I don’t know about you, but for me this year has been flying by at an insanely fast pace. I have no idea why. I mean, time seems to zoom when a person is busier than usual and/or is having more fun than usual. But those conditions haven’t applied to me. And yet, boom! Just like that, seven of 2021’s months are over and done, and month number eight is nipping at their heels. What the hell is going on?
(Sunset viewed from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania)
So impressed am I by 2021’s fleet-footedness, I think it’s only right to offer up an essay that photographically honors its seven departed months. One photo from each month. I took six of the pictures and would have taken all seven if such had been possible. However, seeing that it would have been a major no-no for me to snap a selfie while being inoculated against COVID, I asked my wife Sandy to document the event.
I’ve decided against using any of the dozens of 2021’s photos that I’ve already placed in this publication’s stories. As for the seven included herein, only two hold any special personal meaning, and I’ll get to them in a minute. The other five just look good to my eyes, and would have been mad as hell at me if I’d not deposited them on the internet. The parking lot scene, for example, which contains a lady so wrapped up in her thoughts that she’s oblivious to the sharp red car doing its damndest to get her attention. Hey, the car threatened to sue if I gave it the cold shoulder!
Now, on to the two pix that, plain and simple, had to be presented, and about which I’ve got a few things to say.
Sandy and I frantically and tirelessly tried to schedule appointments for COVID vaccinations when vaccines became available early this year. Basically, it was an exercise in frustration. But then, five or six weeks later and from out of the blue, appointments for March 19 fell into our laps. I tell you, it was a powerful day for me, one I ain’t going to forget any time soon. As the needle entered my arm I breathed great sighs of relief and shed some tears of joy.
Four weeks later my second dose of Moderna was administered, and since then I’ve felt free. Yes, coronavirus remains a major concern, but far less so for the vaccinated as opposed to the unvaccinated. Man, vaccine refuseniks, brimming with loopy and misguided beliefs, astound and annoy me. The common good is suffering because they won’t grab hold of the lifelines being tossed their way. I tell you, we reside in a world that too often is surreal and disappointing.
Due to the f*cking pandemic’s intrusion, the fireworks event that Sandy and I attended on July 4 was the first impressive show of any kind that we had been to in 16 months. (In the USA, July 4 is a holiday that commemorates the states’ declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1776.) It took place on the sprawling grounds of a public school, in a town a couple of miles away from our suburban Philadelphia home.
We walked and walked on the school’s ball fields and lawns till we were very close to where the explosions would originate. And then we waited and waited as the skies grew dark and the time advanced to 9:40. At that point I got up from my chair to try and find someone who might know the scoop, as the show should have begun no later than 9:20. No luck, natch. So, I walked back to where our chairs were set up, looked at my phone to check the time, and said to Sandy, “It’s 9:49. I don’t think the fireworks are going to happen. We should leave.”
Three seconds later I was proven wrong, as the skies lit up with wonderful shapes and colors and thunderous sounds erupted. For the next 25 minutes Sandy and I oohed and aahed. In the end, we were in the right place at the right time.
(Please don’t be shy about adding your comments. Gracias.)
Yeah, Another Blogger 
I’m reminded of friends at the university who would tell me when time passes so quickly it meant I was busy living…I like that thought…aging reminds me how fast time does go…full days…lots of gratitude…have fun Neil sending you and your loved ones joy ☺️🤍🕊💫hedy
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Hedy, one thing for sure is that none of us is getting any younger. Time keeps marching on, with no regard for any of us. Thanks for adding your thoughts. See ya!
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It has been a fast year. I wonder if it’s because so much keeps happening all of the time. That’s opposed to last year, where half of it was waiting on salvation & a vaccine. Isn’t it ironic that now that we it, we have refusniks disbelieving the need. It’s a great tragedy especially considering that parts of the world don’t even have the option of choice.
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Sandy, you’re right on the money when you call vaccine refusal a great tragedy. The refusniks are doing nothing but making a bad situation worse.
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Great idea to post one photo per month. I may steal it. And yes, the year has flown by for me, too. I did see a beautiful sunset tonight. It stopped me in my tracks. I think we should all slow down like that more often. Maybe time wouldn’t go as fast then.
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Hey, Lori. You know, I haven’t checked out any sunsets in a few months. I’m going to start rectifying that,
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I agree, 2021 seems to be flashing by at an insane speed. Fantastic photos btw.
