On Washing Away The Stench Of Dear Deer Blood...

My neighbors, not the vegan ones and not the ones who disliked my avocado tree (that has regrown like all get-out)... The ones who live right off the lake in a mini-mac from the 90's. The ones that hold a huge get together twice a year - Memorial Day being one of them. Mega-family travels down from the Carolina's, and I'm told a few of them "bring food" obtained through their "hobbies": Venison. 




Now as my good friend Andy L. rightly points out... The smell of cooked blood during these holidays can be overwhelming (read: disgusting). My neighborhood is no exception with the stench of cooked dear deer blood and all the other species from other neighbor's grills.

So what's a vegan to do? Well I could stay inside... But I love my yard and the outdoors calls to me!  And I have a wrap-around six-foot high fence that keeps my loved ones safe and maintains my privacy - Sadly it doesn't block out odors though. And as I look and ponder this fence, I notice it could use some sprucing up... There's nothing like the urgency of a (loud) pressure washer! Vroom!

But pressure washing can be a lot like raking - It's hard to know when to stop. First bushes must be hedged, the beds blown out... And while your at it... As long as the extension cords and hoses are completely unfurled, you might as well do the walkway, driveway, doors, windows, deck, garage floor, etc. etc. Now you get the idea. Yes?

This has all lead me to a week-long event of "playing in water", making lots of (annoying) sounds and best of all, my car has had to be parked right in view to road traffic... Maybe the clan of deer-killers got a good eye/ear full on their thee-day blood-cooking fest? One can only hope... 

So for those reading who might enjoy the smell of cooked blood of any species - Please consider your neighbors. Not only those who wretch at the smell... But your nonhuman neighbors who's lives are stolen for your bizarre and unkind habits. 

Me? I had portobellos on the grill with home made seitan - It was the best! ;)

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Easter Bunnies For Sale! Down The Rabbit Hole Of Bad Ideas...

IN MY CAGE

by Mary Brandolino

It was colorful and fun
The new life that I'd begun
In my new cage.

I was just a little thing
When they brought me from the store
And they put me on the floor
In my cage.

They would take me out to play
Love and pet me all the time
Then at day's end I would climb
In my cage.

But as days and weeks went by
I saw less of them it seemed
Of their loving touch I dreamed
In my cage.

In the night outside their house
I felt sad and so neglected
Often scared and unprotected
In my cage.

In the dry or rainy weather
Sometimes hotter sometimes colder
I just sat there growing older
In my cage.

The cat and dog raced by me
Playing with each other only
While I sat there feeling lonely
In my cage.

Upon the fresh green grass
Children skipped and laughed all day 
I could only watch them play
From my cage.

They used to take me out
And let me scamper in the sun
I no longer get to run
In my cage.

Once a cute and cuddly bunny
Like a little ball of cotton
Now I'm grown up and forgotten
In my cage.

I don't know what went wrong
At the home I did inhabit
I just grew to be a rabbit
In my cage.

But they've brought me to the pound
I was once loved and enjoyed
Now I wait to be destroyed
In my cage

Now that's a sad ending isn't it? You too can speak up about why it's such a bad idea to purchase rabbits (or chicks) for children by hopping over to this post at the VeganElder blogspot. 

Or you can copy the letter below that was written by my vet Mitsie Vargas:

Around Easter, many pet stores stock up on hot items including live chicks and rabbits.  These animals are often given to young children as presents. After Easter the number of relinquished rabbits and chicks overwhelms many shelters. The current proposed bill will result in extremely young and delicate chicks, ducks and bunnies being sold as Easter gifts. These fragile beings will also be dyed further inflicting unnecessary distress in these animals. The dyed appearance will cause them to be objectified and treated as toys, not as living beings.

