A long night’s rest at last…Senior’s becoming addicted to prescriptions medications…Piglets paradise…

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We couldn’t stop laughing while making this video of four baby warthogs and their playful antics. Please watch for a chuckle.
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“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
The piglets even tried to steal pellets from the kudus. Gosh, they learn quickly.

Yesterday, my first day on six tablets of Prednisone cortisone (with upcoming tapering doses) for my outrageous case of no less than 100 hot, inflamed itching pepper tick bites, we decided to lay low to see how I felt rather than go out anywhere.
Mom proudly showed up in our garden with her four new piglets. It was hysterical to watch their playful antics when they’d yet to learn many of the ways of being a warthog.

It took about five hours after taking the tablets to begin to feel some relief, and I was ecstatic to finally feel the itching subside after an entire month of itching, as I’ve never known.

I was exhausted from weeks of no sleep and several times tried to take a nap. As commonly known, taking large doses of Prednisone makes it difficult to sleep, another problem I didn’t want to tackle. How could I go 12 more days, the course of the medication, without any sleep?
Surely, over time Mom will teach them the ways of being a good warthog, how to protect themselves, how to forage for food, and how to be charming for the residents of Marloth Park to elicit pellets.

Luckily, Dr. Theo is well aware of this difficult side effect of the medication and prescribed sleeping pills to go along with it. I’ve never taken prescription sleeping pills, although from time to time, I’ve taken a Tylenol (Paracetamol) PM tablet in the middle of the night when sleep becomes elusive.  

The effect of these over-the-counter sleep aids only lasts for a few hours, but a few hours of sleep can make a huge difference in how one feels the following day. Never a good sleeper since a child, I’d resigned myself to this reality and try to worry or think about it much, which only adds to the difficulty.
They were always looking around for something they could play with.

When I looked up the name of the drug Dr. Theo prescribed for sleep, enough for 15 nights, I realized it is the South African version of Ambien, which I’d never taken. I heard nightmarish stories about this drug which may cause dangerous and most unusual behaviors in some patients.

I deliberated over taking it at 2200 hrs (10:00 pm), and I didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. I decided to bite the bullet and take the 10 mg tablet. I’d read online that one should put down their phone, book, or whatever they’re doing and focus on going to sleep. If one’s brain is engaged, the tablet may not work.
At only weeks old, they’ve already learned to eat pellets and other tasty morsels they discover on their knees.

I played with my phone for 10 minutes and then placed it on the nightstand and lay quickly under the comfy covers in the air-conditioned bedroom, and surely by 10:30, I was sound asleep, never hearing Tom come to bed.  

I don’t recall a single dream. I know I awoke once but was too groggy to check the time and went straight back to sleep, not awakening until around 7:00 am.  I felt groggy and stumbled around for a while, but I felt great after a shower and getting dressed.
A considerable amount of time is spent pestering their mom.

It’s no wonder so many people use this drug with many cases of abuse, resulting in many becoming addicted. That won’t be me. I doubt I’ll even take them every night during this course of Prednisone. It would be nice to save them for a real emergency.  

As a matter of fact, in perusing through our inventory of preventive meds in our pill bag, I found an entire bottle of Ambien neither of us had ever taken, we’d requested years ago when we began our travels, a just in case thing for overnight flights. We never tried the first pill.
She was very easy-going and loving with each of them, even when they ate pellets intended for her.

As we read news from all over the world, we’ve discovered that prescription drug addiction is rampant in the US and other countries throughout the world, among senior citizens and the younger population.  

We can only imagine how difficult it would be for an individual to support and supply such an addiction while traveling the world. There is often a misconception about how easy it is to buy narcotic-type drugs in foreign countries. Still, surely it isn’t when we read nightmarish stories of tourists being arrested for drug possession.

They are too cute for words.

Most travelers can bring in enough medication to last during their stay in any country as long as the medication is accompanied by a recent valid doctor’s prescription from their home country.  

Sure, here in South Africa, we’ve been able to purchase a small supply of non-narcotic meds (such as for hypertension and thyroid) without a new prescription as long as the home country’s doctor’s prescription is shown, usually no more than a 28 day supply.  
Mom was constantly aware of possible predators, of which there are few in Marloth Park.  If they were in Kruger, it would be an entirely different story.

Beyond that, one must obtain a local doctor’s prescription, which requires an office visit, usually not covered by insurance. Our appointment with Dr. Theo on Thursday was ZAR 565 (US $40.77) a paltry amount compared to an office visit in the US and many other countries.

In any case, yesterday proved to be spectacular. The weekend holidaymakers had yet to arrive, and our garden was jam-packed with visitors, day and night.

They’d run around like crazy on their own and then suddenly return to mom for some attention.

Amid all the wonders, one of the highlights of the day (we’ll share another highlight tomorrow) was the visit of Mom warthog and her four new piglets, who most likely were only a few weeks old based on their size and demeanor. We couldn’t have been more excited about watching their playful antics.

Please take a moment (it’s short) to watch our above video. Seeing this, you’ll surely understand how fun it was for us during their hour-long visit. We couldn’t toss the pellets quickly enough.  

Mr. Bushbuck hid in the bush away from the annoying little creatures.

Their little mouths were almost still too small for the pellets, but even at this young age, they knew to use the warthog’s method of eating, kneeling on their knees. It was too cute for words.

