Karen's New Job

These mornings we milk
beside baby wrens, mouths open
like people waiting
while others live their dreams.

Karen and I didn't wait for sunshine this morning. We had a lunch to pack, goats to milk, turkeys to feed, ducks to free, greenhouse plants to water.

"Did you say 'lunch to pack?'" says Virginia.

"I did, and rubber boots, a change of clothes, a camera I assume, I can't find it anywhere," I say.

"What's that about?" she asks.

New job, seasonal, occasional.  Karen's helping a farm slaughter 8,000 poultry, which reminds me of a court decision I read a few days ago.  The issue was whether "poults" were "agricultural supplies" under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and whether an agricultural supplier's lien filed by the seller of the poults had superpriority status when Sara Lee Corp. bought the adult turkeys.  I know you're breathless with anticipation -- yes, they were and it did, which means the seller of the poults was entitled to payment first from Sara Lee's check, before other creditors of the farmer including the bank that had loaned money for the turkey operations.

My bad, let's not use the term "farmer" here.  We're talking industrial-type production, with turkeys bred to be so big it doesn't matter if their legs can hold them up, and so many in one building one sick turkey means thousands of sick turkeys.  No, that's not "farming."  That's abuse, of the turkeys, of our planet, and of you and me (see the movie Fresh, at http://FRESHthemovie.com) -- which is why....

we have 19 turkeys getting ready to range with our goats and chickens and Karen has this new job.  It's part of our deal.  If we can't handle the killing, it's time to stop eating meat.