Monday, March 1, 2021

Free to Fly Again!

RHYS BOWEN: Ten days ago I got my second vaccine shot, so by the end of this week I should be safe to venture beyond the confines of my own home for the first time since March last year. Actually that’s not quite true. I have been to the supermarket during senior hour, at seven thirty in the morning once a week. We walk twice a day in local parkland. I’ve actually braved the post office when I’ve had to send off books. But that’s about it.

 So no lunches out, no evening restaurants, no theaters, museums, bookstores. Nothing that makes life rich and exciting. We’ve had take-out from a few restaurants but on the whole we’ve found it disappointing as it’s usually cold by the time we get it home. And most of all no meals with family and friends—indoors at least. We have dared to meet from time to time outside on my balcony or patio. But at distance, with masks and no hugs.

 


And in our professional sphere we’ve missed book launches, book tours, conventions, fans, fun lunches, late night chats with friends in the bar. I know it’s been the same for all of us—a long, boring, worrying slog with no end in sight. Until now.  Later this week I am heading to Arizona. We haven’t been able to spend our usual winter at our house there,  so I’ve missed drives into the desert, meeting friends at favorite restaurants and especially barbecues in my daughter’s backyard and the twins school activities. So I’m so excited to be with them again. Clare and Tim have both had their shots so I’m hoping for lots of hugs. And also looking forward to seeing our granddaughter in a leading role in the school musical. After a year of isolation and learning from home, the kids have finally gone back to the class room. TJ is wrestling and Mary Clare is singing and dancing. I’m so happy for them.

And I'm daring to dream about travel again. This is the first time we haven't spent the summer in England and Europe for many years and oh, how I miss it. But I've tentatively booked a cruise for NEXT spring. Fingers crossed.

 Okay Reds, Where do you stand in the vaccine line? And what will be the first thing you do when you are finally free to spread your wings again?

LUCY BURDETTE: We are very fortunate to have both shots under our belts. That means we are going out to dinner tonight (outside, I still won’t eat inside) to celebrate a friend’s birthday (they are vaccinated too). So thrilled! And we have plane reservations at the end of March to go to CA and finally see the grandchildren. That all could change in a minute if the virus ramps up, of course, so we stand nervously ready to pivot. And I’m working to help some other elder friends who aren’t Internet savvy find their shots. Sigh. The system was broken before it started.

JENN McKINLAY: I’m at the bottom of the list for a vaccination, I’m afraid. I’m not old enough or essential enough -- darn it! But Arizona does seem to be rolling them out swiftly so my hope is that I’ll be vaccinated by the end of April. I sincerely hope so because I have a lot of research to do for my book set on Martha’s Vineyard, and I really need to do the boots on the ground walking tour of the place to get it just right. 

HALLIE EPHRON: I’m finally scheduled for my first shot. My intrepid daughter spent two and a half hours on line battling with the scheduling system and finally scored an appointment for me. I’ll drive about 40 minutes to our local football stadium to get the first dose, then wait and go again for the second one, and then wait… what are they saying, 10 days to develop full immunity? But we’re not planning any trips or events, not until we see the numbers that are going down stay down.

I think the roll-out is going to accelerate quite a bit and certainly they’ll fix the registration systems. I’m optimistic. And dying to see my grandchildren.

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’m in Jenn’s group - neither old enough, nor essential, nor (thankfully) do I have any comorbidities.  My poor daughters are desperate to see me vaccinated, but frankly, I’m fine - I work from home anyway, and I can continue with Zoom church and Netflix instead of movie theaters for the foreseeable future. I’m hoping maybe sometime in May? June? 

The travel that’s most tantalizing isn’t my own - I’d love to have the Sailor and his girl visit this summer. She’s already had the vaccinations (works in the medical field) and the Navy is prioritizing getting its people immunized. (Which is an interesting topic, because I’ve seen nothing about vaccines for the Armed Forces in the public discourse.) 

