Redbuds setting their edible pods. Grab 'em quick while small or they will be too tough. Later azaleas in full bloom, and dogwoods just starting to fade. Fringe trees and lilacs starting to offer up their heady scents on the breeze. Birds courting and nesting all over the place. Roadside and garden spring flowers profuse and lovely. Roses will be blooming soon.

Andlotsandlotsoftreepollenpollen. Did I mention tree pollen?

Allergies the worst they have been in several years. I rarely use over-the-counter stuff - usually just tough it out. But this year better living through chemistry is probably keeping me out of the hospital and off of antibiotics. This year, the generic equivalents of Zyrtec and Mucinex DM are my friends.

Prefer the pollen to all the April Snow in the Rockies and the flooding in Houston. Guess it always pays to count blessings, eh?