It's Been A While...

The last post I wrote was about attending the VegFest in October 2014... I never mentioned though that I was accompanied by my partner, best friend, soul-mate, hero and husband... I never mentioned that Darryl went to nearly every event with me... Or that he was also a very sick man. 

I was on the phone last night till well after 1 a.m. talking to a dear friend... She suggested that it might be time to return to the concerns that were important in my life before I became Darryl's widow in December.  

I thought once that learning of the injustices regarding species preference was the most painful thing I'd encounter in my life.  Well I never was prepared for how the loss of my truest love would devastate me so. I was a total mess for quite some time. Even now as I return to this laptop/internet after months (lifetimes?) of absence, I journey into the folders of almost forgotten images, and I'm in crisis. Memories, tears, heartache, longing, everything. I miss him terribly. :(  Still. :'(

In my mis-thinking, I wanted to keep this added grief out of the already miserable realities that my online community (family) is already burdened with... I wanted to return "whole" and able. Ready to roll up my sleeves and charge on, exactly where I left off...  But I haven't reached that point and I don't know if I ever will. Sigh. 

Best I can do if any will tolerate, is to work through what I can in ways that may or sometimes may not integrate well with my vegan experience.  I've never mourned a spouse before. I'm still sluggish at seriously caring for anything else more than myself and my poor 51 years-young better half. Yes, I still want to talk about the horrors our species inflicts upon others. The Eternal Treblinka. But sometimes I may just want to talk about Darryl and his influence and support of me. I'd like to talk about how his chef skills adapted to vegan cooking so easily. And how his love of reason and fairness lead him to mindful living... And of all the dogs, cats, birds, snakes, squirrels and cows he rescued... His generosity and kindnesses. Yeah - He was a great guy alright. <3

For now I'm so sorry if I've caused worry... I didn't know how to take this awkward first step back. There are so many variables to catch up to. I intend to try.

Thank you before hand for your concern and tolerance through my silent absence and clumsy apology. I didn't mean to be gone for so long. I'm still here. Still vegan. Still learning. 

Learn and Celebrate with the Bite Size Vegan at the Central Florida VegFest

What a great time to be in Florida! Yeah... Not only has the weather been gorgeous but in just a few days on Saturday Oct. 25th I'll be attending the 9th Annual Central Florida VegFest. As in every year I have attended there will be lots of incredible booths filled with goodies, useful vegan information, delicious food and outstanding speakers.

I am thrilled that this year's speakers will include Emily Moran Barwick who is the sharp mind behind Bite Size Vegan. Her 3:00 PM talk will be on Veganizing Via Video: Effective Digital Activism & The Bite Size Vegan Story.

In this day in age people connect the most through digital means and social media. We are a visual culture with a waning attention span and it's important that those working to spread the message of veganism find ways to educate within this paradigm. Emily will share with you her personal journey with video activism, including her inconvenient tech-phobia and missteps, as well as speak to the key components of developing your own digital activism. She will also share some of the Bite Size Vegan videos and save time for questions.

Emily says "my hope is to help people really look at our reasoning behind what we do to animals; to examine our justifications more deeply than 'that’s the way it’s always been'.

I'm taking notes! ;)

In the meantime if you can't attend this fabulous VegFest celebration --- Check out her awesome videos that pack so much useful information in an easy to swallow little nugget... Below are two of my favorites - The first is from the Vegan Ethics and Morality Playlist:



And this 3 minute gem is jam-packed with cleverness, talent and truth!



For me hearing Emily speak in person will be the highlight of this VegFest... I'm certain her humor, enthusiasm and well-reasoned communication will make its due impact here in Florida... I know her high energy is just the jump start I need! 

Thank you Bite Size Vegan for all you do and for coming down to the Sunshine State! :D

Observing Oblivion in the Real World

I can't think of an activist who isn't familiar with overload, burnout, compassion fatigue and despair. And as pattrice jones writes in Aftershock these are matters not to be ignored. We're supposed to do what heals us so we can fight another day. And so that's what I've been doing for a whole summer's worth of days. I took an unplanned sabbatical that began with the routine opening of my email to click through the roll-call of victims. As had happened everyday for years, the sorrow for them was the first thing I put on in the morning.  But this particular morning something inside me pleaded for a reprieve from the stories of abused cows, tortured pigs, slaughtered whales, imprisoned bears, and horribly treated birds. These stories piled on top of another so much that it began to smother me... I had forgotten what made me happy. What made me have hope... I could be of no use to myself or any cause in such a state... And so that's how my long disappearance from the web began.

