She Broke My Heart

Where are you, mommy?

I had never heard such a sound before.  I was thinking that someone might be whistling.  It was a high-pitched sound.  I looked out my bedroom window.  I saw one of Veronica's young groundhogs sitting near her home: a hole in the ground (right next to the building I live in).  I realized she was making the sound.  She was yelping.  I believe she was calling out for her mama: Veronica.  I had seen her earlier that day.  She was in the same place, right next to the hole, and she was looking around.  She even stood up on her hind legs so she could see more.  But she probably did not see her mama, which is why she called out to her.  I can't be totally sure.  She might have been calling out to one of her sisters or brothers.  But my gut instinct told me she was summoning her mama.
Veronica is a wonderful mother.  She gave birth to 5 baby groundhogs this spring.  I've seen mother groundhogs attack their own children: not Veronica.  As far as what I've seen, she's only been good to her little rascals.  But I think that trouble arrived in the form of another adult groundhog.  I thought it was strange that Veronica didn't chase this invader away.  Mother groundhogs are usually very protective of their young.  I assumed she was intimidated by this groundhog.  Then I realized I hadn't seen Veronica in a while.  I believe this adult groundhog chased her away: away from her babies, which is why one of her daughters would cry out for her to come back.
Before I began to write this post, I could see 3 young uns eating grass and weeds.  I really believe that the adult groundhog around here is not mama Veronica.  Adults usually have missing fur: possibly where they've been attacked, and bitten, by other groundhogs.  I've taken pictures of Veronica, and I believe this adult is not her.  How is Veronica?  I worry about her.  What is the dynamic between this adult and the young uns?  I haven't seen this adult terrorize any of them, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened, and that it won't continue.  Is this adult living with the young uns?  I don't know.  It's anarchy out there.     

Eat Organic Spinach

Mama Veronica with 4 of her 5 babies.

I have had problems with depression and OCD.  For anyone who has problems with issues like depression, I highly recommend eating fresh organic spinach everyday.  Eat plenty of it.  It is very healthy for body and mind.  I've been feeling so good since I started eating it every day.  I must admit that I want to help animals most of all.  But if I can help people, especially those who are dealing with depression, I will.  Suicide is so ugly.  There's so much of it going on every day in the world.  The only people I'm fine with committing suicide are terrorists (hopefully not in a suicide bombing) and other violent criminals who have no chance of reform.  I know it seems crazy that spinach can help so much with one's mood, but it's true.  I'm not lying here.  To be honest, I drink, so there's that too.  I'm not recommending that people drink, I'm just providing all the information I can.  I recommend you don't drink.  I feel best when I wake up after not drinking the night before.  Unfortunately, I currently associate drinking with writing.  It seems like, when I drink, I have more stamina to sit at the computer and write.  So it's a psychological thing.
Enough of that, back to the groundhog news.  My choice for mother of the year so far is Veronica.  She is the best groundhog mother I've ever seen.  I've seen a groundhog mother attack one of her babies: not Veronica.  She is a great mother.  I saw a baby come right up to her and start pawing her face.  She just moved her face out of the way.
At least one of the 5 growing groundhog babies is feisty.  One kept bugging one of her sisters.  She sneaked up behind her and bit at her tail.  I hope it was playing and not bullying.  The one who was getting her tail bit turned around and yelped.  Then the aggressor ran back to hide behind a bush.  Then she ran to the next bush.  Then she ran back to the first bush.  What a feisty groundhog baby!  In my experience, the only time when they're playful is when they're young.  Once they're adults, they seem to be only interested in eating grass and weeds, running from danger, or chasing away animals (including groundhogs) they don't want around.     

