Aaaacchhhhhoooo!

So, I got over strep just in time for allergy season to start. Even typing the a-word makes my eyes water. And, of course, because of all the rain we've had, my yard projects have been put on hold. The one day we didn't have rain, X-man was home all day, and then -- I got strep. And then MacTroll came home -- and he got strep. Today, I'm feeling much better, except for the fact that we all just spent 2 hours out in the sun doing yardwork... and now I have hives up and down my legs because I'm allergic (see watering eyes again) to grass.

But the pepper plants are all in. The blueberry bushes are in. The strawberry garden is mulched, so is the pepper garden. I've got about an hour more weeding to do on the east side of the house before we can mulch that area. And then I've got to do the west side of the backyard and around the hot tub -- all before we take off for Baltimore on Wednesday.

It's supposed to be hot all weekend. I'll have my weeding tan. :-)

Hooray.

Itchy and Scratchy: Part 2

Last year we took Riley to the vet because he was itching and scratching so much that I couldn't sleep at night. We'd kick him out of the bedroom and he'd just lie by the bedroom door barking a single bark every 3 minutes. It was pathetic. 

We took him in to see our vet, Dr. Mary, who we love. She came in with his chart and noted that we'd been in for him chewing and itching every August/September since we moved to Illinois. There was no bacteria infection. There were no fleas. And given his history, we determined that Riley is allergic to something in the air this time of year in the C-U area. 

It's not a shock. I remember going to Peoria to visit Joel's buddy Ross for the first time June of 1993. I went to watch Ross in a soccer game and started sneezing. Then my nose started running. Then my eyes went all itchy. I'd gone for 17 years in Rockford, Ill., without allergies.

But something about Peoria overloaded me on histamines. 

So, after I gave X-man a bath and got him to sleep tonight (by 9 p.m. woot!). I gave Riley a bath with his special anti-itch shampoo. Then I rubbed him down with his special anti-itch, leave in conditioner. Then he got a benedryl and a dietary supplement. And finally he got a milkbone and a little rawhide stick chewy. 

He's still itchy. But I'm hoping it won't be as bad. I'm finding little tuffs of fur on my living room carpet that he's scratched off. Specifically, he's itchy under his armpits, across his chest, under his chin and by his penis.  Tomorrow, I'll be trimming his toenails so he does less damage to his skin (it's a little raw) and continuing pilling him twice a day to try and help. He'll have to be bathed and have the anti-itch stuff put on him every two days. If only they made an Elizabethan collar that went around a dog's waist. Mmm, I wonder what would happen if I put an Elizabethan dog collar round his waist? 

I'm pretty sure he'd look like a miserable ballerina.

Yeah, I'm that Dwarf

Seriously, give me a beard and a big red nose and call me Sneezy. The cold weather in May postponed my annual allergy hell a couple of weeks, but now I've got it full on. I'm sneezing, itchy and otherwise miserable. No amount of Claritin, Zyrtec or preventative nasal spray can help. I just have to wait out the pollen (at the lastest, mid-July). 

So what did I do today? I cleaned up my garage. It's still not quite as organized as I would like, but it does look a lot better. I just need to pick up the pegboard for the tools and to hang the shovels. 

But who am I kidding? It takes me forever to hang things in this house. Just when I thought I was making leeway, I realize there are still plenty of pictures leaning against walls in my master bedroom, guest bedroom and basement.  And there's that big ugly gaping hole I managed to put in the garage wall with my car door (long story). Gotta see if I can find a handy man to put that back together. (Anyone have any handyman suggestions?)

But right now, my poor nose needs me to take a nap so that I can get up and go walking with Libbygirl and Lightning McColin at the Prairie Park at 4 p.m. 

MacTroll is grilling tuna to put on a salad for dinner. Hooray!