Look forward to spring, they say. No more cold temperatures. Time to plant all the gardens, grow all the veggies. Longer days, more sunshine.

NOT!

I’ve been crying all day. Not because I am grieving or anything like that. Nope these tears that get stuck to my eyelids like Super Glue gone wild, is more of a by-product of that same wonderful yellow spring-snow currently covering every vehicle parked outside.

POLLEN.

There is not enough Visine in the world that would provide the necessary relief to the constant leaking and rubbing my eyes have experienced this past week. Also I swear I don’t drive a yellow car (nothing wrong with a yellow car), but by the looks of it, you couldn’t tell.

Everything has a light dusting of pollen wreaking havoc on my sinuses. The only relief are late season cold snaps and thunderstorms that create a river of yellow, flowing down my driveway. 

And speaking of late season cold snaps. My A/C is a bit confused when I have the heat on overnight and then need to switch to cool for the better part of the day. But I digress.

My nose is runny, my head is clogged, my purchases of Puff tissue has increased and the feeling of hay-fever lingers longer than the lines to get your COVID shot. 

And with the pollen comes the bees.

WHAT’S WITH THE BEES!

Okay I know just how important bees are, but what’s with these Bumble bees that come at you the minute you step outside. Those suckers don’t play nice. You step to the left to go around them and they follow. You move to the right, and so do they. You do this for a while and then you just lower your head and run passed them screaming all the way not knowing if they are going to attack you or not.

Bumble bees typically don’t, but you never know. I mean 2020 gave us murder hornets. I’m not about to find out what kind of Bumble bee 2021 is bringing. 

Of course, the beauty of blooming flowers is something you can look forward to during this time but pollen and bees buzzing around my head kind of spoil the joy.

And what is the joy of going from having the luxury of not having to mow your lawn for months to having to lug out the weed-eater and mower nearly every weekend to cut the grass and trim the edges and weeds?

The only plus side to this is that I can count it as exercise on my activity tracker which was almost non-existent through the winter and past year in COVID isolation. 

Also, raise your hands it you have children. Not the two-legged variety but of the four-pawed version of fur-lovable pets. Spring brings the start of flea and tick season. The constant spraying and checking and maintenance that is required if you walk your dog daily and want to prevent an infestation in your yard or home is a must.

According to Heritage Lawns and Irrigation, fleas are very prolific. Undisturbed and without a meal (blood from a host), a flea can live more than 100 days. On average, they live two to three months. Female fleas cannot lay eggs until after their first blood meal and begin to lay eggs within 36-48 hours after that meal. The female flea can lay 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. 

2,000 EGGS!

Five percent of fleas live in the environment as an adult, 95 percent of fleas live as eggs, larvae or pupae. That means if you see fleas on your pet or in your house, they are just the tip of the iceberg.

YOU ARE TOO LATE!

You’ve gone from control mode to attack mode at that point. I’ve been there before and it’s a lot of work but once you get things under control constant maintenance is needed. Clean often, treat your lawn, vacuum often, GET RID OF YOUR RUGS!

Seriously, toss the rugs out!

And speaking of tossing things out, it’s time for spring cleaning!

This is easy and yet not. I de-cluttered my previous home and loved it. I had more space and less junk. But I currently live with Mom and the memories and furniture of 70 plus years she had with Dad before his passing. Right now this is her home and the recent cleanings and decluttering was about all she could handle. And actually when they day comes, I think I’m going to have a real hard time deciding what stays and what goes.

For those of you ready for spring, congratulations. I may join you in planting a new garden, but other than that my eyes and sinuses will gladly wait for summer.

-Patty Leon