The Trainyard

I have been trying to write a caption for this for 25 minutes. I still have nothing usable, so I’m going to post it with the context that I have been repeating these words to myself for the past year and they bring me comfort and I hope they do the same for you. This post is from @_stillwerise from a while ago, and the author quoted doesn’t seem to have Instagram but is an educator with @zinneducationproject which I discovered 10 minutes ago and now I want to deep dive into their work ASAP. Image: A black text box sits on a watercolour purple background, it reads “it can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all the injustices of the moment; the good news is *they’re all connected* So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads you’re helping to unravel the whole damn cloth.”

I have held off on posting about Gaza, trying to find the right words but ultimately - there are no “right words” for genocide. No way to easily process it and package it up so that it’s palatable. Every day it seems the news gets worse, and we remain largely helpless watching horror unfold from these tiny devices in our hands. I am holding my babies closer and grieving for the losses, all while trying to act normal and tackle all the day to day tasks of life. It is surreal to be witnessing death and despair in one moment and then to jump back to work or parenting (or both) in the next. It feels helpless. But we aren’t helpless or without opportunities to act. We must at least continue to do the minimum, and call for a Ceasefire. I’ve seen so many incredible guides and scripts for contacting our elected officials here in Canada, and also many posts saying that the emails and calls are having an impact, that they are being heard. If you’ve been here a while you know I am a big believer in contacting your elected officials and it’s encouraging to see voices being heard. A few starting places: @leadnowca has a great collection of resources + scripts @politicswithjess put together a great guide to writing your Member of Parliament (MP) @freepalestinehalifax and @ceasefirenowca are places to find local in person calls to action @dwpei is sharing lots of information to help with understanding and action @motaz_azaiza and the other journalists on the ground in Gaza share so much @jackiedrinkscoffee created easy poster downloads, including the one shared here. I have often used this space to talk about ways we can collectively act for change and for community, and in recent months, even this cozy little corner of the Internet has felt like less of a safe space for those discussions. I hope that you are able to read these words with grace and understanding and that my compassion is clear. I am holding space in my heart and in my activism for people experiencing violence all over the world, and doing my best to educate myself daily on the ways I can help as an individual and a business. With love, Kimberley (She/her) Image via @jackiedrinkscoffee

We’re open all weekend, including Monday - which hopefully gives you time to check out these sweet new creations from @luckysprout.studio 🫐 Rebecca Wilson works with watercolour, textiles and clay! Saturday 10-4 Sunday 10-3 Monday 10-5 #crossstitchkit #claycharm #diykiy #madeinnovascotia

Next Thursday will be delicious! Small Batch Bakery will be here with a selection of individual cakes, cookies, and donuts – all gluten-free, along with some vegan options! We love the @downtowndartmouth Food Crawl! Image description The slide shows an image of sugared donuts with a pink background. The Trainyard logo is in blue at the top. Beneath that is pink text that says, “pop-up”, followed by white text that says, “Small Batch Bakery.” At the bottom of the graphic is a yellow triangle with blue text on it that says, “Thurs, May 21 5:30 PM to 8 PM or sell out!” #foodcrawl #downtowndartmouth @smallbatchbakeryhfx

One spot has become available for this workshop! Carve your own miniature goose under the instruction of guest artist, Jackie Toner of @the_woodswoman Thursday, May 14th from 6-8pm Participants will carve, sand and paint a goose that can be kept as a decorative item, or use supplied hardware to turn it into an ornament or key chain. Register for a workshop on our website (look under “Events & Workshops). #createwithus #youcanmakeit #trysomethingnew #createtogether #downtowndartmouth

Glad I took a quick pick of this dandelion that forced its way through the concrete before all the rain hit! It immediately made me think of the beautiful sticker that Kelly Bee (@inclusivestorytime ) created! You can find this sticker on our shelves today. We’re now open 7 days a week! Image description: A white hand is holding a sticker of a trio of dandelions (yellow petals and green stems) that has black text against a blue banner at the bottom. The text says, Exist Without Approval. The sticker is held in front of a juicy dandelion that is growing between the sidewalk and base of The Trainyard’s exterior. #existwithoutapproval #novascotiaartist #stickerallthethings

We hope you enjoyed Open City as much as we did today! So many of you joined the Silly Goose Crew! A thousand thank yous to @emmys.fibrearts for drawing for us for 4 hours straight, creating more than 200 portraits! 🪿 ⭐️ It was a beauty of a day Downtown Dartmouth and we loved spending it with you! #community #livedrawing #downtowndartmouth #thanksforbeinghere #sillygoose @opencityhfx

From @trainyardstore — The Silly Goose Photo Booth 2.0 is ready for @opencityhfx this Saturday! Pop by between 11am and 3 pm and get a free doodle of you or your group, drawn as geese (of course)! 🪿 We are so happy that @emmys.fibrearts is returning to be the artist in the booth! This activity is completely free, but if you’d like to make a donation, we will share the funds with our community partners and local mutual aid initiatives! #sillygoose #doodlebooth #sillygoosephotobooth #liveart downtowndartmouth

The Silly Goose Photo Booth 2.0 is ready for @opencityhfx this Saturday! Pop by between 11am and 3 pm and get a free doodle of you or your group, drawn as geese (of course)! 🪿 We are so happy that @emmys.fibrearts is returning to be the artist in the booth! This activity is completely free, but if you’d like to make a donation, we will share the funds with our community partners and local mutual aid initiatives! #sillygoose #doodlebooth #sillygoosephotobooth #liveart #downtowndartmouth

Not sure what’s more difficult - writing captions for social media or holding all five of our new puzzles at once? Maybe I should just stitch together the failed video attempts! 🤪 All this to say: the 2026 puzzles are on the shelves! If you ordered during our pre-sale, the puzzles are ready to be collected. Online orders will all be collected by couriers tomorrow! Huge thanks to the Trainyard staff for unpacking and shelving 500 puzzles! 💪 ❤️ And thank you to the local artists who collaborated on the puzzles with us: @bardbardbard @emmys.fibrearts @toandfrom.gifts @julepandtrubbs The puzzles were printed, glued, cut and boxed in Ontario by @theoccurrence.ca 🧩 #madeincanada #puzzlefan #puzzletime #novascotiaartists

We’re closing up a bit early today - sorry for any inconvenience! Image description Black text says, “Closing early! We are closing a bit early today as our staff member is under the weather. Sorry for any inconvenience! See you Tuesday!” Behind the text is a watermark graphic of blue flowers and The Trainyard logo is positioned at the bottom right.

One more week until Open City! We’re so excited to bring back the Silly Goose Photo Booth (the 2.0 version is almost ready for its unveiling)! Join us between 11am and 3pm for the live drawing event. Our activity is taking place inside, so it’s rain or shine! @opencityhfx #liveart #livedrawingphotobooth #opencity #downtowndartmouth #sillygoose dartmouthgeese Image description will be posted in the comments.