Week Six: Armleder Dog Park

Armleder dog park is my favorite dog park in Cincinnati. There's nothing fancy about it; it's pretty close to where I live and there's lots of space for the dogs to gallop and play.

Armleder is large enough that you can sit on the grass without getting run over by a pack of romping rovers.  There are plenty of shade trees under which you can lounge with your tired-out pooch after they've run themselves ragged.  In warm weather there's also fresh water available both inside and outside the gated areas.

This Friday afternoon Andrew and I took Olivet & Meynard out to Armleder.  It wasn't too crowded, and there were just enough dogs in attendance to make it fun.  The weather was perfect and we had a delightful time.  Andrew threw tennis balls to Olivet for about an hour until she finally ran out of steam.  Meynard had a great time playing with the other dogs.

I'm thankful for SPCA Cincinnati who fostered Meynard for 3 months before we adopted him.  I met him while volunteering to walk the shelter dogs there, and he was my favorite dog from the get-go.  I would start each shift by checking for Meynard in hopes that he had been adopted.  My heart would sink every time I realized that he was still there.  Unfortunately, he was just one of the many "long timers" that hadn't yet met his new family.

Eventually I realized that he might be waiting on me to take him home.  So, that's what I asked for from Andrew and Olivet for Christmas.  We brought Olivet up to the SPCA to meet Meynard and she was fine with him (a Christmas miracle!)

Meynard was 5 years old when we got him and came "pre-programmed" with tricks and manners.  He's a shining example of how adopting an older dog can be just as rewarding, if not more so, than adopting a puppy.  And he's been a great big-brother to Olivet.

So far I'm on Day 2 of  Happy Herbivore's WHOLE Days challenge.  I feel pretty good.  You can check out my thoughts on the 30 WHOLE Days Challenge page of this blog.

I did allow myself one small appliance purchase for this challenge.  (I'm an appliance junkie - it's just a fact).  I bought an old school hot air popcorn popper so I could make popcorn without oil.  I was worried I wouldn't like plain popcorn, but I do!  I forgot I used to eat plain air-popped popcorn at my babysitter's after grade school (before microwave popcorn even existed!).  It's by far my new favorite snack.

Adventures in Eating - 30 WHOLE Days

May 1st I'm embarking on a new eating adventure. I'm participating in Happy Herbivore's 30 WHOLE Days challenge.

I'll admit, even as a vegan I eat lots of junk food. My favorite meal is vegan hot dogs on a white bun, with Bush's vegetarian baked beans. I love sweets and have been able to veganize all my favorite cookies and cakes.

I stopped eating animals not for health reasons, but because I don't believe that animals were put here for us to exploit, torture or kill for money. It's a rebellion against corporate greed. So, admittedly, I haven't been concentrating on making the most healthful of choices.

Since entering in the veg lifestyle, my attitude has been "I've given up enough" when it comes to food choices. I'm hoping this challenge will help change my perspective. I'm really anxious, but I'm also curious to see what happens! I'll be keeping a separate page on my blog that will detail the 30 WHOLE Days challenge as I go through it. Here is a link to all the other bloggers who are participating in the challenge as well.