Most years, with Wyoming weather being the way it is, I usually can’t get out in shirtsleeves much before Memorial Day. But dangit, on Memorial Day weekend, I’m going to wear a T-shirt whether it’s nice or not. It’s the first weekend of summer, so by golly, I’m going to act like it.
But this year, I was able to get out and mow the lawn the weekend before Memorial Day. Not only was it nice enough to mow, it was nice enough to mow in short sleeves. That first mow of the season is always a long one, and like an idiot, I always head out to mow without slathering on the sunscreen.
The result was a very impressive sunburn a week ahead of schedule. Early in the year, I burn easily, but luckily, I heal pretty quickly, too. But this year, I didn’t get the after-burn tan I usually get, so my skin was ripe for another burn on Memorial Day weekend.
Despite remembering to slap on some sunscreen while I was trying to catch a few Memorial Day fish, I still burned again. I guess I’m just doomed to get sunburned every Memorial Day. Part of the problem may have been the sun reflecting off the water, because unlike the previous weekend’s burn, which was on the tops of my arms and the back of my neck, my Memorial Day burn was mostly on the undersides of my arms and under my chin, where I guess I don’t get as good an application of the ol’ SPF 30.
The good news is that this burn is already fading into a nice, protective tan. I’ll still try to remember the sunscreen when I head out to go fishing the rest of the summer, but at least I shouldn’t burn as easily anymore.
