Merrily, Merrily, Merrily....Life is but a Dream

I am in heaven doing yard work. I get to be outside in beautiful temperatures surrounded by birds and squirrels and bright flowering life. I am physically moving, working up a sweat and feel a sense of accomplishment.

My brothers yard

and then I woke up!

I awoke Easter Monday, April 13, with what looked like a spider bite on each of my wrists. I know we have small spiders when we moved into the house but I have scoured all the surfaces when we arrived and I clean the house ceiling to floor weekly. I know they can be hidden but I could not image that it could have been a spider.

I sent my brother a picture to see if he thought it was poison something or other but it did not look like any posted images from Google of Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac.

I also went outside and took pictures of the weeds that I had pulled, sent them to my brother and we identified them again as not being poisonous.

So I avoided itching them and went to bed. Upon awakening I noticed I had more on both arms.

I went outside again and took more pictures and found Poison Sumac on the fringe of the property where I had not cleared. I now assume that I must have cleared some with out realizing it. Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree that can grow to 27 feet tall. Yikes!

Poison Sumac, Toxicodendron vernix

Later I discovered Poison Ivy as well, again, in a different area than where I was working.

Poison Ivy

Mike who ears long pants, a sweatshirt and head gear was not effected at all.

So now that I knew what it was I started to research the toxin.

"The poison leaves have a sticky, long-lasting oil called urushiol that causes an itchy, blistering rash after it touches your skin. I did not have this in the beginning." (WebMD)

"Poison ivy is the only one that always has three leaves, one on each side and one in the center. They’re shiny with smooth or slightly notched edges. Poison oak looks similar, but the leaves are larger and more rounded like an oak leaf. They have a textured, hairy surface. There may be groups of three, five, or seven leaves. Poison sumac leaves grow in clusters of seven to 13 leaves, with one by itself at the end." (WebMD)

"It forms within 24 to 72 hours of contact, depending on where the plant touched you. It usually peaks within a week, but can last as long as 3 weeks. The rash doesn’t usually spread unless urushiol is still in contact with your skin." (WebMD)

Over-the-counter medicine can ease the itch and keep you more comfortable. Unfortunately I had no Calamine lotion or Diphenhydramine, but I did have Hydrocortisone. I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol to keep it dry. Then would apply the Hydrocortisone for the itch. Hot or even warm water irritated it to no end. Showers were painful, cool splashes of water were soothing.

"Don't scratch. It won't spread the rash, but can cause scars or infection. If someone in your household has poison ivy, oak, or sumac, you can't catch it from them, even if you come into contact with the blisters." (WebMD)

Lastly clean everything you possibly touched with hot soapy water then clean it again with isopropyl alcohol. Dispose of everything safely.

Day 3 AM

Day 3 PM

Day 4 the spread continues, forearm

Day 5, the oozing begins, Yellow puss drips from the center of the wounds.

Friday, I break down and go to the grocery store to get Calamine lotion and hopefully more alcohol to clean the yellow puss from my body. At this point it is on both of my arms and legs, chest, armpit and face.



They have none but I find this aerosol can and grab it before I leave.

It relieved the itching immediately and I finally got some sleep that night.

Day 6, red irritated skin and scabs start to form, more puss.

Day 7, I am miserable. My arms are swollen, fire red, and itchy. Mike goes back to the store to get me more Calamine spray and Hydrocortisone. He talks to the pharmacy who tells them I show go to the Dr. 

I called Patient First and they said they were not busy and I could come in. I did not want to go if they were seeing Covid-19 patients and they ensured me they were not. A different facility was handling that. They were not busy so I drove the mile to the clinic and was seen immediately.

The Dr. was great, told me I was severely allergic to Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac and that I should have come in sooner. I have not willing been to the doctor since I broke my foot in 1994. I only go when I have to for the visa process of the international schools I have worked for. I have a high threshold of pain and did not want to bother anyone.

He gave me Prednisone and sent me on my way with a warning to my husband that I might become grouchy on the steroid. You will have to ask Mike if I did or not!

Then the healing began. Wish I started sooner.

The puss stopped the next day and it continued to dry out, the itch was still there but not as bad. Red bloody scabs continued to form but luckily they did not burst.

Healing and relief!

The scabs got knocked of easily and would catch on everything. I was now itchy due to the drying and cracking of the skin. I would use a fingernail clipper to remove the scab before it tore of my body.

