On Saturday, November 21, 2015, I attended the Celebration of the Turkeys at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. I have been a couple of times before, so I knew the routine, but I hadn’t been in the last few years because I waited too long to get a ticket. So, needless to say, I was quite excited about everything – the feeding of the turkeys, the vegan Thanksgiving dinner, the picturesque beauty of the farm, the chance to celebrate compassion with like-minded others, and, yes, the gift shop!!

This year I decided to pay attention to as much detail as I could. My observations started in the parking lot. Mostly New York State cars, but I saw license plates from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and even one from California. The barn building where we all signed in was a rustic structure with a charming vibe. On display was information about the work the Farm Sanctuary does, facts about animal agriculture abuses, a display wall of photos and quotes from celebrities in the scientific and entertainment community about human relationships with other living beings and others praising the work of Farm Sanctuary. Hot apple cider, hot tea and coffee, and healthy chips and cookies gave us sustenance for our journey to the animals.

Despite a blustery cloudy day, we set out to once again see and interact with those farm animals that most of us might pass on the road when we see cows or chickens in a field, but don’t get to look into their eyes and know them the way we do our companion animals. 

The feeding of the turkeys, of course, is the main event. We all sat on bales of hay and watched trays of cranberries, lettuce and squash being placed on the low lying tables being set for the feast. The guests were not us humans all seated around on bales of hay, but the turkeys. It always strikes me that this event is such a powerful symbolic scene. On Thanksgiving, so many turkeys are killed to provide that essential? part of the celebration. But today we were reversing that to feed the turkeys, not eat them. A new tradition of compassion witnessed by men, women and children who want to see a change in how we eat, care and live. I especially love seeing the families with young children – those children are experiencing other ways to see the farm animals and learning to treat them with respect – experiences that will travel with them into adulthood and hopefully influence their choices. 

Lastly, this event is a reinforcement for the choices that I have made – it makes my commitment stronger. Seeing 350+ people take the time to attend this event, support the Farm Sanctuary, some traveling many miles – all for the purpose of gathering to honor and share with like-minded others, the compassionate lifestyle. Seeing the enthusiasm of so many for this lifestyle gives me hope that this movement to respect the lives of farm animals and their right to not be abused and treated like commodities for human consumption will spread and prevail. 

Happy Thanksgiving!– as I celebrate with my family both vegan and non-vegan, I will take the opportunity to share some vegan approved food with everyone and be thankful for those that have taught me, helped me and supported me in my journey towards the compassionate life.

Lately I seem to have been just plugging along with my life and not really feeling the need to say anything. I saw this picture of a mother tiger and cub and it inspired me to post to my blog. It reminded me of how I start every day now with my cats. Dylan and Gwyneth greet me every morning knowing that they will be the recipients of a full body brushing and cooing words of endearment. Dylan holds his head to the side and likes to scrape the side of his head against the bristles. He presents both sides of his face to me one at a time to get equal coverage. Gwyneth just presents first her sides then her back to me for a thorough treatment. All the while, they are both purring and trilling so loudly surrounding me and waking up all my senses at once. Dylan's brush is blue and Gwyneth's is pink - highly conventional but since this all happens before I have had my morning coffee - easier for me to remember. When I am doing this, I guess I feel like the tigress in the picture - grooming and bonding with my little ones. I read Temple Grandin's book "Animals Make us Human" - I learned so much about animal behavior and especially how they communicate with each other and with humans. So, every day I start out cranky, but spending those few minutes with my sweet kitties gives me what I need to face one more day with a positive attitude. Hug your pet today a little bit longer and a little bit more often. Cheers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The holidays are over and now I have time to catch up with things. Sherlock - oh Sherlock - my first baby! A long time ago when I was quite young and had no use for cats, a sweet little feline came into my life and changed it forever. In my defense re: the cat 'disliker' comment above, I had very bad experiences with cats previously and my family always owned dogs. Back to the story - a friend of mine found a litter of 5 motherless kittens in a cardboard box in the basement of an academic building at the New England college he was attending at the time. He was able to take 3 of them home, but needed to find homes for the other 2. When he called me, I was pretty negative about the whole idea, but he asked if he could just bring them over for me to see. He was quite a persuasive one, so within 1/2 hour he came right over with them. They were so cute, but I wasn't sure I liked the way their bodies felt when I picked them up - sort of fragile and awkward and those crazy claws! However, the more I played with them, smelled them, cuddled with them - my misgivings melted away. After all, they were motherless and homeless, weren't they. I wasn't anybody's mother yet, so maybe it would give me some practice? And, most of all, Sherlock looked me in the eyes as if to say, please let me stay with you - I will be good - I promise. And, of the 2, Sherlock seemed to be the weaker and most affected by the abrupt disappearance of his mother. He would lay on my chest, snuggle, purr and then look up at me with those beautiful eyes. The other one was a little bolder and probably more well adjusted, and cute and appealing all the same. So, as you know already, I did take these 2 cats into my home and named them Sherlock and T.C. (for Top Cat). My life now included the need to feed, clean up after, take to the Dr and love 2 additional beings. The joy I felt when I came home every day was worth any extra work they required. They were happy to see me, rubbing up against my legs and purring; their fur was so soft - as I petted them I could feel my stress levels take a nosedive. I became very close to both of them and all was well for a time. After a few years, Sherlock seemed fine but he was always the skinny one, the one who needed the most attention. One day when I was at home, one of my neighbors knocked on my door carrying a cardboard box. Inside was Sherlock lying on his side. He told me he saw Sherlock in his back yard dragging his hind legs behind him trying to get home. I rushed him the vet's office to discover that he had thrown a blood clot and it had lodged in his lower body and prevented the blood from getting to his legs. The prognosis was not very good. For a couple of weeks, I gave him medication to thin his blood, massaged his legs, isolated him in one corner of the bedroom, helped him eat, kept his little space clean and sanitary. Unfortunately, despite all of the efforts as recommended by the vet, I found him no longer breathing one morning when I woke up. I was quite distraught and found it difficult for quite a while to get over losing my sweet little Sherlock. Even now, when I look at a picture of him (which I did over the holidays), it takes me right back to the feelings I had for my first baby - we needed each other and nurtured each other until the end. There is no doubt in my mind that animals in our world can feel pain and have complex relationships with each other and with humans. How is it that our human world tolerates the abuses that occur to domesticated animals and farm animals? We need to look no further than how we feel about our pets - it really is that simple! Go vegan!

