Itchy

I have poison ivy on my face. I do not know how I got it because I know what poison ivy looks like and I never go near it. I was pulling weeds this week and planting the flowers my sister gave me--but I did not see any poison ivy anywhere near me.

Whenever I do see poison ivy in our yard, I spray it with Ortho Max Poison Ivy Killer which claims to destroy even the root. So how I got poison ivy on my face is a mystery though it’s not too bad--three rather ugly, oozy, red patches. I just have to constantly put stuff on it to stop the itch.

My brother used to get poison ivy every time he went on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts. Once he had it so bad, his eyes were swollen shut.

My husband, who grew up in Brooklyn, does not know what poison ivy looks like. When we first moved into our current home, there was a bunch of poison ivy climbing up a tree and he pulled it off with his bare hands. I was totally hysterical. I ordered him to put his clothes in the washing machine and to take a shower immediately. He did, but he did not get any poison ivy. I did--probably from touching the door handle that he had touched or the washing machine cover or the faucets.

Anyhow, hubby has never, ever had poison ivy. I suspect he might be immune to it. But evidently, I’m rather susceptible.

So maybe someone smeared poison ivy on a shopping cart.

My mother is home and seems to be over her bout of diverticulitis. That’s what landed her in the hospital this last time. She was on a liquid diet for several days and IV antibiotics. But every time she goes into the hospital, she gets totally disoriented--probably more from lack of sleep than anything else. It can get very strange when she is lying in a hospital bed and believes she’s in her kitchen.

However, once she’s home, things go back to normal. Sort of.

Nevertheless, she is eating better now that her stomach doesn’t hurt.