Georgia is not on my Mind

It's Day 1 of venturing from Clearwater to Frogwater, from Sunny Florida to Western Washington in the Pacific NorthWET.   And, Georgia is definitely not on my mind, despite traveling along many of its highways this afternoon.

Instead,
Georgia is on my nose, my sinuses, and most of my upper respiratory tract.  The story begins with one of the very few downsides of my dual coast lifestyle.   It is true that one of my (only) regrets about spending the winter in Florida is that I have become unfortunately beset by two separate springs every year. The pollen in Florida gets me going into February and extends until the end of March. Shortly thereafter, Washington State takes over with its many cedar, grass, and assorted other pollens designed to torture my genuinely simple attempts to breathe.  There is nothing like sneezing for four months straight to make you welcome the end of spring with open arms (and open sinus passages). The bright side of this allergy alley is that we are now driving a light green car, so while everyone else's car looks like a coat of pollen, ours just continues to look normal. 


When we entered Georgia today on our first day on the road, I realized that the situation could be a lot worse. No more than five miles across the state line, I started to sneeze inside the car. I am mystified because I just replaced the ridiculously expensive cabin air filter in the minivan that is supposed to prevent this very occurrence. It must be the Georgia pines doing this dastardly deed to my sinuses:

 Or maybe it's the fact that every tree and its brother seems to be leafing out or blooming today:

Regardless, the joy of spring has been threatened by the influx of many allergies.  However, I am certain that I have packed my positive attitude, and it will come to the rescue.  I will be sure to start looking for it, as soon as I stop sneezing!

Tomorrow, we will be headed north out of Alabama, away from blooming trees and into much colder temperatures, with a touch of snow to keep life challenging.  We'll be trading one problem for the next ... therein, lies the definition of cross-country travel...