I rode with a coworker to a meeting downtown. He was planning to stay the rest of the day. He asked how I was going to get back to the office. I told him I would figure it out. He started to argue with me and realized it was pointless. I left the meeting and stepped out into the street. It was sunny and I was soaking up the excitement of being downtown. This walk will be enjoyable, I told myself. More importantly, it will make my watch happy that I am getting my steps in. People in business suits walked swiftly into their respective office buildings, steam from old water boilers poured out of buildings, and tall buildings began to appear on both sides of the street. Almost instantly, there was no more sunshine to warm my face and my 600-fill-power down jacket didn't feel so powerful. My hands, that had been gripping my backpack straps, felt numb. With no gloves, I placed them in my coat. It's thin, polyester shell pockets were little comfort. I became acutely aware that heeled
Our College Hill neighborhood school, Pleasant Hill Academy, was one of the Cincinnati Public Schools to receive money to build an outdoor environment where students can be hands-on while learning about nature. The chosen site was in the park at the end of our street. We had been watching its development since early Fall, so eager to see it all come together. It was extra special for the neighborhood children who may not have a yard or regular access to parks and nature. The log bridges, bird watching station, huge rocks to rest on, and the waterfall and creek make you forget for a moment that you are in urban Cincinnati. After dinner this evening, I asked my husband, Chris, to take our dog, Tucker and walk down to the park with me. Today was the day they turned the water feature on. Tucker immediately began tromping through the flowing creek, leaving watery paw prints behind on the staggered rocks. He waded through the high grass, found sticks for us to throw, and lapped up some of th