Thursday, August 20, 2015

Burglary, Peaches, Poison Ivy and Rain, Rain, Rain

 

Blairsville, Ga  (high 78, low 68)

 

Peaches

Since we’re in the Peach State, we have access to some really good peaches and great prices.  There’s nothing quite like Georgia peaches, so I decided to make a peach pie, so I cut up a few peaches and got to work.

 

IMG_6955

 

Poison Ivy

Al continues to suffer from poison ivy.  Most people do not realize  how miserable this is. It itches, blisters, weeps, and spreads.  He feels horrible internally as well and is afraid to touch anything for fear of spreading the rash. According to what you read, it  cannot be spread by touching the rash, but Al strongly disagrees.  From his experience, if he touches clothing that has touched the rash, it spreads to the area where it has touched.  Before we learned that washing clothing once was not good enough, he could put on some clothing that he hadn’t worn for a year and get it started again.

He has gotten worse and finally decided he needed a prescription for Prednisone.  Fortunately, his Tampa doctor called in a prescription.  He only takes Prednisone as a last resort, and he was at that point.

Here is the rash on Tuesday.  We thought it was starting to clear up.

poison ivy, Al

On Wednesday, it got worse.  It was “weeping”, spreading, and becoming darker red in color.  

poison ivy, Al

poison ivy, Al

We have spent a fortune on gauze trying to keep it covered and away from his clothing.  I have washed everything he touches every day, at least twice.  Thank goodness for my big washer and dryer we have here. He has quite a few other rash areas, but the leg seems to be the worse.

 

IMG_20150818_112038_545 

Sorry about the disgusting pictures.  I decided to take some pictures to document how bad he is and to help determine if there is any improvement.  He has started feeling better since taking the Prednisone.  I hope that continues when the 6 day dosage is finished.

We have come to the conclusion that we both have to stay completely away from any dogs around here.  Dogs like to come up and say hello and most of them jump in the golf cart with us.  That is where this problem started this year.  If a particular dog doesn’t get into poison ivy, it’s  almost certain they have been around another dog who has, and with Al that’s all it takes.

We have some friends coming down in October and their little dog Toto loves Al and loves to sit on his lap. That’s going to be a problem because Al loves Toto too!

 

Burglary

Last night I was reading Facebook and just happened to read an article from a Key West newspaper.  The headline caught my eye when it said there was another big rash of boat burglaries in the lower Keys.

I wasn’t too worried at first but when I read it was at BLK Storage on Big Pine Key, my heart sank.   That is where we keep our boat.

54 boats were burglarized.   Many had lower units stolen.  We are worried about that since we have a brand new motor.

The canvas tops and covers were slashed so that they could get the expensive electronics inside.   Our electronics were not in the boat, but no one would know that until they slashed our cover.

It happened over the week-end and we’re hoping since we haven’t heard anything yet, it was good news.  I guess we’ll know this morning.  Wish us luck.

We just spent $300 on a new boat cover.  I sure hope it wasn’t slashed.

canvas boat top with bad seams

Fortunately, we have comprehensive coverage on it with only a $125 deductible.  As a previous insurance adjuster, I know the importance of being honest with the insurance company, so I made sure they knew the boat would be used and stored in the Keys.   I am sure there are many others who look for cheaper rates and don’t tell the insurance company where their boat is stored.  I fear many will be having some problems when they try to file a claim.

Wish us luck!

14 comments:

  1. I feel so bad for Al. Almost looks like Shingles! Sure hope your boat wasn't broken into, good luck with that!

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  2. How miserable that poison ivy must be. Hope it dries up and goes away soon... and of course hope your boat is safe as well.

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  3. Oh my that does look very sore. Sure hope the drugs clear it up and make him feel better.

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  4. I've never had poison Ivy, and by the looks of that I hope I never do. Poor Al!

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  5. Poor Al, hope that you've found a solution for him, short of moving to the AZ desert. It would drive me crazy having that sensitivity to poison ivy. Fingers crossed that the meds work once and for all.

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  6. I feel so sorry for Al. No wonder he has such a fear of poison ivy. With a case like that, anyone would. Sure makes being outdoors difficult especially in the mountains. Hope you hear soon about your boat so you don't have to keep worrying.,

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  7. Wow, that looks really awful, how can he stand it? When I think of how a tiny mosquito bite itches, I can't imagine how Al's feeling. Any thoughts of moving to a place where there is no Poison Ivy? Having a bout of it like that every year would be enough to make me move to another part of the country. I hope it clears up soon.

    Good luck with the boat - hope all is well. And I want a photo of the PIE. Those peaches look soooo good! :)

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  8. I am very allergic to poison ivy also. Has he taken allergy shots for it? The prednisone should help and there is a cream that would help too but I can't think of it right now.

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  9. That poison ivy looks rough! Nicolas has really bad reactions, too, and we have had to resort to a steroid prescription several times. It usually takes right up until the last day to finally clear it up! Have you ever tried TechNu poison ivy wash? Nicolas got it once in Florida when we were volunteering at Lovers Key, and the rangers gave us some packets of TechNu wash. If you use it right away, the rash will go directly to the red splotchy phase, completely skipping the oozing and blistering stage. Hopefully Al feels better soon!

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  10. Poor Al! He has our sympathy. I've never seen poison ivy that bad before! Hope that TechNu wash is good stuff and that you might try it. We've purchased special soaps before before, and it always took care of the problem. I wonder about tea tree oil...but that might sting like hell.

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  11. And here's hoping your boat wasn't involved....

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  12. I had suffered for years with very bad poison ivy, but have had no reoccurrences. It sure is not fun at all.
    Good luck for your boat not being damaged.

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  13. Yep, Steve looked just like that! The only thing that helped get rid of it was that prednisone. Good luck and speedy healing to Al!

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  14. Yep, Steve looked just like that! The only thing that helped get rid of it was that prednisone. Good luck and speedy healing to Al!

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