Spring – the good, the bad and the ugly

Let’s just start by saying having seasonal allergies these last two years has been special. I get a fit of sneezing which knocks enough junk loose that I start coughing like crazy. In the past, people wouldn’t take a second look. People hear that these days and start looking at you like you should be locked up and not out spreading things. I did actually see someone with a mask that said something like “don’t worry, it’s just allergies”. Not that you really want to wear a mask when your nose is running like crazy but we won’t go down that path.

Allergies are just dumb. Who was the genius that decided that some of us would just react to pollen like it was some deadly weapon nature was turning on us. I mean it happens every year. You’d think eventually the body would figure out that it hasn’t killed us yet and maybe it isn’t the threat you think it is.

I do take allergy shots – going in for one shortly. Do they help? Well they generally reduce the symptoms to an annoyance so I guess I could say they work. I mean I used to get semi-annual sinus infections – in the spring and fall and that has mostly gone away so I’d have to say that is progress.

But I can’t complain too much. Spring is still magical to me. Something about seeing the world wake up and the colors come back. Winter is like watching old shows that were in black and white. Spring is like seeing the first color TV. Now I realize I’m old and most people today likely grew up just knowing color TV so that analogy probably doesn’t mean anything.

Our Redbuds are just about to burst out. Many of the white flowering trees are already out so the redbuds will add purple to the palate. We have just recently got some more spring like temperatures after relatively cold end to March and start to April so it certainly feels more like spring.

And the birds are singing like crazy. So you get colors and music. It is the world coming back to life. Not saying it wouldn’t be nicer if I wasn’t sneezing like crazy but it is a small price to pay. OK, some days it isn’t a small price but you get the picture.

Funny thing about this is everyone blames the flowers but it is the trees that are the main villains in spring. Then again, I love trees so this quote still holds up.