Day 15 - Write 31 - Downtown Art Walk and Lunch in the Park

Downtown streets are deserted on a Sunday morning.

Sunday morning was clear and cool so we decided to head downtown for a walk. The streets were quiet with none of the hustle of workers going from their designated parking spots to the high rise office buildings. Everything is closed up on a Sunday morning so we had much of the town to ourselves.


Many of the buildings in downtown Jacksonville are covered with colorful murals. It's delightful to see them peaking out from between buildings and around the corners. I captured a few of them on our walk.

After a four mile stroll around downtown we headed over the bridge for a picnic beside the river. It was easy to pick up a plant-based sandwich at the local deli and enjoy it on a bench in the shade.

A simple sub with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, banana peppers and onions. Eating plant-based doesn't have to be complicated. 

 Write 31 Days 

A writing challenge every October every day

Life Powered by Plants 

Day 12 - Write 31 - Took a Walk This Morning

Went for a walk this morning. Only one mile but what a glorious walk!

It was actually cool.

Sixty-seven degrees and it's only October. 

That's life in Florida. We don't have Fall or much of a Winter. Spring is pretty nice but Summer is relentless...

What a difference a drop in temperature makes. I almost returned home to get a long sleeve shirt but I didn't. I decided to just enjoy the cooler temp. 

Everything looked happier. There were dozens of tiny birds - Finches maybe - flitting from tree to tree. I heard the Mocking birds singing away as they taunted the little birds. High in the pine trees I could hear the Red Shouldered Hawk cawing for its mate. The squirrels were racing each other along the telephone lines. The trees even looked happier to not have the oppressive heat bearing down on their leaves. 

And I was happier.

 Even though I've walked this road more times than I can remember this morning it seemed like a brand new experience. Enjoyable and not just getting another mile in for the walking chart. 

What does this have to do with plant-based eating?

Nothing really. 

Or everything. 

It feels good to know that I can nourish my body with good food and no animals are harmed in the process. (Not that I would eat a Finch or Hawk and never a squirrel but you get the drift.) 

So I took a walk this morning and God's world is glorious!

 Write 31 Days 

A writing challenge every October every day

Life Powered by Plants 

Day 5 Write 31 - A Little Food for Thought

A Little Food for Thought

Do you ever think about the food you eat. Where it comes from or how it's raised? I had never given it much thought. You go to the store and pick it up, pay for it, bring it home and enjoy. Even though we started this plant-based journey for our health the more I read and research I find I've learned more about how animals are treated than I really want to know. 

I did some rough calculations and figure that I've bought at least 2000 gallons of milk in the last 25 years. I wish I'd known back then what I know now. 

A cow must give birth in order to produce milk. In most commercial dairies the calves are taken away from the mother shortly after birth.  I've seen videos of this happening and the mother can be heard crying for her baby. Some of these babies end up as veal. 

In a natural setting a mother cow would produce about one gallon of milk a day to feed her baby. In order for the cow to produce larger quantities of milk they are often give growth hormones. The commercial dairy cow can then produce up to seven gallons of milk a day. 

On our walk through the Cotwolds in the UK we got caught between the fence and the cows being driven back to the barn. I was slightly terrified because they are huge! My husband said we didn't have anything to worry about because the cows knew we were friendly and didn't drink their milk so they wouldn't bother us! And they didn't.

At least these cows were allowed to graze in the pasture for part of the day...

For more information of farm animals and their welfare click here to check out Compassion USA.

 Write 31 Days 

A writing challenge every October every day

Life Powered by Plants