Ruby Speaks ...

Rrf!  Hello Folks ... Ruby here!
Thank you for waiting so patiently for me to speak. Now that I have your attention, I hardly know where to begin :)  Look at my close-up picture for a few moments and you may think you see my lips moving :)

Yes, I have my service vest, after having visited doctors' offices and businesses around town for a while, I took the plunge and am service dog for Clara in a supportive way ... and also, in a general sense, for Gerald, who for some time now has not been able to walk more than a few steps even with his walker, but cannot use a wheelchair because it would be difficult to get someone to transfer him in and out of the chair due to his weight (a hefty medical person needs to bring a chair out to the car each time). So we have a car now in addition to Clara's truck. The car was originally bought to be a Rubymobile because it's hard for me to climb up and safely get down the step of the truck. But the Rubymobile also transports Gerald whenever he has an appointment. He requires considerable help in getting in and out of the car. Once at the appointment, he needs additional help and that's majorly where I come in. Everyone oohs and aahs and sort of reverently moves out of the way of our entourage as Clara, doctors, aides, and I help him to his destination.

Stepping back in time a few months, I was blessed at the Blessing Of The Animals service at Westside UU Church during October. It was a lovely service and Rev. Carol obviously enjoyed planning and conducting it.  

I'm now ten years old (January 1st) with a sketchy background and I look like the jet black German Shepherd that I am with some wolfy possibilities and colorations between my toes. I understand many words even when they are spelled (even spelled backwards) and when I growl it is the most fearsome, gutteral, baritone lyrical semi-howl sound. I only growl when I hear other dogs barking or yapping.

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Rev. Jenny at Borderland Tees in south Knoxville. Folks, if your organization wants awesome tee shirts at great prices, Borderland is the place to go. Rev. Jenny is a community pastor; she and her partner Bob have employed and assisted, with ongoing success, members of society who are on the fringes (borders) of society. I had a great time there being welcomed and petted :)

Now, I've held back this post until I could tell you something definite about Clara's new music video.  I love music and will stop whatever I'm doing, even if I'm napping, to come into Clara's music studio and sit right next to the amplifier.  She recently recorded two songs at Songwriters Recording Studio in Knoxville, with multi-talented William (Sandy) Garrett at the helm. One of the songs is a re-make of her original "Conversation". The other is an amazing, spellbinding (see I told you I know a lot of words) arrangement of the song from the '50s, "Only You"; it is featured on the video. There are special reasons that Clara chose to do this song and I am inwardly smiling as I think of what a beautiful, romantic song it is. HP Video of Knoxville is preparing the video and the YouTube link will be posted on this blog soon!

I am so enjoying this opportunity to write this guest post here and would like to remind everybody to please adopt a shelter animal. I was a shelter animal and so lucky that Clara walked in and saw me (I was depressed and wouldn't even look at her that day). She took a leap of faith and filled out the papers ... and here we are, the perfect match of human and canine :)    

Thank you for reading my guest post.
Ruby Dog
Rrf!

Clara's Eleven Imperatives ... aka Commandments, Requests

There are eleven instead of ten because  1) I want to avoid any hint of religiosity and 2) I like the number 11; I think it is auspicious. So here, in random order, are my Eleven Imperatives:

  1.    Show gratitude and give thanks to the Great Source of All/God/the Great Spirit/the Great Energy for life and all that is good.

  2.    Be compassionate and kind to all living beings.

  3.    Thank a tree (for oxygen, shade, beauty). Save a tree. Hug a tree if you’d like to. Trees like hugs and they are good listeners if you need someone to talk to.

  4.    Be loyal and kind to that special human with whom you are in love.

  5.    Become an environmental activist—Save honeybees, bumblebees, crickets, praying mantises, stink bugs (friendly), cicadas (friendly and attractive), beneficial lady bugs, and necessary earth worms (after a heavy rain, I often rescue those who get stranded on pavement and put them back in the grass). Do not let insecticide companies spray your yard with poison. Pick up and properly dispose of litter.

