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On my mind - beetles. Big black beetles!

The other day sitting peacefully on my sofa I felt something crawly on my neck and swiped at it and it was a big black beetle -about 2" long with long feelers and legs. I know it came off me but I didn't see where it went. It must have come in on the firewood I had brought in a little while before. I don't know how it got on me. I took off my outer clothing and shook it all and put it in the basket for the laundry - not that those things couldn't survive a wash cycle or three.

I haven't found it yet so I guess we are living in some strange kind of truce. I keep hoping the kitties will find and demolish it, though they tend not to kill the bugs they find, just play with them.

Meanwhile, every time I feel something on my skin - like my clothing or my hair, I suspect a revisit from Mr. Beetle. Eeeeeew!!!!!!!
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Concerning Covid vaccinations for younger folks, our family finds ourselves squarely in the middle We have multiple kids in the 12-16 age range who will be going back to a full-time in-school experience where last year's scaled-back attendance proved covid is catching and the isolation periods following exposure can really derail things. Then there are the kids under 12 who may need some level of protection. We ran the schools with 50% of the kids attending Mon/Wed or Tue/Thu and Fri used for deep cleaning the school. Although the numbers were low, children did get covid and required hospitalization and vents for treatment. Deaths were very rare (only 2 in our area) and were confined to previously undiagnosed conditions with the heart, lungs, or kidneys. About half of the kids who had covid showed some problems/continuing symptoms 3 months after they were considered recovered. Kids are supposed to recover eventually, it's mainly just taking longer to recover completely.

The older kids, at nearly 13 and 17, are in the process of getting vaccinated with Phizer, at their request and their father doesn't see a good reason to say no. They are both heavily involved in sports and do not want to miss games and mess up practice schedules again this year if they are exposed to someone with covid. There's a minor thought their vaccination could prevent the younger kids (and others who cannot get vaccinated) from possibly getting covid.

So far my family has been lucky. No one in the immediate extended family has gotten covid, although several members of the extended family have had covid and a couple has spent several weeks in the area hospitals. The worst was my uncle and aunt, who after delaying getting the shot, came down with covid in April and spent several days in the hospital. At their ages (75 and 72) we were very worried.
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Hi! Continuing conversation, here vaccine is only being given to people over 16, Pfizer for people 16 to 50, AstroZeneca for 50+. I’ve read that children are less likely to get Covid because as we get older our immune systems become more specialised to the things they learn to guard against. Children retain a broader ranging immune system. But everyone is still learning. Let’s hope we learn more about all the vaccines while your teenagers are still young.

I think the CDC statement ‘given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death’ was about Covid, not the vaccine. Thank heavens!

If I’ve got the maths right, my blood clot risk with AstraZenica is .003%, 3 in 100,000, and it isn't necessarily fatal. I think the Covid death rate in the US was a lot higher than that.
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Polar,

I saw that report. I am not an alarmist but I think the facts speak for themselves. Yes, side effects are rare. Still, side effects are reported and studied. I am glad that it is being taken seriously. I have had doctors tell me that they ‘practice’ medicine and there are no guarantees that things will always work out perfectly 100 percent of the time. Very true statement! It’s important to follow up on any concerns.

There will always be a chance of something going wrong in medicine. It’s concerning. All we can do is look at all of the facts, weigh pros and cons and decide what is the best option for our own individual needs.
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Hi Margaret, I don't think it's good to hype news either. This piece of news was not widely publicized. I have not seen it on any TV station. Perhaps, I missed it.

The CDC in the United States considers this serious enough that they called an emergency meeting to discuss this rare side effect.

In Canada, the same side effect has been noticed, too.

In Germany, the government actually just announced their recommendation that healthy young people should avoid the vaccines.

As a parent of 2 teenagers, I should know all the risks and benefits before committing my children to taking the vaccines.

Here's from the CDC: “CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death,” the agency wrote.
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Early: Thank you so much!
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Polar: Our DD typically gives me llama based gifts. I have a bunch. But this time since it was both of us it was 'cold, hard cash' to the tune of $40 to match 40 years.
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Llama and Pam,
Happy Anniversary! Hope you both have many more wonderful years ahead.
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Just a thought, but it could be that long-term positive health effects are found from mRNA vaccine technology and it will be used more extensively to treat other things. It is weird being part of the world's largest vaccine study, haha, but we do the best we can with the knowledge we have. I trusted that my personal benefits would outweigh the risks for covid vaccines, even if by a small margin. I think only time will tell at this point. All the predicted data from studies can't account for every biological variable.

