The first month of my internship *flew* by and is almost over, and then on to September. Time feels extremely warped here. As the weekdays fly by, you begin to realize that you've gotten so behind on posting and telling friends and loved one's about ALL of the incredible experiences and adventures you're having, you don't post enough to Facebook, you're behind on laundry (this is nothing new, though), and you haven't mailed out all of those letters that you thought you would. Oh yeah, and all of that reading you thought you would get done --- ha, that's funny... that hasn't happened yet either. But so many other things have, and I'm going to try my hardest to keep up so that you all can follow along!
Here's a sneak peek into some of the "family fun" happening at Vegan House (one of the two intern houses). Pizza night with homemade banana and peanut butter ice cream topped with crumbled nutter butter bars (Keebler makes as awesome vegan version) as a topper for dessert!
Top row (from left to right): Puppy (or Poppy as we call her for now), Shelly, and Amy
*Ok, there will be a random post soon, finishing up our trip to the Porcupine Mountains. I haven't had the time to finish uploading pictures/writing the post, but I'm CLOSE...so close! Stay tuned...
Helloooooo!
So sorry that it has taken me SO long to put up my first post about the farm, but it has been a *whirlwind* of information, hard manual labor, and lots and lots of introductions... of both human and animal individuals; oh, and yeah... there was also a Hoe Down.
Needless to say, it's been a very exciting time so far! Being away from Joey and my ladies, friends, and family has been extremely tough. However, when I find myself feeling really homesick, or just wanting to see Joey's face and hear his voice, I feel a nudge against my side, or find a cat curling up in my lap, or a chicken cooing at me through their hospital cage and I feel an instant sense of relief. Hanging out in the sheep barn and having a group of 5 sheep walk up to you, wanting love and attention, is just *too* much to handle. I spend a portion of my workday squeezing in time to hug a sheep... it's incredible.
So, working here is LONG and HARD, but the feeling at the end of a long workday, after you've kicked your boots off and fall into a comfy chair for the first time all day, is completely worth it... in fact, it's ecstasy. Finding time to write and upload pictures has been challenging, but I think I've devised a system. I will try to post on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's. This week I'm obviously not on schedule, but I'll get there. If I don't, please don't yell at me...
Here are some pictures from around the farm and here at Vegan House (one of two intern houses). It's going to be a mish-mash of pictures, but other posts will be more specific. Enjoy!
the drive to the farm...
the hills of Watkins Glen...
Sophia, my NY cuddle buddy...
Snacking and games at Vegan House. Brought to you by Beyond Meat Chicken Strips (SO GOOD), delicious soft herbed "cheese", and "The Dr. Laura Game"... yes... we will be playing this soon :).
Joey, the goat... he gets lots of extra love from me ;)
Elliott, the goat.
And, the pigs...
The Doctor... such an awesome dude.
Harry, the floppy-eared pig.
Marge, who lives right across from our house and who will come trotting up to us when we visit.
Pig Butt.
And, the piglets Ruby (right), and Winston (left). These two are trouble and constantly making work on the farm twice as hard as it already is. It's ok though, because they're adorable :).
I can't wait to share more with you as time passes and I'm able to upload more pictures!
I'll be using this blog to journal the entire experience which, I imagine, will range from getting to know the different farm animals as individuals, learning how to be a farm-hand, becoming more knowledgeable about animal welfare and animal advocacy, making new friendships, learning what I'm made of, and becoming more intimate with a vegan lifestyle. Many animals such as 3,000 pound cows, talkative turkeys, laughing pigs, and many more call the farm their forever home and I'm so excited and grateful to be able to have this opportunity to meet and get to know them. It should get pretty interesting over here...
So, let's rewind a bit shall we?
Earlier this year (back in February?) I had been toying with the idea of either applying for an internship or a job with Farm Sanctuary. I've been resisting an itch for a change in my life; and following my dream of working with animals, which had long been asleep and pushed aside, suddenly became a possible reality and reignited a sense of adventure and a more resounding urgency to commit myself to my passions in order to allow them to grow into a potentially awesome and fulfilling reality. Therefore, I decided to resign as a teacher in order to fully devote myself into this new adventure.
Working with children, teaching them Art has been fantastic and an irreplaceable part of my journey in life. Without my experience teaching Art, I can honestly say that I don't think I'd be ready to bite into this adventure. My students have taught me so much and have given me so much joy that this decision has been the hardest choice I've ever had to make. However, the relationships that I've formed with my students over the years have made this decision that more precious. The students haven't left my thoughts once as I've brainstormed about where I want this adventure to take me. Wherever this experience takes me, I want to make sure that in some way, I'm helping to benefit them and their future, as well as that of animals, while not losing the artist (who's been pretty lonely recently) inside me. It's a tall order, but Joey and I have worked hard to set ourselves up in order to take a risk and invest in our passions and challenge ourselves to try our damnedest to achieve our goals in life and I'm ready to get to it.
