I have a dream of inventing the perfect granny cart...lightweight, folds into small backpack, and with a few simple flicks (makes whooshing sounds and gesticulates madly in the air) it becomes an awesome cart with durable wheels.

Other than some vague ideas about Kevlar and the mad gesticulations, it hasn't gotten very far.

I have dreams about parenting skills, housecleaning, and craftiness that center around probably similar gesticulations.

Of course there's been a big movement back towards towards urban density in recent years.

Unfortunately it is mostly towards urban density. Density is not just for cities. The classic American small town with a main street filled with houses within walking or biking distance of stores is also outlawed. And much harder to change. Hillsboro in Oregon is one of the few suburbs seriously trying to changes this, but mostly in small towns in suburbs not only do these laws remain, you get major grassroots resistance towards attempts at change.

The thing that's crazy is that even as rural as I am, I have a little general store within walking distance, and that was an element for me. Of course, I also used to have a bar within walking distance, but that burned down in a mysterious fire the day after our fire chief was indicted for fraud and the fire department closed.

When I lived in the town, while we were building the house, I was within walking distance of a doctor, pharmacy, Walmart, Home Depot, thrift store, and the best little corner bakery ever, which also closed mysteriously but didn't burn down. And the bowling alley. Where the bus stop was.

All of which is amazing to me because we really are the opposite of efficient land use, what with all the Arizona independence and whatnot.

I live in walking distance (which for me is about 2 miles - I like to walk) of almost everything except two of the very major things: my kids' school, and my job. There's a shut-down school about half a mile away, that closed because too many people with kids gave up on the city schools and moved to the suburbs or put their kids in private school. The existing school is great, but it's over 2 miles, and while it's ok for me it's too much for little kids to walk without mucho hassle and whining.

Yeah, it's about a mile and a half. Including walking down into the wash and back up. But to be this far out in the middle of nowhere and to be able to get milk and eggs, albeit severely overpriced milk and eggs, it's worth it. You can also get tire chains and bait and, like, I dunno, a chisel set. It really is a general store, like you picture.

Schools are also the huge reason we can't move close to my job and mr. flea's job easily; the school in the neighborhood near work is a magnet, and will not accept my older child (it's a foreign language immersion magnet). The "neighborhood school" for the neighborhood (takes everyone) is actually not in the neighborhood and is more heavily poor and minority (like, 95%+) than we're ready to handle, and the other good magnet schools would be a looong bus commute for her.

Have I mentioned I am starting to hate the school district (and the behavior of the people with children in the greater metro area with respect to it)?

I have dreams of one day taking care of the filing.

My dreams are small and pathetic and speak to my woeful mastery of grown-up skills.

I live in walking distance of a decent amount, but I don't walk. When I lived in Polgara's nabe (technically I still do, honestly), I walked a lot more. Restaurants, bars, supermarkets, library, post office, cinemas...all within a trivial foot distance.

Big urgent project just dropped into my lap. Hey, thanks, guys! Because I was totally recovered from that last one (not tied up with a pretty bow yet), and I didn't have any ongoing issues to deal with. And this one has two or three Directors and a CIO involved.

There have been stories about schools where none of the kids walk to school, regardless of how close they live - there aren't any sidewalks

Yeah--that's how it was where I grew up (Indianapolis, which I've always described as one big suburb of nothing). I guess downtown is fairly nice now (I hear from the Superbowl), but it didn't used to be, and though my elementary school was less than a mile away, there were only sidewalks for one block of that distance, and my neighborhood had none. Combine that with terrible public transportation, and it was very frustrating until I got my license! I love living in a walkable neighborhood now, and paid a premium for my house because of that--I could've got something much cheaper further away from things.