Hello and Welcome! Come on over and I’ll get you a nice large mug of very strong dark roast, a cuppa tea or some hot cocoa. It is still cold and wet out here, but not raining. or snowing! The flowers are very beat up, but still beautiful, so let’s just look at the flowers as we sip our coffee. Oh, where are we, you ask? Some of you may recognize the photo at the top as begin from New Hampshire. I am thinking of updating my spring NH photo from this mid-March on to mid-April with lots of flowers. We’ll see…
Anyway, you may have noticed that I said “snow” up in that last paragraph. This is a longish story, so make sure you have plenty of coffee, and let’s go.
As soon as my age group was eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, I went on line and signed up. Yesterday was the day for my first shot! Of course, the vaccine location was an hour drive away, but, hey, work was flexible and no problem takign time off.
The problem was the weather. It was pouring rain when I left. Actually, it was a nasty mix of rain and snow. Not much was sticking, but it was sure coming down. And I could not keep my windows fog free, no matter how hard I tried. If it wasn’t for the shot, I would not have left the house!
So, down to the vaccine center, and enter in the pouring rain/snow mix. Go through the maze (I think to keep people separated, but it was efficient). Shot done. Sit for 20 minutes, next appointment made. May 40 minutes total inside.
There was 3 inches/8 cm of wet, heavy snow over everything, and it was coming down fast and furious. I cleaned the car, and it was already covered. i had the windshield wipers on, and cleaned the windows again before I got into the car, but by the time I was sitting, the wipers were pretty clogged with ice.
Everything on full blast, and the windows stayed foggy, though I constantly wiped around my with a towel.
The roads were slick, very, very slick. nasty.
So we inched out way to the highway. The highway was much clearer, or at least one of the three lanes was. It was quite the mess though! You had people on the highway going 20 mph (32 kph) and others still going 60 mph (100 kph) or faster, just weaving in and out, rocketing from left to right lane and back. I was on the highway for only about 6 or 7 miles (10 km), and the conditions were improved by the time I got off.
And they continued to improve. Snow was still coming down, but not at a total whiteout. There was less and less snow on the road and even the snow beside the road melted fast.
Currently you can still see snow in a few select spots, but it melted very fast.
Besides snow and shots, I worked, I ran and exercised, though not as much as usual (weather, dogs, etc.), I walked dogs and played with them, I read, I wrote, I practiced and played music and I read. I’m sure there are things I missed, but that was pretty much my week.
Even though it is damp and cool, I am hoping to get out some today and I have to exercise, dogs bothering me or not!
I will be in and out and around on occasion.
Thanks for stopping by! If you have a coffee share, I will try to visit, but no promises.
Natalie the Explorer is now the host of the weekend coffee share and she is doing a wonderful job. Stop in at this week’s main share page or go to the InLinkzlinkup to see all of the other shares!
Trent's World (the Blog) 
Hello from northeast Ohio 👋
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Hello! I am originally from Ohio and still have family there. More north-central than northeast, between Cleveland and Toledo. I grew up in a small town called Vermilion. Hope you are having a good week :)
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My family is all from vermilion and my parents live there!!!
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A small world :) My parents live in Vermilion, as does my oldest sister.
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What a small world indeed! I will be posting lots of photos from that area as we go there ALL the time! It’s my happy place!
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Love the mug in the top pic. I’d definitely take a large mug of coffee. We had unseasonably hot weather for a few days here in the PNW.
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I do like that mug, and the back yard is great, though it is a lot greener now than when I took the photo! Today was pretty warm (70), but it will get cool again for a day or two before getting closer to normal.
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Thanks for the coffee!
I had my first shot 3 weeks ago. However, almost no one is getting a second shot until everyone gets 1 shot, in Canada
The doc told me 3 -4 months. Sigh! I’m not sure how that will work.