Christmas Message

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED THIS YEAR:

How even more beautiful Cape Cod is every time I go (Son and Daughter-in-law live there—YAY!)

How far away Wrangell, Alaska is from Syracuse and how little I know about our 49th state
(Daughter lives there now and I am learning much more and will see for myself - next summer)

What a bittersweet process it is to see your children move away and leave you waving on the front porch with a smile and a tear (Sunrise, Sunset)

What a wonderful, thoughtful, talented and wise husband I have (and not just because he married me!?)

How much I still miss my parents (especially around the holidays)

How much I am concerned about my health, animal cruelty and the environment (enough to become a Vegan) (Pass the tofu and lentils, please!)

How lucky husband and I are to have a home, jobs and each other (when so many others in the world do not)

How addicted I am to my large flat screen and my recliner (even if I am not mistress of the remote except, of course, when husband is playing tennis—”Oh, a match this evening, darling? -
Have a great time”, she says. Moments later, the sound of clicking is heard from the back
of the house.)

How much I despair about the future of this country (yet still nurture hope)

How short life is and so many things to do (not enough time, not enough $, not enough energy -
ALAS!!!)

How much happiness I feel when my cats (adopted abandoned—Dylan and Gwyneth) purr and
snuggle with me (I still miss Bingo)

How well I am practicing taking 1 day at a time (Can I really take my own advice??)

How inspiring is the view from the 2nd floor of my house on the Hill (over a troubled yet
beautiful city) AND how little I miss the suburbs (despite the challenges of city living)

How thankful I am for my family, my health and all the blessings that I have been given (especiallymy sense of humor—ha ha!)

How much, in winter, I crave the warmth of the sun and its blinding brilliant beauty (Is this the
first symptom of snow bird fever??)

Hope you all had a year of surprising revelations! And, as the world turns, my wish for you is a
Hopeful, Joyous and Meaningful Christmas and New Year.

If we take life one day at a time, we can handle ANYTHING!

Love and Peace to all

Dylan and Gwyneth

Well, here are the newest members of the family taking up residence in the kitty condo. The cute little guy on the top is kitten Dylan and the lovely black and white cat is Gwyneth. Our dog died last November after 16 years with us and it seemed kind of quiet around the house without a pet. Since I wasn't ready to take on the responsibility of another dog right away, the cats seemed like just the ticket. My daughter took the cats as part of a pet rescue program and was fostering them until they could be adopted. She has moved away and asked if we would like to foster/adopt them. I wasn't sure at first, but from the first time I interacted with them, I pretty much knew it was going to happen. Now that they are really living here, I know even more that it was the right decision. I look forward to coming home every day and seeing them - they are very glad to see me especially since that is when they will get some more food. I have posted another picture of them on the blog and will eventually be posting a few more.

They looked up at me with those curious almond eyes

patiently waiting for their dinner

no animals to stalk

no need to pounce

no bones to chew

my little carnivores have it made

basking in the sun

chasing a shadow

eyeing a fly on the window sill

elegant in movement

quietly padding along

an unsuspecting prey may get it all wrong

Cats are a lovely mystery - even though I've read the guide

What I really want to know - am I a part of their pride?

or just another human to sometimes sit beside?