Squeaks Rose Toth and Josh

I just found this picture of Josh and Squeaks Rose Toth (the squirrel), and it made me laugh, so I thought I'd show you. 

I've been feeling emotional lately as this is  
day 10 of the Master Cleanse Fast for me. I'm detoxing big time. I finished the book called Juice Fasting, which is a bit different than the Master Cleanse, but I learned a LOT about how the body functions and why fasting is soooo important.

I don't feel hungry but I got a little cranky when James is eating the awesome curry I made for him without tasting it... What I'm actually looking for is a moment of clarity where I will suddenly know what direction to take in my life. I feel sort of like I've been floating around aimlessly for quite some time now. I have decided that I'm not going to eat until I have that moment. We'll see how it goes. 
By the way... Happy Gay Pride Everyone!! (at least here in Toronto).

Josh in a battle of the bands!

This kid is 16, taller than me (he's over 6 feet), and grew up vegetarian and now vegan for the past 9 years! It was awesome to watch him on stage for the first time. Nice Rupert shirt.

'Home' Movie Trailer- really beautiful and thought provoking

Ok I just watched the whole movie with James on youtube as if we were in a theatre. The quality is superb, and let's talk about this movie... I've never seen anything so incredible! I am stunned. When I put the trailer up I thought it was nice, but watching the movie, well I just can't say enough. I'm going to go see it in the theatre on a massive screen just to soak it all in.

Here is the link to the full movie. Please watch this. You'll love it!

A word from the late Carl Sagan about our planet:

This is beautiful, and says it all.

Happy Father's Day Cupcakes!! (Vanilla Cranberry, and they're vegan!)

Happy Father's Day to all those great guys who stuck by their women through it all, and for those who welcomed children into their lives and took care of them as their own! The world needs more of you. Have a cupcake on me!

In a large bowl:
3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c dried cranberries
1 1/2 c raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 c veggie margarine

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Mix all the ingredients with a fork until well blended. 3. Use paper cupcake holders inside of two muffin trays. 4. Fill them up with the batter. 5. Put them in the oven for 25 minutes (or until a skewer comes out dry when you poke the center of it).

Awesome Vanilla Cranberry Frosting:
4 c icing sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 c veggie margarine
pinch of sea salt
1/3 c dried cranberries (added only after the previous ingredients have been well blended in a food processor)

1. Mix all ingredients (except the cranberries) for the frosting in a food processor for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth. 2. add the dried cranberries and blend for a few seconds more. 3. Scoop out into a container and chill it in the fridge for a few minutes. 4. Frost those cupcakes!!

This recipe rocks if I do say so myself. Josh and I made it up last night. Enjoy! (makes about 20 cupcakes)

* To make this into an awesome cake just grease 2 cake pans (with veggie margarine), and divide the batter between the two. Then bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out dry when you poke the center of it. Everything else is the same and it's soooo delicious and rich! You'll love it!

The End of the Line: movie trailer about the end of fish if we don't change

The Cove Movie Trailer- You need to see this:

I'm doing the Master Cleanse right now- Here's a video on toxins in the body and why we should all do regular cleanses

This is day 4 of the master cleanse detoxification I'm doing. I don't feel hungry at all, or tired. I'll let you know how the reset of it goes.

Farewell my friend

Here we are in the woods where we chose the perfect spot for Squeaks to live. We brought him in a bin, and I wondered, when I opened it, if he would just run up a tree and be gone for good.

And run up a tree he did! It was very fast. He seemed excited and thrilled (if I can read squirrel body language). I felt very sad and a sense of loss. I've never felt so close to an animal before. It's actually the first animal I haven't been allergic to!

We watched him for what seemed like an eternity as he played in the branches high above. And then... he came down to me and let me pet him one last time. I couldn't hold it in any more, so I let myself feel the way I did.

James made this day very special and I'm so grateful for these beautiful photos. He drove for over an hour to get here and was the one who thought of this location for the release.

Here is our friend as happy as we hoped he would be.

Today is a day I won't soon forget. I am so thankful for this experience.

Blue Gold: World Water Wars- I've never seen anything like this movie. Terrifying.