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I did read a comment by someone else in Canada that they had to wait several months. I mean, I do understand that they want as many people to have at least one shot as possible, since one shot does help, but I think there is a point where you are pushing it too far in the waiting…
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AGREE!
Canada may never get out of the hole we are in!
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Pingback: The Weekly Smile for the 19th of April, 2021 #weeklysmile | Trent's World (the Blog)
I had a really lucky fluke with my vaccination. We are located next door to our local health department and they have been administering the vaccine. They called on Friday near closing time and said they had some extra vaccines and would anyone there like to be vaccinated. I said ” well as a matter of fact I would”.I also rounded up a couple of co-workers and we went over and got the first of the two part vaccine. I am much relieved to have started the process. I guess if we were having coffee this is something I would discuss. Also the trees and plants are blooming like crazy here but the low temps on Wednesday morning are going to be 34 F. Ouch.
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It’s great that you were able to get your vaccine so easily. When I signed up on the website for New Hampshire, there were several places close, but when I clicked on them, they had nothing. I’m going to return to the same place I got the first one for my second.
Despite that out-of-season snow, the trees are budding out and flowering, and there are a lot of flowers on the ground, so it is a very pretty spring here as well.
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Snow! I had my first shot in a rainstorm into the city which is not my happy destination by car and then I had to park, but it got done despite the traffic, rain. Worth it.
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Hell or high water (maybe “April snow storms or rainstorm while driving into the city”) won’t keep us away from the vaccine ;) Despite the stress of driving, yes, well worth it.
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Oh dear! I am glad you made it safely back and forth for your vaccine! That would scare the bejesus out of me trying to drive in that slushy mess. You had me on the edge of my seat reading, so it was a suspenseful read but am so HAPPY you made it home safe and sound. YAY! I hope you are having a great weekend! :D
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Come Hell, high water or out of season snow storms, I was getting that darned shot! lol Yeah, it was a little stressful driving for a bit, but much better once it cleared. I am pretty good on the snow and slush, but have avoided it, so was a little out of practice!
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend :)
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I had made an appointment for today but on Thursday, when I was at the office, my boss and I looked across the street where the vaccination centre is (sorry, not to rub it in that I didn’t have to drive through treacherous snow conditions!) and saw it was empty. So we went in – here, we have the 55+ crowd can line up, no reservations to get the AstraZeneca – which I know a lot of people are afraid of – within less than 45 minutes we were back in the office. The next day my boss was feeling completely crappy, while I just have the sore arm (still). Needless to say, I cancelled today’s appointment while I was there.
Glad you made it safely back home!
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Very cool – there is nothing easier than walking across the street for it! My arm was still sore for most of the day Saturday, but is better today. In NH they opened it up to the 50 + crowd a little over a month ago, but within a week opened it to the 40+ crowd and then a few days later to everyone. I was surprised at how many 70+ people were there, and since most them stopped to make appointments for their second shot, this was the first for them as well.
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You guys are leaps and bounds ahead of us in vaccinating. Of course, we are dependant on shipments from here and there. Surprisingly, the place was almost empty. So many people are afraid (for nothing, in my opinion) of this version of the vax. Honestly, they were all created rather quickly…
My second shot isn’t until August!
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Not until August! Wow. They recommend like 4 weeks. I ma getting mine in a month (May 14). I agree, there is no reason to be afraid, even the JJ had less than a one in a million rate of people getting blood clots, but I understand – if you are the person (or family of the person) who is that one in a million who dies, well, not good. Of course, not all of the US is equal. NH is in some ways ahead, but in others behind – they say 30 to 50% of people in NH will not get one! Even though hospitalizations are rising, the governor says it is over here and is trying to force everything 100% open, and his reasoning is that 40% to 50% of the people have their first one at least scheduled (not done!), so we are fine, nopthi9gn to worry about, it is over.
