In the air...

If you're a regular reader, you've probably noticed that I haven't posted anything here for a couple of days.

I've wanted to write. I've had things I've wanted to write about. But, with the sinus headache from hell that I've had, I haven't really felt much like writing.

It's strange, too. I don't usually get allergy/sinus problems in the middle of winter. Spring, summer, and fall - yeah, sure. While I live in the middle of town, town is surrounded by agriculture. My county, in fact, is - economically speaking - the biggest agricultural county in the nation. In 2007, the last year for which I can find the numbers, agriculture production in the county was worth $5.3 billion. Among the crops grown are citrus, stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, and so forth), grapes (for wine, raisins, and the table), cotton, and lots of others. And, it sometimes seems, I'm allergic to at least half of the local crops. Although, with the cotton, I think it's the defoliants they spray on before the pick the cotton that's the problem.

But, in the middle of the winter, there really isn't much floating around the be allergic to. Except, this year, the mold count in the air has been particularly high. And mold is another one of the things I'm allergic to. That's why my allergies are the worst in the fall, when the raisins are out to dry. You did know that they still make raisins by picking the grapes and laying they out on the ground on paper trays to dry in the sun, didn't you? That inevitably leads to mold, which gets in the air and causes people like me, who are allergic to the mold, absolute fits during that part of the year (usually late August through September, and maybe into the very beginning of October). But not during the winter. Usually.

It would be okay if I didn't have to actually go outside when the mold count is high. But, my roommate has also been sick, sicker than I've been, so I had to go out on Wednesday and take her to the doctor. And then, yesterday, because her doctor told her not to go back to work until Monday, I had to take her assignments and substitute instructions to school so that her students would have something to do yesterday and today. And then, I had a meeting that I had to go to yesterday morning. So, by the time I had been outside for a little while each day, the headache had descended.

I've been inside now since about 2 p.m. yesterday, and had a good night's sleep. Despite that, I still woke up with my sinuses feeling, well, not good. But, I wanted to at least sit down and post something here. Even if it is just me, complaining about how lousy I still feel.

I think it's supposed to rain sometime next week. Maybe that will wash some of the crap out of the air and I'll feel a little bit better. But, either way, I'm going to try not to let it get in the way of posting. Because I really miss doing this when I have to miss a day or two.

I just hope that if you're allergic to anything, it isn't giving you fits like this mold in the air is giving me. Oh, and I hope that there aren't too many typos in this post. For some reason, my spell-check isn't cooperating this morning, and I really don't have it in me to do a good proofread.