Pretty sky

On the drive home today, I was most impressed by the light show being put on by Mother Nature. The sky was a luminous blue, highlighted with glowing tangerine clouds that drifted across the lemon moon. It was incredible. As I arrived at home, the clouds overhead were so intensely golden, it seemed the sky was on fire. I ran in, trying to get the dog out (and my camera) as quickly as possible, and managed to get some of the show

Pardon the bright, pale bushes in front. It took me forever to cope with my PHD digital (I miss my Rebel; I don't miss paying to develop film, though) and figure out that if I turned the flash on, the colors came out much closer to the reality.

This is even better, right as the sun started to drop behind the horizon, the sky got really intense. I think I have yarn this color. Again, apologies for the tree--it's very hard to find an aspect in my neighborhood that isn't crowded with flora.

Sister Moon walked along with us. She was ducking behind her veils as Dog and I took our brief perambulation (he was getting in a temper with me, since I kept saying "Stop! Stop!" and hauling out the camera, removing glove, composing picture, etc, etc, while he was trying to get his walk on.)

And then I got really-really smart, and realized I could just shoot straight up. The golds came out quite muted (the bottom edges of the clouds were more...mustard than showed up in this picture), but it's not too far off.

Sigh.

I had a bit of a brief health scare yesterday. I went for my bi-annual spot check at the dermo. My dark spots are looking quite well, but she's concerned over a bump I've recently developed on my forehead. We're letting it sit for the while, but as my mother has recently developed several basal cell carcinomas, and as I seem to have inherited her skin.... I'm young, though. Too young. Not that 35 is too young for cancer, but if I've developed basal cell (granted, the kind of skin cancer you want if you've got a choice) it means I'm more likely to develop other cancers later--it doubles the odds.

I was all droopy and unhappy for the day, then realized: a woman's lifetime risk of, say, breast cancer (the most common cancer in women, not linked to smoking) is 1 in 8. 12%. And most of that is post menopause, which for me is probably at least 20 years off. So, if I do have basal cell cancer on my face (which really isn't likely--as I mentioned, Mother has had several and I know what they look like, and that one on my head? Not like them), and if the research that says developing it younger doubles your risk of cancer later, that's still only 25% risk I'll develop breast cancer. I'd play those odds. Really, not bad odds if you want the truth.

And, when you get down to it, my lifetime cancer risk is what it always has been, just now I know it's higher than I'd assumed. So I'm going to start being even more vigilant about my veggies. And my exercise. And get the screenings I'm supposed to, because I am getting older and I should. Yet again, le sigh. But I shouldn't be so puny about it: prior to this, my odds looked even better that I'd end up done in by heart disease. I probably have way better odds than my coworkers who smoke like chimneys. And, if it always comes down to it, I can always take up bungee jumping, base jumping and rock climbing with no ropes. I always did want to go out in exciting fashion.

Besides, as my university health teacher told us, don't worry too much about what the researchers say, it's breathing that does you in, eventually. (Oxidation joke.)

(Probably funnier in context.)

Now, I must off to paperwork for work (benefits garbage; I hate having to do this every year, particularly now, but as needs must....) And maybe I'll let myself have a piece of my French chocolate if I'm a good girl and don't whine. Mmmm.