Lambzilla

Week Nine: The Ducks & Geese at Twin Lakes in Eden Park

2010-08-22T20:33:00.002-04:00

Ducks are inherently funny. They waddle, they quack, and they have the ability to stick their heads completely underwater, which leaves their butts sticking straight up in the air.

Lucky for me, the Twin Lakes section of Eden Park where the ducks hang out is just a quick jaunt down the hill from our house.

I'm not sure what time of year they fly south, but I'm happy to have them as neighbors during the Summer. Sometimes I can hear them quacking early in the morning before I leave for work!

I was happy to see that the Canadian geese were also swimming about (imagine "about' pronounced with a Canadian accent a la Strange Brew).

If you've never fed ducks, you're missing out. These guys aren't shy; they'll come right up to you and take bread right out of your hand. I saw a man and his son feeding them this way, and they were having a blast. They were taunting some of the ducks saying things like "Don't be a bully!" when a brazen duck would hog all the scraps.

It was also fun watching the young children, who were both thrilled and terrified at how close the ducks would come up to them.

Did I mention their webbed feet? Webbed feet are hilarious! Just knowing these characters are hanging out down the street makes me smile.

Week Eight: The Peterloon Estate

2010-07-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

The Peterloon Estate is one of the most fanciful places I've visited in Cincinnati, and until recently, I never knew it existed. It hides in plain sight; tucked away a few blocks behind bustling Montgomery Rd. on Hopewell Rd.

The estate was built by John Emery for his wife and family. The history of John Emery and the Peterloon estate is on their website http://www.peterloon.org/.

Before entering the main building you are greeted by charming sculptures of snails, roosters and fish.

Inside the estate is still fully furnished and decorated. I was amazed at the beauty and whimsy of each room. I took so many pictures! You can find them all grouped together on my Flickr page.

Author Curtis Sittenfeld at Peterloon

If you ever get the chance you must go visit for yourself.

My wonderful mother-in-law Sally and her delightful friend Diana invited me to Peterloon to hear author Curtis Sittenfeld read excepts from her three novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams: A Novel, and American Wife.

This reading was the final segment in the Sunday Salon Series fundraisers for Women Helping Women. Hopefully they continue this series next year, as I'd like to attend more.

Excuses, Excuses

2010-07-25T10:52:00.003-04:00

I've been neglecting to update my blog in the weekly fashion that I promised to do. It's one of the major faux pas of blogdom, I know.

Here is my list of true, albeit weak excuses:

I've been busy. My wonderful 12-year old sister Carly came to visit this summer. I spent most of my time with her going on adventures in Cincinnati. I've got some great pictures and places to write about, I just haven't done it yet.
I'm on the computer all day at work. (Weak excuse, I know)
I didn't want to post hastily. I had a couple of quick posts written, but failed to post them. I want the grammar and tone of Lambzilla to be consistently delightful. Posting rushed, sub-par material would be more disappointing than posting nothing at all.
I got out of the habit of writing on Sundays. I know now that I need to stick to my Sunday blog writing sessions because I don't have the time any other day of the week.

What's happened has happened, let's just move on shall we?

Maybe this cute picture of Olivet will help.

Week Seven (better late then never): The Flying Pig Marathon

2010-05-15T09:31:00.002-04:00

Once a year, every year, I awake very early to the sounds of cowbell and long rips of "Wooooo!". It's the sounds of crowds gathered in Eden Park cheering on runners of the Flying Pig Marathon. Normally, I cover my ears and try to ignore it. But this year, I decided to gather up the dogs and walk down to the park to see what all the hubbub was about.

The Flying Pig Marathon, which started in 1999, is a 26.2 mile race across the city of Cincinnati. The route begins downtown, loops up around Mariemont, then circles back through Hyde Park and Walnut Hills. Since I'm not a runner, I've never really paid much attention to the race other than to try to figure out how to get around my neighborhood with all the street closures.

Once I made it down the street to view the runners coming through the park I was so glad I did! Not to be corny, but I really was amazed to see hundreds of everyday people running this marathon. It was rainy and cold, but they were running through this beautiful setting undeterred by the weather. I joined the cheering crowd along side the route and shouted words of encouragement myself; and after all these years, I found the source of the cowbell.

