Thursday, April 8, 2010

Allergies abated with cold weather


One good thing about our miserable spring weather is the fact that juniper pollen is kept at a minimum.

For those who don't suffer from this annual rite of spring, you're indeed lucky. For the rest of us, we're grateful that we're not on a refill of Allegra D or Zyrtec or any assortment of allergy pills by now.

Of course, saying all this could jinx me for the next two months, but the forecast for cool temps has me hopeful that this could be a beautiful spring, nasal-wise. Yes, there are still some out there who are suffering, and, I feel your pain.

The forecast from weather.com shows temperatures for the next 10 days that are below average. We shouldn't break the 60-degree mark, a critical number, and we'll have overnight temperatures either below freezing or near freezing. This is great news for us chronic allergy sufferers, but bad for juniper trees.

I don't have much sympathy for juniper trees, though. They've ravaged the High Desert region over the last century due to fire-suppression efforts. Juniper trees suck out most of the surface water in the region and prevent other flora to flourish.

Also, juniper trees aren't that attractive. Aside from juniper berries flavoring our local gin, juniper trees are an invasive species that ultimately harm the health of the High Desert landscape. Also, when it rains, juniper trees sometime smell like "feline urine," according to French rock climbers on a visit to Smith Rock State Park a few years ago. I guess they would know.

For now, it feels great to breathe easier and enjoy our spring as God intended.



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