Monday, June 1, 2015

The passage of time and poison ivy

Hello Everybody.
I certainly have neglected this spot for the last few years...
It's a cliche to say that life gets in the way...but I honestly think that I let the last three-plus years get by me in a whirl of events, mostly happy and some sad.
There have been changes in my immediate family, including a wedding, and most recently, a new grandson.  His name is Roy Christopher, and we are thrilled to welcome him into our fold.
Sadly, there have been some funerals.  I've lost family and friends since I last wrote. All of these special people were way too young to leave me.
Time marches on...spring is coming to an end and summer 2015 is nearly here.  
Last weekend John and I spent our first overnight on Cinnamon Girl.  Yay!

While I was walking the other morning along a local road, I spotted a tree that was covered in poison ivy. This is the least welcome sign of summer.
I've learned to identify the weed ... Three leaves on one stem.  It's everywhere.  Campers, highway crews, kids chasing baseballs into the weeds, gardeners-all are at risk for an encounter with Toxicodendron radicans.
When I was little and spending every summer at the cottage in Luna Pier, I always got at least one case of poison ivy.  Just touching it brought on the familiar red rash that worsened with every scratch.  One year I had such a bad case that it ended up all around my eyes and they swelled shut.  I was warned not to scratch because scratching it caused it to spread. 
Mom put all kinds of ointments on it but none of them seemed to work.  I was miserable.  
Not everyone in the family got the rash. I think about one half of us were susceptible. Brother Pete used to grab a whole bunch off a tree and rub it all over his arms, just to show how tough he was. Apparently about 15% of the population is insensitive to it and will never develop a reaction.  Go figure.

I've taken up the sport of golf...been enjoying spending time outside on beautiful greens...however I will be looking for poison ivy any time I hit a ball in the wrong direction and have to go hunting.
See you soon.


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