A music filled weekend...

This weekend was just packed with music related events. And they were all so good that I felt like they deserved a post!

Friday night was Battle of the Bands!! Put on by People's Church in Spring Hill in conjunction with Verve Radio, it was quite a loud and exciting night. There were six bands, and among those bands was The Edge. This band is made up of three guys from our Lion's Den Youth Band along with another guy on rhythm guitar and the unforgettable Shooty McGee (manager). They did an incredible job. Competition was stiff and we were all broken hearted when they didn't win. But they have already regrouped, renamed the band  Acid Indigo, and I think they are ready to get back to the business of writing and playing music. The rhythm guitarist wrote the 2nd song they played, called Habits; it is a song about the dangers of drug use. Very well written.

The audio isn't great, but you can watch the performance here:

After the Battle of the Bands, Christian artist Ryan Stevenson was on hand to play a short concert. He had a tough crowd, as the teenagers began to get distracted. They had moshed and staged dived and done weird and dangerous dancing all through out the battle, so they were tired and hungry. But Ryan played on, and he was great. REALLY great. I love this tune of his off of his most recent EP.

Then, to top off the weekend, we did a Dinner Theater as a fundraiser for youth camp. It involved singing, dancing, choreography, and food service. Oh, yea, and we did two shows. Crazy. But it went off wonderfully.

We have a group of very talented kids!! They were awesome. What a wonderful weekend it turned out to be. But now I am officially ready for a break!! Thankfully we had some awesome helpers for the show or we never would have made it.

Why is Friday Good?

I have heard this question many times, from friends or on TV, usually said as a joke. But this year I really got to thinking about it. Why is Good Friday so good?

And this question was brought into sharp relief to me by recent tragic events in Japan. How can there be a good God when such massive destruction and death is happening in our world. I really had to think long and hard about this. And what follows is my opinion, because I am totally conjecturing about things I cannot know for sure. But I am trying to pull from the facts and evidence I do have to draw my conclusions.

I recently saw an interview with Rob Bell being conducted by Martin Bashir. The interview was about Bell's new book Love Wins, but occurred just after the tsunami in Japan. Bashir asks, "Which of these is true? Either God is all powerful but doesn't care about the people of Japan or their suffering. Or He does care about the people of Japan, but He's not all powerful. Which one is it?" Bell fumbles a bit with the answer, trying to express that these are not the only two options, but he eventually pushes Bashir to get back to an easier topic, his controversial new book. So if an internationally known pastor who has published multiple books doesn't have a quick answer to this, I won't feel bad if I don't either.

But I can't cop out of the question. It is one that so many people are asking right now. I don't except either of Bashir's options. I don't feel like those are the only choices. Another option I reject is that there is no God at all. So with those possibilities out of the way, what is left?

On the day God made man, the day He formed him out of the dust, made Adam in His image, and breathed life into him, God struck a hard bargain. He decided to give us freedom. We would not be robots or automotons. We would not even be like the angels. We would be creatures that are free to choose to have a relationship with God... or not. To even be capable of this relationship, though, we must really be free to choose it.

On the day He made us, God chose freedom. But He knew this choice would have consequences. He knew it meant that we could choose to disobey and leave fellowhip with him, which is what Adam and Eve did. But without the ability to choose, no real relationship could be had, good or bad. Ironically, because of man's choice, God again moved to make it possible for us to find our way back to Him, even after we disobeyed. He called to us and reached for us and loved us. And yet He realized that because of what had happened and because of how we are made, we can never be good enough on our own. We can never do enough to make atonement for our sins. We can never get to Him through our own strength. On the day God gave us freedom, I think he knew that the consequence would be the suffering and death of his own son for us. But he chose to give us freedom anyway.

If God intervened every time a human may suffer, he would be choosing to take away our freedom. First, I want to establish the fact that every single person's suffering is as important to that person as any one elses. We just celebrated or are about to celebrate the anniversary of several tragedies. The Oklahoma City bombing, Waco, the Gulf oil spill, the Tennessee Flood of May 2010, and the start of the Civil War to name a few. People died during each of these events. Everytime a mother loses a child, or a husband loses a wife, or anyone loses anyone else, suffering occurs. So if we expect God to intervene in Japan, then we should expect it in every case, every time there is pain, heart ache and despair. Even when one man is perpetrating evil against another, innocents are victimized. We have to wonder why God didn't stop it.  

