The Warning Signs

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JBloggs

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A repeat guest commented that the inn in Charleston where the innkeeper was unkempt, also needs to tell people about the poison ivy! I said, well we have poison ivy, when DH whipper snippers the yard or other yard work he gets into, and in fact you can see it crawling up a couple trees on our street. He thought it was appauling that innkeepers do not warn their guests.
Do you warn your guests? I mean, this east coast is fairly buried in poison ivy.
 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with.
 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with..
Our guests ususally ask us about walking around the vineyard and the woods. If they plan to walk in the woods we normally warn them about chiggers - good advice to warn about poison ivy too. I think I'll take PT's advice and put a photo in the room binders too. Thanks for the tip!
Riki
 
I don't expect guests to be hugging the trees or crawling around in the shrubbery, so no, I don't tell them. All of our parks have signs that tell hikers to stick to the trails. Fair enough warning.
However, this could be a problem because guests will come back to the inn and loll on the beds and in the chairs in the same clothes they were just hiking in. That could be an issue for someone else. I can see it now...'I got poison ivy in my guest room!'
 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with..
Proud Texan said:
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with.
Why include Virginia Creeper? Just to show them that it's not poison ivy? The confusion sure happens. My sister killed a huge, beautiful old Virginia Creeper vine at her house because she thought it was poison.
I've often wondered about this sort of thing. Everybody around here knows what's safe and unsafe to touch and eat, and we don't give much thought to the poison ivy and our little brown recluse spiders and copperheads. But city folk, and foreigners, are like innocent babes and they probably should be given a little written survival primer for here in the Arkansas outback.
On the other hand, of course, we don't want to scare the city folk off. We enjoy studying them.
 
It doesn't have to do with hiking, at all. We live in town in the historic district.
I had a guest with the worst case of poison ivy, and it was bad, from a burb of NYC. Had it isn her garden and didn't know.
Not everyone has a reaction to poison ivy, nor Virginia Creeper. (For Arkie VA Creeper can cause the same type of skin rash as poison ivy/oak)
 
Poison ivy could be my cash crop! If only I could find a buyer!
The ONLY question I asked by yard kid was - do you catch poison ivy. When he said no, I asked his Mom. She confirmed. Part of his job is to pull the poison ivy vines. If he has not been here for a while and it starts sticking its leaves through the hedges and at my wall by the sidewalk, I DO warn my guests to avoid it abd show them what it looks like. I tell them the truth, I cannot go near it.
Edited to add: I am downtown with parking lots on 3 sides / streets on 2 sides. My first grade teacher (a family friend) got poison ivy from doing the laundry - it was on her sons' jeans.
 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with..
Proud Texan said:
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with.
Why include Virginia Creeper? Just to show them that it's not poison ivy? The confusion sure happens. My sister killed a huge, beautiful old Virginia Creeper vine at her house because she thought it was poison.
I've often wondered about this sort of thing. Everybody around here knows what's safe and unsafe to touch and eat, and we don't give much thought to the poison ivy and our little brown recluse spiders and copperheads. But city folk, and foreigners, are like innocent babes and they probably should be given a little written survival primer for here in the Arkansas outback.
On the other hand, of course, we don't want to scare the city folk off. We enjoy studying them.
.
Yes....just to show them the difference.
 
It doesn't have to do with hiking, at all. We live in town in the historic district.
I had a guest with the worst case of poison ivy, and it was bad, from a burb of NYC. Had it isn her garden and didn't know.
Not everyone has a reaction to poison ivy, nor Virginia Creeper. (For Arkie VA Creeper can cause the same type of skin rash as poison ivy/oak).
Joey Bloggs said:
(For Arkie VA Creeper can cause the same type of skin rash as poison ivy/oak)
The rash is not nearly as severe as a poison ivy reaction, and appears only in a tiny tiny number of people. In fact I've never in my life known anybody who had a problem with Virginia Creeper and I've lived in a forest of it all my life.
But that gluten ivy, that's a different story. People are dropping like flies from gluten ivy.
 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with..
Proud Texan said:
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with.
Why include Virginia Creeper? Just to show them that it's not poison ivy? The confusion sure happens. My sister killed a huge, beautiful old Virginia Creeper vine at her house because she thought it was poison.
I've often wondered about this sort of thing. Everybody around here knows what's safe and unsafe to touch and eat, and we don't give much thought to the poison ivy and our little brown recluse spiders and copperheads. But city folk, and foreigners, are like innocent babes and they probably should be given a little written survival primer for here in the Arkansas outback.
On the other hand, of course, we don't want to scare the city folk off. We enjoy studying them.
.
Yes....just to show them the difference.
.
Mtatoc said:
Yes....just to show them the difference.
or you can just sing the song we all know...
"Leaves of three let it be!"
(And let it be know we also have poisonous sumac here, they have leaflets of 7 or more...so the song only applies to Poison Ivy really)
wink_smile.gif