  6.    Become a humane activist—Save domestic animals (dogs, cats, horses) in our country where they are often neglected and intentionally hurt and in other parts of the world where they are raised in brutal circumstances to be eaten or otherwise exploited by humans. Appreciate and re-establish predator animals such as the majestic wolf to restore what humans have destroyed in Nature’s balance. Leave wild animals such as bears, horses, deer undisturbed in their natural habitat and do not harm or mistreat them. Help legislate for cows, pigs, sheep, chickens who are victims of a brutal industry and are not protected from cruelty by any laws. Consider switching to a diet that is largely plant-based.
 
  7.    Send vibes of civility out into the world. Love is the only way to conquer hate. Love is the ONLY antidote for hate.

  8.    Celebrate music, the true universal language. Even the planets sing as they spin and rotate in the heavens. Join in and play a musical instrument. Drum on a hand drum. Sing and give it your best effort. Tap your foot.  

  9.    Speak out for peace for our planet. Peace instead of war should be the motto.   

 10.   Do aerobic dancing every day. Dance, dance, dance! 

 11.   Meditate. Breathe deeply … inhale, exhale.  Do it unhurriedly.  Meditation can involve spoken prayer, silence, surrender to the will of the Universe, gratitude.

Important Stuff Of Many Colors !

Dear Readers,
I always do my writing and then add pictures, if any. This time it had to be done in reverse order, as I couldn't wait to see these photos on my screen :) They run the gamut in terms of feelings, importance, and you-name-it. Rather than do a bunch of individual posts to cover each topic, I think I'll sort of ravel on, putting each subject in a different color font and, of course, dividing up the paragraphs.
  
The first photo you'll see covers the space of a double column and I hope it is readable; in case not, I'll type the words here: "A white Rose to honor and hold in loving memory the dogs and all other animals who suffer and die torturous deaths by the hands of persons who are intentionally cruel. May civility and compassion for all beings enter the hearts of all humans"... Clara ... the Lady Wolf.

As an animal advocate and humane educator all of my adult life, I have known of many, many intentional cruelty and neglect cases foisted upon our fellow-beings, the animals. Each one is heart-breaking and sometimes justice is done. We learn of cases of starving horses, cruelties inflicted on farmed animals, and the killing off of wolves and other wildlife. Most frequently though, we hear of cases involving dogs -- man's best friend. And the catalyst for this post does/did involve dogs. About a year ago, I read a carefully documented investigative article that detailed a horrifying, violent, protracted death inflicted on a docile small collie dog and other dogs who had been waiting to be reclaimed by their owners at the dog pound in a small town in Texas.  The crime was, in essence a "fun" exercise, carried out at the city garbage dump where no one would see or hear the activities and the dog's cries. The perpetrator was/is an employee of a branch of the federal government; this particular man and his "trainees" were referred to as a "rogue" agency because it basically has little or no accountability, although it is under the umbrella of the Department of the Interior. What he did I would like to be asked about by media, in whom I could confide. For months I wrote to and called various animal help groups in the hopes that someone would raise this issue within the government realm and prosecute the guilty.That did not happen. So I mourned in silence and my health declined. I also realized that talking about it could put me in jeopardy, but I would like to talk with sincerely interested media and advocacy groups.  

Very recently I decided to place a beautifully-shaped boulder and the sign bearing a white rose, to honor the little collie and other animals who fall into cruel hands. Here is something we all can do:  Please tell others about the need for civility ... and compassion for all living beings.

Ruby, my dog adopted in late May of last year, just celebrated her ninth birthday on January 1st. She's a wonderful girl and I am blessed to have her. She has a huge understanding of the English vocabulary, so I often need to spell words, especially about going "out in the car" which she loves.  Some words I need to spell backward; "car" becomes "rac", for example.  

