PT 12: On New Year’s Eve
The days have blown by like tumbleweeds caught in the frigid winds of December, and the time has already come for me to tell you the last tale of the old season, and the first one of the new. Huddle up in your warm homes, by the light of your Christmas trees, as I take you for a short wander through the times that we live in, and the times that await us still. Standing on the precipice of a dawning year, we reflect on the time that’s passed us by. We consider the past, and all that has happened in this remarkable year. We live in the present, enjoying the fruits of our labours and the presence of our loved ones. And we look toward the future, which holds so much clarity and mystery, so many trials and triumphs.
This year has seen its share of hardship, there’s no denying it. Yet, it is in times of crisis that the nature of man reveals itself, and more than anything else it’s revealed itself to be persevering, hard-working, and indomitable. Since my arrival at the ranch earlier this year, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing these same qualities reflected in the good people working there, each putting effort towards different tasks, yet striving for a shared goal. By the good grace of fortune, and the sterile working environment of the lab, none of our researchers have gotten ill, and they have moved mountains with their labour. Indeed, in the short time since our ranch was founded, their work has already caused quite some ripples in the world, and I mean that in a good way. The first caseines have been spotted in the lab, proving the long-term success of our endeavour for the world to see. Even the Dutch Research Agenda has expressed their confidence by reserving a big sum of gold for our development of animal-free dairy. We’ve made many friends along the way, and the list of enterprises, organizations and ranch-labs that we’ve formed connections with keeps on growing. We introduced our stainless steel cow to the world, that you, dear reader, have so aptly named Margaret, the iron lady. And of course we placed a bounty on the Silver Spore, the highest bounty ever seen east of the Atlantic and west of the Himalayas. The search for this fantastic fungus continues, but as promising leads keep pouring in, we’re confident that we’re on the right track.
As you can see, we’ve had lots of good news when we’ve so sorely needed it, and it’s good to be reminded of that. Nevertheless, our eyes are fixed on the future. This upcoming year will see the advent of the first cheeses from Those Vegan Cowboys, from our ranch to your platter. Of course, we have recently formed a collaborative project with Westland, and you can expect a selection of cheeses to start popping up in supermarkets all over the country. However, our independent work at the lab is coming to fruition as well. We can only imagine what other breakthroughs we’ll be making, and what milestones we’ll be looking back to a year from now.
All in all, we can look back with pride, and we can look forward with hope. Hope for the accomplishment of a mission that will benefit us all, man and nature alike. Of course, we’re a business, but our business is Mankind. The common welfare is our business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence, are our business. Though for now, let us put aside our work, enjoy the festivities of the season, eat until our bellies are as round as a wheel of cheese, and dream of all the good that is yet to come in a brand new year.
