THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 15, 2019 Page 17 Hello Spring! By Virginia Ruane S pring is upon us and I would say we have had a pretty good winter; we had some very cold temperatures but no big storms yet. We are lucky! When I ride by Malden’s Fellsmere Pond, I look for kids skating or couples skating or kids playing hockey. There have been none at all. I did see ice on the pond one time only this year but not strong enough for skating. I wonder what the kids did with the new skates that Santa brought them for Christmas? I guess they had to go to an indoor rink or put them away until next year. The beginning of Lent, also, lets us know that spring is here. Having been brought up in a strong Catholic family, we had strict rules about Lent: no meat on Friday, fi sh instead. My mother followed the rules all the way. When I was at home, cooking in my own home, we seldom had fi sh, but if I dined out I did not mind having scallops or fried clams, but at home, macaroni and cheese became very popular. My children hated fi sh, but loved the macaroni. Thank heavens! Another thing, we all received the spiritual benefi ts and health benefi ts of Lent if we followed the rules of sacrifice. And in my home we did. We would give up candy, soda or both. We might even give up the ice cream that we loved so much. It always made us feel better when we made these sacrifi ces, and we might have even lost a few pounds. Lent had and still does have good advantages, but you don’t realize it until you grow older. Now that I am old, I think back and I am so glad and grateful for the sacrifices I made when I was younger. Sometimes, the easy way is not always the best way. Lent and the end of winter give us much to look forward to: Easter, spring, flowers blooming and leaves on the trees. Always think positive and take the time to count our blessings and appreciate the good things in life. Enjoy the upcoming spring, Easter, Passover, new fl owers, and leaves on the trees. Happy springtime! Virginia Ruane is a lifelong Malden resident. Send comments and suggestions to virginiaruane@aol.com. Councillor Winslow hosts forum on sustainable travel By Barbara Taormina bicycles. In a recent editorial in “SamA sustainable transportation forum might sound like a wonky evening out, but next week’s Transporting Malden into the Future event looks like it will be not only be interesting but actually kind of fun. Hosted by Councillor-atLarge Stephen Winslow and the First Parish in Malden Unitarian Universalist Church, Transporting Malden into the Future takes place next Thursday, March 21 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the First Parish Church on Elm Street. The forum will feature talks on the Complete Streets Movement, Arlington’s experiment with a bus-only lane, Somerville’s grassroots eff ort to improve rail access, and other sustainable or green ideas for transportation. Prior to the forum, there will be an e-vehicle fair sponsored by MassPIRG in the parking lot of Beebe School from 4 to 6 p.m. Those who stop by can tour an e-bus, check out part of the fl eet from Bonzer, an electric car-sharing business, and look over the latest models of e-scooters and epan,” Winslow explained that his frustration with Malden’s struggle to modernize its transportation system was one of the factors that motivated him to run for a seat on the City Council. “What I saw then and what I continue to see (with some improvement) is an approach to traffi c safety and transportation that reacts to problems that could be avoided but are now so urgent that “piecemeal” solutions are used to fi x the immediate crisis while the underlying problem(s) remain unsolved,” he wrote. Winslow, who chairs the Malden Long-term Transportation Planning Study Committee, believes the city needs to fi nd creative uses for existing resources and pursue more funding to plan for a sustainable transportation future. And he sees developing green transit options as a key responsibility of local government. Winslow will join Mayor Gary Christenson and State Senator Jason Lewis for a talk on the role of elected offi cials in transportation. Jackie DeWolfe, MassDOT’s Director of Sustainable Mobility, will present the forum’s keynote address, “Sustainable Transportation and why it’s MassDOT’s Priority.” Not everyone is cut out for public transportation or peddling across the city on the bike path. But streets clogged with cars, rush-hour gridlock, vehicle crashes, accidents with pedestrians and air infused with carbon dioxide are everyone’s problems. And everyone can be part of the fi x by at least considering some use of sustainable transit options to get to where he or she needs to go. Transporting Malden into the Future is a chance discuss sustainable transportation and imagine future transit possibilities as a community. “I plan on continuing efforts to see that all Malden residents can safely and easily reach their destination, whether you drive, take the bus or train, walk, bicycle or even scoot,” wrote Winslow. “I hope you will join me in fi ghting for our shared future.” For more information about Transporting Malden into the Future, contact Winslow at swinslow@cityofmalden.org. WE WORK FOR YOU! * Have your car repaired by * An I-CAR GOLD CLASS SHOP for 1605 North Shore Road, Revere * 781-284-1200 Visit us at: www.AtlasAutobody.com or call (781) 284-1200 to schedule your appointment today!
18 Publizr Home