It was pouring rain when a family member told me there was a baby duck in the garage. At first I…read morethought, "Oh, a duckling," and went out expecting something small and harmless. It was hiding beneath the car -- frightened, alert, and surprisingly difficult to catch. Every time I tried to reach for it, it scrambled away awkwardly, and when we finally cornered it, I noticed its tail was injured. It looked serious. So I did what most people would probably do when they see an injured animal: I tried to help it. For me, it stopped being "a duck" in the abstract. It became this specific little creature I was trying to save. I searched for someone who could help, and that led me to the Ohio Wildlife Center. Their website says, "Wildlife Help Starts Here." But for me, it felt like wildlife help ended there. I understand that wildlife rehabilitation is complicated. They cannot save every animal. There are limits involving resources, suffering, survival odds, and quality of life. Rationally, I know that. But emotionally, I could not stop thinking: I never wanted to be the person delivering this tiny creature to its death. Maybe I should have asked a different question before bringing it in: "What percentage of animals brought here are killed?" But it would not have mattered anyway. When I called, I got an automated response and brought the duck in regardless, hoping for the best. My mistake. Maybe I am applying human standards to an animal. Maybe I am projecting my own instinct to survive onto it. But I cannot help feeling that existence itself matters. If it were me, I would rather have another day alive -- even injured, even imperfect -- than have someone else decide my life was no longer worth continuing because recovery would be difficult, inconvenient, or incomplete. That is the part that stays with me. Not death itself, because death comes for everything eventually, but the feeling that I unknowingly became part of ushering it there. If I had left the duck alone, maybe it would have lived longer. Maybe it would not have survived at all. I do not know. But I walked in believing I was helping save it, and instead I was confronted with the fact that they were going to kill it. What made it harder was how sudden it felt. The moment I walked inside, they took the duck immediately. No pause. No goodbye. Just gone. To them, perhaps it was routine. To me, it was still this frightened little thing I had crouched in the rain trying to protect. Maybe "murder" is the wrong word. Maybe "kill" is more accurate. Either way, the result is the same: death. Nonexistence. The extinguishing of something that, only moments before, was alive and fighting to keep moving. I care about animals. So when you try to do what you believe is the right thing, only to realize the outcome no longer belongs to you, it leaves a mark. And then, on top of all of that, they wanted my personal information. I remember looking at them like they were delusional, "Are you serious?" You are telling me this duck is going to die, yet you still need my details? For what? Do they keep records of where animals came from they've killed? Stats? Maybe. But in that moment, it felt absurd. In an era where everything is collected, tracked, harvested, monetized, and stored, I could not help reacting with suspicion and disbelief. At this exact moment I felt emotionally blindsided and disgusted. This is one of those questions that comes up everywhere -- from medicine to animal care to end-of-life decisions. Wildlife rehabilitators usually focus on survival and minimizing suffering. But the animal wasn't necessarily at risk of dying from the injury itself. I tend to see it more simply -- that existence still matters, even when things are imperfect. That's where we differ.

The OH Wildlife Center is a non profit that operates the state's largest wildlife hospital. They…read morealso house and rehabilitate native wildlife species. Throughout the year, they offer various educational and special events that are open to the public. I was so excited to take a fundraising yoga class here. Kelly was our yoga instructor and she is also an OWC volunteer. She gave us some great tips for protecting wildlife at home and took us on a short tour after class. We got to meet several of the residents including Waldo the turtle, beautiful red foxes, feisty raccoons, owls and a shy little coyote pup. They provide signage with more information about the animals, and many of them had been injured, abandoned, or kept as pets and released illegally. It was wonderful to see them peaceful and well cared for. They mentioned that they are always looking for more volunteers. Check out their website for more information or to donate.

We in Columbus are incredibly lucky to have a place like Igloo. They're doing letterpress the cool,…read moreold-school way... with machines that are much older than me! I've had the pleasure of visiting their print shop and the retail shop several times, and I'm always like a kid in a candy store. The staff are always so kind, and they love talking about their work. And the retail store sells so many Ohio and Columbus goodies--I want to spend hundreds of dollars every time I'm there! Seriously, this is the best selection of cards, calendars, and other paper products in the city!