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Hi, Sheree. 2022 will be here before we know it. Let’s hope that somehow, some way, the COVID situation will be better next year than it is now.
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Fingers crossed 🤞
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Time flies when you’re having fun…or getting old…or both. 😊
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Both.
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Yep!
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I think time flies by when we grow up and is slow for very young, just waiting to be free to do for we want. A lovely way to document your life in pictures.
Thank you.
Joanna
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Glad you liked this article, Joanna. Many thanks.
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Many people here (we reached 75% fully jabbed today!!) who are aren’t vaccinated yet are, simply put, young and lazy. Some are just too busy and others are … silly twits who wear tin foil hats and believe that the magnets of the world are plotting against us. Or something like that.
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I think you’ve described those folks very well and very accurately.
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7 brides for 7 brothers 🙂 enjoyed the snaps and the comments, Neil; I’ve been fully vaccinated for a few months now; pace finally picking up in Oz; what we need is a great big fireworks display, like you and Sandy saw, just bigger to celebrate the end of this pandemic when it comes 🙂
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Hey, John. You know, I think I titled this story because it reminded me of the movie title that you mention. I’ve never seen that movie. Have you?
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Hi Neil. Your images are very cooling. The Covid vaccine.. well I know some horror stories. May God bless us all.☕️🎼☕️♥️
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Hi there, AOC. We can only hope that COVID will run its course. It will help a lot if the vast majority of people get vaccinated.
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Yes, going by in a flash, faster than a little red sports car. I like that shot you took in Jenkintown of the band in the gazebo – but was it really an audience of one? Or 2 counting the photographer.
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Hi, Robert. There weren’t a lot of people there. Maybe 25 tops. It was the first live music that my wife and I heard since early 2020. The band was ok, but nothing special.
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Agreed, the year has flown. On the one hand I’m not too sorry, it’s not like it’s been a great year for most of us. But hey, at my (our?) time of life we should be savouring every day, it’s not like we have an endless supply of them to look forward to! Whatever, the vaccine offers hope that the year ahead will be better and pass more slowly.
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Hi there. You know, for at least five years, probably more, I occassionally think about aging. Even if I were to live into my 90s, I’m WAY closer to the end than to the beginning. Not a cheery thought.
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I like the old toilet paper roll analogy: the more it is used, the faster it gets used up.
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Time is mysterious. And relentless.
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Always great photos….keep them coming.
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Thanks, Joyce, I shall try.
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Wonderful photos. Pennsylvania is a state that holds so much beauty for this Canadian. I have many fond memories of my visits there, and – please, oh please – more people will get vaccines so I can cross the border again soon!
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Right, being able to travel freely and safely will be much appreciated. And will help economies worldwide.
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Fun to have a pictorial record of the year, and holy cats, what a year it’s been! Onward, ho to whatever comes next. Trying not to be angry at those who are healthy and who refuse to get a vaccination.
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It’s almost impossible to not be at least somewhat angry at them. These people are part of the problem, rather than being part of the solution.
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Sigh.
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It’s “a surreal and disappointing world,” indeed, but with fireworks!
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I’m sure we’re of the same mind about fireworks. They’re great!
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It does seem that 2021 time is literally flying. The iconic jab picture–one that will link all of us throughout the world. Good collection, Neil.
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Hi, Jacqui, and thanks for the input. Yeah, being vaccinated is where it’s at. And I guess we all will need booster shots before long.
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This piece struck an optimistic tone, despite the hellish 18 months we’ve endured….thanks for that! Loved the sunset picture best, the bandstand, too.
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Hi, and thanks for stopping by. Sunsets are hard to beat. And there’s one available for each of us every single day. Unless it’s cloudy!
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It took us weeks, months really, to become eligible for our vaccinations. Then I was online weekly until I got us into the system. We finished in late May. Funny looking back on it now, it seems like it was a whole different year. We didn’t have 4th of July fireworks here. You do live the life!
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Hi. Yeah, it seems that in most states the vaccine rollout was very poorly organized and managed. But eventually things got smoother. I guess that vaccinations are now easily gotten in the USA.
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I think the “refuseniks” fall into two camps: fanatical anti-government conservatives, and lower-educated people (white and black) who are scared and superstitious. The latter group has always been around and will continue to be. As far as the ideological fanatics go, I have absolutely no sympathy for them if and when they get sick.
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Pete, I think you’ve analyzed the situation correctly.