Here is what I say "STAY ON THE TRAIL!"
Here is an action shot, we warned her! To stop herself she charged off the trail into the bush...you can imagine the rest of the story - it only took a few hours before she was red and welty all over...then covered in caladryl.
Skating_With%20Dog_Claytor%20Lake%20State%20Park.jpg

 
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with..
Proud Texan said:
Since we're in the woods, I have pictures of poison ivy and Virginia Creeper along with descriptions in our room binders. I also warn them about all the critters they could have a chance encounter with.
Why include Virginia Creeper? Just to show them that it's not poison ivy? The confusion sure happens. My sister killed a huge, beautiful old Virginia Creeper vine at her house because she thought it was poison.
I've often wondered about this sort of thing. Everybody around here knows what's safe and unsafe to touch and eat, and we don't give much thought to the poison ivy and our little brown recluse spiders and copperheads. But city folk, and foreigners, are like innocent babes and they probably should be given a little written survival primer for here in the Arkansas outback.
On the other hand, of course, we don't want to scare the city folk off. We enjoy studying them.
.
Yes....just to show them the difference.
.
Mtatoc said:
Yes....just to show them the difference.
or you can just sing the song we all know...
"Leaves of three let it be!"
(And let it be know we also have poisonous sumac here, they have leaflets of 7 or more...so the song only applies to Poison Ivy really)
wink_smile.gif

Here is what I say "STAY ON THE TRAIL!"
Here is an action shot, we warned her! To stop herself she charged off the trail into the bush...you can imagine the rest of the story - it only took a few hours before she was red and welty all over...then covered in caladryl.
Skating_With%20Dog_Claytor%20Lake%20State%20Park.jpg

.
Joey Bloggs said:
Mtatoc said:
Yes....just to show them the difference.
or you can just sing the song we all know...
"Leaves of three let it be!"
(And let it be know we also have poisonous sumac here, they have leaflets of 7 or more...so the song only applies to Poison Ivy really)
wink_smile.gif

Here is what I say "STAY ON THE TRAIL!"
Here is an action shot, we warned her! To stop herself she charged off the trail into the bush...you can imagine the rest of the story - it only took a few hours before she was red and welty all over...then covered in caladryl.
Caladryl and calomine do nothing for my. I have found a clear stuff, an anti-itch gel that works for me. It is by Johnson & Johnson. IF it is working, it stings as you put it on - such a RELIEF from the itch! The sting is momentary. It works for me and I have had itch as a reation to most allergies since I was an infant according to my Mother.
 
Ok people, we can not be all things to all people! I am not my brother's keeper. If it comes to mind when they ask about trails or even walking around our area, but this people are adults and I am not going to hold their hand while they are staying here.
Rant over!
 
Joey Bloggs said:
He thought it was appauling that innkeepers do not warn their guests.
Reminds me of a cousin visiting here from a northern city when I was a child. His mother found a tick on him and rushed him to the emergency room! And this was 30 years before anybody thought about any tick fevers. She just paniced because it was something she wasn't familiar with where she came from.
Likewise, I think people who don't live in the country make too much of a big deal about poison ivy. If you're one of the few people who it really tears up, you need to know what it looks like and stay away from it on your own.
 
