Snippets: Mid-Summer Edition
☆ July 12, 2016
How do you deal with authority?
subquestion a) if you don’t agree with it?
subquestion b) if it seems you have no choice? (ie, noncompliance results in personal harm)
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Someone stole Kota’s tail. Can you even believe that? Stealing horse tails is an actual thing – for braided horsehair hat bands and headstalls. The thing that pisses me off is that I would have freely given a partial, considerate harvest of pieces of all my horses’ tails had the thief asked – but whoever did this stole all of Kota’s tail, which means Kota can’t swish away flies. And Kota used to be so friendly and fearless and whatever happened during the theft made him head shy. What is wrong with people?
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I was in the center of a bovine love pile last night. I was lying against Fiona’s massive, warm shoulder and Roxy and Sid came over to smoosh on top of me. There’s no therapy like cow therapy.
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Einstein, bringing it again and always:
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
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Found in my files: Leila & Pixie, about an hour after Pixie’s birth, May 2016
Sid Has Two Mommies
☆ July 5, 2016
Little Sid, kitchen calf, lap calf, my sweet little orphan, was a bottle baby the first month of his life, which made me “Mama.” He followed me anywhere and everywhere. If he was still hungry after draining the bottle I’d brought out to the pasture, he’d follow me back to the house, up the stairs of the deck (clip-clopping across the deck on his tiny hooves), in the front door and all the way to the kitchen, where he’d wait at my feet as I prepared another bottle. (It was such a bad habit, but so cute I couldn’t bring myself to break him of it.)
And then Daisy calved. Instead of milking into a bottle for Sid, I led Sid to Daisy’s udder, using the empty bottle as a lure and sticking one of her teats in his mouth. He caught on within two days, though Daisy was a less willing participant (as is normal – cows don’t like random calves stealing the milk that is meant for their baby). But Daisy has more than enough milk for all of us, and I knew she’d accept Sid eventually, as she has adopted orphans in the past. Exhibit A: Frisco and TR, way (WAY!) past the age of needing milk, but don’t they all look so content?
So, I helped Sid dine with Daisy a few times a day – while she was haltered after I’d milked her, while she was distracted as I brushed her, and, at times, using Maia’s super-effective blindfold technique. Meanwhile, Sid and Roxy became best pals – siblings, really. They are side by side every moment of the day. Sid learned to eat when Roxy ate, keeping Roxy closest to Daisy’s head, so when Daisy turned to look or sniff, she’d find Roxy and mellow out. And then one day I caught Daisy licking Sid, and answering his moos, which means she’s decided to be his mama, too.
Snippets ~ Early Summer Edition
☆ June 14, 2016
I am still really upset about the shootings this weekend, so the cute story I was going to post isn’t ready yet.
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Here is a photo of Roxy. She is beautiful. And sweet and hilarious.
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I am very close to sold out of Star Brand Beef! If you’ve been planning to order but haven’t yet, DO IT! If you’re looking for local Partners In Dine with whom to share/split an order, EMAIL ME and I’ll connect people who live in the same cities – this has worked wonderfully in the past and I’m happy to be a link.
And I’ve added a PNW route!
Bozeman & Missoula: Friday, August 27
Seattle & Bainbridge Island: Saturday, August 28
Olympia & Portland: Sunday, August 29
Everything else related to Star Brand Beef may be found HERE, or by emailing me.
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I posted a video of Charlie being very serious about being funny. Or being very funny about being serious. You decide. You can see it HERE.
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Please consider donating to my fundraiser to Help Fight Hunger – your donation will go far and be appreciated by many! Just five bucks makes a difference. In fact, if everyone who has viewed Charlie’s little video donated $5, we’d achieve our goal! You can donate HERE.
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Love. And more love.
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{{and even more}}
Insane Sky
☆ June 10, 2016
Another Goal
☆ June 6, 2016
As many of you know, I donate beef every year to shelters and food banks. Part of my original (and ongoing) mission statement for Star Brand Beef is that quality, healthy food should be accessible, not a luxury item. This is why I strive to keep my prices low (up to 50% less than the big organic grocery stores), and why I donate beef to those who need some extra help. These annual donations are a mere drop in the ocean of need, but even small acts have a big effect on those they touch, and I believe the energy of sharing has a ripple effect. In fact, I know this is true. I know it because I was on the receiving end of no-strings-attached assistance last year, in the midst of my health baloney, and it was an incredibly profound experience.
You donated to me when I was dealing with surgery and a terribly drawn-out recuperation and all the bills that went with it. I haven’t written much about this, but the truth is: I cannot remember a time when I felt as victimized as I did by those medical bills. It took nearly a full year and a lot of self-psychoanalysis to let go of that feeling of victimization. And the generosity of the donations I received here, as hard as that was for me to allow, helped enormously in my healing – both psychologically and financially. At the time, I wrote of the circle of sharing. And, at the time, I felt incredibly uncomfortable in the position of receiving. I am so glad I opened myself up to it, though, because receiving that help – that care – made an impact that went far beyond the acute issue. That impact didn’t fade when the bills began to go away. It’s similar to how I felt on my Vespa trip, when people opened their homes to me – a stranger in leather – over and over again, all the way across the country. On both occasions, these acts of generosity and kindness changed my worldview, and have affected the core of who I am and who I want to be in this world.
A lot of you mentioned “sharing” in the comments of my Caveman Motivations post. Which is exactly what I meant by kindness – whether it’s sharing a smile or sharing a meal or sharing a percentage of one’s income. I look at the state of the U.S. and the world and one thing is clear to me: kindness is a political act. Generosity is a political act. Sharing is a revolutionary act. The circle is real, and we are ALL part of it. It feels so good to receive, when you need assistance. And it feels so good to give! So this year, I am launching a fundraiser to benefit the people served by The Food Bank of the Rockies, and am inviting you to join me in donating quality, healthy beef to those who need a little extra help right now.
You can check out the fundraiser and donate HERE. I’m dreaming big with another $10,000 goal! All donations will be pooled and 100% of the money raised will go towards pastured, grass-finished beef which shall be donated to The Food Bank of the Rockies to help fight hunger.
I am matching donations to $10,000.
A $10,000 goal: that’s a $10 donation from a thousand people – and more than a thousand people visit this site daily. WE CAN DO THIS. Together! The more donations we gather, the more beef we can donate to people and families who need help with meals. Donations may be made and tracked HERE. No donation is too small – they all work together and have a BIG impact.
{{I’m not using Kickstarter this time; Crowdrise is just as legit, geared towards charitable fundraising, and they only take 3% commission/fees vs the 8%-10% of Kickstarter & Indigogo, which means much more goes straight to the goal.}}
Thank you, always and forever.
Click HERE to donate.
MY NEW BOOK!
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