When I contacted Carolyn about my urgent need for "Farm Therapy", the last thing that I expected to hear was that she was going to be leaving soon. While Coco was the first animal that I met at the Farm, Carolyn had been the first person. She was the one who let me look around although I had arrived late in the day, and she was the "face" of Farm Sanctuary to me. She has ambitions of opening a National Animal Protection Museum, which sounds like a cool idea. While I certainly wish her the best in this, I will remember our visits at the farm fondly.
While she wouldn't be there, Carolyn said it would be no problem if I wanted to come up so the schedule was set. Reviewing my animal family's adoption cards, I took notes of their favorite treats and made a point of picking them up from the store on the way up. I found everything except for Penny's corn muffins, unfortunately. While I am sure that there are stores that have Vegan corn muffins, Safeway is not one of them so I was out of luck that day.
There was definitely a chill in the air as I walked from Safeway back to my car and I wondered how cold it would be on the Farm. As much as I enjoy these trips, this one had a tinge of sadness since Seymore, our adopted bunny, had recently passed away. I kicked myself for neglecting to meet him during my last trip. I felt really guilty about it even though I know in my heart that it was not intentional. I know he didn't hold it against me, but I did. I would not make the same mistake with Boe.
The drive was pretty uneventful, except for the sunrise. I can't remember the last time I paid attention to the sunrise, but there was no ignoring it today. First from my rear view mirror, and then from the side of the road, I watched an eruption of color across the horizon that was awesome to behold. The yellows, oranges, and blues were intertwined, forming new colors right there before my eyes. I watched for about ten minutes. Fortunately I had some extra time and I am glad I didn't miss it. These free shows that nature provides should not be taken for granted. Plus, the sun was welcome on this clear and chilly day. My new jacket wasn't quite up to the challenge, but my old one had to go because of the leather and suede. That jacket had been with me since 1992, which made it one of my oldest possessions. It was the end of an era when it went in the trash. With my face feeling a bit numb, I climbed back into the car.
I met Jenna in front of the Main Office. After chatting for a bit, I learned that this was the last week of her internship. I always feel a little awkward when I feel like I may be a burden, so I was relieved when she told me she was glad I was there. The interns stay pretty darn busy and they don't always have a chance to just hang out with their animal buddies. It would probably be her last chance to do so before she went back home. A little sheepishly, I admitted that I had brought some treats for my adoptees and really hoped to be able to feed them. I wasn't exactly sure what the policy was for this type of thing, but luckily Jenna said it was cool. The only exception was Coco, who was on a special diet, and Jenna wasn't sure if she could have treats. Oh well Coco, don't hold it against me, I tried.
Before we could feed the animals, we had to wash and cut the treats so we worked together in the crowded pantry. Things were going pretty well and I was making quick work of the squash, celery, pears, and apples. Then we started on the carrots, and all of a sudden there was a snap and a flash of steel. The knives we were using had seen better days and apparently I had pressed a bit too hard on this one and the blade snapped off the handle. It had flown up toward my face and grazed my cheek before falling to the floor. Jenna looked shocked, but was relieved that there were no injury reports to fill out and the fresh fruits and vegetables had not been contaminated with blood or eyeballs. I picked the sturdiest knife I could find for the rest of the carrots, and did a decent job with them considering my head was turned for the rest of the cutting.
Before leaving the Main Office, I spent some time petting Coco, who was out in the yard. She was eating her hay and alfalfa and obliged me by taking a handful from me. She was in the zone, so to speak, so I forced myself to leave after satisfying my need to bond with her. Her face is just so darn cute and her tale of redemption just makes me feel so happy!
First up for feeding was Ramona. This was where I first learned just how excited pigs get about food. Ramona was living with Mathilda, and there was no way that she was going to let me feed Ramona without getting in on the action. To make things more complicated, Fergus, Kiwi, and Rusty saw food and started to go nuts. Luckily there were enough carrots to share with them all, but it was an art form trying to feed them all without any bickering about who was getting more food than someone else. Yikes!
The pig experience was just beginning. On our way to meet Boe, we cut through the pig pond pasture. Ramona must have called ahead because they seemed to know we had food and they were hungry. There is nothing like having four large pigs around you, trying to pick your pockets and see what is in your bag, to make you feel small and insignificant. These boys and girls weigh several hundred pounds and they were vying with each other for whatever I had. It felt like Halloween and my "candy" was clearly not going to be enough for all of the trick-or-treaters. Rather than risk a pig riot, we chose to quickly navigate the pig swarm, trailing apple slices behind us to keep them busy. I really do love these creatures, but I am afraid their love of food may exceed their feelings for me. I can't necessarily blame them.
