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July 30, 2006 ~ How She Does It
Sunday.
I was drenched in the downpour. My jeans were soaked through and pooled water squelched in my boots with each step. I carried a five-gallon bucket full of water in my left hand, leaning to the side with its weight. My muscles were taught across my shoulders, stiffening up, and my sciatica was acting up in my left hip. As I walked by Pocahantas' pen, my foot sank into a hole that had been covered by the weeds, and more water sloshed down my thigh and into my boot. I was covering for Tam at the Sanctuary while she wrote for Blogathon.
As I continued on to Matsi and Tadu's pen, I thought, I don't know how Tam does this, day after day after day...
Tadu
Tam is the caretaker for all ninety wolves and wolfdogs at Full Moon Farm. Every day, when Nancy isn't around to help, she feeds them all, carrying from pen to pen a heavy bucket of kibble or meat, stopping to spend some quality time with each animal, making sure they're okay. She scoops the poop out of all of the smaller pens (and scoops the larger pens every few days), taking time to play and scratch those who want attention. Every day she changes out the water and cleans the water buckets of either the upper or lower compound. If it's the upper compound, our gravity fed spring can't get the water up there, so it all has to be transported in five-gallon buckets that weigh over forty pounds--they have to be towed up the drive with the tractor then carried all the way to the pens. And then there are all of the other small tasks that add up, like giving animals their meds, leading visitors on a tour, taking animals to the vet, answering the phone, or maintaining the news for the website.
And, of course, when you're working with sometimes mischievous animals, no task goes quickly. Ramses tried to steal the hose while my back was turned, and Mani decided that the toilet brush that I was using to clean out his bucket was his and would snap at it (and my hand) unless I somehow distracted him long enough to get the bucket cleaned out. I ended up throwing apples for him to chase or encouraging him to play with Marion, his penmate. It still took twenty minutes.
I was there for six hours on Saturday, working pretty constantly, and I finished only the water in the upper and lower compounds. Just the water. Taking care of those animals is hard physical labor all day, every single day. And Tam does this every day for no pay, only room and board. She loves every single one of those animals like family, even the ones who try to bite her (especially the ones who try to bite her, I think). We are incredibly lucky to have her.
Matsi
I stopped in front of Matsi and Tadu's pen and set down the bucket of clean water, still wondering how Tam manages to do all of the work that has to be done each day. Matsi was standing about ten feet away, watching me with curiosity. I reached through the fence and overturned their old water, letting it run out the fence and down the hill. I took out my brush and scrubbed the bucket thoroughly, wishing we had stainless steel buckets for everyone so that algae wouldn't grow so fast in the heat.
...And then I felt a cold nose on my elbow. Sniff sniff sniff. "Hello, Matsi," I said softly. Matsi had never even approached me before, hanging back while Tadu barked at me. He sniffed his way up to my shoulder and then down to my hand. I reached it out, palm up, eyes averted to the side. Sniff sniff sniff and he was rubbing his chin against my hand. I smiled and scratched him, speaking soothingly, and before I knew it, he was licking my hand, my face, my ear, my head. "Oh, Matsi. Sweet kisses! Thank you."
And then Tadu was sniffing me too, and I was laughing, thrilled that these two shy animals had decided that I was safe.
Okay. Maybe I do know how Tam does it day after day after day.
Tam with Malachi
The Blogathon was quite a success! The money that Tam and Alicia raised will go a long way for the animals we rescued from that other sanctuary last spring! Thank you very much, those of you who pledged and spread the word. Pledges can be met by donating here. Thanks!
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