Geoff Duncan

So it's February—only February!—and I'm starting to pop decongestants like they're M&M's.

The endless drip and inability to breathe came on suddenly this year. Usually I have a couple weeks where I wonder "Are my allergies back, or is this just a low-level cold?" But I have (somehow, knock on wood) managed to avoid the Seattle Sludge and Martian Death Flu this year, and when I look around I'm seeing all kinds of evidence that the early-starters are prodigiously pumping pollen into the air. These guys are only about an inch tall, but just looking at them made my eyes water:

Sneaky little devils

The fact that things are starting to sprout and bloom is making me all too aware that I haven't prepped the yard for spring. Heck, I'm still trying to find time to get the yard ready for winter!