I can spend another summer socializing outside and staying six feet+ away from my friends. I just want to get to summer - at this time of year, it’s very hard to imagine it will ever get here.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We are now more than two weeks past our second shots. Rick has been able to make plumbing supply runs to the hardware store (masked, of course) without worry, so we were very grateful for that after the storm here in Texas. I've done little errands, just popping in a few places for this or that, which I would not have done pre-vaccine, when pretty much my only outing was a weekly senior hour grocery trip to Trader Joe's. It felt enormously liberating just to do some ordinary things. I think we will be gradually ramping up our expectations. A haircut (yay!!! After a year!!) An outdoor lunch with my daughter! A dash in B&N to pick up a British home magazine! But I'm not ready to contemplate travel until a lot more people are vaccinated and the numbers are down.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Jonathan has had both shots---hurray, and it is such an amazing relief! He had absolutely no side effects. Not a shiver or even one moment of discomfort. It’s so reassuring and it feels like I am a thousand pounds lighter. In two weeks, he’ll be back in court, and that'll be incredibly weird. He now has a dentist appointment too, and I said--I’ll go with you! He said--why? And I realized, we have not done anything separately for a year. What a transition.

As for me, I’ve had my first shot, no side effects. And, if all goes as planned--please cross fingers for me here in Massachusetts, which is ridiculously disorganized--I’ll have my second one on March 9.

And let me say, how weird is it? That we are living in a time where the universe says: Okay. You won’t die IF you get a shot of something that will save you, but MAY make you briefly sick and unhappy, but in 12 hours you’ll be fine, so--will you do it?

And of course I will, with endless delight. 

RHYS: So who else has had their vaccines? And what does everyone dream of doing first?





100 comments:

  1. John gets his second shot this week; I get mine on the nineteenth. Then we hope to take a long drive . . . we'll see our daughter, son-in-law, and the grandbabies. I can hardly wait . . . .

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  2. I'm at the bottom of the list also -- too young, non-essential, etc., and Virginia is still moving fairly slowly. I'm hoping for June. But even with the shots, I'm a bit Leary of travel until the CDC is more definitive about its safety. Which means missing my annual pilgrimage to California again - sadly. So y'all best keep writing so I'll have good books to read 😊.

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    1. that we can do Kerry! hope you get yours sooner than expected!

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  3. Philip has had both his shots, the second one a week ago today. I'm scheduled for my first shot this Thursday, and so that means I will have both shots by the end of March. Yippee!!! I am so excited about getting the shots. It means we can finally go visit with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. The pandemic took me from driving an hour once a week to pick up my granddaughter from school to briefly seeing what she got for Christmas in a sort of stop in and leave quickly visit to only talking to her on the phone. I can't wait to hug her. And, I haven't seen my son since my mother-in-law's funeral last June. I was talking to him on the phone about my vaccine appointments and he asked if that meant he could come home for his birthday in June. That grabbed my heart. I had to tell him he couldn't come home for this past Christmas. I also look forward to eating outdoors at a restaurant. I don't have any plans other than that right now. I do want to travel, but I'll probably watch and see what is happening with the new strains of the virus and give more of the population time to get vaccinated.

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  4. We both had our second shots on February 9. This past weekend we dined inside our favorite restaurant. The tables there are spaced out and divided by protective sheilds between the tables. Connecticut is doing great with the vaccine rollout and we feel very good about the way everything was taken seriously here from the start.

    We plan to visit Jonathan and family in March in Massachusetts and Rachel and family in Delaware in April. Everyone is beyond excited about that.

    We have not lived as cautiously as most of you have. Irwin has played tennis indoors all winter, masked, but meeting friends. We have each shopped for food, done endless takeout from restaurants that we love and want to survive, and walked around the neighborhood. I have kept doctor and dentist appointments, Irwin just went to his dentist last month. Recently, I zoomed with friends and realized how lonely I am for that contact.

    But, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Stay well, everyone.

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  5. Yay for all these shots! After a lot of angst last week, I snagged first appointments for Hugh and me (I'm not driving yet, so he would have to be there anyway) together on March 9. Seriously can't wait.

    I want to hang out with my son and his wife unmasked and be able to stay overnight. I want to play with my little favorite three year old unmasked, and be able to help her mom through her next birth at the start of August along with HER mom, my best friend. At some point I want to see my son in Puerto Rico again, or be able to fly him home along with his new sweetheart. I also really want things to be safe enough to worship in our historical Friends Meetinghouse instead of over Zoom.

    In the meantime, it's going to be balmy (nearly fifty) here today so two good friends are coming for distanced drinks on the deck.

    And - this is truly exciting - I'm planning an IN-PERSON local book launch for my seventh historical novel on May 1 at our brand new Industrial History Center here in Amesbury where the books are set. It's big and airy with big doors, and we'll all still be masked, but I plan to sign my little arm off. The IHC is excited about holding their first event, too. You're all invited!

