In the South, along the beaches..
and so have the Spring Breakers by the droves..
or herds, carloads or two by two to the sea.. ,
well in super great numbers..if you get the drift!
all hoping for the reward at the end of their quest..
for some, it is a respite from the colder climes..
to frolic freely and unfettered ..
from frigid Northward sweaters and coats..
uggs and boots..
..feeling sunshine kissing freshly bared backsides..
as well as noses and sandy toesies..
for macho males..it's beer or bust..or both..
for whatever the reason to be gracing our emerald shores..
even in early spring, Old Sol can be wicked to tender tissues..
hopefully, these children of the sun will not be throwing caution to the wind,,
which also can cause chapping and drying to the kissers as well as kissees..
here's hoping no serious sunburns will occur..
which we all know, can lead to serious Skin Cancer later in life..
for that, I'm speaking from experience..
You all know I grew up on the beach..
I literally LIVED and BREATHED the beach..
from day break until dark..
I was there without a care in the world other than being beautiful..
and perfecting my golden tan..
that's what we did back then..
back in the day before much was known about the dangers of the SUN!
I came of age in the time of Bikinis and bareness..
the darker the tan, the better..
and to keep it dark,
BAKED myself literally for hours,and hours..
ensured an evenly baked tan by liberal dousing of BABY OIL..
made sure I was fried to a crisp!
fast forward to the present here and now..
all of that baking and browning and frying has yielded surprises..
Several suspicious spots..which proved to be Skin Cancer..
Had a nasty one removed from my nose last October..
I thought it a mere pimple...
which I promptly smashed, poked, and picked to no avail.
still, it would not go away...
but had it checked out just in case..
better to be safe.. than sorry..
mine was caught early..
sure left an ugly spot on my nose..
at least I STILL have a NOSE..
and am alive and well..
You can believe I've faithfully followed these warning signs, just never thought it would happen to me!
the A B C's of skin cancer:
A..Asymmetry..one half unlike the other
B..Border.irregular,scalloped, or poorly defined.
C..Color..varied from one area to another, shades of tan and brown,black
D..Diameter..melonomas usually are greater than the size of a pencil eraser when diagnosed, (6mm) they can be smaller.
E..Evolving..a mole or skin lesion which looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or color. can include pain, itch or bleeding in a mole or a new place on the skin.
I just went for my recent all over body check with my dermatologist..
sure enough, an itchy spot (suspicious) on my back was biopsied..
as was another in my facial hairline..
and a third in the crease of my nose..
(both of these looked like the previous one; pinkish pearly looking bump.)
Should have the results in a few more days..
Keeping my fingers crossed that all are nothing to worry about!
a few tips for prevention:
♥use broad-spectrum water resistant sunscreen of 30 (spf) to all exposed skin. re-apply every 2 hours, even on cloudy days, and after sweating or swimming.
♥wear protective clothing where possible..
♥seek shade when appropriate,remembering the sun's rays are strongest between 10am and 4pm.
♥protect children by playing in the shade, wearing protective clothing, and applying sunscreen.
♥use extra caution near water, snow, sand as they tend to reflect the damaging rays of the sun which can increase the chance of sunburn.
♥Get vitamin D safely through a healthy diet..don't seek the sun!
♥AVOID tanning beds..
♥on your birthday,,check your birthday suit! for changing, growing or bleeding. skin cancer is very treatable when caught early..
Be smart..don't be a statistic!
for more info:to learn more about skin cancer, log onto www.aad.org or call toll free(888-462-DERM (3376) to find a dermatologist in your area.
also..more fun at these parties. check them out!.
White Wednesday
Outdoors Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Watery Wednesday
Grew up in Southern Cali and lived outside and loved the beach. But...luckily for me I bored with sunbathing when still a young girl and never ever got a really good tan.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm 53 and I'm sooo grateful I didn't cook my skin all those years ao. Now I'm all about keeping bright, safe and sun-free!!!
GREAT POST!
Rebecca
Oh my..., I would hide out till spring break was over! I've been staying out of the sun... and under hats and umbrellas for almost twenty years now. But before that..., sun burns were frequent.
ReplyDeleteSo scary now to be wondering what all our youthful sunbathing will bring. I wish you good reports!
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting this out there, I know more then one person who has died from skin cancer, sadly.
ReplyDeleteMy Husband went though a mole removal a few years ago. It was frankly the scariest two weeks I have had in my life, waiting to find out how deep, and if it had spread. We have a good friend with a suspicious mole, and he is refusing to be checked, that's not good either.
Everyone is so cavalier about the sun...I started wearing sunscreen a few decades ago, and plan on continuing doing so. But I have friends who insist it's healthier not to wear it because of the chemicals..sigh.
Hope that all is well with your reports.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Interesting post. Thank you for dropping by Loui. A friend of mine just did something similar and she gave the cats the back seat in one large cage. She said they were ok but only for so long. The key was to stop and let them out to roam the car and also to take them into the hotel/motel at night to eat and have freedom to walk around. Your cats may not eat or use the box while you are travelling so it is a must to stop for them and give them time outside the cage. When you stop for meals you should allow them to roam in the car with their cage door left open. That will give them a chance to use their box.
ReplyDeleteShe also used a product called Rescue Remedy which has a calming effect and it is drops that you put on their nose. It has worked for many cats that I know and is recommended by vets. Ask your vet about it.
Good luck. I will be interested to hear how they do. Be patient with them. They do more yowling at first and then should settle into a routine.
Deb