Covid-19

Today we got the first of our two Covid-19 vaccines. It was Moderna. In another month, on March 19, we will get the second shot, and . . . the world will be a safer place. At least for us.

We did have to drive an hour to San Jose. Then sit in a veeeerrrrry slow-moving line of cars in a shopping center parking lot for two hours. It wasn't exactly easy-peasy. But it felt important. And we had our phones (and each other, not to mention the dog) to amuse us, so long as every so often I looked up to see if it was time to move yet. Usually it wasn't. 

Afterward, we did some geocaching. One walk took us along Coyote Creek, which would have been really lovely if it wasn't for the fact that it borders on Highway 101—so, traffic noise. But still: there were lots of beautiful oaks, lots of green clover, some meadows and ponds, and of course the creek itself. Also a few glorious trees, like these:

The one on the left: pink-flowered (plum?). The one on the right is . . . maybe a willow? They were both being heavily sun-kissed in gorgeous light. And yes, I messed with the photo, so who knows what it really looked like. But you can see the fellow there, taking photos of the blossoms; and his dog, seriously wanting to engage our Milo in play. There were cyclists on the paved path, and lots of walkers. And we found all the caches we were looking for.

Even with the two hours in the parking lot, it was a very nice day. And I haven't even mentioned the yummy gyros sandwiches.

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But while I'm at it, I'll provide an update on our county's Covid-19 stats. As of today, there are 41,787 confirmed cases, 66 current hospitalizations, and 315 deaths. The last time I posted any numbers was December 25: 24,538, 155, and 185, respectively. I don't know what cases and hospitalizations really mean—they fluctuate. But deaths: they don't; they simply increase. And the fact that there have been 130 deaths in the past less than two months, compared to 185 over the ten months previous? Well, it's something to think about. 

Stay safe. Get vaccinated when you can!