Getting Back on Track: Part Three

It has been a while since I posted an update on the progress of my knee rehabilitation. I have learned there is no fast track to recovery and while trying to find one, went backwards instead of forward. Just before Christmas I pushed myself to complete 3 km on the track with the walking poles. My knee became more swollen and painful and I could barely walk for the next several days.

My good friend, who has had many knee surgeries including bilateral knee replacements at the age of 45, encouraged me and wrote,

"I am SO sorry that you have discovered the unwritten rule of ortho recovery -- There Wilt Always Be a Setback."

She continued saying,

"...at our comparatively young age, we're going to swell more than the 70 and 80 year olds. My surgeon warned me about this before the knee replacement surgery -- told me that my 75 year old hospital roommate would heal in 3 months, but I would take 4, just because my healthier bones / skin / tissue would produce more swelling. And he was right."

I had often noticed that people in their fifties had a lot more difficulty achieving joint movement after knee replacement surgery due to swelling and soft tissue inflammation but had never heard any explanation for this observation before.

We use standard knee exercises following knee surgery including preliminary quadriceps contractions, knee extension over a roll and straight leg raises. I was unable to do any of these because my knee was bent at a 20 degree angle and my muscles were far too weak to even contract isometrically. When a joint is contracted, the limb is shortened, other muscles are recruited for walking and a limp is inevitable. This abnormal gait pattern can accelerate further joint damage. My main task was to get the joint fully extended and then to strengthen the muscles to the point where they would work in a normal pattern of movement. I have been seeing a skilled physiotherapist who has been very honest and objective with me. She has given me treatment and exercises which have not been necessarily pleasant, but have produced results. My knee is now within 5 degrees of straight even though I have difficulty holding it, and the swelling is gradually resolving.

I am walking on trails again with my poles. We have had a lot of fresh snowfall this month and I find the soft surface easier to walk on than pavement, that is if I control any unexpected sliding. I have decreased my overall walking and have included water therapy and time on the exercise bike. Tomorrow I am finally returning to work on a modified schedule but will have to pace myself and pay attention to any pain or swelling I may experience. The knee will continue to get a lot better with time, but there is no fast road to recovery, even for a physiotherapist. My exercise routine will require a lifetime commitment of modified aerobic exercise and specific strengthening and mobilizing routines.

Lake Ontario Winter Birding

I have been birding in the Hamilton/Burlington area of Lake Ontario twice this month. Many ducks spend the winter here and Burlington Bay has thousands of resident waterfowl at this time of year. Most of them are far out from shore and are difficult to identify. This is the first time I have really wanted to use a scope. My binoculars are very good, but it is still hard to see the features of some birds in trees and in the water. I saw at least six hawks I could not identify. Peregrine Falcons are found here but I did not see them. My January bird list, which I started thanks to Larry, is now at 46 species. I know I have seen more, but if I don't identify them I will not count them. Here is a slide show which features at least 20 bird species. You can see the birds about as well as I can in the field. Identification is not always easy but I have added 6 birds to my life list this month. Believe me when I say it was cold out there on Friday!! I was in a little sun, a lot of cloud and periods of heavy snow flurries.

How many can you identify? You can follow this link to YouTube and view the pictures in a larger format.

Friday Flowers: White Spruce Cones

White spruce is a tree native to the northern part of North America. One of Canada's widest ranging tree species, it is important commercially for lumber and pulp. It also provides food and shelter for many types of wildlife. Every two to six years a bumper crop of cones is produced ensuring the survival of the species even when the seed eaters have had their fill.

I do not know for certain, but it would seem there was a bumper crop of flowers and cones this year. I went for a walk on a cold day this week and sought shelter from the wind in a grove of spruce trees. It did not take long for me to notice that I had company as the branches were full of birds. I saw Chickadees, House Finches, and...

Common Redpolls, the first I have seen this year. They were irruptive last winter but few have been reported in the area this season.

The Redpolls were busy extracting seeds from the many cones on the trees. White spruce do not grow as tall as other conifers and their branches grow outwards even at ground level. It made bird watching much easier without having to look way up in the treetops.

After several attempts, I finally got a recognizable picture of a Golden-crowned Kinglet. These tiny birds seldom stay still for a second but the seeds kept them in one spot briefly.

This bird was a first for me. White-winged Crossbills are irruptive this winter and large numbers were seen during the recent Christmas bird count. Their unique crossed bill is especially designed for removing seeds from cones. There were perhaps 25 or 30 of these birds in the trees but they were spooked by my presence and I had difficulty getting pictures of them. They perched on the top of a high deciduous tree and waited for me to leave.

The males are a beautiful red colour. Lynne from Hasty Brook had wondered if the blurry picture I showed of one on Wednesday was a Pine Grosbeak. Other than the beaks, the two species do look very similar. This is only picture I got that shows the colour and the distinctive wings of the male.

The snow below the trees was covered in spruce seeds that had fallen while the birds were feeding. Nature can be extravagant in its abundance. That is a good thing as there are many cold, hungry weeks of winter ahead for the birds depending on white spruce cones for food.

Does the Sky have Borders?

Lake Huron - Canada-USA border
north of Sarnia ON and Port Huron MI

Borders are scratched across the hearts of men
by strangers with a calm, judicial pen,
and when the borders bleed we watch with dread
the lines of ink along the map turn red.
Marya Mannes

Much conflict occurs because of man made borders. Lines drawn by the victors after the two world wars continue to trigger ethnic violence. The world map is constantly changing and is very different than it was even twenty years ago.

Blue Water Bridge- Crossing into Canada at the top of the span

This week we drove across the Blue Water Bridge which spans the St. Clair River between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. It took about two minutes to present our passports and go through the USA immigration check point as the officer joked with us about the short shopping trip we had planned at the local mall. Two white Canadian women pass through this border very quickly.

Lakeside Park, Port Huron MI

I am very aware that I am in a different country as soon as I drive into Port Huron. The speed limit is posted in miles per hour rather than kilometres per hour. Gas prices are per gallon rather than per litre. The traffic signals dangle from wires rather than being affixed to a pole. The stores, schools, hospitals, homes and flags all have a different look. People tend to drive larger vehicles and the parking lots are filled with trucks and SUVs and rather than compact cars. The people speak with a different accent but are most welcoming and helpful. This is a friendly border.


Who drew the line in the sand and said this is America and that is Canada? I doubt many of us today could answer that question. The birds who left these prints on the beach fly freely in the skies and land in both countries. Nature is not limited by man made boundaries.

Will these borders always be secure and peaceful?

Their past has seen violence and if history teaches us anything, the future will likely host conflict again. I truly hope not, but pivotal events that change the present can occur very quickly.


I stood on the deserted beach looking across the water at my country. The skies were layered with colour and textures as high clouds were pushed along by cold winds. Ice was piled up at the water's edge even though the lake appeared to be open. A boat appeared through the distant mist in the horizon and approached the area where the water from Lake Huron drains into the St. Clair River on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.


It was a Canadian Coast Guard vessel patrolling that line in the water. Yes, we have borders on the land, in the water and even in the sky. As I hear the news about the current fighting in Gaza and other areas of the world I am appreciative of the peace we enjoy with our near neighbours.

May it always be!

Follow this link for more SkyWatch posts from around the world.

Digital Camera Bloopers and More

Peekaboo!

I read that the expected sales of digital cameras in 2008 in United States alone was expected to exceed 40 million units. In 2007, 37 million cameras were sold in the America. Digital cameras have created huge numbers of new casual and serious photographers who can take hundreds of pictures a day if desired without being concerned about film and developing costs.

Do you think my butt is too big?

