June open forum
Of bare bottoms, toxic plants and ferocious black flies
A picture is worth a thousand words, yes? As in it can convey multiple ideas (and it’s going to get so much more complicated with AI). Often it’s the small details that were never meant to be the original focus that stick with us. They can enhance it, or spoil it.
A case of the latter popped up for me when reading about a British gentleman named Richard Collins who was arrested for “public indecency” while sitting naked on a wooden bench in Hastings, Sussex. The arresting officer soon learned that he had erred: Collins hadn’t broken any laws, so he was “de-arrested.”
The story got picked up by several media outlets, and some of them ran a photo of Collins sitting naked on the bench, which he says he often does there. The first thing that I noticed: he wasn’t practising what so many naturists preach. His bare bottom appeared to be sitting directly on the wooden bench. It was a hygienic faux pas. He should have placed a towel or some sort of material on the bench to sit on.
OK, I know. It’s a small thing. But he is a member of British Naturism and the founder of Naturists UK, according to the Daily Mail report referenced above. I couldn’t help but think how many other people might notice that — and be turned off by it, especially since he said he sits there often.
The bench, incidentally, is set amidst a thicket of some very suspicious-looking plants and bushes, but that’s a whole other story. Suffice to say, we should be on the lookout for toxic plants like hogweed when we are baring it all in the Great Outdoors.
Speaking of outdoors, the black flies are plentiful in these parts now, and they are ferocious. I have lots of bites. But we are experiencing a July-style heat wave this week, so that might kill them off . . .
OK, so that is what’s on my mind for this month’s open forum. How about you? Feel free to talk about all things naturism and nudism.
And a warm welcome to new members!
— Jillian
As far as bugs are concerned, I have come to appreciate the merits of Jungle Juice from my stint in the military. (99% DEET. It stinks but I love it.) But mosquitoes don't devour me like they do other people and when they do get me, I don't have a strong reaction. I'll stand there naked and once in a while I'll swat one and my fully clothed wife will need mosquito netting to survive. It takes clouds of the buggers before I get irritated. I think it comes from (secretly) running around naked in the north woods as a ten year old. Early exposure reduces the risk of later allergy.
No see-ums, black fly, and deer flies are a different matter but we don't have a lot of those out here. Too dry. High concentration DEET works against them. Permethrin is "natural" and also effective against them but keep it away from cats. It is lethal to them. I've heard good things about AVON Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus for people with delicate skin.
Bees are another issue we have. I take care not to disturb bees - brushing against a plant they are pollinating or getting close to an obvious hive entrance. If a bee lands on me I never swat at it. I blow on it or minimally shake it off. One doesn't want to do anything to it that might alarm it. No Africanized honey bees in our neck of the woods yet. I've been stung once in the last 40 years and it was because I stepped barefoot on a yellowjacket wasp in the mud.
We have lots of nasty plants here that will happily ruin your day. There are stinging nettles and thistles and cacti and yucca and poison oak and poodle dog bush. They are pretty obvious if you know what to look for but some people have ended up in a hospital because they collected a bunch of poodle dog flowers. They are very pretty. Also the pretty red leaves of poison oak in the late summer/fall. Nettles inject an acidic toxin that causes numbness or itching. it is best neutralized with baking soda but urine will do in a pinch. Yucca leaves have a needle sharp point on the tip that injects a toxin that causes pain but it eventually goes away.
if you realize you've been exposed to poodle dog bush or poison oak, the only thing to do is to wash the area with soap and water to remove the oils. (Ideally, dish or laundry soap.) Do it within a couple of hours. You can improvise soap in the field from native plants. Even without soap, scrub it thoroughly with water or a wet wipe. . If it starts to itch, usually a day later, take antihistamines and apply cortisone.
It may take several exposure to develop an allergy to poison oak or it may happen first time round. You can lose it after a long period without exposure and then regain it. Native American typically are not allergic but that isn't universal.
I have gotten to I weave my way through hazardous plants without even knowing I'm doing it.
I easily forgive him for not using a towel on a remote wooden bench.
The main reason I use a towel at a social gathering is to spare upholstery from sweat and body oils. The towel also goes onto plastic chairs because the feeling of plastic against skin is not comfortable. There is also the (small) possibility of transmitting/catching skin infections (scabies, ringworm, jock itch, et al.).
These risks apply to ANY degree of exposed skin, not just nudists. I once caught scabies from my desk at work because we were hot-swapping desks. It infested my hands and wrists. I got into sanitizing my desk after that. (That was once in my entire life.) We also know how easily athlete's foot spreads in a gym, hence flip-flops.
Some people might not keep themselves clean down there or they may have some variety of incontinence. He would know if this applies to him.
A wooden bench exposed to sun and air is not going to be a disease vector and he may be the only person who ever sits on it. (I'd still prefer a towel because of splinters.) It is also a situation where if you are concerned, you use a towel and what he does won't matter. (If he were to sit on a chair in my patio, I'd feel differently.) My solution is a washable cover on any furniture that isn't easily washable.. I don't worry about a towel when I'm sitting on my own furniture.
This reminds me of the people at the Bay to Breakers where a Golden Gate Park ranger threatened to cite them if they didn't get dressed. The ranger was later corrected by park management, unfortunately it was only after the event was over. I never met the guy but I think I would have got dressed but politely asked him to check with his superiors to put a stop to it then and there.
It also reminds me of the guy out by Altadena who was arrested TWICE by deputies for indecent exposure for hiking on the trails north of LA in the Angeles National Forest. Both times he was held in the police car until the deputies checked with their supervisor and discovered that it wasn't illegal. The sheriff finally issued a formal letter explaining that nudity was not illegal in National Forest land in LA County. Freehikers are advised to keep a copy of it with them in case they meet another ignorant deputy.
https://socalnaturist.org/campfire/nudehiker.html