Hard to believe that it’s been well over one year now since the onset of the pandemic.
Life changed in ways most of us could have never imagined.
Well, at least not I.
Through all the ups and downs of Covid19, it was often difficult to stay positive.
Who could forget the American cruise ship passengers abandoned at sea?!
Senior citizens left drifting afloat to “keep the numbers down”.
A miracle was going to happen!
It (the pandemic) was just going to disappear one day!
The healthiest of societies are built on firm foundations.
They do their best to ensure no one is left behind, especially the most vulnerable.
Too many in our society perished needlessly.
In progressive communities everyone matters!
Even those who look, sound, love and are abled differently.
One of the few voices I always listened to and trusted was Dr. Fauci’s!
His advice is based on facts and science.
He’s been a steadfast beacon of light during the pandemic.
Vaccines have never been my thing unless deemed absolutely necessary.
But I also knew if Dr. Fauci said it is safe I’d get vaccinated.
Masks, staying physically distanced and all the diligent hand washing is getting old.
I still do all three of these things every single day.
Better safe than sick or dead!
Imagine my surprise when in late March I got notified that I qualified for the vaccine.
I immediately logged onto the OHA website and chose Easter Sunday.
A few hours later I got another email from OHA stating there had been a mistake.
I was one of 11,000 people who had gotten the invitation by accident.
But since we’d all had a difficult year we got to keep the dates!!
Whew!!!
The more people are getting vaccinated against Covid the better.
I hope anti-vaxxers will inform themselves with facts and have a change of heart.
Personally, I couldn’t live with myself if I infected anyone and caused them to get ill or die.
Every time I hear of friends and acquaintances getting their shots I smile!
Nothing makes me happier than hearing someone say
“I got my shot!”
🙂
Easter Sunday I drove to the Oregon Convention Center here in Portland.
Hundreds of people were already waiting in line when I arrived.
Turns out I was one of 8900 Oregonians getting their shot that day at the OCC.
The organization and speed with which this vaccination clinic moved was incredible.
It took a little over one hour for me from start to finish.
I didn’t even feel the needle!
This was the happiest Easter ever in my entire life!
Thank you with all my heart to everyone involved in helping to end this pandemic.
Thank you also for getting vaccinated and
being a part of the solution.
🙂
in cahoots with muddy boots 
I always feel happy to hear people got their vaccinations too. We have several medical advisors who have become much loved and trusted over here including Johnathan Van-Tam and Chris Witty.
Lovely flowers and treatments too!
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There really is only one way out of this pandemic, international cooperation. We can only hope that more people will get vaccinated and continue other measures to beat this evolving virus. I’m glad that you too have trusted medical advisors!
The cherry blossoms are beautiful this spring. Springtime always makes me hopeful, but this year with the vaccinations even more. Thanks for always reading my blog! 🙋♀️
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Oh what a happy Easter Day! 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
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Indeed! 😊
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What a soul you are, Sabine. Thank you for telling others how you take things.
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Happy Sunday Trish! I believe that my childhood and background helped shape my views and feelings about the well-being for each and every one of us humans.
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I am envious of your vaccination program in the US and the number of people vaccinated is staggering. Our program has been a shemozzle and now the AstraZenca jabs have been paused because of the rare blood clotting fears. On the positive side though, we have been very lucky to have such a low infection rate, and only a few parts of the country have had to suffer lockdown. Life continues pretty much as normal.
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Our vaccination rollout wasn’t all that smooth in the early stages, but it’s gotten better all around I believe. Just about everyone we know has been at least partially vaccinated. But unfortunately we have a lot of people who refuse the vaccine. I hope they change their minds. The Astra Zeneca has not been approved here. I don’t know if I’d want it though. Possibly if it were the only one I could get. You guys in Australia have been lucky to keep your numbers so low. I hope it stays that way until more vaccines become available. Our infections are on the rise again. A lot of people are tired of the isolation, mask wearing and physical distance. I’m not taking any chances until things start to “normalize”. Stay safe and I hope that vaccines come your way soon!
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Love the creative use of fish-eye photos of mostly cherry blossoms to illustrate notes on the pandemic.
I will get my shot #2 of Moderna’s vaccine later this month. Temporary slight soreness at the injection site was the only side effect of #1.
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Thanks Mel! The fish-eye app was some of the best money I’ve ever spent! It just invites creativity.
I had the Pfizer vaccine and had a bit of a sore arm for one day. My second shot is two weeks from today. I can hardly wait!
Stay safe!
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Sabine, I have had my second Pfizer shot and only had a sore arm just like the first. Hope you have the same experience. Read my general reply below. Stay safe. Can’t wait until I can help at the library later this year.
