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<\/a>Desert blooms…and pollen<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Spring in Arizona means three things…wildflowers, allergies and snakes<\/strong>.\u00a0 This past week our winter weather finally came to a close.\u00a0 After record rainfall and freezing temperatures (including snow!) we can finally break out our sleeveless tops and Bermuda shorts.\u00a0 Also top of mind is that we should have done more bicep curls and leg squats all winter, but that’s a topic for another day.\u00a0 With April we find that patios are once again used for wine sipping and lounging.\u00a0 Sounds great, right?\u00a0 After all, this glorious weather<\/strong> is what brought us to Arizona to begin with.\u00a0 But there are a lot of downsides to Spring in the desert.\u00a0 While I know I won’t get any sympathy from those friends in the Midwest who are still digging out from blizzards and dirty, melting snow, we desert rats have our challenges too.\u00a0 And it’s more than shoveling sunshine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 The lovely, annoying Palo Verde tree<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n First, I have to say that the brightly colored flowers and blooming trees<\/strong> so ubiquitous this time of year are one of the true treasures of the Sonoran desert.\u00a0 Every cactus seems to have it’s own unique flower, each more spectacular than the next.\u00a0 The Palo Verde trees are a riot of yellow blooms that are gorgeous to view – from INSIDE the house.\u00a0 Because these lovely works of nature’s bounty bring with them allergies of gargantuan proportions.\u00a0 I don’t know anyone who isn’t using some sort of nasal spray or allergy tablet.\u00a0 Even those who have taken dramatic steps to curb allergies can be found with Kleenex stuffed in every pocket and eyes that stream from morning ’til night.\u00a0 The local Walgreens can barely keep the allergy meds in stock and our noses have begun to look like W.C. Fields on a bad day.\u00a0 The experts are telling us it will be a bad allergy season<\/strong> because the heavy rainfall has caused an abundance of blooms.\u00a0 From April until June we venture out of the house at our own risk…there is so much pollen in each tree now that on a windy day it can blow for several blocks.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The rattlesnake, playing through<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n My second caution of the season is the annual awakening of the rattlesnakes.<\/strong>\u00a0 This was brought home to me last week when playing the second hole of our golf course.\u00a0 There, in the middle of the fairway, we came upon a huge rattlesnake.\u00a0 Usually they are resting comfortably under bushes or rocks but this guy was in the grass sunning himself, probably critiquing our golf swing.\u00a0 Our partners, who were looking into the distance and not at the ground, stopped right next to the snake.\u00a0 As we shouted for them to move the cart, the snake began to coil and hiss<\/strong>.\u00a0 Never a good sign.\u00a0 No one was hurt but it was a sure sign that these vipers of the desert are out and we need to be cautious.\u00a0 Their appearance is good news for the local golf stores as it means that no one with any common sense wanders into the brush to look for a lost ball.\u00a0 I lost two on Tuesday and as far as I’m concerned the snakes can have them.<\/p>\n Rattlesnakes are scary, that’s for sure.\u00a0 But Spring also brings our big golf tournaments and another snake in the grass – the Sandbagger.<\/strong>\u00a0 So between pollen, snakes and cheaters, I’m glad I have some indoor hobbies to keep me occupied.\u00a0 The good news is the pollen dries up and the winter visitors with their bogus handicaps go away in June.\u00a0 The bad news? Living here will be equivalent to being in a microwave oven.<\/strong>\u00a0 You can’t have everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Spring in Arizona means three things…wildflowers, allergies and snakes.\u00a0 This past week our winter weather finally came to a close.\u00a0 After record rainfall and freezing temperatures (including snow!) we can finally break out our sleeveless … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/palo-verde-300x214.jpg\")
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