The problem is, if he gave us freedom but then controlled our environment to the degree of preventing all suffering, it would essentially result in our love for Him being forced. A relationship where one person forces the other to love him or her is no relationship at all. Under such a scenario, our actions would become the result of programming. So the day God allowed us to choose, He also had to know that He was allowing us to suffer too. And that He was going to have to watch this happen without stopping it, even though He loves us and wants none of His little ones to suffer. It was and is a conundrum. But He had to know it was worth it. That our freedom was worth the cost.

What I am proposing is that there is an all powerful God, and that he cares. Because he wants us to be free, He Himself has had to suffer, and He still suffers to see the pain in our world. But He knows that the rules of this universe must remain unbroken and our freedom to choose must stay in tact in order that we are able to have a real relationship with Him. Is that just some naive way of coping with the horror of our world? Maybe. But I feel like it is the logical conclusion one must reach from the facts given. God didn't stop the wave in Japan. He didn't sheild and protect those babies in the Oklahoma federal building. My friend Ned was washed away in the flood. But God is not impotent, and God still cares.

So where does prayer enter into this discussion? The existence of Biblically mandated prayer seems to go against all that I am saying here. "Ask and you shall receive" makes no sense if God is not going to intervene into our world to give us what we are asking for. But I will say two things to this. Firstly, maybe it is the act of prayer itself that changes things and, for lack of a better word, "allows" changes to be made. Maybe it is what happens in our bodies and minds when we pray or what happens in our actions when we pray that "allows" prayers to be answered. Or maybe God does intervene directly at times in response to our specific prayers, just because He can and He wants to. It is definitely a mystery.

But here is the thing, if we don't engage the mystery we can never really know God. We need to be thinking about these things, puzzling them out, looking at other angles or different options. Are there questions? Only about a bazillion. But there are also answers that we can find and struggle with. And if we don't think about these things in response to tragedy, we are going to be left only with the two options, the two gods, one impotent and the other uncaring. And the question ringing in our ear, "Which one is it?"

Instead of being left with this question, as we approach good Friday, I think of that day long ago and that choice. A God who knew what freedom would mean, for good and for ill, and yet gave it to us anyway. A Son who said, yes, I know that they won't be able to make it right on their own, but I will go and make it right for them. A love that can be shared by all. A way to have a relationship with the Trinity. It really is good. Difficult, humbling, angering, and mysterious. But so good.

Etsy...An awesome place to shop

 I feel like I have been telling everyone about Etsy lately. Etsy is an online marketplace that offers handmade, vintage and upcycled goods from a host of sellers. Each seller has their own "shop", and one buys from each shop separately.

The beauty of Etsy is that you can find so many cool and unique things. Need a gift for a scientist? type in DNA earrings. How about something for your favorite tandem bike rider?

One of my favorite stores is called Well of Creations, which is run by Robin Norgren . I found this store due to a new policy put in place at my work. A

no visible tattoo policy. I hate this policy and find it pointless, but I would be very hungry with out my job. So I decided it was time to work on compliance.

I wanted to find a cuff to cover my tattoo, but I also wanted to find something that looked as much like my tattoo as possible to cover my tattoo with. I found some really neat cuffs on Robin's site. And after looking at what she had, I realized that it would not be too hard to make one with a dove on it. So I convo-ed her (the etsy way of referring to system messages) and asked if she could make something custom for me. She responded immediately and within 24 hours we had our plan in place. She made me 4 beautiful cuffs to cover my tattoo.

Robin is a funky, hippy, retro kind of chic. She is all about exploring and expanding your creativity, no matter what your skill level. She has a website where you can read all about her philisophy. She even has a curriculum for teaching others how to tap into their own personal well of creations. Check out her bio to see what inspired her to do what she does. Robin is some one who clearly wants to be verdant, and she definitely inspires me. She quotes this verse, which I love, on her page.

 "But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life"  John 4:14

We can't really be verdant unless we have a water source flowing in us. It is the living water of Christ keeps me verdant.

But I digress.

I have found a couple more great Etsy stores that I want to mention, but I have hardly scratched the surface of all the beautiful stores there are.

Local Wisdom Cards is an awesome shop to find unique and beautiful cards. I could spend hours browsing their selection and reading the cards. I first bought one of their cards when shopping in a funky shop in Louisville, KY. I went to their Etsy store to get more. If you want the perfect card for for someone going through a rough time, but the normal "Get Well" or "Sympathy" cards won't do, click here. Another card I absolutely love is here.

