Meat Out- Vegee's In

I first began the Meat Out Mondays Program about a year ago. At first it was exciting to find new vegetarian recipies to experiment with. Not that this excitement wained any but I quickly found myslf having two meat out days per week then three. Of course this change took place over a matter of several months. I notice on the days that I did not eat meat, I had more energy and less digestive distress. On these "meat-out" days I felt light as air, happy, and free. O.k. maybe a bit whimsical for some of you carnivores but I am not totally vegetarian, at least not yet.

Today I payed a visit to a local home improvement store. I purchased an overgrown, root bound garlic chive plant. Now most people would have passed this by. It was starving for water and nutrients, on the brink of collapse really. I brought the pot home and placed it in water. The roots were so entangled it two hours just for the water to penetrate the little remaining soil. At first I tried pulling the roots apart but as little as they were, collectively they were quite strong. I asked the plant how can I transplant it without causing it too much distress (gaining consent from nature) and the answer I recieved was "be gentle". I thought of my own curly hair becoming entangled after a long night of tossing and turning. Except poor plant had been trapped intits plastic bucket that even the very edges of the very edges were peeping through the drainage holes. As a child with a tangled head of hair I patiently worked it until I could free multible bulbs. The roots were so long, I wondered if my transplanting pots were even big enough.

The scent of the plants were so strong that after only a very short time my entire home smelled like, well not quite garlic but a fresh plant with a very distinctive scent. I just had to go to the fridge where I had the Hair as I refer to it, the green of the garlic, the grass, soaking in vinegar water. Oh my goodness, it is soooo good. The garlic flavor is strong but the fresheness of the greens is yet cooloing. Watch out vampires, I have my own potion!

Why just sampling the fresh greens was the same of having a fresh clove of garlic resting upon my tounge. It was so wonderful. I haven't counted but I feel confident in saying that by buying "the underdog" in the nursery that I rescued about 20 garlic plants. There was enough to provide garlic chives for a week during pruning. Ooh, delectible is all I can say! Grocers certainly do not carry this great garlic chive with such freshness.

This is just the beginning of my garden. I am actually coordinating a freindly meeting between my closest friends to start a community garden. Now my take on community gardening goes like this; I grow some herbs and vegetables while another friend grows other varieties, and yet another friend grows diverse varieties, and in the middle we meet, to share of our bounty. Well it hasn't all come together just yet but it is a good idea in the making.

The less I depend on meat the more I come to love herbs and vegetables. It hasn't been an overnight transition, actually I am about a year in the making of becoming semi-vegetarian. Meatout Mondays gave me the head start I needed to become a healthier, happier, and more independant woman. I don't need to buy Uncle Sam's cereal for I can grow my own, Thank You very much. I feel good about that.

Making my own household cleaners and laundry soap from plant bases, enjoying organic herbs and vegetables, life really is good. You don't have to look very far, just open your eyes!

Saving The Planet One Bite At A Time

Inspiration
Get Motivated for Meatout
March is Meatout month! Be an inspiration in your community by spreading a message of health and compassion in honor of the Great American Meatout. On (or around) March 20th — the first day of spring — caring people around the world educate their communities about the benefits of a veg diet. This year’s slogan is "Change Your Diet – Change the World!"
Here are just a couple of fun, easy ways you can participate this month:Distribute colorful handouts to friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Click here to view the handouts and request a pack.Host a Meatout Snack at your school, workplace, or social event by sharing delicious vegan food. Snack ideas include Tofurky Deli Slices, veggie hot dogs, soymilk, and/or soy ice cream.
Let us know your plans and we’ll gladly mail you out free posters, handouts, and stickers. Don't miss this chance to share the joys and benefits of a veg diet with your community.
Visit the Meatout Action Center for more ideas on how to get involved!

Money Doesn't Grow On Trees but Food Does

So the economy is looking pretty ruff and we find ourselves in a predicament.

The cost of food is rising and nutrition value is falling. We are not bound to incessantly shop till we drop nor are we totally dependant on the local grocer. We have made a choice to buy convenience. Lets face it, it is easier to hop in the car, go to the store, and buy what ever it is that you need. Tending a garden or livestock takes time. On the other hand being sick from gmo's and toxic pesticide residues on my food takes time and money at the Dr.'s office. Besides that who in their right mind wants to be sick? When we run out of food we go back to the store and spend more money. This is a never ending cycle that will continue until your death. A vicious cycle indeed.

Or... You can choose to grow your own food. Buy the seed once and allow nature to reproduce it for you and trust in the abundance of the Earth. This will take time and patience but the rewards will be plenty. You can save thousands of dollars in food cost. You can save tons of carbon and water buy growing in your own backyard. You can save oil in transportation costs, green house gas emissions, and petroleum based packaging. You can relieve stress by the simple act of tending your garden. You can watch it grow, enjoy its beauty and have enough to share its bounty with your neighbors and loved ones. What a delectable treat to prepare and consume fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden. A food source grown by nature that truly tantalizes the taste buds.

