Oh, my sinuses

 Hello from the Desert Southwest,

Although lately it doesn't feel that way. We've been hit by monsoon rains for the past couple of weeks, so everything is tinted green instead of brown and there is mud all over everything. It's getting to the point where I have to pull out the lawn mower every other day to keep the homestead from becoming a jungle.

I know I shouldn't complain - at least that's what everyone says. "We need the rain." I suppose so. At the very least, the summer rains are a good reminder as to why I live in the desert. You see, when it rains the plants grow, which, lets be honest here, are mostly just weeds. This, in turn, brings out the the bugs. Currently, we are experiencing a biblical infestation of flies and I'm sure the next round will be mosquitos.

Seriously, it's almost never this green.

The newly green and growing weeds also put off pollen that my sinuses tell me are not at all welcome. For the past week or so, my head has felt like exploding due to allergies. That's when I remember that while I liked Germany well enough when I was stationed there years ago with the Air Force, my time there was mostly spent on my back in a dark room trying to wait out a sinus headache. I think I really had only one headache my time there, but it last more than two years.

Regardless, I suppose I should feel blessed and happy that we are getting rain. Overall, I guess it's a good thing and I suppose my suffering means little in comparison to the problems a lot of other people are having - especially in the Northwest. My brother in Boise said it's supposed to be over 100 degrees every day this week and fires throughout the region have created a smoky haze everywhere.

All I can say is that I am looking forward to autumn.