Wifflefest Words of Wisdom

The common saying "Leaves of three... leave them be", is very practical in nature. It rhymes, it is short and has to do with nature... which is called a double entendre.... (I think), but even if it isn't - it is still a cool saying. I always seem to remember it when I am walking through the different nature trails on the Martin Tree Farm. The tree farm is a sprawling 300 plus acres of pine, hardwoods and other nature things. I'm not going to pretend to know a lot about the outdoors, but what I do know is that there is a lot of poison ivy.... and I am allergic to it. So please, be careful.
We recently went canoeing and I had the misfortune of having a tree branch hit my face. My wife Ann, being the kind person she is, held the branch just long enough to have it coil and smack me in the face as we paddled by. The result was some sort of poison ivy/ poison oak under my nose. That is the only place on my whole body that somehow, I got poison ivy! How weird? Somehow from one swat of a tree brach to my face in a passing canoe and I now resemble Joaquin Phoenix. I don't have a cleft lip like he does, but I do have this nasty-raised-poison ivy-like area which extends from the base of my nose to just above my lip. I look ugly. Not that Joaquin Phoenix is ugly... he is just the most famous person with a messed up lip. I'm sure if he had the ability to put IvyRest under his nose like I do, he would do it - but really, he looks fine. Just remember that as you prepare for the Justin Osborne All American Wifflefest, keep those clever, wise words close at heart: "Leaves of three - leave them be". It could really save you a lot of grief.

Not Poison Ivy