sea of three

i am overcome with poison ivy; constellations of individual blisters behind both knees (they could be nasty squiter bites), a spattering of on my right shoulder and, well, my left forearm is grotesque. for two straight days last week i could be found in the woods behind the house pruning trees and clearing brush along the trail. i thought i was careful, i know what it looks like but on one pass down the slope i found myself in a sea of three leaves. at least now the kids can walk freely without the tickle of knee high saplings or prick of thorny vines.

i'm going to blame my anguish on chris stewart. had his novel not infected me with a deeper desire to commune with nature and take care of business i probably wouldn't be wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt right now to cover a hideous skin condition. but alas, driving over lemons is an incredible read. with humble optimism and generous detail stewart takes his reader over every bump along the experience of finding, buying and rebuilding a farm while at the same time being a foreign newcomer to the alpujarra region of southern spain. i've been through the spanish sierra nevada mountains before so i felt i was right there with him bridge building, tending the flock and drinking costa, the local wine.

in 1968 at the age of 17, stewart quit his gig as drummer for the band genesis and took up sheep shearing and travel writing. a short time after his split anthony phillips, the founding member, followed suit due to stage fright. i hate to compare but if i were going to quit a band that would go onto become one of the highest-selling artists of all time, i'd plead natuarlist.

this morning i went back down the trail in search of jewelweed, an herbal remedy for poison ivy rash. i found a handful, boiled it and soaked my forearm and shoulder with a rag for a good bit of time. it's very possible that the rash is too far gone for any type of treatment at this point but the foraging at least took my mind off the stinging irritation. reading it away also helps. i'm on the final chapter of michael pollan's omnivore's dilemma. already he has witnessed the extremes of the agriculture industry firsthand - our modern food chain: factory farming, conventional farming, organic farming, rotational farming. and now he is about to do some foraging of his own - for wild mushrooms in sonoma. his final endeavor is to experience the primordial food chain as hunter/gatherer. the fungi should go well with the wild pig.

i'll finish omnivore's dilemma today but seeing how impressionable I can be and where my enthusiasm can get me i think i'll wait until i reach the sierra nevadas in california and do like pollan: find a suitable companion before taking off on my own primordial adventure.