A Tiny Tableau

Sometimes nature can do so much better than humans. This seemed like an appropriate little still life for the Winter Solstice.  And to mark the fact that I was out there on 'Spike's Walk' to take the picture. The pleasure of watching his pure joy as he  tore around was worth the freezing temperatures, the lingering pain in my back and wondering what the leash rules really are in this little off the grid area.

This afternoon the doctor listened to my story of how I thought I'd  hurt my back, and registered my complaint about the person who gave me an appointment with an RN instead of a 'Nurse Practitioner who specializes in back pain'.  I told her the RN was to be commended for getting me what I needed. We takled about Covid and she agreed with me that she didn't think we would be in Greek letter variant Covid hell if everyone had just been vaccinated when the vaccines came out*. She read the x-ray report (not the actual x-ray) and asked me where it hurt. She wrote an 'e script' for pills to take at night for pain and sleep.

It all seemed pretty easy  but it was not to be. I went over to the pharmacy a couple of blocks away knowing I would probably have to wait bit. But e-scripts are not instantaneous. In fact, if she had just written an old fashioned prescription on a prescription pad and handed it to me, I would be at home with my pills for pain. Alas, the prescription never appeared even after I waited for half an hour so I came home without it. I did purchase an over the counter Covid test kit because they were selling them like hotcakes and apparently nobody else in town had any.

I called the clinic when I got home and somebody was supposedly tracking down my prescription, but nobody has called me back. My back will probably be healed by the time I get my pain pills. I'm glad we got our walk in with Spike this morning because it is now raining, and is supposed to keep raining through Christmas. So far, it is hardly what I would call an atmospheric river but a slower gentler rain is better anyway.

* I blame the anti-vaxxers, but I also think the pharmaceutical companies are partly to blame for not releasing their patents so that people in Africa and other areas where vaccines are scarce could manufacture their own.