Loneliness

Bumpkin

I am a natural loner, but it doesn't mean I want to be that way.  Loneliness can feel like being crushed.  Sometimes, we call a friend and wait to hear back from him or her.  If loneliness is crushing you, and you want to talk to your friend, then don't wait for him or her to call back; call again.
Last week, I discussed the dirty dozen of fruits and veggies.  On the flip side, here are the clean 15 (source-PBS).  "All the produce on 'The Clean 15' bore little to no traces of pesticides, and are safe to consume in non-organic form." This list includes:

• onions
• avocados
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• sweet peas
• asparagus
• kiwi fruit
• cabbage
• eggplant
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• sweet potatoes
• sweet onions

Blackfish

The way they should be: free

I love hummus.  I'm eating so much of it, that I think I need to start making my own.  The main ingredients are garbanzo beans, olive oil, and lemon.  Currently, the best price I can buy it for is $3 a pound.  It would be cheaper for me to make it.  I need a food processor.
My new diet is going well.  My favorite thing to eat now is carrot sticks dipped in hummus.  That's why I like hummus so much.  I doubt I'd be eating carrots without it.  I've even dipped cabbage into it.  I don't like many veggies, but when they've been dipped into hummus, it's a different story.  Also, once I start making  my own, I can put very healthy veggies into it like celery and parsley.
I've fed some more whole walnuts to my squirrel neighbors.  I love them.  I really enjoy feeding them completely natural food.
I saw the movie Blackfish.  It was very interesting and disturbing.  SPOILER ALERT!  It certainly reinforced my belief that animals should not be confined in zoos, aquariums, and places like Sea World.  It seems like one of the killer whales at the Orlando, FL Sea World has had a hand in killing 3 people.  Obviously, it's not the whale's fault.  There have been plenty of incidents in which orcas have injured people in captivity, but, apparently, a killer whale has never attacked a human in the wild.  They can swim hundreds of miles a day when they're free, but in places like Sea World, they are confined to small tanks.  Killer whales in captivity have been seen to float in the same position for hours at a time.  They should be free.  But I think that every animal deserves to be free.  Of course, I realize that's pretty much an impossibility.  But I will not participate in anything that takes away animals' freedom.  I'm a vegan, so I don't support the confinement of animals like cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys.  I wouldn't go to a zoo either.  The last time I went to one, it was very depressing.  I saw a leopard that paced back and forth from the exact same spots over and over again.  The leopard didn't have much room.  I saw a rhino who was behaving very oddly.  It seemed like she was moving in a very obsessive way that likely had something to do with her unnatural confinement.  It's a bunch of crap when people say that the animals are in the zoo for their own protection.  I have an offer for anyone who would say something like that.  Hey, since you believe in confinement for protection, I'll put you in a cage for the rest of your life where you'll be safe.  You'll have no freedom, you'll be a prisoner, but you'll be safe in your cage.      

The Bumpkin Chronicles

Young Bumpkin

It's all about Bumpkin.  It's Bumpkin's world, and the rest of us are just squirrels trying to get a nut.  I took her out shopping in my car.  I held the door open for her, and she hopped in.  Our destination was Rochester's Public Market, which is a pretty good farmers' market a few days a week.  I suggested and sold the idea to Bumpkin.  Most stores have a strict "no rodents" policy.  Bumpkin longs for a day when policies like these will no longer exist, and people will realize that it's wrong to discriminate against rodents: especially those who are as powerful as Bumpkin is.  By the way, don't ever call Bumpkin a rodent, if you do, it'll be the last thing you do.
It was my idea to go on a Tuesday.  Saturday is the day of the week on which the public market is busiest.  I figured the more people are around, the greater the chance someone would kick or step on Bumpkin, which would be the last mistake they would make.   In choosing a Tuesday, I made a mistake.  I just hadn't realized it yet, but I would.
It wasn't hard to find a parking spot at all.  I snagged a good one, which I wouldn't have been able to get on a Saturday.  I was able to cart Bumpkin right up to the displays.  She hopped out and strolled toward the merchandise.  I followed close behind her.
"This is it?" she asked me.
"Yes," I replied.
"This is the great public market?"
I was worried about the tone she was using.  "Yeah, it's a Tuesday.  On Saturdays, there are more vendors."
"Well what the hell are we doing here on a freaking Tuesday?"
Now I was definitely worried.  Bumpkin was clearly angry; bad things happen when Bumpkin gets angry.  "I'm sorry, Bumpkin.  I just thought it would be better to come on a Tuesday, because there would be less people walking around who might kick or step on you."
"You mean these people?"  Bumpkin began firing fireballs out of her left paw.  Each found its target of a public market browser.  They were hit in the chest, back, legs, arms, and heads.  You name it, it got hit with Bumpkin's fireballs.  People began to run for their lives.  Bumpkin levitated some watermelons, then cast them with blinding speed toward the runners.  Watermelons smashed into the heads of those who chose to run away.  When she ran out of watermelons, Bumpkin switched to cabbage and whatever else might be a good thing to fling at the moving targets.  It was a bad day at the public market indeed.