Less-Adoptable Animals

August 12th was Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day. Petfinder states that there are certain animals that don't readily get adopted, with older animals topping that list. Our friends Ellen and Larry adopted two older dogs (one at a time) and so did Shirin's friend Lisa. Other types of animals that are less likely to be adopted are black dogs :-( FIV+ cats :-( and special needs pets :-(

It's funny, but as cute as kittens and puppies are they are so crazy and destructive! There is no question in my mind that when the time comes to adopt another cat (not soon) I will want an older cat who has aged like a fine wine and just wants to hang out.

In Case You're Interested...

PCRM stands for Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit organization consisting of doctors, registered dieticians, and scientists whose purpose is to conduct and report on legitimate scientific research related to human health and wellness. The following is reprinted from PCRM's online newsletter.

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Too Lazy To Have Fun

I came upon Lupe staring intently down to the first floor, like a tiger in a tree looking down on its prey. What could she be looking at?

Ah, prey indeed...

... Banu.

Layli, who doesn't want to miss out on anything, comes to watch the brawl, the fur fly, the competition between two wild cats on the loose.

She too stares down at the contender... only it looks like Banu has decided to play it safe and has settled down comfortably.

The tension is entirely too much and Lupe fakes a yawn...

... wait... what the? Lupe is falling asleep.

Sorry folks. No brawl today, just three lazy cats.

American v.s. Persian

If you're looking for something political you'll have to go elsewhere. This is about limes.

I have things in my pantry and refrigerator that most Americans would be unable to recognize. Let me use the lime as an example. What you see in the first picture is not limes going bad but limes going good! There is a seasoning called leemoo amooni that I've seen only in Persian cooking. Basically it's a dehydrated lime. The flavor it imparts to the food, usually a stew, is exquisite. There's nothing like it.

It's actually very easy to make as you see below. Set your lime in the sun and watch it turn into a thing of magnificence.

American:
Hey Hon - are you making salsa?

Persian:
Azizam - vill you make sharbat?




A: Hey Hon - I think this lime has had it.

P: Azizam - Pass me tat lime to esqveeze on top of tis fish.





A: Hey Hon - Is this a lime or a lemon?

P: Azizam - Are you saving tis to make leemoo amooni?





A: Hey Hon - When are you going to throw this thing away?

P: Ooo Azizam! Tat is estarting to look vonderful!





A: Jeez girl! Something's died in our fridge.

P: Ohh Azizeh-dellam! Dat looks so good. Ven is dinner?

If you don't want to "make" them you can buy them by the bagful at any Persian store and some Arabic stores who stock Persian items.

Bah, Bah, Bah.
(translation: yummy, yummy, yummy)

So if you know any Persians, invite yourself for dinner. If not, let me know; I happen to know one personally!
;-)

It's About Respect

Has this ever happened to you? You read about someone doing something heroic and you wonder why you aren’t out there doing great things too? “Why can’t I do something like that?” We want to help … we want to help in big ways but we don’t know how and where to start. Even if you can figure out what to do it's tough to stay motivated in today's busy times.

Leaders in the field will often be the first to counsel that it’s not some big, grand scheme that effects change. It’s little, bit-by-bit, grassroots movements. It’s people like you and me, unknown and uncelebrated, who, time after time, bring about the societal change we all want to see.

It's no secret I love animals but this is not about love, it's about respect. So here are a few little things that you can do right here, right now, to help animals.

Trade up! If you have given up “red meat,” now’s the time to give up all meat. And if you’ve given up eating mammals but are still eating poultry, become an “all the way” vegetarian (and that includes fish). If you’re already vegetarian, go vegan. If you’re already vegan but are still supporting corporate America, go local and organic. Take a look at what you’re doing, and see what you can do better.


Leave a comment: Visit sites where animal stories are running and leave comments in support of animal rights. There are always stories about animals on the Internet and plenty of opportunities to educate other site visitors. Also, when you see animal stories in the newspaper, write a letter to the editor.


Adopt a classroom: Pick one teacher or one classroom and visit PETA’s TeachKind program to send the teacher a free (yes free!) curriculum kit, along with free (yes free!) lesson plans, posters, stickers, videos, and other resources. For little or no money, you can spread the good news about animal rights. Most children are still pure of heart and take easily to the message of kindness.


