[Ratmagiclady]

Wow, major treegasm, here. The pollen's really starting to pile up: for a while this morning, it just looked like seeing through a yellow-green haze out there in places.


A little well-timed rain might not go amiss.

[RioRico]

I grew up in a walnut orchard. Last time I visited during pollen season, I was invalided for a week.

I lived 25 years in Sonoma County CA (two stops north of SF) the pollen capital of the USA. I'm sensitized to everything there. Sniff.

Now, when I'm not elsewhere, I'm at 3500 feet between Fresno and Lake Tahoe, in a cedar forest. If I was a mile away on Sugar Pine Ridge I'd be sneezing in season, but cedars don't bother me.

I could use some pollen now. That would be a sign of spring up here. As it is, the field of snow outside my window, below the forest, is tracked by deer and holding down the dust nicely. Had a thick blizzard Easter evening. It's still winter here.

Oh yeah, it'll melt soon. Then ATVs and pickups will dash by on the gravel road, raising dust clouds, and we won't see another rain till October. I'm leaving in a few weeks. Might drive back to Guatemala; the tropical dry season ends soon. No pollen to worry about in the highlands.

[Ratmagiclady]

Heehee., Well, it's really good to see things green again. Fortunately, I'm not apparently allergic to these trees' pollen or anything. (Some kinds can really get me) There's just so much *of* it, you can taste it on your lips if you stand outside for a while.

I could probably sweep some up for you and send you a pound without too much effort.

What I could *really* use would be a garden hose to wash some away.

[DeliaRana]

That garden hose wouldn't do you any good. I rinse my car down everyday and within an hour it is a very pretty shade of yellow. I am hoping the rain tomorrow will take care of this stuff.

[Ratmagiclady]

That garden hose wouldn't do you any good. I rinse my car down everyday and within an hour it is a very pretty shade of yellow. I am hoping the rain tomorrow will take care of this stuff.

Heehee. I guess we'll see if there's a repeat of that rather remarkable quantity tomorrow morning, but then it looks like we should see rain.

There'd been some around for a couple of days, but it was like Martian dust this morning. I did end up dumping some buckets of water on the car and then sweeping some away, just to keep it from kicking up so much.

[systemA]

My goodness was this morning bad...I actually decided to go back to sleep and wake up later.

[RioRico]

Near-record pollen adds misery to season

ATLANTA — Some of the same regions of the country that experienced unusually cold temperatures this past winter are now in the middle of one of the worst pollen seasons in several years.

The problem has been particularly bad in the Southeast, where allergy sufferers and clean-car lovers are dealing with a constant yellow blanket of near-record pollen. In normal seasons, a pollen count of 120 is considered high. Last week in Atlanta, the pollen count hit 5,733, the second-highest level on record...

[full story at link above]

So far, I'm above it all. Had another brief blizzard here today, thick wet heavy flakes swirling like a cheap souvenir snow-globe. No pollen in sight. But that may change in a couple weeks. At least I'm not around Atlanta.

[Ratmagiclady]

Hrm, well, here, after the big dumping, it's actually seemed pretty clear, at least once we got our bit of rain to knock it down. I guess our part of town, at least, got it all at once.

It's usually a pretty constant allergy season for me down here, but I'm just glad this species doesn't bother me.

[seacapt]

Hrm, well, here, after the big dumping, it's actually seemed pretty clear, at least once we got our bit of rain to knock it down. I guess our part of town, at least, got it all at once.

It's usually a pretty constant allergy season for me down here, but I'm just glad this species doesn't bother me.

Rat , I'm assuming you have long leaf southern yellow or loblolly pines there like we have here. Folks not used to it litterally get sick , call it pine fever. The good news , it's been windy and will be gone sooner.

[geauxpez]

Hrm, well, here, after the big dumping, it's actually seemed pretty clear, at least once we got our bit of rain to knock it down. I guess our part of town, at least, got it all at once.

It's usually a pretty constant allergy season for me down here, but I'm just glad this species doesn't bother me.

It has been pretty miserable. I took some before & after photos yesterday of my wife's car. Incredible. Our office is hopping as well (ear nose, throat & allergy).

[reeftool]

Things are just starting to turn green around here. It get pretty intense by late May most years. I have has to clear heavy coatings of pollen off my windshield to see sometimes. I have been using the generic copy of Zyrtec this year over Claritin. It seems to be working very well so far.

[Ratmagiclady]

Rat , I'm assuming you have long leaf southern yellow or loblolly pines there like we have here. Folks not used to it litterally get sick , call it pine fever. The good news , it's been windy and will be gone sooner.

I don't think they're the ones, actually, unless the trees actually showing the buds just had that kind of timing. (Not to say that never happens anywhere, but I could actually see the changes in the deciduous fellows right around here. I'm blanking on the names. We do have a big conifer or two, nearby. They'll certainly cut loose, but it smells different and I think actually is something that's irritating. Back up North the spruce gets me. )

It's the relatives of ragweed and grasses that probably do usually bother my allergies.

[seacapt]

I don't think they're the ones, actually, unless the trees actually showing the buds just had that kind of timing. (Not to say that never happens anywhere, but I could actually see the changes in the deciduous fellows right around here. I'm blanking on the names. We do have a big conifer or two, nearby. They'll certainly cut loose, but it smells different and I think actually is something that's irritating. Back up North the spruce gets me. )

It's the relatives of ragweed and grasses that probably do usually bother my allergies.

Round here you can litterally watch clouds of yellow being blown off the pines . I've become accustomed to it but forget about keeping stuff clean. Have to wash car /truck windshields daily just to see.

[reeftool]

All trees produce some pollen. even the pines. The swamp maples in my yard produce little red flowers (you need a magnifing glass to tell they're flowers) just before the leaves come out. The thick coatings of pollen are normal here due to the short growing season and the rather sudden season change from below freezing nights to warm weather. You folks down south had a winter more like we are accoustomed to. We had a very warm one further north. A big concern up here is damage to the apple trees as they have started to bud and flower already, almost a month early. It's common for hard freezes through early May and a return to normal weather could damage the apple harvest.

It's possible for people with allergys to get such a dose of pollen that they go into shock. This happened to a friend during a sudden spring shower and some wind. He happened to be unlucky enough to be under some trees when that heavy "pollen rain" that came when a wind gust blows the water off the leaves gave him a soaking. He ended up in the hospital.

[Ratmagiclady]

Yeah, though, some of those conifers can really dump on you: there aren't too many right around here, but each one can produce quite a bit. Sometimes

Didn't take too much note this past year, anyway.

I once quite carelessly gave myself a face-full of *lots* of spruce pollen while gathering firewood. That's how I know I'm kind of allergic, or at least it was quite irritating stuff. I was pretty miserable for a while. Itchy, mostly. (Good thing it wasn't a 'hospital' kind of thing, we were nowhere near one! )