Every Farm Animal Deserves

Americans have a bill of rights, but what about the rights of farm animals, 10 billion killed annually in the United States? They live (if you can call it living, it's more like endure) in the shadows, forgotten by most of society who seems to comfort themselves with the notion that if they don't think about the suffering, it doesn't exist, or it's someone else's fault.

Whatever your dietary stripe, here are some basic rights I believe all farm animals should have (and hope you do too).

To never see the inside of a gestation stall, ever.


To not be cramped into a wire cage the size of a filing cabinet with five or six other chickens so we can buy 99 cent cartons of eggs. A chicken's labor should be worth more than 8.25 cents an egg.


For poultry, to be included in the federal Humane Slaughter Act.


To not be de-beaked, de-clawed, de-anything.


Never to be force fed, ever.

To have free range conditions be, indeed, free range.

To be treated with kindness and respect by the farmers raising them. The consumers eating them should not shift the blame to the producers for deplorable conditions if they are contributing to the demand.


They should not be viewed as just another dish on Thanksgiving (or any other time) without any thought to the life of the turkey that ended up on your plate.


All farm animals deserve these rights.


A moment of solitude on a fine summer day at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary for these animals, who are victims of a factory farming system which have found safe refuge here.


Veganism or vegetarianism may be not everyone's path in life, and I respect people's choices, but know that deplorable factory farming conditions exist because of society's demand to have a meat, milk and eggs so heavily in daily diets at the cheapest prices available. Eating veg as often as possible is the ideal. But at the very least, if everyone ate a little less meat and animal by-products, paid a little more, and wasted less food, the conditions of these animals would improve exponentially. They are living, breathing, sentient beings the same as our cats and dogs and deserve to be treated with common decency - and not viewed just a commodity - especially if they are going to give up their lives for a meal.

That is my declaration for farm animals.

How to Succeed in Economic Stimulus, Without Really Trying

"Spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff," The New York Times reported in an article on changing consumer habits (thanks to Consciously Frugal for her thoughtful blog post on this article).

What a concept that we could enrich our minds and souls, while stimulating the economy - by spending money on experiences. Some news stories leave the impression our economy is doomed if Americans don't head to the mall in droves. Is that what our economy is based on? I hope not.

With that, here are some of the experiences I had, providing an economic lift in the process, on a recent visit to Woodstock and Phoenicia, New York.

I experienced a cool night of 1920s and 30s inspired New Orleans-style jazz music. I saw Tuba Skinny busking at the Woodstock Flea Market last June, became smitten with their music, and am full fledged in love with it now. I have spent many a hot summer night listening to their two wonderful albums, which I whole-heartedly recommend.

I stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast, the Phoenicia Belle, just 15 minutes from Woodstock. Bonus points for cruelty free toiletries (including Kiss My Face) and emphasis on organics.


You can select what you want for breakfast (which I love, reducing food waste). Each guest had a choice of cranberry muffin, plain or vanilla yogurt, homemade granola, toast with jam and butter, orange juice and coffee or tea.

The pot of fragrant Earl Grey: fair trade and organic. Heavenly with cinnamon raisin bread with raspberry jam, fresh fruit and orange juice.

Take your cup with a book or newspaper and read it on their lovely porch. At night, you can take a bottle of wine to the porch and enjoy the candlelight and peace away from the hectic pace of daily life.

Just moments away, the river. One can go tubing, rent a bike (or bring your own), or just take in the view.

Support not malls, but the second-hand market. Check out this New York Times article on the Brooklyn Free Store.

I purchased this blue and white cup for $3. These prints bring me back to eating dinners at my grandparents' house as a child.

I supported a charity: the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The farm was booming with visitors, including many young children who had their first encounters with farm animals and learned some of the realities. I'll devote a proper blog post to my visit here later on.



I indulged in a cruelty-free veggie dog, topped with mustard and sauerkraut, $2.50 at the Woodstock flea market on Sunday afternoon.


Guess who I stumbled upon again? A perfect ending to the weekend.


Tuba Skinny, He Likes it Slow

Economic Stimulus: I Did it My Way.

"I am tired of 'the consumer as savior of our economy,'" bemoaned Alea in the comments section of a blog post in My Year Without Spending. Alea, I couldn't agree more.

In my home state of New Jersey, our new governor, Chris Christie, recently proposed repealing Bergen County's blue laws, which keep malls in Paramus closed and streets blissfully traffic free. More mall shopping, more tax revenue. Governor Christie does not live in Bergen County.

Is it too soon to start campaigning against him? I liked the response of the mayor of Paramus: Over my dead body.

I recall a television ad for a shopping mall where a woman was loading up her car with bags and her sad looking daughter sat there. As soon as the woman put a bag for her, a huge smile came. The ad just made me sad.

Why is our economy always projected in the media as being so dependent on shopping, especially at Wal-Mart and the like? I saw a story in the paper about consumer confidence being up and a woman hold up many shopping bags smiling. Is she our savior?

There are plenty of ways to support our economy without going on a shopping spree. Here are my favorites.

The cinema. I saw, I adored.


Local groups, like Bergen County Historical Society. For $20, I am now a proud card carrying member.


What would I do without my beloved library? They are are so under threat right now when citizens need them more than ever. I picked up a form to "be a friend" of my town library.

