Entertainment, Part Thirteen: The Fresh Outdoors

Summer is almost here! There are so many wonderful things to do in the great, fresh outdoors during good and not so good weather. The advantage to outdoor entertainment is obviously fresh air, breeze, and wind preferably blowing stink away from the chemically sensitive person, but also movement. One is able to move about freely, away from toxic smells. Granted, smelly people encounters will be the greatest risk at public events, but once you learn to sample the air with shallow breathing techniques and move fast, it's not as dangerous as indoor and confined activities. You'll become very adept at holding your breath at a moment's notice and breathing deeply when able. I was told once by a doctor reviewing my labs that I don't breathe efficiently. Well, YEAH! Welcome to my world. We do what we can to survive.

I'll briefly list some of my favorite outdoor entertainment ideas here, but I'm sure as the summer progresses I'll write about many of them in more detail.

Organic Gardening Grow your own food, flowers, herbs, bushes, trees and oxygen-enhancing greenery. If you don't have your own dirt to play in, grow a container garden or find a community garden with fragrance-free fellow gardeners. (See also blog post titled "Entertainment, Part 2: Organic Gardening" and all other gardening adventure posts.) Potential Dangers: Mold in dirt, natural pesticides made from essential oils

Up close and personal!

Organic Farm Visitations  Many organic farms invite people for visits and give tours. Some will demonstrate farm activities such as cheese making and goat and/or cow milking, offer cooking classes, or provide petting farms for children. Others will sell their organic flowers and produce on site or demonstrate specialties like candle making, flower arranging, food preservation techniques or weaving. Local organic farmers are good people to know and support, and are often very aware and passionate about society's issues with chemical poisoning. Potential Dangers: Stinky people encounters.

Berry Picking  Find organic farms that provide u-pick berries or other produce. In my area of the country, strawberries are ripe as early as June, and blueberries and raspberries in July. Depending on the type of blackberry, they are ripe in July and August and free if you are willing to hike up in the woods. Apple, cherry, pear, and peach tree orchards often provide u-pick opportunities as well and neighbors sometimes offer free windfalls or gleaning. Potential Dangers: Stinky people encounters.

Farmers' Markets Support your local, organic farmers! Farmers' Markets are like outdoor shopping malls and entertainment rolled into one with lots of air. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters and smelly booths like scented candles, potpourri, or essential oils. Hold your breath and walk past very fast!

County and State Fairs  I LOVE fairs! I enjoy looking at horses with braids, cows with ribbons,  pigs with manicures and well-behaved dogs. I know someone who gives her chickens baths in preparation for the fair. Fluffs them up real pretty. I also like looking at local crafts, baking contests, flower exhibitions and fruit and vegetable competitions. Although I don't partake of the carnival rides or the junk food, the sounds and smells they provide add a certain ambiance specific to a county fair. Bring your own snacks and water. Potential Dangers: Smelly people, stinky booths and displays, non-organic flowers and produce exhibits, junk food, bathrooms washed in chemicals.

Festivals Art festivals, music festivals, ethnic/cultural festivals or any combination are in abundance during the summer months. One year I went to a mule festival. Yep, a three-day mule extravaganza. The baby donkeys were delightful! Search online for "festivals in [state]" and up pops festivals for the summer, for this coming weekend, for tomorrow. I have found some of the more popular festivals can be extremely crowded. If they last Friday through Sunday, Friday right when they open is often the least populated time. During the weekend, get there again right when they open, but expect you might need to leave by early afternoon. There is one festival in my area by 1pm it's wall to wall people with little room to walk let alone breathe. Still, these events are usually outdoors and in fresh air. If it rains, consider it a blessing - everyone stays home! Potential Dangers: Smelly people, stinky booths and products, junk food, bathrooms washed in chemicals.

Medieval and Renaissance Faires Historical recreations or re-enactments are incredibly fun and provide a very entertaining escape in an outdoor setting with lots of authentic costumes and colorful people. There are often arts and crafts demonstrations, dancing lessons, food from the period and palm reading, as well as jousting, dramatic performances, and music. I once went to a war! Yep, I said war! It took place on a mountain side far away in the country. We got up early in the morning, set up our picnic on the field, and watched grown men and women in costumes pommel each other with swords and clubs. Good fun! Huzzah!! Potential Dangers: Smelly people, smelly booths of scented candles, soaps, dried flowers, pesticides, fire smoke. (I always think it's odd people participating in re-enactments will use chemical perfumes, make-up and pesticides. I think they are missing the point.)

Parks I think many of us take for granted these simple outdoor entertainment areas often right in your neighborhood, in the middle of urban areas. Because so many take them for granted, they are often deserted! Check out landscaping techniques, specialized gardens, hiking trails, and walking paths. They may be used for picnics, sports, bird watching, wildlife observations, art, or playing on the children's playground equipment. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, pesticide and herbicide use

Beaches/Ocean Adventures Fresh air at its finest and miles of walking opportunities. Location selection will be important as not all beaches are created equal. Population, water quality, ground surface quality, walkability and sea life viewing are some of the variables. Potential Dangers: Secluded beaches are relatively safe in terms of stink, not in terms of lunatics and perverts. Overpopulated beaches in the sun belt will be crowded with sun tanning addicts drenched in smelly suntan oils and other stink.

Walking Go for a walk in your neighborhood or anywhere there are sidewalks or paths. Check out the houses, yards, gardens, trees. Meander, lollygag, stroll, speed walk, race walk, or even jog. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, pesticides, herbicides, other neighborhood poisons.

Camping Find a nice, secluded campsite that is safe in the woods, at the ocean, in the mountains, in the country or in someone's backyard. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, pesticides, campfires (See also blog post Entertainment, Part Eleven: Travel.)

Hiking If you have hiking trails in your area or close by take advantage of the fresh air and beautiful scenery of mountains and countryside. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, pesticides, restroom chemicals.

Excursions, Exploration, Sightseeing Become a tourist and visit local outdoor tourist sites: historical properties, ferry rides, outdoor historic tours, architectural wonders, natural wonders, and other places of interest. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, bathrooms washed in chemicals, traffic and car exhaust

Concerts Outdoor music performances offer a different listening experience with the sky above  and fresh air in surround sound. It's fun to crash on a blanket on the lawn and blanket space offers much more personal space in comparison to a seated arrangement. If there are problems with smelly people, you aren't stuck in a confined, pre-reserved spot. You can move! I really love Jazz or Blues festivals that are outdoors. Take your own food and drink so you don't have to buy at the snack bar. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, bathrooms washed in chemicals, pesticides/herbicides used on lawns.

My favorite guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-9zG4KzLHs

(Not a great video with that tag across the screen, but I couldn't get the good video to download. Hopefully, this one works!)

Solitary Sports Swimming in an ocean, lake or river. Cycling on bike paths. Roller skating on park trails. Soccer ball kicking on fields. Jogging on trails or tracks. Potential Dangers: Smelly people encounters, traffic and car exhaust, synthetic track surfaces offgassing chemicals, polluted water.

None of these activities are totally fragrance-free because so many of them involve people. Pick and choose what you're limitations allow and learn to breathe shallow and move fast!