What Pets Write In Their Diaries—a must read!

As noted in my opening blog post, not everything found here will be skin care related. And that is certainly true with this post! I think this is so cute—and so true—I wanted to make it available to you in case you hadn’t come across it. Author unknown.

What Pets Write In Their Diaries

Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary…… 

•   8:00 am—Dog food! My favorite thing!
•   9:30 am—A car ride! My favorite thing!
•   9:40 am—A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
• 10:30 am—Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
• 12:00 pm—Lunch! My favorite thing!
•   1:00 pm—Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
•   3:00 pm—Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
•   5:00 pm—Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
•   7:00 pm—Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
•  8:00 pm—Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
• 11:00 pm—Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary…

Day 983 of my captivity…

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow—but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released—and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe, for now...

For more pet related articles, see:

• Amazing Grace—Such a long, long run
• QUINCY BLU—A Beautiful Life
• Doglessness has its moments

Life in Transition: Take this moment for You

I was talking with a client today who got laid-off a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, she is joining the ranks of thousands—maybe millions.

I could hear the stress in her voice and I offered her the following:

• Don’t pass up this opportunity to take a moment and relax in your life. 

Yes, do your due diligence and take whatever steps to find employment. But there are going to be periods of time where you’ve done everything you can, and what you need to do now is just relax. Don’t feel guilty that you are “slacking off” or otherwise losing focus. On the contrary. If you don’t balance this time you have (wanted or not) with relaxation and moments of stresslessness, you will no doubt come across to perspective employers as a big stress ball!

There isn’t anything wrong with taking an hour out of your day and doing something that brings you joy. After you’ve made the phone calls and looked at all the job opportunities online, go whip up a new recipe you’ve always wanted to try. Go for a wonderful hike in the mountains. Read a frivolous novel or watch a mindless show on TV. Take a moment for yourself, for your health, and know it is OK.

In short: Do what you need to do then let go. Let go and trust that everything is going to work out. Hasn’t it always in the past? You’re here, now. You have food to eat and a roof over your head. Doubtful that is going to be taken away from you. Trust in life and in yourself and keep your mind/body/spirit in balance. Balance, after all, is the key to health and well-being.

Blessings to all of you who are in a transition. BE WELL.

For more information, see:

• Relaxation—can you dig it?
• HEADSPACE: Get your meditation on
• Accepting what is—or else

I’m back from Europe—some photos of my trip

I was on vacation at the end of September in the south of France and Barcelona, Spain, along with many other little towns and cities in between. What a wonderful trip!

If you are interested in seeing some of my photos, the links are below.

• A Few Favorites from France & Spain

• Critters I met in France & Spain

• European Graffiti   

• Gargoyles & Angels, Spain & France   

• Gaudi Tiles @ Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain     

• Marc Chagall Museum (Musee National Marc Chagall) Nice, France

I’m happy to be back and happy to have seen all the great sites in France and Spain!
:+) Carolyn.

My Skin Cancer Story—the results

This is the continuation of The importance of regular mole checks: a small “dot” can turn into a one inch scar!—my skin cancer story.

The pathology report came back from the mole biopsy I had last month suggesting further investigation was necessary. Reading dermatology reports on the Internet, in my particular case and pathology reading, some dermatologists excised (removing a skin cancer along with some of the healthy skin tissue around it—the margin) and some did not. In my case, since the mole could potentially turn into melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, I didn’t want to risk it. I took my doctor’s advice and had the mole excised.

What does it mean to have a mole excised? It means that I went back into my dermatologist’s office a few weeks after the initial biopsy and he made close to a one inch incision on my neck then scooped out more tissue for testing, making sure all the questionable cells were removed.

The incision soon after the mole removal.

It is pretty unbelievable that literally a dot of a mole turned into a good inch-long scar on my neck. I was prepared there would be stitches, I know they have to make a bigger incision than you’d expect, but I have to admit when I asked to see where the doctor had drawn the cut mark on my neck, it was a bit of a shock. Thank goodness this wasn’t on my face!

I have said to my clients for years that it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to getting funny-looking moles checked by a dermatologist. The longer you wait, the more potential there is that you will be sporting a large scar if you have to have a mole (cancer or precancer) removed. Here, with my tiny mole, I will be left with a rather large scar on my neck—for the rest of my life. I take this willingly vs. the alternative. 

Make an appointment now with your dermatologist if you haven’t been in a year or more (or ever). Get a full-body mole check, and know you are doing yourself a huge favor in the process. You might be surprised to find out something needs to be removed.

UPDATE: 12/2014

The scar on my neck has of course healed and is visible, for sure. But every time I look at it I think about the future possibility: melanoma. So for me the scar is a happy reminder of a positive outcome. Plus—I’m intrigued by scars; each and every one has a unique story to tell. One hundred percent of the time I will take a scar over the alternative.

For more information, see:

• Skin Cancer ABCs
• Basal cell carcinoma: Introduction
• Melanoma—the deadliest skin cancer 
• Basal Cell Carcinoma: David’s story—a good “I waited too long” story about skin cancer removal

The importance of regular mole checks: a small “dot” can turn into a one inch scar!

I made an appointment with a dermatologist who came highly recommended. I mainly wanted to establish a relationship with a dermatologist so I would have someone to recommend to my clients when I find moles they should have checked out. I also had a tiny (and I mean tiny) dot of a mole on my neck I wanted looked at.

If you had seen this dot (mole) you wouldn’t think anything of it, but I did. It was new, which is one warning sign of potential skin cancer. It was also almost black, a second sign. This dot just looked like a tiny freckle. It was small. From seeing so many clients over the years and seeing odd places on their skin, I have a pretty good sense of possible problem spots and knew this needed to be looked at.

It was the PA (Physician’s Assistant) who actually examined me; this is a common practice in a dermatologist’s office and perfectly fine. (PAs are highly skilled practitioners.) As it turns out the PA said indeed it was potentially problematic. She recommended either keeping an eye on it and having another look in 3 months or take it off now and have it analyzed. I opted for the latter. Why? Because if it was “something,” she said the something it would be is melanoma, not a less deadly squamous cell or basal cell cancer. So off it goes!

I’m not really concerned because if it turns out to be melanoma, it was removed so early that I don’t believe it will be an issue. And if it is nothing today, it could turn into something some day, and I’m simply not willing to risk it.

My point in sharing this story is to let you know that even the slightest change in a mole can signal cancer or a precancerous growth. In my case the “dot” was new, I probably saw it 2 months ago and realized it was new back then—or at least I didn't remember ever noticing it before. It was also dark, almost black, which is another warning sign.

If you aren’t currently seeing a dermatologist or haven’t seen one in a while, I recommend getting a baseline full-body mole check if you are near or over 40, and especially if you’ve had a lot of sun exposure in your lifetime and if you have a lot of moles—no matter your age. Then see your dermatologist annually for mole checks. With the potential for skin cancer, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

For more information, see:

• My Skin Cancer Story—the results—for a continuation of this story
• Skin Cancer ABCs
• Melanoma—the deadliest skin cancer