Ah-CHOO!

Hello, my name is Mary Beth, and I'm allergic to ligustrum.

Ligustrum is a type of privet hedge and it is very invasive. VERY. It's a spready green bush with leaves of various sizes and tiny white flowers of a head-piercing sweetness.

The house I grew up in had 14-foot ligustrum bushes on three sides. The house I live in now, 250 miles to the north, also has several...they are a different variety but the flowers still get me. Instant sinus attack, that's what these are. And: they are in bloom.

You can remove them, but they grow back. Forever and ever. My husband recently had his helper cut all the blooming branches off of this one, next to where I park my car. What a guy!

So, thinking about allergies:

1. Do you experience any seasonal allergies? Are you allergic to anything else?

2. What kinds of symptoms do you experience during your allergic reactions?

3. How do you manage your allergies? (ie: medication, avoidance, alternative therapies, etc)

4. What is the strangest allergy you've ever heard of?

5. How do you feel about school and social policies that banning peanuts and other allergens?

(with thanks for the idea to Five on Friday)

Pass me the tissues, please...

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