We say it every year (or at least I do), but “Can you believe it’s a new year?! Can you believe it’s January?!” And this in turn leads my mind to January birthdays! You, our amazing supporters, have helped end an incredible year and begin another hopeful one having made so much possible in the chimpanzees and bovines lives. From our hearts, thank you for your support, in it’s myriad of forms. And to those of you celebrating January birthdays, Happy Birthday month to you from all of us here!
Prepare yourselves to take your celebrations to the next level if you want to keep up with January birthday guy, Burrito! We’ll be celebrating Burrito’s 39th birthday this Thursday, January 5th! Chad is making plans as I type. And if all goes as planned, “Pasta-cam” will be making an appearance! (Of course, remember, chimps have their own ideas about things. 😉 ).
Burrito is way too busy for photos as he is keeping a close eye on the neighbors:
And on January 29, beautiful Rayne turns 32! We are so excited to celebrate her first birthday here with us!
In other news, at this very moment, the chimpanzees are pure wild and the chimp house is rumbling in all directions. Unbelievably, Willy B ventured into the chilly outdoors of the chute and the seven erupted as if they’d never once in their lives seen this guy before. (Or for all I know, they might have been yelling at him to get back inside where it was warm!).
After stirring that pot, Willy B decided to venture back indoors where he could rile up his roommates, Mave and Honey B, who are less than pleased with him at the moment. As the seven decide to continue yelling from their side, in turn, the six are yelling at their loud neighbors on the other side. Normal chimpanzee politics? Cabin fever? One guy named Willy B looking to add some excitment to the afternoon? Only they know. It keeps things interesting for them and us, I suppose.
We remain wrapped in our arctic freeze, but to be honest, after awhile you don’t even think about it anymore until you catch yourself stepping outside to make snow snacks for the chimps, or chase Burrito around the outside of the greenhouse. Or in today’s case, in which we allegedly have a whopper of a snowstorm coming in overnight. But truth be told, I love winter. While the sometimes white-knuckle drives and extra work that comes with winter can be, well, a lot, it redeems itself in my heart again and again with the silence of falling snow, enchanting and ever-changing ice formations, clearest of cold meteor strewn night skies, and the saturated blues of dawn and dusk. I often think of the chimpanzees, gratefully tucked safe and warm into their nests, wondering if they are watching the same winter enchantments from their windows, new to some, familiar to others.
Well, it’s dinnertime and the chimp house is erupting for different reasons. Rest well, friends, and we’ll see you back here same place, same time tomorrow! May this year ahead hold countless moments of beauty, joy, comfort, ease, and magic for us all.
