Winter has arrived this week, and with it so many changes. For the past six days, our temperatures have stayed below freezing. We’ve had some blowing snow, although not enough to cover the grass. But the cold weather is now allowing Mother Nature to ice over our lakes and ponds. Many of the Canada geese are flying high in the sky, heading south to warmer climes. Whereas before we heard their calls in the early morning and before sunset, now they are continuous throughout the day as they journey away in large flocks before the winter becomes harder and colder. What waterfowl remain, find it slippery going on the once-liquid lakes. Soon the transition to winter will be complete and we will revel in her white and shimmering beauty.
Minnesota
Harvest and Thanksgiving
Yesterday I was south of the Cities near the town of New Trier, Minnesota. This is a beautiful farming area with an abundance of rolling hills. The harvest has been late this year, hampered by rain and cooler temperatures. But on this unusually sunny and warm day there was much activity in the fields — something for which many farmers were quite thankful. As we head into the week of Thanksgiving I’m focusing on the bounty of my life and all those things I have to be thankful for: a roof over my head and a job, plenty of good food to eat, good health, good friends, good family, and a wonderful freedom we enjoy in this country. May we all realize the good fortune we have.
A personal bicycling milestone
This past week marked a new milestone for me, one I wouldn’t have imagined at the beginning of the year. On Wednesday I took advantage of a warm late-fall afternoon to complete an 18-mile bicycle ride on the Gateway Trail on the outskirts of Saint Paul. By completing this ride I have now ridden 1,500 miles this year — an amount that far exceeds anything I’ve ever done. All those miles have been filled with new sights, adventures, and shared conversations. The ones early in the year were done in training for the Bike Across Kansas, and the ones at the end of the summer and into the fall were for the exercise and the enjoyment of riding. I can’t predict how many miles I’ll traverse next year, but I know these 1,500 miles have plenty of enjoyable memories to carry me through the winter and have me looking forward to new bicycling adventures starting next spring.
A late evening’s moment in time
Stop from your hurried day and slow down. Stay in one place, calm your mind. Pay attention to what is around you and in front of you: at the end of this late autumn day the sun is slowing sliding to the horizon, having lost its earlier summer warmth. The slough in front of me is filled with grasses and cattails, and the wind is rushing across them causing them to dance to its rhythm. The sound of the wind is only challenged by the large flock of geese that has taken wing and is rising from the water. The cacophony of their honking is carried across this same wind to my ears. On this evening I am filled with joy, gratitude, and wonder for everything that has come together for this short moment in time.
Unexpected finds
How often is it that one starts to go to point A, makes a wrong turn, finds point B, and discovers something unexpected and remarkable? One late afternoon this past week, I was headed north out of Saint Paul to meet a friend. With an extra 25 to 30 minutes to spare, I got off the interstate to wander to a side highway. Fortunately (?) I missed the turn and continued east, and stumbled into the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area. My GPS showed lakes and sloughs on either side of me. As I wandered down an unpaved road I came to a dike. The sun was low in the sky and bathed the gold and red leaves in a warm evening light, offering up this late fall color, accompanied by the sounds of geese honking overhead. All this beauty of nature was unexpectedly waiting for me on the outskirts of the city, yet it transported me to a wild and natural area far removed from the day’s hustle and bustle.
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