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I miss going inside the library as well. What a crazy year it’s been! Be safe and say hello to Karen from me! 🙂
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I really like your creativity when you use the fish eye lens and always enjoy seeing what you come up with – in this case, the beautiful cherry blossoms. Our flowering trees came out this week after several days of temps in the 80s (unusually high temps and missed setting a record by one or two degrees). I will go for my second shot on April 20th and, like you, I was so relieved to get the call to come for my first shot. I have always trusted Dr. Fauci from day one. Here in Michigan, just six weeks ago we boasted because we had the lowest COVID stats in the nation and the past week, including today, we are number one in surging cases and deaths which concerns me as I have multiple appointments this month: two allergists, dentist and COVID shot #2. I’d like to zip ahead to May right now and have them done with. Stay safe Sabine!
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Thank you Linda! I am glad to hear that you are getting better weather for your walks and also that you’re getting Shot # 2 soon. I’ve been reading about the explosion of new Covid cases in Michigan. Scary stuff! We were doing reasonably well here in Oregon, but over the last couple of weeks our numbers are going up again as well. I won’t make any appointments until a few weeks after my second shot. Except for an emergency. I sure hope this pandemic gets under control but with so many people flaunting the safety rules and not wanting to get vaccinated I wonder how long we’re going to have to deal with this. Stay safe and enjoy the nice weather, Linda!
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You are welcome Sabine! Today the CDC advised that Michigan go into lockdown mode but the Governor said it was not necessary. So they say it is because we were low stats and now people feel they can go out more due to getting the vaccine but in-seat schooling and school sports was the biggest contribution to our current situation. My dentist appointment is not an emergency, so I’m going to cancel … but soon as it is next Monday. This was the story today:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/12/cdc-director-michigan-surge-close-things-down/7189360002/
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I find it frustrating to helplessly watch as too many people put their personal interests before making it better for us all. I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round with the pandemic! Every time we make good progress we have setbacks again. We’re backsliding again in Oregon as well!
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I am angry too and the anti-vaxxers that were not getting shots out of fear, now that fear is intensified with this issue with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I heard two medical specialists on the news today – both say our Governor needs to impose restrictions now, not ask for more vaccine as that result is not immediate. Sorry to hear you are backsliding in Oregon now. I have heard that soon we will not have the dubious honor of being the worst state for COVID stats as problems with the variants persist.
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The J&J vaccine stats don’t seem as bad at all when compared to the risk of blood clots from being a smoker, taking birth control pills and yes, even getting sick with the Corona virus itself. I hope people hear about it!
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Yes, I’ve listened to several experts through the course of the day today and yesterday. They said just what you did … and that’s only 1 person with the blood clots per million … 6 people in 6.2 million doses. They said a lot of women on birth control pills have had issues with clotting from those pills, not anything to do with taking any vaccine.
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Sabine, I’m so happy for you! You have been steadfast in protecting yourself and your family which means your protecting all of us. Now you deserve your vaccine. I also feel lucky as I was able to get Una, Rosalies care giver her first vaccine last week! Still masks, handwashing, good ventilation and distance. When we protect our selfs we protect all. Very nice photo illustration of your thoughts. Every time I saw the globe I thought global.
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Thank you, Christine! I am also happy to hear that Una got her first shot! :)It will take a global effort to get us out of this tragic mess and we can only hope that people come to their senses by thinking it through before they make foolish decisions. I am so glad to have kind and considerate people like your family in our lives. Stay safe and happy gardening!
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Karen and I are volunteering at the Portland Convention Center. I have had my second shot now and Karen gets her second at the end of the month. She is giving vaccinations and I am working with the transportation group moving people that need wheelchairs. It has been very rewarding to be able to help. The PCC is very organized and it has been a very upbeat experience.
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Gordon, good to hear from you! Nice to know that Karen and you are fully vaccinated and helping out at the OCC. I was very impressed with how smoothly everything went on my first visit and hope to have the same good experience next weekend when I get my second “Fauci Ouchie”! Perhaps I’ll see you or Karen while I’m there. Be safe and happy springtime! 🙂
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Fantastic photos! And congratulations on the good news 🙂
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Thank you! The vaccines got off to a rocky start but things have really improved and moving in the right direction. I hope you guys are making progress too. 😊
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Well, erm … we will be eventually … it’s not looking fab for people my age but people are being taken care of and Germany is sharing … it’ll be a long time for us to go but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
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It will get better, it has to! As of yesterday every single person here in the US is eligible to get vaccinated but many refuse to get it. I hope they change their minds so we can all go on with our lives!
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