I use Flickr to share my favourite pictures and to browse through photos taken by others. Upwards of one million photos are uploaded daily on Flickr* from four million users around the world, an absolutely mind boggling number of images. There are people who upload every single picture they take to Flickr (and Facebook) with no editing or elimination of poor shots at all. I would estimate that for every 100 pictures I take, perhaps five to ten are worth sharing at the most. Some pictures I keep for personal reference, and every so often I go back and cull the pictures on my computer before I store them on an external device.

Please look at the camera!

There are privacy concerns raised with so many cameras clicking around us all the time. Most of us find the camera a harsh judge of appearance and do not like to see indiscriminate pictures of ourselves, especially as we get older. HP has come out with a camera that offers slimming photo editing options that can make the subject look ten pounds lighter instantly. How about a camera that makes someone look ten years younger?

Those twigs in the foreground are very annoying!

This week I was out on a very cold but beautiful day when I came across a number of less common winter birds. I dropped my walking poles and backpack and stood quietly trying to get pictures while not scaring off the birds. Here are some of my worst shots. I have tried to be selective by not showing all of them. At least these pictures have a bird in them. See if you can identify them and I will post some better pictures at the end of the week .

You are so beautiful! Why won't you pose for me?

* These stats taken from the Flickr blog in 2006. Undoubtedly the numbers are higher now and there are over 3 billion pictures hosted at this site. In the past minute, 5200 pictures were uploaded to Flickr according to information on their home page.

Now for some unabashed bragging, mainly so my parents can say, "She got it from me!"
Every day the top 500 most interesting pictures uploaded to Flickr (out of about 1 million) are featured on Explore. I have had 7 pictures on Explore and am proud of them. Some photographers I have as contacts have had 50 or more pictures on Explore while others who take equally excellent pictures have had none. Go figure! I do not know the formula.

Here is my Explore poster. (click to enlarge) I didn't even know about Explore until someone emailed me to tell me I was on it. Here is link where you can check to see if your Flickr photos have been chosen.

Where are all the Cardinals?...Here!

Watched from behind by some male Northern Cardinals

Kim, the Kitchen Window Birder asked yesterday, "Where are all the cardinals?" She lives in central Massachusetts and reports seeing fewer Northern Cardinals in her area this winter. We had a pair nest in our yard this summer. The adults and four juveniles were seen frequently in the area until winter arrived. Now I only see the adults when they visit my feeders faithfully at dawn and dusk and rarely see them in the middle of the day. They are territorial birds.


I have been visiting a local trail at Riverside Park in Cambridge frequently. The walking is easy in this marshy area and the birds are plentiful. Tree Sparrows are seen by the dozen. Chickadees feed easily from your hand and several Blue Jays are about too. I rarely see Blue Jays at home, even for easy peanuts. On New Year's Day, my husband and I were treated to a very vocal Pileated Woodpecker near the walkway. White-breasted Nuthatches and Juncos are also plentiful.

A Chickadee investigates my binoculars

I have never seen so many Cardinals in one location. The birds on this trail are used to people filling feeding trays which are set out in a couple of locations. Last week while I was feeding some Chickadees I was surprised to find myself surrounded at a distance by Cardinals. I counted no less than ten of them as they waited to see if I would put out seed for them. I have never seen them grouped like this. Some sunflower seeds thrown on the ground enticed them to come gradually closer.

Female Northern Cardinal

I have mentioned before that Northern Cardinals were not found in southern Ontario fifty years ago. Their range has gradually spread northward as has the range of the House Finch. They are not found in northern Ontario even in the summer.

Other birds seen along this trail...
White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee
American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco

There are likely similar clusters of Cardinals in Massachusetts in wooded and marshy areas. They eat of varied diet of seeds, fruit, buds and insects. There bright colour and cheery cheep is always welcome in the winter.

