What a spring, now go web your feet!

Spring in Utah! The middle of a very dry desert that 100,000 years ago was home to prehistoric lake Bonneville. Well, smile you dry skinned lip lickers, the joke's on you because that lake is making a valiant attempt to rise again! It is the very last day of May, and the May flowers are drowning, the ducks are waterlogged, and the rivers have all risen to new heights. There's enough snow left in the mountains to ski till the 4th of July and there's enough water in that snow to fill all the dam's thrice! There is moss growing on the north side of all my tree trunks - and we're NOT in the pacific northwest!

And just because April's over doesn't mean May can't mess with you............it snowed again, then rained, then hailed, then snowed, then.........................................300% of our annual water so far.

On the bright side, I no longer have to walk all the way to the rear of my property to see the water in the River that flows past my property. I can now see it while standing in my kitchen. How charming!

And some of the critters seem to love this new river they have discovered. We have a surfing ibis that never gets weary of landing just at the whitewater fall near the bridge, catching the big wave and with head held high he rides the wave down the river to the center of town. He must not like the noise down there because he promptly returns to the bridge and heads out again. He makes me laugh every time I see him. Hey DUDE! Surf's up!

I dont' know for sure if we need to fret, if we need to sandbag, or if we're in any jeopardy here this spring/summer. All I DO know is that it's very interesting and entertaining to look out my kitchen window and watch the teenage ibis go surfing. Gotta love his sense of adventure!

A wet spring makes for a wet nose!!

I was at work a couple of weeks ago, and the cute young gal who works directly across from me had what sounded at the time to be the Martian Death Flu. She was coughing, sniffling, sneezing, wheezing, and all the other "ing's" that go along with the dreaded gambu! Well, of course about 10 days later I too began to exhibit all the symptoms I had so sympathized over with her. After fevers, chills, runny nose, horrible cough, etc. I took myself off to the doctor, who promptly placed me on an antibiotic. I dutifully took the full course, and assumed I would live.

Never assume!

A week after finishing the antibiotics I was still exhibiting a lot of symptoms, wheezing, coughing, feeling like someone had beat me with a large stick, etc., so I went back to the doctors and saw another person this time (not necessarily my choice, I just hit a clinic and took what I got). The next doctor decided I have COPD, did x-rays (they didn't show anything unusual), drew blood (had to "Fish" for the vein....still have a bruise 10 days later), gave me a bunch of medicine and sent me home.

I have taken the new medicine, used a sinus rinse, and still felt like death was knocking at my door. Over all this I missed 2-1/2 days of work (I NEVER miss work.....there just isn't time to catch up!), and went back still sounding so sick that everyone was telling me I should just go home.

I've been fighting my way through this now for a couple of weeks. For those of you who know me, my work takes me into the Utah west desert on an average of 2 or 3 times a week. I discovered that when I was in the desert I didn't feel so bad, but when I got home I was sick and hacking again. Today, on my way home from the middle of nowhere to the good old "home front" I found out what the problem REALLY is! As we drove from the desert into the city, and especially as we approached the foothills I found myself rapidly developing a sinus headache, my ears plugged, my nose ran, and my eyes began to itch. My throat developed such an itch that only prolonged spasmodic coughing scratched it, and all the while my nose was running. DUH!!! Lightbulbs finally came on!!!

For all of you out there who have suffered allergies lo these many years.....my sincere sympathy and my apologies for not fully understanding just how mightily you were suffering! I will now take myself off to an allergist and see if I can get this under control.

All of this is, I'm sure, a result of the delightfully wet spring we had here this year. Everything turned green very early in the year, and has (for the most part) stayed green up till now. That means the grasses are taller, the weeds are larger, and the pollen is thicker.

All I can say is there really is something to be said for snow.....even if I have to shovel it! At least that should take care of the pollen problem (until next spring).

Again, my apologies and sympathy to all my fellow sufferers. I never KNEW!!!!!!