Four Free Things

We got to hang with this sweetie
a few months back. We'll meet someone
new this Sunday at Hiking Hounds.

Four Free Things is a (mostly) weekly feature here on The Green Gazelle. Each Friday, I share four free or almost free things I hope to do over the weekend and upcoming week. Share the free or cheap things you've got planned in the comments section of this post.

Due to my fantastic ability to procrastinate, I have plenty of work and chores to catch up on this weekend. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't make time for a bit of fun, relaxation, and enjoying life. On that note, here are the four things on my list that I'm really looking forward to:

1. Planning my Neighborday celebration.
Thank you, Good, for creating a holiday that has the power to make this country a better place to live. We've met all of the folks who live in our apartment building (our most immediate neighbors), but we haven't really had the opportunity to get to know them. It's still a little awkward when we run into them. So I'm going to use the Neighborday holiday opportunity on Saturday, April 27, to get to know them a little better. This weekend I'm hoping to devise a plan to invite our apartment neighbors to our apartment for a low-key gathering. My goal is to also get invitations created and posted on everyone's doors. It's going to be a little scary and uncomfortable at first to invite over a bunch of strangers, but that fear often stops me from doing new things. This will not be one of them.

2. Attend the "Fiddles and Folk Life"  Festival
This free event at a local college is described as "an annual Appalachian festival and old-time music competition." And I can go for free? Pinch me.

3. Hiking Hounds
It's time once again for Hiking Hounds, where the local humane society lets us take shelter dogs on a beautiful hike in the mountains. Such a great idea, and so much fun to hang out with a homeless pooch (who could really use the attention and exercise) for a few hours. The photo on this page is the lovely pooch we hiked with in February.

4. Free Week at National Parks
That's right, the National Park Service is celebrating National Park Week by offering waived admission fees at most national parks from April 22-26. I'm going to take this opportunity to tour the Carl Sandburg Home here in Asheville. 

Do you have a national park nearby that you could visit for free this week? What else is on your list?