Let me first begin by wishing Happy Birthday to all our February celebrating friends!
It feels like a big month for some reason. Waking up to February and suddenly finding ourselves halfway through winter and spring (or summer and autumn, as the case may be). Maybe the tiniest bit of change feels more pronounced right now. Chimpanzees and cattle (and humans!) basking in the first sighting of the sun in these mountains in a good long while, the last full magical month of winter, the cartwheel of life a partial turn closer to spring. The rich cultural heritage and contributions celebrated with Black History Month, the new lunar year welcoming the Year of the Tiger, and the kaleidoscopic wonder and creativity of Carnival season in full swing. Valentine’s Day (and another chimp house party!) on the horizon. My orchids wildly blooming. 🙂 Who knows? So many opportunities for our hearts to beat right along with whatever stirs and inspires them.
So how apropos that all of you celebrating a birthday in this big month get to share it with this big guy, Nutmeg Steer, who is turning 7 years old on February 10th! This wonderful, huge, currently very floofy guy, who loves his mama, Betsy, so very much (and very much vice versa). He might be at least twice her size (see below), but he is still, and forever, her baby cow. Well, baby steer.
This tiny herd brings an awful lot of joy to our days at the sanctuary as we watch them going about their bovine business. And many thanks to all of you, including the Bovine Buddies, who make such a life possible for this sweet family. It isn’t one many bovines get to experience and we are so grateful to you. Be sure to tune in for Nutmeg’s celebration on the 10th!
Honey, Betsy, Nutmeg and Meredith:
Whomever, whatever, and however you choose to celebrate this month, or not, I dare you to do so by sporting something akin to the enviable Nutmeg coif:
From all of us here at the sanctuary, we hope your hearts and minds are stirred by whatever little (or big) lift of inspiration or beauty they might need or come across this month. Be it a winter day, a warm patch of sun, a wild celebration, or all the wonder you make possible in the lives of sixteen chimpanzees and four bovines who call a tiny, but every growing Washington sanctuary, home.
Jody:
Honey B (Mave in the background):
Dora:
And please enjoy these photos of some of the beautiful chimp people in the light-filled chimp house today which were captured by Chad!
Jody:
Negra with that wonderful relaxed lip:
Sweet Lucky enjoying the heights of her group’s sunny greenhouse du jour:
Gordo, below, mid-hoot:
Willy B, across the way, surrounded by sunlight:
Honey B enjoying a kale forage: