Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Consider the Ivy (Pensiamo di Edera)

I've had quite an ivy problem outside these days, the stuff is everywhere.
Here is a picture of poison ivy, have you ever been affected by it? I think MyLittleBecky posted a while back that she had a brief foray into the exciting world of urushiol oil and poison ivy.















One place on the web claims to have a plant product preventative / cure called jewelweed. To me though, that sounds a bit like some sort of illicit plant substance coveted by a blonde singer with an acoustic guitar.
I think that I might have affected by poison ivy once, but it was probably not from the vegetation. Is that her hair, or is Princess Leia happy to see you?



















I've tried Roundup (tm) and other herbicides, but it never seems to affect the ivy like it does the other plants. I even jumped up and down on it in hopes of slowing it down, but it just keeps growing. I've never encountered a two dimensional plant that is so resistant to all the usual control methods, it's as hard as stone.














It looks like a very old vine. And, speaking of that, I think I'll pull a nice old Zinfandel from the cellar this afternoon.

14 comments:

  1. I got infected (is that the right word?) with poison ivy when I was 16. The ensuing rash eventually covered approximately 99% of my skin. Not the best week of my life.

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  2. Poison ivy terrifies me. Saw too many people get it head to toe during my childhood.

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  3. AnonymousJune 09, 2010

    You know, I'm not sure if I have any sort of reaction to Ivy. Or are ivy and poison ivy two different things? And why don't I know this? And is the only way to test my immunity, rolling around naked in a pile of ivy? Because I'll do what needs to be done.

    No wait. I'll need three more beers first.

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  4. as a child i always ran into poison ivy, but since the age of 16 i've never bumped into the stuff. I think it is in the world to torture fun-loving children. boo hiss boo.

    I quite like the look of normal ivy though.

    www.save-your-bacon.blogspot.com

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  5. I've been around poison ivy several times. Or rather, in the midst of it. I think I'm immune.

    Mmm. Zin. Me too.

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  6. Shawn,
    I always say that someone 'had a brush with poison ivy'. But then, I wonder whether they thought I was talking about a brush for their hair or something.

    WendyB,
    Just look for the three leaf cluster and you can avoid!

    Vegetable Assassin,
    Haha, yes, right now in my mind you are doing exactly that. But not in the poisonous kind of ivy. Wait, now you stopped, ooops, no you just started rolling around again.

    Gemma,
    Yeah, it looks great doesn't it? It has roots (haha, a pun) as a symbol in ancient Dionysus cults, which is probably why I free associated the wine at the end of the post...
    Glad you haven't been afflicted for a while.

    Otherworldlyone,
    I have been too, have you ever seen it when it's really hot outside and sometimes the ones that
    grow on stalks leak oil out? There was one time I was camping and dragged an old tree trunk on
    a rock ledge and started a campfire. Some of the brush I used as tinder was poison something-or-other, so the smoke gave me a terrible rash the next day. Hey, there's another blog post to do.

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  7. Mmmmmm. Red zin. SO my favorite

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  8. Oooh! I've been thinking it's time I had a makeover and went for a new style image ... red and pointy it is.

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  9. "I even jumped up and down on it in hopes of slowing it down, but it just keeps growing"

    HAha! You're a funny guy.
    Picture #3: me like!

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  10. LiLu,
    It was a delicious one, old vine.

    Girl Interrupted,
    It would make a statement... I don't know if you like the old 'Far Side' illustrations, but the artist had one titled 'Nature's Warning Signs', with a rattle snake rattling and coiled, and some other animals exhibiting signs, and a mustached guy standing in an alleyway wearing a raincoat and horsey-floaty ring. That latter had nothing to do with the former...

    Dutch Donut Girl,
    Haha, thanks, I'm glad you like my ivy. It's taking *forever*. I need to conquer some Gauls and have them work on it for me.

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  11. I guess I'm immune. I know the sruff is around but I'm not really sure if I could identify it, if it was right in front of me.

    Love that stone work. Something new your working on?

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  12. Boy do I have a story to tell you about poison ivy and how it . . . assaulted me. I was a college girl, and it was during my final exams. It sure didn't look attractive that I was itching my inner thighs during the test. People kept looking at me and not understanding it was medical, not sensual.

    Anyhow, I'll tell you more once I open my bottle of cheap red wine.

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  13. Heather,
    I'm fairly sure I've accidently touched it but not been affected, good to hear you have a tolerance too. Yeah, the stonework is around my outdoor spa. I'm going for an ancient design used a few thousand years ago in northern Africa (one of the Roman provinces).

    Vodka,
    Haha, that's a great story. Depending on the situation, us guys can scratch and no one thinks anything of it. So unfair to the ladies.
    Open that bottle!

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  14. this is like the time my dad saw someone using mesquite as a decorative planting. down with poison ivy! :)

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