Week Six: Armleder Dog Park

2010-05-02T12:47:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-30T10:10:00.007-04:00

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.

Week Five: Great American Ball Park

2010-04-25T20:08:00.008-04:00

I am lucky enough to work for a company that still funds outings for their employees.

This Saturday I went to the Great American Ball Park to watch the Reds game. I actually watched little of the game - I mostly chit-chatted with coworkers and enjoyed free food and drinks! I even smuggled in a couple veggie dogs from home so I could participate in the ballpark nosh.

Great American Ball Park is very cool. The painted steel construction reflects the style of the bridges spanning the Ohio river that can be seen from several areas of the stadium. The open architecture allows fans to watch the game, see the river and view the surrounding skyscrapers from their seats.

The only thing that could make the ball park even better would be a light rail to take fans into downtown and back from the surrounding areas of the city.

Pictured below is my "Sunday Scraps" casserole. I usually make a version of this every Sunday, and this time I remembered to take pictures. I take all my leftover veggies from the week, cut them up and put them in my favorite Le Creuset dish to bake. It's always my favorite meal of the week.

I've been eating so much over-processed junk food lately - I'm really going to try to make better food choices this week.

I just finished watching Food, Inc. and it made me grateful that I've made the decision to be vegan/vegetarian. It also opened my eyes to all the other things that I eat without questioning what it's made of and where it comes from. I signed up for fellow blogger Happy Herbivore's 30 Day Whole Food Challenge that begins on May 1st. I'm hoping it helps me get focused on eating the good stuff and ignoring the junk!

Week Four: Roller Derby

2010-04-18T13:59:00.011-04:00

This Saturday I attended my first Cincinnati Roller Girls game at Cincinnati Gardens. I went with two of my old-school friends and we had an absolute blast.

For $10 we were able to see both the junior varsity team The Silent Lambs vs. The St. Lunachix and the varsity team The Black Sheep vs. the ARRG All Stars.

Roller Derby is an amateur sport, and the players are owners and operators of the their teams. While we were waiting in line to get tickets, several roller girls were mingling with the fans and signing autographs.

Before going I did some research into the rules of the game. There are basically 3 types of skaters: pivots, blockers and jammers. The helmets of the pivots have stripes, and the helmets of the jammers have stars. The jammer starts a few seconds behind the pack and must get through the blockers and pivots in order to score. It's a full contact sport and very exciting to watch. All the players have crazy names like "Hannah Ouchocinco" and "Cherry Choke."

I was made aware of this phenomenon thanks to friends I follow on Twitter and Facebook. I also participated in my first tailgate and "Tweetup" thanks to @Mojojacob.

The next home game for the Cincinnati Rollergirls is May 8th and I will most certainly be in attendance.

Week Three: Homemade Soap

2010-04-11T12:26:00.016-04:00

I'm lucky to have a friend in the soap business. This weekend she invited me to her charming house for a "Mischief, Mayhem, Soap" party.

Each soap was simple, beautiful and decadently scented. She offered several varieties including Lavender w/ Salt, Green Tea, Rosewater, Calendula, and several types of shaving pucks. It was hard to choose a favorite, and I ended up walking away with six bars!

I'm thankful for the Handmade Crafting/Do-It-Yourself Movement. I love the idea of art created for and by the masses as a part-time hobby. An everyday object such as a bar of soap becomes extraordinary simply because it's homemade. Many do-it-yourself artisans live the dual life of an 8 - 5 office worker by weekday/crafter by weekend. For me, crafting is a great way to balance the benefits of life in the rat race (the pay, health insurance, etc) with my artistic, creative sensibilities.

This weekend, I also attended a housewarming party of a co-worker. She mentioned that there would be a fire pit, so I made vegan S'mores mini-cupcakes for the occasion.

These cupcakes involved several steps, including cutting and dipping individual graham cracker squares into melted chocolate and letting them cool. It was quite a production, but I loved how they turned out decoratively. The extra effort was worth it, as they were both adorable and delicious.

