Originally posted by dave in el dorado ca:
although poison oak grows somewhat differently than poison ivy, my wife and i have successfully cleared several acres of the stuff as follows:
don appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment)
That brings back BAD memories. When I first bought my property I decided to clear some vegetation that was constricting my entrance road. Growing up in So Cal I had never had the opportunity to see what Poison Oak looked like when it lost it's leaves during winter. So I waded into this patch of bushes and happily trimmed away. Did a great job, made a big pile of brush (fortunately did not burn it). Woke up the next morning with my eyes swollen shut and Mick Jagger lips. Fortunately my wife is a nurse and was prepared for just such an occasion (can ya tell she's been around me for a while and is use to my antics?). The funny thing is (or not so funny depending upon how you look at it) that my neighbor said a few days later.. "ya know I saw you out there trimming that Poison Oak wearing a T-shirt and no gloves, I though that you were one of those fortunate people that are not very affected by it so I decided not to say anything."
So I now have an arrangement with my neighbor. He now is more than encouraged to tell this city boy when he is doing something that a county boy wouldn't think of doing. In exchange he gets to laugh out loud in my presence whenever I begin to do something completely stupid as long as he stops me before I injure myself or others. Seems like a fair swap to me. Unfortunately he can't watch me every minute of every day, so for me almost every day on the property is an adventure.
PS - I now know what dormant Poison Oak looks like.
Seems like one of you "good old boys" could get rich writing a book "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Living in the Country." But I suspect you're not gonna, your probably too busy laughing.