The only way to be sure of just what's in our food is to simply grow it ourselves. Everyone can grow something and I think everyone should grow as much as they can for themselves. The less we depend on corporations the more we take back our voices, our family's health, and our economic system. While I was learning to make organic soap I began to question corporations and their intentions. I never had to buy laundry soap, ever! The media influence convinced me the only way to get it was to buy it from their company.

I began to wonder just how many things can we make for ourselves? I certainly don't want to support corporate greed through buying their products and paying for their irresponsible stewardship or have my Grandchildren pay the ultimate price. Why should I give them a good portion of my income when I can make it myself? What I can not make nature can provide for me. I can just go out and pick a tomato that is succulent and nutritious. No more cardboard tomato's and disappointing salads. Lets face it that food bill is well~ another bill. What if by planting and utilizing a backyard garden you cut your food costs in half. Just think if you spend $100.00 per week on food and cut that by half, you are saving $2,400.00 per year. That's a good little chunk of change. Through practice you may be even to cut the food bill continually until you are independent of the grocery conglomerates and the corporations feeding us genetically modified foods with out our knowledge.

When you are thinking how to save money on food just remember Money Doesn't Grow On Trees but Food Does! Happy Growing.

Gratitude...

I speak for many generations to come when I say how thankful we are that a select few were brave enough to speak out and be heard as well as seen. To come out of their buildings and conduct the research which is saving tomorrow. Whom made responsible sensory contacts with Nature and were receptive to allow Earth to teach. For the passion and dedication to carry on with Faith that their work was for the greater good and it was not in vain.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/nature-has-a-right-to-live To Live

Can You imagine for even a moment, a world of equality? A world where plant, animal, and human all cohabited in harmony? Where stories of violence and starvation were horror stories of the past,like that of the dark ages. A society that based its financial system on merit and not greed. Human beings whom are raised to respect and support all species in life. Streets filled with produce and not drugs and prostitutes. It almost sounds like Utopia but why is this idea so far fetched in today's society?

Why do we egotistically revere ourselves as superior to the very life force that sustains us?

Isolated delusion: In our Nature-disconnected, mentally isolated state we convince ourselves that we are wiser than Nature but the deteriorated state of the environment and society tells a different story. Our addiction is wanting, destructive juggernaut. Our great problems do not exist in Nature or Nature connected peoples. (Cohen 1999)

By adding "The Rights Of Nature" to the United States Constitution we can ease the suffering in this world. We can ease poverty, hunger, starvation, and improve the overall health of the ecosystem, including but not limited to human beings. We will See a decrease in toxin born illness such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. We will see a decrease in addictive and destructive behaviors when we learn to respect the life force which sustains us and stop abusing our Mother Earth. Who can truly be happy when their gain is a direct result of abusiveness? We can remember the peace and harmony that we were created to thrive in but we must act in a responsible manner.

Please do so by taking the time to review the petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/nature-has-a-right-to-live and if you agree it only takes a moment to sign. Regardless if you choose to sign the petition or not please be aware in your daily lives that what we over consume in America takes from what is so desperately needed in other Countries. We Are ONE Global Community and we no longer can turn a blind eye to our Brothers and Sisters in need.

Change Our Current Reality~One Day At A Time

The state of our current reality is that we eat toxin laden foods, raised in toxic soil, resulting in toxic water run-off. The rates of disease has risen in the last decade such as diabetes,heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Psychological illness, addictive and destructive behaviors plague our society. Is there anything we can do to change it? Yes of course there is, as co-creators of this Planet we do have the power to change the state of our current and future reality; one day at a time. If You are thinking ... I may not live to see the future, think again. Tomorrow is a new day.

Whenever we safely make contact with attractions in Nature, they trigger our brain to release a neurotransmitter that produces the good feelings that we seek. These good feelings are a vital gratification reward. They help our "thinking" become "aware" that a beneficial survival connection that contributes to replenishing, regenerating, and sustaining "ALL" of life. Thus, each attraction sensation, feeling or emotion in Nature is a rational, sensory, rewarding way of knowing and relating that we biologically inherit from and hold in common with Nature. Neuroscientists identify attractions as "drives" that they call "seeking urges." Each encourages and shapes good citizenship and recycling in the global life community. Sensing and appreciating the role these attraction energy webstrings play, is imperative.

"This world~the shadow of the soul, or "other" me~lies wide around. Its attractions are the keys which unlock my thought and make me acquainted with myself." - R.W.Emerson