The Sixth and Eighth Commandments
I take my religious beliefs seriously, and view my veganism as a manifestation of those beliefs. Which begs the question….how can I not be protected from harassment with regard to race, gender, creed, and religion afforded my co-workers?

For me, it begins with the Old Testament, specifically the ten commandments, as written in the books Exodus (20:13) and Deuteronomy (5:17). I’ve endeavored to live my life according to those principles, opting to not pick and choose from among those that are convenient to follow and sleeping with my neighbor’s husband because he’s cute. I’d no more cheat on my partner than commit murder. The sixth commandment reads Thou shalt not kill……. Not, thou shalt not kill other humans, thou shalt not take the life of another sentient being. The exact Hebrew wording is lo tirtzack, which accurately translates into “any kind of killing whatsoever.” [1]

Taking the life (ie stealing the life) of another is in direct violation of both the sixth AND eighth commandment – thou shalt not steal, which Requires a defense of all lawful things that further the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others and Prohibits whatever deprives our neighbor, or ourselves, of lawfully gained wealth or outward estate. So how can I possibly justify stealing the milk from a cow produced to feed her baby, or stealing the honey produced by bees to nourish their young? I’d be just as morally bankrupt to steal gas from the tank of a co-workers car based upon the misguided logic that they can just go buy more.


[1] http://www.thenazareneway.com/thou_shalt_not_kill.htm

The Wall O' Death

You know that grocery stores put the milk and bread in the back of the store for a reason.... right? That reason is that while you are heading back there... to what I charmingly refer to as "The Wall O' Death" aka the decomposing dead carcasses disguised as edibles on styrofoam trays that will break down in I don't know... 600 years? - you may very well add to your cart the byproducts of forced reproduction, AKA cheese, yogurt, butter, and milk, and other highly overpriced "goodies" you didn't realize you needed until they casually entered your viewfinder.... errrr eye sight.

Have you ever considered that the lowest priced generic items are NEVER placed at eye level? Have you ever thought about what they are trying to sell you? Have you given thought number one to how they compel you to buy what they want you to buy? Do you realize they are brainwashing our children in lunchrooms across the country? You are a smart person. Can I count on you to think independently? Can I ask you to think for yourself? I hope so.

Dinner on the Vegan Fly

No word yet from ApplianceRepairGuy, cryptic or otherwise, so my objective remains to not add to the spoilage. Indeed, I used the half container of extra firm tofu to its' fullest potential by slicing and saute'ing in Liquid Smoke and Tamari, thereby converting it to BACNot! Also on last night's agenda was a "roughing it" sort of Yukon Gold potato bake that impersonated those cheesy bits of goodness masquarading as food in the "easy to prepare" and "easy to get you to part with hard earned money" departments of the GrossATeria. Aforementioned easy cheesy potato bake consisted of parboiled Yukons sliced about 1/4 inch thick, combined with a shaken (not stirred) melange' of rice milk, (about one of the little tiny ones) a couple tablespoons of that flour for making gravy, three slices of vegan Jack Cheese and a bit of pepper. Add some paprika, and toss in the ubernuker, and minutes later - Voila!

So.... today's lunch was leftovers from yesterday in the form of a NOTBlt, delish! and some of the potatoes. Dinner was the rest of the potatoes (I KNOW but I can't STAND to toss food!) with a spinach salad that was topped with some more of the BACNot! and some beets, olives, and other goodies. This fridge on fritz is wearing thin.... But I'm so not bitching, I'm grateful for the opportunity to see how creative I can be. Film at eleven.

Yet Another Advantage to Going Vegan

The refrigerator is on its' last legs and the repair guy is as sharp as a bowling ball. I noticed the frozen foods were not so much frozen as just cold. I called the repair guy, and he sent his understudy, a big young man who proudly announced he'd recently consumed some McTrash of pork wrapped in fat, dipped in lard (I'd guess) and deep fried. Oh, and add a side of fat drenched potatoes on the side.

His assessment was that the defrost biz needed to be replaced. I should take all the food out, and let it defrost, and he'd have the part the next day. Well, I did what he suggested, and put the food in ice in a cooler. The next day another call produced new info that indeed - it would be Tuesday before the part was in, and I could safely put the food back in and all would be well now that it was defrosted.....

It wasn't. The good news is that although I lost some vegan sausages, patties, and a few dishes I'd made and frozen, nothing died in vain. I can only imagine how dreadful it would have been to throw away meat and dairy - to have another sentient being give up its' life only to be tossed in the trash because a refrigerator gave up the ghost.

Nursing Moms - There’s Still Time Before Next Superbowl!

We all know making good “quality” cheese takes time, right?

Now – work with me here…. Can you imagine the righteous indignation of your guests at next year’s Superbowl, when, after dipping into that delicious plate of cheesy nachos you’ve prepared for their eating pleasure you proudly announce that you made the cheese using your very own breast milk????????

How about this idea – when we get some poor woman to give her baby up for adoption, we get her to agree to using a breast pump and pay her to produce human breast milk so we can make a new line (let’s make it very expensive and put a designer label on it!!!! ) of “exclusive” cheese that we can market to “gourmands.” It’s a win win situation! Heck, things get real good, and we can PAY women to get pregnant, surrender the babies to infertile couples who want perfect Caucasian infants (we’ll have to be delicate about who we hire to birth the babies – drug testing, and the like) and then we can put a whole bunch of moms in a “dormitory” (sort of like a CAFO but with plumbing.) We’ll hook them all up to breast pumps several times a day, and we can laugh all the way to the bank! Sounds like a great plot for a horror flick, doesn’t it? Kind of like a variation on Meet Your Meat on two legs instead of four.

