Wheezing, Rail Trail Rants and Dust Mites
Well, here we go again. I’m still getting my feet wet with this blog thing. I do hope to write about more interesting things than what I have to do so for today. I hardly doubt that I’ll have too many days in which I can say that "I developed a new IT protocol" or that "I found a home for an orphan" or that "I happened to run into Desmond Tutu today". There will be days in which I will talk about substantial matters. But not today.
Most of you I hope will never develop an allergy. Here’s a word of advice, don’t. It’s not worth it. I spent most of this past Sunday, sneezing, wheezing and oozing. Today I’m at the point in which pulling my eyeballs out and then rubbing them on very coarse sandpaper just might make me feel better.
I’m allergic to oak, ash and birch tree pollen. Perhaps maple too. Somewhere in that mess there’re also allergies to various dust mites (residue). Anyhow, do know that EVERYTHING is blooming right now. I’m almost certain that even the dust mites are procreating and feasting at exponential rates during the past week.
Needless to say I still like and need to spend time on our rather extensive rail trails. (Come to think of it, I hardly sneezed at all today while out there).
I like our trails here. (Link) I walked into town on Saturday and admired the wonderful and copious varieties of colorful wildflowers that lined the trail. (Totally excellent honeybee fodder!) Anyway we have excellent upkeep on our trails–too good. Everything was cut down today. Nice three foot neatly trimmed greenway that resembled, to me at least, those green all-purpose indoor/outdoor carpets. Not one dandelion left standing. Not one more jasmine potential. Not one of that blue whatever that I had wanted to define. It’ll have to wait now. Clean and trimmed. I guess we need a bit of suburban ideal to keep black snakes at bay and from upsetting too many folks.
Speaking of urbanization… I’ll have about a couple hundred new neighbors near me on the trail come August in the form of student condominiums. (Link) I’m amazed at the speedy progress on these dwellings being thrown up right next to the river and the trail. This land used to be a wetland filled with “peeper” frogs, toads, salamanders, cat-tails, waterfowl and other flora and fauna that like such environments. I always thought that the university or some biologist should research this area since it was a natural reclamation of a former small industrial site. A whole mini-ecosystem developed and lived in the remnants of concrete tank supports and rusted valves and pipes.
It took just about a week to bulldoze, fill in and level everything. Within another week footers were being poured. I must hand it to those folks building the condos in their efficiency and productivity. I hope the buildings are structurally sound. I can get this back in Pittsburgh or any other city. Spring this year here is not the same or will it ever be. I miss those “peepers” chirping in the late afternoon. I miss the encounters with a toad or two on an evening run. I’m kinda sick and tired of seeing green space being deleted around me, because to me, such is what made Morgantown appealing.
Yeah, I had to rant a bit. Now to find some Benadryl ™ and cuddle with a dust mite or two.