For the past eight or so weeks, I've been doing my own aerobics routine in the sitting room where my stereo is located. I raised the chandelier so it's out of my way. I did it because I was being overtaken by some kind of arthritis, from toes to knees to hips, even a couple of my fingers.  I take anti-inflammatory supplements, and for a while was relying sometimes on WD-40 (which does clear up a balky joint just as it would a rusty hinge). My motto is "whatever works". My range of motion has increased greatly; my pain is rarely thought about, but I know I need to regularly work those joints. I was always one for aerobics, so I know the routines. I'd recommend it for arthritis ... just start off slow and gradually increase the level of vigor. I've always loved to dance, so this is the best medicine (besides my supplements) for me.  Maybe for you too?     

My new CD "Early In The Morning" is here; contact me for it ... also I have a few copies of the previous one "Fantastik" !
As my readers know, I'm a songwriter, musician, singer, and piano teacher. Life needs music!  (865) 659-5383. You'll see my truck is shakin' his tail feathers with new tail-gate decals.

Our weather is majorly doing flip-flops; our political environment is turbulent. Let's hope our planet's health, the well-being of humans and our fellow beings will be salvaged. Let's hope for peace. Peace is cool; war isn't. Let's all meditate on peace, civility, compassion, and clear heads.       

Blessings and peace to all ...
Amen.

Questioning Our Values … and much more

Our  country is and has been very divided and the corruption in politics has been shown to have been running rampant for quite a while. Some of the questions that come to mind might be: What are our values and priorities? Can and will our government reduce the reality of the wealthiest 1% elite financial system? Can we lower the volume on considering ourselves (and boasting that we are) the top-dog of all nations?  Do we regret the fruits of starting wars for nefarious or unsubstantiated reasons?  Do we believe government and corporations should not have the right to trample on the lands and rights of citizens?  Will our infrastructure be fixed? Should citizens know what's going on within federal agencies such as FDA, CIA, Dept. of Interior's Wildlife Dept. and others that have serious shadows via rogue factions in some of their activities?  I'm just tip-toeing through the tangled mess of issues that I've become aware of.

We have a new president now and he and the congress have a mammoth job ahead of them in working toward unifying and fixing so many facets of our country. I believe the time has come for each one of us, as citizens, to abandon hate, political violence, corporate greed, bullying, unaccountability, and anything else that could invite negative energies and destructive actions. It's time to let the dust settle and then for government and citizens to adopt an attitude of ethics and peace.

As a nation, we need to seek and legislate for solutions that will be helpful to middle-class American citizens who are in an economic, healthcare, and employment squeeze-play. Also as a nation, we need to seek and legislate for what will be positive solutions for Planet Earth's well-being.

Worldwide, a peaceful human co-existence is the only way for our planet and all of its people and interconnected life forms to survive. Most Americans are nice people ... and most people in other nations are nice people. I'm asking us to put aside residual and/or unclear thoughts about other established countries and their perceived positions as friends or enemies. Rather, consider that most of them are very much like us under the skin. Peaceful discussion is always a good idea. Even people in war-torn areas and suppressed nations have feelings like we would have if we were in their situations.

Also, please consider the birds flying in the sky, our wonderful fellow creatures THE ANIMALS who DO NOT have a vote in human politics, NATURE'S SUPREME ARTWORK the flowers, adorable bumble bees, butterflies and honey bees currently being wiped out by insecticides, THE TREES who give us shade and beauty and who supply us with oxygen so we (even asthmatics like me) can breathe, the wondrous beauties of nature on Earth. Consider the CHILDREN. Should all THE INNOCENTS I've just mentioned suffer and be annihilated because of our behaviors, political gestures, and choices? Better to choose a compassionate, ethical course of interactions ... so that life at a cellular level can have a chance to survive and so that our planet will never be made devoid of life. Whether the  human race evolves or devolves, depends on the choices our human species will make now. There is a whole lot riding on our planet's big picture. We each and collectively can heal ourselves and our world if we really want to. If we really, really want to.