This is just the trailer, but you can find the movie on-line, or rent it in a video store. Everyone should watch this, including our children. I had no idea to what extent this was going on. Our lives are in danger if we keep allowing gigantic corporations to take as much water as they want, to the extent that the local people have nothing to drink but the plastic encased version of it. Take some time out of your schedule and watch this.

Time to let go

Well it's almost time to release Squeaks into the wild... I'm very sad about it. I know, I know, it's 'just a squirrel', but I have never in my life thought of a squirrel in this way. He is extremely friendly, playful and funny. When he gets tired at night he climbs up the fabric we have draped over our living room doorway and makes himself a hammock-like bed in one of the folds where it's tied up. I've never seen anything cuter. Then he just sleeps there until 6:20 am... our way-too-early alarm clock.

James and I decided that the best location to let him go would be at this place we go hiking once in a while, where there is a brook to get a drink from, trees everywhere, and there's even a fire that burns all winter long for hikers to rest around and feed the birds and squirrels. We're going to have a tough time doing this, but he is all better now and has to go be a squirrel, not a human. James took this photo.

Food Security for Everyone: Real Community

We all have something to learn from these people. This is our hope for the future.

Guerrilla Vegetable Gardening in the City

This video is shot in British Columbia, and goes to show how we can take things into our own hands and make a success of it. Don't wait for leaders. You are the leader. Grow your own organic vegetable garden in bins on your roof, in front of your work place, inside your apartment in pots, in a friend's back yard, or, like these guys did, take over a decrepit space in the city and transform it! How inspiring is that??

We didn't ask our landlord if we could grow a garden in bins on the roof, we just did it and it was fine with him. And when I asked my workplace if I could have a small budget for a vegetable garden in the front the answer was yes! Some of the neighboring businesses have said "People will just take you vegetables, so why bother?"... I say who cares! If someone needs food they are welcome to it. If we had lots of gardens we could feed everyone. Do it!

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (trailer)

Happy Birthday James!! Decadent, Triple-Decker, Vanilla and Chocolate Vegan Oreo Cake!

You're gonna love this one! It's a Decadent, Triple-Decker, Vanilla and Chocolate Vegan Oreo Cake! (Oreos happen to be vegan by default - not that they're good for you). It's one of the best cakes I've ever made (rivals the Mocha Latte Cake even!)


Cake Mix:
4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup veggie margarine
2 cup raw sugar
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 c cocoa powder (see instructions- adding it later)
a bag of Oreo Cookies (vegan by default)- (see instructions first)

1. Mix all the ingredients together (except the cocoa powder) in a large bowl with a fork or whisk until smooth.
2. Separate 1/3 of the cake mix into a different bowl (this will be the vanilla section of the cake. Add 7 crumbled Oreo cookies to it and set aside.
3. Add 3/4 c cocoa powder to the other large bowl with the 2/3 cake batter. Stir in until fully blended. Preheat the oven to 350 (middle rack available).
4. Grease 3 cake pans of equal size with straight edges (not tapered), with veggie margarine or vegetable oil. Pour the vanilla bowl into one, and the chocolate divided into two pans (doesn't have to be exactly the same amount).
5. Put them all in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out dry when you poke them.

Icing:
4 1/2 c icing sugar
4 T veggie margarine
3 T vegetable shortening
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t sea salt
1 1/2 T almond milk (or whatever vegan milk you like)

Oreo Cookies (see instructions- add separately)
cocoa powder (also see instructions)

1. Mix all the ingredients (except for the cocoa powder and Oreos) together in a food processor until smooth. Scoop it out into a container with a lid, and let it chill for a bit in the fridge.
2. On a cooled cake spread the icing between the layers and the over the whole thing.
3. Place a paper towel over the iced cake, patting and smoothing it. Touch up wherever needed and pat again with a new paper towel. This will give a really nice finish. Use a patterned paper towel if you want it to leave a lacy design in the icing!
4. Crumble Oreos over the surface of the cake and then dip you hands in cocoa powder and pat around the edges of the cake. That's it! (sounds harder than it actually is).

One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen- The Omo People and How They Live With Nature

This video was sent to me by a friend. The Omo People of Africa live not only with nature, but are an intrinsic part of it as well. We forget that this is what we are too. How lovely to be so close to everything that surrounds us. The colours and textures of Earth are woven through these beautiful people. I love it so much. I wish we were all like this.

A VERY GOOD program I had never seen before:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5