Another lovely day…too lovely for a t-shirt. It was only 14C when I left around 11:00 but I think the temperature spiked as soon as I stepped out the door. Without any clouds, it felt hot. Really hot. I suppose there are worse things that can happen to a person than a little sweat. Still, I’d rather be too cold than too hot. It’s the Canadian in me.

Speaking of worse…the stairs on either side of the Low Level Bridge are now a matching pair. Both have been burned and both are inaccessible. The last thing the river valley needs is an arsonist, but at least the fires were contained. The north end staircase has been a blackened stump for several weeks now, and it’s anyone’s guess when the City will be getting around to repairing it. Had it been repaired right away, I wonder if the copycat fire on the south end would have happened? These braniacs have to get their ideas from somewhere.

On a happier note, my favourite staircase, which serves as one of the prettiest access points to Mill Creek, has been restored to its creaky, weathered self. During the wind storm last week, a tree uprooted itself and slammed down on the staircase, smashing a few steps (you should see the tree), and rendering them unsafe, but…with a little fancy maneuvering, still usable.  Nevertheless, the stairs were repaired almost immediately, most likely by the folks who live nearby. Hooray, and thank you to them.

This staircase, which also includes a short bridge across the deeper part of the ravine, is one of the hidden gems of Mill Creek. It’s a tiny thing, but well used, and evidently, well-loved. It’s soft, wooden boards gently yield to the feet (and paws) of the human and dog traffic bounding its way down the stairs and across the bridge on a daily basis, not to mention the rain (when we get it), and snow that further soften the old wood. This resilient little staircase just gets lovelier and lovelier with each passing year.

1:05PM/21C