Caustic Threads is another store I have purchased from. The T-shirt I got was awesome (they run small, so be careful when ordering). It was the perfect gift for my sister who was completing a play about Robots.

There is so much to explore, so go on there, have some fun and find a beautiful and unique gift for anyone on your list. You can feel good because you are supporting local artists and local businesses without having to "be there". AND many of the items are re-used and upcycled, so you are helping with the reduce, reuse, recylce cause.

The Life and Times...

I wrote this post quite a while ago, but never posted it. So I am posting it now, with some few edits from when I wrote it, but mostly in the state I found it in when I rediscovered it--

Sometimes I feel like one of the ladies of Cranford, just waiting for the rail road to come to town.

OK, for those not familiar with fairly obscure British mini-series, that reference will mean very little. But I just finished watching it, and then proceeded to come to my computer and watch this preview for the documentary Crude (as in oil). It sort of dovetailed things in my mind to come to this thought.

What thing is in my life now that is like the railroad was to them? Scary, big, unstoppable, will change everything, but in the end will become a normal part of life, bringing good as well as bad.

You see, in the movie Cranford, the rail road IS coming. It is hacking its way through the hills and fields. With it will come scary people who can simply hop on a train and within hours be within the town limits of Cranford. Crime will spike, and the masses will become educated. And this is to be feared by the gentility, because they know what happened in France when the masses were educated and decided to demand more. "Off with their heads!" was the hew and cry.

But Mrs. Gaskins, the authoress, (yes, she went by that moniker, including the "Mrs.") was very forward looking for her time. She wrote these stories in the 1840's and yet the education of the masses and of women were both themes supported in her book. She clearly illustrated that life did not have to be as it always was in order to be good.

So it got me to thinking, what things are going on now, in this day, that I fear may change, when in reality, those things should change.

Here is where the the movie preview comes in. You see I proceeded to watch this video, and I broke into tears just at the preview. Here is the summary of the movie that I obtained from http://www.imdb.com/:

"One of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion "Amazon Chernobyl" case, CRUDE is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film examines a complicated situation from several angles while bringing a story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus"

How can we live in a world where one persons weath is provided through such injustice. And before you think I have gone socialist, it is not capitalism that is to blame here. It is the ability to leave the land of accountability (the US) and go to a place whose government can be bought or bullied into doing what you want. It is the lack of consequences that allows things like this to happen. If they had to dump their sludge in America, we would have changed things long ago. In fact we have. Remember the Love canal? But instead of finding a way not to have sludge, we are just making it someone else's problem.

We as people have to start making change! I want to be one of the ones who is making these changes before her time. Like educating a woman or a slave in the 1840s, or maybe throwing my corset in the lake at the turn of the century, or perhaps wearing pants in the 50's. (I'll keep my bra, but more power to those who burned them in the 70's!)

So what will it be? Driving less, eating less meat (or none), having a smaller house, dumping debt, working from home? Or something we haven't thought of yet. But it has to be something. And it may be something that seems scary. Like the railroad coming to Cranford. But those paradox shifts bring good and bad and, simply put, a new way of life.

I hope I am always far sighted enough to see the change coming and flexible enough to be part of it, instead of fighting against it.

Unless of course the change involves evil Teddy Bears that come out of the ground. We must fight those, of course! :)

Poke the Box

This week I read a very inspirational book called "Poke the Box" by Seth Godin. It is a short but powerful read...one that is simply meant to inspire. And I think it succeeded. It is trying to get you, the reader, to poke the box...that is, to push at the status quo, to try something without fearing that you will fail. Because succeed or fail, you will get nowhere if you don't try. You must DO! 

No summary of the book can do it justice , but the book is short, so just go read it! 

And also check out the Domino Project website.

And then I dare you to listen to these songs and NOT be inspired to GO and DO! 

Josh Wilson "I Refuse"  

Muse "Uprising"

Oh yea, and don't give in to Lizard fear!!

This blog is going WEEKLY!!

So, I was told this week that I have something to say! Yes, little old me! Well, actually, the person who told me this was essentially telling this to everyone who reads his book. But still, I felt special. So I have decided to make this blogging a weekly event. Starting this week. I am sure I won't always have something big to say, but if, over the course of a week, I don't interact with one interesting person or thing, well that is sad. So here we go, look for more from me!!

PS. Mom, I know you are probably the only one reading this...tell me to stop when it gets annoying! ;)

Temple Grandin...Best Movie of the Year

I just saw what I think was truly the best movie of the year over the weekend...Temple Grandin. It is an HBO film done as a biopic of the life of Temple Grandin.

