Fairies Don’t Sneeze
We’re in the backyard cleaning up the patio flowerbed. This has inspired a game of Pixie Hollow fairies, and I’m informed that I am Rosy, a “garden talent” fairy, and Rilla is my helper, Posy. (She has a deceptively cherubic baby-brother fairy named Cozy, who seems to have a rock-throwing talent.)
Talent notwithstanding, before any gardening can be done it is imperative (so I’m told) that I assume the correct accent for Rosy. “Sort of like Paula Deen,” Rose (not Rosy) coaches me. “Say darlin‘ a lot.”
All right, I can do that. Rose runs off to suck lemons with Beanie and Wonderboy on the sunny side-yard wall, leaving “Posy” and me to cut back the parsley and uproot tiny shoots of clover from the flowerbed. Posy is very nearly as sparkly as a real fairy, so delighted is she to have me all to herself, in the sun, with flowers, for a little while—young master Cozy having been hauled away for a nap by his father, whose talent is toddler-wrangling.
It was every bit as delightful as it sounds—despite the itchysneezy misery I’m grappling with this allergy season (I know, it sounds crazy to call February allergy season, but southern California is a crazy, crazy place). For some inexplicable reason, Claritin (and Zyrtec and Sudafed and everything else I’ve tried) make me unbearably drowsy. This is a new thing, just this year. The whole point of Claritin is it’s supposed to NOT make you drowsy, but it totally knocks me out. I mean, it might as well be Benadryl. So anyway, I’m muddling through without allergy meds and it’s made yard work a bit of a challenge this year. But, you know, burning eyes are a small price to pay for sunshine and flowers in the dead of winter. I only mention it because of the sneezing. Tending the posies with Posy, I got very sneezy and asked her to run into the house for a tissue for me.
While she was gone I sneezed four more times in rapid succession. Things were getting a little desperate when, thank goodness, Posy reappeared.
And handed me a single square of toilet paper.
“That’s a fairy tissue,” she said.
Melissa H says:
Having grown up in San Diego and moved away (to N CA, not that we have MUCH winter but, still) I really enjoy your references to the crazy (lack of) weather down there where you garden year around and enjoy short sleeves in February.
On February 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm
maria says:
Once again I am ROFLOL!!!!! Oh you do have a fairy there, with the talent of being a source of much joy and laughter. 🙂
On February 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm
sarah says:
Cute meter reading extraordinarily high in your kingdom today.
On February 15, 2011 at 1:59 pm
tanita says:
At my Mom’s school (she teaches two-year-olds) they are only allowed to have three squares of TP so that they get used to not just rolling the toilet roll for fun. I suspect that they must have fairy blood as well!
On February 15, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Heather @ Books for Breakfast says:
When my five yr old brings me one square of toilet paper to wipe brother’s nose, she is not trying to be “cute.” She’s wanting to be helpful. She’s just so darn literal. When I ask her to please bring me a bit of tissue, she does just that. All I get is a bit.
On February 15, 2011 at 3:03 pm
sarah says:
Lol! Mine used to do the same thing – just one square of toilet paper. It took years to train her properly. Your gardening time with your little fairy sounds so wonderful, but I hope you find a comfortable cure for your allergies soon.
On February 15, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Shonda says:
Well, I’m so glad you got out in some sun yesterday because its sure coming down now! 🙂
Try Hyland’s Hayfever for your allergies. I promise, no side effects!!
On February 16, 2011 at 7:48 am
Mary Patnaude says:
While I’m jealous of the weather, not so of the sneezing! Try “Allegra” (Fexofenadine). It’s the only thing that’s helped Jeff- it doesn’t make him drowsy, either!
On February 16, 2011 at 10:15 am
MelanieB says:
My sympathies with the allergies. I’m lucky in that even benadryl doesn’t really make me sleepy. A non-drug help with the allergies might be doing a saline sinus rinse several times a day with a neti pot. It will wash out excess pollen and might help reduce the sneezing and runny nose.
On February 16, 2011 at 11:42 am
dana burton says:
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It made my day!
On February 16, 2011 at 12:28 pm
mamacrow says:
do you have max wax over there? it’s like a vasaline type thing – vasaline would work just as well actually – you put it on your top lip and it traps minute pollen/dust before it gets into your nose and irritates your nasel bits and bobs 🙂
oh, and eating honey through the winter, particularly local honey – builds your imunity to pollen somehow.. honestly, really does help!
On February 16, 2011 at 1:27 pm
EIleen Smithdeal says:
Paula Dean? That totally cracks me up. Your kids are so creative 🙂
On February 16, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Anne says:
I”m an Allegra user too and like it quite well.
Also, using a saline nasal rinse, while totally YUCKY feeling, does seem to help too. And I live in SC, where allergies never seem to STOP.
On February 16, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Emily says:
Hum, the only time Claritin has ever made me sleepy was when I was newly pregnant and didn’t know it….Just a though : )
Emily
On February 18, 2011 at 9:37 am