Good to See Friends!

 

One obvious definite positive about having been vaccinated is being able to safely visit with friends. (*1) Bob and I- and I'm supposing most people- are suddenly enjoying the company of OTHER PEOPLE! On Monday, I delivered over-due birthday gifts to my sister and her partner (Hello Beatrice! Hello John!) and enjoyed a delightful luncheon on their back deck. I had not seen them in an entire year... you don't what you're missing until you realize an entire year has passed. Talking on the phone is certainly no substitute to in-person visiting. Thank goodness for Moderna! Pfizer! Even Johnson & Johnson!

And last night we entertained two other couples. It was almost overwhelming. I was tired anyway from not having well slept for two nights, and then seeing four other people in chairs! In our garden! On our terrace! I was shaking and twitching by 9:00 and slept the sleep of the overstimulated but very happy last night. We have more friends lined up in the coming weeks.... making up for lost time!

We've been lucky: Bob and I have weathered the pandemic and quarantine in fine form. We haven't run out of things to talk about yet! But it's nice to cross-pollinate with other people. I know we're all eager to create a new normal. We're still being vigilant about variants but seeing friends across the picnic table last night and allowing them inside (once the mosquitos and other unidentified flying offenders) descended was... weird! And good! 

(*1) All you anti-vaxxers out there consider this: you can safely visit with friends after what? Fourteen months?

Vaccinated I am!

 

Yay! I am fully vaccinated and I'm glad. Not that I feel like I/we can let our mutual guards down; there are variants, unknowns and stupid behaviors out there! But I do feel much better knowing that I will probably not get as sick or die and I can actually begin to see family and friends who are also on the vaccination train. And not a moment to soon.

And speaking of feeling better, thank you for asking. While my second dose experience wasn't as bad as some, I didn't feel like my typical chipper self. Many friends had reported semi-debilitating second shot side effects from Moderna including (but not limited to) 36 hours of general awfulness to lying in bed drooling for ten hours. I suffered a mild headache, some body aches and chills and spent the day in bed doing crossword puzzles and reading our most recent New Yorker from cover to cover. (*1) Not bad and certainly worth the end result: protection against a truly nasty virus!

And here's a bonus picture:

This is a detail shot of the Rhododendron lurking under that bedspread in my last blog posting. The central section is rewarding my vigilance with lovely pinky-purple flowers and the rest will probably come out today, as it's warm and sunny. On with the spring!
 

(*1) So at one point, when I had ventured outside to check on the horses and allow Robin the Good a brief respite from attending to me, I debated walking to the mailbox to retrieve the previous day's mail. We do have a very long driveway but I was game. I got to our peach tree and realized that if I were to proceed further, I would most likely not make it back. I saw me in a pathetic, crumpled, damp heap, awaiting discovery by a passing Good Samaritan. I retreated to bed!