Winter in Africa

I wanted to cry when we left Cape Town.  Through all of my travels I don't think I ever felt this way leaving another destination.  What was it about that place that brought tears to my eyes and left a hole in my overwhelmed heart?  I have been grappling with this question ever since we returned.  I thought I should not write about the trip until I sorted out my feelings.  I may never sort them out, so I'll write anyway.  It is one of the most interesting and beautiful places I've been.  Maybe the reason I was sad to leave was chances are I will never visit again and there is so much more I would have liked to seen and done.

I always thought of Africa as a warm continent.  Silly me!  Arriving the week of the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere proved me wrong!  I had planned for chilly and possibly wet weather but not cold weather.  We arrived to pouring rain and 5C/40F temperatures.  As if the weather weren't enough of a challenge, after 28 hours of travel we/TJ was challenged with driving on the left side of the road!  We carefully navigated our way out of the airport through the driving rain to our Airbnb apartment.

The view at lunch was breathtaking

The apartment was lovely aside from a few missing amenities.  I don't consider myself "high maintenance", I can tough it out most times but toughing it out on the vacation of a lifetime was not on my agenda.  We found out our apartment did not have heat, Internet or a hair dryer (maybe I am high maintenance).  I was still not feeling the love for Africa.  The temperature inside was only slightly warmer and less windy than outside!  No exaggeration!  I am sure it would have been lovely in the summer but it wasn't summer...not even close.  We quickly realized we had not packed enough fleece!  We both wrapped up in our warm clothes and the available blankets and took a little nap.

Just warming up!

After our frigid nap we just had to get out of the apartment to someplace warm.  What better place than a winery!  Through rain and wind and driving on the left we found the closest winery for a little tasting.  Delicious!  Scenic, probably....if we could have seen higher than mid mountain.  The main thing was it was heated!  Dinner later that night was lovely and even interesting thanks to the sommelier who gave us tons of recommendations for our wine country visit later in the week.  OK...I'm warming up to this place.  We slept in all of our clothes, under all of the blankets in the apartment, while watching our exhausted breath float into the air above us.

The next morning my very perceptive husband made reservations at a hotel with heat, Internet and a hairdryer!  We chipped the ice off our suitcases and moved on to warmer accommodations.

The itinerary for day was the Cape of Good Hope and Chapman's Peak!  Luckily, we woke up to sunshine!  I just knew things would look so much better in the sun and I was right.  The view was lovely and there was hope and anticipation in my heart.  We headed south and with every turn my eyes opened wider and wider with awe.  What a beautiful country!

Boulders Beach

Penguin beach

The day continued to get nicer and nicer and I got happier and happier!  I made TJ stop for scenic overlooks and photo taking.  I made him climb to the top of rocky cliffs and lighthouses.  He was always accommodating, even though he really does not like heights.  It was one of the best travel days ever!  We saw things I had only read about and dreamt of seeing.  We drove Chapman's Peak, one of the most beautiful drives in the world and arrived just in time for a beautiful sunset.  I was falling in love with each turn in the road.

Photo stop!

Let's hike up there!

The view at the top is always the best!

Obligatory tourist photo!

Traveling during the off season proved to be a good thing.  There were enough other tourists to make things interesting but not so many that we had to wait in a line for anything.  Unlike last year when we went to Croatia in the off season!  Off season = cold weather.  We are going to have to try to travel in the shoulder seasons sometime and experience moderate weather and crowds.

Chapman's Peak deserves it's own blog if you ask me but I'll spare both of us.  If you are Canadian, think Cabot Trail only shorter.  I can't thank my husband enough for doing all of the driving and missing out on every view because he was so focused on staying in between the lines and on the correct side of the road.  I think the reason he was always willing to pull over for a photo op or just to gawk at the scenery was to get a break from driving, which suited me just fine.

Definitely worth pulling over

Definitely!

