Q: My husband and I have been battling poison ivy in our backyard. I am dreadfully allergic and I want to protect myself from another doctor visit. How can I eliminate it?

A: You can’t “eliminate” poison ivy, since birds scatter the seeds randomly in their droppings every year. I think your best course is to keep a spray bottle of glyphosate (Roundup, KleenUp, etc) in a handy place and take a weekly walk around your landscape during the growing season. A couple of squirts from the bottle will kill any “leaves of three” you see.