Jen

I've often found it inconvenient to live in one of the few Canadian provinces that has no border with the US. But I won't mind having some ocean between me and a civil war.

I baked two loaves of sourdough bread today and it felt wrong to have the oven on at that high of a temperature for so long. I would like a return to regularly scheduled October weather now please.

Oh no. Sorry to hear this. I hope you can rest, contain it, and test if you might qualify for treatment.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and containment from friends and family.

Dogs for attention.

I tested positive for Covid for the first time ever yesterday and feel very mid. Had a booster in May so I’m doing better than otherwise would have, but it’s a full body experience I do not wish on anyone. Mask up in crowded places, get a booster (and flu!) this fall for free. Covid is still a thing

she was right about who should be on that spaceship and everything else too

I forwarded you my email from July!

I have emailed 311 and the local councillor requesting no RTOR and a protected signal phase for the crossings at Romans and E Perimeter, along the Bayers Rd MUP. I will follow up this week as well, as I haven’t heard anything back.

I think Costco has become a way of life for a lot of folks, and getting there by car has been seen as the only way. Showing a Costco run by bike is helping folks see another possibility, or a small change they could make to reduce their car dependency. We need all the small changes we can get.

Ugh. I am so sorry this happened to you and P.

IMO, any response you can muster after a close call like that is eloquent enough for the circumstances.

Having previously sloshed and lost miso soup from Tsukimi on the Allan Oak bikeway bumps, I was hesitant about ordering Ramen. But it was a non-issue!

Adding to this: we had takeout ramen from Truly Tasty (Quinpool) tonight & it was a hit! Kid loved the crispy fried chicken & pickled daikon. We had some concerns about ramen by bike, but it was well packed: broth was in separate containers from the noodles with room to slosh. No spills!

What an interesting history, to go from post-war PMQs to the relatively large homes that are there now!

There are a few small duplexes remaining, and they seem so out of place now. But I can see how they would have fit right in as post-war military housing.

I think the playground and the school are artifacts from the time when the neighbourhood was full of young families.

Not knowing too many of the details, Westmount definitely gives me early-suburban experiment vibes.

I have heard of school principals arranging bus transportation for kids in these sorts of circumstances, but it’s definitely not the norm.

Yes! And based on my travels in the neighbourhood, I am not surprised that the Westmount neighbourhood itself doesn’t currently house enough young children to fill the school. There does seem to be an older demographic in those homes.

Yes, they can request courtesy bussing. But it is not guaranteed. They only provide it if there is additional space on a bus that is already en route to the school.

Looking at the school catchment area in HRM’s data, the boundary is now Joseph Howe Drive, from the Bedford Highway to Quinpool Rd. I think some of those kids would have gone to Springvale before. There distances over 2km for sure now. data-hrm.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/HRM...

Coming back to this thread to update my (now knowingly out of date) information.

Today I was stopped behind a bus unloading at Westmount school. It was a standard bus, not “special needs transport”.

So, that indicates that Westmount’s catchment area now includes somewhere greater than 1.6km.

Umm. Yes please! 😋

I JUST put on my wooly socks, and the kid asked for long pyjamas tonight for the first time since the spring. 🥶

This is the compromise we have come to as well. We do full sized Cadbury bars. Although "full size" keeps getting smaller.

There was a separate accessible treat event last weekend, and I wish things like that were not necessary. We also always set up at the end of the driveway so no one needs to navigate our steps.

It’s better for the dog that way too (she goes bonkers at the sound of footsteps on the porch).

RIP to Jane Goodall, who fought to secure the future for ALL the apes, including the most destructive ones (humans). She will be missed.

A screenshot of a post by the Jane Goodall Institute on LinkedIn stating that they learned that Dr. Goodall passed away due to natural causes in California while on her speaking to her current speaking tour there.

The world has lost its most powerful advocate for nature and hope. Yet many remain who will continue her legacy and I know she will continue to inspire generations more.

A freshly paved, two-way bike lane on the western side of Brunswick Street in downtown Halifax, just opposite the old library. The bike lane is fenced off, but the sidewalk remains open. The adjacent street is closed and under construction.

New bike lane on Brunswick Street – soon to form part of a continuous, 1-km protected bikeway from the Halifax Common to the Central Library 🚴‍♂️ #BikeHfx

The irony is not lost on me that we encourage children to ride bikes in cool places like this, but then make it incredibly hostile for them to access them on two wheels due to rampant #CarBrain & aggressive drivers #BikeHFX #ZeroVisionHFX #SafeStreetsNS

The number of times I say “ummm, maybe not since 2018” is a lot.

Kids change things.

Hi #bikehfx, I have a favour to ask! Does anyone drive and have a bike rack on their car that would be willing to bring me and my e-bike to vintage iron cycles in burnside? (Or have any advice or recommendations for how I can go about this?)