Many folks think rabbits and chicks are low maintenance pets that only require a small cage and little attention. The truth is, they have special dietary and housing requirements.  Rabbits need a balanced diet of pellets, fresh lettuce and other vegetables, and grass hays.  They also require daily exercise and space enough to perform 3 consecutive hops in a cage.  Chicks grow into chickens. They are omnivores but should be fed commercial chicken feed. They need roaming space outdoors. Roosters when they hit sexual maturity, have the potential to become aggressive.  That small Easter gift of a bunny or chick can also pose a health hazard to your kids or end up victimized by young children. Young kids tend to be rougher and not understand that rabbits can easily break their backs when handled.  Plus rabbits have long toenails that leave deep scratches especially if handled improperly. On the other hand, chicks can carry salmonella and E. coli that may cause serious diarrhea and possible death to young children. 

Rabbits are the third most relinquished pets to animal shelters, which are usually equipped to handle only a few rabbits and rodents at a time. Most end up being euthanized.  Rabbits and chickens that do not make it to a shelter are often released to the wild to fend for themselves and those that do not starve to death, become easy prey for predators in the wild. 

 
This Easter season share in God's goodness and honor his creations by refusing to buy, give or accept live bunnies and chicks. Chocolate ones are delicious and do not result in any harm.  

I can add another reason why most rabbits (and other delicate creatures) do poorly with most kids... 

We all love the idyllic image of children with soft, devoted caresses lavished to their bunnies...



But let's face it... Most of the time kids would much rather play with their electronic gizmos and video games, and then the tearful poem is recited again. :'(

So instead of buying a bunny why not let your kids "assemble" one of many right here: Bunny Puzzles

Like the video says: Please treat the lives of others gently and respectfully. Go Vegan.


"Hopping" you have a very friendly Easter. ;)

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An Unconventional Holiday Wrap-Up ... Vegan Style

Almost twenty-five years ago my husband and I bought our first home. We were w-a-y over-stretched financially with all the things we wanted to change/improve "immediately". So... We did what many other new-home owners do - We both worked two jobs. These grueling hours extended through all major holidays from Thanksgiving well past New Years... That didn't stop us from decorating the tree and house though. Even if no one was home to enjoy and celebrate the donning of festivities - Our new home had been decked out just the same.

And so it was that these jobs kept us from taking down the merry and the holly for a considerable amount of time afterwards. We joked that we could have kept the tree up and decorated it with Valentines decor... And the "green" would be perfectly suited for St. Patrick's Day too! But - The decorations managed to get boxed up by February 12th. Barely.  And so it happens every year since, that some stray Christmas memory lingers around... A card that comes late in the mail. A hidden, stray ornament... Even the persistent single strand of tinsel that escapes the vacuum cleaner till July makes wrapping up the holidays almost a year-round affair.

I'm not packing the Fa-La-La/Auld Lang Syne memories away just yet this time either. I've one more special gift to mention before I do. You see, I'm an extremely lucky person... As I've mentioned before my veterinarian is vegan (how cool is that?) and I also have the greatest fortune of having neighbors who are also vegan and wonderful bakers too!

On New Years Day we were given the most delicious Raw Vegan Cookie Dough Bites... And before long there were only three left so here's to putting away the last of the holiday cheer, this go-round.

Lastly, I'd love to say there was some influence from me that directed my neighbors to go Vegan Style... But nearly three years ago they came to me - Just like this: Vegan-aware and vegan-friendly. So who says things aren't changing for the better? Don't stop advocating. Don't stop telling speaking out... In ways you don't even realize, you're making a difference. It really is true that good people are listening! ;)

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Santa Lies & Humane Myths - A Gift Of Truth

It's no secret that this season is celebrated as a holiday in many cultures. Even we secularists get all cheery and gleeful!



It's a perfect time to renew one's optimism in tomorrow while remembering our connections to the past.

Somewhere along the way most of us had figured out the myth of Santa... I don't know that it made the fun or celebrations any less happy knowing that truth. The lights, candles and glitter still sparkled. The pine and cinnamon scents still smelled inviting. The cards and gifts were still a delight to receive... And to give. Discovering that our parents ate "Santa's" cookies and hot-chocolate didn't scar many of us permanently. But what it might have done is to cause the first fissure that enabled us to question more untruths. 

