Fauna and other natural things

[Parasaurolophus]

I appear to have brushed up on some poison ivy, oak, or sumac. My right arm is all welted. Sigh.

[clean]

I appear to have brushed up on some poison ivy, oak, or sumac. My right arm is all welted. Sigh.

benedryl?  Oatmeal baths?  Caladryl lotion?

All of the above? 

(The last time I had a HUGE reaction to it I was put on a week's long Zpack steriod .... I went to a Doc in the Box (walk in clinic). He asked what the problem was. I pulled up my shirt to expose the welts, and he kicked back on his wheeled stool so that he was at the other end of the room, and that is where he did his examination!  The good news was that I had to take it with food, so I had to eat 4 times a day!  The bad news is that I put on a shit ton (a metric unit) of weight!!

[Parasaurolophus]

Haha. It's not that bad! It's just tennish welts, and only one looks like I melted my skin on the stove.

Weirdly, though, I have no idea where or when I brushed up on some. My arms are usually covered outdoors.

[nebo113]

Haha. It's not that bad! It's just tennish welts, and only one looks like I melted my skin on the stove.

Weirdly, though, I have no idea where or when I brushed up on some. My arms are usually covered outdoors.

Years ago, I was weed eating an old family cemetery which was full of poison ivy.  I was covered from head to toe, including tucking pant legs into my socks.  I still was struck by the evil ivy.....through the slits where my shirt sleeves buttoned.  It spread in places where the sun don't shine....steroids, back in the day before Zpac so I had insomnia for much too long.  The next time it struck, ZPac was available, so I healed and slept both!

[Langue_doc]

On a bird walk this morning, we were shown clumps of jewelweed, which is an antidote to poison ivy. Just crush the leaves and stems, and rub them on the rash. Jewelweed is also reputed to work on insect bites and bee stings. Jewelweed grows alongside poison ivy.

[nebo113]

Didn't know that.  Where I live, poison ivy is native but jewel weed is invasive.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Pulling from the venting thread...

Bee guy is here and he said the hive is LARGE and it's in the floor, but he thinks he can remove it from outside the house. He's been pulling hive and vacuuming bees for the last hour!!!

[mamselle]

Haha. It's not that bad! It's just tennish welts, and only one looks like I melted my skin on the stove.

Weirdly, though, I have no idea where or when I brushed up on some. My arms are usually covered outdoors.

Years ago, I was weed eating an old family cemetery which was full of poison ivy.  I was covered from head to toe, including tucking pant legs into my socks.  I still was struck by the evil ivy.....through the slits where my shirt sleeves buttoned.  It spread in places where the sun don't shine....steroids, back in the day before Zpac so I had insomnia for much too long.  The next time it struck, ZPac was available, so I healed and slept both!

Eek!

Besides the poison ivy/oak/etc....which, yes jewelweed (so-called because its hairy leaves hold O2 and glimmer with a silvery sheen when submersed) can assuage.

But, further...um...

I can understand your wish to do caretaking in the yard, but I hope you're staying far clear of the stones themselves.

Just a friendly reminder, weedwands are responsible for much damage to early gravestones: they've been banned in most historical cemeteries and early burying grounds since the 1980s.

They're hard to control, and they can do serious damage even in a glancing blow that may go unnoticed. The rotating nylon arm cuts into the patina of the stone and cases flaking, spalling, and exfoliation, thus destabilizing the base and allowing, over several seasons,  for freeze-cracking and breakage.

Lynne Strangstaff's book on the care of the stones, "A Gravestone Primer," (AGS website) gives more details and options.

A small, scruffy grass collar is much to be preferred to a trimly-cropped, scratched stone base.

Hope that's helpful...

M.

[Parasaurolophus]

The slugs are out in force these days.

[mamselle]

Beer in a bottlecap?

M.

[paultuttle]

Interestingly, I had a Disney princess moment a few minutes ago: I heard a tap on the window and--lo and behold--there was a squirrel standing on the brick sill about two feet away. She looked at me, she stretched upward, she stretched downward, she moved left, she moved right--but she couldn't figure out that she couldn't get in.

In about 30-45 seconds, she grew bored and--with a flirt of her tail--decided she'd had enough and scampered over to the porch rail and jumped from there to the porch itself.

(While I do wish I were as acrobatic as a squirrel, I'm glad I don't have to live on a swaying tree branch, keeping my eyes peeled for hawks and dogs.)

[Langue_doc]

Didn't know that.  Where I live, poison ivy is native but jewel weed is invasive.

Jewelweed is most likely native in our area as these were in Prospect Park which for the past couple of decades has been assiduously removing invasive plants and at the same time planting native trees, shrubs, and plants.

ETA: That's an awkward sentence, but I'm not about to spend more time editing it.

[nebo113]

Haha. It's not that bad! It's just tennish welts, and only one looks like I melted my skin on the stove.

