The week started last Sunday morning. I was enthusiastic after the Saturday radio show to get started on my fall vegetable garden. First though I needed to clear a few overgrown weeds from a flowerbed – how they got to be 3 ft high behind my back is a mystery.  They took about 15 minutes to dig up an put into the weed bucket. 

I should have stopped right there.

But no…… I pulled a piece of English Ivy from a peony that struggles, but lives quietly in that area. The ivy invaded from the edge of the property so I found myself pulling and snipping and weeding a not-to- small ivy area. Now I know there was poison ivy in there but I had gloves on and was taking that carefully and wrapping it into the ivy for carrying.  At the end of the session I put all the ivy into the bucket, which was too small but when smashed down, was just overfilled. Being someone who conserves energy I placed one arm over the bucket and the other on the side to lug it over to the compost area. That was not smart as my arm oviously came into close and continued contact with the poison ivy for about 4 minutes!!!

Unaware, I proceeded to weed, compost and reseed the fall veggie garden with two lettuce types and a carrot.  The drizzle had started, so I cleared away and washed up which is when I noticed the first problem.

Over the next 48 hours I also noticed that little chigger-type things had attacked my legs, as far as my knees  and my arms as well.  Little terrors cause merciless itching.

The week had barely started and I was an itching, uncomfortable gardener.  Tuesday, I was due for a physical and the nice friendly doctor looked at the arms and we laughed at my stupidity before she announced that there was a brand new tetanus immunisation that you  have 5 yrs apart (for 2 then back to 10 yrs I think).  Wasn’t I lucky -it was just 5 yrs since my last tetanus and, clearly I was a gardener, so I got to have the brand new 2-instead of-1 in 10 yr shot. Now tetanus makes you arm rather stiff.  By Tuesday evening I felt as though I had been in a bar brawl!

Wednesday went by reaonably quietly. My America’s Home Grown Veggie Show guest was pretaping on Friday so that we could have Labor Day weekend off.  The Master Gardener show guest had gone missing.  We were reluctant to rerun an old tape for the MG show because we just had a great new sponsor (Jason’s Deli), so I sent emails to everyone I know and was confident someone could help.

Thursday morning, I dropped youngest at school and noticed the water temp thingy was getting hi. This happened 10 days ago when I had forgotten to put water (and oil) into the car. Strange though as it now was topped up and the garage found no leaks. On the way back, the water light hit the top of the scale and alarms went off.  Then the check engine and another light come on to scream at me, while the acceleration….  died.  This in communter traffic. I found a driveway to pull into (house for sale, no one there – phew) and called the garage, then kid at home with car, then Dh who was out of town – he recommended not driving the car to the garage.  I get home, drop the keys at the garage and about 3pm they phone – head gasket blown, water/oil covering the engine – needs new engine – could be 3 weeks – WHAT????!!!

Thursday pm I am still trying to find a guest to stand in for MG radio show.  No one dropping into the email box, so I inform the station producer that it is him and me – I will give him the questions, we can do this – right?? BTW I am going to be on the phone and will call in to talk with the guest.

Late Thursday, Veggie guest sends me an email – got stomach bug, cannot come in. I am at the laugh or cry stage by now – so we went to the bar and I chose to laugh at the chaos.

Friday dawns and I try the radio show from  home on Skype – audio turns out to be dreadful – I couldn’t hear the station and I was breaking up. We change to my cellphone. Not much better. I am sharing the kids’ car for school run. He uses it for his job with local paper. 

I think tomorrow I will go down to the station and we will rerecord the show – it sounded a disaster. That means driving DH”s car – a bright red, sporty Mustang with bucket seats and manual 5-gear transmition – I am 5′ and can barely see over the top, and the gears still confound me. 

Thank goodness the week is over, the rashes and bites are no longer a problem, but I think I need the long weekend to get over this week. And the little veggies are germinating already.