We caught the golden hour

The next few days were just as perfect.  We went to the top of Table Mountain, went on a safari...and froze, drove through mountains, valleys and vineyards, and passed poor townships on the outskirts of the city framed by the ever present mountains on the horizon.  We visited lush wineries and tasted many delicious wines.  We ate tasty meals which cost us very little with the US dollar worth so much in this country.  Every day left me wanting more.

Isn't he handsome?!

I could post about 100 pictures of amazing scenery, it was just that beautiful!  If you want to see them click here!  We met many kind people along the way.  Every night we used Uber as our transportation to dinner, because really how much driving on the left can one man be expected to do?!  All of our drivers were fantastic!  We were also a curiosity as Americans, they all said they wanted to come to America.  This was different than most other countries I've visited.  Usually we are not looked on so favorably.  I admit, most of the people I talked to were in service roles... waiters, drivers, shop keepers, caddies, the people at the wineries and the occasional random traveler.  People were sincere,  helpful, smiling and happy to chat.

I found myself wishing I had not been warned about the dangers of the cities we visited.  I wanted so much to not be on my guard.  I tried to walk with trust and confidence and just enjoy taking in the sights.  It was difficult because TJ was on high alert most of the time which bled into my psyche.  I want to visit this country again someday and be safe and free to explore.  We were perfectly safe traveling through the national parks or hiking or visiting wineries,  I just wanted to be able to walk the city streets in the evening after dinner and that just could not happen, which is very sad.  There was so much more to see.

There is obvious disparity between the haves and have nots in South Africa.  Such a beautiful country on the outside but if you look closer there is crime, poverty, and struggle.  The people live surrounded by rich natural resources and beautiful landscapes and I wonder if they realize how fortunate they are to wake up in such an amazing place!  The townships at the foot of some of the most majestic mountains in the world are incongruent.  The country is evolving and still has a long way to go before things are right.  One thing that is indisputable, they live in one of the most breathtaking places I've have been blessed to visit.

Unedited panoramic view,
how could I not fall in love?

Meet Bill Murray

I have a new friend.  I'm naming him Bill Murray.  He is brown, furry and makes daily appearances outside my kitchen window.  He is a groundhog and I think I like him...for now.

Look at Bill, just chomping away at the weeds!

I can't help but smile every day when I see him in the yard.  He, and I assume he is a he, but he could be a she, is always munching away at grass and weeds.  If I could train him to eat only the weeds in the garden we could have a beautiful friendship.  He lives under the shed, which could be a problem.  I think he lives under there with and entire commune of small furry animals!  I saw a chipmunk run under there the other day.  I know the squirrels run under there from time to time.  Without Sadie to patrol our yard, it is an animal sanctuary.  Mice, groundhogs, chipmunks and squirrels.  Sadie would never have let them reside under that shed without constantly tormenting them and forcing them to relocate!

Here is Bill eating weeds near our bird feeder.

I am sad to say Bill's days are probably numbered here at the farmhouse.  As soon as he discovers all those beautiful greens in the garden TJ will slam him in the live trap faster than you can say, "Groundhog Day"  and cart him off to another weed ridden property far, far away.  In the meantime, I kind of like looking outside and seeing him scamper around the yard, rain or shine.  I guess I miss brown furry things in my yard!
In other wildlife sightings here at the farmhouse....we have seen several pheasants.  This one in particular walked the entire yard, and it's a big yard!  He was huge, I know he was a he because of his beautiful coloring, the poor girls get stuck with ....brown!

Pheasant outside of glass

On the opposite end of the bird spectrum, we have many hummingbirds.  It is a riot to watch a hummingbird try to drink out of a feeder while it swings in the wind!  Even funnier is to watch me try to take a picture of the swinging feeder and bird.

It took a lot of tries to actually get this one!