It's rather perverse to warp truth. It's an evil kind of trickery in lying to the vulnerable. All that trust we had put into the hands of adults to give us the tools necessary to function in a world where reason is critical, was betrayed... For - What? For "fun"? And still, it's much, much worse when the lies cover up harm to others...

The truth we found was that without the myths of the Easter Bunny - The spring flowers are just as colorful. Without the Tooth Fairy - The reward of "adult" teeth was just as exciting. Without believing in Cupid - Valentines is still special for lovers... Without a turkey - gratitude is just as - more so sincere. From St. Patrick's to Jack-O-Lanterns - We haven't missed much knowing the truth. In fact... Because we can think more critically - Reality becomes an even more valuable experience to participate in.

I'm writing this to give such a gift of liberating knowledge to some who might still be looking for this wealth that is more important than all the gold, incense and murr imaginable! I'm certain there's one more myth that most adults still carry around. They just haven't weaned themselves from the notion of "humane" meat, ("humane" dairy or "humane" eggs): But here's the truth unwrapped:

Just like Santa and Peter Cotton Tail - There's no such thing!

For those who still believe, here's reality from Webster’s New World Dictionary:
Hu·mane / hyoomáyn / adj. 1. having what are considered the best qualities of human beings; kind, tender, merciful, sympathetic, compassionate.

When you have the choice to kill someone or not... When you have the option to pay someone to stab someone else, or not... And you pick the killing part, where does that intentional snuffing of a healthy, sentient being fit into this *kind* act of slaughter? See what I mean?

I know... I know --- It's hard to let go of myths that our entire culture and species has embraced... We love us a good sacrifice! We even made special excuses to cling to them, like killing others was a "necessary evil". But even so:

When you start with a necessary evil, and then over time the necessity passes away, what's left?
― Matthew Scully, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy

So no matter what your age you can still benefit from knowing the truth. It's offered as a gift. A little reminder that reality can still be just as more so pleasant than the lies... And just as okay to celebrate this holiday without the nativity - As it's okay fine, wonderful, terrific, BEST, to live without the sacrificed being too. ;)

No worries! You can celebrate these holidays without a deity and you can live your life without forsaking others. Please keep the genuine spirit of this goodwill season alive throughout a lifetime! Live ethically. Give the gift of compassion to others by going vegan! Kindness really is the greatest gift!

Art by Beth Redwood

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ThanksVegan & Food For Kind Thought

What a fantastic meal and celebration we had at the 8th Annual ThanksVegan event coordinated by Florida Voices for Animals! Robert Shepherd was the keynote speaker and you can read his moving essays here.

Robert D. Shepherd

It was a wonderful time with more delicious food than one could imagine. Best part was getting to be with friends who are dear but seldom seen. 

Tucker & me

The poster you see behind us is one distributed by United Poultry Concerns. Many took advantage of this backdrop for cool photo-ops. The truth couldn't be more clear! We know that turkeys are too neat to eat, and no one at ThanksVegan missed out a bit!

Another one of these posters held a place of prominence at the library display that I previously mentioned I would do in the month of November. Of course the major focus was all about the turkeys and the many reasons they are best left off our plates:

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I was pleased with the display... It looked festive and colorful. The message was clear that we ought to be kind:

Available in the lobby were brochures also provided by United Poultry Concerns. If people didn't get the message on the way in... They certainly could learn more on the way out. 

I hope that all gentle folks had a wonderful holiday! Food for kind thought is always delicious - Isn't it? :)

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Of Easter Rabbits and Personal Tribunals

This photo was taken almost 4 decades ago and represents for me, a year of firsts.  I had my first full time job. First car. First apartment. First serious relationship. And my first callous treatment to another living being.

I am pictured holding Metuse my first (and only) rabbit "pet". He was given to me by my partner at the time on Easter morning. I was in love the first moment I laid eyes on him! He wasn't young... But I never asked where he came from. Never thought of what home or circumstances he might be missing... All I knew was that he was mine to adore from then on!

