Sunday, February 15th, 2026

The weather is slowly warming. We’re expecting 8ºC today! I planned to celebrate with a photo walk along the riverbank, but I can’t step outside for more than 15 minutes before I’m sneezing uncontrollably with snot running down my face like a small child.

You’re probably wondering, “What in the heck could be pollinating during the coldest February in I don’t know how long?”

Trees.

Notably, junipers, cedar, maple, and alder. I have some cedars on the property, but I don’t think it’s them. The sneezing gets worse the further I stray from home. I’m guessing it’s probably the alders or maples. We have lots of both around here.

It doesn’t seem possible that a species like humanity, which can’t stop sneezing when plants are anywhere nearby, could somehow come to dominate ecosystems all over the globe, and yet here we are—everywhere! Sniffling and sneezing and avoiding peanuts.

I huffed some Flonase. I probably did it wrong. I’m not sure why spraying stuff up your nose needs complicated instructions, but that’s medical science for you. Flonase gives me headaches, and within an hour, I suffered a migraine with aura. But I did stop sneezing.

I have the same problem with Allegra giving me migraines. Meanwhile, Zyrtec makes me feel truly awful, like I’ve been run over by a train. Claritin gives me depression, which is weird for me, as I’m not inclined to such moods. Benadryl and the other first-generation antihistamines knock me unconscious. Maybe I’ll try Xyzal and see what awful side effects that has to offer.

After the headache passed, I managed a walk around the lake. The paths are still under snow, ice, and hard slush. I had them almost entirely to myself, which was nice, but conditions made the 2-mile walk feel more like 5. My cheeks will be sore in the morning.