So while I am away, Bill Murray will be chowing down on dandelions and will hopefully leave the lettuce alone!
Speaking of being away....as you read this post I will be in South Africa.  If all goes as planned this post will come out while I am living a dream come true...and how often does that happen?  I don't think I ever expected to go to Africa when I was growing up.  It was always a far away, very wild, exotic, country filled with vast lands where zoo animals roamed freely.  I have been looking forward to this trip for months!  I can only hope it lives up to my very high expectations.  The next wildlife photos on the blog will likely be lions and tigers and hippos!  Stay tuned for a chapter or two of my trip to South Africa!  Cheers!

Lessons Learned on a Rainy Day

Three gray, cold, rainy days in a row and I'm beginning to wonder...."what was I thinking?".  I am here, against my better judgment, much earlier than usual and my hesitations are coming true. I feared it would be cold, I feared it would be dreary, I thought it might be buggy and wondered if it would be wet.  All of the above!  Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side.  Although I don't know how it could be any greener than the wet, deep, spring grass up here that desperately needs mowing!  I decided yesterday morning there must be a few lessons I can learn from these solitary days inside.  Other than, don't come to the shore in early June!

I learned how to make a fire in our wood stove.  I also learned that when you get down to the hard, round, wet logs at the bottom of the wood pile it is harder to get the fire lit.  This taught me that waking up to a cold house in the morning is no fun and to layer up before coming downstairs.

I have learned there is no limit to the amount of time I can waste on the Internet.  My ability to sit is the only thing that limits my wanderings on the world wide web.  One thing leads to another and in the blink of an eye and hour has passed and my numb backside insists I get up and do something productive.

I have noticed birds don't like to eat in the rain. My usually popular bird feeder has been idle over the last few days.  The finches and doves are probably hunkered down in their little nests watching Netflix too!

The rainy days have made me realize this house is starting to feel like a place I live and not a place I vacation.  As I sat in the living room last night, watching Netflix, I had a glimpse of what my future could look like when TJ retires.  We have been heading this way and it gets closer and closer every year but last night I looked around and it was just all so familiar.  I've stayed here enough that it feels like a home.  This may not seem like news to you but it is to me!

I learned that everyone else is in the same boat as me and they probably aren't enjoying these rainy days either.  I tend to forget that everyone else around me is stuck inside too!  Luckily we all live so close and manage to get together enough that we break up the isolation of the day.

The rain is teaching me to have patience.  It can't rain forever...right?!  The sun will come out eventually and as soon as it does my mood will instantly change and life will be breathed back into my sluggish body.  All I need is a day that looks like this....

and all will be right with the world!

So I will take these rainy days and try to do all of those "inside" jobs while the clouds hang low in the sky.  I know eventually the sun will shine again and I will not want to be inside cooking, cleaning, crafting, surfing the Internet or watching Netflix.

Meanwhile, I am taking this break in the clouds as a sign!
Tomorrow is going to be a nicer day!

Of Mice and Man

No matter how neat, clean and organized I leave the farmhouse at the end of the summer, the first week back is spent doing those same things again to get the house to feel, look and smell like a home.  This year, TJ came up a week earlier than I did and took care of a few little things like planting the garden and cleaning up mouse droppings.  Having a big old house that may or may not be air tight, located in a large field, is like posting a neon sign on the basement door that says, "Welcome field mice!  Food, water and bathrooms available....please come in!".  We have begun our all out assault on the mouse population.  So far the population is down five mice.  The little furry friends did not do much damage this winter but they left their little signs scattered about and it would be nice to rid the house of them...asap!  TJ's morning ritual now includes checking the traps and disposing of the little varmints before I come down for breakfast.  I think we need a basement cat!

One man's playground

During his week of bachelorhood TJ planted the garden and lived the spartan life he dreams of back in Houston.  He is a man of few needs.  Give him a large plot of dirt, a shovel, some sunshine, a few hundred seeds and seedlings, some food and a few beers at the end of the day and he is happy for a week the entire summer.  I won't say the house was a mess when I arrived but I wouldn't say it was neat and clean either.  He tries... I know, but the man is closely related to the Peanuts character Pigpen.  His level of clean is a far cry from mine as are his household priorities.  If left to his own devices he would happily live in a place that resembled a junkyard.  He is a gatherer of stuff and projects.  He uses the stuff and leaves it right where he finishes.  He starts doing a project and sometimes he finishes and sometimes it stays in a state of suspended animation for weeks, months or years.  He is never without something to keep him busy though!  A busy husband is a happy husband.

The garden wasn't the only thing to get planted last week.  One of my favorite things about spending the summer here is being able to enjoy all of the flowers.  We planted the flower boxes that sit on our deck all summer and provide me with joy every time I see them.  We are trying to plant enough different plants around the yard with varying bloom schedules so we have a constantly changing floral display.  The tulips were still blooming when I arrived and after today's storm they are naked, one week of tulips and poof...gone.  Never fear, the lilacs are about to burst and the lupins are close behind.  Yes, I do love the flowers up here!

A truck bed of possibilities!

The other thing that provides me with joy is the ever changing sky!  Last week was a banner week for sky watchers like myself.  We had clear skies, cloudy skies and most things between.  The cloudy sky may have been the most interesting!

A storm is definitely coming!

"Are those funnel clouds, Dorothy?"

and then there were a few clear nights!

All in all, the first week was a good one....unless you are a mouse!

Shifting Gears

May....so much to do, so little time!  I remember how busy May was when the kids were in school and I figured once they were grown and gone things would change.  I was wrong.  Even for an empty nester, May is packed with activities.  The mantra of the month seems to be, "One more thing before everyone goes their separate ways for the summer!".  Don't go thinking you are special if you are trying to figure out how to do everything and be everywhere that May demands while you manage to still have time to plan summer activities for the family and remember to send all those birthday/graduation/wedding gifts and cards....everyone else is in the same boat or maybe a slightly different boat swept up in the same current.  It's May... or as I will soon be saying, it was May!

This year May is a transitional month.  I am trying to keep my feet firmly planted where I am for as long as I can before I start checking out.  It's hard to do.  I find my mind wandering to the next place but real life keeps bringing me back.  My suitcases are on the floor halfway packed, my mind is swirling with the ever growing "to do" list but I'm trying to live for today.  Speaking of today....today TJ called from the farmhouse and told me all about broken lawnmowers, garden planting, mouse droppings in the house and spotty Internet connections...meanwhile, I was getting his car inspected and registered.  That world intersecting with this world.  I managed to get the car inspected and registered in 45 minutes and found myself wondering how long it would take to do the same job in Canada.  I dare say, a lot longer!  I paused for a moment and thought to myself.... why am I going up so early again?

I have been trying to mentally shift gears for over a week but there were a few real life things that needed me to be present mentally and physically.  Our LG graduated from UPenn with her Masters in Science Education!  She worked so hard for this moment, between teaching full time and going to grad school, she earned her moment in the sun and we weren't going to miss it!  The sun made its appearance and so did we.

Congratulations Kelly!  We are so very proud!

The next event that kept me in the moment was the 1st birthday celebration of our youngest grandson.  Logan turned 1 year old last week!  He is such a gem!  He has beautiful blue eyes, a wonderful disposition, epic hair and has grown into such a curious, precious little guy.  It has been such a blessing to be able to see one of our grandsons grow up in front of our eyes.  I am very sad to think three months are going to go by without seeing him.  I have gotten spoiled seeing him grow week by week.  He is going to change so much over the next few months...and I am going to miss it.  I know...it is going to happen anyway... just get over it!  

Showing off his laid back approach to life, and his epic hair!

Birthday hair and face!

In the end, May has been a very full month of family and friends.  It began with a Mother's Day celebration with my Mom and two of my sisters and is ending with my youngest grandson's birthday.  Throw in a graduation, a golf tournament played with my sister, a few other birthdays and graduations and you have May!  Soon I'll be heading north for the summer.  As always, I find myself hanging on to the life I lead here, even though I know I love the life I lead up there.  I am sure in a few months  I will feel the same way about leaving the farmhouse and heading back down here.  Maybe I grind the gears just a little bit as I shift from the city to the country and back again.