I have much catching up to do not only on my own blog but others as well. I appreciate the efforts some have made in contacting me to ask "is everything ok?".  In the near future I intend to answer those queries either personally or here - If anyone is reading still. (?)

For just this day as an ice-breaker, I want to recap an observation I made while embarking on this self-prescribed hiatus from the virtual world. Because so much of my activism was on-line I had to remember (if possible), how to communicate with this "real world".  No - Better still, I had to discover what was "real" in the world and what was real in me.

Through blog posts, stories, campaigns, petitions, memes and so on, the virtual world is the headquarters for animal related information. And so this cyber-world set the tone of my mood everyday for years... For me the question became what is the "real world"? Could I still "fit in"? Could I "pass" as someone unaware and/or uncaring? What is it they do that gets them by? These are the people I'm supposed to influence and persuade... But I had forgotten who they are in the "real world".  Forgive me for the use of the generic pronouns "they" and "them" as I have no choice because of the divide from what I've come to know as "us" or "we", or "me" who are cognizant and concerned. 

And so I refrained from the news of the massacre. I thought for sure this was a good way to re-experience the "real world".  Their "RW".

I initially set out for a two week experiment that turned into a months long examination. I changed my routines so I'd have a chance to interact more with the neighbors I knew and those I'd yet to meet. I deliberately began my day "untainted" by animal troubles and the tolls in the "virtual world".

Conversations of weather and flowers became the norm.  It was just small talk that I didn't and wouldn't search for opportunities to interject one of the three pillars of veganism into. There were no stories of health improvements due to a vegetable diet... No remarks about how the environment could improve by eating animal-free, and certainly no stories of the millions of lives taken during our short conversations... Just pleasantries. Just their "real world".

This is what I saw in my 100+ days of the "RW": They walk about isolated and blissful.  All forms of nonhuman exploitation is totally devoid from their sphere of knowing. I never brought up the subject of the unseen blood-baths and neither did they. Not once. Ever. Even those who knew me... Those who I had prior conversations with - Neither "friends", family or strangers ever brought up the topic of the animal slaves and murders. Never once.  
Yet the leather shoes are real. The toiletries and chemicals tested on animals are real. The cellophane-wrapped blood-products are real. So where was the evidence of all these real victims in the "real" world? Invisible. That's the "magic" of the RW. The fast food jingles reinforce the ruse. The bombardments of ads and commercialization let them hide from who was bound, stabbed, blinded, used-and-done for these consumables.

I didn't really need four months to figure this out... But I'll admit the allure of their inside-out, up-side-down "RW" is intoxicating. The fantasy of forgetting. Or not knowing -at all, is hypnotic. It's a privilege of pretense we are all born into. It's where silence is an armor and blindness a gift.  As schemed, I never shattered their illusions. I thought for certain something, some incident, some truth would slip out on it's own. But it never did. Not once.

And so everything in their RW was exactly as I remembered from years ago: Sheltered and in dumb denial, this works great for them.  The unspoken pact to remain quiet keeps everyone content.  It's the perfect tonic of not knowing.  If you want to escape the facts that millions of our fellow beings are trapped, seized, raped, caged, shot, and eviscerated everyday, every second - Then the "real world" offers that script! :/

This different RW perspective taught me many things, at least how to bite my lip and still smile... But more importantly it's convinced me that if not "me", "we" and "us" to tell "them" of what's missing - Of what's been corrupted --- Then who? And when?

I did a lot of thinking in the last few months... I untangled lots of knots and took mental notes of the process.   I'm eager to escape back to the "virtual-world" to tell of them. 

Oblivion

It's Spring - I'm Turning Over a New Leaf

I'm turning over a new leaf. Actually, a thousand-million of them (again)...

