THE YEAR SO FAR...

SUMMER HAS HAD ITS DAY; although it did try to hang on for a bit.  Now I am listing all the Autumn/Fall jobs that have to be in hand before the really cold weather sets in.  Feels like a good time to review the year.

Without doubt the weather has been a little weird.  I thought it would be a good idea to see out the entire Winter here in Corning. NOT a good idea, as it turned out.  Seems I took no notice of my forecast that it would be a long, severe Winter.  If I had really thought that I maybe would have headed off for warmer climes for a week or so.  As it was, for those of us who stayed here the whole season, Winter was very depressing, even a little crushing.  A new experience for me.

The really good thing about Winter, so to say, is the coming of Spring.  Suddenly, everything speeds up.  One's energy returns with a rush and the spirit soars.  This year, all that was just plain delayed too long.   Of course Summer did not languish in the queue, further shortening Spring.  But...lots of rain this Summer and not many really nice, hot days.  So here we are, the beginning of Fall.

Why all this going on about the seasons?  Perhaps I am really thinking how everything interacts and it is not just the seasonal changes.  With the Winter hanging on, I discovered a strange sinusitis; not the sort that has you thinking all your upper teeth are in danger of falling out...just one upper molar sensitive to sideways pressure.  This along with a persistent cough.  This seemed just like a condition I had in the middle of last year (same time, around my birthday).  Off to the clinic I went, returning with a prescription for antibiotics, eventually twice repeated.  Sort of worked.  Being a little obsessive about the causes of conditions, I had developed a theory that these two were connected.  My Doc disagreed, referring me to an Allergist (last Spring was a killer for allergies).  To my surprise, it turns out I have more than one or two.  The Allergist started me on a nasal spray and that seemed to help a bit.  Not much progress with the tooth. My dentist referred me to an Endodontist who was of the view that I had an incipient infection at the molar root (ergo: root canal needed).

The last thing one wants when one is ageing is a persistent low level inflammation somewhere in the body, especially to do with teeth, (bad consequences for vascular disease), so by now I was a little worried.  Enter 'dental tourism ', brought on by the need for implants to replace the collapsed bridge.  Down in Costa Rica, I had the root canal done.  The result has been quite wonderful...almost like the coming of Spring.  The tooth/sinusitis feels much improved, my lethargy has gone away and I am finally 'getting on with things' (aided, of course, by better weather).

The other complicating factor was that, early in Spring, my belle amie (Uma) was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.  My first real brush with this cancer thing.  Until now I had never really understood or appreciated how fearful this can be.  I have been supporting her every way I can, including going  with her for the surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, which has the most dreary effect on the sufferer.  It has been hard on me too.  I am a 'fix it' person and cancer is not something easily fixed. However wearing, it is nevertheless a precious thing to be included in all that is going on for her.

So the lesson for me thus far is that life is complicated and not always easy or pleasant.

What else I have learned is the importance of  the company and support of friends, maintaining fitness and health, and getting out into the outdoors.

Another surprising finding this year has been the importance of our musculature for health.  From midlife on we begin to loose muscle mass, men more so than women. After age 70, this loss accelerates.  As well, in age, the more muscle one has the less one gets sick.  Until recently, I had not realized that the musculature also functions as an important part of our immune system, so better muscle mass could be a factor in preserving wellness in later age.  Just over three years back, my friend Richard introduced me to the concept of 'slow burn'.  When visiting with him he showed me the series of exercises he does once a week.  This is indeed a minimalist approach and I was excited to follow it up.  Last year, I discovered that one of the trainers at the gym was actually involved in the original research in this approach, so I now have someone to keep me in the groove.

It seems a little exercise often is the way to go.  As well, I have discovered the High Intensity Interval approach to exercise.  This takes care of the aerobic side and, wonder of wonders, does not take long.  With these two approaches, I have reduced my time at the gym to about 25 minutes each visit.  It seems to be working well.

Sorry...no photos this time.