Vaxxed

Checking every day last week with Walgreen’s, where vaccine and appointments were available, but just not in my area; while simultaneously checking Costco for vaccine availability, on Saturday I saw that Costco finally showed "vaccine available" and immediately began the process of snagging an appointment.

I was ready to get it done that day, Saturday, but today was the earliest appointment day available and, thus far, there are only three appointments available per day — 10:15 am, 10:30 am, 10:45 am.

That seems strange and, to me, reads as an indication of there might not be a lot of vaccine available, they are limiting how much they use in a day to make what they have last until more becomes available.

At any rate, I was lucky to have snagged the 10:45 am at not my regular Costco, but a different Costco within driving distance.

So, not only are appointments limited to 3 slots per day, not all the local Costco’s have vaccine available.

I guess we can thank JFK, Jr. for the chaos, but at least I got it done.

The price went up a bit — from $139.99 last year to $141.99, not reimbursable by my medical provider, but it is what it is.

Once the friendly pharmacist jabbed my arm, complimented me in "looking so good for my age", to which I replied, "Divine Grace, the Grace of God", I browsed the holiday decoration isle. Halloween was up one isle, Christmas down the other side, with Halloween already sold out on some decorations.

I don’t need any more decorations; actually, I don’t have room for anything other than the usual spiderweb stuff and a pumpkin for my skeleton to trick or treat with, but I still like to look at what’s out there.

This was cute ……

I did actually think about buying it for the great grandkids, but I don’t think I’ll make it down that way by Halloween. In fact, who knows when I’ll make it down that way again (Long Beach). Hopefully, it’s before they forget I even exist.

Driving back into the complex, I drove past what looked to be a uniformed caregiver pushing a woman in a wheelchair, with another woman following carrying groceries.

I flashed back to just yesterday, when seeing Not Dead Nancy’s next-door neighbor out and about, asked if Nancy had returned, she'd said "Yes. She's in a wheelchair now".

For newer readers, Not Dead Nancy is thus named because, at one time, we had two Nancys — a Black one and a White one. When the White one passed away and there were conversations where the name Nancy was mentioned, the talker clarified which by saying, "The Nancy that’s not dead".

Not Dead Nancy came to us from New York, and was a hoot and a holler with her relationship with the financially well off alcoholic resident, who passed away, and her pursuit of other males on the complex after he was gone. Like the time she walked up to my old buddy Apache, asked "Do you need a girlfriend?", LOL.

NDN was bold, brash and a lot of fun until, in 2021, she suddenly disappeared. When asking if she'd moved, I was told she'd been hospitalized.

Since then, asking about Nancy, it's been that she’s been in/out of hospitals, for what I never knew, but was technically still a resident here.

Yesterday, seeing Nancy's next-door neighbor when I went to pick up mail, I was told Nancy was back, but was now wheelchair bound. I thought to pay her a visit, but had not yet gotten around to it.

Driving past that group with a woman in a wheelchair got me to thinking, "Is that Nancy?".

I hurried up to park, fast walked to catch up with the group, arrived at Nancy’s door just after the group had entered, called out to her.

What I saw was heartbreaking. I didn’t recognize her. The voice was the same, but gone was the vibrant fit Nancy I knew. She’s aged considerably, but that's understandable because illness will do that to a body. I know when I have a gut episode, the constant discomfort begins to take a toll on my body, I begin to look and feel worn down, ratchet.

When telling Nancy that I've not seen her in four years, she said she kept getting hospitalized but had seen me in the Community Room a few weeks ago.

I didn't remember seeing Nancy in the room but later, after thinking about it, I flashed back to that Pizza Tuesday when the seniors were arguing, I’d seen what I took to be a new resident in a wheelchair at the door, told everyone to not fight in front of company, THAT WAS NANCY!

OMG! I didn’t even recognize her and they wheeled her right by me, which tells you how much she's changed.

I don’t think I’ll be visiting Nancy again. It hurts my heart to see her the way she now is. In fact, right now, I’m feeling a throbbing sensation on my left temple, like a lopsided headache.

Is that from the shock of seeing Nancy looking nothing like the Nancy I knew, or from this morning’s vaccine ?????.

So far, the arm only hurts when I move it.