My niece and I went out last Friday and worked for several hours to clear out the pond.
I have to tell you that that area of the yard has been so disturbing to me I haven’t even been able to bring myself to photograph it. However, there are photographs taken in earlier years that show how it looks when I let it get away from me. If anything, it was even more overgrown this year.
So, a few days ago, I decided to document how it is now that I have beaten back the water plants a bit.
Seriously, before I worked out there, you could not see the waterfall at all due to the giganticness of the forsythia bush and the massive wild lotus in the water.
The dragonflies love the pond. This one is posing on one of the water cannas.
But there is always a price to pay for beauty, I’m afraid. Turns out that my little pond has managed to become the harbor for some sort of trematode, a two stage parasite of birds and snails. Thank goodness I did not encourage my niece when she suggested that she could also get into the pond to help me clean it out. Otherwise, she could look and feel just like I do.
I took close up shots but find them way too graphic and disturbing for this blog, really. Thank goodness I had on my wet suit booties. I seriously considered wearing my short river shoes, or going barefoot. Otherwise my feet would be in on the “fun” too.
Actually, these shots were taken a few days after the initial eruptions of hives, which happened on Saturday morning. Imagine each and every one of those little welts being approximately three times the size they are above… intense itching… diarrhea because of the amount of toxins being emitted by the dying creatures (thankfully that only lasted for a few hours)… Benadryl, ibuprofen, cortisone cream… in the afternoon I discovered that margaritas helped enhance the effect of the benadryl… Saturday is a lost day for me, I can barely remember it, except for a general sense that I was really uncomfortable.
My wonderful friend Jeri told me on Sunday to try doing a salt scrub. That made the itching 90% better, bearable. I have done several scrubs and a couple of soaks as well. The lesions are healing, but some of them are stubbornly itching even now. The ones on my hands and arms are particularly bothersome as they get disturbed all the time, which makes them itch.
I just haven’t felt much like blogging or anything else. Still, we managed to get started on reclaiming the root cellar, another spot that I have let go over the past couple of years in despair over the bermuda grass infestation. That resulted in the discovery of a new tenant at The Havens; a young groundhog recently expelled from the maternal presence has decided to move in back there. Hopefully it will not discover the vegetable garden. I have enough problems with squirrels and birds.
My dislike of squirrels has been compounded by the latest activity — putting the netting up over the vineyard, which is starting to ripen the grapes. We discovered that the squirrels thought that maybe the bird net would be a good place to spend the winter, so there is one net that is sporting large holes where the rodent attempted to chew the fibers into a comfortable bed. Fortunately, we discovered its presence soon after it moved in and found a more secure way to store the nets. But I have been spending some “quality time” out in the sweltering day mending the holes; the birds would find them quite convenient.
I really hate squirrels; not enough to eat them, though. As Jim says, “I don’t eat rat.” Not even if it has a fluffy cute tail.
Excuse me. I have to go scratch. No, wait! NO SCRATCHING.
the havens 
Wow, that makes the poison oak I got feel rather benign. Hope you recover quickly…
Must have been a small patch of poison oak; I’ve had it as well and it is no picnic.
OUCH! that looks like misery! here’s to a speedy recovery – and perhaps more margaritas to speed the process!
I was amazed at how well they synergized the benadryl… I’m much better today, actually. Thank goodness.
Oh my, I hope you’re feeling better. Your leg looks so sore.
Sore, itchy… I am better today, thank you very much
Oh no, my legs looked just like yours after I stood next to a friend’s pond at a cocktail party (Note: one more reason not to drink! – though obviously margaritas are medicinal). The Dr said it was “pond mites”.
I was in an agony of itching, so I’m really glad yours is getting better. I know what you’ve been through!
I have found that the salt scrubs really helped the itch a LOT!
I looked similar after I cleaned out a roof cavity that turned out to be teeming with mites. There’s not a lot you can do other than a bit of sorbolene – not that it helps much, and hot showers are to be avoided like the plague.
Mine lasted about a week and a half and it was all over my body pretty much, I hope your convalescence isn’t so protracted.
Good luck.
The King
Today my hands and arms are almost completely healed, and the spots on my legs are still there but very faded. There are a couple that still are reacting, but I can handle a couple of itchy spots.
I found that what really worked was to sit on the edge of the tub and run about an inch of water into it, get my legs good and wet and then pour table salt into the palm of my hand, make it a little pasty and then scrub them thoroughly. If I didn’t feel like I had quite enough salt, I’d put some more on. Once I had thoroughly scrubbed one leg, I left the salt/water stuff on it while I did the other one. Then I would do my hands and arms. After that, I’d rinse it all off and rub lavender essential oil into the affected area.
I looked up sorbolene on the internet, as I had never heard of it. Aside from the fact that it is not readily available here, it is probably not a produce I would ever use as I tend to avoid petroleum products as agents of healing.
Ouch! I have skin problems (would you believe that I’m allergic to my own sweat?!), so feel I can sympathize, even empathize. Hope you’re feeling better and will be back to being A-OK soon!
I can believe it and suddenly I am being very grateful that my itch will come to an end and heal! As a matter of fact, it is MUCH better today.
hooray!
That’s making me want to start scratching …. oh dear
ow…but let’s focus on the first two pictures to forget about the “you know”. wonderful! especially enjoyed the dragonfly picture. how close were you able to get?
That dragon fly was about three feet from me. I spend a lot of time at the pond and they are pretty used to my presence.
Also, I have found that they tend to pause on the same perch over and over — they’ll buzz around for a bit, and then come and light on a rush or cat tail leaf, stay there a few seconds, and then go fly around the pond a bit, and then come back and light in the exact same place. So, I keep the camera focused and pointed at the landing spot, and click away when they show up for their rest period.
Yesterday I got another set of shots, one in the vegetable garden on the fence and one on a day lily in the Stroll Garden.
Trematode, is a creature? Under your skin?! Relieved to hear it is healing.
Yes. It is a creature that burrowed under my skin and then died, thereby setting up an allergic immune reaction. It is almost healed now, thank goodness.