Doggone It

 I was driving to a doctor appointment today. The appointment was at 2:00 in the afternoon.

As you know I have to drive forever to connect with a grocer, a doctor, or almost anything else. I live in a little bitty town smack in the middle of nowhere. I love it here but it can be inconvenient at times.

Anyway 2:00 is usually a good time to travel here. Not a lot of traffic. 

So I was driving along. I was a little later than I like to be. I like having a few extra minutes because I hate being late.

I had seen some of the children in my town going to their homes after school. They were dismissed early because of the weather. The school bus drops them all off at a central location here and they then walk to their homes.

So I was not surprised to see a couple of school buses letting children off at their homes as I drove to the doctor. 

At a bit of a distance I saw a bus letting children off. It had its safety lights on and I prepared to stop.

First a little boy climbed down. After a bit a little girl came from the bus. Their dog had come running to greet them. 

Then the dog excitedly ran onto the bus.

I was surprised at the driver allowing a dog on the bus. I thought maybe the dog belonged somewhere else along the route. 

Then I noticed the little boy and girl calling the dog. Nothing happened. They kept calling. Still nothing happened.

Finally the little girl got back on the bus. After what seemed an interminable time she finally came off the bus pulling firmly on the dog's collar. She tried to lead it away from the bus and the lines of traffic that had formed.

The bus slowly pulled away. We slowly began to move. The dog broke away from the little girl and ran toward the road.

The story does not have a bad ending. After watching all of us creeping slowly away the dog turned and ran after its children. 

The End

I Have Been Shot!

 I received my first dose of Moderna vaccine yesterday. 

Iowa is a cold state in the winter and colder than normal right now. That means no drive up inoculations.

I arrived a few minutes early for my appointment not knowing what to expect. I walked into a large hospital hallway that was an impromptu waiting area. 

There were signs telling us to sit down and wait until we were called. A nurse with a clipboard was holding a list of appointments. She announced that we should all have our identification and insurance cards ready. 

When it was my turn she pointed me toward the door of another room. I entered. The woman there made copies of my information and handed it back to me. 

I then took a couple of steps to the registration table. The woman handed me a couple of papers and a card. She told me to step into the next room and take a seat.

I sat there for maybe 3 minutes before the nurse called me into a cubicle and administered the shot. I did not feel the needle but I did feel the vaccine entering my arm. It stung for an instant then was over.

I was instructed to go back to the registration room and wait for 15 minutes. As I sat there I read a book that I am enjoying. 

After 15 minutes and seeing that I did not fall out of my chair I was called to another table. I was given an appointment to return in 28 days to receive my second dose. I am to bring back the card given to me at the first table. When it is recorded that I received the second dose the card will be my record of vaccination.

I walked out, got in my car, and drove home. (After a quick stop for fast food.) 

The whole thing took about 20 minutes. 

I have had no side effects. My arm is not sore and I do not have an extra nose. 

When you can get your doses please do it. I want everyone to stay safe and healthy.

COVID

For those who showed concern for my sister I thank you. I have a quick update.

She is now negative and back in her room. I believe the first dose of vaccine made a difference but that is only my opinion. 

My sister has since received her second dose. I hope it protects her. The problem is that so far the experts do not know.

Turning the subject to me I have an appointment to get my first dose tomorrow afternoon. I will be getting the Moderna vaccine. That is what is available. 

I will be given an appointment to return for the second dose in 28 days. 

I am a little nervous. I will let you know how it goes.

Unity

 As I mentioned before the United States has a new president. One of his campaign points was uniting the country.

Now some people are saying that we have the same old thing. Division. Unity will never work. Balderdash!

Unity does not necessarily mean everyone thinks as one. If you take any two people and ask their opinions on various subjects you will find that they have different ideas on some if not all. It does not mean that they wish a different outcome to a problem; they only wish to go about solving the problem a different way. Or perhaps they do envision a different outcome. 

In either case if they are unified in wanting the best and fairest solution they will begin a conversation. Each will listen to the other,,, really and earnestly listen. They will find out what and why the other person believes is the best answer.

After they have truly listened and heard what the other thinks they can then decide if either or both of them can give just a bit and still have a good outcome.

When it comes down to it unity simply requires civility. Perhaps a compromise cannot be reached. At least both have been heard. Hopefully that will soften hard feelings and leave the door open for the next difference of opinion to be aired.

I worked with a wonderful woman. She is slightly older than I am. We have differing opinions on many things. Religion and politics are major ones. 

We had some marvelous conversations while we worked. I learned a great deal listening to her. She learned from me. Because we listened. Occasionally one of us would change an opinion too. 

It is amazing what can be accomplished if we operate in unity. We will never completely agree. We can learn to be tolerant and respect the other person when agreement does not happen.