Would a hotel phone all 150 incoming guests to tell them there is a poisen ivy bush outside on the grounds? I think NOT!
Then why should we? I mean really.
That also reminds me of a bad review I received once from a guest who said they did not get a good night's sleep because the Cancer Society was holding a relay for life event in the park and the music was disturbing her. She put right in the review that, we the innkeepers, should have given her a discount because of the music playing and we should have pre-warned her about this event. Duh!
 
Actually I would warn those from out of the country. I grew up in Europe where we had stinging nettles - but they just hurt for a few minutes.
One visit home to the US when my parents were young - in their 40s, we visitied my uncle's family outside Wilmington DE.
Now my parents grew up in Boston and in Summit, New Jersey. Knew all about poison ivy and poison oak.
They FORGOT about it after 10 years in Europe and my little brother went running all around with my cousins, barefoot as they all were.
My dad had to carry him for the next two weeks on his shoulders. The poor kid had it all over his legs.
Europeans will need to be warned!
Riki
 
Maybe we can list here (just for fun) some of the lurking dangers out there.
I will never forget the day I was glued to the TV (Memorial day actually) when one of our sheriff's deputies went on a rampage killing his ex- wife point blank standing beside her car, with daughter in the back seat, then took off in the police cruiser and had a shoot-out on I-81 shooting at state patrol troopers til they took his car out.
Meanwhile this was all tipped off by the current wife, also a deputy, to our current Sheriff (WHO WAS JUST ELECTED OUT OF OFFICE YESTERDAY!!! and some more !!!) - see how I am slipping this in here, they found him at his "other" woman's place to let him know what had happened. He called dispatch and calmly told them to have them call him back, no A.P.B. or anything. This was a messed up guy in more bad stuff that involved our sheriff.
So...back to the link-in, guests checked in and I needed to warn them about all the satellite trucks (courthouse AND Sheriff's office and jail are just a couple blocks from us).
Dangerous? Yes our deputy took an assault rifle and went out to kill his exwife.
(Okay back to your regular programming now - we are all very joyful here in this community today!)
 
Maybe we can list here (just for fun) some of the lurking dangers out there.
I will never forget the day I was glued to the TV (Memorial day actually) when one of our sheriff's deputies went on a rampage killing his ex- wife point blank standing beside her car, with daughter in the back seat, then took off in the police cruiser and had a shoot-out on I-81 shooting at state patrol troopers til they took his car out.
Meanwhile this was all tipped off by the current wife, also a deputy, to our current Sheriff (WHO WAS JUST ELECTED OUT OF OFFICE YESTERDAY!!! and some more !!!) - see how I am slipping this in here, they found him at his "other" woman's place to let him know what had happened. He called dispatch and calmly told them to have them call him back, no A.P.B. or anything. This was a messed up guy in more bad stuff that involved our sheriff.
So...back to the link-in, guests checked in and I needed to warn them about all the satellite trucks (courthouse AND Sheriff's office and jail are just a couple blocks from us).
Dangerous? Yes our deputy took an assault rifle and went out to kill his exwife.
(Okay back to your regular programming now - we are all very joyful here in this community today!).
We have brown-tailed moths that are not found anywhere else. Their 'hair' is very toxic and can cause severe allergic reactions just brushing one off your jacket. If you walk through a cloud of them, watch out.
 
I never meant to indicate that I thought Virginia Creeper was poisonous. We only have the picture of the Virginia Creeper so guests can tell the difference between it and poison ivy. We seem have some guests who are afraid of everything and were scared to death of the Virginia Creeper that envelopes many of our trees.
 
I never meant to indicate that I thought Virginia Creeper was poisonous. We only have the picture of the Virginia Creeper so guests can tell the difference between it and poison ivy. We seem have some guests who are afraid of everything and were scared to death of the Virginia Creeper that envelopes many of our trees..
Proud Texan said...
"I never meant to indicate that I thought Virginia Creeper was poisonous..."
Yes, I was guessing that. Just showing them the difference. Nobody around here considers it poisonous. Maybe what we have is the gentle West Virginia Creeper :)
Off subject, but the geologists have studied out Ozark Mountains and determined that they used to be joined with the mountains of West Virginia until plate shifting mixed things around. So we consider West Virginians and their flora and fauna to be our hillbilly-to-hillbilly cousins.
 
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