Goodnight, Sam

It's been a rough week. Sam (the dog, for my 3 readers who aren't up on my life) disappeared on Sunday. She's 16. She has arthritis and bad hips, like all old Black Labs. She's also deaf, and has of Saturday, apparently a little bit senile.

On Saturday, Mom and Dad found her wandering down the middle of the highway. She has lived at the farm for 7 years or so, and has never set food on the road before now.

Sunday morning, Mom woke up and Sam was gone. She had wandered off during the night, and nobody could find her. They looked at the neighbor's, they looked up the hill. Dad even went down the highway, checking the ditch.

Tuesday, Dad found her on the bank of the irrigation pond, not 40' from the house. She was still alive, but weak. Her hips are so bad, she couldn't climb the bank back to the house and just laid there for 2 nights. She never made a noise. We would have heard her if she barked or whined.

Sam hasn't eaten or drank anything since Dad found her, except for the baby bottle of water mom gave her last night. She sounds like she has pneumonia, she hasn't gotten up off her cushion at all. We're going to take her to the vet tomorrow morning (first appointment we could get) and have her put down. She's had a good run, but nobody should suffer like this. Now all I can hope is that her departure is quiet and peaceful.

Goodnight, Sam. We will miss you.

On meat

I think a lot about food while I am at work. What I want for dinner, how it is grown and the weird shit that is in some food-like substances.

There is nothing more full of fucked-uppittyness than factory-farmed animals. Now, I am not saying that everyone absolutely has to consume organic cows which have been killed under moonlight with a pagan priestess saying prayers to their soul. We should be somewhat mindful that these are living creatures. Creatures who are delicious, especially when allowed to roam and eat other tasty creatures.

If you are what you eat, by extension you are what your food eats. A cow living in a high-density feedlot eats corn. Oh, and also corn. And some antibiotics because it is literally up to it's knees in shit. Many animals are also fed animal by-products to replace minerals and protein, which is a likely reason for Mad Cow Disease.

Eggs are not exempt. Even free run simply means that the chickens are not kept permanently caged, rather they can run around a very crowded barn with other chickens, never to see that light of day. Now, there is a reason for this where I live. The winters are cold and a chicken cannot be allowed outside for 6 months out of the year. Chickens are really dumb and would freeze. Also, coyotes find chickens almost as tasty as I do.

So, what is the solution to all this? Simple. Make friends with your local farmer. The additional cost is minimal and can be very low when buying in bulk.