Tag Archives: Woodstock

Book Review: The Lucky Ones

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It’s no secret that I am hopelessly devoted to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  It is a magical place that changed my life.  I discovered it by chance, back in 2007.  Melissa and I were getting ready to celebrate our one year anniversary.  She had always wanted to take a class at The Center for Photography at Woodstock… so we ended up booking a weekend up in the area so she could take a class and we could spend some time away together.  Her course was two days long, during the daytime hours, so I was on my on for several hours during the day.  I knew the town of Woodstock was adorable, so I occupied myself discovering all the sweet shops and flea market on the first day up there.  While I was walking around town, I kept seeing posters for something called “The Blessing of the Animals” at a place called “The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary”… I thought, oh, I love animals, this sounds right up my alley!  At the time, I was still eating meat and dairy full-time – the complete opposite of what I am now.  I even remember going to Woodstock Meats to buy some bacon!  Regardless, I decided to attend the Blessing ceremony, conducted by some peaceful Buddhist monks from the nearby monastery.  That was when the seed got planted.  I recall driving away from our rental cabin expressing feelings about wanting to give up eating animals.  I felt timid and overwhelmed at first, but knew that there was something to be said with that, and it was going to be the beginning of my journey.

Over the next few weeks, I had this nagging thought that was always in the back of my mind… I really don’t think I want to eat meat anymore.  It only took a few weeks before we took the plunge and gave up eating animals.  We made attending the Blessing a yearly anniversary tradition.  Each time I went, the nagging changed, and got louder and louder, urging me to go vegan.  Finally, last year we made the connection and went vegan.  And it’s all because of a woman named Jenny Brown, her husband Doug Abel and their magical farm sanctuary.

Jenny Brown’s journey was similar to mine in the fact that her enlightenment came in increments.  The path might have been different, but the final destination was the same.  And it is all recounted with joy, humor and honesty in her first book, The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals.  Co-written by Gretchen Primack, Brown recounts her journey from a cancer-stricken 10-year-old amputee to her thriving career in film which led to passion projects for PETA and finally turned her into a full-time animal activist, hero and co-founder of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.

Interspersed with her personal journey, she includes mini-biographies of past and present residents of the farm.  She tells their story, as well as hers, in truth and with love.  She doesn’t shy away (nor does she ever) from exposing the truths of animal agriculture.  The key thing, though, is that she does so with such finesse that she leaves you willingly questioning your own contribution (read: consumption of animals) to the industry.  She makes you think.  She helps guide you to make that connection.  While she admits that she didn’t always have this knack of graceful truth-telling, it is something she can do now with ease.

This book was a pleasure to read.  It reminded me of my own journey, why we do what we do, and inspires me to continue in my own form of activism whatever it might end up looking like.  This world is a better place because of Jenny Brown, Doug Abel, and the other devoted animal caretakers and volunteers at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary… and for that, I am grateful.

If you live in or close to the New York City area, there will be a party to celebrate the release of The Lucky Ones tomorrow night (August 7) at MooShoes.  Jenny will be there, signing and selling her books.  Stop on by for some vegan camaraderie and to celebrate the release of such a wonderful book.  Hope to see you there!

More Animal Adorableness from WFAS

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I know you all LOVE to see photos from my trips to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, right?!  Well here are some more, from last weekend.  Highlights of this trip include meeting the new lambs and their mamas and a tender moment I shared with Emmet the goat.

Mel & I spent the weekend helping out with some regular farm stuff as well as helped out with their “Veg-Curious?” event.  It was a great event (with a huge turnout!) where folks could learn about what it meant to take on a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle.  Speakers included Will Tuttle (author of the World Peace Diet), Sharon Gannon (founder of Jivamukti Yoga), Kris Carr (author of Crazy Sexy Diet) and of course Jenny Brown (co-founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary).  There was also a cooking demo by Pamela Brown, chef at the Garden Cafe in Woodstock.  A vegan lunch was provided by area restaurants and resources were made available to all who attended.  I think workshops like this are a great way to get a dialogue going with folks who are flirting with the idea of taking on a vegan diet, but aren’t quite sure how to begin.  I hope events like this continue to occur all across the country!

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An Unexpected Surprise!

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It was Melissa’s birthday last weekend, and she, being the loving and kind soul she is, wanted to spend the day volunteering up at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  The day was filled with lots of animal loving!  The unexpected surprise came in an impromptu stay at The Guesthouse at Woodstock Sanctuary.  I couldn’t let the experience go by without blogging about it!

Facing the pastures of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, the pre-Civil War B&B has been completed restored, and in an eco-friendly manner to boot.  Beautiful wood floors and antique furniture can be found throughout, providing for a warm and welcoming experience.  Upon entering the kitchen via the porch, you might be greeted by the house cats, Errol or Leon.  Sweet as pie, they live at the house, so if you are allergic to cats, this probably isn’t the place for you.  As you walk through the house, with each step you are greeted by walls lined with joyful photos of animal residents and you can’t help but to smile.

All of the rooms are named in honor and memory of past residents of the farm.  We had the distinct pleasure of staying in the Olivia Room, named for Olivia the Goat.  She was most “famous” for acting as a surrogate mom to Dylan (a rescued veal calf) when he first arrived at the Sanctuary.  Each room is also adorned with framed photos of the room’s namesake.  The room was well-appointed and had beautiful views of the pastures.  We were told that if we left the door open just a crack, we could be joined by one of the house cats.  Of course being the cat lovers that we are, we had to take that chance!  Much to our delight, Leon decided to join us that evening.  He spent a good portion of the night snuggled with us, and it was quite comforting, reminding us of home.

I am kicking myself for not taking a photo of the room itself (you can see it via the link to the B&B above), but upon waking in the morning I was awe-struck by the view.  Morning light hitting the beautiful Catskills Mountains, green grass, and Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle out for a morning graze.  My heart swelled at the sight.

I was hoping to wake up to hearing some roosters, but either we slept too soundly or the house is well insulated because no such luck!  Oh well, maybe next time.  We headed down for breakfast and was greeted by a beautiful all-vegan spread including a selection of oatmeal, breads, fruit, granola, baked goods, orange juice, coffee, tea – the works!  I also spotted a note posted to the house cats that I found to be just adorable.

Armed with coffee, toast and two bowls of granola with soy milk, we headed outside to the porch to eat.  The porch has two rocking chairs with a small table in between, aka the perfect place for us to have our breakfast.  We watched Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle graze while we ate, as well as listened to the morning sounds of the farm (now I could hear some cock-a-doodle-doos!) and the sweet, fresh air.

After breakfast it was time to say good-bye and we did so with full, grateful hearts, knowing we would be back very soon.

One thing to note if you would like to book a visit to the Guesthouse — you must have a WFAS membership in order to do so.  It’s a small fee of $30 per year for a basic membership and is full of wonderful perks.  You can find out more information about membership here.