The Borne Trilogy

March. April. May. The three months that zap us with the wind borne pollens that cause allergy symptoms. We have longed for spring. Our winter was long. It was hard. (Okay,okay. It wasn't hard in a Little House On the Prairie or Cold Mountain kind of way...more like a Southerner spoiled by typical calendar years with an average temp of 85 balmy degrees..) And yet for us, it was painfully difficult. Trying times. The Winter of 2010 will be recalled in stories for centuries to come. The recurring nightmares of the falling snow and the silence in the night. You listen and there is only complete stillness. No snow plows.Only snow and ice and more snow and more ice. A growing resentment toward the weatherperson intensifies with each forecast of more cold. But then...you turn the calendar page and February is over. You have done it. You have survived winter. The ice and snow have melted and you can barely control the anticipation. Green. You want to see green grass and flowering trees and colorful blooms. Then before the green can debut, there is a blanket of yellow pine pollen covering your world. Water cooler conversation revolves around the question everyone wants to know.....Zyrtec or Claritin? The onslaught of sniffling,sneezing,watery-eyed employees forces human resources departments to engage in system-wide drug testing. Sinus pressures are off the charts. Pollen counts are breaking records. Headaches. Facial pain. Fatigue. Fever. Congestion. Watery,itchy eyes. Sinusitis. Allergic rhinitis. Lack of sleep-itis. Stuffy nose-itis. The vernal equinox or spring does not officially arrive until March 22,2011. Allergy season however officially starts whenever it so desires. March. April. May. The three months that make or break allergy-sufferers. Stand tall people. We can do this.