Marvelous May?

Wow! It has been so beautiful this past week! Okay, it was a little hot in the afternoons- but bearable. Nice in the shade. Great if a breeze was blowing. Oh, who am I kidding? It is only May and it has already been in the nineties. Time to start packing for a permanent trip to Hawaii! Until then, here are some random updates about the first seven days of May.

Mark and I took a walk at Nathanael Greene park the other day. If you haven't been in awhile, it is looking really beautiful. Tons of gardens, fabulous walkways, a butterfly habitat and much more!  We went into the butterfly habitat and I got some shots of the cocoons. I can't wait to see the different types of butterflies and moths that hatch! 

Butterfly and moth cocoons

Cute little cocoons.

Last Saturday we drove up to a small town right outside of Jefferson City to celebrate my nieces's birthdays at a horse ranch. One birthday in April, the other in May, so my sister decided one party to rule them all! We had a good time hanging out with the family. 

Mallory and her trusty steed.

Horses are Autumn's favorite.

Last night was Penny's 2nd birthday! We sang her the Happy Birthday song and gave her special minties treats for a gift. I'm pretty sure she had no idea what was going on but me and Mark had fun! Also, I could have sworn that her puppy food was for 0-24 months but upon further inspection it turns out it was for 0-12 months...so, a year late, she is now graduating to adult dog food. :D 

Happy Birthday!

Big Dog Pellets! 

This morning when I woke up my "nettle stings" had gotten worse, which isn't really possible. I started to consider that maybe something else was going on, so--like an idiot--I decided to self diagnose via the internet. Five minutes later I was convinced I had scabies (mites) living in my skin. Hideous!!! Repulsive!!! Wait...why does poison sumac keep coming up when I type in the description of my rash? I've been exposed to poison ivy/oak/sumac many times in my life and I was convinced I didn't have the allergy. I decided I better go to the walk-in clinic and have a doctor take a peek at it. Note: the following photo is the least repulsive of the rash areas. You're welcome.

Scabies or Sumac Rash?

Unfortunately, when I arrived at the clinic this is what I found...

I don't think the rash will kill me by tomorrow and I didn't want to drive to Springfield so I decided to buy some over the counter poison ivy foam wash. I think it's more likely that I have a reaction to the plants we were clearing in our "garden" area, and not scabies, so I'm trying the foam. 

Can it be this easy?

When I got home I Googled sumac plants to see if they looked familiar (I know. Might have been smart to do that BEFORE I started whacking down the small jungle in the yard). Turns out pretty much everything I was ripping, digging, and cutting from the garden space were poison sumac plants. Fabulous. I honestly didn't even think about sumac being a threat because I've never been susceptible before. Guess I am now. 

Poison Sumac.

I was actually admiring the white flowers on the sumac plants a few days ago when I took Penny outside to do her business. Good thing I didn't touch them or try to smell them! FYI: the berries are poisonous too. Learn to identify these plants and keep children and pets far away from them. 

Sumac Flowers.

Well...that has been the first week of May. Onward and upward!

~ Love & Light ~

Severely itchy and irritable.