It's not the tropical image of Florida that sells vacation packages, but many of the palm trees here compete for that sunshine right next to immense and majestic live oaks. This time of year those trees turn a brilliant gold and shed every one of it's leaves... After that, the water oaks follow suit. And then comes what I call tree sperm, but technically they are "catkins". And they're everywhere! 

a mix of leaves, catkins, Spanish moss, and spent azalea petals

The many pounds of pollen-rich catkins cling to the shingles on your roof and to the bottoms of your shoes...  If you're lucky the March winds will blow some of them away. But most likely you'll have to rake, sweep, hose and bag to be shed of the bulk of them along with the leaves. This is not the casual orchid and hibiscus gardening hobby that I bargained for. It's a thankless job. But I love the shade these oaks provide... And I love the many birds, squirrels and lizards that call these trees home. So no matter how many leaves I'll have to continue to turn... The trees aren't going anywhere.

I suppose that's where I'm going with this post -

I started this blog about six years ago shortly after I re-examined my relationship with my fellow Earthlings. I wanted to share information and ideas. I wanted to document, record and report the atrocities I had been made aware of. I wanted to support and be part of an online community of fellow advocates. But most of all I wanted to have an outlet to express my feelings. My rage. My sorrow. My despair and my hopes...  And in those years (and posts) the leaves kept falling.

So many in fact that it's been impossible for me to gather them all. All those thoughts I wanted to give meaning to in the way of selectively chosen words got lost in the drifts of dead things called "drafts". If you're a blogger - I bet you've got a few dozen too... They are in a way, unraked leaves aren't they?
But if you're like me though, some of these thoughts, discoveries and sentiments aren't really "dead" at all - They're still alive enough in your head to prevent you from clicking the final "delete" button.

And so it is that I'm sorting through the good "leaves", the ugly ones, the ones that still make me cry or laugh... Or grimace.

Just like raking though, you wonder where to begin. For me, since my house is on a corner it presents a challenge of marking the start-spot. The front? The side? The other side? The back? I'm tired just deciding! But here's the solution I'm intending regarding the future of this blog as I continue sharing my un-killed thoughts... Rather than struggle with profound, exotic and/or complex posts that include endless links (that most wouldn't follow anyway) I'm opting for quantity rather than exceptional quality. I'll try for both, but mostly what I want to say will be brief and done. And as in the past the mix will be with/without comment... As I post more frequently, I certainly can't expect the few loyal readers I have to dedicate time to acknowledge/approve my daily views. 

I'm not trying to convince any vegan that their choice is valid. That point is made countless times by those with much more authority than I. But rather I'd just like to get back to my original intent:  To have an outlet to express my feelings. My rage. My sorrow. My despair and my hopes. As I do this with more frequency, I hope I'll tackle the pile of uncomposted leaves that's still in my mind. Perhaps too more of this tactic might reach a nonvegan, and that would be a good thing also.

To close - there are some ways that leaves are not like vegan advocacy: With fallen leaves, more is not usually better. And unlike raking, spreading a compassionate message is never a thankless job.

With all the hopes of a new beginning - Happy Spring!

The Irony - End of Lay Hens & End of Day Glass

When I read this article I couldn't help but see the irony between what happens to "spent hens" used for their eggs and items made from left over glass. Both beautiful. Both fragile. Both "valued"... But their final fate so very different than each other.

The article posted at World Poultry states: 

Unlike broilers which [sic] are reared for meat and yield a valuable food product, end-of-lay (or ‘spent’) hens are considered a by-product of the egg industry.
Due to their low economic value, spent hens are unattractive to most poultry-processing companies. Thus, globally, the poultry industry is faced with billions of spent hens every year. The majority of poultry in commercial production are ultimately transported to processing facilities at the end of their commercial lifecycle. 

The article goes on to suggest better "welfare" measures to transport these "unattractive" birds to their slaughter... Well, anyone who knows the "commercial lifecycle" of male chicks and "unproductive" hens knows the bloody rest of it.

Don't you know if any one of us were one of these chickens nearing the finish mark of their "commercial lifecycle" we'd do everything we could to pump out one last egg for this Easter's festivities. Anything to bring a smile to the human faces that never see us. :/

From United Poultry Concerns

But here's one girl Ginger... 

