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<\/p>\n\n\n\nEverything is in bloom, including some native plants here that I haven\u2019t seen in a while due to the drought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means during the day I\u2019m pretty much okay. I can breathe with only a few sneezing events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At night I get to sleep okay, then an insidious thing happens. One half my sinuses clog, then I roll over and the other half clogs, and by 2am I\u2019m a full on mouth breather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know this because I wake up with my mouth dry as Death Valley and thirsty as a man in the Sahara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apparently my snoring disturbs the dog. He\u2019s part of the reason that I wake up. He\u2019ll hit me with a paw, or try to see where in my throat the snoring sounds are coming from. It\u2019s disconcerting to have a dog who thinks he\u2019s an Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s also the kettle calling the pot black. He snores, barks, and farts his way through the night. Sometimes he howls like a wolf in the dead of night and he\u2019s completely asleep dreaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you know that there\u2019s still a hard wired response in the human brain to wake up fully alert in fight or flight mode when we hear that sound close by?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t until I found myself waking up in a standing position on the bed, with a baseball bat in hand, and my back against the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see the dog looking at me in the darkness as though I was the insane one. My instinctive flurry of activity disturbed his slumber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since that night, I\u2019ve heard him howl several times. He\u2019ll be laying on his side twitching as though he\u2019s dreaming then he\u2019ll arch his back and howl. Usually by the time he gets to that point I\u2019m by his side calling his name, gently stroking his ear or side. He\u2019ll come to, look around very confused then snuggle against me. I\u2019ll wait until he\u2019s asleep again and then lie back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s dreaming about. I gather that he\u2019s scared and lost in his dream based on the howl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a new thing. It started happening over the last few months. Perhaps in response to the death of the other half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We, the dog and I, just returned from a walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a remote possibility that we\u2019ll get some rain today. It\u2019s cloudy right now but I think it\u2019s all a big tease. If we were to get some rain It might clear the various pollens from the air but I\u2019d bet that a day after the rain it\u2019ll be worse. The added water will hit just when the little plants can use the boost to go full flower adding their unique pollen to the mix already blowing around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At which point, I\u2019ll be sleeping in a gas mask\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time of heavy flower \/ weed pollen only lasts a few weeks. I don\u2019t have a lot of trouble during this part of the year. I have trouble when the pine tree pollen blows around so thick it\u2019s a yellow mist. Everything is covered in yellow dust and my sinuses feel like they\u2019re filled with concrete. That time of year is yet to come. I think it\u2019s going to be a doozy this year, I could be wrong, but with all the water in the ground, I\u2019m betting the pines will be making up for the drought years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For any of you humans who may be semen-phobic\u2026 I remind you that\u2019s essentially what pollen is, so you\u2019re already covered in, and breathing semen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure some folks have just decided to live the rest of their lives in a hazmat suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just to make you phobic folks truly miserable, remember why W.C. Fields didn\u2019t drink water\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFish fuck in it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So there goes your option to run into the bathrooms and bathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahh, My work here is done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have a great day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everything is in bloom, including some native plants here that I haven\u2019t seen in a while due to the drought. This means during the day I\u2019m pretty much okay. I can breathe with only a few sneezing events. At night I get to sleep okay, then an insidious thing happens. One half my sinuses clog, … <\/p>\n