The belly of the beast

It was Friday, March 7th. I was walking down the sidewalk when I noticed my shoelaces were untied, so I bent down to tie them. All of the sudden I was sliding at lightning speed headfirst down a chute that appeared straight but was winding and curvy. Powder kept getting into my eyes and in my nose and mouth. Each time I took a breath, I inhaled the powder and coughed violently. I held my breath for as long as I could, taking short and shallow breaths when necessary. When I was able to squint some to see in front of me, it seemed green, but I was falling so fast that I couldn't make out anything clearly. After a few minutes of free-falling down the slick slide (unable to stop myself no matter how or where I grasped), my body slammed onto a floor filled with that same horrible yellow powder. I landed with a thud and it sent the powder exploding into a cloud around me. I lay there unconscious for some time. When I awoke, the powder overwhelmed my senses. There was so much of it, my throat began to close and my eyes puffed up and started watering. I was coughing and sneezing violently. My ears and head ached. I resolved to crawl back out of the tunnel as quickly as I could, but the powder was too overbearing. I could do nothing but lie there on the ground. After I rested a bit, I gained enough strength to climb back into the chute. I could barely crawl on the slick surface, but I managed to go slowly to ensure that I moved up and forward. It was very tiring, and I had to stop frequently to rest. But I feared that my head would explode if I didn't get out of there fast! The further down I was, the thicker the powder was and the less I could breathe. I only climbed a short distance during the day, all the while fighting to see through my puffy eyes and trying to breathe through my clogged air passages and closed throat. At night I slept fitfully in crooks in the curves of the chute away from the direct airways that carried the horrendous powder. The closer I got to the top, the better I could breathe. I fought and fought until I finally climbed out today.

Where was I? In the belly of the flower that swallowed me when I bent down to tie my shoes. The yellow powder was the overdose of pollen that hit me two Fridays ago. Ok, that story didn't actually happen. It simply recounts my journey through the worst case of seasonal allergies I've ever experienced. Ever. For the past week-and-a-half, I have taken ibuprofen around the clock to help with the headaches, ear aches, and swollen glands/sore throat (which I thought I had gotten rid of when I got my tonsils out 2 years ago). I took a Claritin a day as well. It was miserable. It literally knocked me down. I didn't miss any work, but I surely felt terrible whenever I wasn't in bed. So, that's what has kept me away from my beloved blog for almost two weeks.

In other news, I got another job. It's part-time to go along with my current job. For now, it's on source is onenewsnow.com. AFA is a conservative Christian family advocate group that does radio broadcasts, a magazine (the AFA Journal) and news. AFA is known nationwide, but it started in Tupelo, and the headquarters are still here. I am enjoying writing for them. I hope the "as-needed basis" turns out to be often. I am thankful and amazed at how God has blessed my desires to have a career in writing and editing. In Jackson, a much bigger city than Tupelo, I couldn't find a job doing those things. When we decided to move to Tupelo, I gave up hope of pursuing my dream because it's a smaller town and I didn't foresee any opportunities to exercise these talents. Boy am I delighted and surprised to find that both of my jobs allow me to write and edit! God is good.

A few weeks ago, we received about 3 inches of snow. Below are some pictures from it.
Our deck

Kurt with a neighbor's snowman

Me with same said snowman

Our Winter Wonderland

Back of Wonderland

Snowy neighborhood