spring in the south, part two

This is my backyard patio table. The yellow powder on my finger? Pollen. If you aren't from here you'd never believe it, but in Atlanta we have a thick layer of pollen on everything this time of year. My blue car is green. I have to use my windshield wipers when I get in -- even though I park in the garage. (I often leave the door open in the daytime.) When it rains, we get yellow streams pouring down the driveways and along the sides of the roads. If you walk through the grass, you'll have pollen all over your shoes. And don't even think of opening the windows even if the temperatures hit the 70's unless you feel like dusting the house top to bottom.

They say that if you don't have seasonal allergies, come to Atlanta and you will. I had fall allergies as a kid in the midwest, but when I came here I was spared the fall problems. And I was fine the first spring here. But then it hit and I was a miserable, sneezing, watery-eyed mess and I finally went for allergy shots. Because I had a pregnancy during that time, the whole process took years. I may have stopped too soon because I do still feel the effects of all this pollen. Maybe everyone does although Pook and my husband seem to be ok. Bug inherited allergies too and he and I both start on Zyrtec each March.

POLLEN COUNT

0-30 Low

31-60 Moderate

61-120 High

Over 120 Extremely High

The pollen count? Today it was 3,235. Yes, that is three thousand pollen particles per cubic meter of air. Qualifies as "extremely high" don't you think?