Got Me Some Poison Ivy... or is it Leprosy?

Poison ivy is not nearly as much fun as the Brush Hog. But I got it. It's mine. You can't have it.

No, I didn't get it Brush Hogging. I didn't get it clearing the slope for apple trees. I didn't get it stump grinding, hiking, gardening, lifting or hauling.

I got it doing laundry. I guess I got some urushiol (the stuff that causes the allergic reaction) on my clothes. A couple of days later, I grabbed the laundry, getting some of the urushiol on my forearms.

So what does this have to do with leprosy? Being a nice Catholic girl who went to parochial school, I grew up with an inordinate fear of leprosy. So my first bout with poison ivy is causing me some serious flashbacks. I'm talking PTSD.

I can handle sore muscles, bruised limbs, mean rooster attacks, dead lambs, barking dogs and a whole variety of challenges that life on the farm can throw me. But skin disease - not so much. I'm not quite ready to give up life in the country, but if anything could do it, this would be it.

Got Me A Hog!

..and it has got some serious kick to it!

Okay, so it's not a Harley - it's a Brush Hog. The farmer's version of hot ride. Sadly, you don't ride it, you walk behind it. It's still hot. Ask Rob. He even burned a hole in his pants using it. Heh.

I got out our new Brush Hog out last week and literally mowed over trees. I'm talking 20 foot trees. Grant, they were mostly beech saplings and young pine with 1-3" trunks, but it was still awesome. This things mows through brush and scrub like a college student on Sloppy Joe Saturday at the cafeteria after a long night at a frat party. We're talking serious damage here.

I have to tell you that clearing the underbrush and "weed trees" is very satisfying with this thing. It's much better than vacuuming. Which probably explains why my house looks like it does.

I even got to learn how to do a little electrical work when I accidentally mowed the Invisible Fence wire. Fun!