Decaying Flesh Begets Decaying Flesh

About a year and a half ago, I received a telephone call from my friend Carol. She was on her way to the emergency room. I met her there. Within a few hours she’d been diagnosed with Diverticulitis, an extremely painful, and dangerous infection of the digestive system, specifically the bowels. She’d thought she was “blocked up”, constipated, or something of the sort. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone in such pain. She was in hospital for a week, with a belly distended to the size of a woman pregnant with quadruplets. She was humiliated by the gas, the belching, and was unable to avoid either. She was vomiting regularly even though she was on IV fluids only.


I learned much about Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis from seeing my friend in such pain. I was determined to find out what caused it, and help her prevent another attack in the future. I also wanted to learn for my own good what the root cause and preventive measures that could be taken. Imagine my surprise when I learned that a diet high in fiber, a diet low in fats, was the answer. All those evenings we’d spent in front of a block of cheese and bowls of dip had taken their toll on Carol’s digestive tract. All those cheeseburgers dripping in mayonnaise had finally come home to roost. At that time, I was still eating meat, still consuming mass quantities of cheese – but that soon came to an end when I saw them inserting IV’s in her, saw her barfing and retching for a week. The stench was unbearable for everyone around.


They spoke of possibly “resectioning” her bowel, removing the rotted, damaged part, and reattaching the ends. I’ve got another loved one who had a resectioning like that, except it didn’t work, and now she wears a colostomy bag for the rest of her life, and endures THAT indignation.

Since adopting a vegetarian, and then vegan lifestyle, I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in my digestive health. I’m no longer feeling like I am likely to develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the precursor of Krohn’s Disease, and other problems. I’ve got every confidence that much of what I’ve accomplished in the realm of great health has to do with inverting that carnivorous food pyramid and putting what is important in my mouth, and learning that the decaying flesh of dead animals, the products from said animals produced through suffering and deprivation of liberty and freedom, can only cause my body to rebel against the suffering endured. But that my friend would have gotten the same message…. Alas, she’s still parked in front of those cheeseburgers, still getting sick, still blaming it on everything else but what it really is, a reaction to eating death.

The Doomed Science Project


Picture me, Selah, in ninth grade, which seems like a hundred years ago. Our school’s Science Fair loomed. I wanted to participate, and I wanted to win. I’d read the work of J.B. Calhoun, who'd written a paper called "The Effect of Overpopulation in Rats and Mice and thought that it would make a dandy of a Science project, one that surely would garner me a big honkin’ red ribbon. I put together my hypothesis and my allowance, and walked to the closest K-Mart, where I plunked down cash to buy a tiny metal cage and as many mice as I could afford.

The idea was that they’d have babies, and then more babies, and I’d be able to write a brilliant paper like Dr. Calhoun’s (only in my own words) about how the mice stopped acting like normal mice and began doing “weird stuff.” This model would then be applied to the human race and I could expound in my best fourteen year old English how this was what was happening in cities around the world…..cities I’d never even seen, and knew little about, but I digress. I was filled with excitement and anticipation while walking home with my Chinese Take Away cartons o’ mice. Upon arriving home, I set up my “laboratory” with the mouse house (my version of a miniature New York) my notebook and pencil at the ready. If I could have found a lab coat, you can bet I’d have worn it.

Within hours, the boys were fighting. No amount of discipline, pleading, scolding or harsh looks could get them to stop. There was blood, bitten ears, screeching, and horror. I hit my big brother up for some more cash and back to K-Mart I trudged to get a second cage. Within weeks I had baby mice alright, but the mommies got scared because the daddies were still in the cage so they ate them. I bought more cages. As a scientist, I think I failed. As a young girl, I believe my humanity triumphed. And now, so many years later, when, at the end of each day that I’ve eaten, and eaten well – without causing any sentient being any suffering, that young girl triumphs again.

Vegan Blog Tracker

It’s come to my attention that the reading of Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, my developing awareness, and my revulsion for being in the company of others while they consume the decaying carcasses of sentient beings are not mutually exclusive. Eckhart Tolle warns that I might see friends drop off, and boy- have I ever.

In an effort to connect with other vegans, and to become even more active in the vegan microcosm of society, I’ve been searching for other bloggers and folks in my area with whom I can learn about alternatives to cheese, the best way to share the information we’ve been learning about how veganism is the single largest contribution we can make individually, regardless of our socio economic status, to improving the environment for everyone to enjoy. When I get a request from an animal activist group that the polar bears are drowning due to the melting of the polar ice caps brought on by global warming, my heart aches. If everyone would simply wake up and realize the Quarter Pounder with Grease, the Kentucky Fried Cruelty, and the Smithfield ground up pig that was probably smarter than your dog sausage they are eating is the reason this is likely the last generation of polar bear cubs that will ever be born in the wild, I’d be a happy gal; wildly happy, ecstatic, really.

In the course of my search, I tripped over VEG Blogs, a Vegan Blog Tracker, a very cool concept indeed. Veg Blogs AKA Vegan Blog Tracker keeps an eye out for all things vegan, and lists them for my reading and writing convenience. They also have a city guide for listing groceries and restaurants, a veg health section, and a veg products guide that lists product alternatives to dairy, eggs, meat, pet food, supplements, and more. Thanks Veg Blogs.

Water Heaters Wear Out and Things are Fine Anyway

I’d have to guess the water heater’s days are over. If memory serves me, it’s never been replaced in the twenty years I’ve lived in this house. Couple of things: 1. I have this nifty insurance policy where they send someone out to fix it or replace it – and the most I ever have to pay is $55.00. 2. I have a second shower in the pool house. I turned off the power to that unit years ago, but in about 20 minutes, I’ll go check and hopefully there’ll be hot water for bathing. Let me go now – hold that thought. Yup, I’m in business. Just have to move all the kayaking equipment out of the shower and I’m good to go. My fellow employees and customers will appreciate that, I am sure. The service call is scheduled for Monday, between 9-11am. Hope they get here closer to 9, since I’ve got to go to work at noon. It is the “is-ness” of the moment. There’s little reason to not believe it is exactly as it is meant to be.

