So I called the office, and the woman on the phone immediately balked. "Are you over 65?" she asked.
"Well...no. But I did get a text," I said.
She explained that only people over 65 were getting flu shots now, and that in any case they were out of vaccines because of supply chain issues. There wouldn't be any more until next week, she said. I resisted the urge to say WELL THEN WHY DID YOU TEXT ME?!?!
I didn't even get around to asking about Covid, but my boss (who is slightly older than I am and got her initial shot before me) just got a text from her doctor to go ahead and make her booster appointment. So I'm thinking that's coming, and maybe at that point I can get the flu shot, too.
Dave told me later that I should have argued I'm living with a vulnerable person and that might have swayed them -- which is true. His immune system is weakened by the drugs he takes for Crohn's so he already had his shots. Maybe I need to call them back.
Our cambria orchid, a variety known as Nelly Isler, is now blooming! This is an orchid we've never seen before. When I got it from Homebase -- free, when they were giving away all their plants before our first national lockdown in Spring 2020 -- it had a dead flower stalk. I knew the blossoms would be red, but that's all. So it's nice to see what they actually look like.
Speaking of orchids, over the weekend I had to once again clean the windowsill where they live in the dining room. It had become sticky because of the residue excreted by the scale insects that live on the plants. (This is the kind of thing no one tells you when you start to grow houseplants -- how gross they can sometimes be.) I decided to take the extreme step of giving them all a dose of bug spray. I almost never use any insecticide, but I figured at this time of year there's not much flying around outside and the danger of collateral damage is pretty small. So I took them out on the back steps and carefully sprayed them. Hopefully that will knock back the scale. (I have no illusions that it will be entirely eliminated.)
I've decided to do something different with our dahlias this year. Remember how I usually lift the tubers in November and store them over winter? Well, this year I'm going to just put them in the shed, pot and all. I don't really see why I need to lift the roots. After all, if we lived in a more temperate place they'd stay in the ground all year. I did this once with one plant, as an experiment, and it seemed fine -- so now that's the plan for all of them. No muss, no fuss, no bother. We'll see how it goes.
(Photo: Some shops off Belsize Road, with a couple of camouflaged workmen doing some construction.)
Wisteria in Autumn looks weird.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you won't have to wait long for your 'flu shot and is it six months since you had your second Covid vaccination?
It looks especially weird combined with fake grass and a fake blooming tree. I think that place needs a subtler redesign.
DeleteI'll hit the six-month mark on the 18th.
That orchid is a stunner...The best Things in Life are Free?!!
ReplyDeleteYes, get back to them...you live with someone whose health is compromised, and how is your health status? You are 50+ and the push in England is to get that tranche of the population boosted and flu jagged.....
My health is good, knock on wood, but yeah, I'm of "a certain age" to be concerned!
DeleteI am surprised that you got your call to the surgery ( we don't call it an office btw !) actually answered within a few hours ! I had read that there are often walk ins for people to get their booster jabs if they are only 5 months after the second one. Also, some pharmacies are apparently doing the flu shot, and someone I know had the flu jab offered at her supermarket.... bit weird!
ReplyDeleteI've never understood why it's a surgery. They don't perform surgery there, do they? I think it's even weirder that in the UK politicians hold "surgeries" with their constituents.
DeleteCoincidentally, after writing this post, I got a text to schedule my Covid booster -- and I did so. I'm going to ask if I can get a flu shot at the same time. If not, I think we'll eventually be able to get them here at work. (We have in past years, anyway, but apparently again supply chain issues have loused that up.)
That conversation with you doctor’s office would have really frustrated me... after that text. The orchid color is gorgeous. We have scale on two of our large cacti. We’ve been cleaning them with a strong spray pump a couple of times a year. But they immediately come back. We’ve been told the next thing to do is to transplant them, removing all the original soil. But there’s no guarantee you won’t miss some. One of the cacti is 8 feet tall. We’re probably going to sacrifice it before the scale gets on nearby plants. Frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI just read more about treating scale ... and I’m going to try again with water, alcohol, and dish soap!