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Great pictures! You know what the spider said: “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”
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Good one!
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It is crazy how quickly this year has flown by. I always figure once August hits, we might as well start celebrating Christmas and a new year!
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Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year!
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LMAO 🤣
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I agree with the speed of the days, Neil. Sometimes the weeks fly by. Maybe it has to do with the sameness of each one. Since Covid hit, we’ve all been thrown off our regular schedules of ‘doing’ and must just ‘be’.
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Hi. I’m not sure. Before we know it, though, 2022 will have arrived.
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Good stuff Neil. Like the pics. The June one makes me want to be there. On your paragraph ending in “..Disappointing world” I certainly cant argue that. I consulted my friend J Bodean and we are going to throw a ‘Sometimes” at the end of that sentence. I had a day yesterday that kept the fires burning as far as “people doing good things for others” . It was refreshing as hell. Later fella.
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Yeah, I didn’t mean to imply that the world is purely disappointing. It isn’t at all. I might have to edit that paragraph. See ya!
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Bodean and I were just trying to be smartasses. I love that paragraph. Well said. You are one of the most positive people I hang with on these takes. Why I like you. It is a shit storm at times and we cant deny it. When I tune into your station you always are breath of fresh air. This take is a case in point. Later fella.
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Thanks, CB. By the way, I adjusted that sentence a bit to make it more accurate. See ya!
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You are very welcome!
Joanna
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For me, this year has also been flying by at an insanely fast pace. But, as you know, I’ve been busy trying to get ‘my baby’ into the marketplace. Thanks to my son’s client, we learned in February about a center, miles away from the City of Los Angeles, with available appointments for the vaccine. I got my second dose on March 18. What a relief! I understand well your anger and frustration at the “vaccine refuseniks.” Sad to say, my sons have also fallen victims of those “loopy and misguided beliefs.” At least, they didn’t prevent me from getting the vaccine and masking up. The divide within our collective, dysfunctional, American family disturbs me. This dysfunction was in the making a long time ago. Our social media networks serve only to dampen our ability to think critically and rationally. We are fast becoming a nation of zombies.
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I never look at Facebook or any other site where all this nutty stuff goes on. If I did, my blood pressure would rise by 50 points.
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So would mine, Neil. I only frequent the WordPress blogosphere. It’s a different world for our younger generations who grew up and are growing up on the Web.
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I still never tire of seeing people getting their shots. I will feel the same when you post your booster too. Good for you, and glad you saw those fireworks! – Marty
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Hi, Marty. Philadelphia normally has fireworks on Dec. 31 to usher in the new year. They shoot them off over the Delaware River. I hope they’ll be doing that this year. If it isn’t freezing outside, my wife and I probably will go.
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Kermit the frog said, “Time flies if you’re having fun and time is fun if you’re having flys.” Say cheese. Jerry
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Cheese!!
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I agree Neil the summer is flying by. I thought I would have more time to enjoy it.
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Hi. I’m looking forward to autumn. That’s my favorite season.
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I felt the same way when I got my vaccine!
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A very emotional experience.
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Great stuff as always Neil. Yeah, getting jabbed was a pivotal moment for all of us, I think. And I don’t feel any less sceptical about the Government (whichever one, we have two here in Scotland) so I can’t think these mind control conspiracy theories can be true….
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Hi. I suppose that coronavirus vaccinations will become yearly events for us, just like flu shots.
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The bandstand in Jenkintown looks almost identical to the one in the park in my town. My favorite photo is of the tree in the third photo. I immediately thought of Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting called The Lawrence Tree. It was on the D.H. Lawrence ranch, and she painted it after lying on a picnic table and looking straight up into it.
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Hi. Thanks for the input. I was in Santa Fe a few years ago, and went to the O’Keeffe museum there. I like her art a lot. Thanks for the link. That’s a terrific painting.
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I enjoyed the post! All the photos were great but I particularly like February’s (now that I’m in Florida, I can enjoy the snow!). My sentiments about the vaccine, and finally getting it, were exactly the same as your’s — I felt incredible relief, and freedom. And I’ll be standing in line for the booster as soon as it’s available!
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These COVID vaccines are miracles in liquid form!
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Good to see the year in photographs…a super idea. Yes, for a year where we couldn’t do very much it has flown by…..and just when we wanted to start projects again the case numbers have gone up in our area so we still have to be careful.
You needed those firewroks!
