From Bottom to Top

The bottom fell out today, so this will be a short post.

After more than 4 weeks, I FINALLY got my car back. I didn't mind not having a vehicle, except for that one time when Greg became stranded and I had to rescue him. It's a great inconvenience to be without transportation--especially when you live in Texas.

When I lived in Chicago, everything you needed was within walking distance, but here...every excursion is a journey.

I also have repair people coming today and tomorrow for an ongoing problem with the air conditioning and ovens. These things are under warranty, which means I am at the mercy of their schedules.

We did a bit more work yesterday and cut a few trees to widen a trail. Greg cuts, I pile the limbs into a brush pile that we'll burn later.

Only one of the logs I picked up had ants on it.

Then I had ants on me.

You never saw a woman get naked so fast. They were all over my shirt and I yelled at Greg for help. He came running and helped me out of my top. (I'm sure it was all his pleasure. LOL.)

I ran into the house and showered off the remaining ants that had landed in my hair.

Add one more reason, it's good to live in the boonies. At least if you have to get naked in a hurry, there's little chance of offending the neighbors.

Oh, yeah...I think I now have poison ivy too. :sigh:

It's one of those days. Anyone else a veteran of poison ivy?

Comments

Linda Leszczuk said…
If it came down to shedding my clothing along with the ants or offending the neighbors - well, that's a no brainer.

When I was a kid, a friend and I found an abandoned shack in the woods and decided to make it our clubhouse. It was completely overgrown inside with weeds and vines so we spend the day tearing them down. At dinner that night my mother noticed my face looked "funny". It was just beginning to swell. Those vines we'd been dragging down around us all day were poison ivy. I ended up in bed for a week, even had blisters on the inside of my eyelids. I've given that plant wide berth ever since.
Maria Zannini said…
Linda:

Not the eyelids too! Agh. You must have been miserable.

My worst poison ivy case was the first one. Greg kept trying to assure me it wasn't that bad. After a week of agony I went to the doctor and he told me it was the worst case of poison ivy he'd ever seen.

Needless to say, Greg was in hot water.

At least they're not as severe any more.
Jackie said…
Poison Ivy, Chiggers/Red Bug Bites, Fire Ant Bites you name it on the itching and swelling and hurting scale and yes have been a victim!

Nothing comes close to being as miserable in your own body as you can get without dying as when you have an allergic reaction to something as mundane as a stupid plant or bug bite.

I am glad to hear though that your experience with the stuff is "becoming" less painful though and hopefully one day your immunity will build up to where you have no reaction whatsoever, one can dream!

Take care and at least you are no longer stranded..

jackie ^_^
Maria Zannini said…
Jackie:

I hope I never know what a chigger bite is like. I've heard they are horrible.

Ref: stranded

You bet. It was a very long 4 weeks.
Jackie said…
Chigger bites make poison ivy pleasant, they migrate and spread for months not days and weeks. I love to work outside in the yard and invariably at some point get infested by the darn bugs and just have to mostly "grin and bear it" until the mess goes away about 3-4 and sometimes 6 months later...

Have a good week the rest of it I hope....

jackie ^_^
Kait Nolan said…
Oh dear! I cannot say enough good things about Ivarest. There's a foaming wash that gets the oils off and there's a cream/lotion thing that helps dry the weeping better than any other product I've ever tried. I had a killer case of poison oak at the beginning of the summer and it was what finally cleared it up.
Maria Zannini said…
Kait:

Oh, Kait, I remember when you had that! I haven't bought Ivarest in a while. I think I will pick some up today though.

Thanks.
Renee Miller said…
Ah, poison ivy. Once when I was young and stupid and having way too much fun, I went on a road trip with a few friends. We were drunk to put it simply and I had to pee. We were in the back of a pickup truck in the middle of nowhere so peeing meant the ditch at the side of the road.
I did that, fell over a fallen tree in the ditch and landed in a patch of poison ivy.

Very embarassing at sixteen to explain to your parents and the doctor how you got that on your whatnots.
Anonymous said…
Yeah, I hope you didn't get poison ivy anywhere too, ahem, significant. I live in a neighborhood that's still pretty secluded. I think I could safely get naked in my back yard...but I wouldn't want to. Calamine lotion wishes for you.
Maria Zannini said…
Renee:

Oh, I am feeling your pain! How embarrassing!

I wouldn't even know what kind of lie to tell my parents. LOL.
Maria Zannini said…
Barbara:

Nah, it's no place tender, just the usual arms and neck, though some of it spread to my legs--probably when I was changing.

It's hard to avoid poison ivy when you're clearing land. You can't stop for every little vine. I'm just grateful the reaction is not as severe as it used to be.
Lydia Kang said…
My cat once gave me poison ivy. It had run around outside, then sat on my lap and kneaded it's poison ivy-ridden paws onto my legs. And I'm allergic to cats (my parents got it after I went to college--I know, there's a message there somewhere) and my legs were in horrible shape after. Like the cat injected poison ivy venom into my legs with it's nails.
Maria Zannini said…
Lydia:

Yes! Pets are the best transmitters of poison ivy, I am here to testify.

...and now I'm giving my boys the evil eye. LOL.
Stacy said…
You have my sympathy. Nights of itching are my nemesis. We use a product called Technu that always dries things up quickly and helps a lot. I would be happy to send you some if you'd like it. It's also good for washing tools and clothes. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you are itch-free soon! :)
Maria Zannini said…
Thanks, Stacy! I've never heard of this stuff.

Let me see if I can find it local first. If I can't, I'll email you.
Marianne Arkins said…
:::shudder::::

I can't stand ants.

Yes, this from the woman who handles spiders regularly.

But ants? ::::shudder:::
Unknown said…
I hear ya on living in the boonies. You can start from my house and walk for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes without truly getting anywhere.

My dad got a wicked awful case of poison ivy (or poison oak - can't remember which) several years ago. Oh man, it was nasty and took forever to clear up. Glad you're feeling better. :)