Never Give Up

sisters

Last week, I was disappointed with myself.  I'm less so now.  That was a strange incident.  I'm ready for it now.
Recently, a loud group of kids saw a groundhog or two.  They saw him and/or her go into the hole that's right next to the building I live in.  They began to have a discussion about what they should do.  One of them suggested trying to chase them.
The oldest girl in the group made me proud.  She said, "How would you like to be chased?"  It gave me hope for the future.
Then one of the other kids said, "I'd love it; I love to play tag."  They're not "playing tag," kid.  They''re terrified and running for their lives.  One of them threw something, like a rock, down the hole.  That was my cue.
"Leave them alone," I said out my bedroom window.  They looked up at me.  They seemed to be startled.  They ran away.  I did not yell.  I did not have a mean tone in my voice.  Regardless, they stopped terrifying defenseless animals.
I'm not the only person around here who loves groundhogs.  I heard something, so I looked out the window.  Two maintenance workers were driving around on a golf cart (They don't walk anywhere.).  One of the guys was saying, "Look at them!" Then he said it again.  He was referring to two baby groundhogs who were running for cover.  To my eyes, he looked like a cool, possibly tough, young guy.  But I heard his voice raise when he told his coworker to look at the groundhogs.  I believe he was delighted by the sight of the baby groundhogs.
Then, when I went downtown, I saw groundhogs grazing there.  They were doing it in an area where people were all over the place.  There was a workplace on one side and plenty of downtown traffic on the other.  They didn't have a lot of room to themselves.  Not surprisingly, they didn't seem to be as afraid of people as the suburban groundhogs that I'm used to.  Two guys looked at them and began speaking to each other in Spanish.  I kept an eye on them, but it seemed like they were just looking.  Groundhogs are a North American beastie.  Not everyone is as fortunate as I am to see them every day: except for winter.        

Fear

Lil' furball

Fear is evil.  It keeps us from doing things we should.
However, let me make a quick detour and tell you about spinach.  I have had problems with depression and OCD.  Lately, though, I've been feeling pretty darn good.  Why?  I pondered the situation and realized that it had to be the introduction of spinach into my diet.  I always knew I hadn't been eating enough dark green leafy veggies, but after hearing Dr. Oz extol the virtues of spinach as a natural source of calcium and as something that helps detoxify the liver, I decided to make it a regular part of my diet.  Eat as much raw organic spinach as you can.  It's important it be organic, because spinach is one of the dirty dozen; it soaks up pesticides like a sponge.
Back to fear.  I was thinking this would be a triumphant blog post.  I planned to title it "3 in 2," because, I told kids to leave local wild animals alone 3 times in 2 days.  I was proud of myself.  I got better at it too.  I became nicer.  They say you'll get more flies with honey than with vinegar.  Well, the other night, a couple of young guys (20s-early 30s) were hanging out on the picnic table that can be easily seen from my windows.  They were smoking and laughing.  I'd rather hear my music than them, but, whatever, it wasn't too late for them to make some noise.  Then I noticed that one of them was approaching my building with a stick in his hand.  I immediately suspected that he picked up that stick to attack or terrorize a small wild animal.  I began to monitor the situation.  However, I was also a little scared that these guys would see me looking out the window at one of them and confront me about it.  Which I don't care about presently.  But if I were to make enemies with these guys and buy a car, then I'd be worried about it being vandalized.  So I wasn't as aggressive about looking at what they were doing had they been kids.  I never saw this man do anything wrong.  Both of them were laughing about what he was doing, or threatening, to do.  That was the end of it.  I'd like to think, that if he continued to act like that, I would have gotten involved.  Regardless, I feel like a coward when it comes to that incident.  I've pondered things thoroughly since then, and I've come to the conclusion that the nice, funny approach is the right way to go.  If you want to change the world, and I certainly do, practice nonviolence, treat people with respect, and, as Patrick Swayze's character said in the great film Road House, be nice.          

Leave the Rabbits Alone!