My 5 Hour Flashback

We are still alive and well here in Houston, the new Venice of the south.  Even though you have not heard from me in weeks, it isn't because I have been busy building an ark, filling sandbags to put around the house or crying my eyes out at night because I'm still distraught over the loss of sweet, crazy Sadie.  It's because I have two posts I've been working on and haven't posted because my inner critic has been in overdrive.  Well, it's your lucky day!  I've sent her to perfectionists anonymous for the day and I will do my best to make two posts into one!
 Abracadabra!

I have always thought it would be great to, one day,  go on a trip and if the urge hit me... just "stay on".  There have been many times I wished I could have done this but there were carpools to be driven, homework to monitor, dogs to walk, classes to teach or take... all demanding my presence back home.   "Staying on" was not an option, time wise or wallet wise...until a few weeks ago.  No, I didn't win the lottery but I did come to a realization.  For the first time in 36 years... I didn't have to go home.  TJ was out of town all week and with no dog at home praying on my guilty conscience for leaving her alone too long, I was free to roam the planet.  I went to Baton Rouge for a weekend and stayed an extra day, because I could.  We went to Austin and spontaneously added another day.  It was a weather related extra day but no arrangements had to be made for anyone or anything back home.  The ability to "stay on" is suddenly a reality.  I kind of like it and in a way I don't.

Driving to and from Baton Rouge over the years has provided me with many opportunities to reminisce...5 hours... each way.  As I approach Baton Rouge, I tune into the local classic rock station and inevitably they are playing tunes from my high school or college days.  The memories start to flood back and I find myself geographically and mentally transported to my youth.  Two of my favorite things.... youth and music!  Listening to Fleetwood Mac or the Eagles on the radio makes the final approach (while sitting in Mississippi River bridge traffic) almost bearable.  At least my mind is somewhere else having a great time with high school friends or in college at a bar... not studying accounting.

Now that I have my new car, equipped with SiriusXM radio, I am no longer limited to local radio stations that fade in and out over the roadways.  I found Comedy USA keeps me awake when the monotony of I-10 starts to bore me to sleep.  Most importantly, I found The Bridge (no pun intended) and anyone who was in high school or college in the 70's needs to give it a listen.  I had a flashback to the spring of 1975 and my senior trip when they played Sister Golden Hair, Tin Man or anything by America .  We were driving home to Baton Rouge in a van with shag carpet, wearing sunburns and smiles all the way home.  I remembered awkward middle school slow dancing when Color My World was played.  The Doobie Brothers' China Grove or Oh Black Water brought me back to riding around in the family station wagon (sorry Mom and Dad) with my friends getting into all sorts of mischief.  Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Lucky Man was "make out" music back in the day.  Any song by Fleetwood Mac sends me to an outdoor concert dancing barefoot in the grass or to that bar I spent way too many hours not studying.  Every song brings back a different memory!  It's like a 5 hour flashback!

One of the thoughts that floated through my mind during my flashback was that in my writing class I had so much trouble retrieving childhood memories, when all I needed to do was listen to the music.  One thought lead to another, that happens sometimes, and since I didn't need to get home for anything... I took a little side trip to my childhood on my way home.  We lived in Beaumont, Texas from the time I was 4 until I turned 13.  Impressionable years that are a blur.  I drove past the two houses we lived in over those 9 years.  Thanks to my very smart phone and the maps app I was able to find my way to each.  The environs have changed quite a bit in 45 years.  The houses look great!  It would have been so sad to see them neglected.  My childhood has been preserved.  And yes, driving down the old streets brought the memories flooding back!

I slept here...right next to the window on the left.

I'm sure the neighbors were wondering
who the stalker was taking pictures of this house.

Maybe I've become a sentimental old fool but every time I go back to Baton Rouge lately I am more and more reminiscent.  Is that what happens when you get old?  Don't answer that question!

