I will make one more stop at the grocery this morning, take some goodies to the volunteers at the Senior Thrift store and then home to bake some cookies for the grandkids. It’s another autumn day in winter around here. I keep recalling the scene in White Christmas when they have no snow but on Christmas Day it did snow…oh that it would play out that way here!! ⛄️ And no..there is no voice like Nat…but his daughter Natalie had an amazing voice and I so enjoy the mix she did singing his old songs with him…that was genius!
I am amazed at the wonderful voices some people have. For example, the medical personal who sang at the Whitehouse for the Christmas special. Just amazing.
We had our Christmas celebration. We had so much fun with all the family except the grandson in Okinawa and one son-in-law. He just didn’t come. We were not happy about that. We all met in a Villa near a ski hill (although we and one daughter and two of her children came back to our house for the night. Several people had fun skiing or snowboarding. We played a lot of games and visited all shared holiday food and opened gifts. Just priceless. They surprised me with a big birthday banner for my upcoming birthday, as well. All in all, a wonderful time. The SIL, who didn’t come, missed out on a lot of fun and precious memories with his wife and children. He isn’t a skier, but there was so much else going on and the first time a couple of his children skied.
In spite of some bad traveling weather, all came and went safely. Thank the Lord.
Chas, good to see you and hear that you had breakfast and prayed for us this morning.
Kathaleena, I cannot speak for son in law but I can speak for me. Situations like that overwhelm me. Yes, I have done it with the military but with family? Not so much. I get together with small groups but not usually for the big events. As in the cruise. They go on their cruises but I do not. They have a great time. So do I. And we see each other now and again and enjoy time together.
Yes, I understand that very well, mumsee. Sometimes you have to suck it up and be uncomfortable and that is all it would have been, I believe. There was a room downstairs that was mostly (or completely) empty most of the time. The ski chalet was not full except for at lunch time and it was a huge room, so not crowded. I don’t believe that was his issue. Life goes on, however. Time goes by and cannot be retrieved. He is a good in many ways. I don’t think this was his best moment, however.
I also like Nat King Cole (and yes, his daughter). But I never had any of their recordings (though I think I have Natalie’s “This Will Be (an Everlasting Love)” on my digital music.
I’m still not that adept at playing that from my phone either on my sound device at home or in the car. And much of it isn’t that organized on the phone.
Christmas feels almost over now for me. Not that it ever “was” this year on my end, never got outdoor decorations out. I did get the mantel lighted up and that can go until winter leaves as it’s not specifically Christmas-themed.
The orthopedic doctor gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory (super-strength ibuprofen, basically) that made a huge difference for my knee when I took it for the first time yesterday. It’s 1 a day, I’ll try to just do it ‘as needed,’ but wow, amazing relief all day long.
Kathaleena, that sounds like a very fun time that will leave some good, lasting memories for everyone.
Glad to hear Christmas is “happening” in some of our corners!
I finally reached the person I needed for the story I was hoping to do — but now I also have been roped into contacting 2 on our long list of hospitals to get comments on omicron for a regional look at how hospitals are doing. Groan.
We haven’t really had a surge in LA County at this point — and some are saying this will be the beginning of the end for all of this in the earlier part of next year. My GP said she anticipates this variant outbreak will move fast — and once the weather warms up again we’ll be able to finally turn the corner.
Meanwhile, I’m kicking myself with my bad knee that I didn’t have the foresight this year to request some time off during the holidays. Sigh. Well, I’ll aim for January. I feel really burned out again.
Speaking of calendars. I have received thirty four calendars this year. From various organizations hoping to convince me to send them money. I have never sent money to any of them. I have sent money to some places. Those places do not send me calendars. I do not need thirty four calendars. I did not send any money in response to the calendars.
Not to be a wet blanket, but isn’t that what we said at this time last year? Vaccines are coming out and once the weather warms up again we’ll turn the corner?
No Kevin you just have a good memory. And the one’s telling us we would turn the corner after the vaccines probably wish you didn’t 😊 I do believe some in the “know” thought we would have taken a turn for the better but it seems we take one step forward and three steps back with this thing!
I went into town and finished my shopping. People are crazy out there! I am not leaving this house again until Sunday! If I forgot something…it’s just going to remain forgot!