Speaking of work, what I’ve learned from reading A New Earth is being put into practice there with much success. Customers and co-workers alike are responding to the calm, in the moment Selah that they are faced with. I am able to separate the egos and pain bodies of those who believe by complaining long and loud about things over which I have no control. I am remembering to be the duck with the human mind, the one Tolle talks about where the two ducks are fighting, and then swim away. The duck flaps his wings, and settles right back into being a peaceful duck. He’s not thinking, “I can’t believe he got so close to me! He acts as if this lake is his and his alone! He’s probably over there right now plotting his next move. I’ll show him!”

With regard to ducks with a human mind, I’ve had to rethink participating in Oprah’s message boards due to this individual who reminds me very much of Omarosa of The Apprentice fame, who consistently attacks each and every time I post. I’ve come to realize there’s little value to setting myself up for that sort of abuse, and she’s relentless – probably in no small part to the irrefutable truth that she is likely delusional. So I am flapping my wings and swimming over to the other side of the pond.

On another note, I’m delighted to report that the City of Tampa has once again, outstripped St. Petersburg on being progressive and responsible. In my email today:Tampa Becomes Fifth Florida City to Oppose One of Factory Farming's Worst AbusesTAMPA , Fla. (March 20, 2008)— Tampa joins a growing number of cities supporting the move away from one of the worst forms of factory farm animal abuse. Today, the Tampa City Council approved a resolution to oppose cramming egg-laying hens into tiny battery cages so small the birds can barely move. The resolution states that the Council “opposes battery cage egg production, based on the inherent cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in battery cages,” and further “encourages consumers of eggs not to purchase eggs produced by caged hens.”

Tampa is the fifth Florida city (and eleventh in the nation) to pass a resolution on battery cage confinement. “ Tampa ’s council members should be applauded for taking a stand against one of the most egregious forms of animal abuse,” said Paul Shapiro , senior director of The Humane Society of the United States ’ factory farming campaign. “The confinement of laying hens in battery cages is out of step with mainstream American values, and it‘s time for the egg industry to end this cruelty.”Facts· Tampa joins Hollywood, West Palm Beach, Winter Springs and New Port Richey in passing such a resolution. Florida-based Burger King is moving away from selling eggs from caged hens, as part of a national movement away from supporting battery cage confinement.· U.S. factory farms confine approximately 280 million hens in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can’t even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live.· While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens. While cage free hens may not be able to go outside, they are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.

Timeline· February 2008—Safeway announces a far-reaching animal welfare program, including a purchasing preference for cage-free eggs.·

December 2007—Compass Group, the world’s largest food service provider with over 7,500 U.S. clients, begins phasing out cage eggs.·

March 2007—Burger King announces that it has started phasing in cage-free eggs in its North American locations.·

March 2007—Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announces that he will no longer use cage eggs.·

September 2006—Ben & Jerry’s announces that it will phase out cage eggs in its ice creams.·

May 2005—Whole Foods Market announce that they have ended sales of cage eggs.·

November 2003—The Better Business Bureau rules that it is misleading to label eggs from battery-caged hens as “Animal Care Certified.”

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE FAJITA NIGHT

AND THE PAIN-BODY/EGO FEST

One of the last dates I went on was to Cody’s Roadhouse on a Wednesday, otherwise known as two for one fajita night. It goes without saying the place was jam packed with those who’d called ahead, and those who chose to show up, get a playing card, and hope for the best. We showed up oblivious to the two for one offer. We were told it would be a half hour to forty five minutes before we could be seated. I’ve no issue with waiting, even though Cody’s was not exactly my idea of a fun place to eat. I am vegan. I don’t eat meat, eggs, or dairy. I don’t go to circuses with animal acts and I don’t attend rodeos. I don’t buy new leather, but have old shoes and bags and feel it best to not add them to the landfill, so wear them until they wear out. But I won’t buy any new leather.

I adopted a vegan lifestyle for numerous reasons. Of utmost importance is the environment, and the knowledge that in order for Gaia to recover from the damage we’ve willfully inflicted upon her, I must make sacrifices. Along with that, I truly believe that we are connected to all sentient beings, and as such, are stewards of them, not murderers of them. I believe the only way to end the horrors of factory farming is to vote with my wallet. As such, I don’t contribute in any way to their profits. I am aware that by reducing my meat and dairy consumption, I am making a massive contribution to reducing (and hopefully in my lifetime eliminating) the death by starvation of 60 million of my fellow human beings.

Within the first few minutes, I heard numerous impatient complaints from the egos of those standing nearby. Within the next few minutes, my date joined in the complaining. Then he asked me to return to the host’s podium to verify (read interrupt and make her stress even more than she was already) when we’d be seated. Perhaps he thought she had some very special psychic ability to be able to guess when all the guests would finish consuming mass quantities of dead animals and their byproducts. Against my better judgment I complied with his wishes. Of course the answer was the same.

While waiting, I began to feel the collective pain body around me. It was a tangible presence that only amplified when we were seated. Apparently I was not alone in my sensing of the enormous amount of agony in the immediate area. We were seated next to a booth populated by four morbidly obese women, one of whom tried without success to calm a toddler whose pain body was causing him great discomfort. He wailed, and truly, I could feel how deeply unhappy he felt. Mostly because as I sat watching others around me get served platters of steaks, shrimp wrapped in bacon, salad soggy with mayonnaise based dressings and dripping with shredded cheese, steaming plates of chicken and beef fajitas, and butter laden rolls, I could feel little else other than the suffering of the animals at the moment of their death, and the collective poisoned pain bodies of those whose jobs required them to do the killing.