We took Metuse everywhere we could reasonably allow for his freedom. He especially loved camping adventures where he'd be on grass for days at a time.  And at home he was a perfect room mate. He had the run of the house at all times. I never found any object chewed or clawed on. And he always used his little box for his rabbit "deposits". 

He must have loved me too - Each time I came home from work or errands he'd be at the door to greet me. He followed me from room to room and stayed at my feet when I settled down. He adored being petted and would fall asleep in the hollow of my lap. Everything was safe in our world...

But as youth often does - It has changes and is filled with disruptions... My 2 year relationship was ending and I made hasty arrangements to move into my second apartment - Leaving my sweet Metuse behind. So worried with my own life I didn't look back to claim him till weeks passed and by then he had been "given away". To this day I kick myself for letting my poor little love face yet another unknown. How helpless it must be to be moved about without even knowing where or why or... Well, I don't pretend to know what a nonhuman must think when they are shuffled or shoved into the unfamiliar. Or how they grieve when they miss their friends... But it can't be good. :(

I wish I could say that the fate I left my dear Metuse in was the last of my thoughtlessness regarding the nonhumans in my care - But to my shame it's not.  As time allows and as I have the courage to tell - There's more...

For now I just wanted this to be an open apology to one of the most precious beings there ever was. I'm sorry Metuse that once I was so young and dumb and insensitive to your needs. In hindsight I should have left everything else behind and taken only you. To You my sweet friend: Stretching way back to our distant lives - to the comforts of home, secure surroundings and soft caresses - Please forgive me for having denied you these. You are always in my heart. 

To those reading who might be moved by my story - Adopt your sweet rabbit and give him/her the best forever home you can. Remember their little world is totally dependent on you - Make it a considerate and generous one.

Happy Easter to all the great bunnies and bunny lovers in the world! 

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Vegan Valentines... I Won't Hurt You

My husband and I took a rare excursion on Sunday... It was an event that I was hoping to see pretty paintings and to meet with the artists. Little did I know that it would also be a place surrounded by tables of taxidermy, "skins", "furs" and weapons to harm. Needless to say my Vegan tee-shirt stuck out like a sore thumb. :/ On top of that the particular tent that contained the ONLY exhibit I was interested in was right next to a marathon of "duck calling" contests. What a headache to shout over that annoying, constant bombardment of noise meant to trick helpless birds... Anyway - I digress...

Among the displays of the remains of murdered others was also a "petting zoo". There was a camel, a zebra, a lama, a cow, some sheep and goats. At least those were the beings I could see on the perimeter. I couldn't help but stop to stroke a friendly Billy (and tell him how sorry I was)... In a moment a child was behind me, with his outstretched hand ready to join in the love saying "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

Funny thing --- Recently at a road side flea market a young girl also said that very same thing to these enslaved ponies: "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

And I'm certain I overheard another child whisper this too as he mounted the elephant for a ride: "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

Meanwhile when the parents hear this they are so convinced and pleased that they are raising sensitive and sympathetic kids... So normal - So right. So socially well adjusted:

...And so very humane.

If you are a parent... Of course you know that your children learn everything about life from you. Please, for their sake and for the innocent nonhumans - Don't let it be all lies! Spread the real love! There are compassionate and healthier options! Go Vegan!

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New Lessons from an Old Year

It's only appropriate that this first post of the new year would be late in coming as what I've written below has been in my drafts folder for over a year...

As I mentioned last year, January 1st for me not only marks a new year... But it's also my vegan-versary. And a year ago it was also the day that Peggy's chicks were hatched:


I've put off writing about Peggy because of the possibility of criticism... But I've mulled over  worst-case-scenarios enough to stick my neck out, and hope that the hatchet doesn't fall without at least telling our story first...

Here's what I wrote almost a year ago:

Peggy has been the most brooding hen I've ever known. She would sit on her nest with her one egg for endless days. Many times not leaving to eat or even to roost with the rest of the flock... When I did remove her into the grass and sunshine - She'd scream and squawk in desperation - not wanting to leave her egg. Her precious egg that never had the benefit of a rooster's charms.  This went on for many months - She'd always fret. I'd always feel badly for her frustrated mothering desires.

