There is no one quite like Jamie. Like us, she is a complex individual. She is incredibly smart and also known to be earnest, inflexible, a tad bit controlling, and strong-willed (which there is nothing wrong with). Jamie, on her own terms, can also be a jokester, silly, thoughtful, and sweet. All of these characteristics that describe Jamie vary day-to-day or even hour-by-hour. You never know what Jamie you are going to get. I am sure that is something we can all relate to.
Yesterday, Jamie was in an amazing mood. She was being so sweet to her caregivers- breathy panting and excited to greet people, grooming their boots, and giving what we call, “smooshy face” (pressing her face to the mesh and usually will offer a kiss if you extend the back of your wrist). It would be completely unrealistic for us to expect this kind of mood from her all the time, which is why it makes it all the more special when Jamie decides to bless us with her sweet “smooshy face”.
To be honest, I love every side of Jamie. Whether she is keeping us here until 10 o’clock at night on Young’s Hill, playing keep away with Foxie’s dolls, threatening to throw poop at her caregivers, throwing poop at her caregivers, or asking (maybe insisting) to put on her favorite boot to join her on a walk around the Hill, Jamie is pretty frickin’ cool!
This morning, as I let Jamie’s group out onto Young’s Hill, Jamie stayed back. I thought this was a little peculiar until she began to gesture to our small-raised garden bed. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t anything blooming yet. Right when I told her I didn’t see anything, Jamie gestured towards the black current bush, next to the garden. Ohhh, duh! Jamie is so observant, I didn’t even notice it had fruited yet! Though the berries were not quite ripe, I gave her a few.
At breakfast, the smoothies were pretty thick because of the chia seeds and blueberries. Since Jamie likes to hold her cup when drinking smoothies, she was having some difficulties getting it out. I offered her a spoon to use as a tool. When she was not using the spoon, she would hold it with her foot until she needed to use it again. I am not sure why, but it gave me a little chuckle and she seemed very thankful for the tool because we take smoothies very seriously around here.
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Chia seeds…..Never tried!..Wonder what they would think of Chia Pets.:grin:….Oh Jamie..did that Elderberry fruit make the Grade?….Awww ….it will soon….so Chug your Smoothie….Hope your Tool helped…How about we throw some Chop Sticks in there and make it an adventure?:wink:
Chia’s good for you. I throw it in my smoothies, too
Thank you Kelsi, I love Jamie stories more than almost anything!
And the pictures were great.:revolving_hearts:
Thank you Kelsi! i love seeing how they live, especially Jaime! Jaime is the chimp everyone strives to be!
Not only are Jamie’s amber eyes beautiful and mesmerizing, they serve the Boss well as her administration of the Human Sanctuary Northwest that she oversees.
Tobin, I love your comment — Human Sanctuary Northwest!! Yes, totally agree about Jamie’s beautiful eyes and ongoing oversight of everything that’s going on at all times!
Thanks for reminding everyone, Kelsi! I just got in today’s vote, shared the link with a friend.
I, too, love that bit about the spoon!
Good Lord …..was that a spoon? :face_with_monocle:It looked like one of those Slurpee straws….:fearful: I guess I need some glasses
Kelsi, honoring Jamie on my favorite day of the of the year (Summer Solstice) was like a big juicy elderberry to top off my day! Jamie is complex. Jamie is transcendent! I am in awe of everything she does (well, maybe not the poop throwing but everything else). If she could move about the human world, Jamie would be an artist, writer, or someone with vision and creativity. If she had been able to live a natural wild life since birth, she would be a wise leader within her wild family. In her heart, she has the makings for this, sadly humans messed some of it up. It is touching beyond words that you give Jamie a life where Jamie can be The Boss of her group…and that includes the humans! As the advertisements from the ’70’s stated “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”. And Jamie has a beautiful mind. And, as these photos prove, a beautiful face too.
I love Jamie.
Kathleen, I totally agree with what you’ve said! Your comments reminded me of those pics of Jamie lying on the floor with pen in hand drawing on paper. The modernist artists would be very impressed. I adore her, too. She was my “first love” which has now expanded, of course, to each and every one of the chimps. But Jamie has some special place in my heart, poop-throwing and all!
Oh, Jamie! Woman of my heart! Will you get to chase Diana in the Gator this summer? Could you express your poop-throwing feelings in some other fashion? Draw your feelings, my dear! Strong-willed survivor of much since your early days in a human home. We’re so happy you’re among us humans and your chimp friends being the big presence that you are. Thank you for gracing us with your many talents.