Thanks, Migrants, and Mourning

November 35, 2018

Greetings to you and also to your nearest relative/friend/other.  Here we are and it’s already November!?  Well that was quick!  

What have you been up to? Yowza!  I missed you.  

I previously enjoyed some late summer/early fall activities, including

1) seeing some fellow bicyclers in shorts

2)  seeing some Canadians on their way back south

3)  taking some time out of my commute to enjoy some trail art

I have also been enjoying a great many family-oriented activities lately, with a dash of yard/housework.

During a trip to school for a Halloween-themed activity I witnessed a conversation that may be sadly typical.  

Dad:  Get in the van!

3^rdgrader: Loud complaining groan  You said we could walk home!  You promised!

Kindergartner:  I wanna walk!

Dad:  No time!

Walking doesn’t seem to be much of a priority.  Even around the time of our most walking-oriented of holidays, Halloween.

On the other foot, the attentive among you may have noted that a group of individuals, primarily from Central American countries, are walking north, seeking asylum.  Although we have standard protocols/responsibilities in place to deal with these types of things, it is apparently somewhat unusual and/or controversial to some of USians.  Well, if you think things are controversial now, what if they were all astride bicycles!?  They would be here sooner, for one thing!  Also, I occasionally hear rumours that we bicyclers may not be popular with some non-bicyclers!?  So that would make things even more interesting/dramatic!  

Also, now that it is November, it is incumbent upon us to compare/contrast the arrival of these migrants with the Pilgrim migrants back around the original Thanksgiving.  Perhaps the Pilgrims were made welcome because they brought with them muskets and fermentation?  Now that the current migrants have no known advanced technologies, they are now longer welcome hereabouts.  Also, I think many Native Americans would prefer that the Wampanoags had not been quite so welcoming.  So there’s some USian history to put in your cornucopia to smoke up for Thanksgiving!

So happy Thanksgiving/Day of Mourning, and let’s welcome the next wave of bicyclers to the promised land!

-BSO