Tonight we’re picking up Rita and Gerhard at the Hornbill house and heading out to Aamazing River View for sundowners and river watching. Kathy and Don will meet us there, and after the sunset, we’ll all head to Jabula for dinner, exactly our kind of evening.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow. Please check back and have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 24, 2017:

On Thanksgiving Day aboard the ship, Tom watched the Minnesota Vikings game before we had to leave for the muster drill.  For more photos, please click here.

Just couldn’t take the itching anymore…Off to see the doc…

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A kudu drinking out of the birdbath in the garden.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Bushy-tailed bushbabies are huge compared to bushbabies in our garden. We took this photo at Jabula a few weeks ago.

After over a month of itching unbearably especially during the night and rarely getting enough sleep, I was becoming frustrated with these awful pepper tick bites, mostly on my arms and neck where my skin was exposed when we wandered through the bush toward the river. 

In every case, I had on tons of repellent but apparently, it doesn’t work for ticks. There are much harsher and toxic chemicals required to keep ticks at bay, including the tiny pepper ticks. They’re called pepper ticks since they are as tiny as a single fleck of finely ground pepper, not visible to the human eye.

Each time we see flowers and plants we now wonder if they are invasive alien plants that are awful for the local ecosystem and wildlife.

Yesterday, when we returned to the eye doctor for Tom to select his new glasses (first replacement lenses in over six years) and for me to pick up my new contact lenses, we first decided to stop at the local pharmacy to see if the pharmacist had any suggestions for the itching.

I’d already tried several creams to no avail and even took sleep-inducing Benedryl during the day, after trying two other antihistamines, in a desperate attempt at some relief for a few hours. Nothing, I mean nothing gave me any relief for more than an hour at most.

It appears pretty but does it belong here?

On a few occasions, I was hopeful the creams would help but they were so greasy and messy I was unable to wear repellent on top of them. I didn’t want to take the risk of getting more bites from mosquitos which have begun increasingly populating the bush with the recent rains and warmer weather.

A few days this week I hid away in the bedroom, wearing my long-john type pajamas with the air-con on, in an attempt to avoid the necessity of wearing any repellent. I still got a few more bites only adding to my discomfort.  

We call this pair of wildebeest, Dad & Son.  They aren’t frequent visitors like Wildebeest Willie but always welcome as are the zebras and warthogs.

Also, I didn’t want to have to spend our last three precious months in Marloth Park hiding in the bedroom. I needed some relief and a long-term solution. At the pharmacy when I showed the pharmacist my arms, she said I must go to the doctor immediately.

She explained I was at risk for tick-bite fever, a dreadful condition, and it appeared many of the bites were inflamed and on the verge of becoming infected. That freaked me out enough to send us to the doctor’s office down the road to ask for their next available appointment. As it turned out, she was right.

Lion lying under a tree, as seen from the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

Dr. Theo scolded me a little for suffering for a month. Why hadn’t I come in sooner? I wish I knew the answer. Perhaps I was trying to “tough it out” and no be a whiney tourist running to the doctor with every little complaint. Hadn’t our six years of world travel toughened me up a bit?

In many ways, it has toughened me up but practicality must supersede pride and at 1630 hrs (4:30 pm) we returned to Komatipoort for the appointment with Dr. Theo.

Two male lions checking for possible dinner subjects.

In the interim, we’d planned dinner at Ngwenya with Rita and Gerhard which we had to cancel when we had no idea how long the appointment would take, and the trip to the pharmacy to collect my three prescriptions. Besides, I wasn’t feeling much like going out.

We haven’t seen them since they returned from Germany a few days ago and were disappointed to have to cancel. But, we have plans for dinner reservations at Jabula tomorrow night with Kathy and Don as well for the six of us. They’ve never met. It’s quite wonderful to introduce old friends to new friends.

Two Big Daddies, horns entangled in a little scuffle over pellets.

This morning, after eating as required, I started the big dose of Prednisone to be tapered over a period of 12 days. Hopefully, this will begin to reduce the severe itching which is by far the worst itching I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’m feeling confident this will work.

Since Prednisone can cause insomnia (yikes) the doctor suggested I take it in the morning. This morning, I took six pills as prescribed. If lucky I may experience improvement by tonight since I’m literally exhausted from lack of sleep for over a month due to the worsening of the itching at night.

No harm was done…back to being friendly.

Today is a low-key day. It’s cloudy and cooler and we’ve had tons of amazing visitors we’ll be sharing in tomorrow’s post.

We hope all of our USA friends and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. Be well. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, November 23, 2017:

We stopped to take this photo on the way to the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica.  This is a Northern Crested Caracara: “The northern crested caracara, also called the northern caracara and crested caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae.”  For more, please click here.

Rental car “safari luck!”…What????…How we’ve changed…Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends in the USA!!!

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This Ford Fiesta is quite a step up from the previous little car.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Tucker’s left ear was severely injured a few months ago, but it has continued to heal, although he can no longer “perk it up.” Here he is at night, lying down at the edge of the veranda, relaxing after eating quite a few pellets. He’s a gentle little soul for having such giant tusks.

Yesterday’s drive to Nelspruit was relatively uneventful. The traffic was light.  Passing slow-moving trucks was easier than usual. And, the time seemed to fly by.

