Sunday, April 24, 2011

" I Ain't No Martha Stewart ! "

Oops I did it again! This makes it about the fourth year in a row. You would think that by now I would know better but I guess I just ain't no Martha Stewart!!

I think I mentioned in a past post that I had been weeding a bit, well, quite a bit, last week and the week previous between the rain drops. One particular spot that I've been wanting to get into was the Lilac bush and the bush that grows on the fence along the side of it.





As you can see in the above photo it is quite overgrown as I have been neglecting it more and more the past few years. Well this time I literally was climbing inside of the bush with clippers and a saw. I was quite proud of my progress as I managed to get a lot of dead wood out of the bush and trim quite a bit of the bush next to it although it's hard to tell from the above photo. Lots of weeds were yanked out as well.

I was in a weeding frenzy I tell you and never gave a thought to the fact that I wasn't wearing long sleeves and pants but shorts and a tee shirt instead! So here I sit a week later admitting to the world that 
"I AM AN IDIOT!!!".


 

The only difference from this year to the last three or four is that this time it is poison Ivy instead of Sumac. Yes I know what poison Ivy and Sumac look like. Yes I know how allergic I am to both. Yes I am an idiot. Why I even took a picture of said Poison Ivy after it attacked me.





See how easy it is to notice there? Unfortunately I never notice until after the fact. Will I ever learn? I don't know. Martha would have known the proper weeding procedures I'm sure. Actually Martha probably has people that weed for her. I wonder if they know to dress properly BEFORE getting into a weeding frenzy? Probably. Everyone probably knows but me. 

Perhaps if I write one hundred times " I will always wear long sleeves and pants when weeding." I might have a chance. I have a container of strong weed killer as well. We used it last year on the poison Sumac that was growing all over the place, I'm sure that it's come back now too.


Well at least I learned my lesson early this year and you can be sure that now I will be on the lookout for anymore poisonous plants. Yes I want to make Martha proud of me! For now though, it's calamine spray and ice. The sad part is that I haven't yet finished that spot, I have to go back in there!

But enough about rashes. We had a big storm last week that blew over our neighbors huge pine tree. 








The white garage is ours and if you look through all of those weeds and trees you can see his brown garage that the pine is leaning on. I must say that I'm glad that his garage was there or that pine would be in my yard!


I'm going to leave you with a photo of the sunrise peeking through the Lilac bush. I took it after the poison Ivy incident!






Hopefully I have learned my lesson this time. Long sleeves and pants, long sleeves and pants, long sleeves and pants!!!!!

28 comments:

Gail said...

HI DI-

"HAPPY EASTER" to you and your wonderful family.
And that poison ivy looks so itchy you poor thing. We have it growing as well along our woods edge. Great picture of the sunrise. Have a glorious day. "Don't scratch"!! :-)

Love to you my friend
Gail
peace.....

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Diana,

This post contains a lesson for all of us who are in a hurry to get things done.

All of us learn lessons like this throughout our life time.Education is never ending.

The last photo of the sunrise is very interesting.Most of us don't get up in the morning to see a sun rise.

Wish you and your family a wonderful Easter.
Joseph

Anvilcloud said...

I would sooo do something like that! But when you have the itch to weed, well ...

Lena said...

Happy Easter, Di!
Long sleeves and pants!! :)
tons of love!! XXX

Lois Evensen said...

Happy Easter! So sorry about the rash. I did that to myself when I trimmed the hedges right before flying to Europe for two weeks. That was about 20 years ago. That rash was horrible and made even more horrible being away from my own comforts of home. I so hope you feel better soon!

Hugs,
Lois

Lynilu said...

Oh, girlfriend, writin' ain't doin', ya know! You can write it and write it, but you need to DO it!! Sigh. Seems I just haven't taught you anything at all. [grin]

The good thing about this is that you re-convince me that I don't like to do gardening! I like the result, but I don't like getting to that end!

Take care of yourself, please!!!

Rebecca said...

I'm glad you posted this. I have some bushes I need to trim (I call them "Three Sisters"). Having been warned, I will remember to wear long sleeves! I'm sure hoping there are no poison vines entwined in them.

Di, I'm so thankful that you are OK. You were in my thoughts when I heard about the St. Louis tornadoes. (Didn't know how far spread they might have been.)

We're crashing after a fun visit from a couple of grandchildren, a good Sunday morning, and dinner here with my parents, daughter and her 3 children.

Back to "normal" tomorrow?

Margaret Pangert said...

Diana, that's awful! I know how it drives you crazy! The one thing I have found to work is Domeboro (not carried in all pharmacies, but many). It is a solution that dries into a poultice on the affected areas.
The good news is you really got a lot of wooded area cleaned up. And that last photo is gorgeous! Doesn't the sun look like a butterfly peeking through the lilac? :) Love, Margaret

Tranquility Speaks said...

Oh dear Diana! I hope the rash subsides soon and gives you relief. You are one of the most hardworking souls I know. Take good care of yourself

tattytiara said...