Weirdly, though, I have no idea where or when I brushed up on some. My arms are usually covered outdoors.

Years ago, I was weed eating an old family cemetery which was full of poison ivy.  I was covered from head to toe, including tucking pant legs into my socks.  I still was struck by the evil ivy.....through the slits where my shirt sleeves buttoned.  It spread in places where the sun don't shine....steroids, back in the day before Zpac so I had insomnia for much too long.  The next time it struck, ZPac was available, so I healed and slept both!

Eek!

Besides the poison ivy/oak/etc....which, yes jewelweed (so-called because its hairy leaves hold O2 and glimmer with a silvery sheen when submersed) can assuage.

But, further...um...

I can understand your wish to do caretaking in the yard, but I hope you're staying far clear of the stones themselves.

Just a friendly reminder, weedwands are responsible for much damage to early gravestones: they've been banned in most historical cemeteries and early burying grounds since the 1980s.

They're hard to control, and they can do serious damage even in a glancing blow that may go unnoticed. The rotating nylon arm cuts into the patina of the stone and cases flaking, spalling, and exfoliation, thus destabilizing the base and allowing, over several seasons,  for freeze-cracking and breakage.

Lynne Strangstaff's book on the care of the stones, "A Gravestone Primer," (AGS website) gives more details and options.

A small, scruffy grass collar is much to be preferred to a trimly-cropped, scratched stone base.

Hope that's helpful...

M.

Just ordered the "Primer" and very much appreciate your suggesting it.  The cemetery where I got poison ivy is pretty much overgrown and with the exception of a few more recent graves, will stay overgrown.  We visit but are not in a position to do any clean up there.  The cemetery for which I am a trustee is kept relatively mowed, though folks are dying and aging out.  Alternatives to weed eating which will meet the approval of those still living (a tough bunch) will be helpful so am hoping to find them in the Primer.  A few stones have already been cleaned improperly.Things are what they are sometimes.

[mamselle]

Glad to be useful!

It's based on protocols developed for historic grounds and their stones by Frank Matero, emeritus at Columbia's art history/ preservation program, and an expert 9f the conservation of external stone statuary.

At the time of the Bicentennial, several caregivers of early grounds became concerned that the kinds of enthusiasts who've done the inappropriate surface cleaning you've found would do manifest damage to early stones, and his work, documented and replicated in several areas, became the go-to standard of care.

There's are longstanding Private Cemetery Associations in several states, too; the AGS membership directory can point you to some of those, too. Whether in your own state or not, they can help with identifying resources to contract out site care, do preservation work, corralling family associations to offer support, etc.

M.

[Puget]

Haha. It's not that bad! It's just tennish welts, and only one looks like I melted my skin on the stove.

Weirdly, though, I have no idea where or when I brushed up on some. My arms are usually covered outdoors.

Years ago, I was weed eating an old family cemetery which was full of poison ivy.  I was covered from head to toe, including tucking pant legs into my socks.  I still was struck by the evil ivy.....through the slits where my shirt sleeves buttoned.  It spread in places where the sun don't shine....steroids, back in the day before Zpac so I had insomnia for much too long.  The next time it struck, ZPac was available, so I healed and slept both!

Eek!

Besides the poison ivy/oak/etc....which, yes jewelweed (so-called because its hairy leaves hold O2 and glimmer with a silvery sheen when submersed) can assuage.

But, further...um...

I can understand your wish to do caretaking in the yard, but I hope you're staying far clear of the stones themselves.

Just a friendly reminder, weedwands are responsible for much damage to early gravestones: they've been banned in most historical cemeteries and early burying grounds since the 1980s.

They're hard to control, and they can do serious damage even in a glancing blow that may go unnoticed. The rotating nylon arm cuts into the patina of the stone and cases flaking, spalling, and exfoliation, thus destabilizing the base and allowing, over several seasons,  for freeze-cracking and breakage.

Lynne Strangstaff's book on the care of the stones, "A Gravestone Primer," (AGS website) gives more details and options.

A small, scruffy grass collar is much to be preferred to a trimly-cropped, scratched stone base.

Hope that's helpful...

M.

Just ordered the "Primer" and very much appreciate your suggesting it.  The cemetery where I got poison ivy is pretty much overgrown and with the exception of a few more recent graves, will stay overgrown.  We visit but are not in a position to do any clean up there.  The cemetery for which I am a trustee is kept relatively mowed, though folks are dying and aging out.  Alternatives to weed eating which will meet the approval of those still living (a tough bunch) will be helpful so am hoping to find them in the Primer.  A few stones have already been cleaned improperly.Things are what they are sometimes.

Goats love poison ivy-- if you can find some to rent or borrow, they will gladly take care of that problem for you. There are people who rent goat herds specifically for this purpose (they will set up temporarily electric fences and supervise the goats during the time they are there).