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    1. very exciting to have an in-person book event Edith!

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    2. Wow, an in-person event is a sign of moving back towards normalcy. That is great, Edith!

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    3. An in person launch, Edith! I had hoped for one in April but it is to be virtual again. Sigh

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    4. wow....that's be a real watershed moment!

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    5. Have to see how long a drive from Hartford. I'd do it just to make a statement and to meet you in person for the first time. (Big Sigh)

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  6. Did anyone else see Damyanti's comment to me last night? She said they no longer "have Covid" in Singapore. They still wear masks and practice distancing, but life is almost back to normal there.

    In the meantime, Ohio is still red, and our county keeps bordering on purple. Since most of my local extended family have had the virus, I've stayed away from them all. The only contact I've had with family was with my daughter and son-in-law, who had also been isolating, in the week before they moved to Africa in November. And even then we had air purifiers going and spaced ourselves out. Until they were about to leave. I told everyone to mask up; we were giving each other hugs.

    JUDY, Steve has also played (outdoor) tennis all year with a friend, and he has spent a lot of time outdoors, especially at our farm. Even though I have not done those things, it was great to have breaks from so much togetherness, and his mood is always lighter.

    We get our second shots at the end of next week, hallelujah. Two weeks later my mom is going to stay here for two nights while my brother and his wife move into a new place. Mother lives with them, and the only way she won't be tempted to "help" move is if she is physically not present. We're excited; I have not seen her without a window between us since July.

    And then we will fly out west to Portland, to see the daughter we have not seen since last January. I'm so envious of friends and family who live close enough to their kids to at least see them in person. And we are under a lot of pressure to start planning a trip to Kenya. We are a good deal more nervous about flying that far, although Kenya has a mask law and a strict 10:00 curfew. And far, far less infection.

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    1. HOw thrilling to see your mom again, Karen! And to be able to travel to see your kids.

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    2. I noticed that also Karen, about no Covid--but still masked and distanced. The places who have really beat it back are super careful. International travel? I don't know when that will happen, but hoping by fall???

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    3. KAREN: That is wonderful that you will be able to see your mom and visit your daughter in Portland!

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    4. Oh, it's such early days. Things will be more certain, soon. And yes, that's amazing what Damyanti said.

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    5. ROBERTA, the Kenya daughter just called. She works for the State Department and they were told that the vaccine they received a couple weeks ago can reasonably be trusted through about June. That may change later, as they compile data, or it might mean a booster vaccine. So she was encouraging us to come sooner, rather than later.

      I just hope people don't get too cocky about having gotten the shots, and continue to distance and mask.

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    6. My oldest daughter just messaged me. My 16-year old grandson was exposed, and is having symptoms, so they're taking him for a test this morning. If you pray, can you spare one for our Zak?

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    7. Karen, I’m praying for your grandson.

      DebRo

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    8. Karen, holding him in prayer. So hard. Let's hope being young and healthy helps.

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    9. Praying right now. Please keep us posted.

      Glad you ate able to see your mom and are starting to plan other visits. We will still be cautious but are so glad to be able to let go of some of the fears.

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    10. Oh, prayers from northern Ohio, Karen! That's been my greatest fear--not for myself, but for those I love.

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    11. Oh, Karen, sending good thoughts for Zak and his family! Please keep us posted!

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  7. I haven't received the first shot yet. Not because I don't plan on getting it, but rather I'm so far away from being eligible that I likely won't see the first shot being available to me until June. At least the way the roll out has been going.

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    1. You're one of our young'uns Jay! Hope your day comes soon.

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    2. Considering I'm about to become eligible for AARP soon, I don't know if "young'uns" is going to apply to me much longer. LOL

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  8. In Canada, less than 2% of the population has been vaccinated. Since I live in the most populated province of Ontario (15 million), the estimated time period for my age group (55+) is August/September, if they continue to go down by 5-year increments.

    NOLA BOUCHERCON was my next scheduled trip in late August but I now doubt that I will be to attend. I have until July 1 to cancel my registration and get a partial refund.

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    1. I registered too, Grace. I might as well cancel now. I won't be going. I really wanted to attend my high school 50th reunion, already postponed a year, in September in California. But will I feel safe flying then? Doubt it. Most everyone else will be a short drive away, so they'll likely go ahead and hold it.

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    2. Awww, so sorry that you will miss your rescheduled 50th high school reunion and NOLA B'con, Edith, but I get the reluctance to flying. And these are both events where you want to interact with people.