Please check out my Healing The Earth Family blog and listen to the song that is included called 'I Love All The Voices"; it is at http://healingtheearthfamily.blogspot.com.  

Animal Ministry Blog ...

Recently, I put together a fairly comprehensive list of organizations that rescue, protect, rehabilitate, and otherwise do very good things on behalf of our friends, the animals.  It is called Animal Ministry and/or Clara's Animal Ministry Resource.

The list is in random order and the blog itself contains wonderful pictures of animals very worthy of a look, along with my captions :)  This is a serious list and the intent of the blog is to provide information resources to people who are or would like to become advocates for animals and our environment.  I put it in blog format for several reasons:  1) I don't need to pay for domain name and space, 2) I'm familiar with blog format and design so I didn't need to learn anything new, and 3) people can send comments, stories, quotes, etc.

I hope you will check it out.  The link is http://animalministry.blogspot.com.

C'mon Spring !

Spring is on the way ... the daylight hours are getting longer :)  Trees are going through their annual state of confusion which they show by alternating the swelling of their buds with their holding-back syndrome.  Melodies float through my mind more copiously than in winter.  A huge flock of robins landed in my yard day before yesterday (I think they fled New England's recent weather) and they were visibly and audibly happy that there is no snow on the ground here in Knoxville!  My daffodils are up about three inches.  The sun is at that cusp-of-spring angle :)  The moon was beautifully full recently in Leo (it's always full in the sign directly across from where the sun is located ... and the sun has been in Aquarius).   

Life blossoms and renews in Spring and, perhaps on that note, I've created a blog entitled Clara's Animal Ministry Resource; it is at http://www.animalministry.blogspot.com.  Hope my readers will visit CAMR; it has nice animal pictures, some lovely profound quotes, and information about stellar animal advocacy people.

Happy Pre-Spring !

  

"Happy Howlidays" ! news flash ...

Dear Readers:

Celebrate with the Lady Wolf (yours truly) about this wonderful news from Howling For Wolves, the hard-working organization in Minnesota.  Below is the article they published in its entirety.

The news relates to the wolves being re-listed on the Endangered Species List with the status as threatened. This means the wolf "hunts" are officially stopped; wolves are saved from the many barbaric kinds of destruction that were being inflicted upon them. Here is Howling for Wolves' announcement and news release. For more information, please go to their website at http://www.howlingforwolves.org; their mailing address is: Howling For Wolves, P.O. Box 4099, Hopkins, MN 55343.

"Happy Howlidays -- Rejoice! May your hearts be filled with peace this holiday season knowing that together we made a difference for the Minnesota wolf, and potentially generations of wolves to come. Have a joyful holiday season in the company of your pack, wherever they may be. Gratefully, Howling For Wolves

A Season to Celebrate --

All wolf hunting has been stopped indefinitely – and you helped make it happen.We’re thrilled to announce that Minnesota wolves (and the entire Great Lakes Wolf population) are re-listed on the Endangered Species List with the status as "threatened".

Thank you to our volunteers and supporters for their tireless efforts over the past years to protect Minnesota’s wolves from senseless killing.

Thank you to the Humane Society of the United States, who filed and won the federal lawsuit when many thought it impossible.

And, most importantly, thank you to Honorable Judge Howell, who truly heard our howls, honored our efforts and gave our wolves the shelter of the Endangered Species Act.

Keep Howling with #LiveAndLetHowl --

Our work is not yet done. We need to promote compassion for and spread understanding of these misunderstood and magnificent animals. We need to keep howling.

Wolves are an infinite source of inspiration and each of us has our own reason for celebrating them – in this spirit we are proud to launch our #LiveAndLetHowl campaign.

Share your wolf-inspired words and art with the world – it can be as simple as a short video of your best howl, or it can be a poem, a drawing, a song, or other creation. Learn about the campaign and submit your work here. And don’t forget to post it on your favorite social media site with the #LiveAndLetHowl tag.