The interior of the car is nicer than any rental car we’d had since arriving in Africa.

Neither one of us enjoys long car trips, which may seem to contradict our love of travel. It’s just the method of travel that we don’t love, sitting in a car for hours while maneuvering our way in and out of traffic. 

The 75-minute drive (each way) to Nelspruit shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Still, somehow we’ve dreaded it each time we’ve had to go to the airport to pick up a new rental car or to fly somewhere from the Nelspruit Mpumalanga Kruger airport, or to the immigration office in the city, all which we’ve done quite a few times over these past many months.

It’s handy to have drink holders for our mugs.

Part of the reason the drive is less than enjoyable has been the noisy little rental cars we’ve had for six of the past nine months in South Africa. We received a free upgrade several months ago for a much better car making road trips more desirable.

 Two important aspects of dealing with rental cars in South Africa is one; to always return the car spotlessly clean (interior and exterior) or charges for cleaning will be incurred and two; the gas tank must be refilled to complete at a nearby (to the airport) petrol station or anything less than full will be charged.  

They were huddling together in a small patch of water on the river.

Usually, there’s been a bit of leeway in filling the tank on a rental car, allowing a slight shortage from driving to the rental car return location. This is not the case in South Africa from what we’ve experienced thus far after renting four cars (three months each) in the past nine months (including yesterday’s new rental).

Once at the Hertz desk inside the airport terminal, after the car was inspected for fuel, cleanliness, and possible damages (no issues), Tom and the rep returned to the desk where the old and the new paperwork was processed.

Lots of moms and babies.

As the new paperwork was being prepared nonchalantly, I asked, “What type of car do we get this time?”  The rep replied, “Same as this last one.” I cringed.  
 The little car was rickety, noisy, and had tires the size of a toy car, not ideal for these rough dirt roads in Marloth Park.  But, our goal has been not to pay a lot for rental cars. We’d rather spend our money on nice houses, good food and dining out at our leisure.

Elephants of all ages hanging out at the river.

The cost for the three-month rental periods over the past nine months has averaged at ZAR 13930 (US $1000), a paltry amount for a car for such an extended period. 

We’ve been willing to sacrifice quality, size, and convenience when a rental car only costs us about ZAR 4697 (US $330) plus fuel with virtually no additional maintenance expense.

Elephants along the Crocodile River on a hot sunny day.

The last time we picked up a car, three months ago, we were adamantly turned down when asking for a free upgrade. This time I was going to be more persistent. When I explained to the rep and his boss that we’ve been renting from them for an entire year (an infrequent occurrence), they were all over it.

We received a free upgrade for an adorable sporty red car, much nicer than we’ve driven since we were in the US in May/June 2017. We were thrilled. We still only had to pay the ZAR 14328 (US $967) for the three-month rental.

One bushbaby contemplating the entire cup of yogurt she doesn’t appear to have to share this time.

On the return drive to Marloth Park, we couldn’t believe how well Tom could hear me talk with his less-than-ideal hearing. And the smooth ride is astounding. We’re grateful and excited to have a good car for the balance of our time here. Whatever that may be.

The car is a Ford Fiesta. In my old life, I’d never have given this type of car a second thought. Now it seems like a luxury vehicle to me. It’s incredible how our appreciation of “things” changes when we go without for a while.

Ms. Bushbuck and baby. There are several Ms. Bushbucks and babies, with many more to be arriving soon.

I squealed with delight when Louise loaned me the giant rolling pin to make the pie crusts for our early Thanksgiving meal. See, we do change our perception of the value of the simple things in life.

 Now, I have to get up to toss some pellets to a gnu, aka Wildebeest Willie, and a pig, warthog “Little,” who happened to stop by to see what was on the menu today…pellets, of course, as always.

 Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 22, 2017:
There was no post one year ago today while we were boarding a cruise.

Off to Nelspruit…Return rental car for a new one…Still waiting for immigration response…

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We drove past friends Kathy and Don’s home yesterday and their front garden was filled with kudus and impalas. See more photos from this scene below.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Our regular visitor, Medium, got busy with a mature female.  The gestation period is three months. The mating season is from September to December. We should begin seeing piglets soon. They may have from one to eight piglets.

This morning, as soon as we upload this post, we’re off to Nelspruit to drop off the little car and pick up another. This will be the last car we’ll rent while we hopefully remain in Marloth Park for three more months.

Bougainvillea has begun blooming in the park.

The rental car companies, in this case, Hertz, through Firefly will only rent a car for a 90 day period. Thus, we’ve had to start over at the end of each period.  

 In the past, the rental return has coincided with our travels outside of South Africa to get our visa renewal for another 90 days. But this time, we’re waiting to hear from immigration if they’ll extend us to February 20th, the day we fly to Kenya for which we’ve already purchased airline tickets.

Waterbucks are much larger than they appear.  We rarely see them up close to grasp their actual size.  From this site: “This is a large, robust antelope. Bulls have a shoulder height of 1.4 meters and can weigh up to 260 Kg. (551 pounds)  Cows are smaller than bulls. Waterbucks have a brownish-grey shaggy coat. The eyes and nose are patched with white, and there is a white-collar under the throat. The rump has a characteristic white ring. The large rounded ears are a prominent feature. Only the bulls have long, forward-curved horns. Both sexes emit a, not unpleasant, musky smell which normally lingers at resting sites.”

