Dixon ...a male calf at Farm Sanctuary ...

 I know you will delight in seeing this short video of Dixon, at Farm Sanctuary.   Enjoy!  Share with others!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA-rPS5KoFU&feature=youtu.be


 

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.

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 !

  

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.

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.

“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 :)

Ruby, The Horse Who Captured My Heart --

Yes, I will tell you about her. Also, I want to tell you about a wonderful local organization that rescues and rehabilitates neglected and abused horses. It was my major pleasure to visit their facility this past Saturday, which was their monthly adoption and visiting day. First, though, I’ll preface the details of what brought me there at that particular moment in time, with a bit of background.

One of the very noticeable phases the teenage girls of my time experienced was a strong interest in horses. I remember well the excitement of my high school girlfriends about "going horse-back riding" one or more times a week; I remember their descriptions of horses and I remember the sincerity of their passion about horses. I’m thinking that maybe the interest young women have in horses transcends generations and was not specific to the days of my youth. Anyway, those years, for me, were a time of dealing with survival issues, so I was not able to become involved with or think about horses then. Later on (years later), I became a strong animal advocate and have remained so, over the years, working on behalf of marine, farm, wild, and companion animals (dogs & cats). In fact, humane education and animal advocacy are a big part of my identity. But I never championed horses ... not until now.

A couple of years ago, I began writing legislative letters, urging enactment of laws to protect American wild horses and horses in general, from being sent to slaughterhouses. Eventually, a law was passed to ban horse slaughter in the U.S., though these magnificent animals are now shipped, under horrendous conditions, across Canadian and Mexican borders, to be killed there for European and Asian "delicacy" markets. Please read some of my earlier posts that urge letter-writing to legislators to protect our horses from this cruel fate.

Well, that’s enough preface. About two months ago, I was flooded with a deep, spiritual desire to make the acquaintance of horses in a hands-on way, no small wish for someone whose horse experience was limited to feeding Jake, the milk wagon horse, an occasional sugar cube when I was a tiny tyke ... and on one occasion, having a "pony ride" on a poor, patient horse at an amusement park when I was nine years old. As an aside (you know I frequently do asides), Jake faithfully toted his milk wagon around town for daily deliveries and would, occasionally, get disgusted with his toting job and just begin running wild, all over the place, until he either became tired or felt satisfied – with his wagon driver hanging on for dear life.

Anyway, my recent desire to get to know horses led me to Horse Haven of Tennessee. I was welcomed there by Nina, who founded and heads the effort there. A number of capable, cheerful volunteers were on hand and three of them tutored me on various things I needed to know. I took it all in. Remembering my few up-front meetings with Jake (and the driver’s instructions to "hold your hand flat") I asked if I could feed a treat carrot to a horse. Most of the horses were outside, but two were still in the barn. I felt drawn to one of them, softly called to her, and she responded by affectionately nuzzling my neck and then kissing the side of my face, much like Dixie (my dog) often does. So I held a carrot on one of my very "flattened" piano-playing hands and darling Ruby gently and carefully took the treat, and then another, and then another. I fell totally in love with this wonderful horse. On my drive home, the hauntingly beautiful song "Ruby" (from the 50s or 60s) floated into my head and I've played it on the piano many times since. Ruby is available for adoption, as are several other nice horses at Horse Haven.

Horse Haven needs financial contributions to help with the costs of caring for the horses who are there and with the expenses involved with rescuing others. Check out the HHT website at www.horsehavenoftn.com. to read their news and see the horses. You will love it!