I have used a full bottle of rubbing alcohol, 3 bottles of Calamine Spray, 1/2 tube of Hydrocortisone (can't use it with Prednisone), 1/2 bottle of Calamine Lotion, and a bottle of Hand Lotion in the past 16 days.

This is with lotion on, you can see how cracked and dry my skin still is on Day 16.

Day 17 and there are no more bumps on my skin. It is smooth and bright pink as it is healing. No more itch either. 

During the first 10 days I was afraid to go outside. The doctor said that I could be so allergic to it that I could get in off a strong breeze. Yikes! I felt a prisoner. I have overcome the fear and we are back at yardwork!

My suit has arrived so I am good to go!

Picture taken from Wallpaperflare.com

Hummus

Ingredients 

• 1 (16-ounce) can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans)
• 1/2 cup liquid from the can of chickpeas
• 3 - 5 tablespoons lemon juice (I use a whole medium sized one). I have also used an orange when had no lemon.
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil (optional to be poured on when served)

Gather the ingredients. 

I bought Tahini from Amazon as I could not find it in the local stores.



I make my own tortilla chips so I get those in the oven while I make the hummus.

You can use any size or flavored tortillas.
Cut them in stripes.
Spray with cooking oil.
Season as you like. I use Garlic Salt and Powder.

Bake 325 for 10 minutes, remove from oven and loosen then then make for 3-5 more minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and set aside the liquid from the can. Separate the skin from the chickpea. This will allow for smoother hummus. This is the skins.

Combine the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, sesame paste, crushed garlic, cumin and salt in a blender or food processor.

Add 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid from the chickpeas.
Blend for 3 to 5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

I have a small food processor so I make in in 2 batches and then blend together in the end.

I sprinkle with paprika and parsley for garnish and serve with the chips.

Delicious midday snack.

Aunt Peg took me to a special dinner at El Morocco, a  Lebanese restaurant, in Worcester when I was young and I fell in love with it. The smells, decor and flavors of the Middle East! It was served as an appetizer with olives and fresh baked Syrian bread.

When I moved to Egypt it was called salad and was served with Tabbouleh, Tzatziki and Feta. No bread, that was extra!

When I moved to Brazil, Kelly would make it from scratch as a staple to her vegan diet.

I decided to learn to make it when I moved to Virginia.

So easy and so glad I did. So my 2 lbs of Tahini and multiple cans of chickpea will last hopefully through out quarantine.

We feel like we survived something....

....monumental.

It is been gloomy the past couple of days so when the sunshine started shining around 3 we emerged from are cave and embraced it and began puttering in the yard and garage. I brought my delicate herbs out for some sun, planted some romaine in mason jars, prepped pepper plants for planting and then started to work on replanting my aunt's holiday cactus.

Mike has always been highly attuned to weather and he pointed out the black clouds rolling our way. I quickly brought in the plants and he moved Big 4 into the garage. We have a Toyota 4 Runner and Toyota RAV4. I kept calling them both the Toyota so we named them Big 4 and Little 4, so much easier, I know!

I grabbed the tomatoes off the front porch as the power flickered on and off. He closed the garage door and the power flickered again leaving the door half opened. Got the door down and went to see the storm out the kitchen window. By the time we arrived bright flash of light immediately followed by a loud crack of thunder. The 70 mile an hour winds began and the trees swayed, Mike yelled, We are going to loss a tree", my heart stopped and we both held our breathe. The oracle spoke and true to his word the yellow pine snapped 15 feet high and crashed down in-front of the window we were starring out.

It sheared the Dogwood and crushed another. The remaining 30 foot long tree bounced, snapped again and the top launched and landed on the roof of the sun porch.

We jumped back and the hail started, no lie, quarter sized hail pounded the house, glad we got the car inside in time.

Just a little to the left and it would have taken the gate instead.

Devastated Dogwood

Right side of Dogwood is gone

20 minutes in and we lost power, the rain slowed, and the darkness vanished. We walked out the front porch to see what damage the front took. Limbs and fresh oak leaves littered the ground mixed in with the hail.

Mike grabbed some of the hail that had not melted yet.

It was quarter size when it fell but lost its size by the time we got out there. That is Mike's hand and my thumb nail for sizing.

My irises survived but will need  a little help to stand again.

