Four Free Things: August 9, 2013

Me enjoying the view on the Blue Ridge Parkway during last
weekend's motorcycle ride. I know, my life is so rough.

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.

Well. It has been quite a while since my last Four Free Things, hasn't it? I've had too much to do for the past few weeks to look for free entertainment. This weekend and next week, though, I've got a few free things on my to-do list. How about you?

Pajamurday

Saturday. Pajamas. All day.

Yup, my plan for Saturday is to have absolutely no where to go, and nothing to do. We in the gazelle household are taking the day off of expectations and accomplishments. The only thing I'm requiring myself to get done on Saturday is to stay in my pajamas. Maybe I'll read. Perhaps I'll rearrange a room (because that is my idea of fun). Or start a knitting project, or pick up the banjo. I'll certainly drink too much coffee, and hopefully eat scrambled eggs. And probably nap. After I sleep in. Yep, a day off this Saturday is deserved and needed, and I'm allowing myself to take it. Go ahead, give yourself permission to celebrate Pajamurday!

Hiking Hounds!

As you might know from past posts, an awesome volunteer at our local humane society created the Hiking Hounds program to get volunteers out on hikes with pound pooches twice a month. We've been trying to go once a month, but this month we're committing to both trips. The hike is usually about 4 miles on a mountain trail, which takes around two hours. The pooches get lots of attention, and I get a bit of exercise and fresh air. It is probably the most fun volunteering I've ever done. If you don't have a Hiking Hounds program in your community, you could start one! Or, if you are not quite ready to jump in that deep, you can grab your family (furry or otherwise) and get out on a trail this weekend for an hour or two.  

Sourwood Festival

'Tis the season for festivals nationwide, but I particularly love the ones here in the mountains of North Carolina because they are centered around old time and bluegrass music, dancing and clogging, and crafts. You have no idea how happy this makes me. We'll swing by here after Hiking Hounds on Sunday, hopefully in time to catch some of the clogging. 

Motorcycling

You know the best part about traveling by motorcycle instead of car? You can smell the forest and feel the wind. It is so much more participatory than auto travel, and I love it. We planned to refrain from getting a motorcycle, but it turns out that a bike is one of the cheapest (and funnest) ways for B to get to work. They get excellent gas mileage... and around here, the cycling season is more like 10 or 11 months instead of the 3-6 month window of the midwest. To top it off, this area has some of the best motorcycling in the country because of the many twisty mountain roads. We'll most certainly get out for a ride this weekend.  

Have you found any fun or interesting free opportunities in your area during the next week? Do you have tips for others on where to look for free activities?