No word as yet on our immigration status but we continue to check every few hours at this point. It would have been great if we could have been informed to appear in Nelspruit yesterday, today, or tomorrow.  

We could have changed the car rental return to a different day (the fee for doing so is minimal here) and “killed two birds with one stone” as they say, avoiding another long drive to Nelspruit.  

Proud mom showing her youngster the ways of the bush.

It could happen that they’re ready to give us an answer (must appear in person) in the next 48 hours and off we go again on the long drive. In the realm of things, it’s an inconvenience, nothing more.

Mom and young giraffe.

On the return drive today, we’ll stop at the bigger Spar Supermarket in Malelane to pick up a few groceries and avoid doing so tomorrow when we return to Komatipoort to visit the eye doctor to pick up my contact lenses and for Tom to select glasses from the supply the doc is bringing from his distant location.

At the moment Tom is at the local car wash. Rental cars must be returned in pristine condition or additional fees will be levied. This includes a spotless interior as well. The car wash at the Bush Centre charges ZAR 60 (US $4.28) for a beautifully hand-done interior and exterior wash.  

This mom or matriarch may be babysitting. These two young ones appear a few months apart in age.

We’re continually reminded how affordable things are here in South Africa.  Such a car wash in the US would easily be ZAR 351 (US $25). Once again we’ll experience “culture shock” when we return to the US for a visit in about four and a half months.

Apparently, they’d all jumped the fence at Kathy and Don’s house.

Yesterday was hot and humid with temps running at 40C (102F) and higher humidity than usual. Although it’s cloudy today it appears it will be another hot and humid day. Maybe spending three hours in the car in air-conditioned comfort won’t be so bad after all.

A little blurry from Kathy and Don’s garden but I couldn’t resist sharing this adorable impala face.

Yesterday, we did our usual drive, sighting a female lion beyond the fence.  Photos will follow tomorrow. Today, most likely we won’t return until around 1500 hrs (3:00 pm) after which I’ll finish making tonight’s dinner of iced cold dishes: chicken salad, egg salad, and tossed lettuce salad, a perfect meal for a hot day.

We’ll see you tomorrow with more!

Have a phenomenal day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2017:
There was no post on this date one year ago today.

An outrageous and clever kudu’s dining maneuver…A good night’s sleep makes all the difference in the world…

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Wildlife never ceases to amaze us, including this kudu’s clever means of 
eating from the treetops by taking down branches with his massive horns.



“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We couldn’t believe our eyes when this tiny female duiker stopped by yesterday. Females have the tiny single horn and males have two horns.  So sweet!

Yesterday was a mix of good and bad. The good, was spotting many special scenes in the garden. The bad was trying to find a way to relieve some of the dreadful itching I was experiencing worse than any day or night in the past.

After a trip to Daisy’s Den and the purchase of the salve, Zab-Buk, which is known to kill off the larvae left behind by the biting pepper ticks and the body and clothing spray, No-Ticks which is a messy runny yellow liquid to be sprayed on skin and clothing.  
Big Daddy was busy chomping on the two branches he downed using his powerful horns.

I’m wearing long-sleeve shirts each day to keep the messy salve from rubbing off on the furniture and also to prevent the risk of getting more bites on exposed skin. I’m also using mosquito repellent.

All-day, I kept reapplying the salve, and every four hours Tom sprayed me and my clothes with the runny liquid.  By 1500 hrs (3:00 pm) I was so exhausted I went into the bedroom, turned on the AC, and actually slept for almost an hour, a rarity for me.

He stayed busy for quite a while chomping on the leaves.

Feeling better after awakening, while still applying the salve frequently, we set up the veranda for the evening and dined on the last of the leftovers from Saturday night’s dinner. I should say Tom ate the leftovers. During the day I cooked more chicken breasts to have with a salad while Tom went for the full dinner and later on, more pie.

I forced myself to stay awake until almost 2200 hrs (10:00 pm), taking another hot shower before bed and applying more of the Zam-Buk salve. I never awoke once during the night…another rarity for me. After almost eight hours of sleep, I awoke to less itching, swelling, and redness. The two treatment protocols are actually working!

The two branches resting on his back when he was done eating.  He wasn’t quite ready to let them go.
Today’s a new day. No doubt, I’ll surely get more bites in these next three months we’re hopefully still here (no word on our immigration status yet) but at least I now know what to do for some relief.
Yesterday, while on the veranda for most of the day, we had a number of excellent sightings including this amazing kudu, hungry from months with lack of rain and little vegetation stopped by for pellets and the tops of a tree in the garden.
These females and a young male waiting in the bush until Bog Daddy was out of sight.  Then, then moved in for the last few nibbles.

The Big Daddy couldn’t reach the treetops so with sheer determination and expert use of his giant twisted horns, he managed to pull down two tree branches, enough to feed him a good-sized meal.

 He ate so much, he eventually decided to leave with many leaves still remaining. In the interim, a small forkl of kudus including females and males waited in the bush to see Big Daddy waft away. Once he was out of sight, they moved in to finish off the leaves on the branches. What a scene to witness right before our eyes!

Then, we were gifted with the sighting of the sweetest young female duiker who may have been no more than a few months old and appeared to be on her own with no doting mother in the wings. She ran off when we offered pellets but in time she’ll learn how vital our offered food source is during this dry season.