Well, a few weeks before Christmas I went to my flea market for some veggies and a Sunday browse. As usual I'd stopped to see my nursery-man Ralph who sold the best plants... And who I've been somewhat successful in nudging towards a (healthier) plant based diet. Well, Ralph also has chicken as "pets" (and for eggs) as well.  I told him about Peggy's issues and he suggested to let her hatch some chicks. I didn't quite get how this would work without a rooster but he said if she really wanted to sit on some eggs... Any eggs would do - Like the eggs from his hen-friends that mingled and romanced with the roosters.  Ah! Now I understood!

The next day Ralph gave me 15 assorted eggs - probably all fertilized. I placed them in a nest box - and Peggy laid claim to them immediately.  For 3 weeks straight she only left those eggs for water and food... Not all the play, digging, or sun bathing by her friends could get her to abandon her mission.  Peggy was in her element! She dutifully rotated those eggs, keeping each at just the right temperature - Cooing a mantra in her task of motherhood. 

Then on New Year's eve nature's alarm clock struck... Her first chick hatched at about 8 pm - During the night 4 more peeps were under her warm feathers... Throughout the next day about every 3 hours another little being reached the official welcome-mat of life.  I tried to imagine what each new sibling thought of the next: 

Hey - I'm me! peep-peep Who are you? cheep-cheep Where'd you come from?  peep Are there more of us? cheep Isn't Mommy the best place to be? peep - peep... cheep - cheep. 

Peg left several unhatched eggs - Apparently birds know when they aren't viable because there is no conversation taking place. The shells that were vacated though were stacked one into the next --- Accordian style - Like a collapsed tower... This was her way of "counting" and making room for the other lives yet to come.  Quite a bit of a perfect "miracle".  Yeah - I cried... 

After about 24 hours Peggy left the nest with her little babies following her. She didn't go far... Maybe 2 feet. But the chicks ventured further.  Then she'd fluff all her feathers to make herself huge.  She'd flap her wings and let out a deafening screech.  Each of chicks made a rapid retreat back under her.  These were their first lessons to return to safety at her urging.  

For the first month they all slept in Mother's down - Tucked in every space available.  

Under and inside of her inviting wings... I don't know that anything was ever more serene to witness.

In the month and a half since they've had daily teachings about where and how to scratch for bugs... How to dust bathe... And eventually how to perch at night. Peep - Cheep - Peep.


From the beginning I also had my own "maternal" goals in mind... There is my beautiful Cleo 

Cleo

who is separated from the rest of the flock due to a neurological issue that makes it difficult to walk. Cleo has had the company of some peeps in the past when I came by chicks from a woman who "changed her mind" about keeping them.  But they've grown and left her terribly alone.  My hope, realized through Peggy's chicks, is that now Cleo has all the companionship she could want via a "secret passage" that only the little ones can enter:

The chicks have climbed on her... Cooed and gently accepted her as a surrogate mom... At first Peggy wasn't so generous to "share" her chicks - But as they've gotten older I think she's grateful for the break away from her duties.

And as you can see in this video - There was a particular bond with one chick named Miss. Miss for "misfit" as Peggy totally rejected her. Ran her away from the rest of the brood with a vengeance. Why? I have no idea but she and Cleo were inseparable.

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Fast forward a year to now Doris, Martha, Twiggy, Miss and Linda have also grown... Leaving Cleo as alone as before :( Peggy still broods on the nest (incessantly). Nothing has really changed except that I had to find forever homes for the boys that I couldn't keep. And it's only in hindsight that I can clearly see the dilemma that I created.  Even under the best intentions - When man begins manipulating and tweaking others - More problems arise than what are solved...

