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Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 20, 2015 18:33:13 GMT
Oh Cookie love, I hope you do get some babies and I think the idea of a pool in the garden is great, it may mean that they don't have to go so far for food. It sickens me when people have no regard for wildlife and will not stop or slow down. I would like to put them in he middle of the road and drive at them!!! When I used to drive I would stop and put my warming lights on so drivers behind me knew to stop. A mum with chicks is a wonderful sight to behold. On dear Bean hun, that sounds like rape or even gang rape, poor lady duckie, I am glad she has someway of stopping the mating. That is a very interesting piece of info love, thank you for taking the time to share it with us. I know swans mate for life (I have stroked many a swan) but not sure about ducks, either ways, they are super cute and I would love some.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 20, 2015 19:20:00 GMT
Humans never were the only animals to commit rape. Ducks, some primates, Koala, and bear are some I know about, and I'm sure there are many I don't know about. Male bear will even kill cubs to get the female to mate with him, though she often defends her cubs to the death, and doesn't live to mate or do anything else. It's a sad commentary on male behavior, yet mating and propagating is one of our most primal survival instincts. I remember a dinosaur documentary about a Pterosaur who flew thousands of miles to his home, to mate, only to die of old age and exhaustion. No retiring to the local volcano to live out old age in comfort. The mating instinct was too strong. It's the same with salmon, butterflies and a lot of other creatures, as if they only exist to mate and propagate the species. I believe ducks, geese and swans all mate for life, which is one of the reasons I hate duck and geese hunting. If a member of the family is killed or wounded, the whole family lands to tend to the injured one, and they all become easy targets for the hunters I've asked hunters how they would feel if it were they and their families. The answer is always the same, they're only birds Interesting that the female duck has developed such an elaborate means of self-contracption. Too bad women can't do that. Apparently Koala females put up an incredible racket to notify their dominant male about the intruding male, and since many Koala live in residential neighborhoods, the residents tend to be very aware of a violation
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Post by cookie72 on Apr 21, 2015 2:45:14 GMT
Wow, that's really interesting about the duck rape, and the way the females bodies adapted to resist being impregnated if it's not consensual. I had no idea.
I hate duck hunting too. I live a few blocks from a large river that enters into a lake and lots of swampy/marsh area. So there's tons of duck hunters around here, and the season for that is in the fall. I used to live right on the river, and during duck hunting season, being woken up constantly at daybreak to the sounds of gunshots echoing and squawking ducks made me so angry! Now, even though I know it's still happening, at least I can't hear it from my house.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 21, 2015 19:38:27 GMT
Thank you for a great interesting and enlightening read Piggles love, I really didn't know about those facts. I hate shooting or hunting of any kind and as for the "They are only birds" I would like to shoot him and say you are "only human and a s... one at that!!! I love ducks, swans and geese and it breaks my heart to think of one being killed and the other left bereft. I once remember seeing two flying stag beetles on the floor, one was dead and the other was just wandering around aimlessly looking lost. All I could do was put the dead one out of the way in the grass but that really upset me. I love feeding water birds by hand, they so gorgeous. I remember being surrounded by swans all pecking me for a chip (a fry), it was lovely. Needless to say I didn't get many myself but it was great.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 22, 2015 17:23:34 GMT
I'm so sorry you have to go through that, cookie72 It's not as if the people need the food. It's all sport, bragging about shooting the biggest one I think it's disgusting, yet I know a lot of hunters, hubby thinks hunting is cool, and fisherman are no better. I can't fish, thinking about them getting the hook caught in their cheek, then even if they're released, the hook gets pulled back out, and there's a hole Fishermen are so proud of their catch-and-release policy. How would they like that done to them! Those poor ducks and geese There are even calls that lure them in, so the hunters can kill them There was an incident in Texas, don't know if I mentioned it, where a female vet shot a cat with an arrow, and killed it. She posted the picture on Facebook, saying the only good feral cat was a dead feral cat. Anyway, she lost her job, and with all the publicity, it's unlikely she'll get another job as a vet. The police investigation is finished, and the evidence turned over to the district attorney, who will decide if any charges will be filed. The applicable section of the Texas penal code was posted on Facebook, and it doesn't look good for her to be charged with anything. It turned out the cat wasn't feral, belonged to an elderly couple in the neighborhood, and was named Tiger. If the DA doesn't press charges, we're hoping the owners will. That poor cat deserves some justice, and there are no laws prohibiting the cat from roaming. Fingers crossed.
