I'm also a little curious about how many people actually read my blog on a regular basis. I'm guessing 9 or 10. And thanks to that little widget down at the bottom, I can seeeeee youuuu. How eery is that? So, Falls Church, Leesburg (by the way, that small town I grew up in? Lucketts!), Wallace, Caro, Bridgeport, Atlanta, Ft. Collins, Queensbury, Wilton, Winchester, and Summersville tell me if you have allergies and what time of year is the worst for you.
My worst time is NOW. Starting mid to late-August and ending with the first heavy frost. There's this little yellow daisy-like flower that blooms every where on the sides of the roads and in pastures that has set off my allergies around this time every year since I was a kid. Sometimes I'd even miss the first couple of days of school because I'd be so miserable. Kinda like now. But at least now there are things like Allegra and Afrin. I hate using Afrin, but unfortunately it is the only thing that keeps me breathing and sane this time of year. Allegra takes care of the other symptoms, like itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, and sneezing. It also takes care of any sleeping that I think I might need. I haven't gotten more than three hours of sleep each night this week. I'm starting to feel a little on the slap-happy side.
You're supposed to take Allegra twice a day, in the morning and before bed. If I took one before bed, I could kiss those three precious hours of sleep goodbye! And yeah, over the years I've tried everything. So what works for you?
The plus side to being wide awake and miserable at 1AM is that I finally get tired of trying to breathe and sleep at the same time and get out of bed. The horses get fed earlier, which I'm sure they appreciate, the dogs get let out earlier, and I get to enjoy the sunrise from the comfort of the porch with a glass of juice instead missing it because I'm in the barn feeding.
I also got to witness the power of the pack firsthand this morning. I had let everyone out at 4:30 when I finally gave up on sleep. When I got back from the barn, Zeus and Brie were the only dogs that had made it back yet and they were passed out in the front yard. While sitting on the porch typing up this post I heard barking and yelping coming from the neighbor's place. Sure enough, Thor comes running down their drive into our field and followed closely by the neighbor's dogs. Thor isn't exactly a speed demon, so the one dog caught up to him and tackled him, rolling him a few times before getting to his feet. Zeus and Brie were off like rockets after those two dogs. Thor ran to them then turned around and followed behind to give chase. They chased the dogs back to their own yard, then turned around and came back to the house. Zeus and Brie are back in the yard asleep, and Thor is lying at my feet destroying one of Glenn's gloves.
I'm also enjoying the serenade of a 17yo Woogie cat stuck in a tree.
MEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
This is doing very little to help my allergy-induced mood. And the little bugger is too far up for me too reach even with a ladder. Oh well, the stupid little bugger hauled his old arse up there, I'm guessing he can get it down on his own too.
