Just one week ago,
we thought this never would happen.
We kept hearing that shots of the vaccine
were being given around the country
but our little corner of the world
didn't seem to have gotten the message.
I called the doctor's office,
the health department, drug stores
and everything else I could think of
but couldn't find a thing available,
except on waiting lists.
Then last Tuesday,
our son-in-law said he heard that
CVS was opening up time slots, and making appointments for Thursday.
I went to bed with the computer on
and kept getting up every three hours
to see if I could find something but nothing,
until around 8:00 AM
and there it was.
Just to let you know
this is not a photo of the Captain
trying to steal a shot from a baby,
although at that point in time,
we were ready to try anything!
I have just thrown in a few photos
of a cruise to Alaska
that we took a few years ago
for lack of anything else to show.
I quickly put in the Captain's name and info
and found that the
closest CVS Pharmacy to us
that was giving the vaccine
was in Auburn,
about a 45 mile jaunt, round trip,
from us.
I put in his name
and got an appointment for 11:45, Monday morning, February 15.
By the time I filled out what was required
and then entered my name,
the only time slot I could get was 4:45, that same afternoon, so I took it.
Everything was set and we knew
we would have to make two trips on the same day,
but that was OK as we could stop for dinner at In-N-Out Burger
after my time slot.
We signed up for our
second dose at the same time
and it is scheduled for March 15,
exactly one month from now.
One year ago,
we were not really aware
of what was to befall us
in such a short time,
and I wrote a post then
that turns out was more truthful than I could ever have known.
It was almost as if I had a crystal ball
and could look into the future.
It was called Kaleidoscope
and you can read it again here. One part that stands out to me was:
"A kaleidoscope of views
that could be,
and probably will be in another time,
so much worse than
they are right at this minute.
It is a phase and event
that holds so much gratitude
for the here and now..".
And the gratitude is very present
after only one short year has gone by.
Who would have imagined that a vaccine
would be researched, tested and made available to combat this virus
in such a short amount of time?
After the initial signing up,
it seemed that everything had finally fallen into place
and we were set.
Fast forward to the day of our shots:
We arrived at CVS in Auburn at about 10:30.
We had received a call
that the Captain needed
to check in at the pharmacy
before getting the shot
to correct something on his record.
When we stepped into the store
we were met with some confusion and people lining up in different directions.
An employee was telling us
that they were backing up and we would have a little bit of a wait.
She suggested that we go
back outside the store
and check in about every fifteen minutes.
We wanted to make sure our name and time
was on her list so she checked
and, no, we weren't there.
At this time, however, she said they were letting husbands and wives go together
so I didn't have to come back at 4:45.
She then told us to
go to the back of the store
and check at a window there.
As it happened,
when I was putting the Captain's info
into the computer,
I misread the first number
on his Medicare card,
saying it was an S instead of a 5.
After that was cleared up,
that lady sent us to wait on aisle 16.
We did and there were not
too many in front of us
so we got our shots
within about 15 minutes.
We might still be waiting in line now
if it wasn't for my little mistake.
We waited for 15 minutes after
to make sure there were no complications
so, all in all, after the initial start,
it was pretty smooth sailing.
The only down side was
that it was too early for dinner
so we didn't stop at In-N-Out.
They have opened up vaccination spots
in town now
and as we just walked in the door
from getting ours
we got a call from a pharmacy in town.
Oh, well.
Now, someone else will get an easy one.
Isn't that almost always the way things go?
In real time,
the outcomes are not too bad.
My arm was sore last night and this morning
but the Captain reports he feels fine.
Stay Smart
Stay Well
Stay Home
And
Wear Your Mask.
...Judy...
I could tell you
this is what we look like today,
BUT,
the time stamp on the photo said 2007.
Time does have a way of flying by
and, believe me,
it is not that kind!
Sharing today with:
Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda