After the playroom is cleaned each morning, we put out a basket full of enrichment. We try to ensure that the chimps are given an assortment of their favorite things. Trolls and Doras have to be included to keep Foxie happy, and for Jamie there must be cowboy boots.
But we can’t always predict which pair she’ll want. Her obsessions can be fleeting. One day the whole universe revolves around a particular pair; the next day they’re old news. It’s hard to keep up. Sometimes it seems that she’s not even sure which pair sits at the top of her list.
But you can tell when she’s found the right ones. She lets out a low moan of approval, similar to the groans and sighs we humans emit when we settle into the couch with a drink in hand or climb into a warm bed at the end of a long day. It’s a sign of contentedness, an expression of comfortable familiarity.
Whatever else might happen, at least at that moment everything is right with the world.
