Anyone familiar with Jane Jacobs?

http://janeswalk.net/about/jane_jacobs

I am going out there and walking today and tomorrow. Today will be a local ravine (that I've never been to) and tomorrow DH's old neighbourhood downtown. I have been wanting to go on these walks for a couple of years now but have always let Saturday errands/domestic chores get in the way.

I am going to make a real effort to socialize with the people on today's walk. They may be my future neighbours. I'm hoping I can afford a house -something run down - in that neighbourhood when my dad finally leaves his house.

Good Saturday all!

Dagmar

Absolutely. You can't live in the NY area without hearing her name invoked in all kinds of contexts, ranging from the advantage of "eyes on the street" in public safety to urban planning to preservation efforts.

For me, today, since it's overcast and identifying warbler species will be difficult, I really ought to go see a matinee of "Bully" after I pick up my glasses. My current pair has a nasty crack reaching almost entirely across the width of the left lens, and I ordered two new pairs, which are now in. I don't know why I'm dreading this errand so much. Probably because I hate wearing glasses.

I just got back from the annual registration/clean up at the sailing club where DH and I keep our kayaks. On the way down there I stopped in at the asian supermarket to buy a bottle of cooking oil. I am so fascinated by everything in there, probably due to working in graphic design for 17 years and also because I like to experiment with my food.

I spent close to 45 minutes just walking and looking around at everything - such CUTE food! I also bought sinfully fatty almond cookies (small box), almond and sesame crunch, preserved kumquats, dried mango, and a can of turkey SPAM for DH (private joke ). Mudpie is our lard-o-meter and she went ballistic for the cookies - a sure sign they are about 50% or more fat.

And all of these things, due to strange government labelling regulation in Canada, are 100 cals per 100 grams. Someone has printed up thousands of english labels for all the food packages in that market that are lettered in asian characters. The labels have been stuck on all packages with no english nutritional info. And the labels are all the same, regardless of what's in the package.

I'm off to my ravine walk in about an hour. Better get my begonias planted and the cats fed before I go.

Dagmar

Anybody watch the Kentucky Derby ? I was sure Bodemeister ( The Favorite ) was going to win, but he was overtaken by I'll Have Another. I was watching and wondered where that horse came from, didn't take me long to realize he was going to win. A great race.

Yes, I did watch, Bargoo. I rarely miss it. The first one that I remember seeing was Dust Commander 1970, but more memorable was the following year, when Canonero II won. And yes, I was glued to the TV through all the televised races in Secretariat's career.

I was fascinated by Hansen's coloration. Is he really a gray? Is he some other pigmentation? I'll have to Google this. I'm used to seeing grays that are pretty dark as three-year-olds. The great Native Dancer looked sort of iron-colored during his racing career.

Oh, and I saw the matinee of "Bully." This is a subject close to my heart, as a viciously teased "fat girl" -- though I know I had it easier than two of my male friends, who were beaten and thrown hard against lockers. They did not come out as gay until they were well into their college years, but even in junior high, something about them made them targets. This documentary made me cry. My eyes still hurt.

Watched it and thought at the beginning he was going to win. Disappointing. But yeah, a race I always watch!

That is one sporting event I never miss, I always get tears in my eyes when they start to play "My Old Kentucky Home".....and I am not from Kentucky, I have only been there briefly changing planes in Cincinatti. Yep, the Cincinatti Airport is in Kentucky. While waiting for my flight I commented to somebody that I had never been in Ohio before, he replied, " Well, you aren't in Ohio, now".

The ravine walk went well. Hugely attended - suprisingly so. There wasn't much walking but I did learn a lot about the structure of ravines. Unfortunately such a large group negated seeing any birds as there were a lot of loud people there scaring them away. I will definitely take DH there for a private walk next weekend.

And I learned of another career I might have had, had I known back in the day - arborist. Such a cool thing to do for a living - taking care of trees!

Off to the downtown walk today. Quite a contrast to yesterday - very urban. But Toronto does have green space and trees almost everywhere so it should be enjoyable. Gives me a chance to do some quick shopping and replace some much needed underwear too.

And I will probably walk up through the University of Toronto campus to get back on the subway. That is a beautiful green space right in the middle of the city.

Today is DH's "sleeping" day. He needs it! Working 6 days a week at his age and in the poor shape he's in is really taking it's toll. He had chips and beer last night. I suggested something healthier but he was adamant.

I think I'm going to ask him (when things settle a bit and he's a bit less stressed) why he "wants" to be fat? What benefit does he get from clinging to these bad habits? I have my excuse - ahhh, answers ready for why I do it.

Good Sunday all!

Dagmar

Just back from Pennsylvania, after having retrieved my tall chest of drawers from my aunt's carport. We removed all five drawers, but that didn't help much -- even without the drawers, the dealer told me that it weighed over 100 pounds. Its height also made it unwieldy. It's those solid mahogany and cherry boards that they used in those days, all at least an inch thick. I fell for the hand-carved columns on the front, ending in lion paws.

My cousin's 10-year-old son apparently was fascinated by the paws, with their individually carved toenails, which he walked past for several days when going to his grandmother's house after school. "Why would anyone do that?" he kept asking. Evidently, he's an immensely logical and practical child, like his mother. At his age, I would have been staring at them up close and feeling them and making up stories about animals turning into furniture and then back into animals.

I wanted to go looking for warblers today but it's impossible to get to the gym, travel to Pennsylvania & back, and also do serious birdwatching on one Sunday. And back to work tomorrow, unfortunately.

Oh, and the chest looks rather like this, except the topmost drawer is one single drawer, rather than two glove drawers side by side. Also, mine has a carved backboard.



This is going in the master bedroom. I already have another one like this with a tilting mirror built into the top. (That one's at the restorer's.)

ETA: I think the description of this chest is wrong. I believe the chest in this picture was made in NY or Boston & dates from 1830-1840s. (Mine was almost certainly made in NY.)