This time of year here in Eastern NC there is a toxic feel in the air, Pine Pollen.  We are surrounded by millions of Pine trees and right now they are in “flower”, if you can call it that, Pine trees flowers are sort of a cluster of yellow fists of pollen bombs, which, of course, will eventually turn into pine cones, but right now they are just a pollen delivery device which allows the trees to deliver the pollen to unsuspecting peoples noses in the most efficient way possible.

In the morning I wander out to my car and it is yellow, having been covered overnight with a thick film of the pollen.   For the most part the majority of people around here who are not normally bothered by allergies are basically felled by Pine pollen.  I just cannot imagine people who suffer from regular allergies feel at this time of year.

I am one of the biggest tree huggers on the planet, but Pine Pollen is the devil.

I sometimes think, as I peruse various political sites that we tree huggers (or hippies as they like to call us) are simply losing the messaging war when it comes to climate change and it depresses me to no end.  When it snowed here recently I just knew that my local AM radio host would be gloating and sure enough as his show started on my drive home the first thing out of his mouth was “Did you enjoy the snow?  (chuckle chuckle) how’s that global warming thing going for you! (chuckle chuckle)”  He continued to chuckle to himself, no doubt imagining himself to be funny, but I shook my head and resisted the urge to call in and remind him that only the previous week he had someone on from a coastal protection organization and they were discussing “sea level rise”, which somehow in his mind has absolutely nothing to do with climate change or global warming, and the effect that sea level rise will have on insurance rates here in Eastern North Carolina.    Indeed I live in a State where the State legislature voted not only to ignore the effects of sea level rise but voted to specifically exclude the science from all debate.   As one local put it

“First there was the embarrassment of North Carolina’s sea-level rise law, which called for ignoring scientific studies when considering coastal development. Now we learn that John Skvarla, newly appointed head of the state’s environment protection agency, is apparently a climate-change denier”

This week we learned that up in DC a climate change denying congressman will be heading the sub committee on climate change.

“As the new chairman of a key House subcommittee on the environment, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) will be one of the GOP’s leading actors when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency and the growing threats from climate change. So with his first hearing as chairman on tap for Wednesday, what does the freshman Republican—and end times novelist—think about anthropogenic global warming? He’s not sure.”

Today we got the news that the droughts which devastated many of the crops in the US last year will more than likely be worse this year, which will again not only devastate the farmers but will also damage consumers who will have to pay much higher prices for food.    Another report announced that the chances of stronger and stronger hurricanes occurring as a result of climate change could mean the equivalent of five Katrinas per year.

I like to grow my own food, when I can, but here in NC it has got to the point that come July and August it is so hot that nothing will grow, even tomato plants shut down production due to the heat and the window of opportunity for growing cool season crops is becoming shorter and shorter.

I don’t know what the solution is.  We may as well howl at the moon for all the good our protestations do, and I simply despair that some of our fellow occupants of this big blue marble will not accept the damage we are doing to this planet until it is too late and they, and we, find ourselves in permanent deserts where nothing will flourish and clean water is non existent.

Still, when it all seems hopeless I take solace in my garden, in my little acre of this vast planet, and do my best to keep its flora and fauna safe for another year.  Perhaps that is all we can do, take care of our little corner of the world and hope, for the sake of all of us, that there are enough of us in the world to make a difference.   We shall see.

It was my intention this past weekend to get my garden pea and carrot seeds into the ground because if I wait much longer then it is going to get too hot for them.  As it was this happened.

It was 70 degrees on Friday and on Saturday this.  By late Sunday afternoon the sun had melted most of the snow away, except those little spots in shady areas.  I had planned to spend Sunday out in my garden planting my green pea and carrot seeds.  I suppose Mother Nature had other ideas for me.   If I don’t get them in the ground by the end of February I am doomed because it will simply be too hot for them to flourish.  Hopefully next weekend will be more cooperative.

I no doubt will have to suffer my local conservative talk radio host making some wise cracks about the snow and climate change on Monday as he is fond of doing but as Bill Maher said new rule if anyone says “hows that global warming thing working for you now?” during a snow storm you are allowed to smack in the face with a snow shovel.