foiled by foliage

today i'd hoped to be able to post some beautiful fall foliage pictures for you...the colors have almost reached their most magnificent, with the reds and ambers bursting to surpass the umbers and yellows. oak leaves, willows, even dropped pine needles blending on the floor of nature's palette. nature's art show....a contest who's prize is the ooohhh's and aaahhh's of those meandering through wooded paths and scenic views. as little dog and I wandered along our Big Walk, a small chirpiing noise caught her attention, and she dove through some underbrush after a chipmunk. an exercise in fultility, but a diversion for her all the same. when we got home, she of course needed a moment of cuddling and reflection. it was just a while after that that the spots and itching started. not really noticable at first to my consciousness, but irritating all the same. within hours the poison ivy had begun it's dastardly creep from hands to elbows and up the shins. of course, that tender part of the ear had to chime in. any little normal itch became suspect and soon, i was acting like a woman crazed. and i was. am. so, all i can say is "leaves of 3 - let them be." and if your dog can't count, don't pet it till a proper hazmat bath has been applied. the pictures will have to wait. i'm mad at nature right now. L.