baby groundhog

I had seen some kids playing around here.  They were chasing and terrorizing wild rabbits.  I never saw them hurt any rabbits, but I saw them poking at them with sticks.  Obviously, you would be terrorized if you were being chased by giants, and you couldn't understand what they were saying or what they wanted.  They can play amongst themselves, and not be living nightmares for little wild animals.  I haven't hesitated in the past to intervene in such situations, but I regretted not saying anything the first time I saw it.  I had another chance today.  I said something, but it wasn't loud enough, so they didn't hear me.  I saw a girl throw a tennis racket at a rabbit.  The next time they came around, they heard me.  All I said was, "Leave the rabbits alone!"  And they did.  Unfortunately, it's only natural for humans to want to make life miserable for animals.  If protecting them is the right thing to do, then do it.  I certainly wouldn't have touched those kids.  All I'm willing to do is talk to them or yell at them.  Heroes of mine include Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, both believed in non-violent resistance.
On a more positive note, I have come to realize there are at least five baby groundhogs living right next to my building.  So far, Veronica is my choice for mother of the year.  She was out grazing with one of her babies.  Suddenly, she ran toward the family hole in the ground.  That's something I've seen groundhogs do plenty of times.  This time was different.  On her way to the hole, she made several high-pitched noises with her mouth.  It was instantly obvious why she did that.  It was for the sake of her baby, who immediately followed her mother to the hole.  What was all this about?  I looked around and saw an animal I had never seen around here before: a large raccoon.  Veronica watched the raccoon carefully from her position, which was right at the hole.  It's possible she had never seen one before.  Even after the raccoon had been gone for several minutes, she continued to look around cautiously.  Her baby even helped out.  She stood on her hind legs and looked around.  I'm not sure if she even knew what she was looking for, but her intentions were good.  Baby groundhogs are among the cutest animals I've ever seen.               

The Week in Wildlife: Life and Death

Baby Phoebe with mama Veronica

This is the week I realized I have new neighbors: baby groundhogs.  Love those groundhogs: especially the babies.  I had been out, and before going up to my home, I figured I'd take a peek at the groundhog hole that's been right next to my building for at least as long as I've been living here: a few years.  I saw some kids plugging up that hole with debris one day last year.  I told them to stop doing that, then I cleared the stuff out so the groundhogs could use it again.  That, and other incidents, have convinced me that I am my (groundhog) brother's keeper.  So I just wanted to make sure the hole was clear.  I peeked around the corner of the building and saw two baby groundhogs poking their little heads out of the hole and looking at me.  What a great surprise.  There are at least four of them, and they are currently the size of little fur balls.  I've taken some photos, but I need to take as many as I can, because they grow up quickly.   
While I was out walking, I saw a police car.  The cop turned the flashing lights and siren on.  Then he or she put the pedal to the metal.  Unfortunately, a sparrow was crossing the road.  If the cop hadn't been accelerating so rapidly; everything probably would have been fine.  But the police car hit the poor sparrow, which threw her violently into the street.  It was a horrible thing for someone like me (a lover of all animals) to witness, and I had a front row seat.  She flapped her wings some, and she managed to get a little bit off the ground, but, ultimately, she faltered.  Within seconds, she was dead.  On the way back, I noticed that she had been squashed completely: probably by a car's tire. 
Maybe I was meant to see that.  My car died this past fall.  I haven't replaced it yet.  One of the good things about that is not being able to hit an animal with my car.  As far as I know, I've never hit an animal with a car I was driving.  As far as I'm concerned, one of the worst things I could do is hit an animal with a car.  I hate seeing road kill.  It's a real shame how us humans have made life so horrible and dangerous for countless animals.  Maybe I'll be able to afford to live in NYC again one day.  You truly don't need a car there, and that's a great thing.        

A Letter for President Obama

I had to include Michelle, because she's hot.

Mr. Obama, I believe this country, and world, are backwards in certain ways.  In the way it bothers me most, animals, like cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys, are treated horribly, because people like to eat their flesh.  They don't NEED to eat their flesh; they just WANT to.  The amount of violence and torture people inflict upon animals is depressing and disgusting to me.  I believe that crime should be all about violence and stealing.  Violence includes sex crimes.  Please spearhead a movement that seeks to make any unprovoked violence against any animal a crime.  I firmly believe that all animals should receive the same protection from violence that people do.  They live under our thumb.  Why not be proud of ourselves and treat them well?  Of course we'd need to make more room in jails and prisons; legalize all drugs.   People are free to kill themselves with alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, and food.  The war on drugs has been a failure for quite some time.  The drug laws tend to be racist.  Free all non-violent drug offenders to make room for those who have committed violent acts against animals.  Tax the crap out of all those drugs and have plenty of money for helping those who need it.
Another way in this country (and world) is backwards is that most people bring other people (their kids) into this brutal, miserable death world.  And they get tax breaks for doing so: ridiculous!  Stop giving tax breaks to people who irresponsibly bring other people into this violent, vulgar world, and instead give them to people who refuse to bring others into the world.  You could really make a difference.  The human population has exploded in recent years.  There are just too many people.  Plenty of people can't get jobs, because they're competing with too many humans for them.
Another way in which the country/world is backwards is religion.  God was created out of fear and ignorance.  Many things couldn't be explained, because science hadn't done so yet.  We used to be afraid, so we believed in a god who would watch our backs.  It's clear that no one is watching our backs.  Horrible things happen to many every single day.  And science can now explain so much of what was once thought to be unexplainable.  The time for religion has come and gone.  I have no problem with people worshiping, but let's start taxing churches.  They do not deserve tax-exempt status.  I resent the fact that my mother used to drag me to church every week as a boy.  As far as I'm concerned, they filled my head with lies.  That's what adults do to kids; they lie to them.  They tell them that god exists, and so does the Easter bunny, Santa Claus, and the tooth fairy.   

A Letter Written by a Squirrel for Humans

My name is Nutsie.  The bald vegan named me that, because I love nuts.  I really do.  He tried to feed me a piece of carrot.  After sniffing at it for one second, I knew I didn't want it.  Fortunately, he also had a whole walnut for me too.  He gave it to me.  But that silly bald vegan kept trying.  He tossed a piece of broccoli to me.  This time, it took a few seconds of sniffing for me to decide I didn't want it.  Then he tossed a whole almond to me.  Next time, he gave me a slice of cucumber.  Once again, one sniff, and I was done.  He gave another almond to me.  He's silly, but he tries.
Other people aren't as nice as the bald vegan.  I heard they had something in Holley, NY called a "squirrel shoot."  That wasn't nice.  They had all kinds of people shooting at, and killing, squirrels.  I don't understand this.  What did we ever do to you?  We're all so afraid of you.  We know it's your world, and we're just squirrels trying to get a nut.  Some people eat us.  But is it really worth it to kill us for food?  We're so small.  And so many of you are so fat.  The meat of one squirrel can't make much of a dent in those super-sized bellies I've seen.
And please be careful when driving your cars.  So many squirrels have been run over by cars.  If you can avoid us, please do so.  The bald vegan saw someone run right over a squirrel with his or her car.  He or she killed her.  The driver made no attempt whatsoever to avoid running over the squirrel.  There were no pedestrians or other cars around, so the bald vegan thinks the driver should have tried to avoid the squirrel.  People need to be attentive when they're driving.  This person killed the squirrel, kept driving like nothing happened, and parked at a nearby restaurant.  The bald vegan thought about confronting the driver, but he was too sad to do it.  He was more sad than mad.  But if he had been more mad than sad, he might have at least yelled at the driver.  And if the driver messed with him, he might have gotten physical.  You should keep that in your mind.  There are people who are willing to fight for animals.            

A Letter from a Parakeet to Her Human Warden

How would you like to live like this?

Why do you keep me in this cage?  I don't understand you.  You tell me you love me.  I don't believe you.  I don't believe you at all.  You say you love your kids too, but you don't imprison them in cages.  You say you love your husband, but he doesn't have to live in a cage.  Why me?  What did I ever do to you?  I've never hurt any person or animal.  I've never stolen anything.  I've never robbed a bank.  I'm not a terrorist.  I don't understand why I'm locked in this cage.
Are you jealous of me?  Are you jealous of my ability to fly?  Is this your response to that jealousy?  To imprison me in a cage so I can't fly?  It's not my fault I can fly.  I was born to have this advantage.  And I guess you were born to have the ability to take it away from me.
I want to be free.  I want to fly.  I want out of this cage.  If you really loved me, you wouldn't keep me in this cage.  Polly want a cracker?  No.  Polly wants to be free: free to spread her wings and fly.

