kubota

I’m happy to report that our team of contractors have picked up where things left off last fall with regard to construction on the Bray. We don’t have a firm completion date yet but it should be fairly soon! While they complete their fence work, we’re taking the opportunity to build upon Ryan’s Lookout, the structure that will allow Cy’s group to supervise all the comings and goings at the sanctuary.

So far we’ve added three crow’s nests with fire hose vines strung between them and the main tower. Our poor bamboo took a hit during the arctic blast last Christmas. The existing culms may not grow new leaves this year but we’ll have to wait and see. The good thing is that it should be ready to send up new shoots in June.

The weather has been typically spring-like lately, meaning it is winter one day and summer the next. Last Thursday it snowed on us while working outside in the afternoon; by the end of the week it should hit 80 degrees. This means that some days the greenhouse panels are necessary, while on other days we have to run the fan to cool things off. The last few days have been perfect and the chimps are happy to bask in the warmth from their perch on the tree structures.

As always, Cy has been busy keeping up with the latest celebrity news when not managing his sometimes unruly family.

This photo didn’t turn out very well, but I thought I’d share anyway…I was just barely able to catch Lucky giving her friend Dora a hug to celebrate the arrival of the lunch cart.

On a final note, the sanctuary recently purchased a new (to us) farm vehicle. Surprisingly, Jamie is a bit intimated by it and still prefers to race the Gator. But Benny, who is licensed and required by law (so he says) to inspect all farm machinery, has given it his full approval. Benny lives at the sanctuary with me and Diana and our two other rescue dogs, and because of old injuries he can’t walk as fast or as far as his pack mates. Now he can leave them in the dust. He said the staff can use it too.