I just realized this is the first time in something like 10 or 11 years that I didn’t go out west. I’ve been in the habit of going out to western South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming for at least a week every year. Sometimes twice a year.
I thought of that this morning when I woke up sneezing, coughing and wheezing from allergies and, possibly, an early season cold. About the only time I’m not sneezing, coughing and wheezing from allergies has been when I’ve been west of the Mississippi. Apparently the combination of common plants here that trigger all this nonsense don’t live out there.
It was funny, really, the first time I was out in the Black Hills. I’d been out there for a few days and woke up one morning and realized something was wrong. Something was missing — the stuffed up head, watery eyes and other symptoms from the allergies were gone. Amazing. And about the time I rolled into western Minnesota on the way back, the symptoms also returned. Sigh…
Silly, isn’t it? With all of the amazing things to see, all of the fun things to do out there, what I remember most fondly is not sneezing for a week…
grouchyfarmer 