Of Oceans and Oil

Oil is still pouring into the Gulf and every day I see more and more photos of tormented, oil covered wildlife and my heart breaks a little bit more. The photos of the pelicans, soaked in oil and seemingly screaming drive me to rage which is quickly followed by sorrow.

We have desecrated our Ocean in a huge way. We're raping her habitats, coating them in crude oil and killing her children. Humanity is not unaffected by this travesty however, 11 people have died; countless others have lost their livelihoods or are about to. Even worse than that though, the Oceans are the life blood of our world. If we destroy them, we destroy ourselves. Minute organisms called phytoplankton make their homes in the seas. You may or may not have heard of these creatures, if you have you probably don't think about them. But you should. Scientists estimate that these ocean dwelling single cell organisms supply 50 - 85% of the world's oxygen. If that isn't magical enough for you, the oceans control our weather. Those clouds you enjoy on a sunny day? Thank the Ocean. The rain that helps our crops to grow and feed us? Thank our Ocean.

The next time someone tells you what's going on in the ocean doesn't effect them, tell them how the ocean provides at least half of the air they're breathing. Ask them if they want their children or grandchildren to grow up in a world without Sea Turtles or Right Whales. If they're the material type explain to them that some of our most popular food items contain kelp or algae. Do they enjoy peanut butter, soymilk... beer? They have the ocean to thank for those.

Chances are pretty good however, that if someone has this mindset they aren't going to care about anything you have to say anyway. Don't waste your energy being angry with them.. you can't teach those who are unwilling to learn. You can however, kick them in the shin. Or better yet, start a group of concerned citizens in your area, talk to council members about your communities recycling programs, drive your car less and get others to do the same. If it's one thing the self absorbed can't stand, it's us 'damn hippies'.

I've been wishing I could take off weeks from work and drive to the Gulf to help with rescue efforts, but my bills won't allow for unpaid time off from work. I'm not giving up on trying to help in other ways. If I can't be there is person, I can be there in spirit and I can make my voice heard. I've been tweeting like a fiend, talking to anyone who cares to listen about how they can help, keeping up to date with the news and donating what I can when I can. A lot of people are doing the same, some are calling for boycotts and others are calling for reforms and a change in the way we live. Personally, I'm firmly in the second camp. Boycotting BP won't stop other oil companies from continuing to drill... lessening our dependence on oil will.

I'll end this lengthy rant here and offer you an inspiring story, a New Moon ritual and a tidbit about something particular I'm doing to help out and how you can help me with that.

Please join myself, several of my soul sisters and a plethora of others as we join together in spirit and send our prayers, energy and healing to the Ocean tomorrow during the New Moon. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs you are invited to join in. Please click the image above to visit Not Hannah at Divining Women, the mastermind behind this global communion.

11 Year old Olivia Boulder has raised thousands of dollars for the Birds Affected by the Gulf Disaster. You can read her story here. It will melt your heart.

The painting at the top of this post was born out of my love for the Sea. I had created quite the ugly, oily art journal page in a fit of emotional turmoil the other day but wanted to focus this painting on the beauty and solitude of the Sea. I will be listing prints in my shop with a limited run of 150 prints. 50% of all purchases of this print will be donated to the Audobon Institure and the Audobon Society. The institute is raising money to help marine mammals and turtles during this tragedy and the society is helping the birds. I will be taking all of the proceeds and splitting them up between the two organizations every two weeks.

Of cats and crying

I know a lot of you have cats. Do any of you have problem cats? The kind that no matter what you do, you can't get them to quit their bad behaviors? I do. His name is Chico and between my dad and I we've raised this feral kitten since he was found outside my dad's house.

He's adorable, soft, sweet... and on occasion, he pees all over everything. When we were in the apartment in NJ, he started peeing on furniture in the apartment after he was neutered. We used Feliway to get him to stop. When we moved, we brought several bottles of the stuff to plug into the walls to keep our apartment pee free and keep the cats calm.

Unfortunately, someone started peeing again. Feliway's in place, the vet says prescribing him any sort of medication won't help. He peed right in from of the hubs and I this morning and my husband lost it. I have never seen him so angry. It was all I could do to keep him from tossing Chico outside. He went to work and I'm home, cleaning cat pee, crying my eyes out, supposed to be getting ready for work and knowing, deep down, that I'm going to have to give my beloved cat up for adoption, because we don't have a safe outdoor space to let him run free in (we're right off a major highway) and I can't let him destroy my apartment. He's not going to stop if the things that kept him from doing it before... aren't doing anything now.

I'm going to take him to the vet and make sure he doesn't have an infection or anything, since he's peeing, not marking. But if not..

I'm at my wit's end and my heart is breaking.

Goodbye, Old Friend

It's never easy saying goodbye to someone you love. Even if you know goodbye is coming and think you've brought yourself to terms with it, the Sadness is inevitable.

When I was 13 the dog I grew up with, Lady, was being ravaged by cancer. We got the call from the veterinarian in the middle of the night saying most of her internal organs were being consumed. My mother and father made the decision to let her go right then and there. I was never able to say goodbye and it wreaked havoc on my tiny heart for months.

About a year later we swung by an animal adoption day for a local pound on a lark and met the sweetest mutt puppy in the whole entire world. We brought her home and my sister, who was 5 at the time, named her Laura after my best friend.

Laura was beyond a doubt, the happiest dog on the planet. She was always smiling and would dance, on her toes, when excited. She was great to wrestle and was always willing to cuddle and lend an ear when you needed someone to just listen. She had epilepsy and gained a remarkable amount of weight from the medication she was on (also probably due to her love of cheese which we kids frequently snuck to her) but she would still dance and flop on her back looking for a belly rub whenever we came home from school, work or a weekend at a friends.

When I moved out three years ago, I missed Laura tremendously and enjoyed visiting my dad's house so I could visit with her. Christmas was always the best time to visit because my father always gets catering and there were always lots of cheese sneakings to be had.

When I pulled into my dad's driveway on Christmas Eve this year with my husband and sister in tow, I expected Laura to come darting out of the house to greet us. When she failed to do so a dark feeling swept over me and as my love and sister bounded into the house with armloads of gifts I stood a moment under the stars (oh, how I miss those country stars) I heard a whimper and a whine and my heart broke. There, on the edge of the forest, lay Laura. If I had parked on the opposite side of the driveway I would have hit her. I tried to lift her, but her legs were jelly and I screamed for my husband as I cried. I made the call to the veterinarian, bundled my husband and sister back into the car and drove to town with our dear old friend.

While she was lying on the table with her head in my hands, Laura looked at me with eyes that told me not to cry anymore, she was awfully tired and ready to go. She was all smiles until the very end. I sobbed the whole ride home, but I'm happy that I was there with her and was able to say goodbye.

My heart aches and there is a void in my life where she was, but I know she's at peace and that she will be waiting for me, with a smile, a dance and a piece of cheese at the rainbow bridge.