Therefore, in early March, I went ahead and pushed "submit" to my internship application. I wouldn't have taken the leap to do so if it hadn't been for Joey's enthusiastic support and confidence in me. I don't know if I've stated it nearly enough, but I am so, SO utterly in love with my husband. He's amazing and he allows and encourages me to grow into the best version of myself, even if it's a bit out of his comfort zone sometimes, and for that I am so grateful.
When I received word in mid-June that I was eligible and, if I was still interested, could interview with Farm Sanctuary over the phone, I was SO stoked! A few days later, I did the phone interview and shortly after got word that I had been accepted (insert happy dance)!!! Since then, it's been a whirlwind of emotions over here; all wonderful, though, and all geared towards getting prepared for this journey. Here we go... :)
So, there it is; my big news!!!
What do you think?
If you have ANY questions, please leave them in the comments below and I will be glad to answer them!
In the meantime, I'd love to leave you with a couple of videos of the Sanctuary and it's residents. Enjoy!
For more information, check out Farm Sanctuary's Youtube Channel.
Do you remember Mum? That beautiful, snuggly, playful feline that graced our presence for a couple of months?
She has finally gone home and I couldn't be happier with the home she has found herself in! She will indeed be a happy cat for the rest of her days :)
My sis-in-law Dani found out that her bestie, Elaine, down in New Orleans, was looking to get a cat when she moved into her new apartment. Dani suggested Mum, Elaine checked out my post and her pictures, and the rest is history. Elaine came by to pick up the sweet little lady on July 1st and the two ladies met face to face for the first time. I'm pretty sure there was just a little bit of chemistry there ;)
Congratulations, Mum (now ZOE cat!) and Elaine! The apartment's a little quieter now, but we're glad we know a Mardi Gras cat who we can stop in and say hello to when we visit "The Big Easy".
Stay tuned this week, I'm going to do my best to keep up and catch up on posting! I'm going to try to have a big post for this Wednesday, and then, on Thursday, Joey and I will be setting out for another adventure; this time to the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan with many awesome stops in between!
I've got a lot on my mind. A lot of research to do. So bear with me if I come at you with a lot to think about...
Research... feels good.
For my research, I'm currently mixing the two books "Zoobiquity" and "Some we Love, Some we Hate, Some we Eat", to create a sort of "literary double feature" and I have to say that the outcome thus far is fascinating and has left me hungry for more.
For a summer read (long live book club discussions!), I'm reading "Ishmael", by Daniel Quinn, with Joey and my friend Garre. Although it's "for pleasure", it feels like it is sharpening my awareness while enhancing my ability to make connections in my research. I absolutely cannot wait to drink this one up and share it with you.
In the meantime, I hope you have a most excellent Friday!
I want to leave you with a few goodies to enjoy over the weekend...
Amanda Palmer on connecting the dots...
PLEASE be patient with this and stick with it through it's entirety. It's a FANTASTIC speech and I think it's extremely important for everyone, especially artists and writers.
Mum is a stray cat that showed up at my parents house and had a tiny little litter of two kittens on Easter morning this year. At first, she was a little shy about meeting new people, however, once she realized that she had found a safe place for she and her kittens to nest, she began inching out of her shell and slowly revealed the giving, strong, and utterly sweet little lady that she is. She taught her babies independence, how to hunt, and how to trust those who are there to help. She proved to be an excellent Mama cat, which eventually led me to affectionately calling her "Mum". Joey and our friend Jason have begun to call her "Turbo"... so, really, she goes by both. Which do you like better?
Mum's two little one's... super precious, super FLUFFY!
After about 7 weeks of nursing, I was able to find amazing, loving homes for the little duo of trouble. All that was left was to find a home for Mum. So that she didn't end up in a shelter, Joey and I decided to take her in as a foster until we were able to find a loving family for her to be a part of.
So that I didn't introduce a sick cat to our three ladies at home, I went ahead and got her checked for cat leukemia and heartworms, both of which she was negative for, and then got her vaccinations and got her some de-wormer. Shortly afterwards, she graced our home and settled in smoothly, with the exception of the occasional hiss from our own sweet feline, Nugget.
Mum and I chillin' on a Sunday morning.
Now Mum is slowly but surely gaining her strength and beauty back, getting more beautiful everyday. She is a gem of a cat, and if you or anyone you know are looking for a fantastic pet, then please consider Mum. She's wonderful. She's pretty damn cool.
Also, if you've ever wanted to help out a stray or rescue, then check out these resources:
