Give support after giving thanks

Last week I relished your responses has my Thank Publish. No matter how small or small it is good for us, and those around us, to let gratitude soothe our souls. Today I focus on giving thanks through the “Giving” part. It’s Giving Tuesday, and although, like me, you might feel a bit overwhelmed with all the requests, I still like the idea of ​​a day that counteracts the spend money on things forces that flow like lava around us.

There are so many good causes who need money and/or resources; Here’s what I’m contributing this holiday season:

FOR PETS:

LOCAL: My local shelter is the Dane County Humane Society, and I intend to donate a big box of my books to him. I will be sure to bring lots of Love has no age books, which we put on sale for Giving Tuesday November 28th. (If you’re reading this and too late for sale, it’s still massively discounted for wholesale!) When you donate the books, they can give them away to adopters for free, a win/win for everyone.

The book talks about bringing a new dog in your home who is older than the puppy, from a young teenager to a senior. Over the years, many wonderful people have purchased the books in bulk and donated them to their local shelters and rescue groups. shelters tell us it decreases returns and call behavior to the helpline. Everyone involved in the creation of the book, congratulations here in particular to the co-author Karen London, agreed to keep the price as low as possible because it’s a labor of love for people adopting older (not necessarily old) dogs, wholesale sales are incredibly low, and now we have it even more reduced. It makes me feel good to know that it has helped so many people.

NATIONAL: There are so many wonderful people in ASPCA, and they’re doing such a great job that I’m sending them another donation today. Wait, I interrupted that for Just Do It. I am particularly impressed with the work they are doing at Behavioral rehabilitation center in Weaverville, North Carolina. Some very intelligent and dedicated people have been developing a protocol for the rehabilitation of severely damaged dogs (psychologically and not physically) since 2013 and have just published an article about their work. I will write an article about it early next year, interviewing Dr. Pamela Reid about what works and what doesn’t. The “A” is on the ground for disaster relief at all times, and they do an amazing job closing the dogfight rings; one of their employees spent two years – life-threatening, seriously – shutting down a huge network in the South. This is not a position I would volunteer for, and I am happy to do what I can to support such important work.

INTERNATIONAL: The International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW, is currently working in Ukraine to help the millions of displaced people with their pets. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose your home, your family, or any sense of security, while worrying about your dogs or cats. From what I can tell, without obviously being there, IFAW has been doing good work all over the world for years. A lot of their work is also in the protection and conservation of wildlife, which makes them particularly appealing to me. From sharks to whales to elephants, all of these species are under enormous pressure. It seems that most of their wildlife work is on so-called “charismatic animals” – I doubt you’ll find many projects at IFAW on voles or dusky mice; but no band can be everything for everyone, and they also seem to work hard in Ukraine, so I’m sending them money (again) today. Oops, correction, I just sent money. It took me forever to learn, but it’s better to do everything I can now than say I’ll do it later, “when I have time”. Ha! When does this happen?

FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Which, of course, also means for us, our children, and all the animals and plants on earth.

WISCONSIN GREEN LIGHT: Do you know the story of the famous book by Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac? Leopold is called the father of ecology, and this is what he wrote, about a time when he was hired to kill as many wolves as he could in the west, because they were considered pests: “We reached the old wolf in time to see a fierce green light die in his eyes. I realized then and have known since that there was something new to me in those eyes, something that didn’t “was known only to her and the mountain. I was young then and had trigger itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunter’s paradise.” But after seeing the green light die, I felt that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.

This is the base of the name from a relatively new group–Wisconsin Green Fire– home to an impressive group of wildlife ecologists, former DNR experts, and environmental scientists from many fields who work on important conservation issues in Wisconsin, including a sensible wildlife management plan. wolves (which had an impressive impact on the new DNR policy, phew), the mitigation of PFAs, the expansion of the network of citizens involved in conservation and the creation of climate change mitigation plans for local communities . It started when our former governor gutted the DNR and did everything he could to bring responsible environmental stewardship back to the dark ages. Things are better now under a new governor, but the state is still in desperate need of expertise and commitment. Full disclosure: Jim and I helped stuff envelopes five years ago to help start this group, and I’ve followed them ever since. They made me a Ambassadorin good company with the former senator Russ Feingold, Patty Loewand Tia Nelson.

As part of this honor, I welcome Fred Clark, the executive director of Green Fire, and several members of the board Next Monday at 10:00 a.m., December 5, 2022, at Basecamp Cafe in Mazomania, WI. They will have a lot to tell us about fighting for wolves in Wisconsin, keeping our waters clean, and reaching out to everyone in the state to protect our environment. If you can come, it would be helpful if you let us know by sending a quick email to info@patriciamcconnell.com. If you can’t, you already know that I believe they are an important force in the fight for the health of the earth and all the animals in it, so a donation in their favor regardless of their size, would go a long way.

ONE LAST THING: I know it’s like we all live in a black hole that sucks up money like a cosmic vacuum cleaner. And money could be very tight for you right now. Don’t stress; life is hard enough. Give what you can this week/month, whether big or small, or consider giving something that doesn’t involve money. Preparing dinner for an exhausted or grieving friend? Offer to babysit someone’s dog or cat so they can get away for the night? Or, if you’re just plain exhausted, give yourself a break, take a long bath or shower, and breathe deeply. You are alive. You are here. You are enough.

This is my list for today. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on your plans for this week, please add to my list if you like.

MEANWHILE, back to the farm: We had a nice and relaxing holiday weekend. Jim’s son, Zach, and his partner, Sarah, had come for a month-long turkey dinner. Is it possible to love turkey sandwiches with dressing and cranberry sauce more than me? I do not think so. I didn’t get any photos, but here is a photo from lunch today, in honor of my dear friend Harriet’s 80th birthday. Peanut soup from her recipe box, grilled cheese sandwiches and a wonderful garden salad. Yum yum.

Skip got tangled in a friend’s knitting after lunch; it’s hard to untangle a dog when you’re laughing. . . Poor Skippy Dip!

The snow is long gone, we had several days in the 40s and 50s so it was mild but kind of boring color wise.

I took a break from writing work Maggie and Skip. Here are two of my favorite guys: Skip and ATV George (he’s a foreman, blame Jim for the name!)

Sheep don’t like it either, although I think they would prefer George to Skip:

I will say thank you to them giving them succulent alfalfa hay as soon as we’re done. Join me in giving thanks and resources to the organizations doing so many good things!