Spring's Arrival, Sun and Skin

Spring is often a short season wedged between winter and summer. At the beginning of the month, we had snow banks on the lawn and this week the temperatures have been in the high 20s, quickly forcing flowers and trees into bloom. I watched Magnolia flowers open today between breakfast and early afternoon. 

I purchased new summer clothes this week as my dermatologist has severely warned me to avoid the sun. Over the past few months, he has done multiple skin biopsies and I am booked for surgery this coming week for a "wide excision" of a lesion on the back of my neck. All my positive biopsy sites were on my back and the backs of my arms, places where I do not routinely apply sunscreen. Today was typical for me in regard to outdoor summertime weekend activity. I went for a bike ride at 8 AM and then spent five hours roaming trails and parks between 11 AM and 4 PM. I wore a UPF 50+ longsleeved hoodie and sun hat and did not feel overheated at all. I remember asking my dad when I was very young why people in hot countries often wore long, flowing clothes. He told me that protecting the skin from direct sun and wearing clothes that allowed airflow kept people cooler. Sadly, like most people of our generation, my family did not dress in a skin-protective manner even though we lived in a hot climate! My early years in South Africa jump-started my skin damage. After returning to Canada, we didn't worry about the two or three severe sunburns we got each year and I didn't use sunscreen until middle age. My dermatologist's waiting room is full of Baby Boomers of Germanic ancestry. We all look like the people on the wall posters warning about the dangers of excessive sun exposure. It is a lucrative specialty, even without the cosmetic business in the other half of the building which is not covered by our provincial health care plan. 

Today I looked for signs of spring in wetlands, woodlands, parks, and municipal gardens. I have plenty of bird and flower pictures along with these interesting shots. And I didn't worry about the sun at all!

Frog eggs in a creek

Water Strider in an eddy

Painted turtle enjoying the sun (obviously it does not care about UV damage)

Skunk Cabbage flowers