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COVID is a tough foe. It isn’t going away any time soon. As more and more people get vaccinated, maybe the virus will start to peter out. We can only hope.
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That’s what I don’t get.They are now vaccinating young people and most of the older people have had the second one…so why are the cases rising?
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I don’t know for sure. One thing is that you can get covid when vaccinated, but you most likely will have no symptoms or mild symptoms — still, you’ll test positive. The people who are in hospitals and dying from covid right now are predominately unvaccinated people. Or so they say.
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This may be a second posting—not sure the first went through.
I always like your pix. As for time, whenever August appears, I feel the summer’s way too short. (For lots of people in climate catastrophe areas, that’s surely not the case, though. It’s been a horror.)
But time’s felt “out of joint” since Covid required our drastic behavioral changes. All normal delineations got screwed up. Add to that the aging process, and whoa—we’ve entered another dimension!
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Annie, we might be in the Twilight Zone.
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As a musician myself, I most loved the Jenkintown photo. But all of them exhibit your usual tasteful eye. And I enjoyed your fireworks anecdote, which was tinged with hope.
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Greetings, Paula. What’s the music scene like in your area these days? — are there many indoor shows?
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Right now I’d say it’s mostly outdoor music events, although our great Hardly Strictly Bluegrass outdoor festival in Golden Gate Park just announced that it will be streaming only. So it’s kind of a mixed bag. Indoors, masks are mandatory and many bars and other venues are requiring proof of vaccination as well, but I think the indoor scene is slim pickins right now.
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I think because I’ve been working a project most of the summer, the days have tended to drag. Also fire season started early out here and I can’t wait for it to end.
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The fires in the USA and elsewhere are horrible. And it seems like there have been more of them in the last few years than there ever used to be. Bad, bad news.
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I have found the year peculiarly contradictory. The months do indeed seem to have flown by but, in contrast, the days seem to drag along so very slowly and tediously. As you know, we spend most of our days in the garden and have always found this a pleasant pastime but we have come to realise that an occasional day away from the garden is essential and is the spice which makes life more pleasant. A change is as good as a rest, it is said, but we have had so very little change for what seems forever that even the normally enjoyable routine of life has become tedious. Covid has been an out and out curse. Like you, we are both fully vaccinated but latest reports show clearly that the vaccine is not a protection from the virus but rather an assurance that any infection will not be as horrible as otherwise it might be. In a country of 5 million we have had daily infections of 1,500 to 2,000 each day for the past while. This “encourages” us to remain apart as we have being doing since March 2020.
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Paddy, we’ve been living in a major mess for a year and a half. If things ever stabilize at an acceptable level, it will be interesting to know precisely how and why that happened.
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Seriously, how is it almost 2022? Did I write off 2021 without realizing it? I can only remember copious amounts of sourdough bread and Joe Exotic. If those were the highlights perhaps it’s a good thing I’ve blocked it all out! PS. Great pics, both the vaccine & fireworks represent freedom in their own way, don’t they?
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Hi, and thanks for the input. I like the question/observation you make about vaccination and fireworks. As for Joe E, I haven’t watched his Netflix show. But I have watched a ton of stuff on Netflix since the pandemic started.
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It would be hard to choose a single photo for each month. Right now, as I’m sweating on a hot August day, your February snow looks very inviting.
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Hi. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to winter. But I’ll be glad when the temperatures start dropping. Maybe that will happen in a few weeks.
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I hope so, too, Neil. I prefer winter to summer, I have to say, but spring and autumn are my favorite seasons.
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Great pictures. Many of us have been documenting the last two years via pictures on our phones. Good to have recorded it all and just shows how we can always find something uplifting to raise our spirits.
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I tend to think that a sense of optimism is built into the majority of the population’s DNA.
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Why is time running by faster than ever? Because, young man, YOU are getting older. That’s how it works. Not to worry. Your photos are fabulous. You haven’t lost your touch. Stay well. Muriel
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Hi. There’s no stopping Father Time. It would be great if he’d slow down, though. See ya!
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Yes, this year has gone by very quickly. Lovely idea to show photos from the throughout the year and to hear about some of them as well. I just got my second dose of vaccine, but I didn’t document it. Now suffering from a bit of a headache, but that is a small price to pay for having the vaccine.
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Hi. It’s good to be vaccinated! I wish that there weren’t so many holdouts.
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A great record of your year so far. I also found vaccination an emotional experience, especially the first time. I can’t see any rational grounds for refusing.
