What Shot?
For the past few days and weeks I have watched with decreasing amusement and increasing frustration Gov. Jim Justice’s daily press briefings during which he proudly extols what a great job West Virginia is doing in getting COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of its citizens. My wife and I registered for the vaccine more than a month ago, and we have yet to receive a phone call to schedule an appointment. I have called the Ohio County Health Department, Kroger, Walgreen’s, and the state’s vaccination hotline, and I always receive the same response: “They will call you.” During one of the phone calls, a kind person on the other end of the line offered to check to see whether or not my wife and I are properly registered. We are! BUT NOBODY COULD TELL ME HOW THE NAMES ARE SELECTED OR WHERE WE MIGHT BE IN THE QUEUE. Do they draw names from a hat? Do they hang them on a board and throw darts at them? Do they put them in a carnival booth for a ring toss? All I want to know is how to get my damn shot. The way things are going, the pandemic may be over before we’re inoculated.
Gut Punch
The sports world suffered a severe gut punch last Tuesday, when legendary golfer Tiger Woods was involved in one-car rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles. Woods, who had to be pried out of the SUV he was driving, sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his right leg. He was taken to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he underwent a very long surgery that necessitated the insertion of a rod, pins, and screws to stabilize his foot and anklebones. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anish Mahajan issued a statement saying that the leg fractures were “comminuted,” meaning that the bone was broken in two places and protruding out through the skin. Police who investigated the accident said the 45-year-old Woods was driving alone around 7 a.m. PT, when his car hit a median, crossed two lanes, struck a curb, and then hit a tree before coming to rest on its side. Police officers said there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol involvement, that were no skid marks, and that no charges will be filed. Medical personnel said that following his surgery Woods was “awake and responsive.” Mahajan said that on Thursday he was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles “for continuing orthopedic care and recovery. On behalf of our staff, it was an honor to provide orthopedic trauma care to one of our generation’s greatest athletes.” Woods has said he has no recollection of the accident, which occurred just a month after his most recent (his fifth) back surgery. Authorities have yet to pull the black box from the car in an attempt to learn more about the crash.
Based upon the looks of the car, Woods was very fortunate to have survived the accident, and medical authorities said that the prompt surgery probably prevented the amputation of his leg.
Dogs Gone!
If someone stole your dog, how much would you give to get it back? Last Tuesday night in Hollywood some despicable nut shot a man walking three dogs and made off with two of them, both French bulldogs named Koji and Gustav. The dog walker was taken to a local hospital where he is recovering, and the third dog is safe. The dogs’ owner has offered a reward for the return of Koji and Gustav. Again the question: How much would you pay to get your dog back? Well, Koji and Gustav’s owner is offering $500,000 and “no questions asked.” Does this seem like a lot? Well, it isn’t if your name is Lady Gaga, and your net worth is $320 million. Here’s hoping the thief returns the dogs unharmed, is stripped of the $500,000, and is sentenced to serving 10 years in a dog pound with no visitors. He deserves a sentence that ruff. Bulletin: This just in! Miles from the the site of the dognapping, a woman found the two unharmed dogs tied to a pole in an alley. Yes, she collected the reward! Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
This Is It
Yes, this is it. I’ve been waiting for it since Dec. 21, when we began getting a few seconds of more light each day. Gradually, ever so gradually, the sun refused to give up and hung around until after 5 p.m. each day. And suddenly things began to look a little brighter. The pandemic continued its seemingly unstoppable assault on the world, but with the development and distribution of two new vaccines, we were able deliver some effective counterpunches to the battering we’ve been taking for the past year. And where there once was nothing but an impenetrable black cloud, a faint glimmer of hope began scratching and tearing at the disease-ridden shroud that has enveloped us for what seems like forever. Yes, this definitely is it. In case you haven’t looked at calendar recently, check it now. Today is February 28, and a rough and very snowy month is almost in the rearview mirror, and although the weather in March can be pretty miserable with its trademark icy cold rain, at least we’re headed in the right direction. Humorist Garrison Keillor said, “God invented March so people who don’t drink would know how a hangover feels.” There’s some truth to that, but March also holds two important dates within a week of each other. On Sunday, March 14 (just two weeks from now) we set the clocks ahead one hour to begin Daylight Saving time. Yes, we lose an hour’s sleep, but we gain an extra period of daylight, and I love saying goodbye to those miserable winter days when it’s dark before 6 p.m. Bring on summer time! And just six days later on March 20 spring arrives! This is it—the time to say goodbye to winter and begin looking for signs of spring. One person already told me of a robin sighting, and that means the Dairy Queen in Fulton soon will reopen for the summer. Look down. This is it. You are standing on the stepping-stone to spring.
Ponder This:
A dog gave birth to some puppies along the roadside and subsequently was ticketed for littering. ~Anonymous
