Baptisma Ventures Property Management

05/14/2026

Differences between Poison Ivy and it’s Non-Poisonous cousin Virginia Creeper

05/14/2026

A brief overview of vines is provided below. The vine on the left is identified as Virginia Creeper, which bears a striking resemblance to Poison Ivy, with the notable distinction being the presence of five leaves, whereas Poison Ivy has three. An old Boy Scout teaching advises: "Leaflets 3 let it be." It is also worth noting that the five-leafed "creeper" features finely serrated edges. In contrast, the two images that follow depict actual Poison Ivy, characterized by three leaves with lobed edges and larger spaces between the larger serrations. The three-lobed leaf arrangement is referred to as "trifoliate".

Virginia Creeper is Non Poisonous
If you need vines removed and can’t handle Poison Ivy without breaking out or getting sick call me up.

Baptisma Ventures Property Management

05/14/2026

05/14/2026

Some before and after pictures of a property I am cleaning up. A customer called, worried about a tree turning black, and thought it needed to be removed. I asked if I could bid on it the day I came because of the drive involved. We have been in contact, and she has sent me pictures and videos. I thought the tree might be fine because it was a Maple, and some Maples do that as they age. But I didn’t want to get her hopes up. When I arrived, it was just as I thought - a perfectly healthy tree in perfect form. When I told her that, she was ecstatic that she got to keep her tree and save a bunch of money. She said she was ready to pay me, and since I was there, she let me have my way with the whole yard, including some shrub trimming, which I will show pictures of tomorrow. And Jesus ain’t done yet - she saw all my tools and asked what all I did, then she asked about kitchen remodels.

They have a beautiful home but are wanting to update, and it's a perfect space to really showcase my talents.

I’ve been having faith that God is YHWH JIREH, The Provider. For the last 6+ weeks, I worked just enough to barely pay bills. Don’t worry about tomorrow, a wise man once said. 

05/12/2026

This was in close proximity to a structure and needed removed.
It was very tight quarters.
Not felling trees on a daily basis anymore allows doubt to creep in on a job like this.
But prayer; answered prayer, great equipment and a nice truck for a little leverage brought it down very safely.

05/08/2026

The exterior doors, which had deteriorated and were causing flooding in the storage room inside the building, were repaired. This door was wooden, whereas the other was metal. Following a thorough cleaning, I removed the wood to access the interior frame. I utilized a polyurethane caulk specifically designed for this type of job, which I had not previously used, and reassembled the wood and frame, applying caulk to each layer and seam. The product proved to be highly effective. Initially, I was concerned about the 24-48 hour cure time and the heavy rain that occurred approximately 5 hours later. However, the outcome was successful, and the room is now suitable for storage. A more permanent solution, involving a wall with siding, was proposed to the building owners.

05/07/2026

Step replacement at Polk County Cares & Souled Out Ministry

05/05/2026

Repaired a damaged clean out riser. Demolished two deteriorated walls with doors at opposite ends of a breezeway. Rebuilt walls, installed doors and applied white vinyl siding.