The role of Temple was brilliantly played by Claire Danes. She was spot on. Her acting was really amazing.

The story is both inspirational and touching. Temple Grandin was born with Autism in a time where little was know about the disease. She grew up knowing that she was "different, not less". She used those differences to revolutionize the cattle industry. That is all I am going to say about the plot, because you really HAVE to see this movie.

Again, one of the things I find so moving about this story is that Temple is able to see problems in a special way. But instead of leaving them there, or simply researching the problem, she finds and implements solutions. Awesome.

Some one REALLY DOES something!!

I just watched the movie Crude last night. It is not a really crude movie, it is actually a documentary about a legal battle going on between people in Ecuador and the company Texaco/Chevron. Basically the people there were exploited for their natural resources and abandoned to the toxic waste and damaged environment. They now drink and bathe in polluted waters. Their food comes out of these waters too, or drinks the water, and is thus also poisoned. I won't do into all the details, because you can watch the movie for yourself, but it a really sad tale of greed on one hand, politics, and people who were not involved with the initial crime who are now in charge of the company that was. It actually makes for a much more complicated moral play than you might think. That is to say, it is easy to simply blame the big company who has lots of money and try to take their money just because they have it. But it truly is not as simple as that. Corruption between the government and the company was rampent, I am sure, and for the last 15 years a government run oil company has taken over for Texaco. So it is hard to tell where the blame for damage in specific locations should fall.

But the environmental damage is clear. And it certainly can be traced back to Texaco's arrival on the scene. The kind of devastation left behind would NEVER be allowed here in the states. The suffering of the children there is horrendous.

As I watched I asked myself, "WHY?" Why do mothers keep bathing their children in the polluted waters? Why do men continue to drink from the streams? Why are all the clothing and the animals washed there too? Even an unpolluted stream can make someone sick, let alone one that makes its way through oil waste! And if all else fails, why don't these people leave and head to safer ground?

But for the poverty stricken people of that place, options are few. They are living on ancestral lands, and there is no indoor plumbing, let alone bottled water or purification systems...

And this is where the best part of the story comes in. The legal fight regarding Texaco's payment to the people may go on for a long time still...10 or 15 years, but Tudie Styler, wife of the singer Sting, didn't think the people should wait that long. She decided to act. She helped set up rain water collection and purification systems for the people in affected areas of Ecuador. She brought them clean water!! What a gift in a world where the water is literally killing you.

It doesn't solve all the problems, but it takes a big leap toward solving one of the problems, and that is a start. Check out the link below to read about this story. It is really great.

UNICEF National Ambassador Trudie Styler brings clean water project to Ecuador

NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2009 – UNICEF National Ambassador Trudie Styler has been a long-standing supporter of humanitarian causes. In 2005, the film producer and actress received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award for her longstanding commitment to UNICEF.

Recycling through the numbers....

Just writing to say that I am very proud of my county!! Our convenience center now accepts plastics recylcing of any number 1-7!! We have been a #1 and #2 recylcler for a while now, but this last week when I dropped my stuff off the numbers have changed.

I am very happy that we have taken this step forward. Hope other counties start to do the same!

Oh, how I need to post~

OK, since I last posted there has been SO much to post about! And yet, I am still not posting a real post. But we have had the BP oil destruction, I watched Food Inc, and I have been to the Franklin Farmer's market. All three were life changing, really! :)

So here is a summary of my next three proposed posts.

#1--"The World has changed....I can feel it in the water. I can feel it in the earth..."--Galadrial

I truly believe that what has happened in the Gulf will be a Game Changer. This will change how we talk about oil, how we talk about our use of oil, and how we talk about the environment. I mean it better! I truly believe that the blame game has to stop in relation to this thing. EVERY group, from the Green movement to the politician to the Oil Baron better sit up and say "I was a part of this, so how can we work on this?" This picture is from MAy 2nd. Yes, a month later, I can only imagine what it looks like. And I could not find a current satelite shot. I wonder why? If you find one, let me know...

#2 Food Inc. "Buy food that is produced by companies that treat their workers, animals and the consumer with respect."

