The Untold Joys of Spring

I walked outside to bask in the wonderful warmth and sunshine of a gorgeous spring day only to return home to find my beloved brown moccasins I was rocking looking like they were spontaneously sprouting green mold all over.  I went inside and immediately felt my eyes start to itch, which led to a violent episode of rubbing then splashing water on my face for some type of relief.  Having barely cleared that hurdle,  I felt my sinuses swell and my nose began running soon after.  I was now officially in the throes of an all out, full blown allergy attack of which I had never experienced before.  I've had small episodes of itchy eyes here and there during prior seasons, but nothing like this.  And the obvious culprit?  The unbelievably high pollen count being produced this month!  I can't remember the exact number quoted in the news, but it's ridiculously high.  And, of course, I am right in the the crosshairs of this seasonal assault.

Where I live, there are nothing but trees, bushes and endless greenery - which is normally a great thing, but this bounteous landscape (along with a host of others) has recently become quite aggressive in its efforts to proliferate.  And I get it... 'tis the season.  But this is above and beyond.  It's become monumental.

 
Not sure if you can tell, but the onslaught of pollen has covered the entire parking lot, turning the blacktop into a speckled haze of neon green.

And the cars were completely coated in pollen.  I mean, you couldn't see through the back windows -  let alone the windshield - it was so bad.

A thick coating... Pollen, pollen everywhere!  And we are breathing this stuff in and getting it on our clothes and tracking it into our homes... No wonder so many have reported intense allergic reactions.  Like I said, I've had small sneezes here and there during spring, but I've noticed that it has gotten worse as I've gotten older with this year being the worst.  I mean, I felt like a Mack truck hit me; I couldn't breathe I was so congested and my nose was a mean shade of red by the end of the night I was blowing it so much.

And as I sit and write this, a light smattering of rain is gently tapping on my bedroom window.  A small reprieve that will hopefully result in well needed relief as the rain slowly builds in intensity.  Although I can certainly appreciate the "newness" and all the "rebirthing" spring brings, I am sure I am not alone when I say that I can't wait until the whole process that spring spawns is over and I am free to enjoy the beauty of the season.