NYT: BREAKING NEWS
Omicron cases seem less severe compared with previous variants, new studies suggest. But experts warned that hospitals could still be flooded. <Wednesday, December 22, 2021 3:01 PM EST
And …
BREAKING NEWS
Reports of new coronavirus infections in South Africa are beginning to slow, suggesting its Omicron wave may have peaked, researchers said. Wednesday, December 22, 2021 1:08 PM EST
Hey, we all thought we’d be out of “this” by now. We all have pretty good memories, I think.
It’s been a very tough stretch and a challenge to us individually as well as collectively. How are we doing?
I’m not overly encouraged by either my own ability to withstand all of this with any kind of grace or patience — or about our nation’s ability to deal with it.
I think part of the problem has been the “experts” who guessed what to do and were wrong a lot, changing the protocol and confusing us with mixed messages.
~ Science is incremental. In the best case, understanding changes. And in this complicated global crisis, both under former President Donald Trump and Biden, everybody has gotten stuff wrong.
“Sure we’ve messed up parts of public health communication. Nobody’s been right all the time,” said Megan Ranney, an emergency physician in Rhode Island and a professor at Brown Medical School who is among the doctors who appear on television to try to explain the pandemic to the public.
Public health officials have to plan for the worst; it’s their job. But when the worst doesn’t happen, instead of thanking our collective lucky stars, too many people just decide that public health experts are fools or liars.
“For people who can understand that science evolves and changes over time, that’s one thing. For those who translate uncertainty into mistrust, it makes for a confusing and difficult environment,” said Mollyann Brodie, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation who oversees polling on the pandemic and vaccination. ~
Fortunately for us now, there are some very good-grade masks now available, including K95, KN95, and medical-grade surgical masks that are disposable and inexpensive.
The kids finished the Christmas tree today after Isaac arrived. 🙂
We did Chik-fil-a for dinner and then they decorated. It’s their first Christmas and first Christmas tree. They also got some special ornaments to put on in commemoration. It’s funny, because as Elizabeth was decorating, she pulled out Cheryl and I’s first Christmas ornament and put that on too. 🙂
Very sweet tree! Love all the colors and couple of the animal faces I can see.
My tree this year is outside, Charlie Brown 2 which I water every day. I still need to hang a bulb on it!
I noticed our big corner Christmas tree lot looked shuttered last night — lights out, except the tall Oregon tree all lit up was still in place. They usually sell out early.
Reminds me of my parents’ story about moving into a largely orthodox Jewish section of LA/Hollywood after they were first married. Being from Iowa, they were sort of clueless and they looked and looked for a Christmas tree lot, they could not figure out why there were none. ??
They finally found a random, stand-alone tree lot and the guy, who probably was Jewish they figured out later, gave them a tree for free, I think this was on Christmas Eve.
I started out buying the cloth masks but quickly got tired of washing them all the time. They also were really hard to breathe through during PT for my knee (all the therapists wore the lighter-disposable masks back then which actually were more protective we found out later).
I quickly switched to the disposable masks, way easier, very cheap — I keep a box in the car for grocery store and other trips.
Finishing up my parents’ tree story, they were always grateful for the kindness he showed that night. They were Iowa babes in the big-city LA woods when they first got married and were determined to settle in California, which was the Promised Land before Texas took that designation.
I think he’s gone now, tossed himself into the dryer perhaps.
The other thing on science being an incremental task that must be tested and re-tested — it always makes me smile when someone utters that phrase “The science is settled.”
Almost never is that true, science is a process and there is always more to learn.
Jo, if I got a calendar just from an organization I gave to, I would be fine with that. But to get thirty four calendars, some of them repeats from the same organization, from people I have never supported does not encourage me to support them. A single one from somebody I supported might remind me I want to give to them. This way just looks like misuse of funds sent to help somebody somewhere.
And do not get me started on packets of Christmas cards and return address labels….
