Vaccinepalooza

There was really just one theme to this week: lots of vaccinations in the C & the Kennymen world! We had two seconds – Debbie and Miles both got their second shots.

Mom and Dad got their first shots in Kansas City, and I got my first shot at Northwestern Memorial Hospital here in Chicago.

Northwestern is really set up to administer a lot of vaccines. The operation takes up 3 floors of their Prentice Hospital downtown, with signs and staff positioned every 20 feet or so to keep people moving in the right direction to the huge vaccination room. It reminded me of voting at the Loop super site – super efficient handling of a lot of people. The sign below wasn’t updated during the 5 mins or so I was in the big vaccination room – but at 8:30 am it already was set to having vaccinated 175 people.

Paddy and Kathleen both got their first vaccines – and I don’t have a photo of the jabs themselves, but thought I’d share this lovely photo Frankie took the week before on their anniversary.

Liam has an appointment to get a Johnson & Johnson shot this Friday – which will put him at #3 for finishing the vaccine since it’s the “one and done” vaccine. John and Jeff both have had their first shots too and will get their second ones this month. John and I noticed this week that vaccines are the main topic of conversation during the chitchat before work meetings start or when talking to friends – we are all very up on the different places to get vaccinated and the different manufacturers.

Not sure I’ve mentioned it here yet but in March I was very busy with taking a TreeKeepers online class two evenings a week. The class finished up last week and everyone in our class passed the final exam! I am now trained and prepared to be an advocate for trees in Chicago. First stop is really a lot of observation – as John can attest to, a walk around the neighborhood now involves a lot of tree facts and discussion. Very close to home is our own American Elm in the back yard. We had it professionally pruned last week or so and it’s looking really nice. I realize the trunk is outside our fence but it really is our tree. We had to move the fence around the tree and didn’t want to take up the neighbors’ parking space with extra fence in it.

It’s been a really beautiful weekend here with early summer-like temps. In April! It does give a strange look though – some flowers coming up and a strong sun but still no leaves on the trees yet. It’s always nice to start off the blooming season with the yellow forsythia bushes blooming! Yesterday we walked along the lakefront around Navy Pier – so pretty. Here we are at Olive Park – right by the water reclamation plant by Navy Pier and by the swimming laps area. Needs to warm up just a teeny bit for lake swimming (for me) though!

News from the park: ducks are everywhere. And El Jibarito Place truck got new flags! The old ones were really in tatters. Looking good!