Flower beds, pollen and asthma

Ah, spring is in the air, and so are the flowers and weeds! My flower bed needed a lot of attention, so I spent one night trying to dig out all of the grass that was creeping in, along with other pesky weeds.

And was that a lot of work! I have an assortment of flowers that sometimes grow well. But the weeds always seem to grow well! Hhmm. It seems like all I do is pull weeds..... it's a never ending cycle!

But, lucky me, allergies and asthma strike again. I was having a little zen time working in the garden, but the longer I worked, the more I sneezed and my nose stuffed up.

Then the neighbor's kitties came over to investigate. Not at all shy, they jumped up on my lap-as I'm trying to bend over and pull weeds. Help yourself kitties. I take it you would you like me to be pet you while you're on my lap?! Trying to drop a hint, are we?!

So, there I was with two of the things I'm allergic to at the same time, my flower bed and the kitties. I am bound and determined to have a decent looking yard this summer, so I kept pulling weeds. And the kitties kept jumping right back up on my lap every time I would straighten up after pulling weeds. (Just like when your kids are little and they knock things off their high chair to see how many times you will bend over and pick it up.) Fun games!

I finally gave up and headed in the house as the kitties tried to squeeze in my front door. They are quick! But we don't allow the neighbor kitties in our house!

I washed my hands and arms and changed my clothes, and went on to other projects that night. But, I forgot to shower to wash away the pollen and cat dander, and I woke up during the night with a tight chest and a hard asthma cough. So, it was time for my inhaler! I took a shower, but by then it was too late, I was already in the middle of an asthma attack. And what I have found after I use my inhaler is that even though I may stop coughing hard, it takes a while to feel better. I was so tired and worn out at work, my chest hurt, I was still coughing sporadically and I had phlegm in my lungs for the rest of the day. It's amazing how terrible an asthma attack can make you can feel.

I need to practice what I preach. When people ask me for advice about allergies and asthma, I always tell them to shower before they go to bed at night. Asthma Doc had told me years ago to have the kids shower every night before bed, to minimize allergies and asthma attacks. It helps to wash the pollen out of your hair and off your skin. If you go to bed without showering, you roll around in pollen all night long on your pillow and wake up sneezing and wheezing. Showering before bed seems to make a big difference in their symptoms. But did I remember to do it for myself?

I'm going to keep trying to get rid of the weeds in my flower bed, but next time I'll remember to shower before bed. For all of you with allergies and asthma, try it and let me know what you think! Until then, look out weeds, here I come! Muhahaha.