Greenspace Girl

@greenspacegirl

(Rebecca Pinkus) Science & technical writer/editor. Historian of technology & environment. Greenspace & local food lover. Photographer.

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Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· 2d

Nine years ago I took this now classic photo of my soulmate cat in the laundry room. (RIP Schnuffs. Four years gone and I miss him every day.)

White in cat with tabby patches standing in front of an open front-loader washing machine. There’s a vending machine next to it, but no dog hiding in the corner saying “oh please … oh please …”, nor a poorly written sign saying “cat fud” with an arrow pointing to the inside of the washer. (Re: a Far Side cartoon.)

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· 23d

Another memory. One evening I lucked out and biked past when Steve Mann was out with Nessie (his hydraulophone). Magical. We lost something truly special.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· 23d

I have quite a few photos and videos that capture the magic of that wonderful beach. 😢

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jul 20

Meanwhile, I laugh a little too hard whenever I pass this sign outside of a local health food / nutritional supplement store.

Sandwich board sign with a guy leaping into the frame with a big grin on his face. The ad has the text “Over 30? Testosterone declining?” (The sign is for “male energy” and “testosterone boost” tablets.)

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jul 14

Funny story: I saw your post & thought of a Vancouver friend who would LOVE this program. I couldn’t access the article, so I sent her the basic info. A minute later, she replied with screenshots of her riding next to one of the seniors. 🥰 (I have since been able to access the full article.)

Seniors and volunteers (including my friend!) riding in the front of a trishaw (three-wheeled bike with seats in the front for passengers).

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jun 20

I love this cyclist counter thing on Bloor across from High Park. (And I also love the Bloor bike lanes!) #bikelanes #Toronto

Cyclist riding in a bike lane on a rainy night and passing an electronic bike counter (provided by the City of Toronto).

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jun 15

Nice! Wild turkeys are … wild. So big. This one (an absolute unit) stops by our friends’ place near Pittsburgh for treats. In colder weather, a flock of 30-60 birds stop by!

A massive tom wild turkey standing on bright green grass.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jun 14

Heck yeah! I took these photos yesterday local allotment gardens (not my plot). Perfection.

Close-up of bright pink and yellow
foxglove flowers.

Bright pink and yellow foxglove flowers with trees and blue sky behind ti.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Mar 14

Spring is almost here! This crew/flock decided to hang out in High Park & I offered some sunflower seeds, which seems to be appreciated. Sound on. (Birdsong = good for the soul.) #birdsong #springmigration #red-wingedblackbirds #Toronto

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Feb 10

Day 1 in Mexico City. Between the altitude and the poor air quality, I needed to take it slow. Fortunately, I was within walking distance of Parque México, and could walk via the Amsterdam circuit paths. So much #urbangreenspace! Also, all cities need tranquility #parks.

Person walking through the tree-lined meridian path in Mexico City.

Small meditation garden along the Amsterdam path in Mexico City. Off of the path there is a sign that says “Pause & Meditate”.

Hanging chair with big purple cushion, and bamboo stalks in the background (and an empty pond). This was in the tranquility garden inside of Parque México.

Bookshelf and trunk full of books under a big umbrella. This was in the tranquility garden inside of Parque México. People can borrow the books to read in the park.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Feb 2

Coyotes! On Lake Ontario! (Or at least the portion between the break wall and the beach, near Sunnyside Pavilion.) Video taken on Feb. 1st. #urbanwildlife #Toronto #coyotes #notoff-leashdogs

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Feb 1

Timeline cleanse. #bird #birdfeeder #winter #Toronto

A juvenile mourning dove comfortably seated in the dish of a homemade bird feeder. (Green plastic bottle hung upside down, with plastic spoons inserted through and across the bottle, and a green dish attached to the bottom.) The bird feeder is hanging from a tree branch in a snowy park.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jan 25

First loaf in a long time. Super tasty (sprouted wheat flour + organic white), but a little flat thanks to the dough being a little too wet (and the recipe not specifying white bread flour even though that’s what it needed). I’m still learning!

A freshly baked sprouted wheat sourdough bread. Yummy.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jan 23

Timeline cleanse. Pancake ice production in Lake Ontario. (Videoed yesterday, when it was a little less stupidly cold.) #ice #pancakeice #Toronto

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jan 1

Crazy and brave “dippers” race into the ice water at Toronto’s Sunnyside Beach on New Year’s Day. #PolarBearDip #PolarBearPlunge #Toronto

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jan 1

A few before (early dippers) and one after (late dipper) from the #PolarDip / #PolarPlunge in #Toronto on New Year’s Day 2026. #SunnysideBeach. If anyone knows the guy being interviewed by the TV cameraman, share this pic or DM me! 🥶

A young couple gingerly wading into freezing cold Lake Ontario on New Year’s Day. To the right of them is an older gentleman in a white undershirt and bed swim trucks, putting on a bathrobe as a woman hands him a winter hat. There’s also a kid with an orange hooded jacket, wrapped in a blanket. (Polar Bear Dip, Toronto.)

