Spring (and lots of pollen) Is in the Air

Saturday I felt wretched: headache, tons of sinus drainage, feeling flushed, and add to that nausea. I couldn't figure it out. A little while later, I went out to run errands. Then I saw it!!! The culprit. Pollen. My car was COVERED with yellow oak and/or pine pollen. I don't know why it always surprises me each year, each spring, but it did. Again! Oh, the pain and agony of--no, not allergies, according to the good allergy doctor who tested me--but of irritants that deeply and profoundly affect me and my overall wellness indicators. No end of irritants. And I feel well irritated, indeed!

As I grow longer in the tooth, I find that my "comfort zone" temperature-wise is growing thinner and thinner. Whereas 70 degrees on the thermostat inside when the outside temps. measure in the 20-60 degree temperature range--finds me freezing cold. However, Saturday, the temperature inside registered 73 and outside about the same. I was perspiring like a--well--leave it at that. It wasn't a pretty picture. I was miserable. And besides that, I don't like it. In about a week, however, I'll be refreezing my tail off once again when I embark on a journey to the Rocky Mountains for my niece's wedding. They're getting snow now and for the next few days, it looks like. Oh, the joy!

However, the spring flowers are abundant--the kind I actually enjoy seeing--the kind that don't shower TONS of the irritating pollen upon every surface known to man that is under the wide expanse of heaven's dome--at least here on this particular portion of earth. Our azaleas (and many others) are blooming everywhere. Spirea are blossoming. Redbud trees, Bradford pear trees, plum trees, tulip trees all look wonderful and life in general is waking up after tumultuous, cold weather. Oh. Remember our little, wonderful, happy, early-blooming peach tree? The warm temperatures followed by freezing temperatures managed to kill most of the tender little peaches. *Sigh* but I found a few that have mustered up the courage to hang on. Those little peaches are probably no bigger than the end of my finger, but they are hanging on for dear life--at this point.

So, it appears that life maintains an equilibrium: beautiful flowers to gladden the heart, and pollen, ugly pollen by the truck load, to irritate and cause misery to other parts of one's anatomy.