Good From Evil Perhaps?

I went to my orientation session at the animal shelter last night and it shocked and saddened me to see so many animals just abandoned by their owners. As hard as I try, I just can't imagine how someone could do this. I am unable to come up with one single valid reason, shy of an owner’s death. And in that case, it’s not the owner doing it, it’s the heirs.

I have to attend a dog mentoring class before I can work with the dogs. I can't wait to get the little angels out of their cages and out in the fresh air. There’s a path out in the woods behind the shelter so my goal is to take one dog for a good long walk of at least an hour, maybe more, than have some play time in a fenced in area where the dogs can go off leash. I would rather give one, maybe two, dogs a great afternoon outdoors rather than take a lot of dogs out for what is essentially a "pee walk." A tired dog is a happy dog! And these poor animals deserve some happiness.

The sad thing is that of all the dogs in the shelter, all but about three or four were pit bulls. I can’t understand this, they really are so sweet and totally devoted to people. I never received so many dog kisses as I did last night. Think about it, Petey on Little Rascals was a pit, the Buster Brown dog was a pit ... It's just a crime that irresponsible people who can't even manage their own lives, let alone that of a dog, are particularly attracted to this breed. And thanks to them, a once favored companion dog is now vilified as a criminal. While the criminals walk free. It sickens me to even think about it.

Interesting how the woman running the orientation said this was the biggest group of volunteers she ever had. Perhaps I am not the only one propelled into action by Mr. Vick. If that’s the case, then he has, unbeknownst to him, really done something to help dogs. Of course, I’m certain he didn’t intend this to happen. I mean, he never apologized for what he did to his own dogs. All he ever said was how he was sorry that he screwed up his own good life.

When I got home last night, I just heated up some leftover potato parsnip soup that I had made over the weekend and dumped some sauteed mushrooms in it. The soup was good, it’s a recipe I’ve made in the past. The only difference is that I used oil instead of oil and butter to start the veggies. Since I didn’t cook last night, I didn’t have anything to bring for lunch but found out that Wendy’s is a decent place for Vegans in need of fast food. At least they have the baked potato which is better than most places which stick you with a choice of lettuce in a bowl or french fries!

I’m still feeling bloated and gassy and lethargic. My friend Carol said something like I'm the only one she knows who would wind up gaining weight on a Vegan diet. I'm still trying to figure it out. Think Vegan, you think stick thin. I'm eating vegetables for God's sake. And it’s not like I’m eating a lot of grains, beans or nuts, the stuff that packs a lot of calories. Maybe its some kind of water retention thing, I just don't know. I’ve looked on line and there is very little information on the downside of a Vegan diet and I find that kind of interesting. I wonder if my experience is atypical.

So far, the only positive thing I’ve experienced on this Vegan adventure is that I really do feel more clearheaded. Perhaps it’s that lucidity that delirious people experience right before they croak!

Tonight I’m planning on cooking up some okra with tomatoes, onions and chickpeas and also will saute some Chinese broccoli with garlic. I’ll make up a batch of polenta to serve as the base for both and will have a few meals for the next few days. Yuck. I mean Yum. I don't know what I mean. Either of these meals would be fine if I only had some meat to go along with them!

MEAT, I NEED MEAT!!! Only 22 more days and that’s counting today!