Get inspired: See what people just like you have already submitted here."

Yay !!!

Love & the Earth Family --

Well, if there is anything that can upstage Fear and its consequences, it would be Love.  And I'd like to tell you about the program I've recently created to promote love ... the altruistic kind (although I'm a fan of the personal format too).  

Love & the Earth Family is a free program for organizations, clubs, and groups.  It's designed for adults, but I also have a version for kids.  The presentation promotes kindness, respect, outreach, and love ... for ourselves and all creatures, all beings. Included are the speaker (that would be me), print handouts, a beautiful film, and inspiring music.  I'll be offering this locally and regionally (Knoxville, TN area).  Why am I doing this?  I think my answer to that would be that I'm doing it out of a sense of personal gratitude.  For more info, please contact me at claralandau@yahoo.com. 

   

Ode To Harmony--Much More Than A Song

The harmony of the spheres and as above, so below.
Hear my Ode To Harmony lyric set to music on the song page of my website at www.claralandau.com. Copyright 2010 Clara Landau.

Spirit, spirit, spirit sings. Clears my mind of noisy things.
Gone now, clashings, Fears can cease.
Welcome, welcome ... sweet, sweet peace.

With compassion I will try, To ease the pain of those who cry.
When some wrongness, harm I see,
I won't turn away, uncaringly.

Make it right, I'll try my best, Til it's right I cannot rest.
Make it right, I'll do my best,
In the doing, I am blest.

Love can blossom like a flower ... Fill us with an awesome power!

Freedom, freedom, freedom rings! Spirit, spirit, spirit sings!
Wondrous harmonies release ...
Each and all to sweet, sweet peace.

My vision: A world in which the people of all races, faiths, and demographics and the animals of all species (flying, crawling, running, walking, swimming, slithering, galloping, hopping), all the flora and fauna of Nature and Creation ... will live according to the divine truism that we are all part of each other, connected at a cellular level. In the beauty of that light, we would/could/will find that love, compassion, cooperation, and respect can sustain and protect us (all).

Websites To Click On To Help Animals --

I've discovered an additional and important one. It is at www.therainforestsite.com. Go there and click (it's free) to help save the rainforest and its animals.

The others are: (to help shelter animals) www.theanimalrescuesite.com and www.freekibble.com (which donates pet food to shelter dogs and cats).

I've added these three websites to my "favorites" and click on them every day. Free Kibble has interesting little animal quiz questions that are fun.

In Or Out Of Character –

Lady Wolf’s Notes blog is finding my recent animal and environmental advocacy mini-series to be a hard act to follow. If you haven’t read the series posts, I hope you will. I know they temporarily changed the character of the blog somewhat, but for a good and needed cause. For those of you interested, I have scripted a church sermon (yep, I knew that day would come) and hope to have the opportunity to present it before the end of this year. Without giving away the title or key information about it prematurely, I can tell you that it is cleverly crafted around one of the principles of the UU church (and I hope of many other churches, as well) and speaks to the need of real-life advocacy for our environment – and all of Earth’s inhabitants.

Going Veg or Semi-Veg –

When I became a vegetarian, back in 1980, it wasn’t a popular thing to do and I took a lot of criticism. I went veg because someone pointed out to me that if I really love animals, why would I eat them? I realized that it was a valid question and that it had first occurred to me back when I was about five years old. All those years ago, standing in Grandma’s kitchen, I’d asked my mother why we would want to eat animals and she had replied "Oh, they know we will eat them and they are happy to be of help", but I remember that I’d had my doubts about that even then.
I stopped eating red meat in 1980 and have not touched it since. A few years later, I stopped eating fowl. For many years, I went completely veg and opted out of dairy and fish. Now, 30 years after my initial decision, I mindfully allow myself some dairy, an occasional serving of farmed fish or turkey, for protein.

