Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary
This is a local Farm Sanctuary that I am in complete love with. Doing a working visit (volunteer day) is like a mini vacation for me and a great work out to boot. I will add a link to their page (once I figure out how), and I'll tell you about my experiences and share images from my visits. And just to make it interesting, lets throw in the peaceful demonstration I did as a bucket list item.
Marine Land Animal Defense (MAD) Peaceful Demonstration
I'd always wanted to attend a protest of some kind, but figured I would never have the resources or the courage to do so. Then one day I was invited to go along to Marine Land in Niagra Falls, Canada and tell them what we thought of using animals for live entertainment. It was decent enough.
I started out really super nervous, but luckily the guy I was riding with was chatty enough that I didn't have the pressure of what to say during the ride. It's pretty far from here (2-3 hours) and I had never met any of these people before. I quickly learned that while we shared views on things like religion, we shared completely views in our compassionate lifestyles. Soon we picked up another lady that had been going to Taiji, Japan in an attempt to make peace for the dolphins slaughtered there every year (check the documentary "The Cove" for more). I was really excited to meet her. But they were both vegetarian! We stopped at Tim Hortons for a break, and I got a water while they got coffee and ice caps. I was pretty frustrated by this point, listening to them discuss saving these beautiful oceanic creatures while drinking the cream made from the suffering of land creatures. When we got there and met up with the rest of our group, I learned that I was (surprisingly) the only vegan there.
They pointed out the sign to me that reads something similar to "Protesting ahead, please do not stop." We stood in our given boundaries, grabbed some signs and held them up for nearby traffic to see. Some people would honk in anger, others in support. Really ignorant people would should things like "Get a Job!" (Uhmm, it's Sunday..?) and two Sea Shephard supporters came by on their motorcycles to show how they felt. A few locals came around on bicycles, and were able to drive up and down the road infront of the cars to slow them down long enough that they had to read what our hearts and signs were saying.
It wasn't a blast, infact it was really super boring. To stand there holding a sign hour after hour and not know anybody, in the same patch of grass on the same road, watching car after van after truck after car drive by. But I'm glad that I went, because it felt good to be doing something active around (somewhat) like-minded people and having the chance to meet new characters.
Afterwards we stopped at a diner, where I was turned off my salad by the different cheese smells radiating from my protesting companions plates. A pregnant vegan really does not want to be smelling such things while she is trying to eat - or at all. But I kept my mouth shut in order to keep the peace. After all, we were all there for the same end result. To stop Marine Land from housing whales in fish bowls and using them to perform tricks like a circus.
I started out really super nervous, but luckily the guy I was riding with was chatty enough that I didn't have the pressure of what to say during the ride. It's pretty far from here (2-3 hours) and I had never met any of these people before. I quickly learned that while we shared views on things like religion, we shared completely views in our compassionate lifestyles. Soon we picked up another lady that had been going to Taiji, Japan in an attempt to make peace for the dolphins slaughtered there every year (check the documentary "The Cove" for more). I was really excited to meet her. But they were both vegetarian! We stopped at Tim Hortons for a break, and I got a water while they got coffee and ice caps. I was pretty frustrated by this point, listening to them discuss saving these beautiful oceanic creatures while drinking the cream made from the suffering of land creatures. When we got there and met up with the rest of our group, I learned that I was (surprisingly) the only vegan there.
They pointed out the sign to me that reads something similar to "Protesting ahead, please do not stop." We stood in our given boundaries, grabbed some signs and held them up for nearby traffic to see. Some people would honk in anger, others in support. Really ignorant people would should things like "Get a Job!" (Uhmm, it's Sunday..?) and two Sea Shephard supporters came by on their motorcycles to show how they felt. A few locals came around on bicycles, and were able to drive up and down the road infront of the cars to slow them down long enough that they had to read what our hearts and signs were saying.
It wasn't a blast, infact it was really super boring. To stand there holding a sign hour after hour and not know anybody, in the same patch of grass on the same road, watching car after van after truck after car drive by. But I'm glad that I went, because it felt good to be doing something active around (somewhat) like-minded people and having the chance to meet new characters.
Afterwards we stopped at a diner, where I was turned off my salad by the different cheese smells radiating from my protesting companions plates. A pregnant vegan really does not want to be smelling such things while she is trying to eat - or at all. But I kept my mouth shut in order to keep the peace. After all, we were all there for the same end result. To stop Marine Land from housing whales in fish bowls and using them to perform tricks like a circus.