It was a cacophony emanating from every person in the restaurant, servers and guests alike. I was aware, and watched quietly, listening to snippets of conversations floating about my head, mostly complaints and judgments. The majority of the patrons were, to the naked eye, unhealthy. One man had an oxygen tank, and most were exogenously obese. The noise was deafening, the rank smell of death hung in the air, the pain body expanded like a massive black cloud that enveloped the entire room, like a roach fogger, poisoning everything it touched.
I won’t be returning to Cody’s and within a week I terminated the four year relationship with the man who is apparently oblivious to how much pain it causes me to be in such surroundings. I’d rather be alone than contribute, by default, to the suffering of the animals, those who have to kill them, and the planet.

Vegan is Cheaper

Lately I've been posting in the Oprah boards about Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth about veganism, how important it is to the environment, and how it is the simplest, and best way to reduce one's impact on Gaia.

Surprise! Those of us talking about this enormously important subject have been met time and again with opposition. These are the reasons given:

1. I have been told by my doctor that I MUST consume meat and dairy.

(OK, I'll bite - I'm to assume you do EVERYTHING your doctor tells you to do. )

2. But what about the tomatoes? They are living things too! Who knows what kind of pain they endure!

Ummm yeah. But we are addressing sentient beings with a central nervous system here - and we know that the cows and pigs and chickens who live out their lives in fetid CAFO's are denied the most basic comforts of light, liberty, their young, and ultimately their lives.

3. "I buy all organic products! That's good enough for me!"

Well, ackshully...... the organic label simply means your cow's milk didn't come from a cow who was shotgunned antibiotics, that's all. It doesn't change the reality that she was forcibly bred via artificial insemination, and then had her baby ripped away from her breast around the three day mark. If her baby was a boy, he's destined to be kept in the dark, forcefed milk, never get to feel what it is like to run (to do so creates muscle, and we want our veal tender and milky white, right?) If the calf was a girl, she's destined to Mom's fate of being milked until her production drops and then having some vicious sicko scramble her brains at the end of her usefulness.

4. I've visited all the places my food comes from and it's all very clean, healthy, and humane.

Not unless you boycott fast food restaurants, never buy or consume processed foods, never buy nachos or cheese fries at a baseball game, and don't eat at friends or families homes. Oh, and it is nigh onto impossible to obtain any pork not produced by the Big Guns - Hormel, Smithfield Foods, which increased capacity following the purchase last year of Farmland Foods and Alliance Farms; Premium Standard Farms; Seaboard Farms; Christensen farms; Iowa Select Farms; Prestage Farms; The Pipestone System, which also owns Ellison Meat; Cargill, which has announced plans to exit the state of North Carolina; Goldsboro Hog Farm and the Hanor Company, a Wisconsin-based shareholder in Triumph Foods.

That said, my very favorite response for the "Why I can't go vegan" answer is this one -- Ready???

5. It's more expensive! I can't afford it!!!

So today I conducted an experiment. I pulled a recipe for the classic American Macaroni and Cheese from http://www.cooks.com/ and the vegan version I whipped up last night, courtesy of the http://www.fatfreevegan.com/ (which, by the way, was mind expandingly good. Now since both recipes are copyrighted, and I am all about not ripping off other writers, photogs, or any other creative talents - I will not be reproducing the recipes here. However, I printed them out and went shopping. Using the organic argument, I put together a price list for each dish. The dairy heavy heart clogging model came in at (approx - I couldn't waste time computing the amount of money for the 1/2 teaspoon of paprika....) $10.30. The vegan version came in at $6.35. You do the math.

“Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past.” I found the statement in The Forgiveness Project in the story of Marian Partington Marian’s sister was a victim of rape, torture, and murder. If Marian Partington can find a way to forgive those who inflicted such horrific atrocities upon her sister, then how can I not follow suit when the grudges I have held pale in comparison? Marian’s story is one of hundreds; stories of war, terrorist acts, loss of loved ones, all huge by comparison to the ego feeding litany of “me and my story.”
I’ve been working on this forgiveness issue, seemingly for a long time, but in truth probably only a few months. Initially, I thought it somehow was not necessary, gave permission to those who had committed such awful grievances against me as not giving me the “recognition” I deserved to come back for a repeat performance, and completely impossible. Every single solitary time I pick up a book about how to be more in the moment, how to make the earth a better place, how to be healthier, the recurring theme is that I will find happiness when I forgive. That goes double for forgiving myself for all those stupid decisions I made in those black abyss of depression days. You know, the ones that go like this: “what was I thinking when I bought that?”
It seems that I’ve been going at it from an obtuse angle. I don’t have to know HOW to forgive, I only need to be open to learning how, and the Universe will supply the rest.I’ve gotten it, at least partially, and am now looking back on the not too distant past, at a situation where I was so utterly convinced I was the one being wronged – and indeed, I was making a major contribution to the problem. I kept it alive every time I talked to my friends about it, rather than going to the source and working things out like an adult.
Louise Hay’s 64 card Wisdom deck contains these messages:
· I release all old hurts and forgive everyone, including myself. I can never get even. Reveng3e does not work, because what I give out comes back at me. The buck has to stop somewhere.
· Guilt never makes anyone feel better, nor does it change a situation. I now stop feeling guilty. I let myself out of that prison. I forgive myself for any wrongdoing.
· I do not have to know how to forgive. All I have to do is be willing to forgive. The Universe will take care of the how. I forgive all past experiences.

In Zen, I learn – Forgive yourself and everyone around you. When you judge others, YOU are the one who feels pain. Through forgiveness, all pain disappears.
Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization – page 119 contains the following affirmations: I now forgive and release EVERYONE in my life. We are all happy and free. I now let go of all accumulated guilt. fears, resentment, disappointments, and grudges. I am free and clear!