She's the last in the small flock of "spent hens" that came to my care almost 5 years ago. She's watched each of her sisters enjoy their piece of life in the sun and earth and through the seasons... Their life-cycles were what they were born to have minus the end toll of human greed and gluttony. 

Ginger lost the last of her original flock about 6 months ago and like the others before her, her egg laying has been sporadic or non-existent for years. It doesn't bother any of us one bit! Her body isn't valued for what it expels but rather for she whose being possesses it. That is concern for her "welfare". Each morning that I enter my yard I'm thrilled to see her beautiful face! Only those who are unattractive wouldn't see the same!

If any reader here would love some alternatives to "Easter Eggs" This Vegan Life has some great resources. And of course throughout the year there are baking alternatives, Veggs, and other options. Not to mention what's coming in the future!

Like glass... Life is fragile. Handle with care. Please don't harm anyone when you can avoid it. 

Last Words on Vegan Food (for a while)...

I trust everyone had an abundant and satisfying holiday marked by the hope of peace and the act of compassion to make it so...

I'm taking a brief break from the blog-o-sphere to accomplish some personal commitments.  Perhaps you'll enjoy this video as "an intermission" and as my last word on food and eating for a while...


Choose Compassion.
Every time we sit down to eat we have the ability to choose between peace and violence, compassion and cruelty. Making vegan choices not only helps other animals, it's what's best for the earth and people, too. 
Order or download your FREE Starter Kit here.

Farm & Dairy, Silver Spurs - These Are The Free Speech Saboteurs

Up until a few days ago I was actively engaged in a discussion at the Farm and Dairy site.  Now, I'm no stranger to censorship on these animal ag sites... On too many occasions to count, I've been cut off in mid thought - Coincidentally, the "last word" is always had by one of their gang.  So be it.  But this is the beauty of the internet - I can post my responses here instead.  I think they are worthy of consideration.

We were debating if vegetation could be grown without the use of industrial animal agriculture.  And without laboring over the background conversation the final points I wanted to make to "TY" are in bold.
Warning - For some it might be a gruesome subject:
Ty said: The only way to capture the nitrogen potential would be to macerate, sterilize,and reconstitute...

My reply:
I am not a chemist or biologist but I know that the sooner a cadaver returns to the soil the quicker the worms eat... And the sooner the "cycle" begins.
  
Now if this more natural mode is riddled with hazards why are green burials becoming so popular? 

There are environmentally friendly ways of disposing of human remains that would benefit the permaculture.

Bio-cremations or "resomations" are certainly fertilizing the lawns in a Florida facility!  

And in the U.K. there's Promessa: "The primary principles are preservation after death in organic form and shallow burial in living soil that quickly converts us to mulch."

So I disagree - I do think we are culturally ready to think of more renewable things to do with our dead bodies.  And given enough funding and study it just might replace animal waste after all.

I wish you well Ty. I hold no bitterness towards you... I think you are bright and that you have a mind strong enough to inquire ideologies further. 

************************* 

I think it's easy to see why I became frustrated by not being given the space to reply.  I think I had some valid points... But this is how the animal users work on the web... Now let's see how they act in the real world:

I attended the protest at Silver Spurs Rodeo last night... To the right of the photo below is The Florida Cattlemen's building.  

This demonstration was just a small group, holding signs in a peaceful, orderly, LEGAL way.  I smiled and waved... We all did. It was an effort to just get people to THINK about the possibility that cows, calves, bulls and horses were being needlessly "used" for harmful and frivolous amusement.  It was an attempt to get people to WAKE UP from their thoughtless ignorance.  That's it.

There were cars and trucks that passed by us... Some with horses being sent possibly to their doom should an "unfortunate" "accident" happen.  Still, our small group stood in quiet calm.

But many of these trucks with tires taller than my vehicle - spit and threw used chewing tobacco at us.  They shouted obscenities.  They cussed and gave us the finger... They spun their wheels so as to kick up pebbles and rocks in our faces... The gunned their engines and left clouds of black smoke as they sped off towards the parking lot.  Many had children in the cars as well.  They were brutish.  Angry.  Aggressive and hostile. 

