Puppy Love - New Milford Dog Park Opens

Puppy Love – Community INteraction


My family has always been invovled in the communities in which we live.  From running for office to our churches to local civic groups.   Since moving to New Milford, CT, I have tried to emerse myself in the community.  One of the projects I have been deeply involved in bring a fenced dog park to the town. 

We were really fortunate to have Kimberly-Clark donate the land for the park next to their plant. For the past year, we have been selling t-shirts, magnets, skate-a-thons, movie nights, trivia nights and “tag” sales (yard sales everywhere else in the country) and a host of other fundraising activities to try to fund a fence around the 1 acre of land. In the spring, we had a bittersweet announcement a former principal of one of the schools, Fran Terry and her family would be our angels and donate the balance of the fence in memory of her husband, Norman Terry. WOW!

On Saturday, August 28th… Over 50 New Milford four legged residents and their humans dedicated and opened “Candlewoof Park at Kimberly-Clark”. It has been the “woof” of the town. Now as a Board Member and a citizen, I have been bringing my dogs to the park to play with existing and new friends. I have to admit getting choked up last week after work when stopping by to give the pups a quick romp. There had to be 25 dogs and their owners. Bark about multi-cultural diversity! There was every type of breed from a toy poodle that had a thing for my Golden to a Mastiff. Their owners were smiling and INgaged in their dogs as well as meeting each other.

Social community exists online and off. Tips and stories were being shared and commented on as the dogs did their own version of social networking… I shed a happy tear. All the hard work was worth it. Hopefully, being part of this wonderful venture has helped me get closer to the quote:

“My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. “

Blogging Pulpit

Mr. B and I have been trying to plan a couple of days after my next conference to see his parents and to take a couple of days vacation on a beach. Since my airfare is covered, it all makes sense. How do we go about doing this? Well, the first thought was the Keys. I have never been there and tis himself hasn't ventured out there in close to 30 years.

We researched a couple of great places on line. I decided to see what might be going on in Key West those couple of days. Guess What!! That seems to be "Pride Week". Perhaps, we would be better off going out to the keys another time. I put away the Hemingway novels I had thought about reading.

Next idea, I am a gorgeous resort for our event... why not just stay on there? Himself read the reviews.... yikes .. The reviews on Tripadvisor and epinnions were not so great. So my question is..... DO YOU BOTHER TO RATE PLACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT ARE GOOD?

I am guilty .. I don't. I only use the "Blogging pulpit" many times for ranting about horrid restaurants, experiences, bad customer service, and more.

As I was sitting here, I wanted to share a recent great experience. I have been shopping for new places since the move. A new drycleaner, groomer, nail salon, liquor store, carpet installer, you name it .. We need to find it all over again.

Kudos to the following:

• Tiffany Nails - Great people, awesome value, and clean
• Kovac Carpet - Family business, on time, great advice, and good follow up (they install the runner on the stairs tomorrow
• Ne Jaime Beverages - Have an email newsletter, invited me to a tasting, and have a charity wine tasting event to help buy mammogram machines for the New Milford Hospital.
• Village Green Drycleaners - Have a bin to recycle wire hangers and the plastic, tons of coupons and very welcoming staff

The difference may be I ask questions. I ask politely for recommendations and I tend to like to do business with locals rather than large chains if possible or I just shop the Internet. It was difficult to do this in Georgia with the multitude of strip malls and chains.. but some great local businesses are:

• The Biscuit (homemade biscuits open mornings Wednesday - Saturday - cash only)
• Rose Cottage - Home Decor and gifts
• The Big Shanty Barbershop - my dad loved that place

Okay... that is enough "Do Gooding for the Day"