By Darlene Warren

BIG SANDY, Texas--The crimson eyes stared at me from under swollen lids. The bloodshot orbs told the tale as the salty fluid flowed like burning tears and fell to rest upon the poor creature's unrecognizable face. The excruciating pain was evident as it sought desperately to relieve the agony produced through no fault of its own. Its knuckles kneaded the eyes as though they were foreign objects to be expelled from the body.

Looking in the bathroom mirror can be especially scary during allergy season. Welcome to springtime in Texas. The Bible tells us there is a season for everything and thankfully that one has moved on, at least for me. I have said farewell to the bee-pollen tablets and feverfew leaves for another year.

Now's the time to move forward and get some work done. But, if you're like me, while you've been blowing your nose and clawing your eyes nature's got the jump on you. The grass is already knee-deep and the lawn mower is in the repair shop for at least three weeks because you didn't take it in during the slow season.

Of course, the reason you didn't have it worked on during the slow season was that the slow season coincided with the allergy season. No self-respecting person wants to walk into a public business and appear as though he's just attended a funeral--with red eyes and a runny nose. Or, even worse, look as though he doesn't have the decency to stay away from others while he's carrying a case of some lethal disease.

Don't cry for me

All of us who suffer from the effects of the changing of seasons are merely victims. We should be allowed to post signs in our yards that read: "She had good intentions, but the slow season and the allergy season overlapped." It's a horse race where everyone gets a hundred-yard head start on you because your gate didn't open with the others. It's not your fault. You will never catch them. There was one Seabiscuit, and there'll never be another.

Though it is disheartening, we can console ourselves in the fact that there are thousands of people just like us that suffer as we do.

It's not that we want to see other people in misery, it's just comforting to know that if there are thousands of allergy sufferers there are also thousands of lawn mowers sitting in repair shops during the fastest growing season of the year. Hopefully a few of those mowers belong in your neighborhood.

California here I come

When you finally get your lawn mower home, hopefully it will be in good running condition. It will start without hesitation and the blades will be sharp.

My riding mower starts right up now and the blades cut neat and crisp. There is a slight glitch, however. It only moves forward. (It reminds me of my sister's first car.)

But that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Now that allergy season is over I feel like doing a little traveling.