Saturday, September 8, 2012

Hiking The Chilly Tandy Hills With Allergic Misery

In the picture you are on top of Mount Tandy, looking west across the old wagon trail that heads towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth. Those are Fort Worth's tall skyscrapers you see at the end of the road, barely sticking up above the brush.

Today I wondered to myself if any other big town in America has such a primitive road so close to its downtown core? That such a road exists is sort of impressive, somehow avoiding any modern world developments.

Today was the first cool day on the Tandy Hills, in the temperature sense of the cool word, in a very long time. The coolness was made even cooler by a very strong wind blowing.

I was a little disturbed today to see that the ice chest and burial crypt remain just as I found them, way back on August 25. I thought by now someone would have removed the ice chest. Or at least flipped it over and opened it. I guess everyone who passes that location is as squeamish as I am.

Changing the subject from ice chests and burial crypts to my declining health.

Yesterday afternoon I began having respiratory woes. For a short period I wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like. That feeling subsided, after which I was left with the symptoms of an incoming cold. As in sneezing, watery eyes, plugged up breathing tubes.

My condition worsened as the evening progressed. I escaped fairly early to bed, hoping that peaceful slumber would bring relief.

But no sleep came. I got up and searched my medicine cabinet for a drug. I don't like taking drugs unless the situation is dire. I found a bottle of anti-histamines. I popped one of the little white pills. Soon relief followed.

The benefits of the anti-histamine pill have now worn off and I am starting to be at the same point of cold-like misery I was at yesterday afternoon at this time. I really don't want to pop another pill, but I fear I will have no other choice, even though I dread the side effects.

On my way back from the Tandy Hills, as I drove on to my property, I saw Miss Puerto Rico summoning me. Miss Puerto Rico was with Miss Crystal. I exited my vehicle to converse with that pair. Seems they have also been suddenly plagued with the same woes I am plagued with.

Miss Puerto Rico is blaming the woes on all the construction that started up the past couple days. Heavy equipment has been tearing up Boca Raton Boulevard. Lots of dust. I learned  from Miss Puerto that this is the notorious Chesapeake Energy pipeline laying operation that is making the big mess. I should have figured that out myself when I passed a pickup that had a business name with the word "Energy" at the end of the name.

I really think it is a stretch to blame this on the pipeline construction, but this is the only thing that has changed in the past couple days at my location. And Miss Puerto Rico is convinced this is the cause of our misery. She is like the parakeet in a mine, so sensitive are her allergies.

I think I will go pop a little white pill now.

1 comment:

CatsPaw said...

Don't forget that Oklahoma blew through here last night, too. That may also be aggravating your already sensitized snoot today.