Though those all have a use and my grandchildren get lots of Christmas cards throughout the year.
ok, I got down to the clinic in time to watch them load Jediel and then finally leave. I took pictures and then found Wendy. I showed her how smoothly Gavin took off with no bumps and that God was taking care. Then I told her what the clinic told me that Gavin was flying for MAF today and would just drop Jediel off. MAF would cover most of the cost and I told her that I would take care of the rest. I took some things down and she took them all: a towel and wash cloth, peanut butter, popcorn, salt, panadol, rice. She will be feeding him. They told her the hospital would give her a pot. Then I had her get in my van, because there were lots of others just there watching. And I gave her some money. She has a good leather crossbody bag that I brought her from Australia to keep her money safe. Traveling around here is dangerous.
And I just got off the phone with the second of 2 doctors I had to interview today — they both said it’s been a complete learning curve everyone had to go through, including them, as this virus took a while to understand.
I know it’s been frustrating, and advice sometimes has changed, but this was something we’d not experienced, a new virus, and nothing much was known at all about it in those early months.
It’s been a busy day, first to Sam’s by 8 am and then to REI at 9 a.m. for starters.
Then I made Chick Pea Patties for lunch which looked almost like salmon patties. I wonder if Art woild know the difference?
Wesley said he had a friend at Covenant who had a t-shirt that said something like, “It’s not an awful day when I have falafel.” So I learned how to pronounce the name of the food similar to what I had made. Wesley gobbled them up. That is always good to see when one tries a new recipe.
Later we went to a nearby park so I could get photos, and we took a short hike.
Now I am making pizzas. It has been a good day.
Art will be home soon. He says he is about the same. That is good news since he is not worse.
Art is put out with Georgia Power for charging him three times the norm for power at the office. They insist it is correct billing but it was mostly a warm month and the bill should haver been down instead of exhorbitant.
Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research think they have created a new vaccine that is effective against all COVID and SARS variants, according to a new report.
“Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide,” Defense One first reported.
“The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well,” says the report.
Phase 1 of trials on humans, which reportedly tested the vaccine against Omicron and other variants, concluded this month, but the vaccine still needs to go through phase 2 and phase 3 trials.
“Unlike existing vaccines, Walter Reed’s SpFN uses a soccer-ball-shaped protein with 24 faces for its vaccine, which allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the protein,” Defense One notes.”
I just took all three filled trash bins down to the curb before realizing I was a day early. Our pickup isn’t until Friday and this is only Wednesday.
Sigh. My mind is scattered.
Rain is supposed to start shortly here and continue through tomorrow and Friday. But looks like clouds only on Saturday, so maybe no rain on Christmas Day which will make it a lot easier for everyone who needs to go somewhere.
______________________
Quote from one of the ER doctors I interviewed today: “When this started last year we really didn’t know anything about this virus, whether it was going to be very aggressive and deadly or just be an annoyance. We didn’t know how to treat it in terms in intubating early or late.”
When recommendations about wearing or not wearing masks seemed to go back and forth: “We didn’t understand the virus,” if a different virus came along it might call for different responses.
______________________
All things considered, I think they did as well as could be expected after being literally blind-sided by this disease. They were flying blind through the early months.
Wandering Views 
Is there a singer more Rick in tone than Nat King Cole? Off to hunt up his Christmas CD.
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Rich
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning! Good morning, Chas. Where are you????
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I am here Mumww. I 2q bwfoe , vbu ldr o Br3eaakfsa ND PEYE, 5RX. #2FUL mo3ninr 4hinr.
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sOR44Y bout thaaat. My 91 yer old eyes didn’r cr h ir.
I’m doing my besrt here.
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Good Morning Chas!! So good to see you!!
I will make one more stop at the grocery this morning, take some goodies to the volunteers at the Senior Thrift store and then home to bake some cookies for the grandkids. It’s another autumn day in winter around here. I keep recalling the scene in White Christmas when they have no snow but on Christmas Day it did snow…oh that it would play out that way here!! ⛄️ And no..there is no voice like Nat…but his daughter Natalie had an amazing voice and I so enjoy the mix she did singing his old songs with him…that was genius!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am amazed at the wonderful voices some people have. For example, the medical personal who sang at the Whitehouse for the Christmas special. Just amazing.
We had our Christmas celebration. We had so much fun with all the family except the grandson in Okinawa and one son-in-law. He just didn’t come. We were not happy about that. We all met in a Villa near a ski hill (although we and one daughter and two of her children came back to our house for the night. Several people had fun skiing or snowboarding. We played a lot of games and visited all shared holiday food and opened gifts. Just priceless. They surprised me with a big birthday banner for my upcoming birthday, as well. All in all, a wonderful time. The SIL, who didn’t come, missed out on a lot of fun and precious memories with his wife and children. He isn’t a skier, but there was so much else going on and the first time a couple of his children skied.