Here's hoping for the best. :-)
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Polarbear, what I hope they won’t be reporting in 2 years’ time is thousands more deaths from Covid. My AstraZenica vaccine carried very very small risks of blood clots, far smaller risks than some of the surgery and medication I’ve opted for in the past. I wish they wouldn’t hype up every single adverse reaction, it doesn’t really help anyone.
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Pamzi, Happy belated anniversary!💐

Sounds like a fun time at the lake house.
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Polar we went to our river house for a few days. It was cold and sort of rainy but we still had fun!
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Did anyone read the new side effect warning the CDC just issued with regards to Pfizer and Moderma vaccines?

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/10/covid-vaccine-cdc-says-heart-inflammation-cases-in-16-to-24-year-olds-higher-than-expected-after-second-shot.html

So far, it's a very small number reported, but it worries me. What else will be reported in a year, 2 years, etc. down the road.
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Llama - congratulations on your 40th anniversary. What was the gift from your DD? I'm just being nosy. Haha. You don't have to answer.

Pam- congratulations on your 40th anniversary, too. How did you celebrate it?
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Change of plans for our anniversary dinner out. DH's stomach is messed up including a hernia. So I already picked up carryout salmon and raspberry topped cheesecake from Outback. He can eat mild and not red meat.
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Anche: Thank you so much and yes, you are correct on 40 years being the ruby anniversary.
I am glad that you have had a great Sunday.
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Need: Thank you so much! That's wonderful to be married for 43 years. Congratulations!
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Happy anniversary Llama and Pam!
40 years of marriage = ruby anniversary.
25=silver
50=gold...
Do you say the same in the U. S.?
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Another good Sunday Yea! One of my hobbies was photography, macro {insects and flowers above all) this morning I met with my "teacher". Well I forgot my tripod and I was late (a little problem with mum). I only took 2 photos but enjoyed the walk and talk!
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Llama and Pam,

Happy Anniversary! We are married 43 years! My parents and grandparents were married 50 plus years!
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Pam: Congratulations to you and your DH! 1981 was quite the year.❤
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ITTR: Thank you so much! Our DD dropped a card and a gift off earlier.💖
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Yay LL !! Hubs and I just had our 40th on 5/30,, I think we are a dying breed...
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LL, 🌹Happy Anniversary!🌹

40 years, what a great accomplishment in this day and age.
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Tomorrow, June 13, my husband and I are celebrating 40 years of marriage. We plan on dining at a fancy steakhouse (I don't consume red meat, but I love salmon.).
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Oh my gosh, I saw the commercial for the Tammy Faye movie today! LOL

Years ago, I watched them on television for laughs. I certainly didn’t watch Jim and Tammy Faye for spiritual reasons!, Nor was I foolish enough to give them any money. I saw through their prosperity preaching immediately!

I cracked up when Dana did has ‘church lady’ interview with Jim and Tammy on Saturday Night Live! Anyway, I have got to go see this movie to reminisce about their crazy antics. I admit that I was a ‘closet watcher’ of their program on PTL because it was so entertaining!

I knew that woman was on pills long before it came out publicly. No one in their right mind did interviews like she did! Geeeeez, she did one on penile implants and stuck a microphone in front of a man in the audience and proceeded to ask him very personal questions! It was hilarious seeing this interview on so called, “Christian television.”

Please don’t think that I am disrespecting anyone’s faith. I truly admire genuine faith but these ridiculous hypocrites deserve to be laughed at. It’s sad and humorous all at the same time.
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Margaret, hope you are OK after the AZ jab? DH and I have had our first and second AZ jabs, with about 10 weeks between the two. No side effects for either of us, each time. I had an antibody test about 6 weeks after my first jab, and it showed good levels of long term antibodies, which is reassuring to know.
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Margaret: Good for you and your DH. That's great!
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DH and I had the first Astrozenica a week ago. No great dramas, a quiet day the next day, but a really good feeling about having had it done. The clinic was great, splitting under 50s into Pfizer and us oldies to Astrozenica. The nurses were great, and when we go back for the second shot in three months we will take all the staff a little box of sugar-free jubes to help them over the trials of having to repeat so much information so many times. It’s a stressful situation, and they need a little TLC themselves. All good!
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Send: Wow - that may have been against the emergency room physician's realm of responsibility, to say the least. I am surprised he was able to practice medicine since he didn't apparently know the history of polio!
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