Ragweed season is here with itchy eyes and constant sneezing. It's unavoidable as I live in the country surrounded by 'giant horseweed' (aka ragweed) and it lines all of the fences and ditches (including my own). Art has stopped saying 'bless you' every time I sneeze; a couple of days ago he told me "I bless you for all future sneezes". I'm really not complaining because my allergies used to be much worse and I would suffer from the first bloom to the first hard frost. Whether it was my years living in Florida or if I have just grown out of them, but my allergies only bother me from about the end of August through mid-September. Better four weeks than seven months!

I used to take prescription allergy medicine, but since I only have allergies for one month out of the year it doesn't make sense for me to spend all that money for a doctor and a bottle of pills that I might use for a month. I've tried the over-the-counter drugs but the 24 hour medicine gives me heart palpitations (ok, probably not palpitations but it feels like my heart will beat right out of my chest), and even the 12 hour stuff guarantees that I won't sleep for 24 hours. This is why I could never be a meth addict. Benedryl works well, but I can't take it during the day or I would fall asleep, but it's my nighttime friend.

My uncle has worse allergies than I do and he suggested taking the herb, nettle, everyday. I tried it for the first time last year and while it doesn't completely cure my allergies, it certainly curbs many of the symptoms. Instead of breaking down into a fit of sneezing, my nose is just a bit itchy. My eyes still itch, but it's more of an annoyance as opposed to the constant need to scratch out my own eyeballs. If you have ever suffered from itchy allergy eyes, you know what I mean. Once you start, you can't stop because it feels so good- it's almost orgasmic how wonderful it feels. I have prescription allergy drops that are from 2007, but they still seem to work fine. I realize that is not the most responsible thing to use, but I only use them a couple of times a week so I'm fairly sure I won't go blind.