Vegan At Heart

Hi all -
Just a quick plug for a really awesome website that I heard about from the fabulous Jasmin Singer of Farm Sanctuary. I signed up for this right away:

Vegan at Heart is a free e-mail coaching program for people who are vegan at heart but not necessarily in practice. It’s for idealists and animal-lovers and treehuggers and health nuts and everybody in-between who wants to incorporate more compassionate, healthy, sustainable habits into their daily lives but who need a little more info, a little moral support, or just a little friendly kick in the pants.

http://www.kindgreenplanet.org/programs/veganatheart/welcome/

AWESOME, right?? Who doesn't need a little extra help sometimes? I know that I do, although lately I think I've been doing much better. Since my last hideous falling off the wagon cheese binge, which involved a plate of macaroni and cheese big enough for 3 people, a quesadilla, stomach pains that made me cry, and a little silent prayer of apologies to the cows, I think I am back on track.

So check out Vegan at Heart with me and let's do something for the world and for animals.

Love, Starling

hail, hail zoop.

me and zoop, friends forever
Originally uploaded by The Starling Tattoo

zoop is gone.

i am six months a veg*n today, thanks to john darnielle, this beautiful goat in the photo, and farm sanctuary.

i didn't know she was gone until someone posted it on the mountain goats forums. she is greatly missed.

i was just telling one of the kids i work with about her, a sad and damaged, silenced child who is caught in a custody battle and probably identifies greatly with caged and hurt animals, and i told her a story about zoop the three legged goat with a prosthetic who can pose and prance and make people love her.

my kiddo was wide eyed. her eyes sparkled for the first time since i've started meeting with her and she half whispered, "i'd sure like to see a goat like that someday."

i told her i'd bring in pictures for her sometime, of zoop.
she said, "really? you really have them? i sure want to see a goat like that."

hail, zoop, you brought light to the eyes of even children you never met.

so much love.
rest in peace, beautiful spirit.