She goes on to suggest writing down on a piece of paper the names of everyone in my life who I feel has ever mistreated me, harmed me, done me any injustice, or toward whom I feel resentment, hurt or anger. Next to the names, write down what they did to me, or what I resent them for. Then, close my eyes, relax, and one by one visualize or imagine each person. Hold a conversation with each one, and explain to him or her that in the past I have felt anger or hurt toward them, but that now I am going to do my best to forgive them for everything, and to dissolve and release all constricted energy between us. Give them a blessing and say “ I forgive you and release you. Go your own way and be happy.” When I’ve finished this process, write on my paper “I now forgive you and release you all” and throw it away, as a symbol that I am letting go of those past experiences.

She continues with the ideas that the process of forgiveness is miraculous in relieving people of their long standing burdens of accumulated resentments and hostility. The wonderful thing is that those who are named, even if I never see them again, will on a psychic level pick up my forgiveness and it will help to clear up their lives as well.

Sounds like a good idea to me! I’m off to create my list. Think instead of tossing it in the trash I’ll ritually burn it. Let all that resentment go up in smoke and ashes, where it belongs.

WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE

Of late I’ve been reading, praying, meditating, studying, observing, learning, seeing, feeling, really focusing on the smallest glimmering bits of truth and beauty, (as if THEY were exclusive of each other!) I’ve also been walking…. with the pack of two… a lot. As you can see by the date of my last entry, I’ve been sidetracked away from blogging, for which I apologize to my loyal and very singular reader (you know who you are…) I am here, now.

Historically books habitually jump off shelves and foist themselves upon me willy nilly (as IF there were no coincidences!) Throughout the years I’ve come to view it as the Universe’s way of letting me know what I am to do next. Well, when Reverend Temple said recently, “if you pray for big things to happen to you, get ready for some big changes!” she was NOT kidding.

In the past, oh, I don’t know…. eight years (Has it been eight years already?) I’ve undergone some major paradigm shifts, truly life changing experiences of the sort that really get your attention and caused me to question everything I thought I knew up to that point. Without resorting to one of those “me and my story” litanies, suffice it to say I hit one of those fork in the road spots in life, and while I may be on the road less travelled, I am so not second guessing my decision.

My road led straight to First Unity Church , a concept I’d resisted for many years. My wily pal Claudia wooed me there with a trip to the Wings Bookstore in its’ previous incarnation when it was located within the church. The bookstore grew, almost as fast as I have, and was relocated to its’ own home on the church campus. See photo

After numerous full price purchases, I’ve succumbed to being a member of the Wings Bookstore Frequent Flyer club (thereby saving 10%) where the ever effervescent manager Sharon Jebens artfully arranges all manner of books, angels, aromatherapy objects, yoga wear, Zen cards, oracle cards, incense, Feng Shui materials, greeting cards, bumper stickers, stones with inspirational sayings, and on and on and on. (If time permitted, I’d make an exhaustive alphabetical list of the fabulous offerings, but I want to get to the tofu of the matter. And that is this – every book I’ve read recently is sending the same message, in different language perhaps, but the same underlying theme of “what it’s all about, Alfie and it is just for the moment we live.” Every single page I turn has reinforced the concept of a collective consciousness, that we create all that we see, experience, our lives, our very lives are formed initially by our thoughts. Our thoughts, negative, positive, and neutral, all become prayers and prayers are always answered. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the confirmation I am getting about how what is necessary to be happy is to be aware, conscious, present in each and every moment. It’s to see each and every human being (and aren’t those two powerful words interconnected – can’t have one without the other!) through the eyes of the Almighty as perfect, and whole. In that way, I will be surrounded - bathed by love; pure, sweet, love.

Recent influential and mightily uplifting books:

1. The Book, On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, by Alan Watts. Alan writes extensively about our ego, about how the concept of loving your enemies makes perfect sense, about how until we all recognize we all have components of “good” and “bad” and that it is how we view those parts that makes a difference. He writes that if he asked me what happened yesterday, what did I hear, smell, see, taste, etc. that likely my answer would be a thin sketchy outline, and how much better it would be if I could answer, “oh a zillion things but it would take forever to tell you and I am much more interested in what is happening right now.”
2. Of Monkeys and Dragons by Michele O’Donnell. I heard Michele speak at First Unity, bought the book and couldn’t believe what I learned about the how and why of dis-ease and healing. I couldn’t believe finally(!) someone understood how and why I feel the way I do about the medical profession, about illness, about many things…. Too many to mention, but again, the recurring theme that what we believe we see is what will be presented to us. If we choose to see all as through the filter of the eyes of G-d, then that is what we shall see.
3. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle This is the kind of book I’d like everyone I know to read – not because I want to “change” anyone else, but because it is precisely what the world needs to know to change our collective consciousness for all living creatures up to and including Gaia. Eckhart Tolle addresses our ‘pain bodies’ our egos, and how and why the ego needs to complain, whine, and gossip to get what it needs to stay in control. But only by defeating the ego can I find a way to be present in the moment….and that moment, this moment, is all I have. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow never comes. If I’m sitting around waiting for something to happen, I will surely miss millions of moments. Oh, here’s one from earlier today. I saw a dandelion, as if for the first time in my life. When was the last time I picked a dandelion and blew the tiny wings into the air? A hundred years ago? I looked at that dandelion, and was filled with wonder at its exquisiteness. . Oprah and Eckhart Tolle will be conducting a webcast and I am participating. Please join me!
4. A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen First Unity handed out the bracelets, and I committed to going 21 days without complaining, gossiping, or criticizing. So far, I am working toward the completion of day five. My dear and very bright friend Claudia says it’s a piece of cake for me since I work from home. That may be true. My tests arrive in the form of telephone calls, visits to the post office, driving, grocery stores, etc. And I do admit it likely IS easier for me with limited contact of the co-worker/customer service variety. However, I still could use support from my friends and family – in the form of a gentle smile when something slips from my lips… and my bracelet slips ever so easily onto the other wrist.

