a day at out to pasture

This is Poppy. 

I can't believe it is already October. What a busy couple months it has been. So much is going on, but I think I am going to stay on the vegan front for just a bit.

Last weekend a friend said she was going go to out to pasture sanctuary for the September work day. I jumped at the opportunity. OTP is a sanctuary, mostly, for farm animals. Their motto of sorts is "where a pig can be a pig".  It is a fantastic place, especially if your idea of a beautiful sunny day, is rubbing snouts with muddy pigs and bouncy goats! Its a great place to fall in love with some animals, and gain some hope for humanity with the work of John and Kit.

However, its a reminder of how absent some peoples' brain cells are when they decide that they are going to keep animals in the city for companionship or food.

a 27 year old retired race horse... oh yeah and he is blind.

There are several pigs on the farm because people got them, thinking they were going to be super cute pot belly pigs. Well these pigs are super cute, but they will not fit on anyone's lap that I know. Some times it is because they were lied to by whomever they purchased the pig from (yes, that line sounds disgusting to me too). But many times its just that people do not do the research necessary to know what the lovely creature needs to live a happy life.

I couldn't believe the number of chickens I heard. Its not that I thought it was unusual to hear them on a farm (though most farms I go to are full of peacefully quiet plants), but then the lines got connected. These were all roosters. Many of them were lovely heirloom breeds, and just a crowing like crazy.

look! more than 1 rooster in a coop at a time!

Some days I am slower than others, so it took me a spell to work through the questions: who abandons heirloom chickens (oh roosters so no eggs), what kind of abuse would people inflict on a chicken (oh yeah its a rooster). So, yeah, it took me a few moments to realize these are the abandoned lives of urban chickens. You know, your nice little neighbor who got a few hens so that they could have there own happy little chickens that will give them nice little eggs to eat.

Downside of urban chickens... what to do with the males. Then people spend a few years eating the eggs. Sooner or later the hens get older, along with us, and stop laying eggs... then what. Is there an old hen home? Is there a service to "take care of the hen for me so I don't have to see it"?

This has been a part of the conversations around the co-op and "sustainability" community in Portland lately. So many people have chickens so that the people can have "happy" eggs, and have not thought through the process and ramifications completely. It pisses me off. Sure the chickens are amazingly cute. They look happy, or at least happier than the ones I have seen at large factory farms. Does that make it right or better to own some one's life so that another life can eat the life they create?

goats are sooooo cute too

How much happier would they be if they were allowed to nest up in trees? If people didn't take their eggs? If they could live free with out waiting on a human to come let them out of their coop to eat some bugs and run around?

I could go on and on about the selfish nature of humans that has led to the greater and greater need for more and more animal sanctuaries. Why we need people with large hearts to have space for chickens, pigs, goats, rabbits, sheep, former race horses, llama, donkey, lots of cats, ducks, geese... All beautiful beings left because human animals didn't pay enough attention to details vs. wants/desires/greed.

So when we think about what we eat, we need to think past our own selfish needs. We need to think about who's labor and life went into what is on my plate. Did the people who harvested it get sprayed with toxic chemicals because they work in the same fields being sprayed with bad shit? Did those same people/families get paid a wage that allows them to buy the food they need to feed themselves? Did it come in a container that took tons of energy to make, just so that I could use it for 10 minutes? Are there life forms enslaved so that I can eat whatever I want and not have to pay it true value? What does affordable food look like in a system that refuses to exploit anyone in the process of getting that food from the ground to the plate?

Oh llamas

These are not new questions, however, it is what I think about as, right now, people are occupying Wall Street in NY. Or questions that stop me cold in stores these days. So many are starving just so that others can over indulge in sugary, fatty treats.

I guess this would be a good place to add that I have been reading John Steinbeck again. In Dubious Battle was just as great as The Grapes of Wrath. If we don't see the connections, we become just as enslaved as those that we refuse to see.

On a happy note.... I broke down and got a soy milk maker, and love it. It is so easy and simple to make soy milk (really), rice milk (regular or thick like amazake), and rice paste. So now I can make my own "milks" for just pennies, well quarters to make sure I get organic/non-gmo soy beans. Its fun and tasty. I have actually gotten in the habit of soaking the beans during the day, while I am at work or play, and make the beverage in the evening. Since it is so hot, I can then either make the warm milk with my sleep herbs, or chill it for breakfast. So fun.

The past couple weeks, I've also become addicted to dips or dressings made with cashews. My favorite was a style of vegan raw cesar dressing. It had cashews, just a little pine nut, some lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, a fresh thia chili pepper, and a little water to make the blender go. Dang! for 2 days I just dipped whole roman lettuce leaves and avocados in it. Fresh just the way you like it and what could go wrong.... ha! well a lot some times, but then its just funny... more on that in the future.

So, if you haven't done it yet, go to an animal sanctuary, take some friends, and come home to make a meal together. You are guaranteed to be connected.