We (finally) got a sprinkling of snow yesterday, so Anna and volunteer Becca filled up some buckets with the fluffy stuff and put them in the front rooms for the chimpanzees after we had finished cleaning.
It’s a gorgeous day today in central Washington. The sun came out early and has been shining bright all day. The snow on the ground catches the light and makes it look like the world is winking and sparkling.
For Annie, today was the kind of day that you take a bucket of snow up to a window on the catwalk and enjoy the cold treat with the sun streaming onto your face.
And when her friends Jody and then Missy came by, she decided there was plenty to share:
Happy eve of Christmas Eve, everyone!
Annie looks so content with her bucket of snow and sun on her shoulders. What a dear girl to share with her friends. That’s what family is all about. I will have a lovely eve of Christmas Eve knowing Annie, Missy, Jody, Foxie, Negra, Jamie, and Burrito are safe and so well loved.
Happy Christmas to everyone at CSNW! Thank you for giving so much every single day to these deserving chimpanzees. XOXOXO
Sharing a treat with friends always makes it more enjoyable. Merry Christmas to all the chimps and the wonderful people that care for them.
What you describe as “winking and sparkling” sounds like February to me. In November, December and January, the sun in Finland stays so low above the horizon, that it fails to create that kind of glimmer, and when it does in February, it is the first sign of the forthcoming spring. It is also the first month when sunshine is strong enough to melt the surface of snow a little bit and create icy pearls on top. That is why February is called “helmikuu”, the pearl of months, in Finnish. Air temperature may melt snow, though, long before the sun does, especially close to the coastlines. But when it’s cold enough, the snow can stay soft and fluffy for weeks on end — until February, when a crust of ice on top of snow surely begins to form. In March, the spring is well on the way, then. I wonder if you ever have had snow staying all soft and fluffy for a longer than a day or two?
Thank you for sharing this! Helmikuu – such a nice word to learn. We do often have snow that stays soft and fluffy for longer than a day or two. Though, not with this storm. There were warmer temperatures in addition to freezing rain that created a crust on top of the snow that had fallen. J.B. just made some pathways on the hill for the chimps with the tractor so Jamie can continue her patrols. One thing is for certain, the weather will change again in time.
What wonderful pictures. So happy that the Chimps have a snowy treat to enjoy. Merry Christmas Eve to all:)