In spite of some bad traveling weather, all came and went safely. Thank the Lord.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank You Lord
LikeLiked by 6 people
Chas, good to see you and hear that you had breakfast and prayed for us this morning.
Kathaleena, I cannot speak for son in law but I can speak for me. Situations like that overwhelm me. Yes, I have done it with the military but with family? Not so much. I get together with small groups but not usually for the big events. As in the cruise. They go on their cruises but I do not. They have a great time. So do I. And we see each other now and again and enjoy time together.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, I understand that very well, mumsee. Sometimes you have to suck it up and be uncomfortable and that is all it would have been, I believe. There was a room downstairs that was mostly (or completely) empty most of the time. The ski chalet was not full except for at lunch time and it was a huge room, so not crowded. I don’t believe that was his issue. Life goes on, however. Time goes by and cannot be retrieved. He is a good in many ways. I don’t think this was his best moment, however.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Understandable. I am certain he had his reasoning, whether good or bad. And he did miss out.
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I also like Nat King Cole (and yes, his daughter). But I never had any of their recordings (though I think I have Natalie’s “This Will Be (an Everlasting Love)” on my digital music.
I’m still not that adept at playing that from my phone either on my sound device at home or in the car. And much of it isn’t that organized on the phone.
Christmas feels almost over now for me. Not that it ever “was” this year on my end, never got outdoor decorations out. I did get the mantel lighted up and that can go until winter leaves as it’s not specifically Christmas-themed.
The orthopedic doctor gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory (super-strength ibuprofen, basically) that made a huge difference for my knee when I took it for the first time yesterday. It’s 1 a day, I’ll try to just do it ‘as needed,’ but wow, amazing relief all day long.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Good to hear, DJ. Constant pain is debilitating even if it is light.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Kathaleena, that sounds like a very fun time that will leave some good, lasting memories for everyone.
Glad to hear Christmas is “happening” in some of our corners!
I finally reached the person I needed for the story I was hoping to do — but now I also have been roped into contacting 2 on our long list of hospitals to get comments on omicron for a regional look at how hospitals are doing. Groan.
We haven’t really had a surge in LA County at this point — and some are saying this will be the beginning of the end for all of this in the earlier part of next year. My GP said she anticipates this variant outbreak will move fast — and once the weather warms up again we’ll be able to finally turn the corner.
Meanwhile, I’m kicking myself with my bad knee that I didn’t have the foresight this year to request some time off during the holidays. Sigh. Well, I’ll aim for January. I feel really burned out again.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Speaking of calendars. I have received thirty four calendars this year. From various organizations hoping to convince me to send them money. I have never sent money to any of them. I have sent money to some places. Those places do not send me calendars. I do not need thirty four calendars. I did not send any money in response to the calendars.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Not to be a wet blanket, but isn’t that what we said at this time last year? Vaccines are coming out and once the weather warms up again we’ll turn the corner?
OK, maybe I am a wet blanket…
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Kevin: It’s complicated.
(Although as my veterinarian said, we’d have been in a much worse state without the vaccines.)
I think our expectations were high. And there also were a lot of folks who resisted the vaccines, so that also complicated the scenario.
And so here we are. 🙂
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No Kevin you just have a good memory. And the one’s telling us we would turn the corner after the vaccines probably wish you didn’t 😊 I do believe some in the “know” thought we would have taken a turn for the better but it seems we take one step forward and three steps back with this thing!
I went into town and finished my shopping. People are crazy out there! I am not leaving this house again until Sunday! If I forgot something…it’s just going to remain forgot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
NYT: BREAKING NEWS
Omicron cases seem less severe compared with previous variants, new studies suggest. But experts warned that hospitals could still be flooded. <Wednesday, December 22, 2021 3:01 PM EST
And …
BREAKING NEWS
Reports of new coronavirus infections in South Africa are beginning to slow, suggesting its Omicron wave may have peaked, researchers said. Wednesday, December 22, 2021 1:08 PM EST
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/omicron-end-of-pandemic/621089/
It also turns out we're not a particularly patient generation.