In the early evening, Wildebeest Willie and Big Daddy seemed to get along well while eating pellets.

Actually, it’s the rainy season now, and yet, there’s been little rain so far, certainly not enough to “green” the trees and bush to provide food for the wildlife. Many are looking thin and hungry. We’re currently going through one 40kg (88 pounds) bag of pellets every three or four days and will continue to do so.

We’d thought about going to Kruger today but with temps expected in the 40C (102F) range we decided we’ll have more luck driving to the fence at the Crocodile River. The hot weather should bring a lot of wildlife to the water. Also, it’s very windy and wildlife seems to stay undercover during heat and wind.

That’s all for today, folks. As always we’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Have a superb day!
 Photo from one year ago today, November 20, 2017:

Beautiful scene from the veranda in Costa Rica as we wound down our time. For more, please click here.

A dreamy drive in the neighborhood…Teeth and eyes…

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Mr. & Mrs. Ostrich trotting down the road.  Moments later they took off on a fast run into the bush.  Ostriches can run up to 70 km (45 miles) per hour.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Tom found this small gecko in the guest bathroom.  We didn’t have a strainer so I fished it out with my hand where it promptly jumped to the floor and took off.  We often see geckos in the house.  They eat insects. 

Today, we’re off to the dentist to have our teeth cleaned followed by eye exams by the local optometrist.  Neither of us has had an eye exam in the past six years since we began traveling.  

 Afterward, we’re returning to Spar for a few grocery items to fill in the blanks for Saturday’s Thanksgiving dinner party.  Once back at the house, I’ll begin preparing the pie crusts for the eight pumpkin pies I’ll be making.  

An ostrich in front of the house where we always find them.

Why make so many pies?  In our old lives, it was our tradition to give each couple who came for Thanksgiving dinner a pie to take home.  It’s fun to relive this tradition here in the bush.

A pair of giraffes, each munching on opposite sides of the road.

I’d started today’s post before we left for our two appointments each and additional grocery shopping.  We just returned and I’m rushing to get today’s post uploaded so late in the day.

“In the wild, giraffes almost never lie down because of vulnerability to predators. They usually sleep standing, sometimes sitting, and they give birth standing up. When giraffes sleep, they curl their necks and sleep for about five minutes at a time, sleeping no more than 30 minutes a day.”

We had such a great experience at our two appointments we’ll be sharing details in tomorrow’s post.  The costs for services and products in South Africa are astoundingly lower than what we’d paid in the US.  We’ll post details tomorrow.

The photos we’re posting today are a result of yesterday’s drive in Marloth Park.  With fewer holidaymakers in the park right now, we anticipated we’d see plenty of wildlife and we were right. 

This giraffe was sitting a short distance from the other giraffe as shown in the above photo.

Before we reached our favorite river viewing overlook areas we were lucky to encounter many of the animals shown in today’s photos except the waterbuck (take at the river) and the few photos from our garden.

This baby zebra was so young its coat still looked fluffy and wrinkly.

Generally, our almost daily drives last about two hours.  With the upcoming busy dinner party, we knew we wouldn’t have time to make the drive over the next several days. Yesterday, we took our time, enjoying every sighting along the way.

Taking our time, we chat along the way as we peruse street after street searching for something unique or even slightly out of the ordinary. Seeing giraffes lying down isn’t necessarily the most unusual sighting in nature but we were taken by the beauty of these two magnificent animals at rest.

“The waterbuck’s body odor is so bad that it deters predators.”  A male can weigh up to 260 kg (573 pounds).

Although we frequently see ostriches, we’re always in awe of the way they walk with their heads held high and their confident and prideful demeanor. We often wonder how Mother Nature (or God or whatever higher power you may believe) created this magnificent earth would have decided ostriches held a significant purpose in the ecosystem.

Mom and baby bushbuck by the pond and another baby standing in the garden.  Bushbucks only have one offspring per season.

Somehow each creature, whether venomous or not, whether seemingly useful or not or, if merely food in the food chain, holds a meaningful purpose in their lives, the lives of others, and ultimately in our lives.

For that very reason, is what inspired me to stick my hand into the toilet bowl to rescue the gecko and let her be free.  After a few minutes of vigorous hand washing, I was content to have saved the life of even one of the most common creatures in this land.

This young bushbuck always stays very close to her mom while others we’ve seen will wander off but not too far away.

Also, tomorrow we’ll share an exciting story about a black mamba snake, one of the most venomous snakes on the African continent.  Please check back.

Enjoy your day and evening!

______________________________________


 Photo from one year ago today, November 15, 2017:

Three in one…Green Parrots…Tom’s photo.  Love it!  For more photos please click here.

Tender moment in the morning…Plus, the harsh realities of the bush…

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This morning Tom noticed Ms. Bushbuck climbing the steps to the veranda.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Amaryllis blooming in the garden. With summer approaching and hopefully more rain, we’ll see more flowers blooming in Marloth Park.

A week ago a resident of Marloth Park posted a comment about Scar Face, the injured warthog we’d been watching and feeding for several months. He was stopping by each day for pellets and to drink from the cement pond.

We found it worthwhile to feed her on the steps after she’d climbed up since the other animals won’t be able to chase her away while she eats pellets. Her idea, not ours.