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    3. Edith I think you can fly in September and your peers will also have been vaccinated by then
      Grace, keep hoping that Canada speeds up!

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    4. RHYS: Canada just approved the use of the Astro-Zeneca vaccine on Friday but the timeline to get these new vaccines is still uncertain. Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still being studied for approval. If we get these 2 added, the timeline will likely speed up here.

      BTW, my dad, who turns 90 this month and lives north of Toronto, still has not received his vaccine which was a surprise and concern to me.

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    5. Right now I can't imagine shouting at people in a crowded bar--and of course that's what makes conferences fun...

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  9. Like the rest of Canada, we have been short on vaccines supplies until now but it seems that the supply will accelerate as of today. In Quebec , mass vaccination for 85+ begins this week. Hoping that all will go well with supply but , being younger, I don’t know when it will be my turn. Not planning things for the months to come.

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    1. DANIELLE: Ontario is a bit behind Quebec. They are planning to start mass vaccinating 80+ from March 15. And Ontario still has not set up the online/phone appointment booking system yet!

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  10. No shot for me, yet. I can't wait to get my shot(s), though. I not in the age group (yet) for shots in Ohio, but I keep waiting and watching. What do I look forward to? Traveling! On a plane! Maybe to a conference! (I'm holding out hope for Bouchercon in New Orleans later this year...) Maybe to see our daughter overseas!

    Eventually... I'd like to dine in at a nice restaurant. (We've done takeout occasionally for the past year.) After vaccination, I think I'd be willing to dine outdoors at a restaurant. It may be another year before I dine INSIDE at a restaurant.

    After vaccination, I would definitely have dinner inside at friends' homes, if they've been vaccinated, too. (All of our close friends are as anxious as we are to get the vaccine!) We did outdoor, distant visiting in our back yards last summer, and we're so eager to get back to that, that I've ordered a patio-safe space heater to get a jump on that in early spring!

    But really, what vaccination means for me is relaxing a bit... in terms of worry. Not in terms of being careful (wearing a mask, etc.) I will still mask up for the weekly grocery run, the pharmacy drive-thru, etc., at the very least until we have 'herd' immunity. I really don't want to think that just because I'm safe(r) due to being vaccinated that I relaxed and was a vector for someone else to get sick.

    One permanent change... when I DO get to air travel again, I'm just going to keep wearing a mask in airports and on the airplane. Why risk getting sick from anything while air traveling in large crowds? Because someone, who will glimpse me for two seconds (and forget me two seconds later), might think I look 'weird?' That would have definitely triggered my people-pleaser tendencies in my 20s/30s. Now, pttthhhhh! (There are advantages to getting older...)

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    1. I agree about the worry. It’s been an underlying energy drainer all year, hasnt it?

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    2. Yes, SO agree. Make fun of me, see if I care. And yes, the relief is so tempered.
      Jess, your new book THE STILLS is AMAZING!! I am in love with every word.

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    3. Oh gosh, thank you Hank! <3

      "Underlying energy drainer" is right. A friend pointed out to me that without us even knowing it, our brains have gotten into a habit subconsciously of trying to stay positive about survival--which is why everything else seems to take longer and be harder. I was so relieved at this assessment. It allows me to have grace with myself (and everyone else.)

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  11. I finally have an appointment scheduled for the 1st week of April which means my second shot should be the last week of April (medical issues put me on the list early). With my birthday being in the beginning of May, it seems like a birthday present! My first "trip" will be to spend time with my family. My sister has MS so I haven't wanted to be around her just in case. My brother and his wife have been essential the entire time & I've been leery to spend time with them as well.

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  12. PA revamped their list of qualifications, so I now qualify in group 1A, which means I *could* get a shot now - if I could find an appointment. So I wait. I just want to have it done by the end of July so I can take The Girl someplace fancy for her 21st birthday. Through some fault of her own (and some not), her college experience thus far has been lacking, so at least I can give her a good birthday dinner.

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    1. I feel the same for my granddaughter whose freshman year has been online classes

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    2. My son, the freshman, has had mostly in-person classes. He attends a smaller university and they've handled it pretty well.

      But The Girl (a junior) goes to a large state school and almost everything has been online (excepting hands-on things like labs). You just can't socially-distance when the class has 300 students in it.

