Vaccinated!

 My friend Julia was the person who managed to get me a vaccination appointment. Sounds crazy, right?  The truth is that appointments went first to the elderly, front line workers and compromised folks... and so it should have. 

Next, they lowered the qualifying age to those over 60, those with 2 co-morbidities.

After that is was those under 60 and folks with at least one co-morbidity. 

As a person under 50, a healthy person in normal weight range who didn't smoke and didn't work as a front facing service or health care worker, I had to just be patient. And I was... for a while. 

Honestly though, it had been getting harder and harder to be patient. I was so over the whole stay home unless necessary, wear a mask always and whatever you do, don't hug a friend, stuff. I was missing work and client interactions, I longed for dinner out in a restaurant and travel options that didn't involve feeling risky or guilty or both.

Almost all of my friends and colleagues had their appointments and I finally realized it was my turn to get in line. Trouble is, getting an appointment for a COVID vaccination in Colorado was difficult. I was signed up with Walgreens, Walmart, Kaiser Permanente, Centura and UC Health, as well as Boulder Community Health and some mass vaccination sites within an hours drive. I was also on a quick call list for cancellations, where able. Na-da.

Julia was able to get me an appointment in Broomfield (20 mins away) at a King Soopers supermarket clinic. She's amazing.

I had my first shot, Pfizer, on March 24th 2021.  It was painless, quick and administered by a tired but cheerful young lady at The Little Clinic. It came with feelings of relief and a renewed sense of security, hope and optimism. Life and my outlook on life, changed that night in that moment. This was the beginning of the end of the isolation and separation that had dominated our lives and skewed our moods since March 2020. 

The next day I sported a sore arm, mild headache and fatigue that sent me to bed by 7:30pm. That was it and I knew that 2 weeks later, I was 80% protected. Yay!

I attended my first outdoor birthday gathering of 10+ people shortly thereafter and it felt "normal" .  NORMAL!!! This was truly surprising. In a good way. I guess a big part of me feared that we had been irreversibly changed - that getting close to another human, seeing their smile and watching their lips move during conversation would forever feel dangerous and forbidden. Luckily, I was wrong. 

Last night, April 14th 2021, I had my second and final dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Everyone at The Little Clinic looked happier, more relaxed and less tired. They understood my joy, I understood their job was safer now too.

Apparently the first shot had done a fine job of priming my body for a response to the reintroduction of the COVID mRNA vaccine. An hour later my arm felt "dead" and 2 hours later, it felt like I'd been punched.  Overnight the arm got more sore - spreading to the armpit area. I had chills and body aches, but nothing major. 

April 15th, I planned to take it easy... thankfully. Those body aches were nasty, especially leg pains. My chills came and went and that headache from 3 weeks ago was back. Miserable actually. Ibuprofen is an option and I eventually took some, but I was trying to let my body do its thing too.  Ever had the flu?  It feels like this. 

End of the day, my immune response to the vaccine is strong and that's a great thing! Not only proof that my vaccine didn't left out of the fridge too long (LOL) but evidence of good health, likely excellent protection against further exposure and really, really, really unlikely that I'll meet an untimely end via COVID.  

Perhaps what gives me the most comfort is knowing I'm part of the solution. My friends and community are all a bit more protected by me being vaccinated too.

Companion animals. Emotional support felines...

 I love that Wrigley has transformed himself into my companion. Never too far away, always listening and ready to offer his opinion. Even when that opinion is given with a whiney voice at 5:30 am, I appreciate him.

I know what you're thinking... So what about Rusty? Well, Rusty is Wrigley's companion animal! They have a fun time together playing with toys, chasing each other around the back yard and now (miracles!) even just hanging out, sharing space. I'd even venture to say they have each other's backs. 

The Day the Boulder Bubble Burst

You've probably read about our mass shooting at King Soopers Table Mesa. I'll wager you underestimated the value and inclusiveness of this place though. How could you possibly understand that the day a psycho shot to death 10 community members in and outside our neighborhood store, he also killed a sense of security, peace and safety we had all taken for granted. (And were entitled to.)

To me, Table Mesa King Soopers was a regular morning Starbucks stop, flowers for a friend, a gift card for a client, organic fruit and vegetables, maybe a prescription pickup and definitely, definitely a source of marked down butchery meats for our kitties.  It was quick stop for forgotten ingredients, mid-recipe... like 4x a week! 

I was normally in and out. No drama. There was plenty of expectation they'd have just what I was missing. But if I couldn't find something, there was always a KS employee willing to walk me all the way to the right isle and actively search with me until it was found. 

All of that has changed. 

