"And though it is like this, it is only that flowers, while loved, fall; and weeds while hated, flourish."
- Zen Master Dogen, 1233

There were two more Beltline meetings today, one subcommittee meeting for the Citizens Advisory Board and the Southeast Study Area Kick-Off meeting, and I felt guilty for only going to the former and not the latter.

Pollen season is in full bloom here in Atlanta. The spring's warmth has created a sexual frenzy among the City's many trees, who have blown their loads of yellow pollen into the air, creating a haze that hangs over the city like smog, coats cars, sidewalks and people, and has allergy sufferers in misery.

To give you an idea, pollen counts greater than 120 are considered "extremely high" and over 500 are considered "unhealthy."

Today's count was over 5,000.

Mostly pine, oak, sweetgum, birch, sycamore, mulberry and beech. My black car is now yellow, and I actually was leaving footprints in the pollen walking across my driveway.

But my azaleas are still blooming.