It wouldn't be a stretch that if possible, they would have stomped and slammed on us physically so that our message would be silenced.  I am sure in the same way that they think nothing of harming innocent "rodeo" animals, they'd think nothing of tyrannizing us too.  You see that's the way it goes when you run roughshod over those "smaller" than you - When you're a bully - Everyone's is game and nothing's too petty.

And let it be no surprise to anyone that these thugs are also the first to call activists "communists", "liberals", "radicals", troublemakers, terrorists and un-American.  But look how they represent themselves! On line or not... It is the voice of reason and compassion they suppress...  It is the very first order of Free Speech which they deny and attack.  

I'm sure their mothers didn't raise them that way... And I'd bet anything even the Florida Crackers who actually did drive the cattle through the swamps way back when would be aghast at the uncivil display of rude childishness.  As for me, I've paid my taxes to the "Sunshine State" for almost 40 years - and I hang my head in embarrassment for I've truly seen the underbelly of it all at the Silver Spurs sham.  Just pitiful.

*********************

I hope the information about the possibility of growing REAL food without the need of killing animals is useful knowledge... As for anyone else even considering spending their valuable time or money in Florida, as you can see we're not the progressive, civilized state you think we are. We're knee-deep in hillbillies that abuse animals as "things" just 20 minutes from the zipitee-do-da "magical" kingdom where they eat them all day. 

La-la-land for sure. :/

Are You Lucky Enough To Be Vegan?

I'm not superstitious at all - But here's some things I do know about "luck".

I share my home with "lucky" friends, who would otherwise have had dreaded misfortune. Being born without the advantages of thumbs and god-like ownership over their own lives - Their end probably would have already been done.  

Most were useless in the scheme of human plan.  One and all, they were considered burdens to feed or care for. Unplanned accidents... Waste from industries... Not worth the time or trouble to save... Unprofitable residue...  Nuisances and pests. All born "unlucky" to be "purposeless" in a world where everything must have value to the insatiable... That would be "us" the "lucky" ones: Homo Sapiens; Literally to mean the animals born with "taste" and "wisdom".

And being born creatures with such "smart appetites", aren't we so lucky to have created systems and diversions that allow us to consume without guilt?  The consequence to others escapes us in myths and lies that we author. This is especially true in our ravenous gluttony of the foods made of flesh.  They are invisible, the blood, bone and bodies of the "unlucky" ones that lost their lives for the sake of indulging ours...

We wise ones, deities of our own making, can sell cellophane wrapped stories, fairy tales, legends and doctrines that excuse us from the most horrid of practices.  These are some "lucky" lies that attempt to validate and reinforce our own species-granted privileges.

Now here's the hitch to being able to utilize those "lucky lies"... We must be "lucky" enough to make a habit of not investigating beyond our comfort zone.  "Lucky" enough to preserve the disguises that allow cons and deceptions to exist.  It's the simplest thing... All you have to do is not think or examine (meat or animals) too closely, and the grotesque realities never have to be acknowledged!

I once had that kind of "luck" when I saw a pig's head in a meat case at the Piggly Wiggly 30 years ago...

It infuriated and repulsed me so much that I complained to the manager!  I told him the pig-head was vulgar and disgusting! And that it wasn't decent to put me, or his customers, through the ordeal of seeing such an ugly thing! I felt completely satisfied when he agreed to remove the apple-biting specimen from view.  I felt content... Even as I wheeled my cart with ham, bacon and chops riding within.  I was "lucky" that my awareness was left unshaken and protected.  Blinded by conjecture and habit, I was "lucky" to stay "blessed" in the bliss of dissonance for many decades afterwards.  

But, like most of us here, that kind of "charm" eventually ran out.  For whatever reason, that fragile veil of secret "rites" was revealed for the trick that it was.  Gifted instead to see that behind the eyes of every creature, there is a somebody.  A kin of mine, a kin of ours, that had been born without human "luck".  These are fellow earthlings that only lack our cheat of might and favored lust.  And it's only our unquestioned indoctrinations of the crafty sham, that perpetuates their brutal curse. 

