After THE SIXTH CASE of poison ivy this season, after failed efforts: hand picking, folk remedies, chemical warfare, we concluded there was no other choice but to burn it out. 6 of our 9 most prominent danger zones are now bare dirt, more like sand actually, and I can chalk this one up to who would have ever expected which things turn out to be most difficult.
Previously I talked about a couple of the efforts that were much easier than expected, now I feel like whining about the unexpectedly hard stuff. The laundry line. Who would have ever expected that a highly functional laundry line would be so complicated, and that the line itself would be either useless, or shockingly high-priced. We didn’t even mess with the cheap stuff, and after six months or so it still has to be regularly re-tied, requiring a tool and considerable effort, to keep the skivvies from brushing against the grass.
I’m a firm believer in the laundry line, especially in a place like Texas. It makes no sense at all that folks heat up their homes with ovens and dryers only to air condition them back to a tolerable temperature. An outdoor oven is high on the priority list at the moment.  Drying laundry on the line is as big a no-brainer as it is zen. Really. It’s one of those tasks like gardening, or, for me anyway, cooking–those activities that force you to slow down and accept a different speed or else the result is sub-par.
A few other things that are way annoying out here. Why are there no real farmer’s markets though there are plenty of farmers all around these parts? Why do I pay more for my very necessary “high speed” internet service while my connection speed is intolerably slow and highly unreliable?  Why did it take over a month to get landline service and over two months to get home delivered mail service started? It makes you feel like living in the country in America makes you a second-class citizen.
Oh don’t mind my bitching, it’s just this boiling poison ivy rash spreading up and down my arms, for the SIXTH TIME! It’s not pretty. Neither the blistered skin nor the fact that there for all things unpleasant there is always the breaking point when you feel you’ve tried everything with no tangible result and you can’t think of anything else to do than just burn it all.
I’m convinced that this is sometimes exactly the right solution. There is even proof of that in nature: All the best wild flowers come out of the most disturbed soil.
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Wow interesting to read about your war campaign against poison ivy. Had never heard about them before reading your blog. Here in Europe I am not sure if they even exist over here. If feels like my complaining about nettles in my garden is like just grass compares to your evil plants. I hope that you get rid of them or at least get them under control. But be horrible to have those itching rashes all over you.
You mention the laundry line and let me tell you what have worked for me. Nothing is like the smell of clothes that have been drying outside in the fresh country air. You can use chemical stuff to make your clothes smell, but hanging them outdoors makes them soft and much more comfortable to wear. Well back to the laundry line. I use insulated wire, turnbuckle and some very solid poles that is well done mounted into the soil. It is better to use a metal wire that is covered with plastic. This wire will never stretch as plastic will so you never need to readjust it again. The turnbuckle is a device for adjusting the tension of you cable so after stretching the cable, you can increase the tension to get the line straight. I also make sure that the poles are deep enough in the ground so they don’t give when you are hanging up your newly washed clothes.
Good luck!
jorn