So here’s the thing….. I’ve read (Michele O’Donnell AND Eckhart Tolle agree) that seeing violence as in tv shows like CSI and Numbers, illness in the form of tv shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy, and movies that are of a similar vein is counterproductive for my goal and objective of being happy. That said, I’m dedicated to finding happy uplifting stuff on tv and in books, and movies. So if you have any suggested reading or watching material, please drop me a line or submit a comment. I’d be evah so grateful dahlin’!

Bee Here Now

Sunday morning's First Unity service included an anecdote from Reverend Temple Hayes recent trip to Mexico in which she told us of her walks on the beach, where she was reminded that she'd travelled over a thousand miles to do what we can do here in the Tampa Bay area every day, should we so desire.

"But that's another story," she said.

She continued to explain her encounter with a bee trapped in mud at the water's edge. She'd carefully scooped up the bee, and watched in wonder as it washed the mud off its thorax and face with tiny forelegs.

"Twice a day, searching for stranded bees became my calling," she said. "I carried an entire arsenal of bee saving tools, pieces of wood, feathers, and such, to fish bees out of the surf."

I chuckled internally because her story reminded of a time long ago, (well… to be precise, eleven years ago) when I'd had my own encounter with a bee. My husband of beloved memory and I had built a bathhouse out on the far end of our patio. Of course the initial plan had been to erect a tiki bar with a palm frond roof and telephone pole uprights, but those plans had exploded into an 18" deep hurricane proof foundation laid by a Russian immigrant, atop which perched a bathhouse with a full bar and a porch that ran the entire length of the building. Most of the construction work was done by our cranky and highly opinionated contractor. We opted to do the finish work ourselves, to get him gone that much sooner.

My job was to paint. Now, picture if you will, this building, with the front porch approximately three feet away from the deep end of the pool. Picture a middle aged woman on a ladder perilously close to said deep end, painting the trim, and now envision a bee buzzing around the head of aforementioned woman.

That was my bee; or that which came to be thought of as "my" bee.

My bee was, I presume, attracted to the smell of the paint. S/he was flying around my head, buzzing, as bees are wont to do. Now, I like bees just fine. I've adopted a 'live and let live' approach to most creatures, as long as we are not talking about when they make the mistake of moving into my house; just ask the rats and mice what might happen…. Well, you can't do that, now can you. I didn't, however, relish the idea of getting stung by a bee and falling from a seven foot ladder into the -not deep enough for a diving board- swimming pool.

In a moment of very un-Zenlike judgment and lack of consideration for Dharma , I swung the paintbrush through the air, creating an air current that knocked my bee into the drink. Immediately I regretted my actions. I got down from the ladder, rushed to the swim-out and, using a clean paint stirrer, fished my bee out; gently rolling him/her onto the pool deck. Like Reverend Hayes, I watched with rapt attention and fascination as my bee's tiny sides heaved with the effort of swimming. I began to think I'd set up some really good Karma.

It struck me that the chlorinated water might be bad for my bee. I worried while I waited for my bee to dry and fly away. It was at that moment, when I was feeling all good about how I'd saved a life; that the lizard rushed out of the bushes, and ate my bee.

    

Green Paper Towels

I’m gearing up to have a heart to heart five minute chat with about a hundred and fifty or so individuals in the hopes of convincing them to give Shirts of Bamboo’s 100% bamboo compressed towelettes a try. These handy little gems start out the size of a poker chip and pack an environmental wallop the size of Canada’s Boreal Forest, which consists of ¼ of the world’s remaining ancient forests. At least today, it contains one quarter of the remaining old growth trees, but if Kimberly Clark, the parent company of Kleenex and paper towels has its way, the clear cutting will decimate that forest in a few years.

What I’ve discovered about toilet paper and paper towels has me scared. According to the Green Report of March 2004:

· 40% of trash in US landfills consist of paper products

· 30% of timber consumed in the US is used to make paper products

· Paper use is expected to increase by approximately 46% by the year 2040

One more way for me to be a bit greener – paper towels. Currently, I use Shirts of Bamboo’s compressed 100% bamboo towelettes whenever plausible, that is to say, most of the time. I simply open the package, add water, unroll, and get real busy. Busy doing what, you ask?

• Polishing crystal
• Dusting
• Cleaning glass
• Drying up spills
• Wiping fingerprint smudges off my laptop
• Polishing furniture
• Washing dishes
• Keeping sweat out of my eyes while mowing the lawn
• Wrapping a wet towelette around my neck while mowing the lawn to lower my core temperature about 30 degrees in ten seconds
• Keeping the roots of soon to be transplanted plants moist while I find the potting soil and a suitable pot.
• Using in lieu of paper tissue

When the rinsed and dried towelettes resemble the stuff from the lint trap in my dryer, I compost them, or use them in the bottom of potted plants to cover that opening where the potting soil tends to fall out.

I use Seventh Generation paper towels on those rare occasions when I have to wipe out something greasy that I don’t want to go down the drain. I thought I’d take a look around at the paper towel industry as a whole to see if there were more I could do, more I could learn, more I could pass on to others who want to be a tiny bit greener every day.

While researching for my upcoming talk, I found the Green Report and its article about toilet paper and paper towels. I scanned the list of recommended paper towels. There, to my surprise, I found Kimberly Clark’s Scott products were 100% recycled and 70% bleach free. Another Kimberly Clark Scott paper towel was labeled 70% postconsumer, 30% elemental chlorine free.

The chlorine used in bleaching all paper products is a huge concern, since chlorine bleaching releases dioxins and other toxins into the environment, harming every level of the food chain.