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Hi. There are few if any rational grounds for refusing. As we know though, there are way too many irrational people out there.
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Love the photos you’ve chosen!
Funny, I keep saying the same thing each year…time goes even faster when you’re working full time – no time to do anything!
Stay safe. 🙂
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Hey there. 2022 is just around the corner. Take care.
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Yes, yes, and yes! 2021, as you said, is “flying by at an insanely fast pace” and I have no idea why, either. As you said, it ain’t because I’m having too much fun, and though I’m struggling to do the things I want to do, some problem that needs addressing NOW is always calling me away. There’s still a great difficulty soving the simplest things because of how profoundly COVID screwed up our “regular” systems.
Yes andyes also to “Sandy and I frantically and tirelessly tried to schedule appointments for COVID vaccinations when vaccines became available early this year. Basically, it was an exercise in frustration.” Like you, I spent SIX weeks trying to get a vaccine spot (as state website after state website crashed from the load of anxious Boomers). You beat me by a day. I got my first Moderna on March 20. And yes, it was, as you said, a powerful day. I also don’t get the “vaccine refuseniks.” They are screwing it up for everyone–we once again have to wear masks in Massachusetts because the refuseniks are spreading the Delta virus far and wide. Even to their kids, which strangely doesn’t seem to bother them.
As for the concern you initially felt at the stalled fireworks, I think we have all come to expect things to go wrong–I see it as a self-defense reaction honed by long months of disappointment and angst. I was so prepared to “fail” my annual car inspection–because I had an utterly ridiculous disaster with this last August that involved over 200 phone calls, four months, and finally, the tremendously helpful intervention of my state rep who cleared the debris in an hour–that I was stunned when I just sailed through this year. And grateful.
I think you’re right: In the end about being in the right place at the right time–we are slowly, but definitely, recovering from a huge shock. A thing that was never supposed to happen. But then, who can say what is “supposed to” happen? Carry on.
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You know, for years I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the state of affairs in our country, or to the mindsets of many of our fellow citizens. I began to emerge from my cave when Trump came on the national scene, because he disgusted me so much. Since then, I’ve been shaking my head a lot. I mean, I find it hard to believe that so many whackos and fools are out there. How is it possible? I just don’t get it.
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I hear you. I’ve been glued to politics for years and I still can’t believe how fast and how far we’ve fallen.
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You’re a funny guy! Entertaining post & pics. Glad you got to see some fireworks. Ours in northern AZ were cancelled due to fire dangers. Have a great Sunday! 🌞
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Hi. Yeah, we were fortunate to be at a real good fireworks show. Nature cooperated. It isn’t cooperating at this moment in NYC, where a star-studded concert in Central Park has been suspended due to rain and lightning. Maybe they’ll be able to resume the show later tonight.
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I agree with Paddy. The days are interminable but the months are flashing past. I was relatively happy until my cousins got breakthrough infections (all inoculated) and one was hospitalized for a week. That frightened me back into isolation and can’t wait for the third Pfizer shot. We are only 50% vaccinated in our ignorant county in TX.
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Hey there. Breakthroughs are worrisome. If they start becoming somewhat common, then things might become worse than ever in some respects. What a mess this all is.
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I feel like Mother Nature is punishing us for all the crap we have done to her. Mind you, its not the first Pandemic humans have encountered, nor will it be the last.
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The passage of time is so weird, right? I’ve noticed that it speeds up as we age, and I used to consider that extremely unfair. But lately I’m starting to see the upside of it. We might be in this ‘pandemic life’ for years…might as well make them go fast. (Yes, I’m pessimistic about us ever getting through it.)
I got emotional when I got vaccinated too, and am eager to get a booster as soon as possible. I struggle to understand the refusers, and to control my anger about how they’re the reason we ALL have to keep living like this. I’m really afraid it’s going to take a lot of kids dying to convince more of them to get the damn shots.
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There’s something very wrong with most of the refuseniks. They’re misguided philosophically. They don’t care about the common good. They are anti-common sense. What a world.
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Congrats (belatedly) on getting your shots and some semblance of relief and sanity back.
I love the progress of the photos, ending with the gazebo at dusk, which always has been and always will be my favorite time of day.
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Morning, Stacey. You bring up an interesting subject. I don’t know if I’ve ever thought about what my favorite time of day is. Not sure if I have one. What makes dusk your favorite time?
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