I'd like to think that when we're done learning to breathe normally in supermarkets again, when the victims have been laid to rest, when the investigative teams have stopped looking for bullet casings and our store has been cleaned up, it will reopen and we'll resume our happy, relaxed south Boulder lives. 

We won't though.  That's impossible. This shooting has forever changed how safe we feel, going about everyday activities in public places.

We used to live in the Boulder Bubble. We bragged about our lives in privileged Boulder, with low crime,  low average BMI, excellent schools and high "happiness" ratings.  Most of us never felt the need to keep doors locked and we enjoyed watching kids buzz back and forth on our neighborhood streets, without adult supervision. We were proud to be part of a city that offers extensive protections and services to groups of at risk community members.

It's not like danger never crossed our minds... We carried pepper spray and cell phones and whistles for dangers of the wildlife kind as we hiked and played in the Boulder foothills! However, we were not prepared to protect ourselves and each other from the devastating effects of an assault weapon, bought legally, by a deranged young man and discharged at the grocery store. 

Yep. Things have changed.  We have changed.  Thoughts and prayers are falling WAY short of being comforting. In fact, the Lauren Boebert's of our country can just stick their thoughts and prayers where the sun doesn't shine! 

Our community is suffering together. One broken person reaching out to help another broken person. And we're trying to do it while simultaneously respecting a COVID-mandated ban on hugs that has been in place more than a year now.

2021 was supposed to be better. 

First photo courtesy of the Daily Camera. Long before I could go there in person. 

Early June... 

We are expecting a fully renovated store to reopen sometime this fall. 

Snowmaggedon 2021

 Oh my! It has been a YEAR since we began sheltering in place.  Can you believe it?

Inside that year we have also had record breaking highs, lows and fires. In the summer of 2020 smoke filled the air, blocked the sun and rained ash down on us. And we thought it all very scary and dramatic. But wait... there's more!

Last week meteorological forecast was for anywhere between 15 and 70" of snow in and around Boulder. More than Denver, more than the Rockies. We were told to expect the snow storm of a generation and everyone made plans to stay home, eat in, shovel a lot and perhaps lose power.  In short, snow would fill the air, block the sun and rain down on us for an extended period of time, at a good clip. 

Oh yeah... daylight savings started Sunday morning too.

Unlike ash, snow causes major infrastructure issues. Roads becoming impassable or dangerous is only fine if you don't need an ambulance, or need to get to work etc. Heavy snow on power lines and trees lead to damage and loss of power - heat, cooking, lights and all those conveniences (I'm talking about you Netflix) we have come rely on. Plowing and shoveling around condos, supermarkets and anything with a parking lot is subject to priority and in this situation, they couldn't keep up with the snowfall anyway.

The snow actually arrived almost 24 hours late. But it was wet and icy and of mud like consistency when shoveling the first 6-8". Heart attack material (no kidding).

Mark and I did very little shoveling on Saturday - in fact I even went out and showed a house to a client. It was snowing, but not so bad. 

Sunday was different. It started in the morning and pummeled us all day long. We geared up and shoveled 3x on Sunday, trying to keep the snow accumulation to a max of 8" or so. I'm pleased to report that my efforts at weight training the last couple months DID pay off and there's no muscle or back pain today, despite the strenuous workouts of Sunday.

The cats also had a couple of excursions outside, but quickly decided it was beyond their skills (or level of enthusiasm) to wade through it. They brought us dangling snowballs as gifts upon their return and dropped them all over the house. Lovely.

Even though every tree had branches bent and stuck to the ground, drowning in snow and ice, we don't appear to have lost branches and for that, I'm very grateful! It helps to just get out there with a broom and knock some weight off, from time to time too.

There go the patio lights!

As for what happened indoors...

We passed these snowy days with a delicious international menu of homemade food, jigsaw puzzles, episodes of Grey's Anatomy and photography from windows.

Corned beef:

Pizza:

Potstickers:

Strognaoff: 

And... popcorn!

Monday morning brought a beautiful sunrise and featured blue sky. The storm has passed. This is very Colorado. The snow is melting and evaporating as I type. And across the 'hood there are possibly sighs of dismay from those who have relished the chance to cross-country ski and snowshoe their way around the neighborhood in a blizzard. 

This amazing pic is courtesy of my neighbor, Jenny! <3

The folks of Boulder are outdoorsy and adventurous. A storm of epic proportions is considered a gift of a different kind. With it brings the chance to play together, exercise differently, help neighbors and get a different perspective on "beauty".  Besides, we have been weathering a lot together this past year and we're STILL HERE. Still enjoying life. Still grateful for challenges and changing vistas, good health and a great community.