7/16/2026 Lessons To Learn...

Everyone has heard of or I think you may have seen poison oak, ivy and sumac – vile vegetation which wreaks havoc with rashes and blisters and apparently if sweating please don't rub eyes.

Once upon a time a friend started pulling a vine in my jungle of trees around the house. He also pricked his finger on a thorn.

He noticed a small rash on his arm and then the next day he woke with a slightly swollen eye. He insisted this happened years before and it was ok.

However, yesterday morning he awoke with now with both eyes swollen and the first one almost swollen shut. He still was making excuses but I knew he should not continue this inactivity. He needed medical attention. So I drove him to the urgent care.

It took a steroid shots, a 9-day regimen of prednisone prescription and a heavy duty anti-itch medicine "Benadryl" to bring him any relief.

This shows it is imperative that people familiarize themselves with what these plants & vines look like.

I have heard there are three little rhymes that "works for children and adults alike," 'Leaves of Three, Leave Them Be' 'Longer Middle Stem, Don't Touch Them' 'Hairy Vine, No Friend of Mine.'

Watch out with the rain and moisture around this year, it is a breeding ground for poisonous vegetation.

Stay Safe...

Nana