DeleteI think once a plant has scale, it's VERY hard to get rid of it entirely. It's basically just a matter of knocking it back over and over. I've used alcohol and dish soap in the past, and I also try to rinse the orchids in the shower every so often, and all of those things seem to help.
DeleteIt's free for over 50s but doctors may be imposing limitations because of supply issues.
ReplyDeleteThere may be a drop-in vaccination centre near you. I got covid booster at a drop-in too. Also think I caught a bad cold there, which is worrying when everyone was using masks and hand sanitiser.
Alternatively, some supermarkets and high-street chemists do flu jabs and should be free for over 50s and £12.50 for anyone else.
As I said in my subsequent post, I was able to schedule a Covid vax for this morning and I'm hoping I can get my flu shot there as well. I believe it is a drop-in vaccination center. Fingers crossed!
DeleteI can only see one workman in the top picture. He seems to be tidying some materials up - perhaps historic asbestos. Otherwise, why would he be wearing that kind of forensic suit? I am also puzzled by the plastic sheeting. I guess that Sherlock Holmes could work it all out in a twinkling.
ReplyDeleteThere's another one on the stairs coming up from the cellar. Yeah, I think they're taking out asbestos or some other toxic material.
DeleteOh yeah! Where's Waldo when you need him?
DeleteLast winter, Tim became aggravated with all the insects in the office. (That is where most of our plants reside in the sunny windows.) I began using sprinkling the soil with diatomaceous earth, giving them a good dousing as I moved them all back inside. So far, so good. It is non-toxic and a very good insect control product. Works a treat on ants.
ReplyDeleteOK, good to know! I've heard that recommendation before and I've never tried it. Scale insects are so small you can't even really see them in their crawling stage -- only when they get large enough to lay eggs and die, and form their characteristic shell. I wonder if they're too small to be affected by diatomaceous earth?
DeleteI am hopeless with house plants - absolutely useless I'm afraid. If they could reason, any plant coming inside our cottage would tremble with fear - for sadly, few come our alive..
ReplyDeleteHa! This is not an uncommon phenomenon! I think the secret to plants is to mostly ignore them. I water mine once a week but otherwise just let them do their thing.
DeleteNow that we zip off to Florida for four months every year, I’ve had to give up on all houseplants except my 40 year old (yes, really) Christmas cactus, which I’ve grown tired of but can’t discard since that would be like killing off a member of the family.
ReplyDeleteSo do you schlep this cactus back and forth between Florida and New England? It IS amazing that it's lived so long.
DeleteWe got our flu shots at work last week, but it was delayed by several weeks due to supply chain issues. Glad to have that over with! I do need to get my booster scheduled, but I'm not in a huge hurry.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost time to bring the geraniums in, but we're putting it off as long as possible. There's always an increase in indoor insect life once that happens!
Glad you got your shots! Yeah, I think it's best to leave plants outside as long as possible. Our geraniums are still outside.
DeleteThat orchid is like a tropical island encapsulated in a flower. Absolutely and deeply beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that Tallahassee is having a flue epidemic. I hear that the urgent cares are crazy busy and that FSU has so many cases they don't know what to do. I have got to get my shot.
Flu always runs rampant on college campuses, where the kids never get shots and everyone lives in close quarters.
DeleteI think we're allowed to get our booster shots in January. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteThat orchid is gorgeous. Carlos has a few he grows in our sunroom, but the colors are more muted and pale. I'm loving the red.
It's a very unusual color for an orchid, I think!
DeleteI gave up waiting for my doctor to get her flu shot supply. Just went to the supermarket pharmacy and had it done before I came over the Pond. Same with the booster (older than you). Just got it yesterday at the same supermarket pharmacy (which is where I got my original two jabs). Happy to report that the Moderna booster did not adversely impact me. Just slight headache and a sore arm. Very grateful as the second jab had knocked me down for a good 36 hours.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize it was possible to get Covid boosters in a supermarket! (This was in the states, then, right?)
DeleteWhat a surprise to see the orchid, it's kind of unusual and such a deep red. Seems to me it wouldn't have mattered if you argued for the flu shot since she said they didn't have any.