My reasons for eating low on the food chain include my desire to lesson the suffering of so-called food animals (who have nervous systems very similar to ours), to lessen the destruction of the land, caused by modern agri-business and factory farming methods, and to enhance my own health and well-being.

Some vegetarians (including me, at times) find that taking a B-12 supplement is beneficial. Morningstar’s veggie-based foods, found in the freezer section of grocery stores, taste great and offer variety and authentic-tasting products in "burgers", "sausage", and "chicken" to prepare at home. Also, most Burger Kings' drive-throughs have a great-tasting veggie-burger. Going veg or deciding to eat less meat can be a liberating and money-saving idea.

What Is Sporting? –

Wildlife animals are killed for sport. These include deer, squirrels, elk, bears, and others. Let's take a closer look at this: 1) being shot hurts (I know because I was shot and it really hurt, 2) hunters shoot the biggest and best-looking animals which weakens the herd and gene pool of that species, 3) in a real sport, both participants are willing and they are sort of even in their skills ... but hunters have high-tech equipment and many advantages over animals ... and animals are not willing participants, 4) those species whose numbers are said to be increasing too much are doing so because people have unbalanced the environment by killing off the animal’s natural predators ... so a control solution would be to restore nature’s balance and not tamper with or destroy habitat, 5) there is something ethically wrong about inflicting needless bloodshed and suffering. I have a booklet called "Think Like The Animal", written by Norm Phelps, a hunter who had a change of heart and perspective. I'm thinking now of a poignant quote -- "The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest"—Henry David Thoreau.

How precious it is to see wildlife animals, in wild places ... living. Let's save what there is left of the natural world. And there are a lot of good things to be said about compassion, starting with these two: It puts us in sync with other people and the rest of earth's creatures. It's definitely a quality that makes a person more attractive and magnetic.

Poignant News –

Seeing the news photo of the Millwood Road animal shelter (humane society) building destroyed by today’s flames, brings back a flood of memories to me (and I’m sure to many others, too). For 13 years I was associated with the humane society ... for the first three years as a hands-on volunteer (walking dogs and cleaning their cages) and then as education director, traveling with my program to schools and organizations throughout Knox and contiguous counties. I kept doing it because I wanted to save animals’ lives by promoting responsible pet ownership and spay/neuter. I did bring the message to hundreds of classrooms, youth organizations, and civic groups until my job was eliminated in early 2004.

Thousands of animals came through the doors of that old building each year. The lucky minority were adopted ... the rest were dispatched when their time was up – or sooner if they were "owner surrendered". Of all the situations there that broke my heart, it was the suffering of the house-trained adult dogs, who were in the top tier of the old cement cages, that was the saddest; they had no access to the outdoors. I still see images of them and their distress, in my mind’s eye.

The news photo shows the large holly tree as it still stands next to the building, a silent witness to so much. The news article says that an arson investigator has been called in.

Employees had sometimes talked among themselves about "seeing" animals who were no longer there, moving about in the euthanasia room; the employees concluded that it must be an "energy field". I never went inside that room.

So, goodbye to the corridors and rooms where lives were extinguished, and the spirits of many, many animals roamed. The news article says that the fire left only the outer walls of the building remaining.

The 21 Polo Ponies --

Bless those dear, innocent animals. I've looked in the mainstream news for updates; the absence is very noticeable. Media sources, last Sunday, promised that conclusive test results would be available by week's end. Well, I guess that's tomorrow. I remember thinking, at the time, that a week gives a time and strategy buffer to whoever is responsible for poisoning the horses. A web search today found a report that says no cause of death has been determined, although blood was in the horses' lungs. Further, the report said that a Florida pharmacy made a mistake in the horses' medication. It also said that no ingredients were made public. My first question is: Was this really medication (if so, for what?) or was it a steroid or pain-numbing drug? My second question is: Why isn't this story still "news"? I hope the outcome will not be squelched or convoluted in a cover-up. Accountability is needed. Truth is needed.