I love DVDs at home, not only for their value, but all the informative extras. This week's pick: the sexy Cherie. A new release, just $1, helps fund their DVD collection.

Concerts. I'll be blissfully in the audience in New York City's Concert Hall in about two weeks to see Natalie Merchant perform songs from her new album of poetry put to music, Leave Your Sleep. She's talked about how it has opened her eyes to the power and beauty of the word. All avid readers and writers can attest to that.

She'll also be at Barnes and Noble Union Square on Wednesday, April 14th. Learn more. For CD purchases, I head to an independent shop, Music Merchant, in Westwood.



Education. I think education is often so unappreciated in youth. Many just don't have the perspective or gratitude to enjoy unbridled days of learning.

Community school programs are a fun, inexpensive way to learn or hone a skill. I have a weekly infusion of French.

I picked up a French version of Harry Potter in Paris. Said it before, will say it again: Hermoine is a great role model for young girls.


Picnicking. Fill a basket or backpack with goodies from my local farm or Trader Joe's. How does Branch Brook Park in Newark sound to see the cherry blossoms? I was there last year...



Travel. My sweetheart and I have enjoyed a lot of little fun weekend getaways: a B&B in Vermont, exploring Washington, DC, country weekends in Watkins Glen and Woodstock (below, the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary). We aren't big consumers when we travel. We support local restaurants, artisans, historical sites, museums and such.

We travel instead of doing Christmas, Valentine's Day and anniversary gifts. For birthdays, something little: he got me a Whole Foods card so I could get some vegan goodies, I got him a case of his favorite beer and bottle of his favorite wine.

Community events. My church recently had their annual pancake breakfast, $5 a person. An hour afterward, I went into a pancake-induced coma!

Isn't the plate pretty?

Other favorites: local food festivals, independent restaurants, charitable organizations, and again, farms (Demarest Farms is opening this month).

Hold the Butter on My Toast Please, Snoopy

It's almost Thanksgiving!

While not a happy time for vegans, there are reasons to make one feel like a kid again. Waiting for your favorite balloon to come down the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade while on the couch under a blanket with a mug of non-dairy cocoa. In New York City, kids young and old can watch the balloons being blown up the night before. It's simply magical. I'm 34, and still never miss A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Snoopy and Woodstock even cooked a vegetarian feast of pretzels, popcorn and toast, much to the dismay of Peppermint Patty and the gang.

And I love the idea of an entire holiday devoted to giving thanks. Sarah Ban Breathnech, in her book Simple Abundance, encourages us on a path guided by six principles: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy. In a passage on gratitude, she quotes Melody Beattie, who stated,

"Gratitude...turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Not on my dinner plate this year, turkey. This beauty lives at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Flackback to my visit, and yummy vegan eats. My mouth still waters thinking about the cinnamon French toast.

This year, I also plan to give thanks over a Gentle Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by God's Creatures Ministry. Whatever your religious stripes, you can share a humane meal including Tofurkey, wine and desserts. The dinner takes place next Sunday, November 22nd at 3:00 p.m. in Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 231 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ. RSVP with a suggested $20 per person donation by November 18th. Learn more.

Not in the area? Find similar events all over the country on Gentle Thanksgiving. Find recipes including Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Cornbread Muffins, and Vegan Pumpkin or Squash Pie.

If you're not a vegan or vegetarian, consider just trying to eliminate animal by-products from a recipe when it's possible. When I switched from lacto-ovo vegetarianism to veganism, it was eye-opening how animal products are in everything, when many times they don't need to be.

Here's to gratitude, awareness, great vegan food, and the joy of feeling like a kid again. Oh, my favorite balloon? Snoopy, of course!

Weekend in Woodstock

Signs you are dire need of a weekend in the country when you work in New York City: you start devising schemes like writing to Mayor Bloomberg to act at once to impose $1,000 fines to people who are walking and texting on their Blackberry (annoyingly slowing the pace of foot traffic); your blood boils when people don't walk up the left side of the escalator at the bus terminal or Penn Station; and you start thinking about your weekend plans on Monday morning.

Check all three for me. Luckily, Woodstock, NY, is an easy two hour drive from where I live in northern New Jersey. One of the main attractions is the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays from April through October from 11-4 for $7/person (free for members).

Here are some of the friendly faces I encountered. Nothing about these sweet souls says 'dinner.'






Albie, who has found refuge here after escaping death at a Brooklyn slaughterhouse, was featured in The New York Times.

Who doesn't love the guilty pleasure of an afternoon nap on a lazy Sunday?

These goats are as enthusiastic about their food as I am!

Woodstock, or is it New Orleans? Tuba Skinny entertained the crowd at the Woodstock fleamarket Sunday afternoon.

In warmer months, catch the Woodstock Drum Circle for peace in the town's center (right in front of vegan Garden Cafe).

Anyone can pick up a drum and join in. Or, just people-watch.

I stayed at the Cobblestone Motel in the sleepy hamlet of Phoencia. A very clean, comfortable room for just $76 a night. This was just steps away from the motel...

The Phoenicia Belle is also in town, and looks quite charming.

On the drive home, I passed a sign advertising a $599 leather sofa, as well as one for a Father's Day pig roast, and two large milk trucks roared by, and I thought what a long road we have to go.

Definitely worth checking out on the way home is the Museum at Bethel Woods, the story of Woodstock and the sixties. Where is that activist spirit now?

"It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come" - Sam Cooke