Bee-have Yourself, Please!

 

Day 327: These days, I give the raspberry patch a wide berth, and with good reason. The honeybees are hard at work, and I am deathly allergic to their stings. My reaction to the stings of wasps is not life-threatening, but nevertheless rather dramatic. I carried an epi-pen for many years and never had occasion to use it because I assiduously avoided confrontations, and in any case, the testing my doctor insisted on performing every few years was so agonizing that if he had told me my only other alternative was to stay indoors, I probably would have complied. Did I mention that wasp stings cause me to swell up like a balloon, and that two weeks later, the six-inch diameter patch of skin surrounding the sting turns black and peels off in thick chunks, leaving burn-like, painful red areas behind?

The raspberries are currently the big draw in the yard, and while I am happy to see honeybees (even introduced species like Apis mellifera here), I cannot feel entirely welcoming. However, once the raspberries begin to ripen, they'll move on, having done their job and leaving me to enjoy the fruits of their labours.

It's All Der Pollen In De Air

Day 168: It's dat time of year again, da time when all der pollen in de air makes my eyes water and my nose run. Red Alder (Alnus rubrum) is the current culprit, soon to be followed by Douglas Fir, the primary tree species in the Pacific Northwest. It's a hell of a note for someone as outdoorsy as I am to be allergic to the woods but fortunately, my allergies aren't severe. In fact, it usually takes me a couple of weeks to make the connection between irritated eyes and the blush of color on the Alders. My reaction to Doug Fir is a little more radical. Standing at the end of my carport, Big Doug powders my car with yellow dust which then works its way into the air recirculating system. A trip to town will have me scratching at my face and sneezing unless I remember to drive with the windows open for the first few miles. A few weeks of taking a mild antihistamine will get me through the spring season, and then I won't have another bout until the grasses bloom at the end of summer. For now, though, it's just Alder pollen in de air. No need to buy Kleenex stock just yet!