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Post by cookie72 on Apr 23, 2015 6:14:53 GMT
I used to enjoy fishing, when I was a kid I loved it! I remember when that all turned around for me...I caught a big northern one summer and my dad was trying to take it off the hook and put it back in the water and it was floating half dead and, seeing that ruined it all. I was about 17 at the time. I felt so bad that it took all the fun out of fishing for me. Before that incident, we would catch all kinds of panfish and cook and eat them, but it was something about that one incident that ruined fishing for me. I have good friends to this day, who go fishing on our river, but I just can't do it anymore.
I read about that incident in Texas too. It's sickening that a veterinarian could do something like that. I'm glad she lost her job, and hopefully with the notoriety the case gets, she will never be able to get a job as a vet again. and hope the owner presses charges against her too.
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Post by Bean on Apr 23, 2015 8:08:33 GMT
That poor cat, and how horrible for the owners to lose their beloved pet in those circumstances. I'm sure some areas do have problems with feral cats, but to think that killing them yourself in that way is the answer is crazy.
Cookie, I can see why that fishing trip changed your views on it. I was a vegetarian for years and it was actually watching people fish that was the final nail in the coffin and made me go veggie (I've long lapsed unfortunately!). Mind you, I thought it would be better to eat them than drag hooks through their faces, half suffocate them and then throw them back. It was the sport of it that just turned me cold. My husband's family have a little boat and always used to fish when we went out for the day on it - I think I've spoiled it for a few of them now though as they only seem to do it on the trips I'm not on haha!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 23, 2015 13:43:25 GMT
Cookie72, there are many feral cat coalitions with spay/neuter mobiles, that are working to end the feral cat problem by neutering all the ones they can trap, then releasing them. Kittens are fostered, neutered and put up for adoption. If people would stop dumping their cats, this would totally end the problem. There will always be cats roaming loose, as Tiger was, and there are no laws against that in most suburban or rural areas. Many bird lovers rue allowing cats to roam and kill the birds, but they also kill the snakes and mice and other things that get into our gardens and houses. They are a part of the natural order, and requiring all pet cats to be kept indoors is cruel and unnecessary. I know it would also keep them from getting hit by vehicles, but it gives them a chance to be cats, which is rarely available indoors.
I think it's easier to eat meat, fish, etc. we buy in the supermarkets, because we don't see them lose their lives. Fishing and hunting are way too hands-on for me, but putting myself in their places, I wouldn't want to even be caught and released! I really wish we had strict laws and oversight on the humane treatment of livestock, but every time any group pushes for that, that state passes Ag Gag laws, and make it illegal to film livestock cruelty. Not illegal to abuse the livestock, but illegal to expose the abuse??? I understand that it is a major tax base for those states, but no one is asking them to stop raising livestock, just to treat them humanely!
Hubby will never go vegan, as he's a meat and potatoes person. I would, if the vegans I know didn't try to force it on everyone to the point of totally alienating me. I do try to do a meatless night periodically, but hubby usually picks through the food looking for the meat, so it's often not worth it.
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Post by cookie72 on Apr 27, 2015 2:08:28 GMT
I have a friend who lives near me, who has six cats...yes 6!! Last summer, there was a feral mama cat living in her neighbor's yard who had a litter of kittens. They were living alongside this shed in the neighbor's yard. The cat didn't belong to anyone, and she looked so skinny and unhealthy. She took me over there to show me the kittens, and she kept trying to get the mama cat to come close to her, and little by little, day by day, with talking to the cat and putting out food for her, she was able to capture it. She took it to get spayed, and captured all the kittens too and took them to a shelter. Now the mama cat lives with my friend (that was the 6th cat.) When she goes out of town, she pays me to come to her house and clean the litter boxes and feed them. That cat always hides when I'm there, but I guess she's adapted pretty well to living indoors. She's having a problem now with some of the other cats peeing in the house though. I think 6 is just too many and most of them are males.