I was so pleased to see Kimberly Clark doing their part! That bubble was soon popped when I discovered an article in the Vanguard, a student run newspaper since 1946. Greenpeace alleges that Kimberly Clark is clearcutting Canada’s Boreal Forest to make Kleenex and other KC products. So, it would seem, once again, my theory that it all boils down to money holds true. Kimberly Clark wants people like me to fall for their “environmentally responsible” posture by selling me what I demand, 100% postconsumer waste – bleach free paper towels. But behind the smoke and mirrors, they continue to decimate forests, habitat, and contribute mightily to climate change so that selfish, thoughtless, and careless individuals can blow their delicate, plastic surgery enhanced noses into lily white Kleenex.

Stop the Insanity- Sign the Petition Joining in the Millions Against Monsanto

My lifelong disdain for Monsanto developed in the early eighties when I read about farmers in India committing suicide because they’d used their daughters’ dowry to repay Monsanto “loans” when the crops failed. This hasn’t changed much, indeed, it seems it has worsened over the years. See End of a Wedding Dream for details.

I despised Monsanto for creating Agents Orange, Purple, Pink, White, and Blue (though lesser known, the rest of the 'rainbow' contributed to veterans’ illnesses,) not to mention the long lasting horrific effects on the people of Viet Nam. Monsanto compensated each soldier $1200 in the form of a one time lump sum payment. $1200 – now that’s what Monsanto thinks of exposing soldiers drafted to fight a war no one wanted to Dioxins and other toxic chemicals. Monsanto continues to this day to refuse to compensate Veterans and their families further for exposure to the toxic chemicals, including Dioxin.

Monsanto has its dirty paws in Genetically Modified (GM) cotton and foods. Monsanto's bt cotton in India has proven to be an abyssmal failure. The BT cotton, corn and soybeans may very well be killing livestock like the 1600 sheep which died after grazing on BT cotton, along with killing bees. When the bees die, so will we.

Farmers in India and Africa have rejected bt cotton but it may very well prove to be too late. Here in the United States, and Canada, we have GM corn, soybeans, and canola growing by the thousands of acres.

As if that were not enough, Monsanto produces Posilac, otherwise known as rBGH, (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone.) Also called BGH, rBGH, BST and rBST., Monsanto sells the genetically engineered copy of a naturally occurring hormone produced by cows to dairy farmers. However, unlike the naturally occurring hormone, the rBGH increases milk production by 10% to 15%. The FDA approved rBGH in 1993 and it has been in use since 1994. Monsanto and the FDA claim milk from cows injected with rBGH cannot spread Mad Cow (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) , but scientists disagree.

Monsanto and the FDA continue to lie about how Mad Cow disease is spread to humans. Of course they do. They want the labels we read on our milk cartons to neglect to mention whether the cows were injected with rBGH. They don’t want us to know that the milk production from a cow with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy might have been increased by 10 to 15%, potentially infecting 10 to 15% more people with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

This should come as little surprise when one looks at the resume`s of many of the FDA’s top executives. Take, por exemplo, the case of Margaret Miller, one of Monsanto’s top researchers. Ms. Miller submitted a scientific report about whether Monsanto’s growth hormones were safe or not. Then, she left Monsanto, and was hired by the FDA. One of her first FDA responsibilities – determining whether or not to approve the report she had written.

She had help from Susan Sechen, another former Monsanto researcher. Oh, and the guy who decides whether the FDA should require rBGH milk to be labeled as such or not fell under the jurisdiction of Michael Taylor. Attorney Taylor’s previous employer- you guessed it if you guessed Monsanto.

Not much has changed with regard to Monsanto’s complete disregard for the people and the planet, instead continuing to focus on the only “P” in its corporate mind that matters, that is Profit.

So I’ve joined forces with Millions Against Monsanto and I am asking you to do the same. Please sign the petition and join me in forcing Monsanto to:

· Stop intimidating small family farmers.

· Stop force-feeding untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods on consumers.

· Stop using billions of dollars of US taypayers' money to subsidize genetically engineered crops - cotton, soybeans, corn, and canola.

The Green Week in Review – 1^st Week of June, 2007

You can’t call yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat. Since I call myself exactly that, I’ve returned to my vegetarian (bordering on vegan) roots . Veg for Life and PETA point out that by consuming only fruits and vegetables, one person saves the lives of over 100 animals annually. So, by my action of adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, I saved at least one animal this week. If it was a cow, that means I reduced greenhouse gasses, specifically methane. .

According to The Marian Koshland Science Museum Livestock lead rice-growing, gas-flaring, and mining in global emissions of this highly potent greenhouse gas. Options for reducing methane emissions go beyond reducing beef and dairy consumption. These mitigation strategies also include reducing methane emissions from mines, gas production facilities, and landfills.

So this week, I took on the beef. I also have seriously dented the quantity of trash I’m contributing to landfill by utilizing the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I’ll look to my hero, and captain of my heart Albert Gore Jr. to take on the project of reducing methane emissions from the mines. You can help the 2008 Draft Al Gore Grassroots Campaign by signing the petition begging him to run.

And now, it’s time for me to head off to work, where, with any luck at all, I’ll solve a few customer challenges facilitating their transition to clothing made from sustainable resources.

Green Hurricane Puppy Preparations

June 1st marked the opening of hurricane season in Florida. Hurricane Season Will Be "Very Active," Forecasters Say, and for the first time in my life (I’ve lived in Florida for over forty years) I am very very afraid; very afraid.

John Roach
for National Geographic News

April 3, 2007

Batten down the hatches: A "very active" Atlantic hurricane season is brewing, and at least one major storm is likely to strike the U.S. coastline, experts said today.

The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University in Fort Collins anticipates 17 named storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and November 30.

Nine of the named storms will become hurricanes, five of them major hurricanes with sustained winds greater than 111 miles (178 kilometers) an hour.

And there's a 74 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline. The long-term average is 52 percent.

That said, and that says too much for me, I’m trying to figure out how to be greener with hurricane preparations. I don’t want to be caught unaware, but want as little negative impact on the environment as possible.