And thus, we make the "luck" of others better through our own actions.  We make decisions that alter their fate for the good. We choose not to harm lesser ones. Innocent ones. Helpless ones. We choose not to create victims.  We choose not to prey on the weak. We choose to challenge the false premises of traditions, "exceptionalism" and domination.  We rejected the status quo and live in ways that make things more fair. More equal. More thoughtful and kind.   At the heart of the matter, we choose not to eat these beings who are so "unlucky" not to be us.

What about you... Are you a "lucky" omnivore?  Or a just vegan?

Poor Fish Hunter Gets a Boo-Boo... Hooray for Karma - Cheers for Justice

Just this morning a guy whined about a finger that was filling with infected pus after a catfish barb punctured his delicate flesh while he was "fishing". Awwww....  For all the hooks, gaffs and knives that fish-hunters pierce innocent bodies with - I can only hope a similar experience to all of them.

Ya'll want sympathy? Try showing some!

I mean really... What kind of decent person would deliberately try to get an animal "caught" by a "hook"?  What kind of decent person does this for "fun"? Either their parents never taught them empathy... Or they just didn't learn very well. It is terribly cruel. It is mean! It is wrong!  Literally "catching" them as they are trying to do what it takes to survive: "eat".  These animals never did anyone harm - There is no self "defense". Yet people go out of their way into the "domain" of the sea to pursue the lust for blood and victims... All under the guise of a "sport".  Pitiful bullies is all they are! 

See the terror as these people are fearful that they might loose an eye... Imagine the fright as a living being fights for their life as their lungs are crushed by our oxygen.  It's like a human suffocating and GASPING for air to breath.  Ah... But this is what these fish-hunters enjoy - "The fight" and the "victory" over little fishes... Sad, puny people hurt defenseless animals for entertainment.

It's always easy to use might on those who are smaller and more helpless than you... But often Karma has a way of equalizing the score.  But not one to spread any ill will - I must ask ---

How's the finger doing anyway?

related post
Steve Hindi's Story: I Was a Fish Killer

A Vegan's Meatless Monday Tale...

She Assumed I Wasn't Vegan
And That's Alright With Me

I've had a change of mind about Meatless Monday... There I was in Walmart, waiting in the checkout line... When a woman commented on my buggy items: Almond Breeze, black beans, a bag of rice, etc.... She asked if I was trying that Meatless Monday "diet"? And she added that her family has been "on it" since last year... Apparently she found it so easy and economical that they now eat "meatless" 3 - 4 days a week... Working towards a "vegan" end.  I nodded nicely as she shared a favorite recipe... I think she was thrilled in educating me that "it" could be done!

No, I didn't have it in me to tell her I do "Meatless Monday" seven days a week... I thanked her for the  recommendation and encouragement. She was happy enough to guide an "innocent" bystander. She was empowered - And I wasn't about to take any of that away!   

Don’t just throw up your hands and say, “I can’t find vegan bread, so I may as well eat steak.” Don’t whine, “It’s too hard.” Just make the effort.~Elaine Vigneault

Merry Christmas and RIP My Hen Liz - Go Vegan

Liz is gone. I went to let the girls out this morning and she had passed during the night... I kept telling myself through all these months that when she did go - I'd accept it so much better, because I knew she lived a good (long) life... (considering). Every chance I got I asked other "chicken people" about her breed... and when to expect her organs to fail - They were right... 10 months were all her body could endure. So I'm not really wishing a Merry anything to the evil industry or culture that made her into the "meat machine" that she was... So big she could hardly walk... Too big to roost with the others at night --- But her dear little chicken brain couldn't understand why not... We even built a "handicapped ramp" for her to get higher at night. Still after she waddled up, to get to her sleeping box, she'd moan and complain --- She so wanted to be with her flock. For her size she had the sweetest disposition. Her feathers were like velvet. She was the first baby "chick" I ever knew - (or lost). What a thing to have happen on Xmas eve... But I hope this short capsule of her life might be a "gift" to those who might sympathize with her story... and who might Go Vegan. Indeed - Liz was a "tough old bird"... And will be dearly missed.

Provoked Loves Her Vegan Family & Animal Rights Community!

Not "better"... only "different". The boy says: "I never thought about it before... No one ever told me". Well that was my story till you wonderful VEGAN ADVOCATES reached me! :) So grateful that you did! {{{hugs}}}