Thwarted
So, yesterday we let the cats out again, and Gabriel managed to slip out of the yard in the same area along the west fence where I'd put up some of the leftover netting. Unfortunately, I didn't see him go through, so I don't know exactly how he got out. But it underscored the fact that we really do need full cat containment along that fence, and not just extra netting pinned up to the foliage.
Well, that launched a tremendous effort to cut down all the ivy and other foliage, so that we could actually get to the fence. I started yesterday, and my efforts revealed a wire fence that had been attached to the top of the chain link fence, which had been pushed over nearly horizontally by the enchroaching growth. We figure we can add a couple metal posts to get the fence back upright, in addition to trimming everything back.
I resumed the work today, and cleared the corner by the pool enclosure. Proceeding along the fence north of the pool enclosure, I came to a spot that was a thick mass of Easter lily vine, lantana, ivy, and a couple other plants I didn't recognize. After a while of hacking through the bramble for at least half an hour, I looked down and realized I needed to stop. My arms were covered with nasty red welts from the sap of the Easter lily. Within a few minutes I was having a full histamine reaction; I'll omit the details, but liken it to a bad cold. This hastened a quick trip to the market to get some Benadryl and a box of Kleenex. Oh, and a Skor bar, too, just because.
So. I think I'll go lose consciousness now, thank you very much.