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  13. I had my second shot last week, and Julie is in the Novavax study, has had both shots with some sequelae, so we presume she had the vaccine, not the placebo. However we aren't going anywhere. I am waiting/hoping that I can have pin and rod removal on Friday, plates and screws installed in my ankle, and begin a long rehab -- with home PT. My goal is weightbearing on both legs and my anticipated travel is to go upstairs to my bedroom. Although sleeping in the sunroom hasn't been unpleasant.

    My great grandson and his parents were planning to come see me in a couple weeks, but that trip is cancelled. Neither of us is up to company, and the stream of health care workers -- bless them -- coming in and out of the house wouldn't be good with a new baby and an unvaccinated grandson.

    Happy March. After a couple of days of 40+ temps, much of our snow has melted, but fear not. More is coming this afternoon.

    Rabbit rabbit

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    1. ANN: Great news about you and Julie getting the vaccine.
      Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. I know the PT to get back to weightbearing on both legs is long and hard. I took me a couple of months of PT to be able to go to the third floor of my apartment building to do laundry, or down 1 flight to thrown out the garbage/recycling!

      We are getting the same snowstorm as you, so March is coming in like a lion.

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    2. Take care, Ann. Heal quickly and completely!

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    3. Thanks, Grace. Your experience gives me hope. Just wish I were twenty or thirty years younger!

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    4. Ann, sending you hugs and encouragement. You are such a trooper!

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  14. I'm eligible, but the sites I have tried always seem to time out. Now I have a two week waiting period in any case, because my pharmacist called and said I needed to get my second shingles shot. So I went ahead and did that. Time to summon up some patience and try again for the Covid shot(s). My dh wants to hold out for the Johnson and Johnson shot, but I'll take whatever just to get it DONE.

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  15. No shot yet although Lord knows I'm old enough. They just don't seem to be available in my county, although they are for essential workers, which is good. I guess they expect other people to drive for an hour, which I am resisting. So I'll keep sticking to home and reading books. luckily I have been able to see my grandchildren occasionally so what more do I need?

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    1. We drove an hour to get ours. Thankfully, it was at a clinic in a rural area near one of our bigger cities. My friend and her husband went to one of the mega-sites and she was very uncomfortable being close to so very many people.

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  16. Jenn, Abby VanDiver mentioned long distance "on the ground" research on the Back Room last night. She called a tour company in Natchez and arranged for a "phone tour" of the sights. I wonder if tour guide on the Vineyard could do something similar for you?

    We're covered on the shots. Maybe in April we can attend the Zoo Tulip Festival? It was cancelled last year, all the flowers donated to hospitals and care facilities.

    The control panel on my wall oven died, and after spending a month calling every appliance dealer in Cincinnati, I gave up and acquired a countertop convection oven. I suspect I'll be in pursuit of a replacement until 2022.

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    1. Everything is SO MUCH MORE difficult! xxx

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    2. We had to replace our washing machine and our HVac during the pandemic, but both went remarkably smoothly.

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  17. Hubby and I have both had our second shot. Waiting 2 weeks to resume some normalcy. Going to the library is first on my list. Long term, having our big family dinners, so hard to have them all on Zoom. Because of one of my daughter's health issues, have to wait until she has both of her shots before we can all be together.

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  18. My husband and I got our second shots on Friday,after a long, lonely year without friends or family. Also doing the countdown! Of course, where we want to fly to is Singapore where my son lives, but they still aren't letting anyone from the U.S. in... Still, I can soon go into the grocery store with utmost confidence!

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    1. That’s our trouble with going to family in UK, Ann. Two week quarantine at the moment. Hoping to go in Septembet

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    2. Hi Amy!

      Just wanted to let you know I picked up A SIDE OF MURDER on Saturday! Can't wait to dig in to a book set just a small distance from me.

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    3. AMY: That's too bad about not being able to visit your son in Singapore but they are almost COVID-free according to Damyanti's post. They could only do that by keeping outsiders from coming in.

      Enjoy your first in-person grocery shopping experience!

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    4. Amy, I read your book this weekend and LOVED it!!! What a treat!!

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  19. We're waiting to be called. Our doctor established a waiting list way back when and now it's just a waiting game. I'm not planning on any big changes until I see the numbers drop even after the shots. No sense in tempting fate. My first excursion post COVID vaccine? Dinner out and meeting with friends. It will be fabulous.

