This week, my family had to say goodbye to a very dear friend. We had Cleo (bottom picture) in our lives for almost 13 years, to the day. While not a particularly sweet cat, she was loyal and a good companion. It's been a very difficult week, and I keep trying to remind myself that cats live this long (short, I think) because they truly are companions. Cats have been used as companions (and mousers!) since the ancient Egyptians. My cat, Loretta (top picture), was adopted for this very reason. I love old houses. I also love cats. It seems that these two loves come hand in hand. In the first old house that I rented, I had a mouse problem. Though I have recently upgraded to a nicer apartment, I realized (to my chagrin) that I still have a mouse problem. Loretta, my cat, has been on hot pursuit, and my hope is that she will scare the mouse away.
I got the cat because I don't like the ethics of mousetraps or poison. Don't get me wrong, I have purchased and used mousetraps, and I'd rather have a dead mouse than a mouse running rampant. Preferably, I'd like to have a terrified mouse that isn't coming back into my house. I see the use of a cat, however, as being a little more natural. Also, because I adopted my cat from the animal shelter, it meant one less cat would face euthanasia. So the moral of that is: adopting pets is good. Spaying and neutering is good, too.
This also reflects my beliefs about food and factory farming. I eat meat. I love barbeque. Sausage biscuits are probably the greatest breakfast foods possible. What I do not love, though, is the way that we abuse animals so that we can overproduce them. We simply do not need as much meat as we are consuming, and what's more, that same high amount of meat is detrimental for our health. So, the moral of that is: buy meat from ethical, free range, non-antibiotic using farms. This is more expensive, yes. So, buy less of it! Supplement your diet with meat substitutes, nuts, beans, and tofu for your protein. This is a good way to cut down on your cholesterol and also increase your fiber consumption.
The previous recipe for possum also is a reflection of this belief, albeit not quite a serious one. Well actually, I am sure people have used that recipe seriously - that recipe is based on several from cookbooks, particularly those dating back to the early and mid twentieth century. In those days, particularly before the baby boom, Americans didn't depend on factory farming. (Check out this book for more information.)
So, what this blog aims to do is to explore ethical farming and the delicious cooking that can come from the products of ethical farming.
Indeed, Cleo was a good and faithful cat. I miss her when I park the car,glance up at the kitchen window, and see only her empty perch. I miss her when I scoot in the door to put my grocery bags down, kicking the door shut behind me to prevent her escape, only to realize that I don't need to do that anymore. I miss her when I work the crossword puzzle and don't have to shoo her off of it. I miss her when I read in the sunroom and no one curls up on my lamp to pat my tummy. I miss her when I go to bed and can freely move my feet without fear of knocking her off the bed. I miss her at sunrise when she is not waiting to purr in my ear that it's time to get up. I just miss her.
ReplyDeleteMom - you were the best possible owner that Cleo could have had. Isn't it funny how most of the things you miss are the things we often considered negative? I will never forget being able to hold her in one hand, or the time she crawled under the storage shed and wouldn't come out, and the time she endeavored to keep us safe by holding vigil over the possums. I would like to think though, that she has perhaps found Rosie on the other side, and is chasing her tail as we speak.
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