June2020-Mountain Lifestyle-Running Springs edition

Here Comes That Yellow Dust Again!
By Lynette Eastwood
Around late spring when
you venture outside in the morning,
you may notice that almost overnight
everything, including your
car, plants, and patio furniture have
become covered with a bright yellow
dust. You may wonder what
this is and where did it come from
so suddenly. You may also sneeze
a little more than usual and with the
fears of COVID 19, you might get a
quick scare. This is the season when
pollen and sneezing may go hand in
hand.
That yellow dust covering
everything that doesn’t move is
pine pollen. Our lovely pine trees
sometimes produce large amounts
of pollen during the spring to pollinate
the seeds of the pinecones
which are female, a rare occurrence
in nature. You can blame the male
genus of the species of the pine tree
living in our beautiful mountain
areas. Unbeknownst to many, pine
trees have both male and female
pinecones. Males cones are much
smaller and usually unnoticed, but
their pollen certainly is, especially,
when you find your freshly washed
car covered in yellow.
This pollen is not to blame
for your seasonal allergies. It
is heavy and quickly falls to the
ground which is why it coats everything.
You need to blame your
sneezing on the other trees and
blooming plants that are producing
their own pollen at the same time.
Plants that produce windblown
pollen, many of which are
trees, make life miserable for millions
of human allergy sufferers
each year. These trees use the wind
as their favorite means of pollen
transport to other trees of their own
species for pollination.
This pollination leads to
procreation of new trees and that’s
a good thing. Pollination is critical
for trees to reproduce but can be
crippling to some people with specific
tree allergies and asthma. If
these allergy sufferers live in areas
with lots of the wrong trees, there
can be major health issues and loss
in quality of life during peak pollen
season. On the other hand, the standard
hospital blue Dura-Mask that
many wear during this Pandemic,
also blocks most dust and tree pollen.
With all the rain and snow
this last season, this may turn out
to be a high allergy producing season.
Allergy sufferers can make it
through tree pollen season with a
minimum of discomfort by following
some common-sense suggestions.
If you are an allergy sufferer,
minimize outdoor activity between
5 and 10 a.m., as
morning is the
time when pollen
counts are usually
the highest. You
also don’t have to
stay inside all the
time either.
There are
several trees to
avoid if you are
allergy-prone -
and they are not
necessarily a single
species but usually a
single sex. The allergen that triggers
your allergy is usually produced by
the “male” part of a tree. Trees vary
widely in their capacity to produce
and disperse pollen which triggers
allergies and asthma.
Some tree species that bear
separate male and female flowers
on the same plant are called “monecious.”
Examples include honey locust,
oak, sweetgum, pine, spruce,
and birch. You can’t do much but
deal with these as a species.
Some tree species bear male
and female flowers on separate
plants. These “dioecious” trees include
ash, boxelder, cedar, cottonwood,
juniper, mulberry, and yew.
If you select a male plant you will
have problems.
From an allergy perspective,
the worst trees you can live
around are dioecious males, which
will bear only pollen and no fruit
or seed. The best plants in your environment
are dioecious females as
they bear no pollen and are allergen-free.
Trees to avoid are male ash,
pine, oak, sycamore, elm, male
boxelder, alder, birch, male maples
and hickory.
A fact that you may have
not ever dreamed of, is that annoying
yellow coating can also be very
good for the human population.
The microscopic dust is nutritionally
dense and has been used by humans
from the beginning of time.
Per the website, Web MD,
Pine is used for upper and lower
respiratory tract swelling (inflammation),
stuffy nose, hoarseness,
common cold, cough or bronchitis,
fevers, tendency towards infection,
and blood pressure prob-
Pollen accumulations after a rain from Spring 2019.
Photo by S. Peter
lems. Sprouts, needles, and bark
have been used by humans to make
medicine, not to be confused with
fir shoots or “pine oil”. Pine is used
to treat upper and lower respiratory
tract swelling (inflammation),
stuffy noses, hoarseness, common
cold, coughs or bronchitis, tendency
for infections, fevers, and blood
pressure problems. It may be used
in several different ways, applied
directly to the skin for muscle and
nerve pain. Pine contains chemicals
that may possess activity that
fights against pain and swelling. It
seems to be mildly effective in killing
fungus and bacteria.
