Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Hopeful

 


As March rolled in, my next door neighbor's tulip magnolia began to burst into bloom. Only about half of the flower buds have opened so far, so there's still a lot of loveliness left to come. This picture doesn't do this glorious tree justice! It's the largest, most shapely specimen of a tulip magnolia I've ever seen, and it blooms its heart out every year. A nice beginning to the month of March.

Hello, blog friends! How have you been? I've been reading your blogs but have had very little time to comment in the past week, much less write my own posts. I've been on a mission for a few weeks now to get healthier which has included cooking and eating a healthy breakfast each morning, packing well-thought out lunches for work each day, and going for longer and more frequent walks with the boys. All of these things soak up extra time, but it's worth it.

I'm really looking forward to my second shot on the twelfth of this month. More than anything, I'm hoping to resume some normal activities afterwards. Just yesterday our state opened up the next tier of vaccine eligibility, and the school district immediately made plans for a huge vaccination event for employees on Friday! It's so big that the entire district is having an all virtual class day so everyone that wants the vaccine can go get it. How awesome is that?! So far over 1000 people are signed up. Of course, I didn't need to take advantage of it but I'm so happy for all the people that do. Also, I get the day (mostly) off since I'll be staying home and answering the phones from here. Now that South Carolina is on phase 1B, people 55 and older, people with pre-existing conditions, and essential workers can all get vaccinated. 

And the President has said that by the end of May, all American adults who want a vaccine will be able to get one. How wonderful to think that by the summer we might have this virus pretty well under control. I want to hug all of my friends again.

It's nice to feel hopeful again and to have stuff to look forward to. What are you looking forward to in the next few months?


40 comments:

  1. I am getting my second shot tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have no bad reactions to it.

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    1. It went well. I am not feeling 100% today (Friday) as I have a splitting headache and minor body aches, but I certainly have felt worse in my life. Today's inconvenience is a very minor price to pay!! I am so lucky to have been fully immunized.

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  2. Oh, the same as you, Jennifer. Seeing and hugging my friends again.

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    1. The only person I've hugged besides my husband in the past year is little P., and those were masked side-hugs.

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  3. That all sounds very hopeful! I am envious of your vaccinations! Good, too on planning out your meals and walking more. I'm pretty good on the food I eat in the morning and take to work. It's the evening stuff I need to be more in control of. -Jenn

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    1. I find that if I eat a healthy and satisfying breakfast and lunch I have more willpower in the evening. Arriving home starving is a recipe for trouble.

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  4. That tulip magnolia is beautiful! I'm so glad to hear all the teachers and employees at your school will be getting the vaccine soon. That will make your school a much safer place for everyone. Tom and I got our first shot today. I didn't think we would ever get one but we managed to get in on a large "vaccine event". I am looking forward to more time with my family and going out more! I'm so tired of never leaving the house!

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    1. I'm so pleased to hear that you and Tom are getting your shots. You must be so relieved! Like you, I'm ready to spend some time away from home!

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  5. Magnolia trees can make an entire street or neighbourhood look brighter and more beautiful, and this one is certainly extraordinary in size and shape! It will take some more weeks before the big magnolia trees in my street are in bloom, definitely something to look forward to!
    As for the vaccine campaign, it is great how well organised it is in your part of the world. Over here, it is very much a bumpy ride instead of a smooth gliding along. I guess I won't be able to get my shots before August or September.

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    1. My neighbor told me that the tree was there when she and her husband moved into the house in 1972! That means that the tree is older than me! No wonder it's so large and beautiful. She said it's been giving her pleasure for almost 50 years now. :)

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  6. That Magnolia is beautiful. There are quite a lot of them in this area ( SE England), but as they bloom quite early in the spring they often get zapped by a frost, turning brown overnight! I think their buds are still under wraps at the moment.I shall check when I go out with the dog!
    I had my first jab nearly 6 weeks ago, but shan't get the 2nd for another 6 weeks.( not even got an appointment yet!). I am looking forward to seeing my favourite friends for a few drinks and an evening chatting and playing cards, and maybe even a hug!I would also like to be able to get my grandchildren ( 10 and 8)from school again twice a week as I used to do. Only seen them on a screen for months!