I met Boe in the rabbit hutch along with his friend Amy. She is a small bunny, but she had a big appetite and wasn't shy about taking carrots from me. Amy followed her example, and before long, all of the rabbits were getting some carrot treats. Like little children, and my Lori, we had to cut them off before they were ready to stop so that they wouldn't spoil their appetites and refuse to eat their normal food. Boe was a very friendly little girl and I look forward to spending more time with her in the future.
Somehow all of the "Turkey Girls", including Amelinda, seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the turkey bed and they were itching to peck my ankles given the chance. In Amelinda's defense, I must admit that I couldn't be sure if she was one of the instigators or not. In any case, we decided that maybe the "Turkey Ladies" would be a safer bet. Plus, Jenna needed to check on one of the chickens who share their barn.
As is often the case, Allie was the first one to come out when she heard the gate. I had broken the squashes in two, and after placing them on the floor there were suddenly turkeys everywhere. With squash seeds and pulp on their beaks and faces, they were clearly in nirvana. I took advantage of the chance to get some turkey petting in, and caught up with some of my buddies from the "Thanksgiving for the Turkeys" event. Before long they were truly messy and we tried to help them clean up their beaks and faces. I was afraid if we didn't, they may try to eat off each other. After they had cleaned out the squash halves, I tried to pick them up, but clearly it was too soon. They weren't done yet and the fact that I set them back down got them even more excited, thinking these were new halves. Bidding adieu, we went to see Ady, Colvin, and their mom Wendy.
Ady, Colvin, and Wendy were in the sheep pasture adjacent to the Santa Cruz sheep. Wendy is quite wary of me and while she did let me hang out with her boys, she kept her distance and I respected that. I often wonder if the animals have an easier time with the women who visit because they may not have suffered at the hands of women. Given what many of them have been through, Wendy included, I can understand that I have not yet earned her trust. Ady is also pretty shy and takes some warming up to before he is ready to be touched. Colvin has none of his mother's or brother's reservations, and he was all over me once he saw I had food. I think when Ady saw Colvin trying to climb me to get some treats, he reckoned I wasn't such a bad guy after all. They both accepted a quite liberal serving of apple slices. It was enough to make even the Santa Cruz sheep interested in what was going on.
"Charlemagne" was the first to show some interest. His real name is Bradley, and he is the leader of the flock. This was the closest I had even seen him. This flock is wild and had never spent time on a farm, but their story is still sad. Having been brought to the Santa Cruz Islands in the mid 1800s by man to increase wool production in support of the Civil War, they were now seen as a non-native nuisance species. This is the hidden evil that occurs from time to time in environmentalism. These gentle animals were hunted with the intent to eradicate them. Rather than humanely dealing with the problem that was created, mankind just wanted it to go away. A powerful family by the name of Gherini, who owned a large portion of the island, even set up a hunting club and charged people to hunt these poor defenseless animals. The Nature Conservancy, who owned the rest of the island, were more interested in saving the native vegetation and sanctioned the murder of the sheep, whose dead bodies were often left to rot (They refer to this activity as "removal" on their website). From a population of approximately thirty-thousand, their numbers were reduced to about two-hundred when Farm Sanctuary was able to get custody of the remaining animals. So, one can hardly fault the poor sheep for being suspicious of the ultimate cruel predator, man.
On this day, at least, Charlemagne didn't hold a grudge and allowed me to pay reparations as a good human ambassador. While these were in the form of apple slices rather than a return to his original home, they were given in a sense of love and came with a side of dignity. While he is physically smaller than Ady, Colvin, and even Wendy, his spirit is immense.
Whitaker was not in a very good mood as he hung out in the Sheep Barn. He wanted to play and Jenna and I were too small to play back with him. In response, he was sulking and wouldn't even take an apple slice. It was the beginning of the cold season and I could understand why my adopted family may be feeling a bit off their normal moods. I know that my "winter coat" was failing me by now and theirs may not quite be to full readiness either. Toward the end, Whitaker did let me pet him, but he never did take that apple.
By this point, the cold was clearly getting to me and Jenna. This was evident by our runny noses and hunched postures as we tried to avoid the wind. It was also getting late, so I thanked Jenna for her time and wished her a safe return home at the end of the week. I would have loved to have volunteered or interned at Farm Sanctuary when I was younger, or even now, if I could afford to, but it is nice to see the steady stream of caring people who do get the chance. Since I am now at the ripe old age of thirty-six, I can truly say, to quote Whitney Houston, "The children are the future", and this is an important growth opportunity along the way. Fare thee well Jenna, go change the world!
