Pictured here is a teardrop-shaped glass vase holding some sort of air fern. The vase is normally crystal clear. The dust you see on it is pollen. The vase does sit next to a window — hence the light — but the window has not been opened recently. Just that much pollen is in the air inside our house. We have not had windows or doors open all week. This is just in the air we breathe right now. The one little clear strip you see is where I ran my finger, just before taking this photo.

No wonder we’re all so damn sick around here this week. Not enough Zyrtec and Flonase in the world to combat this alien invader.