Last night was one of the best and worst nights. Mark and I attended a dinner event to honor and celebrate the lifelong activism of the wonderful person that is Helene Dwyer. Helene is quite simply, one of the most amazing people I have had the honor of knowing. She is dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease, also the disease that Stephen Hawking has). It was kind of a funeral before she goes. What a beautiful idea! Lori did a fantastic job of putting this event together. As a side note, it was also a fundraiser for the Helene Dwyer Greatest Need Fund, that is newly established. There is truly no better way to honor a woman like Helene that to do so while raising money to help the cause.
It was an extremely emotional experience. There are few people in this world who will leave the enormous void that Helene will leave when she passes. I absolutely HATE to cry in public, which has turned out to be somewhat of a joke, because somehow my 30's have been defined by frequent and profuse public weeping. I still hate it, even though it happens ALL THE TIME these days. Needless to say, I was a weeping, mucousy mess. My eyes are still sore and swollen today.
Since I last saw Helene, just a few months ago, she has gone from a walker to a wheelchair. She has lost a ton of weight and has become very gnarled and twisted. She still looked absolutely radiant last night. She was beautiful and as happy and concerned about others as she has always been. Many people shared funny, touching, and enlightening stories about Helene. I knew she has always been an activist of the most amazing kind. I knew she has cared tirelessly for cats and the many other animals she has rescued. At the time her illness was diagnosed, she had over 50 cats--all with FIV, feline luekemia, or diabetes. These cats were lovingly and meticulously cared for in a very clean home. She was by no stretch a hoarder. She did this while working as a philosophy professor (who just retired a couple of years ago). These cats required specialized, intensive medical care round the clock--IVs, medications, special diets. I know how much work my babies are, and I cannot imagine her responsibility, nor how she managed to stay on top of it. I knew that she was one of the kindest, most compassionate people I have known. I knew that she would do absolutely anything to help another living being. I knew she was fun and smart. I did not know, however, that she started out her adult life as a nun! That was a shocking surprise. I would easily put her at the same caliber as Mother Theresa, which for me is saying a lot. I have no respect or positive feelings for catholicism, AT ALL, but I deeply respect and admire Mother Theresa and the work that she did.
I felt so incredibly lucky to be a part of the event last night. I was struck by how many phenomenal people were in that room together. I am so very lucky to be a part of that family. I am accutely aware of just how lucky I am in so many ways. This seems to be the theme of my 30's--realizing that no matter what issues I face (health and finances mostly, oh, and the crappy teen years with my oldest too), I am and always have been lucky beyond measure. I was blessed with fabulous parents, who were able to provide for their family and loved us endlessly. I have been blessed again with my second family--the AR community. I will preface by saying I am not good at estimating numbers of people, and I don't know how many attended last night. I will just guess around 100. Some of those people I know well, some I don't know well, and some I don't know at all. I love them all, however, and know that we are a family. We share all of the values and issues that are important to us and would be there for each other in a heartbeat. They are all great people; people I am proud to know and honored to a part of. How many people in this world are lucky enough to have such a kick-ass supportive network?! There are so many strong, amazing women in the group--not that they are all women, but there are many great ones. I sat by Julie last night, another amazing woman, my mentor, and one of Helene's closest friends.
I am so glad that Helene was able to be the center of all that love and attention before she passes. It seems kind of silly that we wait until a person dies to come together and honor them in that way. She so deserved to hear how well loved and highly thought of she is! It was just beautiful.
We also got to see the televised interview that Helene did recently, speaking out against vivisection. She stated, as a woman dying of a disease with no cure, that it was still completely black and white--no question about it, animal experimentation is wrong. She would not wish to benefit from or have extra time granted to her at the expense of other living beings. My summary is so pathetic and weak compared to the succint power of her actual words, particularly given her obviously poor physical condition. She is and will continue to be an activist up until the very end.
Given all that I've said above, there's one more thing I have to say about Helene. Yesterday, while getting dressed (yeah, I even dressed up and put make up on for this), I ran down to grab the mail. In the mail I found an envelope with Helene's return address on it. Inside was a note with a check. She sent a donation from her fund for my vet bills--she said she wanted us to have it to help with some of the mountainous vet bills we have accumulated. I immediately, of course, cried. Here is this woman dying, in physical agony, worried about my foster cats and our situation. I was touched beyond words. Before I degenerate any more into rambling, I'll wrap it up here.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Posted by VeganMom at 8/27/2007 08:24:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Cats , Petey , Rescue Animals
Friday, August 24, 2007
Holy Bejesus!!