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  20. I've had my first shot and will get round two in two weeks. My sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law have also had the first dose; my brother got a call from our medical system to get his, but he'd just gotten the pneumonia shot so he has to wait two weeks. But, we're getting there. And then we wait until the kids (in their 30s and 40s) can get theirs. And then, a big family dinner! I can't wait!

    As for travel, nothing that requires plane travel for a while. I'm just not comfortable with that yet, so no Bouchercon this year. But I hope to get to Chautauqua for at least a few days this summer.

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  21. Julia, before I forget--I read a headline that said 1/3 of younger military service members are refusing the vaccine! Disheartening to read, for sure.

    I lucked out with the vaccine, called a local provider to check whether I was still registered and got both appointments! I go Friday morning, and like others have mentioned, I felt almost weightless after getting scheduled--I will be floating after I actually get the shots! No big plans--I'll still mask up and keep my distance, but I can hang out with my older sister and I can stop worrying about bringing covid home every time I step out my door.

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    1. Yes, I SO agree about the weightlessness feeling! Amazing how physically different it is.

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    2. I've really noticed the difference--not shrinking away when someone comes toward me. And I hugged my daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law yesterday. That felt good! (SIL has had vaccines as he works at the veteran's home, daughter has had one as she is a high school coach and granddaughter has had the disease so no worries there).

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  22. Jim and I have had both vaccine doses..Kids and Grandkids are all in New Jersey so that's still out.. My baby boy (he's 48) came overnight last week..enroute to his 2nd home in SC and brought take out.. My son/DIL/Granddaughter/ Grandson all front line workers so they've had theirs so maybe when they come to see their Grands (My Greats ) in SC we'll get there.. NC relaxed some regs so HOPING for Library Book Club can be inside.. They
    ve got a BIG conference room..

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  23. Two of my Instagram friends who have Cystic Fibrosis finally got vaccinated. One got vaccinated because of her work and she mentioned in her stories that she got the vaccine because of her work, not CF. One had to call different pharmacies for two hours before she finally got an appointment for the vaccine.

    Like Jenn, I probably will get my vaccine in April? Several friends' parents got vaccinated because they are over 75 years old. However, I do not see myself travelling until 2022.

    Diana

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  24. Julia - it's interesting that you don't see much info about DoD's vaccination program. It's pretty common in the news here and it's discussed on social media a lot. We are a "navy town" though, and several of the ships that are homeported here have dealt with Covid outbreaks and strict quarantines. Unfortunately, most of the stories in the news and discussion on social media seems to be about the fact that 1/3 to 1/2 of service members are refusing the vaccine since it's not required as long as the FDA approval is under an emergency authorization.

    For myself, I am in the group that's labeled "everyone else". I decided that since we would reach herd immunity way before I'm eligible for a vaccine, the best thing I could do to help us get there faster would be to volunteer at a vaccine site. I'm working about 15 hours per week and finding it very rewarding. Everyone is so happy and grateful to be there. And as a bonus, they vaccinate the volunteers whenever possible, so I was able to get my first shot much sooner than I expected.

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    1. Cathy, for all those idiots we read about who are trying to jump the line--your story is refreshing--you're willing to wait your turn and decide to help others and look at the good that came to you!

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    2. Cathy, that's what my daughter and son in law did, also my grandson. They were given shots after working a 12 hour day directing traffic. Daughter and SIL got their second but grandson, now back in college, can't find anyone to give him a second shot as he's too young. So annoying.

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  25. I had my first shot on Valentine’s Day, which was my gift this year! My second will be on March 14, a few days after my birthday, so that’s another gift!

    I’m in Connecticut, which has been handling things fairly well. Getting in and out of the vaccine clinic was a breeze: twenty minutes, which included signing in, being screened, getting vaccinated, and waiting the required fifteen minutes before being allowed to leave. Friends in other parts of the country have told me horror stories about the process where they live.

    Two weeks after the second dose, I plan to return to church. It’ll be so nice to be an active participant instead of a viewer! For years, I’ve been taking the train to NJ to spend Easter weekend with my sister’s family, but I don’t feel comfortable yet with the idea of train travel. Also, none of them have been vaccinated yet, although they have been trying since January to get appointments. My sister will finally get hers on Tuesday. Her husband, who qualifies both by health issues and age, is still on the waiting list for an appointment. But I’ll be among familiar people at my own church on Easter!

    I’ve been holding off on scheduling knee replacement surgery, which I hope to have this spring, I wanted to be fully vaccinated first. I also want to see what happens with variants of the virus.

