Writing in Snow

The wind is blowing again

Word count: 541

Twenty-ten has been a weird weather year. January, February, and March we had more rain then in all of 2009. March, April, and May the wind has blown excessively. I am not talking about a breeze here; we have had real winds some gust over twenty-five miles per hour. I have no idea what the wind speed is today, it is blowing the limbs of trees, moving them quite a bit.

I have been sneezing for the past couple of weeks. I am allergic to oleanders and olive trees, among other things. I have oleanders and an olive tree in my yard. I think I might cut down the olive tree this fall because it is looking pathetic and I suspect it may be dying. I tried getting rid of the oleanders when we first moved into the house. Cutting down the oleanders did not do any good because they came back. The only way to get rid of them is to dig them up by the roots and that will cost. So I guess I am stuck with the oleanders.

If the wind keeps blowing the way it has been blowing, I am going to have to get some over the counter allergy medication. I hate the idea of that; it is bad enough I have to take prescription medication. I have to go in the end of this month for a blood test, so I will ask my doctor what she thinks. I may end up getting a dust mask to wear outside, I am not sure I would like that any better then taking medication for my allergies.

Right now, I am just sneezing. I can deal with the sneezing, as long as I carry facial tissue with me. There has to be some sort of solution, other then staying in out of the wind. Staying in the house does not help anyway because I still sneeze and I know that the problem is allergies. Maybe I should get some dust mask to wear around the house.

My grandmother always wore a dust mask when she cleaned house. Of course, grandma was allergic to dust and to cigarette smoke. Grandma was allergic to smoke and Grandpa smoked, they were married for over fifty years. Grandpa did not smoke in the main part of the house; he went to his own room or outside to smoke.

I do not think I am allergic to smoke; no one smokes in this house any more. Both Mom and I used to smoke, but we gave it up twenty or so years ago. Cigarette smoke is not my problem. My problem is pollen allergies and the only thing I can do is take medication to relieve the allergies. I do not want to take over the counter medication because most of those make me drowsy, which means I cannot drive while I am drowsy.

Since I would rather drive, I will just have to put up with the allergies and the wind. The wind cannot continue blowing the rest of the year; it has to stop blowing sometime. At least, in theory it has to stop blowing. Oh well, maybe I can get some good poems or stories out of this experience.