Ask for faux: Does your favorite Asian restaurant serve seitan or wheat gluten products? No? Why not ask them to? Lots of Asian restaurants serve wonderful entrées such as crispy orange “beef” and teriyaki “beef” kabobs using faux meats. Encourage others to do the same. At home one of our favorite dishes is spaghetti with Italian "sausage."


Post a poster: Order some posters about dogfighting, spaying and neutering, or banning the circus. You can put them up wherever you feel comfortable and where legal. Do the same with fliers.






Write the right: Companies know we are their bread and butter. If enough people demand compassionate products they may be motivated to provide them. Write to companies that still test on animals. Revlon has gone animal free but most standard toiletry and cosmetic companies have not. We need to let them know it matters and that we will spend our money on products free of animal testing and animal ingredients.


Feeling brave? Go to a protest. Protest Petland, KFC, the circus, or a roadside zoo. I shouldn't really suggest this as I haven't done it myself. I find that I'm fearful of confrontation. Respectful argumentation where you end with a smile and a handshake, fine. But putting myself physically out there? Eeeeeek! That doesn't mean I won't do it though. Change doesn't come without discomfort.


You don't have to love animals to do these things. Understanding that animals are living, feeling beings to be treated with respect and compassion is a very important element in empathy and respect for others. Those who are violent to animals rarely stop there. Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animals. Personally, though, I think animals have the right to a peaceful life for their own sakes. And since animals in the food, toiletries, and entertainment industries are at our mercy it's our responsibility to speak up.

MY Version Of The Weekend

It's interesting to see Shirin's blog of this weekend and mine. Totally different! She definitely focuses more on people, which is admittedly more interesting to most people, and I focus on pictures of animals and flowers.

Well, here's my favorite flower:

Can little Cyrus get down by himself? Not yet.

He still gets help from his Baba Saeed.

Or maybe the two-handed swoosh!

He is negotiating the stairs by himself now as long as there are railings.

Saeed is definitely in his element.

No, he's not licking the top step. He's peering down from a great height. (Well, it's a great height if you're only two feet tall.)

Cyrus just sort of took off. Fortunately Shirin has fast reflexes.

This playground is in Memorial Park. If you've ever been to Athens, GA you know that the bulldog reigns supreme (U of G mascot.) You will see painted bulldogs such as this all over town, each different.

There's a nice pond in Memorial Park. It had started to rain.

The shower stopped so we left for a nice (humid) walk.

These ducks didn't budge an inch so that we could pass. We carefully walked around them.

This little guy was in the pond.

Saeed and I enjoyed the beautiful flora and fauna.

Cyrus got out of the wagon to walk. He looks so small on that sidewalk!

The sidewalk goes around the pond, but we took the side-path to the Bear Hollow Nature Trail, a little natural zoo that's home to bobcats, bears, white-tailed deer, river otters, owls, and other species of wild animals. That one below is a wild one, but he didn't bite us.

Zoology 101

I think Cyrus was looking at the alligators.

Red-tailed hawks.

I think the sign said it was a red bear, but I doubt my memory because it looks like a black bear. Well, whatever it was, it was a sleeping bear.

Land tortoise.

Bald eagle.

Shirin said they (the UGA vet hospital) assisted in the transfer of this female alligator to this zoo.

I felt so bad that I took this owl's picture. I'm sure the camera flash disturbed it. I walked away saying over and over again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." It still bothers me that I did that. Stupid, stupid human.

Time for a water break.

On our way out of the park we came across Shirin's favorite flowers.

They are so bright they almost don't look real.

Cyrus looks back to make sure I'm not lost.

Back home, Cyrus helps his mom water the elephant ears.

Why take a picture of this plant? It's Shirin's basil plant. On her blog you can see that we ate from it when we had our Persian breakfast.

The next series of pictures show the seriousness of Cyrus' love of brooms and basins. Here you see him looking unhappily at Shirin because she's using his broom, the one he wants to use.

C'mon mom, give it to me.

Finally.

Checking it out to be sure she didn't mess anything up.

The happy boy!

Playing with Grandpa:


Dancing to the music (Please ignore Saeed and Gabriel's conversation)


Cyrus and his duckie (notice how he says duckie, sort of):


What a sweet lovey boy (I'm referring to Cyrus):


Remember this seahorse? (look at next video):