After using Louise‘s phone number yesterday to re-register Tom and me for the Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa, Louise received a confirmation for Tom’s registration. However, she did not receive one for me. When 24 hours soon pass, once again, I will re-register.
We won’t be getting the vaccine on the same date and time, or even the exact locations, which I expect has been the case for couples worldwide. We anticipate the jabs will transpire in Komatipoort or Malalane, the closest two cities to Marloth Park. We’ll see how and when this rolls out.
I’ve communicated with friends Linda and Ken in Johannesburg, who also signed up the day after we did. They have already re-registered once and may have to do so again when neither has received the confirmation text to their South Africa phone numbers. Go figure.
Today is another glorious day, comfortable without clouds or humidity. When I was up and dressed, I began cooking a few things: a large egg and cheese sausage casserole, an excellent staple for us when hunger hits, and the other part of my dinner tonight, liver.
Tom will have pork chops on the braai, which I am not a big fan of, but he enjoys. Of course, he would never consider trying liver when the smell alone makes him cringe. It’s not unusual for us to eat different protein sources at any given meal. He loves having white rice with each dinner, but rice doesn’t work for me due to the high carb count. Most likely, I’ll have a slice of the egg casserole with the liver, an excellent combination.
I don’t miss eating vegetables at all when my blood pressure and blood sugar numbers are normal (without medication) for the first time in 30 years, and my years-long stomach ache is gone. Who knew this would happen? I never expected vegetables to be an issue for me. But, everyone is different, and what has worked for me may not work for others.
It’s odd, but I don’t enjoy cooking as much as I did in years past. The sooner I can get out of the kitchen, the better. In the past, I could spend several hours a day chopping and dicing and preparing entrees and side dishes, Now, with our new way of eating since we arrived in South Africa over three months ago, the most time I have ever spent in the kitchen is no more than 30 minutes, and yet, we’re thoroughly our meals.
At most, we eat two meals a day, but more often only one. Lately, Tom’s been having a slice of the egg casserole in the morning, but I’m rarely hungry until at least 18 to 20 hours since my last meal when I may have something to hold me until dinner.
A few days ago, when Louise headed to Nelspruit to shop, she picked up eight packages of delicious trout salmon for me. They are 200 grams, 7 ounces, and I’ve been capping off my dinner with a 100 gram, 3½ ounce serving with a dollop of cream cheese. It’s almost as good as a dessert.
While in India all those months, we lost our taste for sweets, and no longer do I bake low-carb desserts, bread, or muffins. In each of these cases, the carb count was too high to maintain normal blood pressure and blood sugar levels. If either of us craves something after dinner, a few slices of quality cheese will do the trick.
We both feel better, our weight is easily controlled without effort, and we’re still able to enjoy a glass of wine or cocktail at our leisure. Of course, I only drink small amounts of low sugar/low alcohol red wine, and Tom has his brandy with Sprite Zero.
I am still working out on the rented treadmill but have now changed my routine to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) every three days instead of just fast walking on the treadmill. I hesitated to do my old familiar HIIT workout since I had heart surgery over two years ago.
I don’t experience feeling light-headed, out of breath, or any pain or discomfort during or after the workout. But my fitness level is such that I feel comfortable working out this way again. I continue to monitor my heart rate in the process, using the following as a guide for my maximum heart rate. My resting heart rate is 58, blood pressure is usually around 110/68, without medication.
As for today, we’re engaged with all of our visitors. We just gave a pan of raw scrambled eggs to about 40 mongooses, endless pellets to visiting warthogs, kudus, bushbucks, and of course, fresh water in a bit of container and seeds for Frank and The Misses who stop by several times a day. Life in the bush is excellent!
Photo from one year ago today, April 18, 2020:
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| Closeup of a hippo’s face. Charming. Be well. For more photos from the year-ago post, please click here. |