Food Inc was an awesome movie. It was a must see. It explained so many things that are there in the back of my mind and your mind (if you admit it) that don't make sense in our system. I mean, as a friend said yesterday at lunch, "I have seen a lot of chickens in my life, but never have I seen one with breasts the size of the ones you can buy at the grocery!" That kind of thing comes at a cost. And we are ALL paying the cost. Did you know that YOU are paying? Through tax dollars, with your health, you are risking economic strength and stability, and we are all spending environmental capital that we may never be able to get back. This movie is not a pro-vegetarian flick, but is instead designed to get you to think about what you eat...and maybe to make BETTER choices. 

#3 The Franklin Farmers Market "It’s summertime at the Franklin Farmers Market! We’ve got the tasty locally grown veggies and fruits that you want. There’s also tender beef, pork, lamb and chicken perfect for grilling out plus fresh dairy products, straight from Middle Tennessee farms to your table. It doesn’t come any fresher than that. And don’t forget all of the wonderful baked goods. Lots of muffins, fresh breads, cakes, cookies and pies. It’s more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth!"

OK, shameless plug for the Farmer's Market. I went to the Farmapalooza last weekend, and it was WONDERFUL, like walking through a garden and a rainbow and a community at the same time. Some much freshness, it was great. And not bad priced. I need to learn how to can so that I can preserve some of this good stuff until winter. But for now I am trying to eat what is fresh and in season.

Well, so this post turned out OK after all. Three good topics and I hope to revisit each at some point soon. But feel free to comment on any of these subjects now if you would like! :)

A little rant about beef...

Have you ever thought, as you bite into that juicy burger, "Hmm, wonder if this one was a downer?" Probably not. You think of a cow grazing green pastures happily until one day it is his turn to become lunch.

Unfortunately, that is not often how it goes. Espcially if you order that burger off of a value meal somewhere.

And up until last year, sometimes the cow you were eating was a downer. What is a downer?

Wikipedia says "A downer is an animal, usually livestock, that is unable to stand on its own and therefore is to be killed."

The EPA says, "A cow unable to arise due to disease or injury."

Sometimes they are frozen to the metal of a transport truck, sometimes they are injured in transit or on the stock yard, sometimes they are just sick. But just because they are down, it didn't mean the cow producers considered them out. Out of meat production, that is. They just have to be shocked or dragged or some other way forced to the slaughtering facility. And then someone, somewhere, gets to be the one to eat THAT burger. Sounds yummy huh?

Thanks to President Obama, downers are not allowed in the food supply anymore. Thank you Barak!! These cows have led to outbreaks of numerous diseases, including Mad Cow, because the cows wallow in their own feces.
According to MSNBC:
"A partial ban on downer cows was already in place; it resulted from the nation's first case of mad cow disease, in 2003.
But there was a loophole. If a cow collapsed after passing inspection, government inspectors allowed the animal into the food supply if it had an acute injury, such as a broken leg, but showed no signs of central nervous disorder that might indicate the presence of mad cow disease."

(This photo is from China, but is probably not all that different from the cramped quarters American facilities have)

Then last year in March Obama totally banned the practice, no matter when the cow went down. But you know, this story still scares me. It scares me that the people in charge of our food supply were not able to figure this one out. They were so blinded by greed that they were willing to horribly abuse animals AND then process tainted meat to be fed to humans. Just because there is a new ban doesn't mean there isn't a now loophole too.

My point here is that it is easy to mock groups like PETA. I saw a bumper sticker just yesterday, "People EAting Tasty Animals" Ha Ha. But even though groups like PETA can be extreme, they are charged with a VERY hefty task. Enlightening people who don't want to be elightened about something that happens where almost none of us can see it. And it is something so horrible that almost none of us can believe it. It goes against all that we have known, and against the whole history of the Western World. It breaks with what many feel is the foundation of our culture. I myself was asked, after becoming a vegetarian, how I could do such a thing here in "cattle country". I have been told you can't be healthy without meat. I have been told I MUST drink milk. But it isn't true. 
I was also told I should be supporting local farmers. And I shot back that I would be happy to, but as they do not sell the meat of the animals raised humanely and locally in any accessible way, I am simply going to have to forgo meat. But you know what, times are a-changing in that respect. More and more locally raised, organic, cruelty free options are out there. I wouldn't go back to meat eating now even in this way, but if you can't quiet give up meat, you can make better choices. Does it cost more? Sure. But think about what you are paying for and what you are skimping on when you buy the cheaper meat. If you want details on that go to the PETA website and look around awhile. Educate your self and I guarantee you will rethink the way you eat.
Or not, the choice is up to you.

More beautiful food photos...