U.S. Wolves & the Endangered Species List –

Here is a copy of my letter, recently postal-mailed to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. My letter seeks to keep the wolf protected, as ranchers already have the legal right to kill any wolf who may bother said rancher’s cattle. Please note that our Secretary of the Interior is a senator from Colorado, where there is significant special interest effort to lobby against the wolf. I sent a similar letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to overturn the Salazar decision. If you would like to protect the wolves from widespread and indiscriminate destruction (including pups and expectant mothers), please consider writing on their behalf.

Here is my letter:

Secretary Ken Salazar
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Salazar:

In order to avoid a disastrous and barbaric mass destruction of U.S. wolves, please withdraw the plan to remove the protected status from this historically persecuted animal. Please conduct the rigorous kind of scientific review that President Obama has championed on other environmental and ethical issues in the past, rather than implementing the Bush-administration’s concept of wolf-killing, sadly so typical of that administration’s catering to special-interest lobbyists and of the smorgasbord of colossal damage for which it is responsible.

I well remember the sincerity, care, and insight with which President Obama voted on environmental and humane legislation while he was in the Senate. I am aware that our country is currently trying to solve a myriad of major problems – problems largely created by the previous administration – but we must not take our eyes off other important situations, such as the survival of the U.S. wolf. The last time wolves lost their protection, 110 of them were riddled with bullets within 120 days. I implore you to preserve what we still have left of our country’s environmental and natural heritage.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Clara M. Landau, Ph.D.

“Requiem For Animals” – Gift Offering

"Requiem For Animals" is my new classical music piece that I am offering to non-profit animal advocacy organizations as a gift. Use it as a film score, education tool, documentary background. Hear it on my website, which will soon be moved to www.claralandau.com on the link entitled "Passion & Compassion". If you like what you hear and want a CD of the song, contact me and I’ll send you one, absolutely free.

The Tragedy In Australia –

So sad that the people and animals in Victoria State, Australia have been devastated by recent wildfires. Following what must have been a truly hellish scene, the coming together, interaction, and compassion among people and between species, is the one precious and beautiful positive to surface in the aftermath.

“Requiem For Animals” –

Five score sheets written in my brand of musical shorthand on pink note paper mounted on taped-together cereal box panels, are the original notation mode of my classical piece, "Requiem For Animals". The piano piece (which will easily and beautifully lend itself to full orchestration) drifted into the creative side of my head during late December and early January. Honoring the lives of animals, it is comprised of several interwoven segments that tell a story ... and characterize states of being and consciousness, from the perspective of an animal. The musical drama attempts to portray the moment of birth, early life in the natural environment, the advent of danger (by way of man), death, the following quietude, the re-awakening, the celebration of life in the cosmos.

I would love to have a humanitarian organization use this musical piece for a documentary, film score, or fundraising effort. It will be my gift. That was my intent from the moment of its conception.

Please Take A Moment –

Here are some sites you’ll want to visit if you care about animals –


Voice Of The Animal (education)
http://www.voiceoftheanimal.org

Wolf Haven International
http://www.wolfhaven.org

The Golden Carrot (horse rescue and retirement)
http://www.thegoldencarrot.org

Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue
http://www.midatlantichorserescue.org

Higher Ground (animal advocacy)
http://www.higherground-animaladvocacy.org

S.A.V.E. (education)
http://www.savinganimalsviaeducation.org

Last Chance For Animals
http://www.lcanimal.org

In Defense Of Animals
http://www.idausa.org

Horse Haven Of Tennessee
http://www.horsehavenoftn.com/

American Anti-Vivisection Society
http://www.aavs.org

Justice For Shadow
http://www.justiceforshadow.com

International Aid For Korean Animals
http://www.koreananimals.org

Defenders Of Wildlife
http://www.defenders.org


Thank you for caring :)