Yesterday, Skip got his first COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer). It took some effort online on Monday to get him the appointment as it was the first day for their system allowing 75+ folks to register. When we got to the vaccination site yesterday - a recreation complex in the next town - there was a very long lineup to get into the building. And these were all people with scheduled appointments.
While I waited in the car, Skip texted me with all the rumours that were going up and down the line - that not all appointed vaccinators showed up, that they're behind from earlier in the day, etc. He finally got in the building and processed after about 1/2 hour and 50 minutes after his appointed time, he got the shot. When he texted me that the deed was done and he was on his way out, I started crying with relief.
In the parking lot, we enacted the scene of two lovers running towards each other with outstretched arms and when we met, hugged and sobbed together with the release of the strain of having this horrible virus hanging over our heads for the past year. It doesn't mean he can't get COVID but it ensures that he wouldn't get sick enough to require hospitalization or possibly die.
When I tried to start the car to drive home, there was a horrible clicking sound and all the dashboard lights lit up and some were flashing. Crap! So I reached for my wallet, hauled out my CAA Plus card and called for a tow truck. We were informed that if the car was going to be towed that because of COVID we would have to arrange for our own transportation. My phone was at a 5% charge at this point so when I went to open my Uber app, it needed to be re-downloaded.
When the tow truck arrived, the operator suggested we try to jump start the engine. on the third try, the car started. Yay! I would have hugged the guy if we weren't socially distancing in a pandemic. He said I definitely needed a new battery and not to turn the car off until I got to the battery replacement place. We didn't need an Uber ride after all.
We drove home so I could drop Skip off and I could go pee - leaving the car on the street still running. When I got to Canadian Tire, they were able to replace the battery right away ($$$) and I headed to a fast food joint for a celebratory lunch.
The old battery was original to the 2014 vehicle so it so I had certainly gotten good use from it. The new one is only guaranteed for 3 years.
As a single woman back in the early 80s doing commuting to another city to visit a boyfriend on a regular basis, I joined the CAA to have some peace of mind that I would be able to get roadside assistance if I needed it. The membership fees have increased over the years but we have certainly been capably assisted several times, especially on our long drives to and from our southern winter holiday spots. I even bumped up the membership to CAA Plus so I could be towed more than 10km without added expense. Peace of mind counts for a lot these days.
Back at home, I did some therapeutic knitting. I realized the cafetière cozy I started wasn't the one I wanted to knit. I had taken a photo of one of the ones we were shown in Inisheer and when I got home from our Irish knitting tour, I reverse-engineered one of them and graphed it for my own use. That file was not on my newer laptop but I thought I'd try to find it on the external hard drive. Sure enough, the file was there. I raided my vast yarn stash once more and located a big ball of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool and cast on the project.
I'm loving the cables, rice stitch, and bobbles. The vertical pair of seemingly twisted stitches between two cables is the iconic 'snail's trail' which is executed on the wrong side (yo, k2, pass yo over the two knit stitches and in the next row, knit the 2 stitches on the right side). The bobble is in the middle of rice stitch centre of the cable.
I have about an inch left to knit. If the cozy isn't wide enough to go all the way around, I'll just knit button bands on the ends and make it work.
I didn't do a single stitch of embroidery yesterday - although I did participate on our Wednesday afternoon Zoom call while I was waiting at Canadian tire. However on Tuesday, I completed two more flowers on my blackwork botanical garden SAL.
Chrysanthemums
and orchids.
I'm really enjoying this project. There's just enough stitching of each flower to keep me interested but not so much that I get tired of it. I plan to get a couple more done today.
Tomorrow Skip is undergoing surgery so I will take some stitching and knitting to keep me occupied while I wait to drive him home. Not sure how much ministering to the sick will be required of me afterwards nor for how long but I'm ready for whatever we have to deal with to get him through this.
I'm so glad he got vaccinated before the surgery.
Ontario is the only place in the world where the second COVID shot is being delayed for 4 months. It was a totally arbitrary decision made because of the limited supply of vaccine we are able to acquire. There has been no research showing that this is a good alternative to the initial 3 week waiting period. It will also be a while before I can get my first shot. Hopefully it will be sooner than originally planned as vaccines come flooding into Canada. I also hope that the 4 month gap between doese will be shortened once we have more vaccine available.
It's ready to pour.
I only have a couple of flowers to catch up on my blackwork SAL. Passion flower was Week 13s flower in one of the outer borders. I will keep it in reserve to substitute for a less interesting (to me) flower.
