Green Thumb Momma

Did you now that more than 500 people can itch from the amount of urushiol (poison ivy oil) on the head of a pin?

I have been struggling with a bad case of poison ivy. I apparently got it from Hubby's clothing - picking it up off the floor to carry it to the washing machine (hint, hint, honey). There is no substitute for some advice and prescription meds from the M.D. So take my humble opinion with caution: poison ivy rash itches. Shocker, I know.

Topical creams = okay; Allergy medicines = good; oral steroids = good, but take time to work.

What can you do to provide some instant relief? Hubby found a great solution for the itching. Scalding hot water! Get the water as hot as you can stand it, run the rash under the sink (or use washclothes for those hard-to-get areas). It will hurt, and it will itch like crazy for about a minute . . . then, viola! The itching stops for a few hours! This trick has helped me get a couple of hours of sleep at a time. The allergy meds and the steriods ramp you up; add the itching and it's hard to sleep with a poison ivy rash. A little hot water does the trick.

Give it a try if you get desperate.

To read more on poison ivy: www.poisonivy.aesir.com

Hello again.

I've added some information to the plant list page. I've kept a running list of perennials, shrubs, and trees in my garden over the years. This list so far is a first attempt at a catalogue. Most of the plants I inherited with the house are listed by common name and their variety is still unknown.

Identifying varieties is a difficult process for me as it: 1. takes a lot of research 2. requires detailed information about the plant 3. usually requires me to have a photograph of the bloom, the leaves and branches, etc. It's incredibly time-consuming!

How did botanists ever do this without a computer and a camera? Amazing folks, botanists!

Talking about this gets me so excited . . . going outside now.

Hubby has gotten into metal detecting. He purchased a tool for me that he uses in his endeavors. It's an all-in-one multi-purpose garden tool hand trowel I was hesitant about it, but promised hubby I would give it a chance.

I love it. One tool does it all. I've opened bags of topsoil, cut through small roots and sprouts, removed tap-rooted weeds, easily dug through hard clay soil . . . on and on. I've put the garden scissors, the trowel, and the bulb shovel away. It is tough, strong and comfortable in my hand. I don't even carry around my tool bucket anymore!

Thumbs up!

(NOTE FROM HUBBY: I'm not a small guy, and when I'm metal-detecting, I can lean all my weight on this thing to pry up the ground and not worry about it bending!)

Besides being an avid gardener and consumer of all things gardening, I am a stay-at-home mom. I have a son who is 6 years old and in first grade. My daughter is 2 3/4 years old and in preschool. I have my own unofficial "life parameters" in order to keep our chaotic world a little more orderly. For example, on Monday mornings, I pick up and straighten the entire house. You will understand when I say that when the brood and Hubby are home for the weekend, it is impossible for me to keep ahead of the destruction that three other people create. So I've learned to never expect the house to be straight on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday I will once again be the "mrs.-of-all-I-survey." On Saturdays and Sundays that is a hopeless task.

Well, I've applied certain of my "staying-at-home and just-trying-to-make-it-through-the-day" philosophy to gardening. In my efforts to rationalize a desire to stay an earth-friendly parent/gardener, I justify myself in the following ways.

A Stay-at-Home Mom's Top 5 Reasons to Go Organic

5. Nature is the Great Educator. Kids love animals. Synthetic pesticides often kill the very bugs and animals that will entertain your children for hours. Why eliminate such excellent playmates? Son and Daughter have loved the turtles, skinks, lizards, frogs, toads, hummingbirds, butterflies, hawks, bats, deer, rabbits . . . all which have visited our yard . . . These little critters keep Son and Daugher occupied for hours, so I have time to peruse my latest issue of The English Garden. Organics Educate!

4. Save on future medical bills. All those extra appendages that synthetics cause -- a nightmare in medical bills to remove! Nationalized healthcare - bah! Organics are safer.

3. Organics are available in almost every gardening section in any store. When I shop with my kids, the fewer the stops the better. "It's a pain to get the kids out of their car seats again" . . . no longer a legitimate excuse. Organics keep you out of the chiropractor's office for backpain . . . Daughter weighs 36 lbs - a hefty sum for the car seat/wrestle-mania smackdown.

2. We don't even need to go to the zoo, children's museum, science museum  . . . it's all in our backyard! No admissions fees that add up to more than the dividends on your stocks. Organics save money on entertainment and gas, too.

1. The look on Son's face when you explain that you're spreading blood, ground up fish, and/or poop in the garden beds . . . imagine the range of looks he'll give you. . . shock, disgust, then slowly, here it comes . . . admiration. He says to his friend, "Hey dude, my mom is spreading blood all over my yard. Isn't that totally cool? Come check it out." Organics make you the coolest mom in the neighborhood.

I live for moments like that . . . and for getting my hands dirty.