Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice, National Selfie Day, and a Day to Celebrate

Summer Solstice – the most amount of daylight in one day for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and the official beginning of “Summer.” I never heard of National Selfie Day before, but the Twitterverse says it is so. For me, I do not have to see an eye doctor or a skin doctor again until November. I really have nothing to complain about, because my issues were minor and fixable, but the process seemed to drag on from last October until today.

In that time, I have learned a lot about sun protection for everything, including eyes and ears. I now have UPF hats, shirts, neck coverings, etc., etc., as well as UV A&B protective glasses with dark gray lenses and my favorite, amber lenses. I want to do a few more photographs, and then I’ll post those in a post at Southwest Desert Gardening. All gardeners everywhere need sun protection, some just more than others. 🙂

But today, for Solstice (and National Selfie Day 😉 ), I wanted to say “Hello,” dressed appropriately for summer: hat for ear and face protection; UPF 30+ shirt, and very dark glasses as UV protective as possible. I should have been dressed more or less like this all the time I have lived here.

summer solstic
Summer Solstice – Susan in Sun Protective Hat, Shirt, Glasses

What looks like a BandAid is a silicone pad designed to to help flatten the scar from where skin was taken for graft to cover part of my ear where a little skin lesion was removed. It is all healing up very well.

‘Mermaid’ is just about finished with its first bloom, but I thought this bloom this morning was really pretty. I hope you enjoy it, too.

summer solstice
A Beautiful ‘Mermaid’ Bloom on Summer Solstice

Happy Solstice, and may the summer not be as hot throughout as it is today.

10 Replies to “Summer Solstice”

  1. Wonderful selfie. The colors are perfect. I saw it was national selfie day, so I didn’t do a selfie, but Laurie did a good selfie. I also read it’s national vanilla shake day, as well, and I didn’t have a vanilla shake, either, but a vanilla shake would have been a good idea with the temperature on the road reading 107º F. Pretty Mermaid.

    1. Hi, Tim. Thanks. Another friend said I looked “like a scholarship student on vacation holiday,” which was a pretty good description of how I felt. I am finally getting some sun protective clothes that I’m willing to wear. 🙂 It WAS hot today!!! And will continue to be… I look forward to seeing Laurie’s selfie. This is about the last Mermaid for a few weeks, but I thought it was especially pretty (no thrip damage! 🙂 ))))))) )

  2. You look perfectly ready to take on the day! Enjoy the “dry” heat, and smoke and haze. Whatever. It’s a good day.

    1. Hi, Barbara. Thanks! So nice to see you here this evening. I did not check the humidity today, but it might have been a little lower than yesterday because my house was more comfortable (still hot but more comfortable). Yeah, for the smoke and the haze and the whatever. We had such a beautiful prolonged spring, but when the heat arrived, it really arrived! Thanks for dropping by.

  3. Oh boy, I’m just back from the dermatologist too…Wearing hats and sunscreen is going to be something I have to do now too! Good to know you’ve finished with skin and eye docs, though! Beautiful selfie. 🙂

    1. Hi, Mel!!! Great to wake up to you this morning. I’m sorry you are dealing with a dermatologist also. I wonder if that is something of an occupational hazard for female photographers. The guys I know seem to have no problem wearing hats all the time, but the women I know tend not to – until we have to! ? I’ve found it is not as difficult as I thought it might be. I have one pretty ugly but very functional hat – my good friends and photography buddies Tim and Laurie have never mentioned the ugliness but instead emphasis what a good choice it is for sun protection. I have a couple of cute hats I don’t mind at all. I have two other hats that provide pretty good protection and while they are not “cute,” they also aren’t terribly ugly. I definitely do not want any more surgery on my ear (or nose, or anywhere else, for that matter!! ? ))))))))))). So I’m pretty motivated to keep my ears and face covered. Good luck to you in finding hats that you don’t mind wearing and that don’t interfere too much with your using your camera!!
      Sunscreen I have used intermittently for years with no problems, I just wasn’t religious about it until now. I’ve gotten used to that “greasy look.” ? I hope you find a sunscreen with which you have no problems.
      Thank you for coming by. It is really nice to see you again.! ~ Susan

  4. Thanks Susan, I’m actually looking forward to finding a sunscreen that doesn’t end up bleeding into my eyes as I start sweating. That is what always makes me stop using it! Good luck with your recovery! 🙂

    1. I wish you luck with that! You just taught me I certainly have not had all possible problems. I hope your dermatologist has some helpful suggestions for you for that! 🙂

  5. I am glad to hear you are mending and all is going well, Susan. The rose is as beautiful and delicately-colored as the early morning sky in cream & gold. 🙂

    1. Hi, Lavinia. Thank you so much! I planted that rose in memory of my father. He was colorblind and did not see red, but he saw yellows and whites. This is an Old Garden Rose introduced in 1918, the year of my father’s birth. I’ve always loved its big cream and gold flowers.
      Thank you for dropping by, and for the comment. 🙂

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