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    1. My neighbor said that lots of times a later frost will kill the blooms on her tree, too. So far that hasn't been an issue this year, though.

      I know that you'll be so happy when you can see your grandchildren again in the flesh! Screens just aren't the same!

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  7. I am looking forward to seeing my son, Ian. I am looking forward to some time away somewhere - probably in this country. I am looking forward to finishing the typing of my father's account of an adventure in India in 1944.I am looking forward to wearing shorts and a sun hat on a long summertime walk. I am looking forward to having a couple of pints in a traditional English pub.

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    1. How long has it been since you've seen Ian? I know that must be hard. Hang in there....spring is coming and hope is returning!

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  8. I am getting my 2nd shot on Saturday, after that, according to Moderna, I should be good for 2 years.

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    1. That's wonderful! My second shot will be a week from today. I can't wait.

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  9. So much more hopeful with the adults in charge than I was a year ago.

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  10. getting rid of the snow we still have on the ground. getting a COVID vax. watching for flowers/trees to bloom. sneezing my head off with allergies.

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    1. Sorry you still have snow! I'm no longer in the mood for snow. C'mon SPRING!!

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  11. Beautiful post, Jennifer. And what an amazing tree! I am glad to hear that you are doing well both in your spirit and body. I agree with Bob- it is so much easier to be hopeful with this new administration.

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    1. I'm so very grateful that Biden won. This spring wouldn't be nearly so nice (and the vaccines wouldn't be rolling out very well) if 45 had succeeded.

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  12. I ended up getting my 1st dose yesterday when I went to my Walgreens to pick up my prescriptions - they had an extra dose and gave it to me! I was so surprised and happy!! We still have snow to melt but we have had warmer days and I can see my daffodil spears sticking up out of the dirt so Spring is coming! Hooray!

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    1. Good for you! It's such a relief to get that first shot.

      We have daffodils bursting into bloom around here. I love them!

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  13. I'm glad you're getting your second shot and your school district is making them so widely available. We're not seeing anything like that here. I still haven't been contacted to get mine, although some of my younger co-workers have been more fortunate. And as Frances said, we'll all have to wait many weeks for our second one. As I understand it, the NHS is opting to give more people a first shot, and hold off on the second ones, in order to spread the vaccine supply farther. I WISH I could go to a pharmacy to get mine!

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    1. Our school district is the first in the state to have a big vaccination event for teachers. They were ready and waiting for the governor to release the next phase of the rollout and that very afternoon they starting getting us signed up. I'm looking forward to a normal school year starting in August!

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  14. I was so glad to hear President Biden say that all teachers and school personnel will be eligible to get the vaccine. That it is immediately is even better. The large, mass vaccine sites can accommodate and vaccinate so many more people that the pharmacies are doing.

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    1. Our school district's vaccination site is a racetrack that can easily handle over a thousand people, so that was a really good idea!

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  15. It sounds silly...i am not really a social butterfly, but I just find my self longing for the day when we can throw of the masks and smile at each other again.

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    1. I can't wait until we can see each other's faces again! I miss smiles.

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  16. Magnolias are such a joy aren't they?
    I'm looking forward to some more creative work. We probably won't be vaxxed until August but it's not as pressing for people who don't work in health around here.

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    1. These early blooming magnolias are beautiful but the flowers don't last very long. The ones that bloom in May and June will have much longer-lasting flowers.

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  17. I'm looking forward to the day when my daughter will be able to travel from Australia once more for a visit. It's been too long since I've seen her.

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    1. I know how badly you must miss her! I hope she will be able to come and visit very soon!

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  18. Well, I'm looking forward to our enormous cherry tree blossoming in April or May. It's always spectacular, well up to the display of your tulip magnolia! I'm also looking forward to returning to my usual haunts, once the virus is under control - restaurants, cafés, bookshops, art galleries etc. I miss the outside world!

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    1. You should post pictures of your cherry tree when it starts to bloom!

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    2. I must work it into one of my posts!

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