Friday, January 15, 2021

getting the shot, more soup, and birds


I had an unexpected chance to get the first shot of the vaccine yesterday and much closer to home. Wednesday, there was a post on the local chat FB page about vaccines being available for the over 65 crowd in El Campo (15 minutes away), administered by the hospital at the Civic Center. Since I had my appointment coming up on Saturday about a 40 minute drive away weather and road construction permitting, I told Marc to call them and see if he can get an appointment. I think it's El Campo only, he says. Call anyway, I told him. And I left for yoga. When I got back he had called and had an appointment at 2:10 the next day!

So, this morning, they called early and moved his time up to 12:10 as they were shutting down at 1 PM. Ask him if I can come, I hollered from the other room. So he did and after asking a couple of questions, yes I could come. We left here at 11:30 wanting plenty of time to get there and find the Civic Center but as it turned out we needn't have worried. The place was a madhouse. A quiet 65+ old madhouse but a madhouse. We walked in the lobby full of people, maybe about 40 all standing around, some seated in the few chairs, a few trying to practice social distancing but there really wasn't room, a handwritten sign taped to the end of a table...vaccine with an arrow pointing to another room. Someone came out with forms that needed to be filled out (I had downloaded them from the hospital website so we already had them filled out). Every 10 minutes or so someone would call out a time and the appropriate people would go in the room where you were directed where to sit, then sent to a table where you got your shot and the info. Once in the actual room it was still a sort of madhouse but a controlled efficient madhouse. When we got to the table the woman administering the shots stopped to fill up a vial full of syringes. I looked at those 2" long needles...holy cow, I exclaimed. She knew exactly what I was talking about. I won't stick the whole thing in she tells me. Good, I told her, because I was starting to backpedal here. Why were the needles so long I asked. We use what they send us she said. Later Marc surmised that it might be because of all the fat people, it needs to be that long to get to the muscle. Seems legit.

Anyway, after the shot we were asked to stay for 15 minutes to see if there would be any immediate reaction (not immediate but so far only a sore arm) and then we were on our way. I did ask if the second shot was guaranteed in three weeks and she said yes. I assume it will be the same set-up.

I canceled my other two appointments when we got home and made more soup after lunch, potato leek soup this time which I usually make every winter. I probably would have waited a couple of weeks since I had just made cauliflower soup but I had a leek left over and it was buy three more and make the potato soup or throw it away since soup is the only thing I use leeks for.

So believe it or not, I'm getting closer to doing some actual artwork. My printer was out of black ink and it's impossible to get it here in this podunk town so I have to order it online or drive through the construction gauntlet to the shopping mecca so I ordered it online, only this time I tried one of the recycled refilled cartridge inks. The four colors were so cheap like less than $10 and they had a lot of great reviews. So the ink arrived and I switched out the Epson cartridge with the new one, hit 'proceed', it whirred and then told me this cartridge was unrecognizable. I hit proceed again, it whirred and then told me this wasn't an authorized cartridge. I hit proceed again, it whirred and asked me did I really want to use this ink. Holy fucking cow, yes! I hit proceed again and it finally printed out the picture. I wonder how many people are fooled by that first message and go out and plonk down nearly $50 for the Epson ink. Well, so far so good.

The only other thing of note in this Trump free post is that we've continued to see the robin and goldfinches and yesterday the cedar waxwings were migrating through. The only reason I noticed is because they were making a commotion mobbing a hollow in one of the limbs of the big tallow and it attracted my attention. I don't know what was in there but it looked like they were eating something, maybe tree seeds had fallen in.


There are only 8 in this picture though about 2 dozen were spread further out and in constant motion.

And then there's this...


in January. 



19 comments:

  1. Here in WA our local health dept. seems stuck claiming to be still vaccinating 1A people (healthcare providers). After something like 6 weeks, if they haven't managed to vaccinate everyone in that group then those left just don't want it. Latest info suggests March? Maybe. Of course no one knows anything!

    BTW: Costco and maybe Walmart will refill ink cartridges.

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    1. I don't know about Walmart but I read Costco is closing that department.

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  2. My husband and my Mom get their first shot tomorrow. It has been a little confusing here in Tallahassee but they are getting it ironed out. But being 64 I am feeling a little left out.... Now that is a first isn't it. I don't mind waiting my turn but I hope I don't have to wait until May, my birthday.

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  3. Good for you! Still waiting in Illinois...
    Love the peek at the flower, we won't see any for quite a while yet.

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  4. Holy cow - that gorgeous blue sky! I'm glad that you got your shot. My dad said he needs to make an appointment for his & Mike is trying to figure out where to take his dad. This whole business has been so haphazard. Someone should have been putting together a distribution plan that didn't depend on people having to figure it out for themselves. But we know who that someone is & this is a Trump free zone today.

