sometimes i forget about it

Even as I sit here now typing this my life is in peril!

Well, maybe not in PERIL but I am certainly At Risk...

Yesterday, in spite of all that is Fine and Good in the world, I stumbled across my nemesis right here in my own back yard.

In my sweet kingdom of tropical palms and moss~drapped oaks one small & benign looking but quite formidable opponent strikes me down every single year.

Sometimes more than once a season if I do not respect Mother Nature, if I do not watch for the warning signs.

Believe me when I say my nemesis  strikes me down for I am put out~of~commission for weeks whilst I find rest in the hands of many expensive ointments and unsightly lotions.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

No matter how my eye counts the leaves before my hand touches, Poison Ivy rears its ugly head and smiles down on me with its contemptuous, poisonous oil.

""One, two, three! Don't touch me!""

I was not a Scout for 8 years for nought. I know IT when I see IT.

Still. Sometime I forget about IT.

Yesterday when the sun shone bright and the first touch of Autumn kissed the air intermittently I played in my gardens carelessly. Front and back yard. I traipse here and there innocently loving my day.

I have no one to blame but the sun and the air and myself.

Seduced by desire to prune & plant I forgot to be Mindful.

Isn't that the way with a nemesis?
One rolls along, strolls along taking Life in.

Weed the butterfly plants, harvest the fennel seeds, plant the new petunias and forget about Evil Personified.

A sudden, gentle thought:
What was that 3~leaf~thingie that whispered softly against my left arm just now?

Sometimes I get so caught up in the game of Life unplanned events occur.

I bet that happens to you, too.

Last night I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed.
Washing away my sin of carelessness.

This morning I waited for the tell-tell tingling-itchy sign, knowing I might not Really Know for days.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I have decided to toss my Poison Ivy concerns into the compost pile along with the morning's spent green tea leaves.

I have a bigger garden to plant today.
Seeds of enjoyment to sow with my mom.

My mom and I play 3 games of cut~throat dominoes on Wednesdays.

There was a time when I could not beat her.
Now we are even~Steven most days.

We go for the best 2 out of 3.

Last week she beat me 2 to 1.

So many things in life can jump up and plum near scare you to death if you let them. When my nemesis spread into my ear 3 years ago I almost went deaf in that scar tissued ear.

I remember thinking, "Thank goodness I have two ears!"
Where does this Pollyanna reside within me? Why, I have no idea.

Over here, down here in my neighborhood, I shoot for the best 2 out of 3 on a daily basis.

Yes. I bet you are the same way.

Comments

[Stephanie]

oh dear spf, I am so sorry you had this brush with evil...I hope your scrubbing got rid of most of the poison...

these images, of you mothers hands...playing domino's...well, they are just the best, truly just the best.
x..x

[Marilyn]

Good luck with the game today. And may the poison oak be down the drain. I think some people are just more open to it. I would get a small patch when I was a child and my sister would be invaded just if it was in the air nearby.

[rochambeau]

It is a joy to see you playing dominos with your Mom & not with just any old set of dominos, but a bright and spiffyl set.

On the contrary, it is NOT nice to hear of a potential PO breakout. Do you know for sure yet? I've learned from you and my mom to beware, because it is around here too. I'm always on the lookout but not so sure how it looks. NOW I really AM getting ready to look online right this minute, as I was designated the gardener/tree huger recently.

Really hope you are ok, SPF!!!

xox
Constance

one more thing:
You are right, just as things seem "normal" the domino's come a tumblin' down all arranged in a nice neat pile.

[susanna]

Poison ivy - oh crap! I hope you did not end up with it afterall. Your Pollyanna take on your bout with poison-ivy-in-the-ear - "thank goodness I have two ears" - has me smiling tonight. You are just so likable, spf!

[susanna]

PS: I like that you and your mom compete in dominoes. My mom is a Scrabble fan. Her secret weapon is a dictionary from the early 1900's. She also kept the lists of words that our family made up - and I do mean made up - while playing Scrabble since the mid-60's.

[Terri]

I hope you got lucky with that leaf of 3
and that you can just forget about it, like it never happened.
(I am SO glad it doesn't like it out here)
As for dominoes, I'm much better at stacking them and knocking them over, than matching the dots. But I do have a sweet gato named Domino, who's very lucky indeed. He made it back after a night under the full moon in coyote country. (he's swaggering in front of the other cats now ;)
p.s. Thanks missy, for checking in on me. Sorry I have been a hermit crab, hiding from the heat, this summer. Even the computer felt hot. But fall is almost here, so I'm stepping out of my cave now -
step by step...
sticking my toe in the water ~ ;)