Greetings to all. We hope you are enjoying a great week. The weather is perfect. The awesome sunsets and blue skies highlight the beauty of nature. This makes us all feel good.
Would enjoy the outside more if it were not so dusty. Sometimes traffic is steady-going. Vehicles are going by and unsettled dust is still flying around. It’s nice to sit outside and enjoy the last half-cup of coffee on the porch or at the garage.
Blue Cane-Cowart-Tippo Water Association boil water alerts were lifted last Thursday. Residents are pleased to know water is safe for consumption. Homemakers can feel better with the cooking chores now.
Serious home cooks never put away the Instant Pot, slow cooker, Crock-Pot or whichever. This piece of cookware seriously cooks! I have all three and use either, anytime, mostly because of safety. I’ve learned I cannot leave a pot cooking on the stovetop.
It’s not safe to keep burning food (pot, water and all). Therefore, with the slow cooker, stir one time and leave it to the pot, is best for me.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All are encouraged to learn more and support the cause.
Reading in part from the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners fact sheet, it states African American women face both disproportionate exposure to breast cancer carcinogens and have the highest risk of serious health impact from the disease. In the U.S., a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 8.
Breast cancer has the highest mortality of any cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 59. Among women younger than 45, breast cancer incidence is higher among African American women than white women.
Over the past 20 years, despite the universal drop in mortality rates, we have seen a rise in the incidence of breast cancer in African American women.
In particular, disparities between mortality rates for white and black women have grown significantly.
The mortality rate for black women diagnosed with breast cancer is 42% higher than the comparable rate for white women. Triple negative breast cancer is diagnosed more often in American women of African descent than of European descent in the United States.
The same article list products often marketed to Black women yet contain some of the worrisome ingredients in cosmetics. Products are skin lighteners, hair relaxers, Brazilian blowout treatments and acrylic nails. While it may seem overwhelming to overhaul your entire beauty bag, it is possible to make small changes, one product at a time.
African American communities face both high exposure and high risk. It’s critical that the cosmetic industry reform to ensure that cosmetic products are made with safe ingredients. It’s something to think about, I think.
I have particularly noticed individuals wearing pink. This creates more public awareness of Breast Cancer Month.
A young lady and her mother were leaving the grocery store as I was entering. I admired them both wearing pink T-shirts. She said to me, “I’m going to wear the color pink every day this month with honor.” I thought it was a wonderful gesture as she was wearing pink for a cause.
Keep wearing your pink and/or pink ribbon. Another asked which lapel, left or right side? Professionally and fashionably correct ladies always wear a pin or corsage on the left side about the height of the breast pocket. However, I intentionally wear my pink ribbon (in honor of my sister) on the mastectomy side. It’s appropriate either side; it’s for a cause we care about.
Hope you see lots of pink this month and get/give an inspirational thought.
Enjoy your day. Be blessed.
