This photo of empty meat shelves in my local supermarket may be extreme, but all fall we've been noticing shortages of "normal" items in the grocery stores and pharmacies. I had gone into the supermarket to pick up a prescription in the pharmacy department but couldn't help but notice the depleted shelves in the produce, dairy and meat sections. I think the depleted shelves were due to a combination of factors: it was a few days after New Year's; and there was a significant snowfall in our area (which doesn't handle snow well) which led to a 36 hour road closure on Interstate 95 south of us. Plus all the supply chain issues which have become so normal they aren't even news anymore. Every time I see empty shelves or see the "out of stock" notation when shopping online, I think of the shops in the countries of the former Soviet Union and the long lines that were standard for people in those countries decades ago just to buy staples. Obviously, it isn't that bad here... but honestly, I never expected to see this situation here. And of course, these supply chain issues are most critically important when it has meant that health care professionals and medical facilities have not had the equipment and resources they need to fight this pandemic. Or when we had to made do with poorly made masks. Sigh.... it is not a good way to start the new year.... I honestly just wish this -- the coronavirus -- was over.
January 10, 2022
I finally got an appointment for a vaccine, and got the first shot a couple days ago. The feeling of "it's too good to be true" is overwhelming. It's no exaggeration, I simply can't imagine being safe from the virus. I know I won't be protected until 2 weeks after the second shot, but just the thought of life without this all-encompassing fear and sorrow is unimaginable. Literally unimaginable. And, in a stroke of irony, the day I got my shot, our state health department announced that the new varient has been found in my extremely remote county and the surrounding counties, and is causing a surge in new cases. I live in a town that was designated 'the middle of nowhere', as it is furthest from any metropolitan area of any town in the US. It's a two and a half hour drive to the nearest larger town. Yet the variant is here, and if it's in the middle of nowhere, it is everywhere. More fear, can't escape it yet. Stay safe. Wear your mask. Please get your vaccine when it's available to you.
March 21, 2021