Man, last Friday, I was out with some friends, feeling great and then Saturday I woke up feeling like crap. It felt like a minor cold, and, to be honest, that is what I’d hoped it was. I knew allergies were flaring up for other people, but I’d been lucky up til now, not having even a symptom of allergies. But, this year, wham! I have them pretty bad. All thanks to the little guys hidden in the picture. I’d much rather be sick since being sick is a shorter burden. I’ve had allergy symptoms for a week now and they aren’t getting any better yet.

It is weird how these allergies work. I would think they’d be strongest the first time you encounter the pollen and get progressively weaker as you build up a tolerance. But, I’ve been here in Santa Fe for 7 years and never had any problem until now. I hope now I start building some kind of tolerance.

There must be people who never get allergies because otherwise I don’t see how a place like Santa Fe would ever get settled. Maybe it is the 7-year delay that makes it happen. I also wonder if the Native Americans who were here originally got allergies. If so, why did they stay here? I guess most of the year it is worth it, but this week it sure doesn’t feel like it.

I don’t recall anyone I knew when I was a kid in Idaho having problems with seasonal allergies like this. It must be the dryness here that causes them to be stronger in New Mexico. That’s my only guess.

Well, I’ll keep going, hoping it rains soon to wash the air of pollen. But, man, do these allergies suck!