Going bonsai

Oatman emphasized the need for seniors to keep engaged.

“Many seniors are already isolated, and the worst thing that can happen is to isolate them further,” she said. “That can lead to cognitive decline.”

Kate Fisher, director of admissions at Berkshire Commons Senior Living Community in Exeter Township, said seniors gain strength, balance and flexibility by staying active.

“Keeping their minds and bodies sharp,” she said, “makes seniors feel happy, more relaxed and improves their mental health and

When the COVID-19 crisis hit 10 months ago, Ron Owens knew basically nothing about bonsai, the Japanese art of growing miniature trees.

In the interim, the 88-year-old retired milkman has become a committed devotee to the ancient art.

His apartment at Berkshire Commons is somewhat of a bonsai nursery.

There are bonsai on the window sill, bonsai on the tables next to his easy chair and bonsai in the bathroom. Owens’ daily routine includes watering, trimming and planting new trees, which he grows from seed.

“That’s how I keep myself busy,” he said. “It’s getting to be that I don’t have enough window sills.”

Owens knows a thing or two about being busy.

For 25 years, he delivered milk door to door in Reading for the St. Lawrence and Clover Farms dairies. Seven days a week, 365 days a year, he worked a route from midnight to noon in all kinds of weather.

He relishes telling stories about driving a Divco milk truck — while standing up — through snow and ice to ensure that milk would be on his customers’ doorstep before breakfast.

If that weren’t enough, he worked the afternoon shift driving a school bus in the Exeter School District.

“It’s important to have something that keeps you interested,” Owens said. “You need something to do besides watching TV.”

That said, Owens makes no apologies for taking time to watch “Ocean’s 11,” the original with Frank Sinatra and the remake with George Clooney.

A window into the world

Allen and Harriet Forsman’s cottage at Luther Haven in Topton is a repository of memories from 14 missions they made to remote areas of Africa, Asia and South America.

A scarf woven by an Ethiopian man harbors memories of dancing at farewell celebration beneath the spectacular African night sky. A large head basket evokes memories of life in a Haitian village.

Regretfully, travel restrictions related to COVID-19 prevented the Forsmans from traveling abroad in 2020.

Grounded, as it were, they undertook a fundraising effort for Medical Ministries International, the Canada-based agency that organized their missions.

They sell handmade crafts at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm in the Poconos, where they have demonstrated craft making for more than 40 years, and donate the proceeds to the agency.

Harriet, 77, a retired nurse who has treated villagers from Cambodia to Bolivia, makes gloves from yarn she spins on a spinning wheel. She also weaves baskets from rye grass using an old German method.

“Our missions have given us a window into the lives of people in the rest of the world,” she said. “We feel privileged to have touched the lives of so many wonderful people.”

In demand

If many seniors have more time on their hands due to the virus, Dr. Anton J. Kleiner is an exception.

A resident of The Highlands at Wyomissing, the 76-year-old retired OB/GYN physician has had hardly a moment to himself over the last 10 months.

As president of The Highlands residents coun