Poison Ivy

Do you remember the song? "Poi-son i-ve-e-e, poi-son i-ve-e-e. Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a creepin' all around." Maybe you're too young, but I remember it. Was it the Coasters who sang it? Doesn't matter. All that matters is that poison ivy is the bane of my existence every summer and it definitely "came creepin' " this week. I can merely smell it and break out, so I'm very careful. Last summer I escaped its ravages by not weeding or using the weed-whacker anywhere around my yard or outbuildings. I've not done any of those things this summer either, yet this week I'm a mass of itchy, painful blisters. Perhaps an exaggeration, but I have several outbreaks on my arms, hands, abdomen. Enough that I know what I have to do. They don't go away on their own; they continue to spread no matter how much benadryl I take or Caladryl lotion I slather on. So...thank you, Jody, my doctor's nurse who called in a medrol dose pak to my pharmacy. Two doses and the intensity starts to subside. I think I'll survive!

I try to give all of God's creation the benefit of the doubt. But what exactly IS the purpose of poison ivy? and mosquitoes? and ticks?

PS...I think this summer's outbreak can be traced back to Lucie. I spent the weekend of the 4th grooming her long thick black coat. My mistake!