Sweet Ratty

Last Friday I was on a walk and saw a rat, squirming in a driveway. Their two front legs were curled up, so the critter could only roll about. I called Puhg for back-up, told him to bring a bucket. As I waited a woman and her dog walked past, I hopped out in front of them, said there was a sick creature, and maybe they should go around, so the dog didn't eat them. The woman thanked me, and, from a distance peered on. She said she actually used to volunteer for a wildlife org and they would probably not accept the little guy. I googled around in case, but there's not much for rats. There are some resources for dogs cats and birds but rats are rats. I kneeled down to speak with my new friend.

A man approached, also with a dog. I hopped out again, told him there was a sick mouse, and to maybe go around-- He yelled at me, "OKAY? WELL ARE YOU GONNA HELP IT OR TAKE A PICTURE?" I said, "I have someone coming--" This man jerked his dog forward and muttered loudly, "FUCK OFF." I knelt to my friend again. Puhg arrived and confirmed, this rat is really really sick. We decided not to let it get picked off or squished, to transfer the buddy into the bucket, and carry them somewhere green, at least.

I ran and got some seeds and cut up an apple into chewable pieces. We found a line of short bushes by a patch of grass and let Ratty roll out of the bucket there. They rolled right under cover, which was nice to see, but they were too out of it/immobile to eat anything. They rolled away, away, away. Until we didn't know where they were. Puhg said they probably ate poison. I said a prayer and organized a small collection of leaves, Puhg stuck a stick in the ground. Here was a rat.

The next morning on my walk I went to see what I could see. I had to walk through the garden beds, around the back. But finally, I did find Ratty. Dead. Chubby tummy up, adorable ears still perked. They had rolled out of the bushes and into a horrible concrete block. Passed away alone, with their head on cold manmade stone. It's not fair, and it's not okay with me.

Another Upbeat Animal Post

One logical fallacy I certainly entertain in order to justify eating dairy products is thinking, "Maybe THIS product is was actually made without harm." Like, cows are painfully raped so they keep producing milk, but sometimes they're legitimately pregnant...so THIS yogurt I'm eating today is from a cow that wasn't raped. Or maybe a cow that actually just doesn't have many pain nerves...probably for some other screwed up inhumane reason, but the POINT is no animals were harmed in the making of this breakfast?*

When it comes to animals, this is a numbers game we will certainly always lose. Sure, maybe that cup of milk actually did come somewhat harmlessly in the moment it was taken, but that's a major fluke, and overall, that cow was miserable, and it's feces put a giant carbon trashbomb into our environment. ADDITIONALLY, there are certain things that there are no question about. If you eat chicken, that chicken's beak was cut off while it was alive. Not every 10 or 50 chickens' beaks. Every chicken's beak. If I cut off one dog nose, I'd go to jail. And you'd probably hate me.

*It's funny that we freak out about animals being harmed in the making of art (which is beautiful and lasting), but we're cool with animals being harmed in the making of fast food (which is generally sad and extremely fleeting).

Blackfish Is the Smartest Dumb Thing

Everyone loves Blackfish. Every. Single. Person. It's a well-made doc, it's streaming on Netflix, and it brings out everyone's inner activist. And our inner activist is a good person who we like! But also our inner activist is annoying because our inner activist makes us go out of our way to be that good person. It's always totally worth it, but we forget and stuff!

Blackfish's genius is twofold:

1. It's the least controversial concept ever. Literally no one is on the other side of "Hmm, should we made happy and free whales insane for our lame enjoyment?" You can argue animals don't deserve rights, but you're not gonna argue against flat out cruelty and shady biz. You're just not. So, unlike many powerful documentaries, everyone can agree on it's message. You can bring up Blackfish to any race, creed, politically affiliated person, and everyone's on the same page. And that feels nice. We like to agree!

2. In order to "support the cause" you literally don't have to do anything. To be on the "right" side of the issue you just have to not go to an expensive theme park.

So, like, this explains why people don't freak out with love about Food Inc.? Because doing things is, like, too much! BUT, I just want to say that ACTUALLY being a vegetarian is ALSO just a lack of doing something! Just don't eat meat, y'all. If you'd be bummed about a sad whale, imagine a piglet?

I swear the meat industry has hypnotized our entire culture to forget everything we ever learn about animal processing. I was on the PETA website yesterday to find a rude/true fact I could post under Shells' Instagram of a sausage pizza. Maybe with an emoji pig idk...and I got so sucked in. The hard cold facts are just so sad. Pigs are smarter than dogs. Many never stand in their lives--crammed into steel cages. They are born and murdered in fear. I decide to dedicate my life to the cause and then five minutes later I'm just Googling the cast of Full House. Again.

This is why I'm glad to be a veg. I do forget how bad it is, but when I remember I'm able to wipe my brow and be like, "Oh yeah, I'm not supporting it. Thank goodness." Of course, I'm still not a vegan. #Guilt But, I make steps. I think about it. When I remember to.

Last night, pretty shortly after I had just been sucked into PETA-land, Ro came home and announced a bird had fallen from a tree onto the hood of her car. The little thing was puffy and grey, heaving like mad, cold and impaired. It was heart-breaking. As it was Sunday night we figured the lil baby was going to die before we could get it to a wildlife refuge today. We decided the least we could do is keep it warm as it passed, so I got out a shoebox and some berries. I put on gloves to handle the bird, but when we went back outside it was on the ground. When we approached it shot up and flew in a circle--clearly still injured. But at that point we were just scaring it, so we wished it well as it nestled into a bush.

I don't love animals.* I really don't. It takes me a long time to form an appreciative bond with them. I don't just see humans and decide to be ga-ga over them. Same for kittens. But for how heavy my heart was in the ten minutes I thought about that bird withering away in the night alone, you'd think it was my human child. And that's just nature.

Ro and I sat at the kitchen table with bird care webpages open. I asked, "After something like that..how does anyone eat animals? Literally all animals in factories are tortured in some way." She kind of grimaced and said, "Well, that bird wasn't raised to be eaten. Those animals were." And I sort of laugh/shrugged. "Like slaves you mean? Like how slaves' purpose in the United States were just to serve, so they were treated terribly?" We laughed. Not because slavery is funny, and I'm not directly comparing animals to slaves. I understand one is human and one isn't...but I can't understand that there is much of a difference in matters of cruelty.

South Carolina swine.

Live like a Pharaoh, sing like a sparrow.

*Except I do lose my brains for bats. Man, bats are cool.