Problem for your consideration

[JRMILLER]

Fellow skirt and kilt lovers, here's a situation for your consideration.

I plan on converting my coveralls (overalls) to a skirtall. That is, rip the legs, add some material and sew them back together. I will probably hem them to slightly below the knee.

That said, my biggest concern is in dealing with situations like the following:

We have an ash tree growing near an apple tree. Some of the ash tree limbs overshadow the apple tree, so I need to prune it on a regular basis. Now, last summer I set my 32' ladder up into the ash tree and went up the ladder and tied the top of the ladder to the limbs to keep the ladder from falling while I was pruning limbs. This worked fine, but when I went to untie the ladder, the ladder started sinking into the ground. Unable to retie the ladder, I grabbed the limb as the ladder fell away. I swung myself up onto the limb and pondered by situation.

The situation was: I was alone, 30' off the ground, there was a considerable amount of poison ivy growing up the trunk of the tree and I needed to get down.

Eventually, I went for it and grabbed the trunk firmly with both legs and both arms and lowered myself, through the poison ivy to the ground. Then I went into the house and bathed (it makes me itchy just to think of this again).

Now, for those of you who don't know about this marvelous weed, it was once imported from the US to the UK as a garden decoration and caused all sorts of rashes to the people that gardened. I am allergic to it, so I was taking a big risk grabbing the trunk with my legs and climbing down.

I was wearing my coveralls at the time and didn't get infected.

How would you get down if you were wearing a skirtall or utilikilt?

Happy New Year!

[Peter v]

Very painfully
Let your neighbour think that you are incompetent, and praise himself above you, so that he cannot resist the temptation to prove that, and suggest that he do it for you. Of course you thank him for it, but on reconsideration, you agree, and are thankful for him being such a goo neighbour....

I would suggest that attire be selected for the occasion.
Neglige for an interesting night, coveralls, safety boots for ladders and poison Ivy. I would not suggest skirts for ladders any way, as any clothing that hangs out loose may get caught somewhere and belet you on the ladder. Although most ladders are relatively smooth.

Peter v.

I have seen some coveralls miniskirts, a mini, with a front bib, and crossed upholders in denim in the shops.

[crfriend]

First off, congratulations for having the cajones to work 30 feet up on a ladder; that's way too far off the ground for my tastes. I don't even like being 15 feet up to clean the gutters.

That said, I'm glad you weren't injured, but the visual you provided was actually quite humourous -- and would be even more so if you were wearing a "skirtall". The only advice I'd offer would be to take your cell 'phone with you so you can call the local fire department to fish you out of the tree. The only drawback to that is you might get a local TV (that's "television") crew in addition to the local FD and get splashed all over the six o'clock news.

Personally, I'd stick with heavy-duty trousers or overalls for a job like that but I'm just a practical old stick in the mud.

[Bob]

Skirt or no skirt, I would have been wearing shorts. And I would have had a serious problem later on. I might have risked the broken leg. I would have hung as low as possible, then let go, and worked on using my whole body to break the fall as I land, bending my knees and torso from fully stretched out to a little ball.

[JRMILLER]

Bob,
I failed to mention there was a large rock immediately under the ladder. When the ladder fell away, I was hanging above this bolder, but the clearance to the bolder was perhaps only 20' or so.

It's amazing what adrenalin will do when you find yourself hanging from a tree limb over a bolder. I would not have thought I had the strength to pull my considerable bulk up and onto the limb.

[sapphire]

Get rid of the poison ivy

[JRMILLER]

Sapphire,
Have you ever tried? We have 5.5 A of ground and there is enough poison ivy to get the entire state of Ohio scratching. That stuff just doesn't want to die!

[Emerald Witch]

Then buy, rent or borrow a bunch of goats and let them eat all the poison ivy! Goats will eat ANYTHING. And they don't mind climbing over boulders. In fact, they enjoy it!

[sapphire]

Yes, I have tried. But I have far less land than you do.

I agree with Emerald. Get some goats.

And a hazmat suit. I KNOW they are hot and uncomfortable, but they work. I wore one during Katrina response and looked like an alien.

[knickerless]

I have never come across poison ivy. Don't think it grows over here. But I am alergic to a lot of things growing in the garden including grass. I also don't like heights and would get someone in to lop a bit off the tree. Expensive maybe - but if you can't get up a ladder yourself - it is the only option.

Nick

[skirtguy22]

I've got a lot of poison ivy in my area as well as poison oak and sumac. While I don't climb trees for pruning, I do deer hunt from tree stands. Several years ago, I was using my climbing stand and had started down my selected tree, just at dark. I'm not stupid (or didn't think I was anyhow) so I always use a safety harness and tie the two parts of my climbing stand together with a length of rope. To use these stands, you sit on the top part and, using your feet lower the lower part to the length of your legs, than stand on the lower part and lower the upper portion before you sit down and repeat the process., thus the term stand up sit down climber.I'd made three stand up sit down movements down the tree when the bottom part fell out from under me. leaving me sitting on the upper portion with the lower part dangling below me from the safety tether. Remember, I was smart enough to use one. However, I wasn't smart enough to figure out that since I had tethered the two parts at the end away from the tree, I could pull it up, but couldn't get enough leverage to get the back end against the tree again, thus, I was stuck. I was, however smart enough to limit my hunting height to 15 feet and I had already come part way down the tree, so I was only about 10 feet up now. First, I maneuvered myself back into the stand seat and then untied the lower portion. I was able to use the tether rope to swing the lower portion out of my way and drop it to the ground. Then I grabbed the front rail of the upper portion and swung out of the seat to hang and drop. I didn't do any permanent damage but the shock of landing was fairly painful on my arthritic knees. After a few moments to recover, I looked up and pondered how to recover the upper part of my stand. I found that if I placed the lower part on the tree at just the maximum height I could climb up onto the platform, I'm could just reach the top part and lift it enough to lower it. Lesson learned, I now tether the two parts at the rear, right next to the tree. I tested the arrangement several times at low heights and found that I could get the lower part back on the tree everytime. I haven't lost it at height again, but I am confident I can recover it if I do. And, I don't wear either a kilt (although I have a nice camo one) or skirt when using any kind of tree stand, because my safety harness has two straps which go between the legs and thus make skirts and kilts impracticable. One other thing, although I know poison ivy on sight (leaves of three bad for me) I don't climb any tree that has vines. Another point , do not burn poison ivy because breathing the smoke can cause respiratory problems.

[Sarongman]

If anybody is stupid enough to slip some poison ivy into Australia I for one am all for the old Tudor execution of hanging, drawing and quartering. I'm sure there would be a good audience at one of the stadia and the body parts could be displayed around town- head impaled on pole on Harbour Bridge