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Hey, we all thought we’d be out of “this” by now. We all have pretty good memories, I think.
It’s been a very tough stretch and a challenge to us individually as well as collectively. How are we doing?
I’m not overly encouraged by either my own ability to withstand all of this with any kind of grace or patience — or about our nation’s ability to deal with it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I just keep reminding myself, pandemics don’t last forever, pandemics don’t last forever, pandemics don’t last forever.
And then I click my heels three times …
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I think part of the problem has been the “experts” who guessed what to do and were wrong a lot, changing the protocol and confusing us with mixed messages.
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Speaking of confusion, how about the CNN medical expert saying cloth masks are useless?
https://notthebee.com/article/cnn-medical-expert-leana-wen-says-cloth-masks-are-little-more-than-facial-decorations
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oh, Dj, so happy for some relief. I think I could use that med.
Not hurting at the moment, but has been hurting everyday, especially last night.
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Meloxicam, 15 mg
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Peter, yes, cloth masks have been found to be the least effective.
LikeLiked by 1 person
From a Politico piece:
~ Science is incremental. In the best case, understanding changes. And in this complicated global crisis, both under former President Donald Trump and Biden, everybody has gotten stuff wrong.
“Sure we’ve messed up parts of public health communication. Nobody’s been right all the time,” said Megan Ranney, an emergency physician in Rhode Island and a professor at Brown Medical School who is among the doctors who appear on television to try to explain the pandemic to the public.
Public health officials have to plan for the worst; it’s their job. But when the worst doesn’t happen, instead of thanking our collective lucky stars, too many people just decide that public health experts are fools or liars.
“For people who can understand that science evolves and changes over time, that’s one thing. For those who translate uncertainty into mistrust, it makes for a confusing and difficult environment,” said Mollyann Brodie, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation who oversees polling on the pandemic and vaccination. ~
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/12/21/bidens-impossible-task-omicron-edition-525859
The data on mask type & effectiveness took some time to sort out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fortunately for us now, there are some very good-grade masks now available, including K95, KN95, and medical-grade surgical masks that are disposable and inexpensive.
It all took time and research.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The kids finished the Christmas tree today after Isaac arrived. 🙂
We did Chik-fil-a for dinner and then they decorated. It’s their first Christmas and first Christmas tree. They also got some special ornaments to put on in commemoration. It’s funny, because as Elizabeth was decorating, she pulled out Cheryl and I’s first Christmas ornament and put that on too. 🙂
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎁🎁🎁🎁🎄🎁🎁🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
LikeLiked by 4 people
Very sweet tree! Love all the colors and couple of the animal faces I can see.
My tree this year is outside, Charlie Brown 2 which I water every day. I still need to hang a bulb on it!
I noticed our big corner Christmas tree lot looked shuttered last night — lights out, except the tall Oregon tree all lit up was still in place. They usually sell out early.
Reminds me of my parents’ story about moving into a largely orthodox Jewish section of LA/Hollywood after they were first married. Being from Iowa, they were sort of clueless and they looked and looked for a Christmas tree lot, they could not figure out why there were none. ??
They finally found a random, stand-alone tree lot and the guy, who probably was Jewish they figured out later, gave them a tree for free, I think this was on Christmas Eve.
I started out buying the cloth masks but quickly got tired of washing them all the time. They also were really hard to breathe through during PT for my knee (all the therapists wore the lighter-disposable masks back then which actually were more protective we found out later).
I quickly switched to the disposable masks, way easier, very cheap — I keep a box in the car for grocery store and other trips.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Finishing up my parents’ tree story, they were always grateful for the kindness he showed that night. They were Iowa babes in the big-city LA woods when they first got married and were determined to settle in California, which was the Promised Land before Texas took that designation.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh, I see a cranberry garland too, real or not, very pretty. I have one of those in a box in the garage …
One year my mom decided we needed to string real popcorn and cranberries, that was fun — but sort of labor-intensive lol
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Hey! Who brought in the wet blanket???
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I think he’s gone now, tossed himself into the dryer perhaps.
The other thing on science being an incremental task that must be tested and re-tested — it always makes me smile when someone utters that phrase “The science is settled.”
