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Since I'll be talking about COVID-19, variants, and the pandemic, clarifications may be in order. I had COVID-19 vaccinations in May and June, because I thought it was a good idea. Politicos, partisans and crackpots have been throwing accusations and assertions about the pandemic at each other. I'll be talking about that, but I'm not 'political.' I've neither been proclaiming that one political party is in league with the Antichrist, nor denouncing another as a tool of fascists and racists. And, although I think the COVID-19 pandemic is real, I haven't been dreading America's impending doom and destruction. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I haven't been following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but could hardly help noticing major stories in my news feeds. Some of them weren't what I'd call news. Not "news" in the sense of being unexpected. China won the table tennis medals, for example, and COVID-19 put a crimp in events and/or coverage thereof. That last, actually, was news of a sort. COVID-19 coverage outpaced team Russia doping news this time around.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Methylphenidate, Ritalin, has been in the news lately. I talk about that, a delayed diagnosis and why I take methylphenidate and other prescribed meds.)

CANADA BURNS AS SMOKE SHROUDS MINNESOTA!!! Well, no. Not really. Although that'd make a dandy headline. On the other hand, maybe it's too obviously overblown. Maybe there's a fine line between headlines that grab attention without inspiring thought and those destined for supermarket checkout lines. Or maybe it's more a matter of style and content. And that's another topic, for another day. At any rate, wildfires in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, triggered an Air Quality Alert for my part of Minnesota. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Drought conditions in Minnesota. (July 13, 2021)) There's more to life than drought and disease, but that's mostly what I'll talk about today. Partly because discussing what I've seen in headlines would mean more research and effort than I have time for this week. Besides, apart from a Hubble update and the Pope's liturgical fine-tuning, 1 it's mostly routine. Take this sample from yesterday and today, for example.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Sunday's rain dampened Sauk Centre's streets, but delivered under four tenths of an inch. That's been good for our weeds, and for grass next to sidewalks. But it's nowhere near the two or three inches we need to get back to adequate soil moisture in these parts. Medical issues have been distracting me. I took one of the kids to an unscheduled clinic checkup with follow-up lab work. Then another enjoyed, if that's the word, a day or so in the hospital. Not Sauk Centre's hospital. One up in North Dakota, near where she lives. On the 'up' side, I've been okay this week, which left me free for chauffeur duty. I'm hoping the next week here will be less eventful. But, quoting an old Minnesota saying, it could be worse. I woke up Thursday morning. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I've been enjoying this week's bright blue skies and sunshine. I'd have been enjoying them more, if I hadn't been recovering from my second COVID-19 shot. And if our skies hadn't been quite so consistently clear. Sunshine's fine, but we need rain. On the 'up' side, my body's response to the mRNA vaccine could have been much worse. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I haven't been wearing a face mask when I go to Mass, the Adoration chapel or Walmart. But I do carry one in my pocket when I go out, just in case the rules have changed. Again. Most folks I've been seeing stopped wearing face masks when pandemic-related restrictions eased up. If I see someone with a face mask in Walmart, the odds are that the person works there. As a rule, non-employee mask wearers seem to be young, old, somewhere between, and either men or women. I figure it depends on the individual's general health and willingness to put up with slightly-used air. And maybe willingness to believe that face masks make sense. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I went to the local hospital this morning, got a sheaf of paper and a 3x5 card, had a short chat and followed green arrows to the elevator. I've walked down that corridor a fair number of times, and have even been in the elevator. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Good news, my son and I had a long chat last Saturday. Not-so-good news, we had it in the local emergency room. Still, it could have been worse. After a few hours of fluids and pain meds, he wasn't feeling quite so awful, and I drove him home again. Blood work told us that his major systems were working. And a scan showed that his brain wasn't missing any pieces. So, basically, good news. Even so, I could have done without the stress. So, I'm sure, could my son. And I'm very glad that (almost) a week has gone by without a similar incident.... ...Imaging Tech: X-Rays and the Fabulous Foot-O-Scope (An image from my brain scans in 2018.) Medical diagnostic tech has come a long way since my youth, but we still can't tap into another person's sensory inputs. Which, from a 'privacy' perspective may be a good thing, and I'm wandering off-topic. Even so, we had impressive tech in my 'good old days.'... More at A Catholic Citizen in Am

Between Saturday's sunshine and today's patches of green grass, I've enjoyed this weekend. For the most part. I picked up a bottle from the first of this year's holy water last Sunday, following up with blessing the house on Tuesday. I hadn't done that for quite some time. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

