A Ballad for Wildlife Treatment Crew, with all respect to Disney and one of his most dastardly divas, Ursula.



Moles, deer, tweets, reptiles
That's what I do
It's what I live for
To help unfortunate wildlife in distress
Poor animals with no one else to turn to.

I admit that in the past I've worked on kitties
And I've handled every class and breed of bitch
But I've found that since those days
I've had to make a change
From vaccines, diarrhea, and the itch
To this

Unfortunately this path's a little tragic
But a challenge that I just cannot resist
And dear noders, please don't laugh
I'm learning on behalf of the orphaned, pet-attacked and dispossessed
Pathetic

Poor unfortunate squirrels
Untamed, untreed
This one keeps on getting thinner
I can't tell if it's a girl
But can I help them?
We shall see
These poor unfortunate squirrels
They bite. They poo.
People flock up to the front desk
Crying "Help! Do it for free!"
And we help them... or try to.

Now it's happened more than once
I've felt like quite the dunce
And the creature ended up a little cold.
No, I'm not a doctor yet
But I may be the best bet
For these poor unfortunate squirrels

Most keep their limbs, their fuzzy face
And I've learned to overestimate body language
You never like to hear a lot of chatter
A bird who keeps on flapping is a chore
Raptors much prefer for you to never say a word and reptiles need a heater on the floor

Okay, so I can't prescribe a lot of medications
Some injuries will heal up on their own
For orphaned birds and coons and fawns, who need feedings all at dawn
your biggest ally is a rehabber on the phone

For those poor unfortunate squirrels
I'm the head
I'm first choice
I'm a very busy woman but for hours of my day
I play doctor, but
They're not toys.
These poor unfortunate squirrels
It's sad. They're cute.

So I spend my free time learning things
To help to keep them whole
Read a book and go to rounds and keep my phone 'cuz I'm on call
For flocks and herds and nests and ponds and pests
I want to treat them all...

These poor
unfortunate
squirrels

Doctor on Thursday said no no no returning to work until he says so, and I should just stop trying, honest to besty. Shawn of course supports this idea. He also said just to call the courthouse re: Jury Duty and say I'm too unwell to go, if they want more info they can call him. Done.

Got a neurologist for July 7, which is actually on an "urgent" basis. Typical wait times to get to see one are between a year and 18 months. Counting my blessings here.

Family doc reckons I passed the stone in between the time at the hospital and the time I actually got my CT scan. It's entirely possible - I was in a world of pain and on heavy meds, I might not have even noticed passing one especially if it was small enough. Whatever. He checked my ears out again as well because Thursday (and today it's back) it felt like someone had stabbed me in the right ear with a sharp object and just kept poking and poking. And the ringing would go on and off. And the double vision was fun too. The not noticing that I'd burned my hand in the oven was a bit of a concern. But in the end it was "now we play the waiting game" and it's a damn good thing I am patient.

It's a difficult thing, putting aside my independent nature and allowing others to care for me. It is a frustrating thing to not be able to do everything I want to do and everything that needs to get done.

In spite of everything my spirits remain high. What the hell, right? I am alive and breath flows through my lungs and my heart still beats. I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, and more love and support than I could ever have imagined and much more than I am worth.

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