ReplyDeleteThe orchid is actually called Nelly Isler Red Velvet. I think if I were older or I could make a case for it, they'd schedule me for a shot even if they were temporarily out -- sounds like the waiting period for a resupply is very short.
DeleteThat orchid is beautiful. I love the color.
ReplyDeleteRoger got his booster shot yesterday. I'm scheduled to get mine on Thursday, but I may change that for a bit later date. I've never gotten a flu shot, and with all the mask wearing and hand washing, I'm feeling pretty safe.
I never got them routinely but with Covid out and about I feel an extra responsibility to avoid the flu if possible!
DeleteThat orchid is beautiful! What a wonderful color. I had not heard of an age limit for flu shots. However, when I got my flu shot they gave me one designed for people over 65. I didn't know there was different version but the pharmacist said it was a stronger dose.
ReplyDeleteOh, THAT I didn't know. Interesting! I thought everyone got the same shot.
DeleteHouseplant insects can be difficult to control. I hope this does it for you.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a matter of control, not elimination. I'll have to do it again sometime, I'm sure!
DeleteThat is a pretty orchid you rescued! You are so good at that!
ReplyDeleteI have had my shots (but I am over 70). No bad side effects from either shot - just a bit of a sore arm.
I found the 2nd camouflaged worker but I had to enlarge your photo to spot him! Tricky!
So glad you got your shots! Yeah, I actually wish I'd gotten a better shot of the two workmen, but oh well.
DeleteAcross the pond where I live, they aren't particularly inquisitive when it comes to vaccines. Since I live with two kids in two different schools and a spouse who medically sees Covid patients nearly daily, I checked the box that I live in a "high risk environment" which made me eligible for a flooster, i.e. flu shot and booster. Nobody questioned me about why I was getting it other than see that I had checked a box.
ReplyDelete"Flooster" -- that's one I haven't heard before! It's in the medical profession's best interest to NOT deny anyone, it seems to me.
DeleteOur local Safeway had the old people's flu shot as well as the Covid boosters. We felt really fortunate to get them both as walk-ins. That's a beautiful orchid. I quit buying them, they bloom and die.
ReplyDeleteThe trick with orchids is to keep them lightly damp but not let them sit in water. I water them once a week and let all the water run through the pot. And every once in a while I rinse them in the shower with cool water.
DeleteI've never heard of flu shots being restricted due to age. I dislike automatically generated texts or emails that then turn out to be misleading. (or false!)
ReplyDeleteI know! How hard could it be, if they'd sent the text incorrectly, to send a followup saying, "Ooops, sorry, we're actually not ready for you yet"?
DeleteI got my flu shot more than a month ago, but I've hesitated to see about my Covid booster. I'm not technically in the current age range, although I got my initial shots early since I have an autoimmune disease. So... it's been over six months. BUT, when I had my breakthrough case of Covid and received the monoclonal antibody infusion, it was mentioned you couldn't get a Covid shot (which I guess includes boosters) for 90 days. Clear as mud? I figure I'll just wait until after Thanksgiving and see if I can get one then.
ReplyDeleteHope you're able to get both at the same time!
And you know what? It seems like we spend our lives waiting to be "old enough" for something: to drive, to vote, to buy alcohol... then to get the senior citizen's discount, the pneumonia shot, and the shingles shot. I'm not quite there yet for the older folks' flu shot.
DeleteYeah, I have no idea how having Covid affects the calculus of when to get a booster. I guess I'd wait out that 90=day period, at least!
DeleteI hope both go well for you...
ReplyDeleteThanks, E!
DeleteI think you should definitely call back since you getting the flu would be extra dangerous for Dave. After my last mammogram I got an email telling me to make an appointment to come in again because one of the images wasn't clear enough. I called and was told I'd already had my mammogram and couldn't have another one unless my doctor ordered it. So why did they send me the email?
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Oh brother. I hate it when one hand doesn't know what the other is doing! At least Dave is vaccinated, so if I get the flu, he still shouldn't get it himself -- provided I get the variety included in the vaccine, of course.
Delete