The above map was taken from the following website: http://www.pollenlibrary.com/botany_researchers_maps.php?view=speciesmapviewer.php&map=Juniperus+ashei.png. Now it says that the distribution of mountain cedars in our county--a yellow one surrounded on three sides by green--is rare. I beg to differ.
We have one culprit in our own back yard, and our neighbor across the street from us has another one in his front yard, as seen below.
The mountain cedar is indigenous to both Oklahoma and Texas to our west. Since the winds here generally blow from west to east, then obviously my head is being bombarded by pollen from Oklahoma and Texas, as well as from the rare presence of the mountain cedar in my own county. This should be outlawed.
My readers know I love Italy. There are many reasons for this: good friends, fresh seafood, wonderful cheeses, plentiful wine, the Italian language, the best cups of cappuccino, l'Eredita, truffles, and short Masses celebrated in the most beautiful churches in the world. I was unable to locate a species distribution map for mountain cedar in Italy on Google.it. If, indeed, that is so, then there is yet another reason to love Italy.
Yes, I do have an obsession with this miserable species. There is only one thing to do...move to Italy every spring. OK, I can't do that right now. In lieu of that solution, I guess I'll just return to Ossessione and surround myself with Kleenexes.
P.S. Another solution to the problem is snow. This little bit of snow that fell on Saturday night blanketed the pollen. It's only a temporary fix but definitely a pretty one. Incidentally, the bench and chair have been placed on the deck to prevent Catherine's dog--you remember the horse-dog--from taking a flying leap into a flower bed planted with daylilies which have already begun to sprout leaves. We expect temperatures to reach the 70s again by the end of the week. Silly spring weather!
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