Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Lost Boundaries


















Before you learn what Albert Johnston, Jr., was told at the age of sixteen and why he was not told it before, you should know something of his background. It would be dull but accurate to say that, until he was told, we are dealing with a normal New England boy. He was born in Boston in 1925 while his father was still a medical student at the University of Chicago. When Albert was four, his first memories begin in the little town of Gorham, New Hampshire, where his father was now the leading country doctor serving its 2,500 people, who live at the foot of Mount Washington to which vacationists swarm for winter skiing and summer coolness, with special trains in the fall when the maple leaves turn red and gold.

license plate

We had stopped for gas while on a road trip and I just had to snap this picture of a Jeep parked next to us. Guess we all feel that way (sick) some days . . .

feeling under the weather?

In 1957, my entire family was struck with the Asian Flu when we lived in Farmington, New Mexico. We would stagger from bed to bathroom - from bed to kitchen. I was the only one who was able to stagger around long enough to prepare meals. We would have breakfast food at breakfast, soups for lunch, and quite likely breakfast food at dinner-time - with lots of water, hot lemonades and honeyed teas throughout the day.

We were wiped out! Not literally, of course or I would not be blogging about this experience. In 1957 who could fathom I would be blogging?? Who knew about blogging anyway??

Once a pandemic flu begins to spread (especially now with our ease of worldwide travel), millions of persons can be affected.


Dr. Nicole Talbot (my HERO-ine) eased my pain and discomfort caused by a regular common cold. We are quite fortunate in Guadalupe County to have excellent medical facilities and doctors.
We are also fortunate to have in place emergency preparations and training - proactive planning.
The Emergency Management Office of Guadalupe County has been training and educating for all types of emergencies and hundreds of local volunteers will help in various situations - such as an outbreak of flu.
On March 19, 2009, the Gazette Enterprise reported that emergency management and their counterparts in Guadalupe County, Texas, had prepared for a mass vaccination program in the event of a pandemic. “Local officials have 36 hours to treat their entire population — in Guadalupe County that would be 115,000 people,” Ron Maloney writes for the newspaper.
"(Ken) Kinsey and(Dan) Hays are preparing for a May 2 dress rehearsal of a pandemic disaster at the Navarro ISD. Volunteers will set up and operate a 'drive through' POD in which they will take a practice run at registering, screening and pretending to inoculate 100 volunteers so they can identify whatever problems might come up and prepare to meet them."
We count our blessings!