Winter Fun for Free

This past Saturday was one of the beautiful winter days that we often enjoy in January. The sun was bright in the cloudless sky and a light north wind kept the air dry and the temperatures to a cool high of -5c. With the sun stronger than the wind, it was most comfortable to loosen your scarf, remove your gloves and to be outdoors for an extended period of time.

Getting ready for "curling"

My husband and I drove to the Hamilton area which is about forty minutes from our home. Hamilton is built on the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment divides the city into upper and lower areas. There are many beautiful parks and green spaces in Hamilton and neighbouring Burlington. We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens' Laking Garden area where a large marsh is an important birding area especially during migration times. The shallow water has frozen into a smooth surface and several groups of people had come with shovels and gear to enjoy outdoor winter sports.

Pick up hockey

There were at least three pick up hockey games in progress, free of referees, fans or protective gear. The young men were practicing their stick handling and passing skills with none of the goon antics of the professional sport.

A group of middle aged men and women cleared a long rectangle on the ice and set up to play a modified game of curling. They had stones with extra long handles but no brooms were apparent. Young children skated around frozen reeds and chased a large exercise ball across the frozen surface. Grindstone Creek runs on one side of the marsh and the running water was open. While signs were up warning people to stay off the ice surface, the water here is barely more than ankle deep.

Overlooking Burlington Bay

A little further along the shore, we walked a short trail overlooking Burlington Bay. People were sitting out on the benches soaking in the sun's rays as if it were a midsummer day. The Chickadees here expect handouts and my husband was happy to indulge them. He spent his time breaking peanuts into Chickadee-sized handouts because they appeared to be their favourite treat.

Black-capped Chickadee

As for me, there were plenty of birds to see including the well cared for group of Trumpeter Swans who are fed through the winter by volunteers. The January bird list on my sidebar has grown to 35 birds. Many other birders and photographers were about with cameras and binoculars.

Two Trumpeter Swans do synchronized grooming

The steel town has done an excellent job of shoreline restoration and has largely reversed its reputation as a dirty, polluting industrial centre. I went to university here in the mid 1970s and it was never a place I would have wanted to live. We drove by a number of (expensive) homes for sale along the bay and passed a large hospital overlooking Lake Ontario where I could find work while my husband made a living by fishing. ;-)
Maybe...
...maybe not
In the meantime it is a lovely place to visit.

Follow this link for more My World posts from around the globe.

Friday Flowers: Simple Resolutions

These pretty wildflowers were found in Central Park, Manhattan. Amidst the hustle and activity of one of the world's biggest and busiest cities, the natural simplicity and beauty of these unexpected blooms refreshed my day.

Tis the season for resolution, for initiating changes in one's life. We all know that most New Year's resolutions are broken within a month. All you need to do to prove this is to compare the number of people at a fitness centre on January 2nd and February 2nd. Resolutions become a task master and do not deal with our attitudes and inner motivation.

A number of bloggers have been writing about picking a one word guide for the new year. This word would be significant in many levels of your life, not just the external ones that others would notice. The goal is a shift of attitude and focus, of addressing root issues and deeply ingrained habits.

My word for the year is...

SIMPLIFY

Part of Speech: verb

Definition: make easy, intelligible

Synonyms: abridge, analyze, boil down, break down, break it down, chasten, clarify, clean it up, clean up, clear up, cut down, cut the frills, decipher, disentangle, disinvolve, draw a picture, elucidate, explain, facilitate, get down to basics, get to the meat, hit the high spots, interpret, lay out, let daylight in, let sunlight in, make clear, make perfectly clear, make plain, order, put in a nutshell, put one straight, reduce, shorten, spell out, streamline, unscramble

Many people wish to simplify their lives, to reduce stress, debt, excess, the addictions to information, technology, money, habits and material things. Living simply can mean frugality or it can also mean living a more balanced, deliberate, and thoughtful life.

Simplicity is the touchstone of my new year.

Blog links for further reading on the subject:

Resolution Revolution

Resolution Musings