With the new year, my household has once again hunkered down and went into hibernation mode to try to avoid the onslaught of the scourge of humanity – juniper cedar pollen. This year has been a pretty bad one and my Dude is suffering mightily. Just this last week the pollen counts were over 7,000 ppm (for comparison’s sake, it’s considered high when it gets over a measly 150), so he’s broken out his cedar survival kit, which includes tequila, to help him make it through another year.
Cedar Season Survival Kit
Cedar pollen is terrible, terrible, terrible and I consider it the terrorist of the plant world. It is toxic to humans and causes untold misery and thousands of lost work days. At the very least, there’s head congestion and coughing but many times it morphs into a sinus infection, bronchitis and if left untreated possibly pneumonia. He’s avoided the bronchitis and pneumonia but only because he’s taken it upon himself to do what he has to to keep the symptoms at bay. Containment and control is the name of the game.
For some reason I wrote this down in my blessing book but to be honest I don’t see a blessing in it at all. If it were up to me, I would call open season on those damnable trees that have infested this part of Texas. Bring out the flame thrower and torch every single one of them and this world will be a much better place to live.
Ok. Enough of that. I broke out my notes for my next novel that takes place in 1570 during the end of the Reconquista in Spain and looked over them wanting to get re-acclimated to the plot line I had previously developed. Aaaand it’s a big stinkin’ load of you know what. Talk about discouraging. I just can’t believe I thought it had merit. But I’m taking heart because it shows that I’ve done a some growing as a writer. The bad part is that I have to start all over with everything, world-building, culture, societal norms, what’s happening in the world at large, all of that stuff. It’s been so long since I’ve done any of that that I’m out of practice.
Did you know this is pretty much the only thing in which every time you start anew, you have to do the equivalent of reinventing the wheel? No worries though. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again.
What about you? How has your new year progressing?
Karina
Live With Courage 