October in 8 Photos

October got its name when the Roman calendar (like the Romans, I guess) was in charge. I kind of like the idea of starting the year in March. January and February are kind of... you know. I digress. October was the eighth month. Hence, eight photos.

This month has been a mix of ups and downs, highs and lows, sunshine and, yes, snow. After some quality family time at the beginning of the month, I went with some friends to Lanesboro for what was supposed to be a biking trip. It was cold and windy and snowy. There was a break in the snow and my friend Deb and I walked on the pretty bike trail. 

I'll need to go back to Lanesboro in 2020 and
ride the trails. We went 10 years ago and it
was really nice. Cold wind and a brief reprieve from snow
 proven by a lack of cyclists.

I don't have Deb's permission to share her
photo. The bluffs were pretty.

After the non-biking biking weekend, I went for a nice sunny but chilly bike ride on the federal holiday known as Columbus Day. Even though locals were off work for Indigenous Peoples' Day, the trails around the lakes (which I never ride due to crowding) were really empty.

I took a way better photo of Lake Harriet, looking
east. I deleted it though. Oops. You get the
bandshell as a consolation prize.

See? It has been wet. I ignored the trail closed
sign of course, but only because I could walk on
that little sidewalk. With temps in the 40s and
pretty deep water, I wasn't going to risk getting
my feet wet.

After a frustrating detour- and construction-filled
ride from the lakes to the river I stopped to
just absorb the sights.

 This past weekend I got out again. Running some errands - the long way, along the river.

Looking upstream at the Mississippi (straight ahead)
at the confluence with the Minnesota (left)

I made a snap decision
to stop at Summit and
have a beer. Good call.

The high Mississippi in Minneapolis, close
to home. The leaves on the trees are
much more full (or were, until today's rain)
in Minneapolis than in St. Paul. I think it
is due to the orientation of the river and
the direction of the wind. Although I
like to badmouth St Paul.

On the way back to my house from this river crossing, I slowed down to leave the trail and get on the street as a family was approaching from the other direction on their bikes. A girl, about 7 or 8 years old, and I grinned huge grins at each other and locked joyful eyes for close to 10 seconds. I don't normally look in someone's eyes that long. I felt like we were totally communicating happiness, freedom, and joy with each other. It was one of my favorite moments of the entire year and a needed connection with humanity.

Matter is neither created nor destroyed

As I sit here, with my dog, I remembered a thought that came to mind as we drove to Wisconsin, with our hastily packed suitcases, the contents of which perhaps signaled that one cannot plan a journey of grief: "We need to get a puppy."

What, you ask? Yes, as I was nauseous and crying and in shock about the fresh news of my dad's death, I was thinking we ought to get a puppy.

My parents used to tease me and say that they would like to be reincarnated as my dog, because I take good care of my dogs. So, yes, for a moment, I thought: the reincarnation process probably goes pretty quickly, I don't want another dog, but I should maybe try.

Now, of course, I know this is ridiculous. But it got me wondering what the timeframe is for reincarnation. You can Google it. I decided not to click on the many, many links to fora dedicated to this topic because I am scared of the browsing cookies and too lazy to repeat the search in an incognito tab.

So, I rely on Wikipedia. There are a number of different types of reincarnation, depending on your culture, religion, philosophy, and the era in which you live. There weren't many timeframes listed, some believe it is almost an immediate transfer, others are more open ended. Tibetan Buddhists, however, believe it happens within 49 days. This stone depicts the Buddhist reincarnation process.

So, anyhow, the 49-day window is closing, but I won't be getting a puppy.

Brains are weird. Grief is weird. Life is weird. But at least we have senses of humor. And I have a happy dog at my side.