Day Six

I didn’t even realize it is Saturday! The days seem to morph into one continuous time frame.

The chimps have been calm so far today except for a little issue in the morning. Topo, the alpha, really wanted to be in the presence of Patti, one of the females, who was across the grounds. He was vocalizing and displaying like any alpha would! We had to leave that area until he calmed down.

The weather is really nice today---very warm. I’ll probably go and explore a bit or hang out with the chimpies. They like it when we paint with them or play chase.

Last night, I tried to make guacamole with the extra avocados and tomatoes. I looked up a recipe online and was all prepared to create a master piece...It was an epic fail. Maybe, I’ll try it again.

Day Five

Guess what? No rain today!

Today was like any other. I was in charge of the trillions of pooped-covered blankets the chimps love to drag around. I like this laundry task because I get to walk to Hooker Creek Ranch and see the horses. They have a washer and dryer that they kindly let us use---the laundry is usually piled high.

I also weeded and planted broccoli in a garden.

The best part of it all was when I was in the garden. Herbie tends to watch us while we are in that particular garden and we talk to him so he feels comfortable. I watched him for a bit---he picked up a pink baseball hat and ripped the bill off. He then pushed the soft part through the fence bars---essentially giving it to me as a present. What a gentleman!

Even though it’s Friday night, looks like the other interns and I are calling it an early night---like every night. We are exhausted.

Day Four

Don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t rain in Oregon---because when it rains, it pours! Seems like the thunderstorms like to show off for me. They even dropped some hail for us. It was, of course, at that time when I needed to go outside to walk to the ranch.

Today, I was in charge of laundry. There is definitely an art in choosing a correct load size.

I also sliced bananas and de-thorned roses under some watchful eyes. The kitchen has an open window where the chimps can watch us make their food. They get pretty excited about it.

Jackson is the youngest of the bunch and is quite energetic. He likes to swing on ropes and plays chase with the volunteers.

I am not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow, but I already saw some poop that will have to be picked up in the morning. Lovely.

Day Three

Today was the first full day of work and it basically consisted of cleaning pooped-filled cages and pulling weeds out of a corn garden. Am I back in Iowa?

While we were weeding, we could feel and hear a thunderstorm rolling in. After ten minutes, on the horizon, we could see the rain falling over one of the many buttes near Mount Hood. The sky was dark, but the horse ranch below was lit in a beautiful way. The horses didn’t seem to mind the storm.

The chimps were calm today. One of the females is having medical issues so the veterinarian came to check her out.

I had some free time so I talked with Herbie, the beta male. It is obvious that he knows his place in the Chimps Inc. hierarchy. He doesn’t display when humans are around like Topo does (pounding, hooting and hair raising).

Albertson’s, the local grocery store, donates all sorts of produce for the chimps. like lettuce, apples, bananas, cherries, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocados, pico de gallo, egg plants and many others. We get so much produce that we had to give some to the ranchers next door and the rest went to the compost pile.

The morning will bring more cleaning and probably more weeding…but at least I get to talk to chimps!

Day Two

And so it begins, a month’s worth of scrubbing, spraying and picking up chimp poop. Although this doesn’t sound overly appealing, there is a weird sense of excitement while doing it. The chimps have been through terrible and traumatic experiences and we are here to make their lives better.

I am not really allowed to discuss the happenings, but there were some issues today---and it broke all of our hearts to see the chimps not getting along, but that is only their nature.
The other interns and I crawled around every enclosure and tunnels to clean poop, pee and everything else the chimps get to play with. It is truly is back-breaking work, but enjoyable.

It rained here again today---what’s new? Last night, after the rains, we walked around some of the nearby ranches, talked to cows and explored a section of a mountain-side. I would have never thought I’d find tumbleweeds in Oregon, but there they were!

After a long morning of work, we are now watching a marathon of Spongebob Squarepants. Yes, you may laugh.
Sorry, I can't post pictures of the chimps.

Day One

Although the hooting of the chimps this morning woke me up, it made me smile a bit --- to even be able to be woken up by chimps! And of course, a cat's tail wacking me made sleeping rather interesting.

Thunderstorms rolled through Bend, Oregon during my first official day here. They haulted me from weeding a strawberry patch so I clean a closet in the intern house office instead.
Anywhere we are assigned to work around Chimps Inc., we can be near a chimp! There is always some chimp keeping an eye on our every movement.

I met all of the eight chimps this morning---each demonstrated their unique personalities---and I am pretty sure the alpha male, Topo, has a crush on me. The other interns and I learned about protocol and how to handle Topo's dominance in the chimpanzee hierarchy.

Sorry this is brief, but I want to go make a banana smoothie---we have so many bananas, we don't know what to do with them!

Arrival

After many hours crunched in an airplane seat and roughly meandering through thunderheads, Lauren Chase has made it to Bend, Oregon. But I must clarify, Chimps Inc. is actually outside of Bend...in a mixture of desert, mountains, trees and cowboys. Driving from the airport, a caregiver and I stopped at a coffee drive-up next to what appeared to be some attempt at a old western town.
The actual facility is next to one of the most expensive-looking horse ranches I have seen. The owners, the Day Family, I was told, practically developed central Oregon through the construction trade. I was greeted with curious looking faces by two of the chimps sitting in the indoor play house's window...I have yet to meet them formally.
I am living with two other girls and a guy...we await their arrival scheduled for later tonight. Technically, I should say I am living with two other girls and a guy, several cats, dogs, birds, chimps, lynxes and probably any other creature looking for a home; it is a sanctuary.
The atmosphere seems pretty chilled and the people so far are easy to joke around with. Tomorrow, we will have an orientation and meet the infamous latte-drinkers...and yes, I am talking about the chimps!