Month: January 2013

It’s Winter, Right?

Anna Blankenheim Gardening

This weekend was unbelievably beautiful here in Northern California! I took advantage of the nice weather and satisfied the craving I’ve had lately to do some work in the yard. Since now is an excellent time to plant bare root, I headed to my local Lowe’s to check out their selection. I came home with two pear trees (for the orchard) and a weeping cherry (for Shadow’s pen). I’ve been wanting to plant one of those for a really long time now and thought it would make Shadow’s spot a little prettier. I also came home with roughly sixty little tubs of lavender.

Since we finally finished the patio and walkways around the house, I decided that it was time to get some landscaping in. The back side of the house has rosemary lining the pathways and I wanted something different. I have been waging war with the deer since I moved in with Mike several years ago, and finally came to the conclusion that I need to plant what I know they won’t eat. Rosemary, lavender, pine, and St. John’s Wort are all on the safe list (unless the deer are really hungry, in which case all bets are off). I saw a really pretty picture on Pinterest that showed a garden pathway with lavender growing all around it – that’s what I’m aiming to duplicate here.

Lavender In The Yard
Lavender In The Yard

I think it turned out really nice and will look even better once they fill in. Now I just have to contain my gardening impulse until spring comes around!

Saturdays with Shadow

Anna Blankenheim Photography, Saturdays with Shadow , ,

This is actually one of my favorites of Shadow. Those of you with labs know it’s almost impossible to get a good picture of them. Shadow will pose and then the minute the camera goes “click” he’s on the move and I have a blurry shot. This was taken after a long day of playing in the yard and working on the patio with Daddy. He was so tired that he didn’t bother to protest being photographed. I love that little grey chin!

Sleepy Shadow
Sleepy Shadow

Another Way To Help Newtown

Anna Blankenheim Random Acts of Kindness ,

Some of you have shown a lot of interest in the 26 Random Acts of Kindness that I recently completed to honor those killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. I was recently put into contact with a group that is doing something really cool, and I thought I’d share. They are doing the first annual Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award. Their mission is to encourage children to do acts of kindness while also supporting the victims. Basically, the way a child enters is to write, draw, or tell the story about their act of kindness in any way. The winner will be chosen on February 22nd, Charlotte’s birthday.

If you’re interested in participating, please see the website below for more details:

http://www.newtownkindness.org

Keep those kind acts coming!

My Thoughts On Lance Armstrong

Anna Blankenheim Sports ,

As most of you know, Lance Armstrong sat down with Oprah this week to discuss the doping charges against him.

Through the whole interview two things warred in my head. The first was how hard it must have been for him to actually admit all of this. The second was what a jerk he is. I have a hard time believing that he felt that he wasn’t doing anything wrong and that he wouldn’t get caught. He even made the comment that if he hadn’t made his comeback to the sport that he likely would have gotten away with it. I also wondered what his motivation for admitting this now was. I can’t imagine that he thinks his ban will be lifted, so maybe it’s just that he’s reached his breaking point.

I was really impressed with Oprah – she asked all of the hard-hitting questions that had gone through my head and really pushed Lance when he seemed like he was trying to skirt the issue. I am curious what it is that makes people want to spill their guts to her.

Part two of the interview is on tonight… we’re definitely watching it, but I don’t think there’s really much more to be said (who knows though, Oprah might surprise me). There are several questions that I still have – what happens to all of the money that Lance won in the anti-deframation lawsuits? Does he pay back prize or sponsor money?

Then there’s the whole impact on the sport of cycling. It became very apparent that many of the top cyclists of that time period were also doping and using illegal substances. In fact, it was so apparent that when the UCI disqualified Lance in his seven wins, they left the spot vacated, as opposed to filling it with the 2nd place winner (as was done in 2010 when Alberto Contador was caught doping and the win was given to Andy Schleck). I think this whole thing is a devastating blow to professional cycling and, more specifically, American cycling. It makes me sad that in sports today we see this more and more – baseball, football, and soccer. I’m all for being competitive, but think it’s really sad when people feel they have to win at all costs. What happened to good sportsmanship?