I tried to be a vegetarian about 10 yrs ago, but I only lasted a few months. I'm not a big meat eater anyways, but when I was vegetarian, I didn't really go about it in a health way. Cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese...it got old pretty fast! I just didn't learn a variety of things and I can't stand that tofu stuff and stuff that's made to seem like meat. I don't really eat red meat at all, always substitute ground turkey for ground beef, but I do like chicken alot. I make a big salad as a meal alot in the summer when I have all the veggies from my garden, but I also like to put some chicken on the salad to make it more filling.
That's funny Bean, about hubby's family and the fishing trips! I have quite a few friends who live on the river/lake who have boats, so I spend quite a bit of time on their boats in the summer, and there's a few of them who will fish. I gave it another try a few summers ago, and I caught a small one, who of course swallowed the hook, and there was blood, just reminding me again why I can't do it. I felt so bad! I keep my mouth shut because I'm outnumbered in my dislike of it, so I just drink my beer and soak up the sun and try to not watch when someone catches one.
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Post by Bean on Apr 27, 2015 8:35:49 GMT
My son's pescetarian so we've tried a bunch of the meat substitutes recently (we all just try to eat less meat than go veggie!), but with a few exceptions (veggies sausages included - some of them are tasty) we've found we prefer eating foods that are naturally meat-free rather than things that are pretending to be meat!
Just having a cuppa before I embark upon cleaning all the animals out - can't work out if it's better to have them all needing doing at the same time or spreading the work out over different days so it doesn't take such a big chunk of the day?!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 27, 2015 13:03:14 GMT
Lol, Bean, I know what you mean about scheduling the cleanings. When I had the separate cages for the ladies and the gentlepigs, I usually cleaned one at a time. Each cage was 4x8',so no easy task to get out all the dirty bedding, and replace it with clean bedding, clean all the bottles, bowls and houses, etc. I look at a lot of vegan recipes, but I find they are a lot more work than just using meat. One making a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich out of tempeh instead of bacon, required marinating the tempeh so it tasted like meat, and that's a process, and a time allocation, I just don't care for. I can toss some bacon in a pan, fry that while I prepare the lettuce and tomato, and I have a sandwich in 5 minutes or less. I do not like tofu, either. Tempeh is apparently much like tofu, and needs the same handling to be anything except clumps of curd. It's not for me. Cookie72, I've made eggplant parmesan, baked ziti and manicotti, breaded/fried eggplant and zuccini, and many other veggie dishes. Some with sauce on, some with dipping sauce, some to cut up and put in salads, etc. I find if I do it more as a snack, hubby is fine with it. Now he wants to buy one of those air frying gadgets to be able to do them without the canola oil. Luckily, I have no place for any more gadgets, as he is a kitchen gadget addict He's also a red meat eater, and loves a steak more than anything. I'm not. I like pork and chicken. They aren't as heavy as beef. I do love a good meatball, and we make some really good meatballs, so I use ground beef.
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Post by bootygurl on Apr 27, 2015 17:00:51 GMT
Ladies (and gentlemen) I am reaching out to ALL animal lovers. This state attorney in Chicago, Illinois needs a fire under his butt. He doesn't believe rats count as companion animals, and for that the girl involved will only pay minimally for her heinous act. For me and my 22 companion rats would you sign this petition to get this cruel girl charged with maximum penalty for what she did to her rats!?
Please send a private message to bootygurl for a link to the petition at change.org (the petition is titled 'justice for the washer rats').
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Post by Bean on Apr 27, 2015 19:16:59 GMT
That's horrible, and impossible to understand how someone could do that.
In the forum guidelines we do ask that material or links to material that is likely to be upsetting aren't posted, especially with regards to young children who visit the forum. I completely appreciate that people need to stand up against this sort of thing to make a difference, so we just ask that you post about it and request that anyone who wants to see more can pm you for the link. Hope you understand - it looks like the petition is doing well so hopefully an appropriate punishment will be administered. I think it would make any animal lover feel sick to the stomach, but for you and your ratty friends, it must be especially angering.
I've edited your post to take out the link, hope that's okay but if you want to reword it, please feel free.
