Poison ivy

Poison ivy along the trail in Eaton Canyon, Pasadena, July 2010. The two bottom photos are of the same plant, from a short distance and then closer up.

Poison ivy image from Thomas College.

Poison ivy is well-known for its ability to cause a severe rash and blisters on the skin wherever you brush against the plant.

Poison ivy grows throughout most of North America. You can recognize it by the way that the leaves grow in groups of three, and by the almond-like shape of the leaves and their shiny, reddish color when mature. The plant bears sprays of greyish-white berries as early as late June here in southern California. It can grow as a shrub, as a ground cover, or as a vine on another tree or support. The leaves usually have small notches along the edges, but some plants have more notches than others, and even some leaves on the same plant are more notched. When in doubt, stay away!

Do not touch even dead leaves, as the irritant oil can remain active for years. Do not touch pets that have come into contact with the plant. Do not burn any part of the plant or breathe the smoke from an accidental fire. Do not eat it.

Treat poison ivy rash with calamine lotion, an oatmeal or baking soda bath, or with baking soda mixed with a little water to make a runny paste. The rash can last from 1 to 4 weeks. Wash your skin thoroughly with lukewarm water as soon as possible after contact. The rash is not contagious, but you can transfer the irritant to another part of your body or to someone else if you still have some on your skin. If you have touched poison ivy, do not touch your eyes or rub them, even with part of your clothing that may have come into contact with the plant.

Poison oak, a similar species, grows in western North America.

Read more about poison ivy and poison oak at Wikipedia.

Forty years on an iceberg

Forty years on an iceberg [triangular "iceberg" shape],
over the ocean wide [wavy motion].
Nothing to wear but jammys [slide hands up and down the sides of your body],
nothing to do but slide ["slide" motion].
Woo!
The air was cold and icy [shiver!]
the frost began to bite [nipping motion].
I had to hug a polar bear [hug yourself or neighbor]
to keep me warm at night.
Oh!

Repeat over and over, but on the second repeat, hum the first line; on the third repeat, hum the first and second lines, and so on. "Woo!" and "Oh!" are always sung. On the very last repeat, sing all the words.

The Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign Language

Here are a few videos of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign Language. Remember that there are regional variations in ASL, just as there are different accents across the country, so that some of the signs may be slightly different from person to person.







Learning to sign the Pledge fulfills one of the requirements for the United We Stand badge (online only).

Cat's cradle

There are some good illustrations on how to play this ancient game here at Cat's Cradle and How to Do Cat's Cradle.

Depending on how you make some of the figures, you can keep going on and on until someone makes a mistake, or you can come up with a figure that ends the game.

This video is an endless loop between the Diamonds, Candles, and Manger figures, but it helps you to see how those three go back and forth --



This particular game goes to Fish in a Dish and Clock to finish --



See if you can figure out what's going on here! --

How to sharpen and clean a pocket knife

Granola

Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 oz. canola oil
3 oz. honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ahead of time:

Preheat oven to 300 F. Spray a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix together the oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a microwaveable measuring cup, warm the oil and honey for about a minute -- this will help the liquids to mix evenly with the oats. Add the vanilla extract to the warm honey, and stir it into the oats.

Spread the granola evenly in the prepared dish, and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and store in a plastic container or resealable plastic bag.

Serves:

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients to bring:

prepared granola
milk
dried fruit, if desired

Equipment to bring:

none

"Three chartreuse buzzards"

This song has more drama than tune, but should be sung rather dryly.

Three [hold up 3 fingers] chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH look [shade eyes with hand]
One has flown A-way [point to distance]
What A shame [one hand at forehead in dramatic gesture]
Darn.

Two chartreuse buzzards ....
One chartreuse buzzard ....

No chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH, look [shade eyes with hand]
One has RE-turned [beckoning motion]
Let us RE-joice [arms up in joy]
Yay.

One chartreuse buzzard ....
Two chartreuse buzzards ....

Three chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
Now they're ALL here [arms spread]
This is THE end ["end" motion]
Yay.