    I have no idea when I’ll return to the gym or to indoor restaurant dining. Our library has reopened, but with limited hours, and people are not allowed to stay for more than an hour. I’m just getting started when I’ve been there an hour! Many of my friends and I ate lunch outdoors at parks during the warmer months, and sometimes at a nearby restaurant that had outdoor dining. We’re planning to get together again for outdoor lunches after all of us have been vaccinated.

    The hardest thing for me has been not seeing my family. We’re spread out over three states. The one sibling here in CT is an hour and a half away. I had hot soup with her family, outside, the day after Thanksgiving, and then drove home. It wasn’t too cold, although we did need to wrap ourselves in blankets. It was much too cold at Christmas to get together.

    There IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

    DebRo

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    1. We are also in Connecticut and think they've done a good job. It has been a tough year, but if we come out the other side of this able to resume most activities, then I think we are very fortunate.

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  26. I get my second shot two weeks from today, and I have marked my calendar for March 29 (two weeks later) to visit Home Goods. I moved last June, in the middle of the pandemic, and I need to spruce up my surroundings a bit.

    I have considered my son and his family, who now live nearby, as my household, as well as my son in the Bay Area. So we have continued to see each other. I've gone to the grocery store, Costco, post office, library, and the like, and have done some outside dining at restaurants with my family. Oh, and curbside pickup at places like Home Depot, PetSmart, and Michael's, but I'm looking forward to branching out.

    I was so bummed to miss out on Left Coast Crime this year, as well as an in-person Bouchercon, because the latter is within an hour of driving distance. But I'm already registered for LCC next April in Albuquerque!

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    1. MARGIE: LCC2022 in Albuquerque is also my next booked conference after NOLA Bouchercon. Going to ABQ with a side excursion to Santa Fe is the plan. Hope to meet you there!

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    2. Still working my new home too, Margie. Who'd a thunk it would take so long. Albuquerque, huh? I have friends that I owe some face time to, pretty sure they live there... .... will need to check things out.

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  27. Thought I replied but don't see it.We both had 2nd shot 2 weeks ago.Youngest son stopped overnight last week.Kids/Grandkids in NJ and won't go there yet. Great grands in SC and son/DIL/Granddughter all had shots (rontlinework) so when they go there we may go Regsrelaxed here in NC so hoping library book club can meet safely

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  28. My hair is about five inches longer than it has been since I graduated from college, back in the Stone Age. So the first thing I want to do is schedule a haircut. In the best case scenario, it will be a full-on Hair Party with Debs and our friend Kathleen, wine, snacks, and lots of catch-up gossip!

    Sadly, it may be June before I can do that because, like Jenn and Julia, I'm at the back of the line. Not quite old enough. Not quite sick enough. Not quite dedicated enough to track down one or two of those odd, pop-up open slots I hear rumors of. My county has a 200,000 person wait list, all backed up when everything shut down for the Great Freeze. They aren't even taking new appointments at the moment. So I guess we'll see. The Dallas Winds has two live concerts scheduled in the near future, so I'll be taking some risks for the music. I made it through the Christmas concert, so maybe I'll be fine.

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    1. Gigi, I got my first haircut in a year on Friday. Well organized with safety protocols and it's good to see some shape to my hairstyle again. (I went really short this time)

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    2. I am in the same place as Gigi, Julia and Jenn. I'm not old enough, nor do I have any health problems. California has a dash board that will notify you when you are eligible. My husband works for Kaiser, and they will notify me as well when I am eligible. The best guess right now is May. One interesting note in California you can get vaccinated anywhere and by any provider. If I choose, I can go to another county to get the vaccine. My husband is over 65 and a health care Director, so he has been vaccinated. I still go to my law office as needed. Our gym has most equipment outside and I have continued to go several times a week. I also run outside in the morning most days. We have continued to see our children who are local and work from home most of the time. We have done take out, outdoor dining and indoor dining is reopening on Wednesday. I just received a jury notice for the Federal Grand Jury in San Francisco, 75 miles from my home, with a two week service requirement. Apparently, the ninth circuit is up and running. I will probably be excused, they don't like seating attorneys. We are planning a trip to Maui as soon as I am vaccinated. Eighty degrees here today, spring in here in force.

