Jane Murray’s Post

In June, I had the opportunity to hear Anna Zivarts speak at the Pennsylvania Downtown Center conference in #YorkPA. Anna is the creator of the movement #weekwithoutdriving . I also bought her book When Driving Is Not an Option. I think about accessibility issues often, but do have the luxury of a car and driving as an option. We moved to #ArdmorePA because of its sidewalks and access to public transit. In the past few days, I’ve been thinking more about the challenge and looking at my calendar for next week. I’ve used Google maps to explore alternatives to get to where I need to go next week. Relying on public transportation to get to some destinations adds upwards of an hour to what is often a 10 to 20 minute drive in my car. It also relies on transit operating on time. I’m going to try this challenge and see how it goes. Though I will have to drive my daughter to the orthodontist. And I will have to drive my son to mountain biking practice. The car-free alternatives are next to impossible from a time and safety perspective. Will you try the challenge? If you can’t commit to a full week, try just replacing one car trip with an alternative. Or just research what your options are as a non-driver to get where you need to go.

Life update 📣 This summer, I made the decision to leave my job and prioritize my mental health. The conditions for success were not present for me at Ardmore Initiative. On its face, it was my dream job. The reality was more complicated. There are many women in my orbit who have made similar decisions this year and I’m proud of all of us. Last week, a friend making a big career change told me, “… knowing you had the courage to make a change inspired me a little too.” I’ve had many moments of doubt and second guessing as I’ve made this transition, but they are met over and over with reminders that I made the right choice. That text from my friend has really buoyed my spirits. A few weeks ago, I signed up for an aura portrait session. This was a pop-up event at Wallace Dry Goods-one of my favorite #Ardmore businesses. The reading was interesting and uplifting. I did a deep dive on the “science” of aura photography and discovered a beautiful aura portrait of one of my favorite artists. I see this headshot as a fun way to usher me into this new season of my life as I plan for what’s next.

On Sunday, my son and I biked to #balacynwyd for the #pahistoricmarker dedication for the #womenofidenleaestate . Greg Prichard from Lower Merion Township told me this is the first new historic marker in Lower Merion in over 20 years! Congratulations to Lower Merion Historical Society for making this happen. I chatted with Jillian Dierks about how the #mainlinegreenway site is down and how we’d taken a meandering Google maps-led ride to Bala from #ardmorepa . She showed me how to navigate to the map on the Township website, but it’s not mobile friendly or easy to find. She said she’d look into improving that accessibility. UPDATE - as of Monday, 9/17, www.mainlinegreeway.com is no longer “expired” and now redirects to the Township page with a mobile-friendly map. My son was patient while I chatted with many people and promised we’d leave soon. We stopped by the Bala Ave Art Walk event which had a nice assortment of vendors thanks to City Ave District and the always amazing @artstarphilly. Then we headed across #montgomeryave to check out the #cynwydheritagetrail which I’d never been to before. The Cynwyd Station trailhead was well maintained with great informational signage. It was a surprisingly easy downhill ride to Manayunk and I appreciated the amenities along the trail like benches, bike racks, and a bike pump. While we did note a few native plant sections at the start of the trail, we were increasingly horrified by the #invasiveplants swallowing up the landscape on both sides of the trail. Averting my eyes, and focusing on the asphalt trail, we headed for the #manayunkbridge . It was really fun to gaze at the river and the city from the bridge. As we crossed into #manayunk we were greeted by #tallbatman which was a highlight of our day. The ride home was more uphill than down, but we rode 16 miles total. Here’s to showing up on #adventuresunday

I’m excited for tonight’s author event with my friend, Dr. Becca Block. This is a timely book release as my oldest is 11 and we’re already coping with motivation issues. I met Becca because our sons are friends and I feel very lucky to have her expertise for this journey through the teen years. She just published a book and will be speaking tonight at my favorite coffee shop, Char & Stave. The event is hosted by Ardmore’s new bookstore, Mavey Books. I have the privilege as serving as the moderator for tonight’s event. If you have teens or soon to be teens, or work with this age group, please join us. This is a great opportunity to get your questions answered and support 2 local businesses during the slow summer season.

I’ve listened to this podcast episode twice- ReThinking with Adam Grant: “The internet doesn’t need your opinion on everything w/ Rebecca Solnit.” I paused and replayed some parts multiple times. Then I read the transcript. It touched on so many thoughts I’ve had as the internet has swallowed us all up and pitted us against each other. And here I am typing this into the internet. I’ve never read anything by Rebecca Solnit, but she’s on my list now. During the interview, she said: “There was a book about the internet many years ago called The Shallows, and I do feel we're not living in the depth of our own introspection enough, and we're not living in the depth of true human connection enough. And online, there's a space in between where you're not in deep connection with your deepest authentic self, where you can be vulnerable, where you can be unsure, where you can find out what you really think through conversation. And you're not necessarily spending a lot of time alone.” Maybe you can find time to listen to this. The transcript is in the link below, if reading is more your thing than podcasts. Either way, if you have thoughts, maybe we can find a time to chat, or walk and talk. Or we can use the comments box to “talk” about how we’re coping with hope vs doom and how we’re finding connection on and off social media.