The power went out at 5pm and so did my cell phone battery. Luckily we could cook suppah on the grill even though we ran out of propane but fortunately we had an extra tank.

We finished suppah and settled into read. Mike lit the alabaster candle holders we have from Egypt and the room took on a warm, cozy glow. 

We settled down to read on our iPads which did have power and Mike said, "Now that the candles are lit the power will come back." The oracle speaks and the lights blinked. He should have been more specific and included and stay on! 5.5 hours later as we were contemplating calling my brother to get his generator the power came back. The freezer is saved. We are thrilled and went to bed!

We spent some time between the rain today to clean up some of the yard. I think this will be a big project but one that we enjoy.

Other damage is behind the fence.

The house is littered with leaves, twigs, and mud!

Sun-room window with leaves stuck to it. Downed pine in the back.

More trees down, they broke 12 feet high.

So I started the post with the feeling that we survived something. I am not sure how to explain this....I am thankful that the house did not get hit, the power came on so we did not loss the food in our new freezer, and that my birds and squirrels survived.

Living in New England we were prepared for nor'easters and blizzards. Being abroad we always had a quick getaway bag ready and knew how to handle the possible sand storms, earthquakes and typhoons. I was not prepared for this in April in Virginia!

I feel like I had no warning, no defense, and was not prepared. I know that what we went through is nothing compared to what others have suffered. I will take this new knowledge and use it to become prepared, receive timely weather warnings, and continue to be grateful for what I do know.

Weeds Abound

While nature is blessing us with even more beautiful flowering shrubs, trees and plants...

Azaleas

Pansies

Variegated Hosta

Royal Storm Bearded Iris

It is also overflowing with weeds. I researched what was growing as I did not want to pull anything that might be beneficial to butterflies, birds, and good bugs. So I took pictures of everything and then Mike and I tried to identify what it was. Some were easier than others.

I think these are Cleavers which are new to me. They could also be Sweet Woodruff which is the same family but can be toxic. They are lush green and spread quickly. They manage to stick to everything, earning them memorable nicknames like “velcro plant,” “grip grass,” and “catch weed.” Their name comes from the Old English word, “to cleave,” which means “to latch onto.” I thought cleave meant to hack away...learn something new every day. The word is an "auto-antonym,"- a word which can mean its own opposite.

They are high in Vitamin C. "They have medicinal purposes that have been used since physician Galen and philosopher Pliny the Elder celebrated them for their ability to relieve temporary water weight gain, while Greek physician Dioscorides used them to help curdle and filter milk." (Traditional Medicinals) The cleavers’ energy can stimulate the lymphatic system which helps remove waste products from the blood stream and maintain the immune system. "Cleavers has long been used as a slimming aid, probably because of its diuretic properties. Worldwide, cleavers most common use has been as a cleansing herb for treating ailments from kidney and urinary disorders to infections and itching. It is excellent for skin conditions like eczema." (Eat Weeds)

Galium Aparine, Clivers, Cleavers

So while I am removing them from certain areas I am letting them grow up my fence in the back to see what happens. They are supposed to have delicate white flowers as some point so they will brighten the yard even more.

Cleavers can be cooked like spinach and eaten for vitamins and minerals. You can add fresh and tender cleavers to your salads and juices. They can be added to soups, smoothies, tea, pesto, and vinegar. Sweet Woodruff would be used to make insect repellent.

I guess I will wait to use them in my diet until I become more knowledgeable to which I have.

So pokeweed is something that I have heard of but again not to familiar with. I guess the only weeds I really know are dandelion, clover, crabgrass, jimsonweed, broadleaf plantain, carpetweed, bull thistle, buttercup and wild violet (which are not weeds to me, I love them).

Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed, poke sallet, or poke salad, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant.

Pokeweed

The flowers are green to white, followed by purple to almost black berries which are a food source for songbirds such as gray catbird, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, and brown thrasher, as well as other birds and some small animals (i.e., to species that are unaffected by its mammalian toxins). (Wikipedia) I have not seen the flowers or the berries yet but glad the songbirds like them.

Pokeweed

So no touching pokeweed as chemicals in the plant can pass through the skin and affect the blood. You can safely remove the toxins in the young  tender leaves after thoroughly cooking them in two waters. Cooked berries are safe for making pies. I plan to not touch nor cook with this weed.

Common Persimmon

Wild Grape

So now that I can identify what it there I can decide what to pull out.