Andrew kept me company in the kitchen during this process. He helped by taste-testing after each step. He also decorated his own cupcakes for the first time!

Week Two: Krohn Conservatory

2010-04-04T20:06:00.016-04:00

I must admit I've resided about two blocks away from the Krohn Conservatory for the past seven years and have probably visited it twice.

This is because I'm normally tethered to two dogs that tug me along as they trounce and sniff through Eden Park. Since dogs aren't allowed to enter the Krohn, we usually just cut through the parking lot and weave our way past its visitors as quickly as possible. Since the trees and daffodils are in bloom I decided this would be a good time to visit.

It was amazing. I'd forgotten that you can wind through a tropical rain forest and see luscious foliage juxtaposed against the 1930s Art Deco glass and aluminum.

I felt like I was on The Island from Lost (which was delightful!) It was hot, tropically and awe inspiring. I spent about an hour and then walked home. Did I mention it's free and has WiFi?

Walking through the park sans pooch was a surprisingly pleasant experience. I didn't have to pick up any poop, which was great...but I was also able to see and hear things that I haven't before. I was able to hear the rustling of a snake beneath some dead leaves. He was camera shy and moved too fast for me to take his picture.

This Sunday was Easter. And though this has nothing to do with the Krohn Conservatory, I have to share my Easter craft. I like to mark all holidays with some kind of cutesy craftiness.

I made vegan chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. I dyed the frosting in different pastel colors and placed a chocolate bunny graham on each one. They were delicious, I was able to take some to a friend's house and Andrew and I ate the rest.

Everyone loves owls

2010-04-03T09:13:00.014-04:00

Slipcover Your Life’s Stitchery Giveaway!

I just discovered this delightful blog called My Owl Barn that showcases all things Owl related. They are giving away this little craft kit from the Etsy store Slipcover Your Life's Stitchery.

Weekend Plans:

Today we're planning on hiking the trails at the Cincinnati Nature Center. I've heard the wildflowers are blooming. I have mountains of laundry to do, and a guest bedroom that needs painting, but I just can't stay inside on this wonderful day.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and I have plans to attend lunch with Andrew's grandpa and his driver Beverly. Easter should not come to pass without some kind of craft or cute food. I'm working on some ideas now, and hope to have an activity planned for tomorrow.

Week One: Sundays

2010-03-31T18:43:00.012-04:00

I love Sundays.

Sundays allow me to pack in several activities I love into one day.

Breakfast.

This Sunday, I made a big breakfast of Tofu Scramble, toast and vegan sausage.

My mom always made a big breakfast on Sundays when I was growing up. We would eat while we listened to classical music on WEBN. I suppose that's where I get the idea that big breakfasts should be eaten on Sundays. It's also the only day of the week I drink orange juice. I only love orange juice with a big breakfast.

Andrew.

Sundays are also usually one of the few days I get to spend time with my husband Andrew. Andrew can usually be found out Serif Sound. This is the venue where we spent lots of time together when we first started dating. I don't make it down there too often anymore. But when I do go, I'm always impressed with his cool stuff.

This AMPEX tape machine looks like it's smiling at me:

The studio was built in the 1970s and is full of shag carpeting. I find the orange shag carpeting delightful.

Olivet & Meynard.

Finally, I love to hang out with my dogs, Olivet & Meynard. Sometimes we go to the park, sometimes we stay at home and nap. As you can see they are pretty much up for anything.

Une Nouvelle Joie de Vivre

2010-03-23T21:43:00.006-04:00

I love to complain. I'm a natural critic and pessimist. To me, the glass is half empty, out of style and well...you get the picture. I don't know when I began complaining, but I've been using it to get laughs ever since I can remember. Quick wit and noting the flaws in everything have been my joie de vivre for quite some time now.

I'm using this blog to flip the script on the way I see the world around me. This venue will focus on things I find delightful and enjoyable; things I love and for which I am grateful. I'm not sure where this will take me, but life is all about the journey right?

One delight-filled post will occur weekly for the next year.