Drinking the Ursine Kool-aid

A wise person (you know who you are!) suggested a tonic for the blue funk I've been in recently: 'Seek out good people doing good things'. And, in the spirit of this advice, I went out last night to see The Bears.

Living in New England, we all know there are bears. And deer, skunks, raccoons, moose and possoms. However, we rarely see them - unless you count roadkill as 'seeing them', which clearly I do not. Occasionally I am thrilled to catch a glimpse of a deer, often at this time of year with a fawn, grazing along the side of the interstate as I trundle wearily home in the evening. It's a sight that always gives me a boost!

But the bears, for the most part, continue to elude me. I have had two sightings in the ten years I've lived here: one in someone's front yard as I drove past and the other - amazingly - was a mother bear with two cubs, nonchalently crossing a road in a nearby town. Right in the middle of a school zone in broad daylight. It was a real heart-in-the-mouth moment as I watched the trio saunter along and the other onlookers getting out of their cars to follow. Yes, you did read that correctly .....getting out of their vehicles to follow a mama bear and her babies!!!!

Hmmm.....

Anyways, that aside, last night I too drank the ursine kool-aid (er-hum, well, you know what I mean!) and ventured out to our neighbouring town to see The Bears.

On foot.

Without the aid of a safety net.

Am I crazy?? No, not yet! The BearFest has begun in Easthampton and here are some of the little guys I met there....




Spirit Bear, outside the town hall




Me with my favourite - Global Bear




...and a bear behind!



My Beloved with his favourite - 'The Red Bearon'




This is a sweet little chap we discovered hiding out away from the 'main drag'. His name is Wire Hair Bear.





My Beloved again, this time with his new friend Aloha Bear.




And then - horror of horrors - we learned of the 'Ursine Alert: Chrome Bear Missing, Feared Kidnapped!'

The text reads as follows:

WANTED: The Safe Return of "Chrome Bear".

BEAR FEST BEAR MISSING!

Chrome Bear, a.k.a. "Bearly There Bear" was removed sometime during the night of June 13th. Torn from his bolts in front of Eastworks on Pleasant Street!

If you have any information, please call 413-527-8278.

We hope for our bear's safe return! No charges or penalties for his anonymous return, and no questions asked!

Reward: your karmic balance restored and the immense happiness of all the bear lovers of Easthampton!

Oh, and I couldn't resist including this:



A nice shot to end the evening.

OK, it's all very silly and it's really not especially vegan-related, but I wanted to post some pictures of the lighter side of life. Going back to the sage advice offered to me after my last post, here are some fun people doing some (animal-related) fun things. And I thought you too might like to share....

What do you like to do when you need an emotional pick-me-up????

Thanks for reading and Stay Vegan, Friends!

On finding solace in the small pleasures...

After yesterday's post, I thought something a little less serious might be in order. I also thought I'd take my own advice about enjoying my own dog and so we all went for a run in the forest this morning.

For those of you who do not know them, My Beloved and I are privileged to share our home with a beagle and a dachshund/min pin known locally as Darwin the Loud and Humphrey the Small and Irritating. They are both 'recycled dogs' - Darwin (the beagle) from a local hellhole of a pound and Humphrey is a 'Dixie-dog' - finding himself in New England by way of the sunnier climes of Tennessee.

Anyways, they are the loves of my life (along with their Pop, of course) and I don't quite know what I'd do without them. Sometimes - usually when in the car and they're barking and screaming for all they're worth - I fantasize about being without them, but that feeling dissipates soon after we reach our destination - the park, the dog park, the forest, wherever - or after I've had a few moments alone to regain my 'inner poise'. Or a couple of vodka-tonics. But that would be a whole other story!

Moving along. This morning, saddened beyond belief by yesterday's post, I resolved to take the boys on a long run in the forest. We bundled them into their winter attire and off we went. Here are a few pix...


The forest in question, so beautiful....if a touch chilly!


Darwin hoping he can take off and run.....


Humphrey worrying that he's wearing last year's fashions!

Humphrey is very fine furred which means he gets to wear 2 coats in this kind of weather. His faux shearling velcroes up underneath him and then the fleecy green coat wraps around and closes along his back, meaning he's doubly protected. Perhaps I am overly protective, but he really feels the cold in New England, sitting right by the stove even in the summer when it's 95 degrees outside. Personally I think he might be a tad crazy, but that's ok. We all have our insane side, no?


That famous beagle nose gets into everything....including snow piles. Hmmmmmm......


The boys are very close these days. They are incredibly fond of each other and do everything together. This is a classic moment....tails high, ears back, life is good!








And they know to always come back because their favourite treats are on offer - vegan raspberry and peanut butter biscotti, if you please!


And Darwin's not above posing so I can get his 'best side'....

