Peanut allergies

I have intense allergic reactions to many natural things. I went to an allergy clinic long ago and a doctor began to poke needles in my arm, to learn what I was allergic to. He stopped midway through the process, laughed and said, "You're allergic to everything." Luckily, this changed for the better as I got older. I still have to be hauled to an emergency room now and then, but it's way better than when I was a child.

Okay, that was a digression. Here's the thing. I do not suffer from peanut allergies. I eat them all the time. My local grocery store has begun to sell 5-lb. bags of peanuts (in the shell) for $5.99 -- a monster bargain. I buy six of these bags every couple of weeks -- to feed the crows, squirrels and jays.

When I tear open one of these bags, an intense peanut smell wafts up to me. And in that moment, I can almost understand why people have violent allergic reactions to peanuts. There's something intense and different about the scent. To someone as allergic as I am, it hints at power of these things. I can almost sense its ability to choke and overwhelm a person. Peanuts are powerful. I get it.

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