3piggles, the only way I like tofu is deep fried in Chinese food. Then it gets a texture I like and the sauce it's in is full of flavour. Any other way, can't bear the stuff!
Has anyone heard from Jo? Hope she's okay as she hasn't been on for nearly a week.
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Post by bootygurl on Apr 27, 2015 22:46:44 GMT
Thank you for editing. Not a problem. I understand the content is not for everyone. I can certainly send the petition and video links to anyone who wishes to sign.
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Post by cookie72 on Apr 27, 2015 23:00:42 GMT
Piggles, I don't think I've had eggplant parmesan, but I bet I'd love it. I did have lasagna once that was made with eggplant slices in place of the pasta, and I enjoyed it a lot. I love manicotti and always wanted to try making it, because when I make lasagna, that ricotta layer is my favorite part.
What is this air frying gadget you're talking about? Sounds like something I might like!
Bean, I was just thinking about Jo this morning too and wondering about her not being on lately. I sure hope that she's okay.
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Post by Bean on Apr 28, 2015 7:26:01 GMT
I'll send her a little email if we don't hear from her in the next day or so - check she's alright.
I just googled manicotti as I've not heard of it, but it seems it's what we'd call cannelloni. I love that with the spinachy cheesy filling - I tend not to use ricotta when I make it, but a mixture of other cheeses - usually cream cheese, edam and parmesan. I have some giant pasta shells I thought I could stuff with the mixture, so had it on my potential menu list for this week. Love aubergine parmigiana too.
Thanks for understanding bootygurl.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 28, 2015 15:33:45 GMT
Ob bless you all so much, I have actually left a message on this thread telling you all I was in hospital. will send bootygurl a private message and write to that a...h... with the greatest of pleasure!! I remember making canneloni with ricotta cheese, it was delicious. I have never heard of lasagne with ricotta cheese, I bet that is really yummy. Good to be back.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 28, 2015 21:07:57 GMT
This is one type of air fryer: www.walmart.com/ip/Big-Boss-6-Quart-Oil-Less-Fryer/29319016?adid=22222222227020588932&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40345284152&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78310380512&veh=semThere are several different types. I don't know how well they work. I have this deep fryer, in the single size: www.amazon.com/Euro-Pro-F1066-5-Liter-Electronic-Stainless/sim/B000070IBV/2 I've had it for years, and it does an excellent job. It has an oil thermometer to heat it to the right temp, and a timer. Wikipedia says the two pastas are basically the same, and we fill manicotti with ricotta, spinach, etc. I think the pasta tubes are sold as both in the US. Fried, it's called a canolli, and it's filled with a sweetened ricotta filling. I saw a recipe for zucchini lasagna, on Facebook, and it looks really good. It's also really low carbohydrate, so good for hubby: www.food.com/recipe/zucchini-lasagna-lasagne-low-carb-749Eggplant parmesan is really easy to make, though it makes a total mess of the kitchen. I think I would fry the eggplant in the deep fryer, just to save making so much mess: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/eggplant-parmigiana-recipe.htmlI saw the petition on Facebook, and signed it. Law makers should be required to be experts in the field of any law they are making
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Post by Bean on Apr 29, 2015 8:41:06 GMT
I see the air fryer is part halogen. I didn't get on that well with my halogen oven, I found it had limited uses, especially for a family where you need big quantities. It wasn't good at cooking larger things (like a lasagne) all the way through either, although it was good for anything that cooks well under a grill - sausages, heating up pizza etc. But I know people who love them.
The air fryers use other technology too (convection and infared) so that shouldn't be a problem. I'd be interested to hear how well they work.
Great to have you back, Jo!
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Post by cookie72 on Apr 29, 2015 14:29:11 GMT
Thanks for posting that link Piggles. I'll have to do some more research when I have time. Just from the quick read I had, it sounds like it basically blasts the food with super hot air to crisp it up, instead of oil. I've heard of convection ovens but admit I know nothing about that technology. I just like the idea of being able to cook foods crispy like they were deep fried, without the mess of the oil. Even when baking it in the oven is an option, things just don't turn out quite as good as if they were fried.
I don't know if I can look up that petition. Any time I read a story like that,(any type of animal abuse) it just haunts me to the point I can't stop thinking about it for days.
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