Update on Sam the Koala

If you scroll down a few posts, you'll see Sam the Koala, our new national heroine, getting a drink. She turned out to be a lady koala after they named her Sam.

David (the Fireman) had poured water in his hand to offer her a drink. Her paw was singed so she dipped it into David's hand, seeking relief from her burns. Then she pounded four bottles of mineral water, pouring about half of it down her little koala chest. I imagine her wondering if there are any biscuits handy.  It's possible I distract myself from heavy emotions with comfort foods. I donno.

She will be in the koala hospital for about 6 months. Colleen Wood, from the shelter, reports that Sam has met a special fellow, another fire survivor, Bob. "They keep putting their arms around each other and giving each other hugs. They really have made friends and it is quite beautiful to see after all this. It's been horrific," said Wood.

Everywhere I go, it seems that I meet people who are a few degrees of separation from Sam.  I mentioned the photo to a woman in a coffee shop at the airport and she is David the Fireman's neighbor. David emailed her the picture and she, in turn, sent it to the local paper.  

She said that David wanted to help her and was chasing Sam (koalas are usually not at all interested in rocking it with the humans). After a few steps, Sam just plopped down as if to concede, "I give up. Do what you will to me. I don't care anymore."  So this stranger at a coffee shop is telling me the story and I burst into tears blabbering, "Isn't that the case though ... sometimes others are trying to help us and we're too scared to let them.” (Then a lot of sniffing, snorting and nose blowing. It was not pretty.)   

Apparently, both Sam and Bob smell like burned flesh; it doesn't bother the other one as it would an uncooked koala.   Colleen Wood reports that, "Sam is probably aged between two to four going by her teeth and Bob is about four so they have a muchness with each other."  

As you can imagine, this brings on more of my overt sentimentality, thinking how it took such pain to bring the two together. But then I start mulling over the phrase 'a muchness with each other'.  Does ‘muchness’ invoke some kind of snack food for you too, maybe with a fresh cucumber dill sour cream dip?