It’s that time of year again. Break out the pills and hankies, we’re heading off for another season of clogged sinuses and nosebleeds galore.

That’s what I’m in for, anyway. At least my pills are small and handy, and I only have to take it once a day.

And yes, I did mention nosebleeds. Why? Well, at this time of year, the insides of my nose itches a lot. And when I have an itch long enough, I can’t help but scratch (usually with a hankie). And if you scratch enough times, you get through to a vein. That vein punctures, and I just have to get out as many hankies as it takes for the bleeding to stop. It eventually stops on its own, so I just have to make sure none of that spreads out to furniture, clothing, etc. in the meantime. And yes, I’ve tried all the tricks in the book, and none of them have really worked. I’ve come to realize that all of these “tricks” to make the bleeding stop are just distractions and de-stressing techniques. I find myself unwinding during the waiting time by pulling out another hankie. Actually, I tend to fold a small piece of soft toilet paper (double-layered), as they do just the trick, and I use less amount of hankies. So there.

At least my big trouble doesn’t start until the beginning of the birch pollen season, which starts around mid-May, and is relieved by the grass pollen season near the end of June. This will last all the way into mid-August, so you can imagine what I’m looking forward to.

But first, the snow has to melt all the way through…