Living in a Desert ...

 Growing up in the mid-west, as far from the desert as one can imagine, I was use to grassy plains, fields of alfalfa and corn, furry creatures running around and amazing summer storms.  The desert is completely opposite, with blooming cactus, desert flowers, no rain and my personal favorite, the Joshua Trees, many things are so different here from the mid-west, but one thing remains the same, Allergies.

Some of you are probably laughing at me right now, as you know the mid-west, especially the part in MO where I grew up, is considered the allergy belt of the United States.  You may be thinking, 'How can a climate that is so dry be the same for allergies as in MO?'  Well, let me tell you a few similarities.

1. The Pollen:  Desert flowers and all the imported trees that bloom here have just as much pollen as the blooming mid-west does.  Yes, it is a different pollen, but pollen is pollen and it still has a way of creeping into my nose, making it drip.

2. The Dust:  In the desert there is a constant layer of dust laying around.  Only, its not your typical "dust", its a desert sand dust, complete with the outside smells and mixed with the outside pollens and dander.  Open your windows on a nice breezy day and be rest assured that you will have to dust at least 3 times to keep it clean and even then, it still manages to come inside. 

3. The Wind:  The wind is the worst thing here in the desert.  Don't get me wrong, I love the breeze and how it has a way of cooling everything off in the heat.  However,  when spring time comes, we get wind advisories, no rain and severe thunder storm warnings here, just wind, and when the wind comes, it blows everything that sat dormant all winter up into the skies, blowing and blowing, making a girl with allergies (that's me) feel as though she were back in the mid-west again.

The one thing I have come to love during the windy season here in this beautiful desert I call home, my Nasopure.  What is a Nasopure you ask?  Have you ever heard of the Neti Pot? Well, a Nasopure is the same concept, without having to tilt your head and hurt your neck to get the salt water solution to run through one side of nose and out the other.  Twice a day, once when I wake up and once when I go to bed, my wonderful Nasopure comes out and makes it all better.  I won't go into detail of the exact thing that happens when using the Nasopure.  It can be slightly gross and I would not want to make you feel queasy reading my blog. ;)

So, where the desert is extremely beautiful and has sunsets that paint the skies and mountains amazing colors, my nose most likely still thinks we are in MO.  Same old sneezing. Same old runny nose.  Same old itchy eyes.