Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Spring is Springing

I saw the very first bluebonnets of the season today!!! Made me sooo happy and thankful to be back in Texas. March was very hard on me in Ohio. We were still trudging through snow and that was pretty lame, but worse than that was that Ohio never has bluebonnets. I would change my windows wallpaper to a field full of bluebonnets with a little indian paint brush scattered throughout but it just wasn't the same. I missed two years of adorable kiddie pics in the bluebonnets on the side of the road.....and all of the memories that go along with that. Like massive fire ant beds to avoid in the gorgeous flowers and the deadly traffic flying by on the highway while my sweet gifts from God toddle around. Ah, memories. LOL! But man those are some good pictures! I might even order special little dresses for the girls this year just because it will be Hannah's first bluebonnet pics!

Spring also reminds me of one of the funniest newlywed memories for us. We bought our first house about a year after we married, (yes remember, we were older when we married) and I had only been living in Houston for two years. Spring came around and I was thrilled to throw open the windows and air out the winter gunky air in the house. It was marvelous. Our subdivision was new and so there was very little traffic....a HUGE difference from the same subdivision today, so we left the windows open at night too. It was glorious! (the Houstonians reading this are now giggling, as you see what's coming)

Remember, I grew up in W Texas. We had some trees. Ok, we call them trees, but most people know them as mesquite bushes. The only time we had to worry about closing the windows was when a dust storm was blowing in, and you could clearly see that coming as the sky turned bright RED! Easy to spot.

Well, Houston is different! Not only do you boil in the summer, literally, but Houston has these things called PINE TREES. Lovely, evergreen things that cover the land. I like them. Except for two weeks of the year. Right at the beginning of spring, these lovely evergreen creations of God dump MASSIVE amounts of YELLOW pollen. It covers EVERYTHING!!!! And I mean E V E R Y T H I N G!!!!

Seasoned veterans know that you DO NOT open your windows during the pollen dump. Silly, newlywed wives not from Houston do not know this. And our beautiful new home, that I meticulously kept clean was COVERED in yellow. EVERYWHERE!!! I vacuumed yellow out of my carpets for years. There was nothing I could do to rid it from every area of our home. It wouldn't surprise me if the current owners still find weird spots of yellow in places no one would imagine!

So, yesterday morning I noticed a tiny little hazy dusting of yellow outside and will be dutifully keeping our windows closed for two weeks. No matter how beautiful the day is!

2 comments:

Karen Deborah said...

We have that yellow pollen dump too. That's when I Thank God for RAIN. Thank you for all the sweet comments lately. How are you feeling? It's about time for a baby-belly pic isn't it? I love Bluebonnets too. They really are a Texas flower. I have dumped out tons of seed but nary a blue bonnet here.
I'm glad you are HOME. It's a good feeling isn't it.
Houston is nice.

Donna said...

So Funny Christi! You are right..I was so unknowledgeable about that yellow dust. Poor Andrew has been permanently affected by his allergic reactions, so I just heard.

I turned a corner last night at 1:ooam. I suddenly realized that I didn't feel like I was going to die. :o) I slept so well! The crud in my chest completely died down and now I'm just coughing up the yuckies. So glad the worst is over! I'm still so tired.

I answered you in my comments section. How my heart goes out to you enduring the long morning sickness spell. I so remember those days!

I adore bluebonnets!! They are so pretty out at our house. But those pine trees are killers.

xo
Donna