Clover

Memorial for Clover

IMG_7605 - Copy.small  Clover died early this morning.  The heat wave was very hard on her poor body and she was found in her coop dead.  We are having her body cremated and her ashes put in an urn.  There will be a memorial service for her TBA.

Clover was a meat bird and as such she lived a charmed life.  She lived 15 months, which is long for someone with her genetic disposition.  She grew to 13 pounds, which was too much weight for her organs to take.  She was extremely well taken care of and very loved.   Clover was happy and curious.  She played and explored her world and communicated with body language and a infinite array of facial expressions.  She ate organic feed and always had clean, fresh water.  She slept safely every night on her straw bed, protected from predators in her coop.  She laid many eggs and we still have one of the biggest.  She was a friend to Sunflower, the laying hen at Dekum Street Doorway.  I know Sunflower must be missing her buddy right about now.

I will miss Clover’s grounded and relaxed confidence, as well as her feisty and beautiful way of holding her own ground.  Here was a chicken allowed to be herself in the world.  And she shone brightly.  You are forever in my heart, dearest Clover.

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Clover by Amy Paasch

Clover FierceThis photo of Clover by Amy Paasch knocked me right out of my socks and back to my blog.  Oh Clover, you are so fierce and beautiful. What extraordinary character.

“We can see that the three reasons that we eat animal foods—infant indoctrination, social and market pressure, and taste—reinforce each other and create a force field around our food choices that, like a sturdy fortress, resists any incursions.The walls of the fortress are built of cruelty, denial, ignorance, force, conditioning, and selfishness. Most importantly, they are not of our choosing. They have been, and are being, forced upon us.Our well-being—and our survival—depend on our seeing this clearly and throwing off our chains of domination and unawareness. By harming and exploiting billions of animals, we confine ourselves spiritually, morally, emotionally, and cognitively, and blind ourselves to the poignant, heart-touching beauty of nature, animals, and each other.” Dr. Will Tuttle

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Speciesism The Movie

IMG_9590 - Copy.small   Someone in our city of Portland Oregon rented out The Academy Theater and showed the movie, Speciesism, a documentary by Mark Devries.  The filmmaker’s determination and heart is evident as he thoroughly and passionately explores the daily worldwide holocaust of non-human animals that provides the fuel for our human animal bodies.

In the words of Dr. Will Tuttle ( who was not in this documentary):
“Because of herding animals, we have cast ourselves out of the garden into the rat race of competition and consumerism, ashamed of ourselves. It is this low self-esteem that drives the profits of corporations enriching themselves on our insatiable craving for gadgets, drugs, and entertainment to help us forget what we know in our hearts, and to cover over the moans of the animals entombed in our flesh.

The choice is set before us at every meal between the garden of life or the altar of death and as we choose life and eat grains and vegetables rather than flesh, milk, and eggs, we find our joy rising, our health increasing, our spirit deepening, our mind quickening, our feelings softening, and our creativity flourishing.”

Find more by Dr. Will Tuttle at worldpeacediet.com.

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Clover lays an egg

IMG_9660 - Copy.small   Clover, the meat bird, laid her first egg!  This is unusual in that meat birds are not allowed to live long enough to lay eggs.  Because tender meat is desired, a meat chicken is usually killed at 6-10 weeks of age.  We had extremely cold weather a few weeks ago and brought out the heat lamp.  Did you know that light activates a gland near the chicken’s eye and causes an egg cell to be released?   Clover lays an egg a day now, you go girl. Unfortunately, because of the exaggerated girth of her breast, she is at grave risk of heart failure, the dear one.  We love her so and will help her through any hospice that is needed, including euthanasia if IMG_9591.smallappropriate.

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born to be alive

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revolution of one

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When we cultivate mindful awareness of the consequences of our food choices and conscientiously adopt a plant-based way of eating, refusing to participate in the domination of animals and the dulling of awareness this requires, we make a profound statement that both flows from and reinforces our ability to make connections.  We become a force of sensitivity, healing, and compassion. We become a revolution of one, contributing to the foundation of a new world with every meal we eat. As we share our ideas with others, we promote what may be the most uplifting and healing revolution our culture has ever experienced.”    ~ Dr. Will Tuttle

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Clover the chicken

Clover resting

Clover was hatched as a classroom experiment. She is a meat bird.  Think Foster Farms.  That means she was bred too large for her legs and must rest often. She was also bred with a four-year life span. I met Clover at Dekum Street Doorway and instantly fell in love with her.  She was initially depressed but really came into herself. She is now curious, joyful and exploratory.  She is a lucky bird to be able to live out the rest of her days in safety and contentment.

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