Double Your Fun!

Three weeks and two days after landing in the States we are officially Pfizered up. DoubleVaxxed! Ready for anything. And as is the story of the rest of my life, our timing was just a little bit off. Let me explain. In the 60s I was too young for Electric Kool-Aid. In the 70s I was too young for disco. By the time I finished high school and took a year (or 9) off to live in the UK punk was passé (although I dabbled with the New Romantics during their brief tenure). Anyway, you get the gist.

We got our first jab within 24 hours of landing in Seattle, just as demand cratered around the country. The charming folks at Washington’s Arlington airfield informed us they would be in touch in 3 weeks regarding our second dose. Moreover, they would keep one in reserve, so we didn’t want to disappoint them. Last Sunday we got our second shots on schedule and joyously declared victory over the virus.

Spiffs

On our way home we learned the Washington State liquor and cannabis board just approved an incentive they called ‘Joints for Jabs’. Vaccine recipients can claim a pre-rolled doobie for finally doing the right thing. Modest as this seems compared with other states’ incentives, we still missed out. To increase demand states now give away things like Cash Ball 225 tickets, entries to drawings worth over a million dollars to the winners, the chance to drive fast on a racetrack, and of course, this being America, hunting licenses and shotguns. We are no longer in Europe.

As of writing this, just over 50% of Americans have at least one dose on board, while 43% are fully vaccinated. When the age limit was dropped to teens, hundreds of kids showed up dragging their reluctant parents along. Proving once again the wisdom of youth and the folly of age.

Coop

Where better to enjoy this newfound freedom but in the woods? Away from the crowds while maintaining an antisocial distance. The question is, is Sasquatch vulnerable to Covid? Perhaps they are a secret asymptomatic super-spreader. Perhaps they escaped from a research facility in Umatilla and has been blowing viruses around the forest for decades. Far be it for this blog to spread rumours, or repeat misinformation. Still, one can’t be too careful. Especially around here. After all, we might run into one of the D.B. Coopers – Dan or Dale. Either would be mysterious. Twin Peaky. And cool.