throwing in the towel on veganism

I couldn't hack it.  What's more, I didn't want to.  I still wanted to go on with the challenge aspect, but I was tired of stressing out over what I could or couldn't eat, especially when it came to where I could eat, and with whom.  I found myself making exception after exception (I had sushi three times, for instance), and I wasn't even fully dairy-free at home until two weeks after lent began when I finally finished an enormous tub of yogurt.  But through the experience I came to clearly understand that I am much more interested in eating locally, supporting the farmer's market and my CSA, and the locally raised chickens, wild salmon and mammals.  Someday I hope to raise and forage for the things I eat, but for now, I'll just have to work with my little garden and the fresh veggies and fruit it provides.

broccoli in the cold frame

I saw a bumper sticker as I biked around Portland yesterday that read "Think Before You Eat".  I don't know the agenda of the bumper sticker maker (could be PETA, could be Jenny Craig), but the way I interpret the statement, it means to be mindful of where my food came from, who grew and harvested it, and not limit by some arbitrary food classification what I will and won't eat.  I think it's better to eat eggs from a small Seattle area farm than bananas from South America, for instance.

in which I take after Benjamin Franklin

I have been known to plan my day out, hour by hour, just like Mr Franklin....

(image credit: http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/can-do/)

Now if I could just get the whole doing-good-all-the-time ball rolling (somehow, I don't think that organizing my yarn stash--much as it pleases me--counts towards worldly good).