It was a lovely morning - just what was needed to revive flagging spirits. Being in the forest, tramping through the snow, with the pups and the occasional cross-country skier



really boosted my morale and helped me bring back into focus *my* reality. There is so much trauma 'out there', so much to be incredibly saddened by, and it is vitally important to take a break, enjoy moments like this and take stock of your own reality. Find solace in the small pleasures you have in being with your own animal companions and then recharge your batteries and continue doing what you can for the rest of the animals out here.

I know yesterday's post was difficult, but if you have read so far I thank you for not turning away. And the animals thank you too.

Stay vegan, friends!

Please check your brain in at the courtesy booth....

Who says Friday night in with a burger and fries can't be a great vegan experience? Well, whoever it was was sadly deluded....Last Friday My Beloved and I were just completely exhausted from the week as a whole and all we wanted to do was check our brains in at the courtesy booth, sink our behinds into the sofa and our teeth into a big, juicy, cheesey burger. So that's exactly what we did....



and the full thing:



The cheese was a slice of the rice milk cheese and doubled really well for the standard American Cheese. The rolls were onion and herb, the salad fresh and crisp and the burger (hiding modestly in the pic above) was a giant portabello mushroom, sauteed off in a little Braggs and olive oil. 'Meaty', juicy, succulent and really hearty, this burger paired very nicely with some oven baked 'fries' (potatoes, olive oil, salt, papper, chilli flakes, a dash of paprika....) and a large glass of red wine. Ahhhh, the weekend...it's a beautiful thing.....

Yesterday, we opted for something just that little bit less 'junk food-ish' and, having spent the day tramping around a muddy farm in the cold New England drizzle, we had a bit of a blow out at dinner. Finding organic butternut squash on sale for $1.49lb, we selected one that would have fed a small army never mind the two of us and stuffed it with a mix of black and mahogany rice, kidney beans, canellini beans, red onion, carrots, tomatoes and various herbs (I forget now which ones...) and served it up with some garlicky green beans and a small side of scalloped potatoes. This is not the best pic, but it gives the general idea.



I swear either I have to get a better camera or maybe just read the manual for the one I have. Sheesh!

OK, so that was the main course. We went a bit overboard and also indulged in a spoonful of dessert too: an autumn fruits crisp with Tofutti vanilla ice cream. I got the base recipe from The Peaceful Palate but added pears to the apples and cranberries and just a touch of ginger.





The topping originally called for 3/4 cup walnuts but, having none, I subbed in a mix of sunflowers seeds, sliced almonds, chopped dates and pistachios. Added to this is 3/4 cup maple syrup, a pinch of salt and a cup and a half of rolled oats.



And so here it is with some yummy ice cream....



On reflection, I suppose that this really is one of the few advantages of being in New England in November - the abundance of beautiful fall produce and the sheer inevitability of gorgeous desserts. OK, so I know you can get apples, pears and cranberries on the gloriously sunny west coast but, when it's 80 degrees outside and the AC is running, who wants 'fall fruit crisp'?

Right, am off now to thaw my bones in front of the fire.

Vive le weekend!
And, until next time, stay vegan, friends! :)

Thoughts On Small-Scale and Humane Farming...

As you know, I live in New England - a beautiful and bucolic area of the country where the rolling countryside is dotted with family-owned farms seasonally producing berries, corn, maple syrup and - year round - milk, of course.

Driving to work every day, I see the cows in the fields ambling around grazing, rubbing along the fences, laying down to soak in the sun. And, knowing some of the people involved, I also know how hard their 'owners' work to look after them, to keep them safe and well.

And I am conflicted.

I have always been a believer in supporting small producers over agribusiness - the Davids over the Goliaths.

So surely it is better to buy cows' milk from the little guys than soy milk from WhiteWave Foods Co???

But then there is the 'bigger picture' - when the lens is widened to take in the full scope of the industry. When you view the panoramic shot, you see how the dairy industry - for that is what it is despite the pretty picture of the old-fashioned family farm - feeds the veal industry, that most intolerable and unconscionable of capitalist profiteering. The industry which imprisons babies from their first day until their slaughter at 4 months old. Which orphans them, confines them, renders them sickly anaemic and then transports them, to the knife.

You see how the 'spent' dairy cows end their days in the very same slaughterhouse hell as those free roaming steer, raised for beef. How their lives of enforced pregnancy and constant bereavement are artificially-foreshortened when they are deemed no longer economically viable as units of production.

And when you bear this in mind, you realize once again that despite the touchy-feely hype this system is not humane. Far from it. That organic, free-range, hormone-free milk for which you are paying top dollar comes at such a price - such a terrible cost to the animals - that it cannot be considered a humane, sane or sustainable alternative. The only sane option is the vegan option; the only 'humane' farming is arable farming.

There is no alternative.

Stay Vegan, Friends!

New England Lovelies...

Some old friends...



...and some new!