A crescent moon hangs low in the sky on this crisp winter morn. There are deer in the distance and nary a cloud in the sky. The horizon is gold and pink as my piece of earth turns toward the sun.

There’s a lantern in the trees at the end of the clearing behind my house. I can barely see it during the day, but at night it glows softly with a solar powered bulb until the energy gathered during the day is depleted.

I do believe I am victorious in a recent battle in the ongoing gadget war.

The other morning the heifers gathered along the back fence to eat dead cactus and lounge in the winter sun. It was cool but not cold.

I felt deflated yesterday. Which is appropriate, I suppose, since I had a needle stuck in my arm on Friday. Up until that point it was all excitement, and I was pumped up like a balloon. Then the deed was done.

Drove into town yesterday, Austin. Queued up. Got my shot. It was the second of the two dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Drove toward home.

Today is second dose day, COVID-19 vaccination time. It happens this afternoon. Supposedly the side-affects are more intense than those after the first dose, but I didn’t feel many side-affects. I did have a sore arm and one afternoon I felt rather lethargic, but overall, I’d have to give it a positive score.

It’s a frosty morning here at the homestead. It feels like flea killing weather, although since I disposed of all my outside thermometers, I have no way of knowing. It’s just cold, a crisp winter cold.

The winter rains have greened the yards, the poa annu, our winter bluegrass, is up along with an assortment of its winter weed cousins, too numerous to name. I mention the grass because none appeared in the tifway yard where my treatment with corn gluten apparently worked.

Looked at the moon last night in the clear cold air; had to crane my neck, it was almost directly overhead. We have some reclining lawn chairs I could have used for a longer view, but it was a spur of the moment thing and I was only out there to bring it the cat food.

We’re nearly done with 1/12 of the new year, I hope everyone made good use of it. I’ll get my second vaccination this week. I guess it’s a booster shot, getting me that last little way to 95% effectiveness. I think that’s a fair contribution to the common good.

I swear. Sometimes I think my body holds a lottery every night to decide which part is going to hurt.

Being lost in space and time has its advantages, except when you want to get things done, and forget that Monday was a national holiday. So, no bank, no post office, no courthouse.

Call me Mr. Industrious. Yesterday. I got my car inspected. Pruned a peach tree and dug up a dead one. I spent three hours burning a pile of brush.

Information traveling at the speed of light is the blessing and the curse of the internet. Arcane scientific debates get played out in full view and people woefully ignorant of any facts get to have opinions.

I’m starting the fourth day of my vaccination vacation, although it’s not really a vacation, I just wanted to use two words that started with V. And now that I think about it, I should go with venture, as in a venture into the unknown, a vaccination venture. But enough with the alliteration.

My vaccination symptoms, such as they were, have abated. My shoulder is no longer sore. I did wake up last night with a fiery pain in one of my arthritic feet, but it too went away. Hard to know if it was a symptom of the shot, or just some random old guy nerve thing.

Vaccination day went off without a hitch yesterday. The Covid emptied highways made for easy traveling. The vaccination givers were all in place. I answered questions, had my temperature taken, was handed a sheaf of papers and got my shot.

Whenever I walk around the yard and the back lots, the cats follow me. I think they’re hoping I’ll kill a gazelle and there will be something to eat.

I remember two things about 1954. The New York Giants beat the Cleveland Indians in the world series; I was crushed. And I participated in the trials for the new Salk polio vaccine; we were living in Corpus Christi at the time.