Almost never is that true, science is a process and there is always more to learn.
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where did the train goi??
loved that picture, but it disappeared
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Boy, am I glad that I didn’t send a calendar to Mumsee. The ones I sent were a thank you to all who had so blessed me this year.
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Jo, if I got a calendar just from an organization I gave to, I would be fine with that. But to get thirty four calendars, some of them repeats from the same organization, from people I have never supported does not encourage me to support them. A single one from somebody I supported might remind me I want to give to them. This way just looks like misuse of funds sent to help somebody somewhere.
And do not get me started on packets of Christmas cards and return address labels….
Though those all have a use and my grandchildren get lots of Christmas cards throughout the year.
LikeLike
ok, I got down to the clinic in time to watch them load Jediel and then finally leave. I took pictures and then found Wendy. I showed her how smoothly Gavin took off with no bumps and that God was taking care. Then I told her what the clinic told me that Gavin was flying for MAF today and would just drop Jediel off. MAF would cover most of the cost and I told her that I would take care of the rest. I took some things down and she took them all: a towel and wash cloth, peanut butter, popcorn, salt, panadol, rice. She will be feeding him. They told her the hospital would give her a pot. Then I had her get in my van, because there were lots of others just there watching. And I gave her some money. She has a good leather crossbody bag that I brought her from Australia to keep her money safe. Traveling around here is dangerous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I just got off the phone with the second of 2 doctors I had to interview today — they both said it’s been a complete learning curve everyone had to go through, including them, as this virus took a while to understand.
I know it’s been frustrating, and advice sometimes has changed, but this was something we’d not experienced, a new virus, and nothing much was known at all about it in those early months.
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Good job, Jo.
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It’s been a busy day, first to Sam’s by 8 am and then to REI at 9 a.m. for starters.
Then I made Chick Pea Patties for lunch which looked almost like salmon patties. I wonder if Art woild know the difference?
Wesley said he had a friend at Covenant who had a t-shirt that said something like, “It’s not an awful day when I have falafel.” So I learned how to pronounce the name of the food similar to what I had made. Wesley gobbled them up. That is always good to see when one tries a new recipe.
Later we went to a nearby park so I could get photos, and we took a short hike.
Now I am making pizzas. It has been a good day.
Art will be home soon. He says he is about the same. That is good news since he is not worse.
Art is put out with Georgia Power for charging him three times the norm for power at the office. They insist it is correct billing but it was mostly a warm month and the bill should haver been down instead of exhorbitant.
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This would be nice.
“Report: Army Has Developed Single Vaccine That Protects From All Variants Of COVID-19, SARS”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-army-has-developed-single-vaccine-that-protects-from-all-variants-of-covid-19-sars
“Leave it to the U.S. Army to figure it all out.
Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research think they have created a new vaccine that is effective against all COVID and SARS variants, according to a new report.
“Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide,” Defense One first reported.
“The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well,” says the report.
Phase 1 of trials on humans, which reportedly tested the vaccine against Omicron and other variants, concluded this month, but the vaccine still needs to go through phase 2 and phase 3 trials.
“Unlike existing vaccines, Walter Reed’s SpFN uses a soccer-ball-shaped protein with 24 faces for its vaccine, which allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the protein,” Defense One notes.”
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, many new developments coming forth now in terms of prevention and treatments. It all took time and research.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I just took all three filled trash bins down to the curb before realizing I was a day early. Our pickup isn’t until Friday and this is only Wednesday.
Sigh. My mind is scattered.
Rain is supposed to start shortly here and continue through tomorrow and Friday. But looks like clouds only on Saturday, so maybe no rain on Christmas Day which will make it a lot easier for everyone who needs to go somewhere.
______________________
Quote from one of the ER doctors I interviewed today: “When this started last year we really didn’t know anything about this virus, whether it was going to be very aggressive and deadly or just be an annoyance. We didn’t know how to treat it in terms in intubating early or late.”
When recommendations about wearing or not wearing masks seemed to go back and forth: “We didn’t understand the virus,” if a different virus came along it might call for different responses.
______________________
All things considered, I think they did as well as could be expected after being literally blind-sided by this disease. They were flying blind through the early months.
LikeLiked by 1 person