Update On My Sister

 As you know if you have been reading my blog for a while one of my sisters had a stroke several years ago. One side of her body does not function so she is bedridden.

Tuesday of this week she was diagnosed with COVID-19.

So far the only symptoms she feels are incredible sleepiness and thirst. When I first spoke to her she sounded so weak. That was in the afternoon. By evening when I spoke to her again she sounded stronger and said she felt better.

She said she had been moved to a quarantined room. Her roommate also tested positive as did at least two other patients. Her roommate is in the room they share. All the positives are quarantined separate and away from other patients.

My sister had received her first dose of vaccine but not the second. Now she will have to wait and probably start over.

My area will receive 30,000 doses of vaccine in a little over a week. I am in the group eligible to be vaccinated. I am going to attempt to get an appointment. Wish me luck.

Please everyone. Stay safe. Follow the guidelines to minimize the chances you will become infected. I wish you all well.

Starting Over ---Again

 It happened again. Every four years the United States swears in a new president. The president is the leader of the executive branch of our government.

For those who are not familiar with our form of government we have three equal governmental branches. 

The executive branch carries out the laws of the federal government. It is composed of the president, vice-president, and cabinet members. It also serves as the ceremonial portion of the government by meeting with dignitaries of other governments and appointing ambassadors to those other countries. The ambassadors work to keep friendly relationships with the other governments. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Contrary to what some believe the president cannot make laws, decide how federal funds can be spent, or declare war.

The legislative branch consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together they make up our Congress. Congress makes our laws. They vote upon appointees to other governmental positions such as federal judges and Supreme Court Justices, cabinet members, and heads of federal agencies. Congress is the body who can declare war. They decide what funds are spent and how they are spent.

The judicial branch of the United States interprets the laws as they apply to the Constitution of the United States. It consists of the Supreme Court, appellate courts, and federal judges.  They settle legal disputes, protect individual rights, and punish violators of the law.

Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life and are not elected. Congress members are elected by citizens of the states they represent. The president is elected by citizens of the United States.

All of them work for us and we pay their salaries.

This year the inauguration was different from any I have seen.

Because of COVID-19 the large crowds usually present had to be 'socially distanced'. Much of the pomp and circumstance was not present. Usually there are parades, speeches, balls, and parties. They are not needed but they do add festivity to the ceremony.

Sadly two weeks before the inauguration there was an armed insurrection. For the first time the halls of congress were invaded by people trying to violently take over our government. Five people died. It was surprising there were not more.

More than 100 people have already been arrested and more are being sought. It broke the hearts of Americans to see this happen. It was an embarrassment around the world. And those fools thought they could actually interrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

At noon on January 20, 2021, as mandated by our Constitution our new president took the oath of office. Those who were there in person were spaced at the distances recommended by scientists to try to prevent COVID spread. Washington DC was filled with armed troops to prevent any more violence.

So we have a new president and vice-president. President Biden is the oldest person ever elected to the position. He was a member of congress for many years before being elected to serve as President Obama's vice-president. Vice-president Harris is the first female to hold the office. She is also the first black woman and of Asian heritage to serve in the office.

They will lead the executive branch for four years. Then we will have another election. They may or may not be chosen to serve for another four years. No mater who is chosen maybe we can have the celebrations they should have had.

Then we will start over --- again.

Looks Like We Made It

 2021 is here. 2020 was a hard year. Many were beginning to think it would never end. 

Of course COVID-19 is the big story. So many were so sick. So many died. So many denied that it existed. It is still raging out of control. Now we have vaccines. Hopefully they are as good as promoted and hopefully we will all be immunized sooner rather than later. After all it is a new year.

Because of COVID our lives are at a seeming stand-still. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed or limited. We need to stay away from each other, Because of job loss people do not have enough food. In the United States for goodness sake. Now we are hoping that 2021 will be better and these problems will ease and eventually go away. After all it is a new year.

2020 was an election year. The election seemed to last forever. Is it me or are election seasons longer than they used to be? Anyway the elections are finished. No matter whether or not your candidate won the election is over. Our government needs to get to work again. After all it is a new year.

A lot of us lost people we admired and loved. Some were famous. Some were just folks, like us. They will all be missed. We will keep them alive in our hearts and speak lovingly of them often. Even through the pain of loss we understand that this is part of the life cycle. I wish 2021 will see less loss. After all it is a new year.

For some reason there were fewer mentions of births in 2020. I am certain people did not stop having babies. I did learn in 2020 that I will have a new great-grandson in 2021. He will be named after my husband which is wonderful. After all it is a new year.

So since we made it to 2021 we will now keep slogging through the problems. We will work to get our normal lives back. After all it is a new year.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2021. After all it is a new year.