After we left and returned from Zambia in August, we never saw him again. We’d become attached to him and were fearful he may have been “put down” by the rangers or died from infections due to his injuries.

This morning, Tom stood next to Ms. Bushbuck to prevent kudus from stealing her share of pellets.

As much as we’d all like to believe the animals become “attached to us,” and will always return to see us, in reality, that’s not always the case. Often, in their world, finding food is their number one purpose in life (along with procreating), especially during this long dry season.

While we were gone for a week Scar Face may have decided to pursue another area in the bush and become comfortable finding available food sources, never returning to us.

Kudus were staring at Tom hoping for more pellets.  He’d already given them several of the yellow containers filled with pellets.

When the resident posted his photo and comments, we were relieved to discover that he, in fact, had survived his massive injury and was still thriving in the bush. The fact that we couldn’t see him become less important in discovering he was still alive.

A pretty girl kudu with an oxpecker looking for more pellets.

We’re hoping for the same outcome for Wounded who visits frequently with his horrific injury to his eye and eye socket. Most likely this injury was incurred in the past week or two as the wound appears relatively fresh.

A face like this is hard to resist.

This morning when he stopped by we immediately fed him all the pellets he could eat, one little yellow container at a time. After all, he is a pig and he needs to pace himself. He is very shy although he’ll approach the veranda letting us know exactly what he needs. He’s impossible to resist. 

This morning Wounded appeared in the garden looking for food.

We may never see Scar Face again or perhaps in our (hopefully) remaining three months in Marloth Park, we may see him again someday. Know these injured animals often possess the strength and resilience to heal themselves is comforting.

It appears he may have lost his left eye in the battle.  Heartbreaking.

Yes, some injured animals in Marloth Park “qualify” to be rescued and healed for example by Wild & Free Rehabilitation who may be found at this link. The costs for such medical care are managed through donations through the facility.  

While we were watching him, an oxpecker appeared and started pecking at his wound.

However, some animals, such as warthogs and impalas, don’t necessarily fall into the category of endangered status or are in reduced numbers in Marloth Park. Sadly, when they are ill or injured they’re on their own.

After the oxpecker pecked at his wound, it started to bleed.

As we roll further into the week, I’ve begun carefully planning details for our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner party on Saturday. It’s one of those types of meals that not much can be prepared more than a day in advance.

Sadly, there is nothing that can be done.  It’s evident he’s been working on it by using mud to hopefully aid in the healing.  

At this point, I’ve begun working on cooking and processing the frozen pumpkin into the equivalent of canned pumpkin. This is a slow process but by the end of today, I’ll have it all done. We plan to make 10 pies, one per couple to take home, a few for dessert on Saturday and a few to have left for Tom.

I believe this is an invasive alien plant.

If time allows, I may make a few low-carb pumpkin pies as well. But, there’s plenty to do with our extensive menu which we’ll post on the day of the event. Tomorrow morning we each have dental and eye exam appointments, after which we’ll head back to Spar to wrap up the final shopping for a few items we still need for Saturday.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more. Please check back!

Photo from one year ago today, November 14, 2017:

A curious turtle scurried quickly toward us in Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Utility outages…The return of visitors to the garden…More stunning river sightings…

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This is “Little” (short for “Little Wart Face”).  He visits almost daily. That’s why he has grass all over his snout. He likes to cool off in the cement pond, sleep under the shade of a tree in our garden and climb the veranda steps seeking pellets. What a guy! He’d just returned from eating from the bale of hay left in the neighbor’s driveway when they departed after the weekend.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Mr. Frog has been enjoying an array of insects most nights which are attracted to the light.  He appears to be getting rather plump.

Yesterday afternoon, a water main broke close to Gate 2 in Marloth Park.  Subsequently, we had no water for about 12 hours. Service returned in the middle of the night.

This morning we had a power outage, but fortunately, it only lasted about 10 minutes. When the power goes out, the wi-fi also goes out. As always, we shut down our laptops and phones, hoping for a return to service before too long.

We were so busy feeding the visitors last night, and we hardly had time to make our dinner. We couldn’t stop smiling.

When the power returned, we were relieved. I hope neither of these is an issue with our upcoming dinner party in four days. It would be difficult to cook a big meal without water or power.

Yesterday, we read a post on Facebook by a homeowner that an area of Marloth Park was without water last December for 21 days. That would certainly be inconvenient.  

Often warthogs from different “sounders” get into a scuffle over the pellets.

Last night we used a bucket of water from the swimming pool to flush the toilet. This would get old after a day or two. Of course, the worst part would be when unable to take a shower. It’s not as if there’s a local health club where one could go to take a shower.

After all, we’re in the bush in Africa, and things aren’t the same as in many countries throughout the world. And, although there are several adaptations one must make, coming from other countries, it isn’t really that rough.

There were one male and three female zebras in this “dazzle.”

Last night while brushing my teeth, a large black bug fell off my head when I bent down to rinse my mouth (using bottled water, as always). I didn’t scream or flinch. I gently picked it up with a tissue and took it outside to deposit it into the garden.  Years ago, I would have called Tom to help and did a bit of screaming.  No longer.

A young Big Daddy attempting to eat some greenery inside the fenced area in the garden.

It must have fallen into my hair while we sat outdoors last night reveling in the numbers of wildlife that came to call. It wasn’t as if we had more than a dozen at any given time but more so that they kept coming and coming, hour after hour.