Headache's been kicking my ass all week. Not feeling very chatty. I saw this topic discussed on one of my message boards today and thought they were joking. You. will. not. believe. this. is. for. real. More messed up oppression and violence against women, brought to you courtesy of... the holy bible!
http://christiandomesticdiscipline.com/Home.html
Posted by VeganMom at 8/24/2007 04:14:00 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tattoosday 4
Posted by VeganMom at 8/21/2007 09:26:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Tattoos
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Rain, rain go away!
Hallie came home yesterday from her spaying. She seems to feel great and has stopped the ungodly yowling. I'm sure it's a relief to ALL of us. Oliver managed to get his e-collar off last night. I felt really mean and horrible having to put it back on after he worked so hard to get it off. Only three more days until he gets his stitches out and the collar off.
Last Sunday, after Anthony's talk, Luciana went down to her craft area to create. Unbeknownst to us, she had found some fabric paint. She took a shirt down and painted her own anti-Petland/puppy mill shirt. She was so excited to wear it for the next protest (today). She debuted it last Sunday night, when we all went out for dinner. The group gave her lots of positive feedback for making it, and they said they wanted her to make shirts like that for them as soon as they got a plain shirt to give her. She came home so excited about it, that she couldn't wait for the rest of us to get shirts for her, so Mark gave her a pair of socks, which she decorated similarly. During the week, she made one more shirt for herself. She couldn't wait for the day of the protest, and counted down all week.
We weren't sure about the protest today initially, because it poured rain all morning, and our signs would be destroyed by the rain. We ended up going, and we're so glad we did. Luciana was happy to wear her shirt, and Mark wore his socks. We got a lot of positive response again, and even had someone stop and give us a generous donation. Someone also stopped to ask if there was a petition to sign to get the store closed--we wish! Anyway, the protest proved to be the high point of a quiet weekend.
The front of L's shirt says, "Stop puppy mill misery". The back says, "Boycott Petland" and, "Help me" (shows paws clawing at cage bars). What a girl!!
Posted by VeganMom at 8/19/2007 08:21:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Activism , Cats , Luciana's Art , Petland
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Cat Whisperer
Posted by VeganMom at 8/16/2007 08:38:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: AR Friends , Camping , Cats
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
HELP TAKE A BITE OUT OF DOG FIGHTING!!
Here's an easy way to make your voice heard! Amazon.com (my formerly favorite shopping site) is selling a hideously disgusting book on how to select and train dogs for fighting. Amazon needs to see, from the sheer amount of negative feedback, that this is not acceptable to the general population. Please inundate them with "reviews" and with e-mails expressing your anger with their promotion of and sale of this piece of shit. Let them know you will not spend your month there until they pull this book.
Here's the book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1846644488/sr=8-2/qid=1187122087/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful/104-9093920-1104711?ie=UTF8&n=283155&qid=1187122087&sr=8-2#customerReviews
Amazon customer service: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html/102-3013477-2850516?ie=UTF8&browse%5Fnode%5Fid=508510&jsEnabled=enabled
Also, please contact the publisher of this book: http://www.readcountrybooks.com/pages-contact_us/index.html?zenid=578dc9115d101211dbeadc69e6a3dc45
Please... this will take all of five minutes, and I don't think that's too much to ask to help these innocent victims of such a cruel "sport". Have you ever seen a victim of dog fighting? Here's some motivation for you (keep in mind that these pics are EXTREMELY MILD, compared to what really happens): http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS208US209&q=dog+fighting+pictures&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi&oi=property_suggestions&resnum=0&ct=property-revision&cd=1
Posted by VeganMom at 8/15/2007 03:37:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Activism , Dog Fighting
H.O.P.E.
Sunday afternoon Anthony Marr, wildlife preservationist, spoke to a group of WAEN members and other interested parties (it was open to all, but only one hunter showed up) about methods for controlling deer populations. He listed several methods that would make the cruel and ineffective culling process unnecessary, the most promising being birth control injections administered to deer via his invention, the deer auto conveyer. His presentation was covered in an article in the Janesville Gazette. He has been staying in my parents’ guest room since Saturday night, so Allegrea and I have had the pleasure of spending a good deal of time with him. He’s a wonderful person and extremely enjoyable to talk with. I started reading his book, which looks really good--I'm very excited about it. He has a second book written but hasn't yet had time to publish it. He will be going on to his next tour location (Chicago) Thursday morning. I know I missed tattoosday, but I decided last night that I would rather spend my time talking with Anthony and Allegrea than blogging. We were up much, much too late (for the last several nights), and that alarm went off way too early this morning. There’s nothing more invigorating and enjoyable than spending time sharing ideas and support with other AR vegans! I feel very lucky to have had time to spend with and get to know Anthony, as do my parents. It's amazing that it feels like such a loss that he's leaving, when we've only known him for such a short time!
