The Great Outdoors

I have had a bit of trouble in the great outdoors lately, so I'm staying in as much as possible this week.

It all started on my walk home last Tuesday. I've been making an effort to walk home from work instead of riding the bus or driving. This is partially an environmental consideration, but mostly seems like a good way for me to get exercise. It's about a 45 minute walk one way. Well, on my previous walks I had discovered a mystery road that piqued my interest. On Tuesday, I decided to try it and see if I could avoid the trek across the highway. I did avoid the highway, but I also got a little lost in the woods. In my own neighborhood. What should have been a 45 minute walk turned out to be twice as long. Geez!

On the positive side, I did discover a really beautiful part of the park across the street from my house, and I discovered that it is ENORMOUS.

My next adventure with the outdoors was on Thursday morning. I got up early - 8:00 on my day off - to try to do some landscaping. There's an outrageous bush outside my door that has needed trimming for some time. I whacked away at it for 2 full hours, stopping from pure exhaustion and because it started raining. I left defeated. The bush is as unwieldy as ever.

And the final part of my story is the direct result of the bush whacking, though it did not occur until days later - poison ivy. I am 24 years old, and this is my first experience with poison ivy. I had managed to go so long without coming into contact with it, I was convinced I wasn't even allergic. Go figure. The giant bush had apparently been covering a large patch of the horrid plant, and now I'm covered in an awful, itchy, blistery rash. Seriously, it's disgusting. It's on my arms, my legs, my neck, my lips, in between my fingers, under my eye. The doctor gave me some drugs that have finally reduced the itching, but I still look pretty horrendous. Thank you, Mother Nature.

So, I've been a little traumatized by the out-of-doors lately. I feel some interior respite has been well-earned.