by Pa Rock
Traveling Fool
I made my first trip out-of-state in more than two months this past Tuesday when I traveled to Mountain Home, Arkansas, for a yearly doctor's appointment. Mountain Home, located close to beautiful Lake Norfolk in northern Arkansas, is approximately fifty-five miles from my home just north of West Plains, Missouri. Both communities, Mountain Home and West Plains, have approximately 12,000 residents, and both are commercial hubs for this very rural area.
I ran into a bit of traffic early in the morning as I was heading south out of town. People with jobs in West Plains were headed to work, but other than that the two-lane road was basically clear, allowing me to zoom right along. As I pulled into Mountain Home I noticed that the traffic was much lighter than it had been during previous visits - and many of the businesses along the main drag appeared to still be closed as a result of the pandemic All of the food places were operating drive-through only, and most of those had very few cars or activity.
The doctor's office had a woman stationed just inside the front door who rushed outside to greet each visitor with a forehead temperature scan. Those who weren't already wearing a mask were given one before they could proceed into the building. I had mine on, but the old couple who followed me in did not, and they seemed to be somewhat resentful at having to wear one. I assumed that they might be maintaining the Trump "this is all a hoax" perspective. The waiting room was small, but the clinic had limited appointments to insure that everyone was able to sit at least one seat apart from others. Everyone in the clinic, including all staff, were wearing masks.
The wait time was surprisingly brief before I was guided back to a room. The nurse took my vitals, read through my history while asking a few questions about changes in medications, and then left me alone for a few minutes before the doctor entered.
This particular doctor is well known for his love of prattling on about everything during patient visits. He started off with a flip remark about what the "Chinese have done to us," but when I didn't take the bait like some unhinged Trump supporter, he added "Or the Russians." I was still silent so he then added "Or whatever." I finally began engaging when he turned his attention to the medical reason for my visit.
After the exam was over I asked the doctor about coronavirus cases in Mountain Home. He said there had been five so far, with two being a young couple who had picked it up while attending a family celebration in St. Louis. The couple had since recovered. (Five is also the number of confirmed cases in my entire county in Missouri.) We talked about social distancing, and he noted that it is not a major issue in rural counties because we seldom gather in confined spaces anyway.
He did mention one big exception to maintaining social distancing had occurred the previous week in Mountain Home when the T.J Maxx store had reopened and crowds had swarmed in. He said, "Can you imagine people risking their lives to shop?"
I continued observing businesses on my way out of town, and had a laugh when I passed a chiropractor's office with a sign out front that said, "Crawl-Ins Welcome!" That, I thought, seemed oddly appropriate for the times!
Traveling Fool
I made my first trip out-of-state in more than two months this past Tuesday when I traveled to Mountain Home, Arkansas, for a yearly doctor's appointment. Mountain Home, located close to beautiful Lake Norfolk in northern Arkansas, is approximately fifty-five miles from my home just north of West Plains, Missouri. Both communities, Mountain Home and West Plains, have approximately 12,000 residents, and both are commercial hubs for this very rural area.
I ran into a bit of traffic early in the morning as I was heading south out of town. People with jobs in West Plains were headed to work, but other than that the two-lane road was basically clear, allowing me to zoom right along. As I pulled into Mountain Home I noticed that the traffic was much lighter than it had been during previous visits - and many of the businesses along the main drag appeared to still be closed as a result of the pandemic All of the food places were operating drive-through only, and most of those had very few cars or activity.
The doctor's office had a woman stationed just inside the front door who rushed outside to greet each visitor with a forehead temperature scan. Those who weren't already wearing a mask were given one before they could proceed into the building. I had mine on, but the old couple who followed me in did not, and they seemed to be somewhat resentful at having to wear one. I assumed that they might be maintaining the Trump "this is all a hoax" perspective. The waiting room was small, but the clinic had limited appointments to insure that everyone was able to sit at least one seat apart from others. Everyone in the clinic, including all staff, were wearing masks.
The wait time was surprisingly brief before I was guided back to a room. The nurse took my vitals, read through my history while asking a few questions about changes in medications, and then left me alone for a few minutes before the doctor entered.
This particular doctor is well known for his love of prattling on about everything during patient visits. He started off with a flip remark about what the "Chinese have done to us," but when I didn't take the bait like some unhinged Trump supporter, he added "Or the Russians." I was still silent so he then added "Or whatever." I finally began engaging when he turned his attention to the medical reason for my visit.
After the exam was over I asked the doctor about coronavirus cases in Mountain Home. He said there had been five so far, with two being a young couple who had picked it up while attending a family celebration in St. Louis. The couple had since recovered. (Five is also the number of confirmed cases in my entire county in Missouri.) We talked about social distancing, and he noted that it is not a major issue in rural counties because we seldom gather in confined spaces anyway.
He did mention one big exception to maintaining social distancing had occurred the previous week in Mountain Home when the T.J Maxx store had reopened and crowds had swarmed in. He said, "Can you imagine people risking their lives to shop?"
I continued observing businesses on my way out of town, and had a laugh when I passed a chiropractor's office with a sign out front that said, "Crawl-Ins Welcome!" That, I thought, seemed oddly appropriate for the times!
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