Sorry but....how can you stand to live in PHX!? (Phoenix: sales, movie theaters)

[YAZ]

I didn't have allergies in Phoenix until I discovered olive trees.

Evidently, I'm not the only one; I hear it's against the law to plant 'em.

Is that true?

If it is, then I like that law. Messy trees too. Squish, squish, squish.

Back in Michigan....4 weeks of hell in spring, hit & miss all summer long, then another 4 weeks of hell in the fall. Winter is just as dry as AZ in the summer. Lovin' it......

[azkylady2]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

That depends on the individual person.

Myself; I have trouble breathing where the ambient temp is 80F+ and the humidity is high-------think Wash DC.

As for the dry skin/hair factor: despite my having a Nordic white complexion-------my skin is actually rather oily. Yes; I have greasy hair after a couple of days (one day in the summer).

And the cold makes me feel physically ill overall.

Bettr our 100F @ 10% humidity heat than that average 40F crap back east in the middle of the day wintertime.

Everyone needs moisture for skin, sinuses, membranes, even joints, I have aslo heard of the dry air making joint problems much worse. yeah, some peoples skin is more oily then others, and thats a blessing here because you will wrinkle slower but unless you have oily sinuses this dry air is no good for those.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by YAZ

I didn't have allergies in Phoenix until I discovered olive trees.

Evidently, I'm not the only one; I hear it's against the law to plant 'em.

Is that true?

If it is, then I like that law. Messy trees too. Squish, squish, squish.

Back in Michigan....4 weeks of hell in spring, hit & miss all summer long, then another 4 weeks of hell in the fall. Winter is just as dry as AZ in the summer. Lovin' it......

Peoplw who don't know that orange pollen is not airborne blame orange blossoms for their allergies because they're more obvious due to the smell. The olives are the real culprit, blooming at the same time.

It's not illegal to plant olive trees, as far as I know. Male mulberries can't be planted in Tucson any more, not sure about anywhere else. THe olive trees can be treated with something every year so they don't flower and bear fruit. The man who used to live in the house next door to me treated his... unfortunately, he moved, and the ones who have lived there since don't.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by azkylady2

Everyone needs moisture for skin, sinuses, membranes, even joints, I have aslo heard of the dry air making joint problems much worse. yeah, some peoples skin is more oily then others, and thats a blessing here because you will wrinkle slower but unless you have oily sinuses this dry air is no good for those.

How can you speak for how I feel physically in the humidity vs. our dry heat? You prefer that weather back east------------I do not.

Trust me: as I stated previously------------I feel like hell whenever the humidity is high (60%+) coupled with 80F+ temps.

For example; I walked ca. 2 miles last night at 7 PM when it was ca. 110F out there............a bit uncomfortable but not debilitating by any means. Once I got back inside under the AC I was not panting, nothing. Just sweating a bit. Note I will be 52 in a couple of months and I am also 40 lbs overweight.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by observer53

Peoplw who don't know that orange pollen is not airborne blame orange blossoms for their allergies because they're more obvious due to the smell. The olives are the real culprit, blooming at the same time.

It's not illegal to plant olive trees, as far as I know. Male mulberries can't be planted in Tucson any more, not sure about anywhere else. THe olive trees can be treated with something every year so they don't flower and bear fruit. The man who used to live in the house next door to me treated his... unfortunately, he moved, and the ones who have lived there since don't.

People should have a right to grow whatever they want. The government should not be making laws about this. If someone is allergic they should take an anti-histamine and stay in the house. People had been growing mulberries and olives here for decades till all these people from the midwest moved here and started whining. It is the human transplants not the vegetative ones that have degraded the quality of life here. If you have allergies here and can't live with them, go back where you came from.

[observer53]

I fortunately don't have allergies of any consequence, but I agree with you about all the regulations. It was the transplants who brought not only their sinuses, but their plants, to AZ years ago that created a big part of the situation we have now.

The olives are messy when they start dropping fruit. That's the only reason I wish the neighbors still treated the tree.

[acrylic]

The olive tree sure is a beautiful tree though.

They're all over the Mediterrenean areas, like along the coast in Southern and Eastern Europe.

Too bad I don't like olives though, I'd have a field day while there. Haha

EDIT: Though, to be "on topic" I think that the olive tree being planted there should be somewhat regulated. If it produces that many allergens, and isn't native to the area...well, I dunno, it just doesn't seem like the best idea to have them around.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

People should have a right to grow whatever they want. The government should not be making laws about this. If someone is allergic they should take an anti-histamine and stay in the house. People had been growing mulberries and olives here for decades till all these people from the midwest moved here and started whining. It is the human transplants not the vegetative ones that have degraded the quality of life here. If you have allergies here and can't live with them, go back where you came from.

There are several reasons communities have limited or outlawed the planting of certain types of plants: Pollen and allergies are part of the reasons - this becomes especially true in areas of large amounts of senior citizens (like the Sun Cities).

The other reason includes the amount of water necessary to maintain these trees / plants.

[Steerpike]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

People should have a right to grow whatever they want. The government should not be making laws about this. If someone is allergic they should take an anti-histamine and stay in the house. People had been growing mulberries and olives here for decades till all these people from the midwest moved here and started whining. It is the human transplants not the vegetative ones that have degraded the quality of life here. If you have allergies here and can't live with them, go back where you came from.

I agree in general that you should be able to plant what you want; there are some cases where 'banning' stuff may be appropriate, though - when a non-indigenous species has a detrimental effect on the area. I don't know if you have any equivalent situations here, but an example would be the Eucalyptus trees in the Bay Area - they are not indigenous and grow very quickly, and are a huge fire hazard. The Oakland hills fire back in the 80's was largely a result of these oil-rich (fire fueling) trees having 'pushed out' other native trees.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

People should have a right to grow whatever they want. The government should not be making laws about this. If someone is allergic they should take an anti-histamine and stay in the house. People had been growing mulberries and olives here for decades till all these people from the midwest moved here and started whining. It is the human transplants not the vegetative ones that have degraded the quality of life here. If you have allergies here and can't live with them, go back where you came from.

Very good reply.

Wonderfully written. Thank you.