In today's industrialized world of mechanized chickens, it's not often a Peggy gets to be a mother hen. It's not often chicks know the genuine comfort of a nurturing parent. It's not often a rooster gets to protect a flock... For better or for worse - I wanted these things to happen. I had a hand in it all.  And for all the negatives that were a concern (and I've whipped myself enough over them) - They pale in what I thought was the right thing to do at the time. So... For right or wrong - Happy Birthday Doris, Martha, Twiggy, Miss and Linda! You may have gotten here under some very strained and orchestrated circumstances... But I'm glad you did!

So much for ringing in the new year with old news... But it was something that's been tugging at me to tell as a course of learned lessons and owning up to a lapse in judgment. I was never perfect as an omnivore - And certainly still am not perfect as a vegan. Maybe the next five years of more carefully thought out decisions will get me closer though. (?) ~Happy New Year

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A Christmas Shepherd... Samson's Story

A Christmas Miracle 
by Crystal Ward Kent author of The Journey

It was just after Thanksgiving. An angry middle-aged man stood at the counter of the animal shelter, gripping the leash of an aging German shepherd. "Why won't you take him?" he shouted. "I need to get him off my hands!"

The adoption counselor tried once more to explain. "At fourteen, Samson is too old to be a good adoption candidate," she said.

Dr Brad Tuscon Az

"Well, then just take him and put him down," the man yelled. "I want to be rid of him."

"We don't take animals just to put them down," the counselor explained. "May I ask why you no longer wish to keep the dog?"

"I just can't stand the sight of him," the man hissed, "and if you won't put him down, I'll shoot him myself."
Trying not to show her horror, the counselor pointed out that shooting an animal was illegal. She urged the man to consult with his veterinarian for other options.

"I'm not spending any more money on this animal," the man grumbled and, yanking the leash, he stalked out.

Concerned, the counselor wrote down the license plate of the man's truck and offered up a quick prayer for Samson.

A few days later, a German shepherd was found abandoned. He was brought to the shelter, and the staff recognized him as Samson. The town where he had been abandoned was where his owner lived. The man was contacted by the police and, under questioning, admitted that distraught over his recent divorce, he had sought revenge through the shepherd. He hadn't even wanted the dog, but he fought to keep him to spite his wife. Once his wife was gone, he couldn't bear to see the animal. The man was charged with abandonment, and Samson came to stay at the shelter.

The wife and the couple's son were located in Pennsylvania. They were horrified to hear what had happened to their dog and agreed immediately to have him come live with them.

There was just one problem: The wife was nearly broke after the divorce and their initial move. She could take no time off from work to drive to New Hampshire and get the dog, and she couldn't afford any other method of getting him to her. She hated to have Samson in the shelter any longer but didn't know what to do.

Over the Garden Wall by John Trickett

"We'll come up with something," the staff assured her, but in their hearts they didn't know what. They were concerned, as well. Samson had lived with his family all his life. Within a few weeks, his whole world had been turned upside down. He was beginning to mope, and the staff could tell by his eyes that if he wasn't back with his family soon, he would give up.

Christmas was only two weeks away when the angel arrived. He came by pickup truck in the form of a man in his mid-thirties. Through a friend of a shelter staffer, he had heard about Samson's plight. He was willing to drive Samson to Pennsylvania, and he would do it before Christmas.

The staff was thrilled with the offer, but cautious. Why would a stranger drive hundreds of miles out of his way to deliver a dog to people he didn't know? They had to make sure he was legitimate and that Samson wouldn't be sold to meat dealers or dumped along the interstate. The man understood their concerns and, thankfully, checked out to be an upstanding citizen. In the course of the conversation, he explained why he had come forward.

"Last year, I left my dog in my van while I went to do some grocery shopping," he explained. "While I was inside, the van caught fire. I heard people hollering and rushed out to see my van engulfed in flames. My dog meant everything to me, and he was trapped. I tried to get to the van, but people restrained me.

By lamy grrl

Then I heard someone shouting, 'The dog is safe! The dog is safe!' I looked over, and there was this man I'd never seen before, holding my dog. He had risked his own life to get my dog out. I'll forever be in his debt. Just when you don't think there are heroes any more, one comes along. "I vowed then and there that if I ever had the chance to do someone a good turn when it came to a beloved pet, that I would. When I heard about Samson and his family, I knew this was my chance, so here I am."

The shelter staff was amazed. They all knew about the van rescue story. It had been in all the papers, and the shelter had even given the rescuer a reward, but they had never dreamed that Samson's angel was connected to this earlier good deed.

A few days later, Samson and his angel were on their way. The dog seemed to know he was going home, because his ears perked up and his eyes were brighter than they had been in some time.

Canine Designs by Suzanne Renaud

Just before Christmas, the mail brought one of the best cards the shelter had ever received. Along with a thank-you note were photos of a deliriously happy Samson romping with his family in the snow and snuggling with them by their Christmas tree. Samson was truly where he belonged, and the staff knew he would live out his days happily there.

They also knew that Samson's journey home was a true Christmas miracle, and that angels — and heroes— may still appear when you need them, even in the most unlikely forms.

Originally published in Listening to the Animals, Second Chances

To all those who are heroes to the outcasts, cast-offs, misfits, misplaced and to those who have just been born into a world without friends - Thank you for your concern and dedication to making things better. 

A Peace Filled Vegan Holiday to You!

The Shepherd by Paul Doyle

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Gifting Life is Being Vegan

Well, as I said I would have my last word about food for a while... But certainly not about turkeys or turkey rescues...

This video comes from Indraloka Animal Sanctuary and was originally posted at This Dish is Veg. Clearly the founder Indra gave a special gift to two lovely birds... She gave back what was originally theirs...                               
The rights to their own lives.

The most generous thing you can do this holiday and everyday beyond is to allow others to keep their most precious beingness... Please do not remove them from this world - Please do not steal their sacred lives. Please extend your compassion to others. Give the gift of life by treating all creatures with respect.  

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Giving Thanks to the First Farmers

With gratitude to the first American farmers - The natives on this soil who grew abundant plant based foods:

And apologies for having repaid you so unkindly: Thanksgiving A Native American View

We European immigrants should be the ones who plead for pardon. 

In Lakota wolakota wa yaka cola - peace without slavery - Would be something all of us would be very thankful for. le mita pila - my thanks to those who strive for this goal.

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Being Vegan is NOT a New Year's Resolution!

On Jan 1st I celebrate 4 years of making my choice to be vegan... 

No, oddly enough, this high-day of resolutions isn't what marked my decision! And I never did understand how people could put off doing the right thing for some future time... How they could choose some distant day to act upon ending a wrong.  Obviously to them doing the right thing comes with great sacrifice.  
Too bad they feel that way.


It's almost as strange as people who want "welfare" measures for the animals enslaved for their "pork" and "eggs". They take comfort in knowing that by such and such eventual year,  things will be improved to "acceptable" standards.  Makes me want to ask them if they will eschew those products till then? Of course the answer would be "no".  
Too bad they feel that way.


My Jan 1st unplanned, unscheduled and unrehearsed  commitment happened quite by coincidence... At a New Year's eve get together - I mentioned to someone that I was going to the circus.  The next morning I was sent an email with a link to the awful truth about what happens "under the big top".  And there on the page was a word I never heard before: "factory farm".  I clicked, and then -  "The first time I saw a pig in a cage... I knew immediately that this was wrong.  I didn't need to check with an "authority" or anyone who might explain (or excuse) why that pig was in a cage.  Without the help of words my mind clearly saw this pig as a victim."  The person who sent me the link thinks going vegan is too extreme.
Too bad she feels that way.


So I'd like to add here - That I also didn't need a particular time, a special hour or a calendar date to respond accordingly.  Clearly, in my mind - whether it was the 1st of January, the 12th of never, or the ides of March - The time to do the right thing was that moment!  Four years later...     
I'm glad I still feel this way!




So on this and every Jan 1st - I intend to continue celebrating empowering knowledge... And the many life-expanding, timeless qualities it has opened to me.  It was more than a new year... It was the beginning of an authentic life! 

Happy New Year to all who do the right thing - NOW! ;)


I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again. 
~Stephen Grellet

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