A Rash Encounter #1

Basil Whispering

We love Spring here in northern Georgia. D and I get into gardening, but D REALLY immerses herself in the whole, seed-to-seedling-to-start-to-whatever comes next. She talks to the plants at every stage, even while rinsing them off and preparing meals. She sounds a bit, at times, like a grandmother coddling newborns. The herbs and veggies seem to understand and respond, usually.

I have been fascinated with organic gardening since the 1980’s and recently purchased the 9th edition of John Jeavons’ How to Grow More Vegetables. I had misplaced my first edition somewhere during my move to the South. So I’m excited to see what’s changed and retry some old and apply some new techniques.

All warm and fuzzy, right? Well three weeks ago we began pulling out fenceposts and fence line around our community garden to facilitate a newer version, better designed to safely ward off critters. I plowed into the fence with loppers and hedge trimmers to free up the existing fence from the overgrowth that had actually engulfed it in some areas. D worked hard trimming and gathering chickenwire that I had pulled out. You will note in the pic how well she is protected, gloves, long sleeves, etc. I was pretty protected but something must have been lacking because three days later I started itching, rashing and within a week my arms were bubbling from exposure to poison ivy. Perhaps I should have been talking to the plants I was uprooting?

I’m out of time today but I decided to document, graphically in my next post (forewarned) my recovery, a slow recovery by most standards. I’ll address the inadequate medical intervention that I experienced early on and two subsequent interventions. I’ll share some of the medical and home remedies that did and did not work. This was the first time I ever had an allergic reaction so I’m coming at it as a novice. Hopefully it will be useful information for anyone, regardless their age (I heard that our tolerances for allergies can change over the years).

Feel free to share your insights and wisdom on the topic.