Pink Saturday

gingyb



mrsjaak 

Tennessee backwoods....

Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin   Washington DC..
Spring has certainly sprung in many parts of the country..
softest pastels..
Happy Spring everyone!!
Please join Beverly for more Pink Saturdays!

Tuesday Thoughts..

March has arrived..
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