Do I have ANYTHING to say? Doubt runs through my mind…Damn. Just more old lady news from the Bark of Beyond. OH well, here goes…
Public Health here in the Bark of Beyond sets up flu shot clinics in Del Norte every autumn in one of the meeting rooms of the county buildings. As luck would have it, I also got my ballot yesterday so I could kill two birds with one stone. I ended up killing three.
As I was walking my ballot over to the drop box, a familiar car drove up. Driving it was my friend Louise who used to run the museum. I hadn’t seen her since last year, but we’ve been in contact in other ways. I stowed my ballot in the slot, and hurried to meet her. She waved, I waved, and we faced the Rubicon together.
The flu shot “do” is pretty awesome in its way, not only because of the flu shots, but because of the people who show up. Across from Louise and I as we were filling out our papers was a couple of elderly Hispanic farmers speaking the beautiful dialect Spanish people historically spoke down here. It’s so rare ever to hear it. They asked each other how they’d been and what they’d been doing and one of them said he and his boys had been out picking Piñon. The first farmer wanted to know where and they switched to English. One of them was wearing a beautiful turquoise necklace representing the sun. I was sorry they switched to English. I could listen to that Spanish all day. It’s the first native-spoken Spanish I heard when I was a child. To me, it’s beautiful. No one speaks Spanish to me here, which bothers me since my original accent is this one. I love the language and the “Martha” who speaks it.
There was a real slice of San Luis Valley in that room including me wearing one of my only short-sleeved shirts which happens to be a band shirt from the Sex Pistols. OH well.
I also learned that I could get my Covid shot, too, which was NOT my original plan, but I did it. I have two sore arms, but the flu shot arm is the sorer of the two.
I’ve now lived in my house for 8 years, but in many ways it feels as if I have always lived here. I remember when I moved here frantically looking online for a place to get a flu shot. My California life sent me to drug stores or supermarkets to get them and all I found in that search was Public Health at the Rio Grande County Building. That just seemed so strange to me. I didn’t want to do that. During one of life’s dark periods I’d been to Public Health in San Diego, and it was gruesome, to be honest. So, when I saw that the only local place I could get a flu shot in my new home, I was dismayed. I ended up getting it at a Walgreens in Colorado Springs that first year. I had no idea of life in a place like this.
Now, though I could go get a shot at City Market or Safeway, I’d rather go to Public Health. I arrived, and Louise arrived, and many other people got there, right when they opened. It was a little chaotic. No one was impatient or angry or entitled even thought a lot of things weren’t clear. No one said they had to be somewhere and demanded faster service. Nothing like that.
Many of the people were elderly, very elderly. Someone (one of the people waiting for a shot) found more chairs so they didn’t have to stand in line. I heard snippets of conversations. “I’m giving you the Cadillac shot,” said the nurse.
The old man answered, “You’re giving me a Cadillac?”
“The Cadillac shot. The big one.”
“Oh well that’s good because I can’t drive anymore.” And he grinned.
A Few Shots
“Summer is the season of inferior sledding” - Inuit proverb 
My husband and I got our Covid booster shots earlier this month and this was the only time I did not have a sore arm. “You think he gave us a placebo?” My husband assured me he had not. I was all ready for that sore arm that never happened.
This isn’t too bad, just a little tired. I’m glad now I did it.
Shots are so much easier now than they used to be! I separated the Covid and flu shots by a couple of weeks to avoid the sore arm — never felt either! With an appointment, each took about 5 minutes (plus the 15 minutes wait for the covid shot), and Safeway even gives you a $10 credit on your next grocery bill!
It was easy to get shots in CA. I definitely remember that. No appointments back then, but I don’t remember ever having to wait.
I’ve had flu and covid shots, hubby had covid, flu, shingles and pneumonia ones (not all in one go!)
Three weeks ago I got my flu shot and 5th COVID vaccination. It was the high strength, quad valant flue shot they give to old farts and the Omicron B upgraded COVID shot. Both shoulders were sore for a couple of days. The flu shot hurt more.
I don’t understand people who can still believe all the wild accusations of the harm the COVID shot does. We have maybe 250 million people vaccinated, many of them multiple times. People aren’t dying in noticeable numbers from the shot but we have had a million dead out of 96 million COVID cases. Only complete isolation from reality explains that level of denial.
A country like this could not have defeated smallpox.
I’m not suffering from yesterday — just a little tired and two sore shoulders. Less of a reaction than I had to any of the Covid shots, but I don’t know. They were Moderna and this one is Pfizer though who knows if that makes a difference?
I read something really stupid yesterday. Some DNA experts believe that people who survived the great plague survived because they had powerful antibodies, which, in turn led us, their descendants to higher level of auto-immune diseases.
Someone asked, “Will something like that happen with Covid?”
The scientist said, “Oh no. Most of the people who died of Covid didn’t have children.” I’m still shaking my head. If it’s the descendants of plague survivors who have super-antibodies not the descendants of those who died? I mean, dead people (of any age) aren’t known for their numerous descendants after the rampage of a pandemic. I’m still shaking my head.
Generally Pfizer is much less painful than Moderna. My two Moderna shots left may entire body aching and completely exhausted. I also had a fever the night after my first shot. Pfizer just made my shoulder sore.
What kind of scientist was that?
He should have said that most of the people who died from COVID were older and past reproductive age. Their deaths would not affect the gene pool… even if they did keep Social Security solvent a little while longer.
I’m scheduling my flu shot for tomorrow – had to go get permission today from my PCP. Anyway it is all good. Glad you had an easy time and pretty painless jabs!
Today I was just tired, but I still took the dogs out for half a walk. Fewer problems than with any other Covid shot.
I enjoyed reading this. You really created that small town atmosphere, made me feel like I was right there waiting in line..
Thank you! I hope your shoulders aren’t sore from being there 😉 I think all of ours are…
My virtual attendance enabled me to just enjoy the conversation without the pain!
I got one (high dose flu and new COVID) in each arm in a high speed clinic. We were told to sit in our car, coat off and phone on, for 15 minutes; with further instruction on what to do if we had certain effects during that time. They didn’t have space for all of us to wait inside. I heard a fascinating interview with Bob Odenkirk while I waited. No ill effects; felt well enough for a 26 mile bike ride that day and to dispose of an old rug the next day.
I walked the dogs yesterday and rode the bike today. Just sore arm and a little tired and minor digestive issues just like when I had Covid. WAY better than the alternatives.