Parking is available in the private lot of the building or across the street in a public parking…read morearea. Some of the public parking is designated as 3-hour limit until 6pm. The letterpresses are in the former carriage house of the Worthington Inn. It's a jumble in there, but in a good way. It has a wonderful ink and paper smell to it. The retail shop is housed in the Snow House which is the oldest house in Worthington. It has some office space, a kitchen for the staff, and several rooms of handcrafted goodies. They carry their own cards, book binding supplies, leather goods, aprons by AmyD, stinkybomb soaps and many more locally crafted items.

Took my daughter and her friends to this pottery studio to paint their own pottery. The girls had a…read moregreat experience. It was very organized and easy to participate. However, there were out of mini pottery options and prices were a little expensive. Great place for a day date with friends or family.

What a fun and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I have never been to a PYOP before and it far…read moreexceeded my expectations. We were able to make a reservation ahead of time and they had our table all set up when we arrived. The owner and one of the employees were so welcoming, and they gave us a quick overview of where to find everything. They have tons of pottery pieces to pick from and the prices of each piece are labeled on the shelf. You pick what you want to paint and away you go! They had tons of supplies - brushes, paints, stencils, stamps, etc. We had coffees from across the street and were able to bring those in. Music was great and just added to the overall experience. When you are done, you turn your pieces in for firing and they give you a pickup date for the finished product about 14 days out (currently). I am excited to see how our artwork turned out.

Beautiful flowers and wonderful cause. The staff are helpful and patient! I've gotten to take a…read morebehind-the-scenes look, and the facilities are so great. While we miss the lettuce, the flowers and decor are spot-on. I can't wait to try one of their seasonal events!

Loved the variety of plants. Everything was competitively priced too. All of the staff were…read morefriendly and knowledgeable if they couldn't answer a question they would get someone who could!

I always have such a nice time here. Tonight, I took a Christmas card making class and left with 6…read morecards good enough to use. We started with the easiest one and gradually got more complex. It was fun and I felt free to get creative if I wanted. There were three other students there. This is really a unique small business. Inspiring U only teaches crafts. They don't sell craft stuff. You sign up for a very reasonably priced class, bring what is described, and you leave having learned something new.

Inspiring U is a great place for kids and adults to learn art and other crafting skills. My two…read morekids attended the summer craft camp and had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend Inspiring U to any parent with girls or boys. They will have a great time.

Some pros and cons about this shop. I love a good small business and this a cute store in a great…read morelocation. I love that they have craft classes for kids. Cons, they are selling fake Needohs which is for one illegal, and the person working first tried to tell me they were real, and then tried to tell me it was fine that they are doing it. It's not. When you sell something using another company's branding that isn't from the company it's copyright infringement which makes it a counterfeit product and illegal. It's confusing for customers that don't know any better. Not to mention they are double the price of actual Needohs. This bothers me especially because my mother in law came home super excited because she finally found one for my son. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was fake. I'm sure plenty of others are being duped as well. It's disappointing coming from a reputable toy store. Please stop.

Stopped in while doing the Dublin Fairy Door Trail. Impressive place, bigger than it looks,…read moreseveral rooms winding around. Loads of interesting toys, large and small. Really hard to walk out without any. But "mama won't be happy with either of us if we bring another toy home" works most of the time. Educational stuff, costumes, dolls, goofy little trinkets, big playsets, just so much. Well worth a visit, though maybe come alone and shop for birthdays or Xmas, because if you bring your kid, they are going to give you the business.

I've been following Mac Worthington's work on FB and finally made it in to the gallery this…read moreevening. Tonight was the opening of his spring collection exhibition and it was as if a rainbow of color came to life. As flowers are synonymous with the season, they were in abundance to be sure. The color was a vivid and brilliant mix in both hue and height. In addition to the floral pieces, there were plenty of abstract cityscapes from Columbus and beyond. In addition to the canvas options, you can also buy prints of assorted paintings for $25 and up, which is what I opted to do. We went on a Friday evening so plenty of metered parking was available.

Worth the drive to visit Mac's property of endless art. He continues to prove his creativity and…read morerelevancy over the many years as one of the most influencing artists in Ohio. Treat yourself to a visit!

Karen did an amazing job framing a trophy cooler that I won when I was in high school. It was very…read morelarge and I wanted it left in tact. She took on the challenge and did a great job. I plan to take more stuff to her and would highly recommend her work.

Karen has done several things for us from old photos to needlework and has done a terrific job on…read moreeach one. The prices are very reasonable and her work is absolutely top-notch. Also get a nice little drive in the country rather than crowed highways.