Tempting Fate and Poison Ivy

Well, much needed to be accomplished today, and I am so proud of myself, that I'll give myself an award. The Bitchy Turtle award, named after the dear departed Adrian, who was when all things are said and done bitchy and a turtle. I got lots of bits and pieces done today and a majorly big hurdle was jumped as well. I brushed and washed the dog. May not be a big deal at your house, but here in the 'holler' that is about a half day project. An hour and a half of brushing, trimming and other neccessary grooming on my reindeer-herding-type mutt produced enough hair combed out of her to create two lhasa apsas. And I am not exagerating. Then a half hour break because the dog deserves it and I was hungry. The next thirty minutes were spent torturing the dog with the garden hose and dog shampoo. That was followed by a 30 minute walk to help her dry off and keep her from rolling in dirt. Topped off with another 30 minute fluff up. We are both exhausted. Then I went on to do some more gardening. This put me in contact with the dreaded alien creature that we know as poison ivy. This little plant can put me totally out of commission for a week or more. Why did I decide to garden just days before I leave for Japan?