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I think before it turned to mostly rain, we had about four inches. We weren’t supposed to get anything because the snow was only supposed to hit higher elevations to our north. Apparently the weather disagreed with the forecast. it was pretty ugly out there. it has mostly disappeared today, though there are patches left in miscellaneous spots in the woods and yards. I think the birds ate themselves into a coma during the storm, too. There wasn’t a seed left — although we forgot to take the feeders inside, so maybe the flyers finished everything off overnight.
Oh will winter ever end? It’s just been one of those years where it’s warm and I start to think about tee-shirts and sandals and then it’s cold and I’m glad I didn’t take the comforter off the bed — and go looking for my wool socks.
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We were supposed to get it either. We had a few days in the upper 70s (I missed them, being on the Cape) and so I put all of my winter clothes away. I did leave a pair of wool socks out, so when I got home, I changed out of wet clothes and those wool socks went on! Yesterday was still cool and wet, but today will be nice, and it will be in the 70s again this week.
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Hoping you get a long stretch of good weather soon!
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We did have an almost two week stretch where it was pretty nice, even reaching 79 in Nashua, and then this… (The shot was at the Pheasant Lane Mall in South Nashua). If we have many more snowy April days I may have to join you in FL! lol.
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You wouldn’t be the first! Everywhere I look I see an abundance of NH and MA license plates!
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lol, I’m sure! Truthfully, I have no desire to live in, or even winter in, Florida, it’s just by April I am tired of winter!
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So glad you made it home safely to have walks & play with your dogs, sounds scary.
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Thanks! Not many walks on Friday when I got back though – it was a nasty day and the dogs did not want to go out it! Hope your weekend is going well :)
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Congrats on getting your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine! Glad to hear you got home safely. The nasty weather and your drive to get the vaccine make the personal story of COVID-19 pandemic even more memorable. #WeekendCoffeeShare
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I’m sure we will all have our pandemic stories to tell, and perhaps you are right, “The Story of the First Shot and the Snow Storm” may be one of the ones I will repeat often ;)
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I’m so happy you got your first shot! That trip in the snow sounds like it was frustrating. We also had some snow/rain mix of slush here last week and even a bit this Monday or Tuesday too.
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It was super frustrating, and I will admit that only traveling when I want to has made me spoiled, but come Hell, high water or off-season snow storms, there was no way I was going to miss that shot ;) lol. I know there have been a few late season snow storms around the world these last few weeks – I’ve seen several photos from the UK. Very odd.
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I’m pleased to here you’ve had your first vaccine, Trent. Snow in April, hmmm! To cold for me.
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We’ve had some pretty pleasant weather recently, so that snow storm was quite the shock! The temp dropped down to just freezing when it stuck, but it warmed right back up and all melted pretty quickly. It it was nice to get that first shot, despite the trouble getting there and back home!
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Glad you are making progress with vaccination! I hope the weather becomes calmer soon. -Pam
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Thanks. We’ve had decent (for here) weather for the last few weeks, even getting into the 70s, so those few days of cold wet and snow(!) were a shock! And not Hell, high water or out of season snow storms were going to keep me away from getting the first shot of the vaccine ;)
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wow!! lots of snow/shot drama! i’m glad you are safe and got your first shot!
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It was quite the drama to get the shot, but it is done, so I am half way there.
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yes!!
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The unpredictability of spring weather! We have had some nice weather which is strange because I feel like I am typically reading your posts and feeling waves of jealous over your weather updates! Anyway, glad to hear that you got your COVID shot successfully. Thanks for the virtual coffee!
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For the most part our weather has been great, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much for the snow! Glad you are getting some nice weather!
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Hey Trent,
Sounds like your drive was almost a real adventure thanks to those who don’t slow down for anything. I thought for sure you were going to tell us you saw a nasty accident caused by one but was thankful that fear did not come to pass.
I had to drive almost an hour to my shot too but it was sunny and pleasant both ways, a thankful but adventure free event.
Perhaps by the time we both have sunny days, more covid restrictions will be history.