I Never Had To Walk Alone

I wrote this post a long time ago and never published it.  I reread it last night while I watched our dog, Sadie, try to figure out what to do with herself.  She was in pain and my heart was breaking.  Today we said goodbye to her after over 14 years.  Her body just gave up.  She was a good dog and she loved all 9 of her lives!  She was my constant companion and sometimes a pain in my ass but I never had to walk alone!  We walked about 6,000 miles (this is my best estimate) together and I admit, I'm going to miss her!

Just chillin' to the music

Instead of changing everything to the past tense I'm leaving it as written.
Here's to you girl....

I never knew having a relationship with a dog would be so complicated.  Let me start by saying I was a reluctant dog owner. Yes, we have owned one and sometimes two dogs for over twenty years!  When I say it that way I am amazed I lasted this long.  I am not your usual  "I love my dog... can't imagine life without it... let me spoil it.... aren't dogs the best?" dog owner.  Well, maybe I am... a little.   I enjoyed my dog most of the time and resented her and found her to be a major pain others.  Am I alone here?  In spite of my occasional resentment, I learned a few things from being a dog owner and observing her through the years.

Routine is a good thing
In retrospect we should have named her Pavlov.  She could be the poster dog for Pavlov's dog.  There is comfort in having a routine.  Sadie has always been the ultimate creature of habit.  Open the back door, she springs up and runs out.  She has her "go to" spots in our yards and goes to them in the same order every single time.  Her life is mostly a series of predictable actions and reactions.  I think this makes her happy.  She even knows when we vere off the usual walking route and tries to lead me "her" way.

Seize the Moment
Sadie is always up for anything...except a bath.  She can be sound asleep and if I get the leash and rudely awaken her from her slumber she is up and ready in a second.  She doesn't have to put her makeup on, brush her hair, check her calendar or worry about whether it will be too hot or too cold, she is ready!

Loyalty
Sadie probably knows there are times I resent her.  She probably also knows my heart is heavy every time we have to leave her at the kennel or with a friend when we travel.  I hate disrupting her idyllic life.  In spite of having been left behind many times, she always welcomes us home with her tail wagging and love in her eyes.
She is my fierce protector in Nova Scotia, just ask anyone up there with a large dog.  Any time a large dog comes near me, Sadie pounces to my aid with growls and barks at the intruding dog.  She is especially alert when TJ is out of town.  I think she takes a deep sigh of relief when he gets home. She is off duty and can finally relax.

Sadie in her happy place!

Patience
Any being who can wear a leg cast for 3 months and come out the other side with as much life as Sadie, has a lot of patience.  She never gave up, much to my dismay.  Ok, that's the reluctant dog owner in me coming out.
Hunting dogs naturally have patience.  Waiting on point until the clueless hunter finally comes to see what treasure the dog has found takes a lot of patience.  Sadie will stand at point watching a rabbit in the yard for a long time.  Every muscle in her body is quivering but she waits for just the right moment to pounce, unsuccessfully on the rabbit.  Patience.

Trust
I can do no wrong in Sadie's eyes.  Those are probably the only eyes in the world that I can do no wrong!  She has unwavering faith that every morning I will let her out, feed her and take her for a walk.  She knows that her needs will be taken care of every day and so far they have been which makes her trust us.  Sometimes I think she wonders about me when I take her to the vet.  She looks at me with those teary eyes as if to say, "What did I do?  Why are you brining me here?!".

Grace Through Pain
Sadie forged on with her life when all of us thought it was over.  She learned to eat, drink, walk, use the bathroom and sleep while wearing a cast on her leg for 3 months.  She still tried to run to the back door when we opened it so she could stalk squirrels and rabbits.  I know dogs can't really complain, but to see her never give up and never really complain was amazing.  Grace through pain.

Even at the end, when I knew she was hurting, she looked at me with those brown eyes as if to beg,
" Make it better."  A more helpless feeling I have never known.  I hope she is running like the wind on the great sandbars in the sky.  Walking without a dog on a leash will take some getting used to and be a daily reminder that she is gone.