What the....

Well... I don't have any "Tyler" stories to tell, as he is with his mother this week. I also don't want to neglect the blog. So, time for some ramblings. Delilah is my boxer-mix pup (she's actually a dog, but to me she'll always be a puppy). She is pictured here with a very strange face. Click the picture to view it larger. Also, click this one.. it's also funny.

So, I've got a long back-yard. Between my back yard and my neighbor's back yard are a line of bushes that are about 8 foot tall. Sarah and I would like to put up a privacy fence so that we can let the dogs run free back there. Currently, we have to tie them up so they can't leave our yard. After getting a property survey done ($400), we now know that the bushes belong to us. Looks like I'll be the one chopping them down.

I didn't realize how much work this would be. I borrowed some branch cutters from my father-in-law. When I started cutting, I realized that this was really going to take some time to complete. I got through about 5 foot the first day, but I really only spent about 30 minutes out there.

I wasn't very careful when I did this, and I didn't realize that the bushes were INFESTED with poison ivy. In hindsight, a tanktop and shorts were not a great idea. My left arm is covered in rash and a few spots on my face are as well. I can't even begin to explain how much this itches, so I won't even try.

But it REALLY friggin itches.

Yesterday, I went out for another go-around with the bushes. This time, I wore pants, shoes, long sleeve shirt, a hat, and gloves. After about 2 hours, I started stumbling and couldn't keep my balance. That was when it occurred to me that I should probably get out of the sun right away! My forehead felt like it was on fire when I put my hand on it. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to take a cold shower, or if that would shock the system, so I just stood in the kitchen for about a half hour before hopping under the cool water.

Today, it wasn't as hot, so I didn't get those strange feelings, and I was able to knock out another 15 foot of bushes. I'm way over half done now and am pretty pleased with the progress. I haven't noticed any new rashes yet either *fingers crossed*.

I've got 2 problems now....

1. I need to get rid of the chopped bushes. I can't burn them because there's a TON of poison ivy in there.
2. I still need to figure out how to get the roots out. When I cut the bushes, I left about 6 inches at the bottom, because that was about as low as I could get. I tried prying them up with a shovel, and promptly snapped the handle. yay

I'm hoping to have all the bushes down by Friday, but the roots will probably still be there.

And lastly... I consider myself to be a... uhh.... well, a nerd. Or a geek, I use the two interchangeably. I found this site online, cubeecraft, that has papercraft layouts. I made a few of them, frankly, because I could. I printed them on photo paper to get the best look.... so... here you go... Indiana Jones, a Storm Trooper, and the Companion Cube. Now I just need to figure out where to put them.