Oh that looks maddening - hope it clears up soon. I don't even want to look at the tree photo - I have two enormous pines in my back yard that I absolutely adore, and that my house wouldn't stand a chance against if they fell!

Cindy said...

We don't want Martha Stuart, we just want you in long sleeves and pants. hopefully it is not too too itchy. take it easy when you are out there with a saw and the like...your knees are giving you trouble , so please be careful. I hope you had a nice Easter. love to you.

All Dolled Up Doll Clothes said...

Hi Di, All I have to say is "Oh My!". That poison ivy looks mighty painful. I am so jealous of your lilac though. It's still too cold here for mine to bloom. I am hoping spring will come soon. The tulips still have not bloomed either but the crocus and daffodils have come and gone. I can't wait to see all the photos of what you do to your garden again this year. Your garden creativity is amazing!
Hugs to you
Terrie

Jacquelyn Stager said...

love the photo of the sun peaking through the lilac bushes. We had to chop ours down last year...they weren't a good variety and didn't produce pretty flowers. Now we have ugly stumps to take care of. So sorry you are suffering with that poison ivey. When my brother was a 6th grade teacher, one of his forms of discipline was having kids write an essay that would be titled, "What happens that I don't like when_____". I thought about that when I read your post and was laughing at the memory. Hope it goes away soon. I ain't no Martha Stewart either!

Teresa said...

oh my goodness Di! I have never had poison ivy, and it is a wonder because I pull up my sleeves and get right into the weed pulling too, with no regard for my person. Guess I am just lucky in that department. I think that you would make Martha proud. However, I thing she probably has a gardener to do the weeding....
((((Hugs))))) T

Talin's Corner said...

Oh no! that's horrible. That's one good reason not to garden (just kidding, I love to garden). And, by the way, Martha has nothing on you.

Maria said...

Hi Diana!
Oh dear... I've had poison ivy...it's so uncomfortable. Hot showers help - it somehow deadens the pain for a little while and helps dry it out. Ugh! I feel you pain! I hope it quiets down and goes away quickly...
Don't worry about being Martha Stewart... she has a staff to do all that work!
I look at her kitchens {more that one house} and wonder who cleans and dusts all the dishes she has in open shelving!

Take care now, Diana! ~Maria

Ginnie said...

Oooo...just looking at your arm makes me start scratching. But your last picture is lovely so I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

Kat said...

Hey good job for you. That was no small task and you accomplished a lot. I am like you, in that I just jump in and tackle a project when the mood strikes... not giving much thought to what it entails. It wouldn't be spring around here without a few good cases of poison something or another. I will never be called Martha Stewart, either, but then again, who needs more than one?

Happy gardening,

Kat

Rae said...

You poor thing. You must be miserable with the poison ivy. My hubby is so allergic to it. I know how he suffers. I hope you are better soon.

Rob-bear said...

Oh, dear! Dreadful "misadventure."

For you, forgoing long sleeves was a rash decision. Or something like that.

I do hope you're feeling better now.

Mary Ann said...

Just looking at your photo of your arm makes me want to scratch. I'll have to remember this when I get around to starting my weeding. At the moment, it's too wet and still rain in the forecast...

Mar said...

Hi Diana. Just getting back to using my PC which was having issues that got repaired finally. Your adventure in Poison Ivy Land sounds painful and it reminded me of my encounter with hornets last year. Wearing the proper gear is important. Thanks for checking in on my blog. I will be posting more often now that I have my life in place again. It's voting day here in Ontario, so now I'm off to do that and honour all the people who fought and are still fighting in many wars and conflicts to make sure I have that right. Hope all is well with you and yours. <3 Mar

Wanda..... said...

Hi Di....I guess I failed to comment on this post, I do hope your poison ivy faded away without spreading much. I'm not allergic to it, but a granddaughter would get it terribly and need special medication.

Your lilac bush looks enormous, it must smell wonderful!

jules said...

I would have done the same thing. When I get in a mood to do some weeding I just jump in and don't think about the consequences.

Our snow is finally gone and my lilacs have tiny little buds on them!

Ginnie said...

Hi Diana: just wondering if you are OK. I hope you are on the mend and will be back soon.
Ginnie

Barb said...

Well, the lilacs are beautiful, Di - but...not the poison sumac! Hope your sore itchy rash is healed by now. I'll remind you next spring to wear proper pruning clothes! Happy Mothers Day, Di!

Rick Watson said...

Yikes. Poison Ivy wears me out every time I touch it. When I was a kid, I didn't realize what it was so I got it on both arms, my eyes, and other places I don't care to mention. Not a good memory.
My mother-in-law had a beautiful lilac bush in her yard. After she passed away and we had to sell her house, but we tried to dig up some sprouts. They didn't make it.
Good post.

Maria said...

Hi Diana!
I hope your poison ivy is much better now...
Stopping by to wish you a Happy Mother's Day!
God bless you always,
Maria