indecison

many times I've had things I've thought I should get on her and discuss Today, I've nothing structured. No long diatribe. So, I'll just provide brief snippets.

I really should be gardening right now. I've got the new greenhouse, the seeds have been started too late because of the late snow and cold weather. It's been five days and nothing has even sprouted yet. I did manage to plant about 60 canes of raspberries and an almond tree last week and that's it. Today, I cannot even roto-till because it's too wet. Maybe tomorrow. Some people think that is working on the sabbath. I think that hoeing for an hour is as much work as playing the organ at church. At any rate, I've more than doubled the size of our garden for this year. In addition to feeding the bunnies, we will be eating lots of veggies and fresh herbs.

I understand that a lot of people are planting gardens now. It is reminiscent of the victory gardens in WWII. Of course, the precise reasons are a bit different. There isn't any rationing going on now. And let's be honest.........growing a garden doesn't save you that much money. Yes the vegetables are free, but the water, seeds, materials, equipment etc aren't. I grow what I use out of self-defense it seems. I tease people about 'organic' food because I despise the word organic. It literally means that it contains carbon. So does a pack of menthols!

I grow food because it is fresh, fast, and my bunnies love it. They love dandelions too. That is why I leave them in my lawn. In fact, I take great care not to uproot them in the spring when I pick them for my bunnies.

A few years back I went vegetarian for a few months but stopped. I started again about a week back. I didn't really have a reason then, I do now. I have been reading accounts and writings of various Presidents of the Church. And while none condemn the eating of meat, they would have it only rarely. The same thing with hunting, which they abhorred. Our scriptures say that meat is to be used sparingly and only in times of need. Somehow that has all been forgotten.

Here's my view. I feel that a cetain moral authority is required to eat meat. What does that mean? If you are appalled by, our think that the slaughter of animals is a task that is 'beneath' you then you have no right to eat meat. I know that we can't all go out there and slaughter a pig. It is also best that this process is done in central locations with efficiency, hygiene, and by people that know what they are doing. In a hypothetical world, if you would be unwilling to kill a pig and do everything that goes with it then you shouldn't eat pork. I've killed a pig, a deer, a dog, squirrels, snakes, rabbits, and fish and eaten them. (Eating the dog was an afterthought). After killing the deer, I immediately felt remorse. The rabbits took longer. During the winter months, I take timothy hay and lay it out along the roads where I've hunted rabbits in the past. Hopefully showing some kindness to their offspring will compensate for my past misdeeds. Killing just for sport is wrong. If you are going to eat the animal, not merely waste it, then one can justify it. Personally I cannot kill, or harm, scentient creatures any more. So I don't eat them.

Yet, I ate some scallops a few days ago. Why? I don't think that scallops, clams, mussels etc. are scentient. They do not sense their environment. They do not have eyes, ears, taste buds. They do not move, interact. They basically strain water for food, grow, and reproduce. They are basically armored mushrooms. So why don't I eat oysters?. They are oily and gritty. Even when I ate meat, I hated them.