Luciana and Mark left for their camping trip yesterday. They had great weather yesterday, but last night and today is rainy and on the cool side. They took the big box of their D&D stuff and set up one room in the three-room tent for D&D, so that will keep them busy through the rain. L is in heaven, I’m sure, having daddy’s undivided time and willingness to play D&D all day long! I miss them both tremendously already!
Oliver continues to do well with his recovery. He was very spunky last night and wanted to wrestle and play with his brothers. It’s pretty difficult in the big cone collar, but they tried. It made me really nervous, though, because I’m afraid if they get too rough his stitches/sensitive areas may get hurt or infected. It’s a great sign that less than a week after major surgery he is trying to run and wrestle!
I got an e-mail for two more cat placements, Allegrea got a posting for 10 more cat/kitten placements, and I see several more posted online this morning. It is very discouraging and depressing to see just how many there are and know in our hearts that we will not be able to find that many good homes. Please, if you know anyone or are willing to open your hearts to just a little more love, contact us. You will literally be saving a life! Our area is facing a cat population crisis like never before—things are very dire!
Posted by VeganMom at 8/15/2007 10:24:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: AR Friends , Camping , Cats , Oliver , Rescue Animals
Friday, August 10, 2007
Tomorrow is the super saddest Saturday ever!
Posted by VeganMom at 8/10/2007 09:45:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Cats , Oliver , Rescue Animals
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Tattoosday 3
Posted by VeganMom at 8/07/2007 08:24:00 PM 1 comments
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Very cool--re: Vegan Children
Thanks for sending this, Allegrea!
Letter To My Unborn Child
by Heather Leughmyer.
You’ll never watch an elephant standing on her head
You will see amazing acrobats and painted clowns instead.
You’ll never color Easter eggs or eat a “Happy” Meal
Instead you’ll give pigs belly rubs – You’ll know chickens dream and feel.
The clamor from the ice cream truck won’t be music to your ears
You will know your Soy Delicious caused no suffering or tears.
You may hear a gentle gobble as you softly stroke a turkey
And give thanks that she’s alive as you’re eating your Tofurky.
While other kids buy leather shoes and eat at Chucky Cheese
You’ll be kissing cows and feeding goats and saying “soy please!”
Being different can be hard I know - This world is often cruel
Maybe you’ll be laughed at by the other kids at school.
But compassion is a vital gift that too few share with others
And your heart will not be filled with guilt the way it plagues your mother’s.
So don’t ever be embarrassed or ashamed because you care
You’ll be uniquely beautiful with an empathy that’s rare.
And when you see a rescued lamb and touch his thick warm fleece
You’ll feel no sadness or remorse – You can look at him in peace.
What took so long for me to learn, I’ll start teaching you from birth
And your footprint will be much tinier on this fragile earth
Posted by VeganMom at 8/05/2007 09:54:00 PM 2 comments
Labels: Vegan
Where did this weekend go??
Today's Scrabble game
I didn't do anything exciting, and I didn't get very much done. It was a pretty low-key weekend, but it leaves me wondering what we spent our time on. We did play a LOT of games with Luciana, so that definitely counts as time well spent! We also spent a lot of time with the kittens and working on integrating them into the household. Some of the big-boy cats are nice to the kittens (Jasper, Oliver, Baxter) but stick to sniffing and watching them, Petey plays with them, and Ivan ignores them. It isn't going quite as smoothly with Harley, whose very aggressive advances are not appreciated by the boys. I think it will be fine once she gets spayed.
Last week's birthday celebration:
I forgot to blog about last Sunday, so I will flashback this week. Last Sunday we celebrated Dejanique's 17th birthday with the family. Dwyers came in the afternoon, and the four of us went to Rotary Gardens and walked around with Mark's parents and brother Dan. Then we all went to Red Robin, where we met my parents. That is where D chose to have her birthday meal. We all had a good meal and then came back to our house so D could open her gifts. She got mostly money and gift cards, but got a few clothing items, and a stained glass light bulb that L picked out for D's room. She already used some of her gift cards (to the mall) on some clothes.Posted by VeganMom at 8/05/2007 08:49:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Cats , Family Pics
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Good news!!
Oliver is home and okay for now. I will have to follow him around until Tuesday morning, when he goes in for his big surgery, to make sure he can pee and doesn't block again. I'm going to go spend time with him now--I've missed him!
Luciana has her favorite friend, Emily, overnight tonight. They are very cute together. I have a feeling it will be a very late night the way those two have been giggling for the last five hours!
Posted by VeganMom at 8/01/2007 08:56:00 PM 0 comments