Back in July, (remember, I said I was very behind in posting!) we began trying to fix up the flower bed in the front yard. It led to my getting a nasty case of poison oak. I knew to watch out for poison ivy, because I’d gotten a severe case of that after we moved to Arkansas. But, I mistook the little oak leaves in my flower bed for baby oak trees…oops.

Here are a few photos of my agony. I hope they aren’t too graphic.

 If you are concerned, please stop reading now.

After seeking medical attention (a shot and a round of steroids), it improved greatly in a week, and was completely gone in about three weeks.

And the flower bed? Well, thanks to my husband and children, it has made some progress. The following photos were taken in July, before the poison oak outbreak. As you can see, it was a mess!

Terry and Mitch removed the usable mulch and stored it in old plastic containers. Then, Terry dug out some of the dead plants and sprayed it with Round Up. After that, he and the kids covered it all with plastic.

After it was all covered, he replaced the good mulch and bought 15 bags of fresh mulch.

The finished product! So much cleaner and neater! I know, it’s not pretty, but that will have to wait until spring. I hope to add some periwinkle and maybe a few other things when the weather is warmer…and when I’m sure that the poison oak is gone. At least now I know to watch out for it! This view is looking toward the house.

Here’s the view looking toward the street. Terry is very proud. 🙂 Now, I need to work on the beds around the house! Oh boy.