Cleansing the Ivy

Looking over the crudely made blue fence I saw a tangle of green ivy and tiger lilies that had been growing untamed on the sloped embankment for far too long. It seemed as if the two plant species had become one. Bored and energetic I decided that it would be much nicer to look at if the plants were untangled and made separate. I walked across the dirt road and down a small hill to the shop where all the tools and lawnmowers are stored for ground and building maintenance. I grabbed a rake, and a pair of clippers.

The embankment I began to conquer is behind the pump house, one of the favorite places for kids and adults alike during the summer. Ice cream and candy are sold there during the warm serene evenings. Often you have to walk through a crowd of family and friends to ask for a seventy five cent strawberry shortcake or a dollar ice cream cookie sandwich. The smell of the tiger lilies and a fresh breeze coming off the river made the pump house a supreme place to hang out and look at the river through the trees while visiting with folks.

I spent a good four hours attacking those plants. In the end I managed to untangle the trailing ivy so that it hung in long rows like green hair, and raked all the dead leaves that had been mulching the soul for several seasons. In retrospect I wonder if maybe I was trying to make order of my life; separating high school from home life, religion from something else, while trying at the same time to get rid of frustrated energy. The weather was getting colder, making it easy to stay inside where it was warm and cabin fever could strike.

When I was done, my dirty hands put the tools away and I went to get mom to show her what I had done. She was very impressed, making me at the time burst with pride. Every time I walked by the pump house I would check the area I had cleared, looking for invasive weeds that might make the clean soil look unorganized. Next time I go to camp the pump house is sure to be on my list of destinations for visiting people, and I will probably look over the rough blue fence to see what has assaulted the ivy's habitat.