a distance of 114 light-years away from Earth. You can spot it from the Southern Hemisphere.

10. Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis)

And lastly, we have Betelgeuse which is the second most luminous star in the constellation Orion with an apparent magnitude of +0.42 and at a distance of 640 light-years away from Earth. The name Betelgeuse also derives from Arabic and means either ”the armpit of Orion” or ”the hand of Orion”. This star is visible from the Northern Hemisphere.”

Although #5’s description for Vega specifies a vulture, the starling is not in the vulture species. But, their behavior around food may cause one to consider them as somewhat of a vulture with their scavenging nature. They consume the following:

“Starlings mostly consume insects when available, especially beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and caterpillars, also spiders, snails, earthworms, and other invertebrates. Especially in fall and winter, eats a wide variety of berries, fruits, and seeds.”

How do we know Vega is a male? See this information below:

“The female starling looks less glossy and oily than its male counterpart but a key difference to tell the sexes apart is by the colour of their bills; blue for the males and pink for the females.”

Vega is a male, as shown in today’s photos.

Researching information about wildlife that stops in the garden is great fun. We hope our readers find these stories interesting as well.

Will Vega learn his name? I don’t know, but he just might as often as he’s here, and I say it to him. Frank, a francolin bird, learned his name at the last house. We shall see.

It’s about time for us to take off for Koomatipoort for today’s appointments and shopping. We’re heading to the pet shop to buy worms or crickets for Aggie, our colorful agama. We’ll be back tomorrow with Doc Theo’s assessment of my headache and facial pain. See you then!

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

Geese in flight on the Crocodile River as seen from Amazing Kruger View restaurant. For more photos, please click here.

Those darned monkeys!!!…

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This is one of three beautiful blood lilies blooming in the garden. Now, we are only two since this monkey plucked one to eat. These flowers are toxic and are not fit for human or animal consumption.

It’s been entertaining watching the various animals stop by to eat the lucerne. With the hot weather, it’s surprising they come by at all. Today will be 100F, and 38C with high humidity makes the heat challenging to bear.  Right now, at noon, it’s 97F, 36C, rising by the minute. It’s not even summer yet. This is only going to get hotter over the next few months.

We avoid using aircon during the day to acclimate ourselves to being outdoors on hot days. Surprisingly, one does become accustomed to it to a point. But once it’s over 100F, 38C, it’s much more noticeable. Last night when we had sundowners on the veranda, it was 101F, 38.33C. As more and more animals ventured into the garden, we both forgot how hot it was and enjoyed ourselves.

With oldies music (and some more current hits) playing on our fantastic JBL speaker, which we keep inside the house to minimize the decibels, it’s our favorite time of day. We’re done with research, posts are done and being read by our readers, dinner is fully prepped and ready for finishing touches, the table is set, and we’ve selected what shows we’ll stream when we hunker down.

Two pesky monkeys sniffed, realizing it wasn’t meant to be eaten, and left it on the ground. Other animals have stopped to sniff it, but thank goodness none are eating it. People have stopped to take photos of these pretty flowers.

The insects are intolerable this time of year, making it challenging to stay outdoors after dark with any lights on. Neither of us cares to be outdoors in total darkness. A few outdoor lights allow us to see animals arriving but not to the extent during the daylight hours. Nor is it a good time to take photos. We leave that for our trail cam, which kicks on as darkness falls.

Most afternoons, especially when it’s hot, Tom comes into the bedroom for a short nap. I don’t nap, but usually, I stay in the bedroom with him since the fan is on, and it’s a nice break from the mid-day heat. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we’re all set up for the evening hours we’ll spend on the veranda.

Tom sprays the bedroom with Doom to kill any flies, mosquitoes, bees, or flying insects that may have gotten inside. We always keep the bedroom door shut, but it only takes a second for insects to enter when the only bathroom on the main floor is the “en suite” in our bedroom. With all the liquid we drink during the day, we may likely open the bedroom door ten times a day, with plenty of time for annoying and biting insects to enter the bedroom.

The Vervet monkey gave up on it and dropped it to the ground.

I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of DEET I put on my skin each day by wearing socks, long pants, and shirts with sleeves. When applying DEET, it’s not necessary to use it on skin that’s covered by clothing. But it’s a catch-22, more clothes, hotter in scorching weather; fewer clothes are likely to cause me to be bit unless massive amounts of repellent are used.

Recently I bought some “natural” repellent that was supposed to be chemical-free, but after using it for a week, I noticed I was itching, but it wasn’t from bites. It was the paraben they use in the product as a preservative which I am allergic to. Good grief. Back to DEET, which doesn’t seem to bother me.

Today, I am wearing lightweight leggings, short socks with shoes with my ankles covered, and a 3/4 sleeve cotton button-up shirt. The only areas on which I must use DEET are my hands and arms, up to the elbow and neck, which the biting insects love to bite. My clothes aren’t making me uncomfortable, but having dozens of bites would ruin my day and night.

Busybody is standing on his back legs, trying to eat pellets off the railing we’d left for Norman. Notice Spikey, the young male bushbuck, lying down in the shade on top of the pile of lucerne.

Soon, Tom will drive to Daisy’s Den to order more lucerne for the animals. We’ve decided to keep buying it until the rains come and the animals have a ready supply of nutrients in the bush. When we have lucerne, we use fewer pellets, and the cost between the two is similar.

That’s our update for today, folks. Have a fantastic day!

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

That morning, while Tom was seated at the table on the veranda, an animal purposely tipped over the birdbath. The culprit was The Imposter, but we weren’t mad at him. For more photos, please click here.