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  5. Really good news that you got your first shot and all is well. Yay! Here in Humboldt County, far north coast of California the first general public roll out may start next week for the 75+ age group. That means Roger can get it, but I am not on the list. It may take until spring for the 65+ group to get it. I'm hoping with a new administration that the vaccine supply will be more organized. Take care there and stay well.

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  6. OMG in Jan. You must have had a warm winter. I'm ready for spring.

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  7. Glad you got your jab, as the Brits say. My shoulder hurt for a little while and then it quit and now it seems to be hurting again. Not much but...it's there. You know?
    I had to do a Trump-free post last night too. Can you imagine the days when we will go weeks and weeks without mentioning His Foulness?
    We're supposed to get temps in the low thirties again the next few nights. Frankly, I'm not hating the cold weather.

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  8. I'm still waiting for the vaccine. I'm signed up with the state, but they haven't got to the end of the first responders yet. I'm in the next group, so I wait. Likewise the covid relief $$. No sign of it. The IRS says they've finished the direct deposit, which is me, and the only thing to do is claim it on my taxes, which I don't usually file, income below the threshold. Still hoping it might appear.

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  9. Nothing here yet. Grumble, grumble.
    Yes, we bought the no name ink for the HP printer and got through all those notices.

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  10. Most of this year I have done one big grocery shop at the beginning of the month, make big meals of all the fresh veggies, and freeze half, or more. Then I coast the last half of the month. It's like meals on wheels, except meals from tiny freezer. I haven't managed to freeze any soup, yet.
    Ohio has its vaccines lost in our R governor's Trump morass. Or maybe he was punished for standing up last March. I've filled out a form to be told when and where to appear.

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  11. I registered with the county - they're doing group 1B now. It'll be forever before we get ours. It's depressing. AZ has not impressed thus far with their organizational prowess.

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  12. I've used LD Products inks for YEARS--they're cheap yet the color is excellent. I've never had any trouble with printers using their cartridges. My printer now is a Canon, but I've used them for HP's and other brands. https://www.ldproducts.com/?ef_id=CjwKCAiAl4WABhAJEiwATUnEF1gqYAZj-1Z-z2In2usmGOxyyDk_ivGinSXE5gnh-DCYX2n0ZTnAKRoCMHIQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!4678!3!193255344415!e!!g!!ld%20products&mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=193255344415&pkw=ld%20products&pmt=e&plc=&kid=ppc:google:Brand_LDProducts&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Brand_LDProducts&gclid=CjwKCAiAl4WABhAJEiwATUnEF1gqYAZj-1Z-z2In2usmGOxyyDk_ivGinSXE5gnh-DCYX2n0ZTnAKRoCMHIQAvD_BwE
    Good deal on getting your vaccination. We're 65+ but no such luck here... still waiting and checking.

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  13. In Galveston, UTMB cancelled hundreds of appointments because of no vaccine. Houston's getting quite a bit, but those of us in the 'burbs apparently don't count. Or maybe Galveston County's just not pushing hard enough. I'm not about to drive in to Houston, though, even if I could get an appointment. We'll see how things are in a few weeks.

    That bluebonnet just knocks me out. I found some baby plants in the hill country, with some kind of caterpillar munching on them. I haven't identified it yet, but when I do, I'll post. I didn't even see the caterpillar until I was looking at the photos on the computer.

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  14. Congrats on scoring the vaccine! That's kind of how it feels for us in this neck of the woods. I probably wont get one for some time yet. Sigh.

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  15. Leek and hollandaise sauce (white, buttery sauce) goes well with fish or chicken. Just by the by.

    We have been promised that we will get jabs soon, all over 80s and sick people first, then 70s and care home workers. But nothing definite so far. It is all a bit of a muddle here too. I am glad to hear that you have had no bad after effects.

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  16. Good news about the first shot and I love the birds!

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  17. Yay! that you managed to score a shot! With the announcement that the "stockpile" was nothing more than one more orange lie, I figured I'd have to wait. I want to be absolutely sure of the second shot. Perhaps after Wednesday, if the creek don't rise and the country doesn't blow up, things will settle into some kind of system.

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  18. I am sitting here on Sunday morning laughing at this. I can just see your eyes wen you saw the two inch long needles and started backpedaling! I'm glad y'all got your shots. My husband's pain doc ad the arrangements made for the two of us to get the shots. He Told us during te online appt that two of his patients had died of Covid during the last week. I got a text from Dallas County last Saturday that the shots would be given the following week by appt. Then. On Monday another text told me that we needed to call for Tuesday or Wednesday appts. Two problems with that. Daughter's long scheduled cataract surgery for Tuesday. Also, I would have to drive into Dallas. Not happening. So we wait for another opportunity. I like what Biden said about community sites.


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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.