Recently, I ran into local friend Gail at the market, and we giggled over how we never tire of the wildlife. If anything, as time goes on, we become more and more interested in them, as we learn about them, and as time goes by, we learn more about the nuances of certain animals.

With just the two of us at Two Trees, Tom spotted this female lion.

As shown above, in our main photo, coming to know the peculiarities and habits of certain visitors only adds to the pleasure and significance of seeing them time after time.

Most days, we see at least one animal that is new to us. Over this past nine months, we’ve been able to identify frequent visitors by certain markings, size of tusks, horns, and variations in stripe patterns. It’s now become easy for us to realize someone is new to us.

She may have been perusing the area for her next meal.

We welcome them all, familiar and new, with open arms to partake of our seemingly endless supply of pellets, carrots, apples, and pears, all suitable foods for them.

A large bull elephant on the river bank.  Check out those tusks!

Today, after friend Kathy stops by and drops off some much-needed ingredients she picked up in the big city for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner party on Saturday (thank you, Kathy!), we’ll head out for our usual drive in the park to see what wonders Mother Nature may have in store for us.

It will be another good day in the neighborhood! I hope you all experience the same!

Photo from one year ago today, November 13, 2017:

Another of Tom’s excellent bird photos, two Green Parrots admiring each other. For more photos, please click here.

What???…A leopard sighting on the Crocodile River?…Giraffes stopping for a drink…

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Giraffes are constantly on guard for predators, especially when it’s time to drink when they become vulnerable in a bending position.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

The convoluted photo is difficult to decipher at first.  Note the one kudu attempting to eat the seeds in the birdfeeder, which she eventually accomplished.

While Tom was taking a short nap while I stayed at the table on the veranda finishing the daily post, I took a peek at the Marloth Park River Sightings page on Facebook to see if anyone had posted information regarding exciting sightings.

 Alas, a frequent FB poster mentioned a leopard had been sighted 90 minutes earlier at the end of Swartwitpens, where it meets the river road. Such a sighting may result in disappointment if too much time has passed and the animal has moved on.

Giraffes often head to the river to drink.

I deliberated if I should awaken Tom, but he never sleeps more than 20 minutes, so I waited until he exited the bedroom to mention the sighting. Within two minutes, we were in the little car and on our way.

 Once we arrived at the location, we noticed only one other car, which could indicate the leopard was gone from view. Fortunately, we met a lovely couple from Nelspruit who lives part-time in Marloth Park, Estelle, and Johan.  

 We’d never have been able to spot the leopard without their help. It’s funny how people try to explain where to look to spot the animal of interest at the moment.  

Giraffes adopt a variety of stances to gain access to the water.

Nature has provided the ideal camouflage for wildlife, often making it nearly impossible to see certain animals lying under trees or bushes from the distant fence at Marloth Park across to the opposite side of the Crocodile River.

 Rarely, when there is any sighting, friendly observers often assist others in finding the animal’s location. It goes like this, “See the two green trees over there with a dry bush between them? The lion is lying at the base of the tree on the left.” This is usually what seems to be an accurate description.

There were four giraffes in this tower.

However, there are dozens of green trees and dry bushes across the river, and even if one points in the correct direction carefully, the animal is often challenging to see.

Both Tom and I have noticed a difference in the way men describe where the animal is located instead of women. When Tom and Lois were here, my Tom would provide a lengthy description explaining where the lion was found.  

On the other hand, when Lois described it, she did so with few words, and often, I was more easily able to comprehend the few words as opposed to the lengthy, detailed description.  

They were stopping to check their surroundings.

We’ve noticed this phenomenon on other occasions when asking for assistance; regardless of what many people want to believe about the sexes thinking alike, it’s natural for women and men to have different perceptions and responses.

We see this in nature by the erratic behaviors of female and male animals that stop by.  For example, the male bushbucks are shy and constantly on guard, whereby the females easily approach us without hesitation.

A lone hippo grazing by the river.

The male kudus with their big horns are bossy and determined, whereby the females are more docile and quick to approach us. I could go on and on regarding the erratic behaviors of the sexes of wildlife after we’ve spent the past nine months observing them every day.

It’s always a challenge, regardless of who is describing where the animal is located, to find it, focus the camera for such a long distance resulting in a good photo.

Yesterday, at the river, I couldn’t spot the leopard, but Tom did so in minutes after Johan described the location to him in several paragraphs. I was stymied.  Nonetheless, Tom was able to take the two very distant photos we’re sharing here today.  

Only the spots confirmed this was a leopard lounging under a tree a long distance from the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger.

We’re disappointed in the lack of clarity in the photo, but this leopard may easily have been a good kilometer from us. Our skill nor our cameras were capable of obtaining better shots.

The more explicit photos we’ve seen on Facebook of yesterday’s leopard sighting were acquired with long-range lenses, which are too heavy and we’ll never be able to carry throughout the world with us.  

We waited patiently while chatting with a lovely couple we met at the fence, Johan and Estelle, who said they’ve been reading our site.

It’s one thing to have such a camera set up at home and use it now and then for special shots.  It’s another thing to have the heavy beast everywhere we go…totally impractical.