The Bald Vegan adds-"If you have a pet bird, that bird is dependent on you.  Perhaps he or she has spent his or her entire life being dependent on humans to be fed.  So, if by some miracle, what you've read here has moved you, and you want to free your pet bird, that might not be the right thing to do.  On the other hand, it might be the right thing to do.  You should do some research into the matter before setting the bird(s) free: to see if it's the right thing to do.  Find out how they would fare in the wild before doing it.  Please don't buy any more birds that you'll imprison in cages.  You know you wouldn't want to live that way, so why force an animal to live like that?  Sting sang, 'If you love somebody, set them free.'  If, after doing ample research, you've determined that your bird inmates would thrive in the wild, then set them free.  Ideally, you'd leave the cage by an open window, with the cage door open, so the bird can make his or her own choice whether to remain  free or return."     

Sometimes, it's not easy to be a vegan

 
I got into an argument with my best friend last night.  He is someone who eats meat.  He is also someone who is religious to the point of not wanting to take the Lord's name in vain.  He also doesn't want to hear me doing it.  I believe it's because he has a young daughter and close family members that are devout Christians.  Lately, I'd gotten a little tired of him scolding me for using language he doesn't appreciate hearing.  I couldn't help thinking it's hypocritical for him to get all hot and bothered by people saying words.  Words don't do physical damage.  "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me" does sound childish, but there's a lot of truth to it.
We were in a friend's car, on the way home, when he scolded me for something I said.  I became angry.  I pointed out to him that words are just sounds that fly harmlessly through the air.  However, when he spends money on meat in a store or a restaurant, he is supporting cruelty to animals.  I yelled.  With the exception of disabled people, those who are afflicted with a serious disease, kids, and elders, people who eat meat are either ignorant or selfish.  They're either ignorant of the suffering they're supporting when they buy meat, or, they know about it, and they don't care, which would make them selfish.
He pretty much said he doesn't want to hang out with me anymore, to which I said something like "Fine!"  Then there was no more conversation for the duration of the trip.  It was quite an uncomfortable silence among 4 people in a car.  Then we were dropped off at his house.  The initial plan had been for me to sleep over, and he'd drive me home the next day.
But he asked me, "Are you ready?"  I knew he meant ready for the trip home.
I responded "sure."  So he drove me home in complete silence.  It was only broken when we arrived at my apartment complex when I said "thanks" to him before getting out of his car.
I tend to not confront friends and family about eating meat, but this time, I couldn't help myself.  I had thought he was being hypocritical by being so focused on words and not actions: like eating meat and supporting murder and suffering in the animal world.  It finally came out.  Our friendship has survived much.  I hope it will survive this.       

A letter written by a pig to humans.

This is how we want to live.

This is how many of us are forced to live, because people eat our dead bodies..

Please, please, please stop confining us cruelly and killing us.  Life is hard enough in this world.  Why are you making it a nightmare for most of us?  There are people out there who say we're at least as smart as dogs.  So why do you kill and eat us and not them (for the most part)?  Just like you, we want to be happy.  We want to be free.  We want to be with our young uns.
I live in a tiny stall.  It is just barely big enough to contain my body.   It is metal, and the floor is hard.  I have no soft bed to sleep in.  I don't even have enough room to turn around.  I can't walk anywhere.  This is my life 24 hours a day/7 days a week.  How would you like to live like that?  The first time they put me into this stall, I couldn't believe it!  How could they expect me to live like this?  When they went away, and I realized I would be stuck here, I panicked.  I tried to get out of here.  All I could do was throw my body against the walls: trying to free myself.  I did it for hours.  I exhausted myself completely.  I realized that, no matter what I did, I would not be able to free myself.  That's when I gave up, lied down, and began to cry.  This is my life.  I'm forced to stay in this stall, and I never get to leave it.  From what I've heard, I'll only get to leave this stall when it's time for me to be murdered, so people can eat bacon, ham, and pork chops.
I've heard about pigs that are so lucky.  They are people's pets.  People love them and treat them like many people treat dogs and cats.  I've heard about pigs that push soccer balls around, then put them back into their toy boxes when they're done.
Please stop eating meat.  You don't need to.  It's so much healthier to eat fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains.  It's much less cruel to do so as well.