A young couple gingerly wading out of freezing cold Lake Ontario on New Year’s Day. To their right is a man wearing a bathrobe and winter hat.

Polar Bear Dip crowds along Sunnyside Beach in Toronto. Some photographers in hip-waders are ready to capture the dip. One guy is standing in the water.

TV cameraman with microphone is filming and interviewing a guy coming out of the frigid lake. The “polar dipper” is mid-fall backwards into the water.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Dec 29

I shared this picture in response to another #BirdButts post, but have to share it again since I believe I have found my people here. Here’s a two-swan-butt salute in Lake Ontario, along a Toronto beach.

Two swans dining in Lake Ontario, butt-side up.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Dec 29

This is one helluva a storm. Stay safe, everyone.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Dec 27

This is wonderful, and such a treat for people who actually stop to read plaques. I also love the payphone sign near Banjara and the “Enormous Elm Tree” sign on Barton, both by the Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit (Jode Roberts).

Old, broken payphone with a small heritage sign above it.

Satirical heritage sign for the Banjara parking lot payphone, explaining the phone’s history. (Installed in 2015, served hundreds of residents, and then mysteriously disappeared.) The sign also provided a brief history of payphones, including their removal from the City of Toronto.

A satirical historical sign commemorating the “enormous elm tree” on Barton Ave., Toronto. The sign includes information about Dutch Elm Disease and the presumed age of this particular tree (over 100 yrs).

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Nov 1

Canada has a head start on this idea by celebrating Thanksgiving in mid-October. It also means we have seven full weeks of “it’s almost Christmas”. (Your suggestion is great - count me in.)

Bulk mini-Candy canes in a bin next to a bin of candy corn. In Canada, there is no Thanksgiving buffer between Halloween and Christmas.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Oct 23

My reaction to pretty much everything these days. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Comic of a man and a woman sitting at a table with glasses of wine in front of them. The woman has her hand on her chin and is saying, “I’m trying to see things from your perspective, but I just can’t make myself that dumb.”

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Oct 2

In 2006 I had the privilege of being the event photographer for a Jane Goodall talk at the University of Toronto. This is one of my fave shots. She was one of the good ones. (Okay, she was the best of the best.) #JaneGoodall

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Jun 6

Awww, perfect timing! Yesterday afternoon I met a parent & kiddo out looking lunch. The juvenile bird was sooooo chatty. (“Feed me, feed me, feed me!”)

Adult and juvenile robins under small trees.

Adult and juvenile Robin standing together under a low-growth small tree.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· May 31

Oooh, this cutie looks so much like my dearly departed soulmate cat. I’m going to be believe that my guy is now living this life, which he would have absolutely loved. (We were visiting a local church on this excursion. ❤️)

White and tabby cat on a leash looking at a “no squirrels” sign that says “please close the door after you”.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· May 26

We were so lucky to have him visit Toronto. His Genesis exhibit at the ROM was extraordinary, as was his Magnum Opus exhibit two years ago at the Metivier Gallery.

Photographer Sabastião Salgado speaks to a small audience about his work.

Description of Salgado’s Magnum Opus exhibit.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· May 3

When I ditched the platform formerly known as Twitter, I missed a few people I followed, including @sarahkendzior.bsky.social, who knew what was coming way back when. She recently shared this essay: thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-he...

A photo of book text that included the following: “You can look to the president-elect himself for a vision of what is to come. He has told you his plans all along, though most chose to downplay or deny them. You can even look back to before his candidacy, when in February 2014, he went on Fox News to defend Russia. Why a reality TV host was on Fox News defending Russia is its own story, but here is what he said about his desired outcome for the United States:

“You know what solves it? When the economy crashes, when the country goes to total hell and everything is a disaster. Then you’ll have a [chuckles], you know, you’ll have riots to go back to where we used to be when we were great.”

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· May 1

Classic signs of springtime in Toronto. IYKYK. #highparkcherryblossoms #openwashrooms #trilliumflowers

Cherry trees in bloom in Toronto’s High Park.

Stone facade one-story building with a door open on the left inner corner. Glass windows on the upper right wall. Park washrooms open after being closed since late October.

White trillium flowers opening in the woods.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Mar 12

Thank you so much for sharing that amazing video & your stories. (No kidding about the air quality.) I grew up not far from Etna & explored it a w/ my camera in Jan. 2021. The cemetery on the hillside was remarkable. (Note the clear sky.)

Steep hillside cemetery with town below. Etna, PA.

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Feb 27

Hey Ontario voters! If you haven’t already done so, get out there and vote today. If you’re not in the loop, here’s what #DougFord has cost us. #VoteFordOut (Great info, @westendphoenix.bsky.social - we needed fliers of this in every mailbox weeks ago, but thank you!)

A list of how the billions of dollars Ontario’s corrupt Doug Ford has cost tax payers.)

Greenspace Girl@greenspacegirl· Feb 17

Well, it finally stopped snowing, and there’s sunshine and blue sky, so a run to & along the lake seemed like a good idea. (It was. But it was just a *tad* windy. And the snow was too deep for me to get close to the water.) #breatheinbreatheout