It is so wonderful when you find that awesome and easy go to recipe. Well this week I found one. Vegan Pot Pie. It is SO good. My friend made it first. HEre is her version.

And here is mine. Delicious and SO easy!

This is what I made last night. A bean/avacado dip with some "Veggie Cheese" on top. It was Ok.

Rebekah's succotash. So pretty right? She didn't really like it, although it is one of my go to recipes too. But it does look marvelous!

This plate was served to me at a friends home. It was the first time we were invited somewhere and my husband had to say, "We'd love to come, but just so you know, my wife doesn't eat meat..." Well, our hosts really out did themselves and I was served a full vegan feast! Wonderful food and a lovely dessert. It was so awesome.

I am including this picture just for the sheer beauty of it. I just loved the way these veggies looked as I cooked them up. This eventually became Spanish rice.

The thing about eating vegan/vegetarian/healthy that I love is that you are forced to think about your food. You have to take time to really see it as you prepare it. I know that may sound funny, but I am used to just grabbing something, or eating in my car, or bolting fast food. I am not used to thinking about my food. And eating can become this spiritual thing. As I looked at these beautiful vegetables I was awed at God's creation and this incredible process that we call life. You look at it and you know that, yes, it is good.

The Neti Squirt

The Neti Pot! This I have found to be a verdant way of treating allergies and head colds. No meds, just a, um.m.m, seasoning of salt and baking soda mixed in water and up the nose.

I don't actually use the pot. I use the Neti Squirt.



They call this nasal irrigation. That sounds verdant, doesn't it. You don't have to buy salt packs.

Here is a recipe:

◦1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt (pickling salt is recommended)
◦1/4 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
◦1 cup of warm water (not hot)

You can use a little more of the salt/baking soda if you want. Too much and it will sting.

The actual squirt bottle that I use is by NeilMed.

Try it if you are wanting to treat allergy or cold symptoms without using a lot of medicine.

to cage or not to cage...

OK, so we were enjoying a beautiful lunch today, and you know, if you are thinking, any situation can become a moral dillemma. Or at least a chance for philosphizing about moral concerns. So we were eating at a place in Opry Mills mall called the Aquarium resturant. It is a beautiful place and you literally feel like you are underwater there. Fish are everywhere, in huge tanks, and there are even sharks and manta rays.

You walk in and you are immediately struck by the beauty of it. You just want to sit and watch the fish go round and round; it makes you forget to look at the menu! They are just going round and round and round. And somewhere mid-meal it hits you. That shark has been just going around and around for almost an hour. And that is all he gets to do for the whole day. Every day...

So is that a good thing or not?

It made me think of Dory from Finding Nemo. You know, the one who has like a 3 second memory. She just floats around and cant make a connection with anything because she can't remember anything. There were some of those same kind of fish in the tanks. Life for them has to be better here than in the ocean, especially if they truly have the limited brain capacity that people say they do. I mean, they have a reasonable amount of space, constant food source and no predators. I think people tend to forget that "life in the wild" includes a very high infant mortality and a very short lifespan for more animals. Whereas life in captivity may mean a less interesting life, but it is certainly one that is more comfortable and long. And that seems to make sense for the Dory fish. But for the sharks? The big Mantas? The Eel? Aren't they made to dart and zoom, hunt and roam, kill and eat? Circle with one fin out of the water? It is hard to feel good about their constant circling.

Our discussion turned to zoos as well.  Is it right to keep animals in a cage? Shouldn't they be "out there" where they belong? But where is "out there" these days? I mean, think about the wild cows in India. They are allowed to roam, but there is certainly a risk to the humans they live near. And for many animals their habitats are shrinking and disappearing. Many an animal loving zookeeper truly believes that his or her work is integral to the preservation of many species. So if we as a planet want to keep animals in their homes, we are going to have to change how we do business in a major way. ( And I don't think that would be a bad thing. I won't repeat what has been said so many times, but feel free to mentally add here a monologue on the destruction of the rainforest, extinct species, pollution, etc.)

One blogger said this:

"Viewed through a sentimental lens, it’s an understandable conundrum [That is, whether animals should be kept in zoos and tanks or allowed to simply live in the wild]. And it’s a conundrum that highlights why, despite attacks suggesting the contrary, the work of animal rights is a highly unsentimental enterprise. To argue that we must consider the rights of animals like Tilikum and Tatiana is to accept that we must put aside our wish to experience these animals firsthand, and consider rather what is best for them. For many of us who love animals, it is in some ways a sacrifice. It is putting aside the selfish love of childhood, which insists that somehow, we must possess what we love, even if it is just with our eyes, and moving toward a mature love, one that recognizes we can best honor the animals we adore by allowing them to thrive in our absence, far from our view."