26 Random Acts of Kindness Revisited

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Let me start by saying this is a hard post to write because I really don’t want to come across sounding like I’m tooting my own horn. That was not my intention in blogging about my random acts of kindness at all… I was hoping to inspire others to do the same as well as get some press for some of the good causes I donated to. I actually found that the hardest acts for me to complete were when I came face to face with the person I was doing it for. There’s something really fun about leaving something for a stranger and then wondering about it.

I think that moving forward I’m going to try to do something like this more often, maybe even when I’m having a bad day. This whole exercise taught me just how easy it is to do something kind for someone else and made me more aware of the kind things people were doing for me, even if it was just holding the door open when my hands were full. It was also really neat to see how my acts of kindness impacted the people who helped – from the friend who gave me the clothes for the convalescent home to the barista who was touched by my note to the person behind me at Starbucks. I was tickled pink to have a friend tell me the other day that she and her husband were inspired to do their own twenty-six random acts – they’re spreading it out over the year. It just goes to show how something good almost has a ripple effect. I know there’s no way to erase the horror of Sandy Hook, but I hope in some small way that I made a difference in these twenty-six different acts.

Over the course of just under one month, these are the twenty-six random acts of kindness that I completed:

  1. Charlotte Bacon – taped a dollar bill to a vending machine
  2. Daniel Barden – left a Starbucks gift card in conference room
  3. Rachel Davino – bought stamps left for a stranger at the post office
  4. Olivia Engel – bought Starbucks for the person behind me at the drive through
  5. Josephine Gay – donated food and toys to the animal shelter
  6. Ana Marquez-Greene – left two movie passes for the next people to buy tickets
  7. Dylan Hockley – donated food to the local food bank
  8. Dawn Hochsprung – left a Cheesecake Factory gift card for the janitor at work
  9. Madeleine Hsu – left a Trader Joe’s gift card on a desk at work
  10. Catherine Hubbard – left a gift card for a free lunch in the cafe in a random place at work
  11. Chase Kowalski – bought In-N-Out for the person behind me at the drive through
  12. Jesse Lewis – donated three meals to Drive to End Hunger
  13. James Mattioli – donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation
  14. Grace McDonnell – left a Spa Finder gift card in a mailbox
  15. Anne Marie Murphy – bought a stranger a dozen donuts
  16. Emilie Parker – left lottery tickets in a mailbox
  17. Jack Pinto – left a gift certificate for the next person at the garden center
  18. Noah Pozner – left quarters in the sticker machine at Safeway
  19. Caroline Previdi – bought a large pizza for the next person at the pizza place
  20. Jessica Rekos – paid for McDonalds for the next person in the drive through
  21. Avielle Richman – donated clothes to convalescent home
  22. Lauren Rousseau – gave a fern to the next person in line at Safeway
  23. Mary Sherlach – bought frozen yogurt for the next person
  24. Victoria Soto – left money for a gallon of gas at the pump
  25. Benjamin Wheeler – donated clothes to Goodwill
  26. Allison Wyatt – donated $26 to the Grace Foundation

Random Act #26: Allison Wyatt

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Random act #26 is one that is very near and dear to my heart and combines both my love for horses and my wish to do some little bit of good in the world. Many of the children killed at Sandy Hook had a love for animals, so I think this one is really a great deed. I hold a special place in my heart for animals who, like children, cannot defend themselves. It breaks my heart to see the terrible things people do to animals. My own Shadow was neglected, as was my sister’s Lilah and both have shown nothing but love for us and our families.