This weekend, I spent Saturday morning absorbed in Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 miles per hour by Jonathon Stalls . I missed a chance to walk with him in #York during the PDC conference. But I left with his book. Sunday, I spent the better part of my day walking downtown #Ardmore on streets mostly closed to car traffic and taking in the annual bike race. I wish we could do this more often. I saw many friends, 2 commissioners, and some of my favorite small businesses. I took a detour to Bethel AME at 2 for their groundbreaking ceremony for long overdue accessibility renovations at the historic church. Rev. Cavaness spoke about the months of work to get proper building permits, to apply for and receive critical financial support through the county and state and ARPA funds. Senator Amanda Cappelletti was there with a giant check and make remarks. Commissioner Anthony Stevenson was there to make remarks. I was thrilled to arrive at the same time as Kathleen Abplanalp. I had to duck out early to scoop up my kids to cheer for their friends in the kids race.

I can think of so many people and organizations in the region who could put together an excellent presentation for Main Street America’s #MainStreetNow conference in #Philadelphia in 2025. This is an incredible oppprtunity to showcase the amazing work happening in the Philadelphia region that can influence projects and placemaking and policy in communities across the country. Attn: Dana Dentice Tiny WPA Jen Devor Tivoni Devor Michelle Freeman PHILLY TREE PEOPLE Kathleen Abplanalp Isabel Krome Eric Hartman Blessing Osazuwa Jeff Mellin Megan Haupt please consider your work and please spread the word.

In October 2021, I called the Ardmore Initiative asking if they could help me identify business and property owners who would be open to planting trees on their property. I followed that call with an email with some stats like: “Trees are good for business. In districts with trees and green space, shoppers are willing to travel further, stay longer, and visit more frequently, and spend 12% more for goods.” In June 2022, I applied for the open position at Ardmore Initiative and in my interview, I talked about the need for more trees in the business district. I started my job in July. In February 2023, after months of building relationships, I emailed the business owner for Shade & Seeker at 112 Cricket Ave and asked if AI’s Streetscape Committee in partnership with Ardmore Tree Stewards could plant a tree on her grassy corner property. Melissa replied, “I would love a tree or several of them. I can do what I want with the yard. It is very hot and dry there.” So- we planted 2 trees there through the PHS Tree Tenders program. I was part of the planting team that planted those trees- a Kentucky Coffee Tree and a Swamp White Oak. This spring and summer, I’ve been watching the property with interest as they killed the grass and spread seed. I didn’t ask, I just wondered as I biked past on my route to and from work. And now what was a hot and dry grassy corner is a showstopper. I stopped this morning and marveled at the chorus of bird and insect activity. Can you hear it?

In fall 2021, I enrolled in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) #TreeTenders course and learned about tree care, tree identification, proper planting and are trained in tree biology, identification, planting, maintenance, and community engagement. People enrolled in this class were from all over the Greater Philadelphia area. The class was on zoom and in participant list I saw the name Derrick Wu. I sent him a direct message through the Zoom chat and asked if he was the same Derrick Wu in my Buy Nothing group in Ardmore. He was. Tree Tender graduates are expected to join up with other Tree Tenders to start their own groups. My husband, Joe MacNeal, had already started the Ardmore Tree Stewards group. So I invited Derrick to join us. Ardmore is a high-priority planting area for the Shade Tree Commission. 20 years ago, Ardmore and Bala Cynwyd were designated as high-priority planting areas in the Lower Merion Township Open Space Plan due to very low canopy cover. Ardmore's tree canopy has only aged since then. We need both species and age diversity in our trees. Since then, Derrick has become a key team member of many PHS Tree Tenders who regularly volunteer in support of work in Ardmore and Wynnewood. Derrick is a guy who easily says yes to come a little bit earlier and to stay later to help do whatever still needed to be done; to be quick to volunteer to help with quality assurance checks, tree staking, and tying in the days following planting; to attend pruning club events, learning from PHS the science and art of pruning young trees; to clear invasive vines; to help collect health indicator data on trees planted months before; and when called upon to professionally represent the PHS Tree Tenders group with the public. Ardmore Tree Stewards team of more than a dozen PHS Tree Tenders have planted (and tended) over 150 trees in Ardmore and Wynnewood since fall 2021. Derrick likely is in the top three of local tree tenders who has had his direct hand in planting -- and caring for – the most trees in Ardmore Ward 4, specifically, over the past seven PHS planting event cycles. We need more Derricks. We need more trees. We need more Tree Tenders who speak for and care for the trees. Consider signing up to be a Tree Tender. https://lnkd.in/eEYjTWd8