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  29. I have had my shots, living close to the University of South Florida's medical school helped keep things running very smoothly. We are still waiting for Amy's age group's turn. I had planned to do a "I am 75 world tour", this might become a "I am 76 world tour". Unless, if y'all will be live at NOLA Bouchercon count me in too. I also am quite eager to get back into the pool. Not sure if the city has opened them up yet. Soon I hope, it will be 80 degrees today.

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  30. I had my second shot in the end of January but my part of the state is still in the red tier so no church, no indoor dining and no removal of masks just because I've been inoculated. No non-essential travel outside my immediate area and my employer doesn't want us traveling either. I haven't done much beyond going to work which I've never stopped doing (no working from home option for me), grocery shopping, which is either done on the way home from work or midday on Saturday which is when it seems there is lighter traffic in the aisles. I do have lunch, at a restaurant, outside, a couple times a week because I really can't handle eating in the car and the director has put very limited restrictions on where we can eat in the office. I made a quick trip to my favorite local bookstore on Saturday, think I was there for maybe 10/15 minutes. I just needed a book fix. I've been to the dentist, and had three different type of MD appts, which is my normal beginning of the new year activities. The last one will be on Thursday and then I'd done until June. My first travel, in a plane, will be for my birthday in the June. Since I cancelled my Christmas trip, I need to use my plane ticket credits so I'm going to my sister's instead of her coming here.

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  31. Frank and I are both past the two weeks marks for our second shots. I guess we're good to go, with care of course. Neither our granddaughter nor my son have had shots yet. And the Reserve has not been making them available yet to soldiers. The local VA has been slow too. So, half our household is good and half are still unprotected. And that half are out there in the world more than we are.
    As for travel, Frank keeps talking about taking 3 days to go somewhere by car, just to get away. I had planned on something more ambitious roadtripwise, but family issues keep getting in the way. My little brother still can't drive with his arm in a brace and the earliest he may get rid of that is ten days away. And he had burst pipes in the freeze and is still waiting on a plumber, although the boys managed to patch things for him this weekend so he at least has water again. Yesterday he informed me his washer broke down. It is too old to fix, which means we will have to take him shopping for a new washer and dryer. And on top of everything I worry about his falling victim to a con. While the boys were there Saturday some man showed up, claiming to have an appointment to install solar power. A really hard sell and ignoring whatever my brother said. Finally Frank and Adrian ran him off. Then he tells me over the phone that he had made an appointment to have his air ducts cleaned. I have to find out who instigated it and if it's legit. And if that all sounds disjointed that is how conversation with my brother, who is mildly autistic, is. Sometimes I have to practically interrogate him with yes/no questions to figure out what is going on.

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  32. Pat, I feel for you dealing with your brother's problem--this past year has been hard enough, now the scum are coming out of the woodwork! Your brother is lucky to have you.

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  33. I have had both shots...reaction to second shot but short lived and not too uncomfortable. Here in Maine things are slowly changing but I am still not comfortable with eating in a restaurant or going into a crowded store. I am confident enough to get my hair cut...it is ridiculously long and will soon need its own zip code!
    I volunteer at a hospice and that is my only outside activity...their protocols are strict and I feel safe there.
    Looking for the weather to clear so I can enjoy eating outside!

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  34. Looking forward to being vaccinated! Yay to all who have been.

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  35. I’m 2 weeks past my second shot...the health club I work for is owned by the hospital and we house rehab areas! I will soon be planning a drive to NJ to see my mom, sister etc. but I’ve been watching my nephew play basketball through the very cool high school sports app! Hoping that by Bcon in NOLA things are safe enough to take a step back to some of the old norms.

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  36. Such a happy post so full of hope!

    I look forward to being vaccinated, but our turn will come up much later. Very pleased that some of my relatives have already taken the shots, with no ill effects whatsoever.

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  37. I'm so happy to hear that my favorite authors are well on their way to being safe, so you can write many more fine books to come! I honestly have no idea when it will be my turn. Every day, friends are (virtually) running up to me rejoicing, "I got my first shot!" and I'm so happy for them. I'm so glad they're protected now, and can lay down that daily worry about being infected, can start seeing their loved ones again. But I did finally figure out the weird deja vu feeling I've been having when that happens—it's exactly like senior year in high school. Remember when every day someone would come to class all thrilled, because they heard from their first choice university that they were IN! And you're happy for them. You are. But if you're still on the waiting list, it's also a little sad, because you're that much more alone. They no longer have to worry. Soon they'll be free to do all the things they'd been dreaming of, they'll be getting on with their future. I hope that soon, I will too.

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