Beginning with the dogs, I’ve learned that the following should be ready:

• Vaccination papers
  (Be sure your vet includes vaccinations for Kennel Cough, Parvo, and Distemper) I’m going to make a copy and laminate it, placing the copy inside the crates.
• Leash
• Collar with Pet's Identification Tag – again, I’m going to make tags with emergency contact info even though my dogs are microchipped.
• Pet food and water (Socking away an extra case of can for hurricane season. I’m also saving empty gallon containers for filling with dog water, and kibble.
• Food and Water Bowl
• Medications
• Name and contact information of you're pet's veterinarian
• Recent Picture of Pet (check)
• "Airline Approved" Pet Carrier
  (Carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand up, sit, and turn around) – Got that covered.
• Muzzle for Chuck & Colin ( I suppose terrified dogs might bite, so I was going to see about either finding used muzzles or making muzzles from an old backpack or leather jacket. Until I read what this person (http://leerburg.com/muzzleselection.htm) had to say, that is: that when stressed, or in a hot environment; as in Florida with no power during a hurricane, a cloth muzzle may prevent a dog from panting, and that could lead to death. So no, no muzzles.

The Green Week in Review

In the news – A pair (hopefully a breeding pair) of Giant Pandas are given to the people of Hong Kong to mark the anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China.

In the LOCAL (as in right here, in my home…) news, I got the oil in the car changed to some super duper turbo gas saving stuff, and had the tires inflated to the proper PSI. I’ve learned that I am not as smart as a second grader. Nine year old Savannah Walters studied the Arctic ice caps and figured out that by having tires inflated to the proper pressure, Americans could save lots of fossil fuel. Pump 'em UP! Says With properly inflated tires...

1. Americans could save 4 million gallons of gas each day.
2. Americans could save hundreds of dollars each year on gas and extend the life of their tires by 25%.
3. Americans could all breathe cleaner air because we’d be burning less gas.
4. Americans would be able to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge forever!

And that’s just for starters, kids. How simple is that? Get the pressure checked on your tires, and make a contribution to the environment. Who knew being greener was so easy.

The power bill arrived, and I giggled like Jerry "The King" Lawler . It appears that I’ve managed to reduce my carbon footprint by another 10 KWH per day from last year. So, I offset my impact on the environment by contributing to carbonfund.org and I feel better. The gas bill also reflected savings, both personally and environmentally. I attribute the reduction to my lowering the thermostat (again) on the water heater, not using the dryer at all, and baking in the solar oven.

Also in this week’s mail, my http://www.shaklee.com/ Shaklee Get Clean Deluxe kit arrived. The Oprah special cost me $55.00. The same amount of “cleaning” supplies (read – caustic chemicals that suck the life out of everything they ever touched and will continue to touch for a half life of about a billion years) is valued at about $2000.00. As an added incentive I read this-

When you buy the Get Clean Starter Kit instead of the stuff you probably buy:

• You keep 108 pounds of packaging waste out of landfills
• You eliminate 248 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions

Get Clean products offer cleaning choices that are Green, and here's why:

• Sustainably sourced natural ingredients
• Biodegradable surfactants
• Recyclable packaging
• Recyclable wipes
• Recyclable dryer sheets
• No chlorine bleach
• No volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• No phosphates
• No nitrates
• No borates
• No animal testing

I spent a good deal of Saturday cleaning house and I have to shout out how clean it smells. I can’t vouch for the dryer sheets yet, although I applaud that they are recyclable. Instead, I continue to use the hybrid dryer. See Project Laundry for details on creating your own work of art, sustainable hybrid clothes dryer. No load too large, no risk of fire, no dryer sheets to buy.

And with that, I leave you to attend the Green Thumb Festival. I’ll report back later.

Ciao Greenbaby

Solar Brownies and Bike Rides

Car mileage- ZERO

Bike mileage – Downtown to the Saturday Morning Market for organic veggies, a very cool ride indeed with the bike lanes on 1^st North and South making me feel rather safe, then to Sweetbay on 22^nd and 34^th later in the day. The concept of crossing 22^nd Avenue North is daunting, so I took to the sidewalk to get to the front of the grocery.

Between trips I experimented with solar baking by putting together (with the help of my assistant, 11 ¾ year old Tara from Fall River) No Pudge Fat Free Brownies and the warmth of the sun. I’d found instructions to make a solar oven from a pizza box, which looks mighty interesting, but we didn’t have a pizza box and I wasn’t going to ride across town to get one.

I trotted around like a mad scientist looking for the necessary components whileTara mixed the batter. We needed: dark pans, a container with some sort of glass cover, and something to reflect the sun’s rays onto the surface of the pans.

We filled the order for the pans by putting the mix in one eight inch cake pan, and flipping its’ partner over as a lid. We placed the pan inside a wok, covered the wok with a large glass inverted bowl, and placed both on a heatproof pad that anchored my kayak’s emergency blanket – a sheet of shiny silver plastic. The upper corners of the blanket were clothespinned to the ‘hybrid’ dryer…. AKA the clothesline.

Several hours later, we could smell the minty chocolatey gooey brownies. Alas, the day was so windy we hypothesized the temperature wouldn’t get high enough to finish them by sundown, so we resorted to finishing them off in the Advantium speed cooker, which combines microwaves and halogen lighting to cook up to 4 times faster than conventional ovens.

It was enough to redline my eco-meter, to have a young person concerned about the environment, and interested in thinking about what we might do to reduce our impact upon it. Tara told me of a recent science project she’d done, turning empty water bottles into water containers for small mammals, like hamsters and gerbils.

As we worked together on the solar oven, Tara and I were contemplating the possibilities for converting the gas grill to a solar grill, the possibilities of using a great big magnifying lens, and how to make a solar slow cooker.

The brownies were fantastic. The fun even better.