This morning we headed to Komatipoort to shop for Saturday’s upcoming Thanksgiving dinner party.  On the way to Spar, we stopped for breakfast at Stoep Cafe for another fine breakfast and idle chatter.

Now back at the house, everything is put away, and we almost have everything we’ll need.  On Thursday, we’ll return to complete the shopping balance after our teeth cleaning and eye doctor appointments.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 12, 2017:

Tom took another excellent distant shot of a bird we couldn’t identify online. Costa Rica neighbor and bird enthusiast Charlie identified this bird as a Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro in Spanish.  For more photos, please click here.

How did the test pie come out?…See photo below!…

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Here’s the last piece of the “test” pumpkin pie. Tom already devoured the remainder. I didn’t make the crust edges as fancy as I will for next Saturday’s Thanksgiving dinner.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

The starlings seem to have made this abandoned bushbaby house their new nest.  We’ll see how it goes.

The test pie was a hit. The first night Tom consumed half the pie and went to bed feeling satisfied but full and bloated. Last night, after returning from dinner at Jabula and Rita and Girard, he ate half of the remaining ½ of the pie. Tonight, he’ll finish it off.

I took a single bite and literally swooned if I say so myself. Keeping in mind I hadn’t had a taste of flour or sugar in over seven years, my taste buds went soaring. I had to go to bed to prevent me from asking Tom for another bite.

“Little” came back for more pellets on the veranda. He feels quite at home here.  Who knew pigs climb stairs?

It wasn’t easy preparing the filling from a bag of frozen pumpkin. First, I cooked in the microwave from its frozen state in a large glass bowl. This took a good 30 minutes since the microwave doesn’t seem to be able to cook on high.  

Once I could test it to find it was s very soft, I placed it in a colander and pressed out the liquid with a rubber spatula letting it drain for a while to ensure most of the liquid was gone.  

Elephants were coming down the embankment to the Crocodile River.

Then, I placed it in the food processor in small batches to make it smooth, comparable to canned pumpkin. It was very messy but, it came out nicely. Then I proceeded to make the pie filling using homemade pumpkin pie spice.

There’s always some good vegetation for them to consume on or near the river.

Once that was completed, I made the pie crust from scratch using the best pie crust recipe in the land from Martha Stewart again using the food processor to make it into a perfect ball.  

I pressed the dough into a round disc after wrapping it in parchment paper and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour. Using a washed full bottle of wine as a rolling pin, the dough rolled into an even circle with little effort.

The mongooses are also becoming rather brazen as they too come up to the veranda steps to let us know they’d like some eggs.

From there, I pinched a makeshift edge knowing no one else would see it (duh!), filled it with the pumpkin filling and placed it in the oven. The oven also cooks very low even though it appears to be at a high temperature. Improvise, I remind myself.  It took 90 minutes for the butter knife to come out clean.  

Mission accomplished. Now all that was left was the taste test which Tom embarked upon with glee on Friday night. He hadn’t had one of my homemade pumpkin pies in over seven years.

That’s one big gulp from the elephant of the left.

I watched his face with bated breath as he took the first bite. Then, the second. A smile washed over his face, and I knew he was content. The pie passed the test.

So far today, we’ve yet to see a single kudu, bushbuck, or warthog.  Where is everyone?

Making the remaining pies on Friday will take an entire day but its a vital part of the tradition of Thanksgiving dinner. Although we’ll be having roasted stuffed chickens instead of turkey (no turkeys anywhere to be found), otherwise we should be on track thanks to friend Kathy for finding many of the vital ingredients and Louise for finding cranberries and spices on a recent trip to Nelspruit.

It gave me peace of mind to know we’ll have good tasting pumpkin pie for next Saturday’s dinner. We’ll see how the remainder of the meals works out from there.

Yesterday as often is the case, Ms. Bushbuck and Baby stopped by to check out the pellet situation.  

So far today, we haven’t seen a single visitor. We heard there was a live concert in Nelspruit last night by a popular South African performer and most hotels in the area were booked.  

This two-tone giraffe with light and dark spots is taking a rest from standing on those tall legs.

This may have been attributed to more holidaymakers coming to stay in Marloth Park over the weekend. We could tell by the numbers of cars on the roads and the lack of wildlife in the garden that something was up. This is the first morning in nine months we haven’t had a single visitor other than a few birds and Frank and The Mrs.

With less hair on the end of his ossicones, most like this is a male.

Last night, we had another fun, delicious, and entertaining evening at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant with Rita and Gerhard w, leaving tomorrow for a few weeks. (Owners Dawn and Leon always add to a great time by laughing and interacting with all of us). 

“Thanks for stopping,” she says with somewhat of a smile on her pretty face.

We’re looking forward to their return to Marloth where they’ll stay for another three months, leaving about the same time we’re hoping to leave in February. The good times will continue.

Today, we’ll most likely be out on another drive in the park to see what we can find that may be of interest to us and tor worldwide readers. Thank you, dear readers, for hanging in there with us over these past nine months. 

Lots of Cape buffalos on the river bank.

We arrived here precisely nine months ago today, on February11th and if all goes well, we’ll depart in three months, nine days. We’ll see how it rolls out with immigration soon enough.

Happy day to all.

Photo from one year ago today, November 11, 2017:

Another of Tom’s wonderful bird photos in Atenas, Costa Rica, in this case, a small green parrot. For more details, please click here.