Snow and Allergies

Woke up to a little snow on the patio this morning.



Actually, I got up just after midnight last night and it already looked like this. The cats were very interested in going outside, which they did for about a minute and a half before remembering that snow is cold and wet. It definitely changed their mind about a long outdoor romp. They came in and had breakfast instead.

Dave decided to take his early meeting at home, rather than dealing with people on the roads (which were mostly clear, but it was a good excuse to have a bit of a lazy morning). I put together a bowl of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries over Greek yogurt for him to have for breakfast during his meeting. (I had leftovers from last night's dinner, green chile stew and beans, for my breakfast.)

Yes, the amount of berries in the house means that we did make a Costco run last night. We met my brother there around 7:00 and came away with a basket full of fruits, vegetables, cheese, nuts, and other assorted things.  We always seem to do this just before our CSA box is due. So of course tomorrow we'll be getting a cooler full of more vegetables. 

Allergen Report

Despite the snow (which normally calms such things down), my allergies have been going nuts this morning. I just checked the pollen count and juniper, which I'm horribly allergic to, is very high today. I'm also allergic to elm, which is not quite as high, but still present. I've been sneezing since I woke up and my face is itchy. I finally just took some Benadryl a little bit ago. Dave thinks I should try the steroid nasal spray that he keeps on hand, but I'm skeptical about new medications. I don't doubt that it will help, I'm just afraid that it might also hurt, side-effects-wise.

I was just looking online at the pollen counts. Juniper is at 195, which is classified as "high." (Though it drives me crazy not to know what 195 truly means. What is the unit of measurement for 195? Is it 195 pollen grains per cubic centimeter of air? What does 195 mean besides "high"? 

Anyway, I also found this bit of helpful information on a website about pollen allergies:

When feasible you can soak down the vegetation in your yard. This prevents the pollen from remaining airborne. Eliminate weeds in your yard. Replace heating and air conditioning filters often. These devices can cut down the pollen in the indoor environment. Wear a dust mask during peak pollen production periods. Wear sunglasses or prescription glasses to protect eyes. Stay inside on windy days. Pray for rain.

"Pray for rain." Helpful!

Oh, okay. Here we go. From the webMD site:

The count is reported as grains of pollen per square meter of air collected over 24 hours. This number represents the concentration of all the pollen in the air in a certain area at a specific time. The pollen count is translated into a corresponding level: absent, low, medium, or high.

In general, a "low" pollen count means that only people extremely sensitive to pollen will experience allergy symptoms. A "medium" count means many people who are relatively sensitive to pollen will experience allergy symptoms, and a "high" count means most people with any sensitivity to pollen will experience allergy symptoms.

Now I get it. Since I am sensitive, high just means I'm extra miserable today.  Though the Benadryl I took a bit earlier is kicking in now, so I feel much calmer and my nose is not running like a faucet. My sinuses are still congested, though I can breathe through one nostril. The medicine dries out my mouth, too. Not pleasant, but better than being a drippy, itchy, swollen mess, I guess.

MoresNow

More snow is predicted for today, though the temperature will rise tomorrow and we'll get rain instead. No prayer required.