Repeat Please! 🔁

May is never disappointing, but this year it was exceptional. Spring came on gradually with cool to moderate temperatures until this week's warm spell. Some years we go from winter to summer with hardly any spring weather, but this month is worth repeating if possible. I would trade June for another month of May.

My friend sent me a link to a video of Mary reading her poem "I Happened to Be Standing" from her book A Thousand Mornings: Poems. She writes,

...Then a wren in the privet began to sing.
He was positively drenched in enthusiasm,
I don’t know why. And yet, why not.
I wouldn’t persuade you from whatever you believe
or whatever you don’t. That’s your business.
But I thought, of the wren’s singing, what could this be
if it isn’t a prayer?...

Recent studies have demonstrated the positive effects of listening to bird songs on mental health with reduced feelings of depression and paranoia found in healthy and depressed people. Now that the trees are leafy, I often rely on bird songs to locate them. I listened to so much beautiful music and would put the bird songs on repeat if possible. Here are some of the singers I saw this month as they lifted their prayers to the sky. 

Song Sparrow

House Wren

Yellow Warbler

Bobolink

Savannah Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

Red-winged Blackbird

A very enthusiastic American Redstart

I must mention one other bird that was a delight to see even though it did not sing a song for me at the time. The Veery has a most haunting and beautiful song. I heard it first on Manitoulin Island and it took some time for me to figure out who the singer was. It is hard to find a Veery as they are reclusive and plain in appearance. I saw one early in May, hopping on the forest floor as it blended in with the fallen leaves from autumn.

Here is a short clip of a recording of a Veery's song. 

Wheels for Soft Workouts

I bought myself a second-hand fold-up Schwinn bike last spring on Kijiji but only rode it a little as I developed some knee issues. I had a bike rack on the back of a previous vehicle and used it a few years ago for my regular bike, but never had a hitch added to my current Honda CRV. Many of the trails I enjoy are linear and it is important to know when you are half-tired so you have the energy to return to the parking lot. A fold-up bike seemed like a good solution. I tried one my son-in-law had purchased and found it to be very comfortable and convenient.

The fold-up bike has 20" wheels instead of the 26" wheels on my standard comfort bike. You would not want to commute or go on a long trek with the fold-up but it is great for trails and the meandering journeys I enjoy. Both my bikes have seven gears and that is enough for the types of terrain I traverse.

My three-year-old grandson loves to ride his scooter and will go two or three kilometres easily. He travels much faster than walking speed so a supervising adult needs wheels too. The folding bike is perfect.

Master A. is a true "meanderer", a child after my own heart. He stops frequently to observe his surroundings and is fascinated with stones, bugs, snakes, flowers and drains or manhole covers

My daughter reported that one of the manholes covers on this trail had many garter snakes sunning on it as they awoke from winter hibernation last month.

Master A. stopped at every cover and sat as he looked for them. I much prefer looking for birds over snakes but do my best to keep my prejudices to myself. I want my grandson to be curious rather than fearful.

The Schwinn bike folds in three easy moves;- the seat comes off, the handlebars fold down, and the frame folds in half. It is a lightweight lift into the back of the vehicle. 

Some people enjoy hard workouts in a gym to maintain and improve their fitness levels. I prefer soft outdoor workouts that allow time for seated observation. I sometimes feel sorry for the people jogging by with their earbuds and fitness trackers as they miss the birdsong and flowers and other interesting discoveries along the trail. 

Master A. may develop a more intense, "hard workout" style in the future, but for now, he and I are perfect companions for soft outings. 

Spring Growth

"Got to keep moving", say these two geriatric girls!

We spent a beautiful morning walking through the woods looking for spring ephemerals and birds and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. The past week has been very cool and spring's progression has slowed to a crawl. Magnolias, which almost opened three weeks ago, are still in flower. 

Spring Beauties

Spring is a season of growth and regeneration. I love the four seasons we experience at our latitude and the observance of birds and flowers that belong to a particular month. I never tire of looking for the same ephemerals in the woods year after year.

Sadly, our bodies do not regenerate every spring. The years take their toll and we seldom demonstrate new physical growth in our adult years. Aging brings increasing frailty which describes a loss of health and function that can make a person more susceptible to large declines in function from a minor illness. Sarcopenia is an involuntary loss of strength and muscle mass that starts in our mid-thirties. By the time we are in our 70's, we have likely lost 50% of our maximum strength. 

White Trout Lilies

Joint stiffness and pain can cause us to limit activity and movements that would help us maintain strength. But strong muscles support aging joints. 

Frailty can be delayed and even reversed with resisted muscle work and adequate protein intake, two things that older people often lack. I have too many patients who never walk or exercise in any way and it leads to a cascade of functional loss. The right kind of exercise is like a spring renewal for our bodies.

Personally, I cannot run or jog anymore (I never enjoyed running!) but I love cycling and water exercise is kind to my joints. I have a floor mat and hand weight routine that really keeps chronic pain under control and helps my posture. Even a chair exercise routine can be muscle-enhancing. 

Older adults should not try to be too thin. The ideal BMI for longevity in older adults is between 25 and 28 rather than below 25 which is recommended for younger adults (source). Low body mass and unintentional weight loss in older people are associated with falls, weakness, poor food quality and intake. 

I found an Eastern Comma butterfly, one of a few local species that overwinter under tree bark. Their wings are somewhat tattered when they emerge in the spring but they can lay eggs for another generation. Humans are not hibernators and a winter of fasting and inactivity would be devastating to our health. A consistent activity routine is key to maintaining health and function in our later years.

Eastern Comma Butterfly

This chart shows a few exercises that can go a long way in keeping muscles strong enough to maintain functional mobility. They can all be done at home and exercises like the row and presses can be completed with hand weights instead of gym equipment.