Allergy Forecast

It's going to be a bad year for allergies.  That's pretty much already known.  We had two years of little rain and that resulted in less pollen produced.  We had a cold winter with a closer-to-normal precipitation amount and now we are paying for it!  I actually don't mind the wetter winter, we need (and still need) the moisture.  But it's going to be a bad Spring for allergies.  Otter is a prime example of that fact.

 

I thought she was doing better yesterday, but she didn't sleep well last night.  Even after taking a night-time allergy pill.  She got up very groggy from the pill and more congested than she was yesterday.  She would have been even worse if she hadn't been on her allergy medication the last few days.  She was having some mild asthma-ish symptoms yesterday, so she used her rescue inhaler as a pre-emptive strike and it did seem to help.  That was last night.  But this morning she was worse again, so she decided to call in.  She also asked me to stay home with her, which also means that she felt like crud.  She's mostly been nesting in her bed today, except for the long steamy shower she took which she said helped.  She's taking her allergy meds and getting as much liquid down as she can stand.  She's better this afternoon and will try to go in to work tomorrow.  Her boss understood without any question, she's worked "sick" the last 2 days and he knew it.  He offered her an extra shift Saturday afternoon if she wants it, to make up for today.  He told her to let him know in the morning.  I think she's going to take it.  She really hates to miss work.  She has tentative plans to meet J on Sunday and see the movie they were going to see last Sunday.  I hope she can, it gets really old having to deal with allergies that last and last and last...

 

I've been home except for a run to the post office for Bill, and the UPS place to check the box.  He had two things delivered there and they were waiting to be picked up today.  I also went to Wallyworld, Otter requested popcorn chicken from their deli for lunch.  But other than that, which was maybe an hour total, I've been home with her.  I did manage to get all my laundry done, first time in a few weeks that the laundry basket has been empty I think!

 

I found another dead animal in the back yard.  Close to the back fence.  Again.  This time, it was a frog.  It's really too much of a coincidence that they are all in the same general area and so close to the back fence.  Especially when they are showing up and my dogs have not been out!  I buried this one in a hole by the fence, Maggie Moo immediately dug it up and brought it back to me so it's now been bagged and thrown away.  It looked like maybe it had been out there for a few days.

 

The latest appliance to go out is the coffee maker.  It was getting slower and slower, and we also realized that the coffee was colder and colder each time we used it.  So, I went shopping for a new one a couple of days ago.  We had a Mr. Coffee style, it was a Black & Decker.  I bought another Black & Decker, it may be the next generation of the one we had.  The last one was several years old and we used it a lot, so I don't feel like it was a mistake to get the same brand and similar model.  The glass carafe from the old one looks like it might work with the new one.  The coffee basket itself won't, it's in the eventual donate bag.  The old coffee maker itself went out in the trash yesterday.

 

Frasier is sprawled out at the end of the coffee table, Maggie Moo is curled up on their blankets.  They are both asleep, I guess they are tired from walking around the back yard with me.  Maggie Moo snores.  Loudly!