My town's Eucharistic Adoration chapel isn't back to normal. But it's getting there.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Babies under glass at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific-Exposition, Seattle, Washington. (1909)) Martin A. Couney was not your typical Progressive Era American doctor. For one thing, Couney may not have been an officially-approved doctor. He said that he'd studied under Dr Pierre-Constant Budin. Maybe he had. But he hadn't. Couney revised his origin story rather often. That, changing his name at least once, and at-best-sparse documentation makes sorting out his history challenging.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm seeing "The Best of," "Top 10" and "2020 Top" headlines in my news feed: as usual for late December. Instead of waiting for someone else to highlight this year's science news stories, I'm making my own 'top 10' list. Each item is something that caught my attention, seemed important, or has been lurking in my 'to do' folders. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(My corner of small town America around noon, Christmas Eve.) It's Christmas Eve afternoon here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Weather, Wind Chill, Memory and Deciding Wednesday's blizzard became a wind chill advisory, which has since retreated to lands north and west of my home. ...What we do each year, and how we do it, matters. But it's not nearly as important as why we get together and celebrate.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The first shipments of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine arrived in America this week. Folks are getting immunized, including health care workers. I think that's good news.... As I see it, all that's good news. I'd prefer focusing exclusively on the 'up' side. But there's an ethical problem with the new vaccines. I'll be talking about that, and why getting immunized when it's my turn still makes sense. COVID-19 Vaccines and a Little History Ethical Concerns HEK 293 Donor: RIP Options and "The Mark of the Beast" Statistics and Death Love, Neighbors and the Common Good Remembering, and Learning From, Our Past First Vaccines Arrive: "...Healing is Coming" The Inevitable Link Lists (and resources, too) From the USCCB My stuff More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'll be talking about mRNA vaccines and COVID-19. And why I'll willingly wait for my vaccination, but think the new vaccines are a good idea. But first, I'll look at news, weirdness and a little history. In the News: Prospects and Concerns An Alleged North Carolina-China Conspiracy Mild Curiosity, Real Threat Wanting Immunity Vaccination Viewpoints Smallpox Vaccinations: "a Daring Violation" or "a Precious Discovery" Fear and Ethics Dealing With Differences Dosages and Unpleasant Results Science, Technology and Making Sense Trust and Prudence DNA, RNA and mRNA Vaccines, Briefly Decoding the SARS-CoV-2 Virus SARS-CoV-2 Build-a-Spike mRNA Snippet COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines, Build-a-Spike Code and — Virus Rights?? From the CDC's Factsheets New mRNA Vaccines: Good and Not-So-Good News Willing to Wait For My Turn More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I was at the Eucharistic Adoration chapel yesterday, and the week before. Nothing unusual there. What was different about week before yesterday was that I left early. I'd arrived a half-hour early, again nothing unusual. It's not that I'm so pious that I can't wait to go. I'd reached a stopping point in what I was writing, and figured that showing up early was a good idea. Which it would have been, if we hadn't had new rules. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

"This year's Thanksgiving is the first one affected by COVID-19. "Mainly because SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, didn't exist a year ago. Or hadn't spread to humans. Or was spreading to humans without anyone noticing it...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America : Conspiracy theories. Journalism's "unprecedented" precedent. News from the 1918 pandemic. Family, health and holiday plans. COVID-19 and Sauk Centre's hospital. Being thankful, anyway.

...The Osakis Chamber of Commerce parade sounds like a good idea. Provided that they take pandemic-related precautions to keep folks comparatively safe. I'm guessing that this year's sidewalk watchers will be spread out more, and wearing face masks. But I won't be going. Even though Osakis is only 20 minutes down the road. Standing on a central Minnesota sidewalk after sundown in early December isn't my idea of a good time. The COVID-19 pandemic is still around, and making a difference. Maybe that's this post's unifying idea: Macy's Parade News: Good and Sort-of-Good Rampantly Raging Death and Dramatic Drumbeats Monday's Death Toll in Rural Minnesota Speculation and a Serious Subject Streaming Together for Thanksgiving Sound, Fury and the Usual Paranoia More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I didn't feel all that sick Friday evening. That was August 21, 2020: 45 days ago. Online self-assessment guides from the Minnesota Department of Health and Mayo Clinic put me on the threshold of needing to call a doctor. My wife said calling the local hospital was a good idea. As it turns out, she was right.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . Living in Room 20 Staph, Strep and Cellulitis Conspicuous by Their Absence A Century of Antibiotics Mice and a Man More Than You Need, Or Maybe Want, to Know About Penicillin Pandemic Precautions, Piety — and Prudence The "Source and Summit of the Christian Life" The Common Good Uncertainty Weirdness and Worship San Francisco's Rules It Could have been Worse Seating Capacity North Carolina in Cahoots with China?! New Lyrics, Old Song Sound, Fury and Making Sense Fear Appeal: Communist Agents, Tiny Cows and More Per