The pine pollen, over a
small period may be useful as a
tonic on the body, without having
toxic effects. Remarkably it
is very adaptable to helping your
body with what it needs for treating
some afflictions, and any areas
of your body that are in distress.
From a nutritional stand point, pine
pollen can be consumed in large
amounts. Consumption will offer a
wide range of vitamins, and minerals
besides the other amazing benefits
of its use. This pollen contains
vitamins A, beta-carotene, B1, B2,
B3, B6, D, E, and folic acid. Also,
this pollen provides these minerals:
calcium, copper, iron, manganese,
magnesium, molybdenum, prosperous,
potassium, selenium, silicon,
sodium, and zinc. It’s hard to
believe, but it has over twenty amino
acids and all eight essential amino
acids making it a complete protein!
So, it’s important to balance
the awareness of the trees near you
that may cause allergies vs. living
in these beautiful mountains.
RIM NORDIC BIKE PARK
RIM NORDIC RACING
San Bernardino Mountains
Across from Snow Valley
Home of the Pine Cone Festival
Oct. 3, 2020
Weekends only
Memorial to Labor Day!
Kerry & Bev Brown • www.rimnordic.com
PO Box 2990 • Running Springs • CA 92382 • 909-867-2600
“Boating Fun at the Village” — Patty McDonald
Patty McDonald, Painting Beautiful
Lake Arrowhead
From Steven Peter
Artist Patty McDonald and
her husband Jim have been visiting
Lake Arrowhead their entire marriage;
it reminds Patty of her beloved
Washington State and Canada.
She also taught Junior High
School in Seattle, Washington and
grew up in Ephrata and Olympia,
Washington where Patty’s dad was
a judge.
Early on Patty started painting
Lake Arrowhead cabins, deer,
bears and squirrels on the back of
paper plates. That eventually progressed
to canvas over time. Already
a well-known local artist,
Patty, burst upon the scene with
the painting called “Legions of
Angels.” a tribute to the mountain
firefighters after the 2003 Old Fire.
The painting also served as a fundraiser
raising $1800 to help those
that lost property in the fire. It also
launched her career in oil painting.
Some of McDonald’s work at the Mountain Arts Gallery
located in Lake Arrowhead Village.
She is mostly a self-taught
painter and uses bright colors because
she is slightly color blind!
Patty donates her art to the Morning
and Noon Rotaries in Lake Arrowhead
and other charitable groups on
the mountain.
After Patty and Jim bought
their home in Lake Arrowhead, Patty
started her Woody Boat Series
and was invited by friends Keith
and Yolanda Douglas to have a one
woman art show at the UCLA Conference
Center, which was a total
success and a highlight of Patty’s
art career.
Her vivid, yet realistic colors
are her trademark style depicting
local scenes. Patty’s first woody
boat painting was used for the 2006
Antique Wooden Boat Show poster
and brochure. Patty recently was
awarded 1st Place at the Lake Arrowhead
Art and Wine Festival for
2019.
She was
also honored
to donate “The
Piper” at the
Jeremiah MacKay
Fundraiser.
Patty is proud to
belong to such
a giving and
friendly community.
Her work
hangs in galleries
and private collections
throughout
the US and
Europe. She even
has a giclée print
of “The Piper”
hanging on
a yacht named
The Piper. Patty
McDonald hopes
you will be the
next patron to
collect a piece of
her joyful art.
More of Patty McDonald’s work being shown at the Mountain Arts
Gallery in Lake Arrowhead including the 1st place award.
The Gallery will be opening
soon. Please keep in touch
with us.
THE MOUNTAIN ARTs GALLERY
Invites You To Come See the Artwork of Our
Amazing Mountain Artists
6-10 yrs old
The Gallery is
temporarily
closed but classes
are ongoing.
Painters, photographers, metal,
jewelry, gourds and more!
Present This Ad For a
10% Discount
Open 7 days a week 10 am – 6pm
The Mountain Arts Gallery
28200 State Highway 189, Lower Suite
Bldg-E-120, Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
(909) 744-8450
Page 8 Mountain Lifestyle June 2020
June 2020 Mountain Lifestyle Page 9