At this time, heavy snow has severely limited travel in West Virginia. Governor Manchin has declared a state of emergency. Emergency officials are asking that people avoid driving unless absolutely necessary. You can check on WV road conditions by calling 1-877-WVA-ROAD (1-877-982-7623).
If you’re due to fly out of Yeager airport this weekend, call 1-800-428-4322 first to check on your flight.
Be safe and stay warm!
I’ve seen rainbow pictures from people all over the valley, our evening was just full of them! Here’s how one of them looked from my house.
My daughters and I arrived at the flu shot clinic at the Putnam County Health Department nearly an hour before it started, only to find a line already snaking down the hill. We managed to find a parking space at the very back of the hospital parking lot and hiked over to the line.
We were grateful that although the wait was very long, we had beautiful weather, nice conversation and patient children.
Deputies came along to help move the line from the street into the grass, which helped ease traffic into the hospital and neighborhoods.
The location just wasn’t meant to handle this amount of people though. Other people who needed to use the three story office building housing the Putnam County Health Department couldn’t find parking and had trouble getting through the throngs of people looped around the property. The bathrooms overflowed and toilet water poured through a light fixture over the entrance to the building.
One frazzled health care worker came outside and complained loudly about cleaning up after everyone, then started to cry. A doctor from another office in the building came out to complain about children making noise. The stress level grew along with the wait. Rumors circulated about doctors who had volunteered their nurses’ time to help give out shots at the clinic, only to be turned down.
After a five hour wait, we got our “golden ticket” and my daughters did receive their H1N1 vaccines.
The medical staff were friendly and professional, which helped relieve some of the tension that had built up along with the wait. This was the first time my kids had received a nasal vaccine, but the nurse’s smile and positive attitude put them right at ease. After the long wait, the vaccine itself took just moments and we were on our way, school excuses in hand.
Thankfully the lessons learned from this are not being ignored. We’ve been told the next Putnam flu shot clinic will be held in a high school gym, with adequate parking and places to sit inside and wait. I’m glad my kids are among those who have been vaccinated for H1N1, but they still haven’t had their seasonal vaccines … and I just don’t know if I have the heart to put them through something like this again.
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Photos taken this weekend in Putnam and Cabell counties. Hope you’re enjoying our beautiful fall!
Sign of the Times, originally uploaded by Sarah.WV.
Another area pharmacy has flu clinics scheduled, so shop around. I hope we won’t have to wait too long until those who want to be vaccinated can be.
Taken from my Flickr photos, one year ago today
Everyone has a story about September 11th, no matter where you were at the time. I was fortunate not to have a friend or family member to worry about, but it tore me up to watch the news that morning. I remember the firemen rushing in, the look of shock everyone wore on the streets … and I hit my knees in front of my TV and sobbed when those buildings fell. So many people who didn’t have time to make it out … I worried about the people I didn’t know who were seeing this with fear beating in their chests and wondering, “Did he (she) get out?” I couldn’t bear it.
My Little One had just started preschool. I couldn’t stand not being near her, so I drove to pick her up way too early. I wasn’t the only one. We Moms and Dads stood with our fingers curled through the chain link fence watching our children laugh and run together in the playground, thankful that we still had whole, complete families. We all cried silently, and our kids had never been more beautiful.
And then I drove to the elementary school to get my little Tall One. It was lunch time, but the sign out sheet was pages long. The reasons listed were all things like, “I just had to have him with me” or “I needed to hug her.” I hope someone kept those pages.
We stood in the driveway when we got home and I pointed at the sky. There were no planes. By this time they’d all been grounded, and no planes flew for days. I told the kids to remember this, that there wouldn’t be a day again when they would be able to look at the sky and not find a plane.
When I see planes now, I feel a certain kind of comfort. We DO go on. We don’t forget, but we rebuild and we go on.
I wanted today’s picture to be a clear sky, because I remember.
The 3rd Annual Dog Swim will be held on September 7th from 6:15pm to 8:15pm at Valley Wave Pool in Hurricane. (Weather permitting.) All donations collected at the door will go toward building a new Animal Shelter in Putnam County.
This is a great time to socialize with other dog lovers and to allow your dog to make friends and cool off in the pool!
For more information please call Putnam County Parks at 304-562-0518 or Karen Haynes at 304-757-7584.
Hurricane High School Football Schedule, 2009
Winfield High School Football Schedule, 2009
Poca High School Football Schedule, 2009
Buffalo (Putnam) High School Football Schedule, 2009
Today is the first day that WV high school football can legally hold practice, and yes, some of our Putnam football players were on the field at the stroke of midnight getting in as much practice as possible. (We take high school football seriously around here!) The high school marching bands have already been practicing and my daughter, who attends Winfield High School, is away at band camp this week. (Sniff!)
Putnam County schools are back in session August 26, 2009. If you’d like to see the complete school calendar, click here. It looks like the kids are ready to make it a great year!
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