The Grace Foundation is an animal rescue and rehabilitation ranch here in Northern California that provides care to abused and neglected horses. I had the pleasure of doing some volunteer work there a couple of years ago and fell in love with the animals and the Foundation’s charter. They take abused, neglected animals and rehabilitate them. They then use those horses as rehabilitation animals for disabled and at risk youth. It creates a sort of perfect circle – the animals helping the children and the children helping the animals in return:

Since its founding in 2004, The Grace Foundation has been dedicated to saving the lives of horses and other animals. Grace provides critical care and rehabilitation for abused and neglected horses, livestock, dogs, and other animals.

Many of these animals are then utilized for equine-assisted learning and therapeutic programs for youth and children. Since its inception, The Grace Foundation has helped thousands of kids who are at-risk or have suffered from abuse and neglect themselves.

Grace also offers programs for people of all ages that are struggling with autism and other physical and emotional challenges, as well as a variety of youth leadership programs and life science classes.

Sadly, the Grace Foundation had to close its doors to the public this last October due to an ongoing battle with the banks over funding. They are working to reopen their doors on February 1st but need the help of the public. I donated $26 to the Grace Foundation in honor of the Sandy Hook victims to try in some small way to help these animals. Click here to make a donation of your own – any amount helps and it all adds up!

Please share this with your friends, family, and coworkers. This is one of those truly selfless causes and your money goes directly to the care of the horses and upkeep of the ranch.

Random Act #26: Allison Wyatt
Random Act #26: Allison Wyatt

And just like that, my 26 random acts of kindness are done. I’ll post a recap in the next couple of days with some reflections along with what I’m doing going forward. Stay tuned!

Neurotic Eating

Anna Blankenheim Critters, Things That Make Me Go Hmm... , ,

Sometimes I really do wish my dog could talk. Those of you who have labs know that they’re notorious chow hounds. As in some people have to get special bowls to slow their dogs down.

My dog, on the other hand, thinks a little more about his food. He’s always done it. When Mike was working at the fire station and gone for several days in a row Shadow would go on a hunger strike. Sometimes he takes bits of food, carries them to a random part of the room, spits them out, and eats them later.

This is what his bowl looked like when I left for work this morning… I swear, I did not touch it at all. That’s right, he ate it right down the center. I wonder what he’s thinking!

Neurotic Eating
Neurotic Eating

Does anyone else out there have a dog who does this? Do you have any solutions? I don’t even know if it’s something that necessarily needs to be fixed – he’s healthy and happy, but I feel terrible when I leave for work and he hasn’t eaten all of his food!

Random Act #25: Benjamin Wheeler

Anna Blankenheim Random Acts of Kindness , ,

Today I completed random act number 25. One more to go! I donated some clothes and shoes to Goodwill… I had wanted to do a local women’s shelter that I’ve volunteered at before, but they have really weird hours/days that you can donate, so I went with Goodwill.

This act is in honor of Benjamin Wheeler, a six-year-old who loved swimming, soccer, and his big brother Nate.

Random Act #25: Benjamin Wheeler
Random Act #25: Benjamin Wheeler

Saturdays with Shadow

Anna Blankenheim Photography, Saturdays with Shadow , ,

I’ve decided to start a new segment on my blog called “Saturdays with Shadow”. Every Saturday I’m going to post a picture or funny story from the week about him. Since I now have the camera and Photoshop, expect to see more pictures… I’m having so much fun playing with both of them!

This picture is from the first day I had my camera… Shadow was in his pen and I took a zillion pictures. I was playing in Photoshop this morning and was able to crop and add some effects. I still have a lot to learn, but I like the result!

Shadow's Portrait
Shadow’s Portrait

Random Act #24: Victoria Soto

Anna Blankenheim Random Acts of Kindness , ,

Random act number 24 was to leave $5 on the pump at the gas station. This was in honor of Victoria Soto, a young teacher who died trying to save her students. You know how every now and then when something terrible like this happens, you sometimes find one person in that event that really touches you, maybe because you identify with them a little more than the others? Well, Victoria was that person to me in this tragedy. I don’t know what it is, but I found myself drawn to her story in all of the news reports. There is now even talk about naming a new elementary school after her!

Victoria
Victoria