I like this quote for its last sentance. We must, as adults, go through that process, giving up what we want in exchange for what is best. In some cases arguments could be made that letting an animal back in the wild may not be best for it in particular. I mean, the wild cats that live among us (that is, on the streets and in the barns of America, I am not talking about so called big cats) are much more of a menace and danger than our pet cats. AND the wild cats suffer much more than our pets. So we must make determinations about that based on reason. But over all, I am in agreement with this blogger's feeling. Regardless of what we human's like or want, animals are better off living where they belong, in their natural habitat.

And we certainly should not think we can contain these dangerous animals without fear of consequence. They are still WILD ANIMALS. This week a true tragedy occurred at Sea World. A trainer was killed by a Shamu-like whale (a killer whale living at SeaWorld, and we all know that killer whales living at Sea World should all be named Shamu, even though this one wasn't. When I was young I saw Shamu at the Sea World in Ohio and wondered how he could live both in Ohio and in Florida at the same time...) But anyway, this story leads to a lot of renewed discussion of the relationship between man and beast. I think about when the white Tiger attacked the magician from Sigfried and Roy, or the chimp that ripped the woman's face off. Again, it is not shocking that these events happened, and it should give our society pause as we think about our relationships with animals. They really aren't made to put on shows for us or live penned up in a cage. Can we make it work? Sometimes. But it will always be a tightrope walk at best. If we forget that, we are in deep Elephant poo.

Another issue is the use of animals in medical and scientific testing. NASA has recently been doing some experiments using monkeys to test the effects of space radiation. Here is a link to an admitedly biased article about it. And when I say biased, I don't mean outrageous, just that the writer is clearly against this form of animal testing. And I think we definitely should be when there are viable alternatives. But there are gray areas depending on how we value the greater good of human lives.

Basically, I like this discussion. We as individuals have little power to make changes in the world as a whole, but we do have our vote, for one, and our ability to changes how we act in this world. This may be refusing to go to zoos, if your conscience convicts that. Or it may be donating to save the rainforest. Or it may be boycotting all of NASA, as one post suggested, although I am not sure how you do that...not eat astronaut ice cream? Or this may be picking up polluting trash at a local waterway.

Here is a great link on how we can help the animals in practical and realistic ways. Their take? Go on a whale watching cruise and skip Sea World completely.

I would LOVE to get your take on this one...

A whole lot of inspiration

So I started this "verdant" journey with the idea that this year, my 30th, would be the year where I would start living a better life in every way. Of course the obvious ones are included, better health, the bikini body I have always wanted, etc. Also, I wanted to become Spiritually verdant, growing and maturing that aspect of myself. I wanted to become economically verdant, both personally and as part of a global economy that, although I probably can't single handedly change, I can at least do my best to not encourage in its wackiness (some may say wickidness).

So today at lunch we were eating at the Wild Cow again, and it was quite busy today I must say! Some at the table suggested that my last blog post had something to do with it. But I digress... We took another picture for the very purpose of this blog post. And as I looked at it tonight, I realized that this table was full of inspiring women. But this blog is about one of those women in particular. Girls, I am giving you all your props, but I want to say a few words about one friend of mine. I will call her RFM.

You see, she probably would not have chosen to eat at the Wild Cow, at least it would not have been a first choice. But she agreed because she enjoys hanging out with the rest of us, and she is almost always up for new things. And that is one thing I admire about RFM. She is not fearful, but boldly goes where she has never gone before! She is flexible and doesn't let things get her down. She rolls with the punches, but watch out, because when needed she can punch back too!

And RFM is honest. She will tell you how it is, she will openly disagree with you, and she will shed light on dark places. And all with the most loving spirit and the righteousness that comes with truth. I love it. I want to be a more honest person, too.

One last quality I want to mention is that she is steadfast. Once she knows she is right where she should be , she will stand firm and stand and stand and stand. This has come through both her strong faith and her life experience. And it is great to see. A real inspiration.

So I say all this to say, if we want to live a verdant life, it is important to surround ourselves with verdant people. People like RFM, or others, like RS who inspired me to start this whole vegetarian experiment. I am so thankful to her for that. Or her sister, who I think was the one who inspired her. Or MR, who not only lives vegetarian, but puts her beliefs into action with the hours and hours of volunteer work she does helping both animals and people who can't help themselves. So today, I felt like I was really part of a power squad.


