Annual Dusting and Unusual Boom

The trees are blooming. The last few weeks yielded the annual dusting of pollen, but the main event is starting. Cars are covered with a light dust in minutes, and over days will accumulate enough pollen to look like they were parked in the dry desert. 

Pine trees are growing the beginnings of cones. The small growths are yellow, and appear like clusters of ornaments. The amount of pollen they release is almost unbelievable, and will coat ponds with a thick yellow film. Eventually, the pollen will fall off, and I always hope for some rain at the tail end of the event. The allergen disappears for awhile, but can settle in the ground cover for distributing again on a dry, windy day.

My sinuses have taken a beating. They always do, but an antihistamine usually relives the symptoms. Some I know are forced to visit their doctor for help. Failing to do so leaves them with deep congestion, and with one person I know, the beginnings of pneumonia. 

 Last night, just after dark, my windows rattled, as a huge thump hit the house. I rushed outside to see what happened, but couldn't find anything that might have explained the event. The sky was clear, radar showed no thunderstorms, the distant refineries didn't report any explosions, and their were no jets to be seen.  Looking at local news reports didn't yield an answer, and as of this morning, it's still unexplained. 

I've had this happen before, with the same result. If I had to guess, I'd guess it was a meteor. Unless someone is outside, sees the meteor, and hears the sonic boom, they would have no clue of what caused the boom. It fits, and is another thing that makes life interesting.