The nose knows

Holy mackerel. I’ve mentioned “the most beautiful spring ever” a couple times in the last few weeks. I sure learned there are two sides to a beautiful spring last week. I also learned something about allergies. I’ve read the news stories about the high pollen counts, but I never gave it a second thought. It was my belief that—except for some sensitivity to forest-fire smoke—I had no allergies. Turns out I was wrong. At least, I hope I was wrong.

Came on about a week ago Sunday, a little tickling in my throat. By Tuesday, it felt kind of like a cold but with the most surreal cotton-headedness (No, ya wags, I’m not always cottonheaded). I was in a fog. Thursday, I tried Claritin D, which has pseudo-ephedrine in it. I became not only cotton-headed but hyperactive. Felt like a teenager again. Friday, I took some Claritin without the D and fell asleep at my desk. Fortunately, my co-workers mostly like me, and nobody dipped my hand in tepid water while I was zoned out.

Why the heck did it take 42 years for this problem to arise, and is it gone now?

All those years my mom suffered from allergies, I never gave her much sympathy. All I knew was she was addicted to Afrin. So, at any rate, all you allergy sufferers have my empathy. I’ll keep my ears open for possible ways to ease your suffering. In the meantime, has anyone had any success with treatments? One of our contributors, Kristin Benjamin, said the key is to keep the bedroom as allergen-free as possible (closed windows, air filters, hypoallergenic sheets). I had another friend who poured tea up her nose. My mom just suffered in silence.

Reason to vote No. 23: There are countries in this world where elected people care about the quality of their constituents’ environment. The difference between here and there is we don’t elect enough people who make environmental concerns a priority.