POLLEN
Almost a four-letter word, right?
You wish you could use it in a sentence like this . . . “Oh for pollen's sake!” But instead, you can't speak because the little critters are stuck in your throat and only a dry cough escapes your pollinated lips.
I wondered this morning what our lungs would look like if x-rayed. Would they be yellow and coated like a smoker's would be due to inhaling a foreign substance for days on end? To that question, I looked up the word 'pollen' in Wikipedia. Don't go there! The little buggers are photographed in minuscule and you can see what they really look like . . . little round or irregular shaped universes that make your life miserable if you are allergic. And believe it or not, some even have wings. Yes! So you can't get away from them. They can fly.
Did you know that the smallest pollen grain is that of the Forget-Me-Not? I'm sure you will remember that fact every time you sneeze now. Achoo!!
Did you know that the study of pollen is called palynology? I wouldn't say that pollen was a pal of any kind. I'll leave it up to you to decide a better name for its study after you've spent weeks at the pharmacy counter studying old and new remedies for the seasonal pests.
If you read what Wikipedia has to say on the subject, you will see that these little devils have sex. Right under your noses!! Literally. If I look out of my window at this moment I can tell that these creatures have been up all night having fun while I slept. It must have been quite a party.
If you continue reading you will learn new spelling bee (excuse the reference) words to add to your voluminous list. Words like: microsporangium, sporopollenenin, eudicots, colpate, intine, cuticularized, etc., etc …
These words flow from your tongue like honey from a beehive. (There's that 'B' word again).
So the question remains . . . what to do?
Stay indoors as much as possible and write a blog about it!
© nancy 4.7.2010
I wondered this morning what our lungs would look like if x-rayed. Would they be yellow and coated like a smoker's would be due to inhaling a foreign substance for days on end? To that question, I looked up the word 'pollen' in Wikipedia. Don't go there! The little buggers are photographed in minuscule and you can see what they really look like . . . little round or irregular shaped universes that make your life miserable if you are allergic. And believe it or not, some even have wings. Yes! So you can't get away from them. They can fly.
Did you know that the smallest pollen grain is that of the Forget-Me-Not? I'm sure you will remember that fact every time you sneeze now. Achoo!!
Did you know that the study of pollen is called palynology? I wouldn't say that pollen was a pal of any kind. I'll leave it up to you to decide a better name for its study after you've spent weeks at the pharmacy counter studying old and new remedies for the seasonal pests.
If you read what Wikipedia has to say on the subject, you will see that these little devils have sex. Right under your noses!! Literally. If I look out of my window at this moment I can tell that these creatures have been up all night having fun while I slept. It must have been quite a party.
If you continue reading you will learn new spelling bee (excuse the reference) words to add to your voluminous list. Words like: microsporangium, sporopollenenin, eudicots, colpate, intine, cuticularized, etc., etc …
These words flow from your tongue like honey from a beehive. (There's that 'B' word again).
So the question remains . . . what to do?
Stay indoors as much as possible and write a blog about it!
© nancy 4.7.2010
Actually, the Finnish word for it is "siitepöly". Last night's rain washed enough of it away that I was able to stagger into work to the Finnish exchange officer's desk and ask him. I couldn't begin to describe how it's pronounced. He's found that Finnish vodka, while no cure, certainly makes the yellow peril more bearable. I'll have to investigate it when I get home.
ReplyDeleteWhat? Pollen caught in flagrante delicto on the porch along with the kitties! Who'd a thought it. Are there no respectable neighborhoods anymore? However, Wickipedia did warn us that pollen was "coarse". I suppose my preference, if I have to choose, runs with colpates. On second thought, I think I prefer the Devonian pollens, the ones fossilized in rock, that can't get to my nose or even imitate the kitties out in the yard.
I guess it serves a good purpose, but I'll have to spend Saturday washing the microgametophytes off my car.
Comments like yours are simply wordaliscious.
ReplyDelete