On another note... I was also thinking again today about the name of this resturant. Here is a link to an interesting article about wild cows. I think India is one of the few places to have wild cows. Quite literally we are talking about jungle cows who, at times, will come out of the jungles and kill humans if they cross their path. To quote the article, "Science cannot defy their logic". If ever there was a phrase to make you want to read on, well, that is it! So I did. It is quite an interesting tale, one that really gives me a new respect for the name "The Wild Cow". I used to think of that name as kind of silly. But a wild cow is not a tame cow, and a cow that is not tame is a cow to watch out for!

I must end this post by quoting the last paragraph of the above noted article. I will tie the two divergent parts of this post together with this... We all should be inspired by something! For some, it is the great people they are surrounded by, for others it can be something as simple as the sight of a wild cow!

"So absorbed were they in relishing the tender shoots of post-monsoonal greenery, they did not notice us. Except for a semiadult male, probably on sentry duty for the herd, who threw its head at us from the safe distance with a belligerence befitting Myke Tyson. The more little you are, the more pugnacious you are! Such little muggins often fall prey to stalking predators. The master bull was at its dignified best, cool and composed, busy grazing on a patch a few ten metres away from the rest of the herd. The ambience was soft enough to make me emotional. I murmured at that majestic wild beast – “for God’s sake, don’t move further south”. The forest boundary was just a couple of miles away southward from that spot."

The Wild Cow for lunch

OK, so we did a lot of debating about the name of this resturant, but we decided to try it in spite of the name. The Wild Cow is a new Vegetarian resturant in Nashville, TN. The name refers, ironically, to the fact that cows are not wild, because probably almost all cows in the US are livestock cows. The website says:

"We started the Wild Cow to provide delicious, cruelty-free, healthy food to the people of Middle Tennessee. We will never support the inhumane and environmentally destructive factory farm system that dominates our agricultural economy, nor will we support corporations like Coke and Pepsi that thrive off of our addiction to sugar and artificial “food”. Nearly all of our food is purchased in it’s whole form, meaning we make almost all of our own sauces, dressings, soup stocks, etc. This means that we can name every ingredient in the food we serve!"


The Wild Cow tends to serve mostly Vegan food, but some dishes do include free range eggs and organic cheese can also be added if desired. Our group included one long time vegetarian, two newby vegetarians who TRY to eat vegan, and one meat eater.
The ambiance of the place is great. Very "crunchy", with local art on the walls, and the servers all look like the live the natural lifestyle. Everything on the menu looks yummy, with lots of fresh options, different daily specials, soups and all sauces and dressings are homemade. I chose a tempeh buffalo sandwhich and vegan mac and "cheese". We all got sodas with natural and organic ingredients. Those were great too. The organic green tea root beer is recommended!


The food was awesome. We really enjoyed it. The long time vegetarian in the group was so happy to have a menu full of options to choose from instead of the usual one or two veggie options on a typical menu. Even our meat eater said the veggie burger was pretty good.

This is defitely a place to eat for anyone eating vegetarian or vegan in Nashville.

This week in verdant living...

So I just ate a really good meal. I cooked it last night, then took leftovers for lunch, and was still craving it by the time I got home. And I cooked it myself, amazingly!

I made a dish called Moujadra, which is a Lebanese dish. I found it on i was a kaleidoscope, a great blogspot blog I recently found. There is a lot of good recommendations for food on this blog, so check it out.

With it I also made Squash and Onions, a recipe found in The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone. It was so easy. I sauteed a couple onions in olive oil, cut up a butternut squash and threw that in with some oregano after a few minutes. After sauteing both for a couple minutes I added about 1/2 cup of water and covered it. Then I let is steam for about 20 minutes. The squash was soft and the onions gave it great flavor. MMMM.

So here is what my friend Rebekah made for dinner tonight. Looks good, huh? It is called Gingered Green Beans with Hidjiki. It is also a Kind Diet recipe. This photo is used without permission, so I hope she does not mind!

Another vegetarian exploration of the week was out annual trip to Siam cafe for Valentines dinner. It is where we ate the night of our first date as well as the Valentines day 9 years ago when we got engaged. So it is a tradition. But this is my first time going in with the mindset of eating vegetarian. But it was great because I could have any dish I wanted and they would substitute the meat with veggies and tofu. So I had my normal favorite, red curry, and it was delish!!