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We have had a rather nice spring, so this shot of cold, wet and snow has been been a bit unpleasant… At every exit I saw police cars getting on and I did see one with someone pulled over – my guess one of the speed demons. I mean, if I was a police officer, I wouldn’t want to pull someone over and get out of my car in that weather unless absolutely necessary!
Hopefully the restrictions will be lessened a bit soon, though they aren’t terrible in NH and I most likely will wear a mask while indoors in public for a while…
Have a great weekend!
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As a fellow New Englander (in North West Massachusetts), for all the set backs from the typical change in weather, I was so pleased to get that Springtime snow on our hilltops! It’s been dry.
At the grocery store, people complained about the damp, slushy, interruption and I kept reminding them how important this snow was to our healthy progression through Spring. The greening has doubled and I’m sure the water table has risen for those accessing wells. Mother Nature knows best. So happy that your travels didn’t have any tragic set backs!
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It has been dry, and I can’t say too many bad things about the last few days of cold rain, but that snow… ;) I’m sure it did help, though my daffodils are still sprawled out after having all of that wet heavy snow on top of them. I understand that in general water from snow soaks into the ground and helps the water table more than rain, but not sure about the quick April snow. Mother Nature does know best. Driving was a pain, but luckily nothing tragic.
Hope you have a great weekend!
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Thanks neighbor. :-)
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Hi Trent,
Its great to catch up. Ive been away from the blog for awhile researching my wwi books and and we are currently away on holidays. At this very moment we are driving from the Gold Coast back to Nureybar near Byron Bay whete we are staying with Geoffs sister. It’s pitch black all around us and it’s raining. Nothing like the snow you contended with and im clearly just the passenger.
I can’t imagine driving through any kind of snow. I avoid driving in heavy rain, although thats also when the kids need a lift.
Geoff and i were vaccinated two weeks ago. It all went well but a youngish local woman with diabetes died from a blood clot and it’s called things into question.
It’s Autumn in our neck of the woods, although the weather is very pleasant as long as it’s not raining. Weve had a very wet Summer.
Anyway, I’d better let you go. I might get a coffee share up but it will close before i get home.
Take care and best wishes,
Rowena
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Hi Rowena, it has been a while. For the most part this spring has been very nice, so the couple of cold, wet days, with snow in the middle, have been a shock to the system!
It is scary to read about people getting sick or even dying from the vaccines, but the numbers are actually very small – the JJ shot here that they put a on hold had 6 deaths from 7 million doses, so less than 1 in 1 million. That does help those poor six people or their families, of course!
Enjoy your weekend and bit of a holiday. Nice to chat with you again :)
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I’m glad you got shot #1! I was originally scheduled to go down to Detroit (a little over an hour away) to our football field (It’s the Lions, might as well use their facility for something positive because football hasn’t been that in many years here.) for my shots, but at the last minute a local hospital had a few spots and I got one, so it was all much easier for me. Plus it didn’t snow on either of my appointments.
How are you feeling today? I had a very sore arm for 3 days, and fatigue on my first day. Nothing much that couldn’t be dealt with. Meanwhile, waiting for my second shot I read on several people’s blogs and FB posts that they had hyrated very well prior to the 2nd shot and had no side effects at all. So I did. More than 40 oz of water on each of the two days prior to the shot and probably 16 ounces of water the morning of my shot (my appointment was for 10 a.m.). I had a GREAT nurse for the 2nd shot and didn’t even feel it go in. No arm soreness, nothing but a tiny bit of fatigue that I could also blame on Katie being sick and me being up all night most nights. No chills, no feaver, no joint aches, no body aches, no headaches. So…my advice for you in preparation for shot 2 is to drink lots of water before!
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Cool that you were able to get it a little closer to home. I do still have a little soreness in my arm, though not bad. Thanks for the advice – I will try to stay very hydrated before my second one.
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