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43 monkeys escaped from the farm…

We recently became famous because 43 monkeys being raised a mile away – saw an opening, took it and made a daring escape.

Monkeys have escaped from the monkey farm before, but this time it was a real gang! They’re smart, social, they have opposable thumbs — and they escaped into the jungle of the Lowcountry. They were a lot of fun for the media.

We all kept score. Our fish store had some on the roof the first night. They were seen running across route 68. Little groups of adventurers.

But eventually, they were enticed back inside the enclosure, one by one. Twos and threes. Reward was PB&J sammie. Some stories need no embellishment.

At last count there were still 4 recalcitrant girls (they were all females), but it’s been pretty cold over the holidays, and my guess is that they have found their way inside their village again.

and other escaped critters…

I painted an early Christmas gift for the sister of a friend. The sister is a long-distance friend, with whom I occasionally share bird sitings. She is an accomplished bird photographer, now, but for many years she was a teacher. She was a groundbreaking and beloved science teacher. One day her kids kept callling her outside because there was a bird in the tree, and they were pretty sure it was not a local bird.

She was surprised when a beautiful little cockatiel flew right down to her shoulder.

And that is where Lucky stayed for the next 25 years. I’m sure they made all the requisite inquiries all those decades ago, but ultimately Lucky became the class bird. And entered into retirement along with his teacher.

Parrots and cockatoos live long lives, and breeders and pet shops caution folks wanting to have them as pets, that they 1) need a lot of attention, and 2) live very long lives. It’s a commitment. And it was one that lasted 25 years with our friend and Lucky – but it’s possible he was already middle aged when they met! A handsome 50 year old, perhaps.

My favorite picture is of him and his cat, watching birds.

Animals enrich our lives – even if we’re only watching funny cat videos. But when they’re IN our lives, they are more than just furry feathered friends. They bring us reasons to look at life differently, even if it’s just to get up to see a fabulous sunrise while you’re begrudgingly feeding chickens. You know what I mean. Animal people are connected to the earth differently.

A friend of ours recently went to the southern Appalachians to help out after Helene, and has ended up working with a horse farm in the area. His family says they can hear the change in his voice, from big city stress to brisk mountain mornings outdoors.

Fresh air is therapeutic all by itself. Europeans call it naturing and have parks where you can walk barefoot on moss.

It is therapeutic to get out with animals. Just walking your dog adds an element to your day that involves fresh air, maybe even trees and grass and other dogs and humans.

I’m outside every day, but a few times a week I walk my crusty old cat around the neighborhood, or in our woods. Inevitably, there is a sight, an animal encounter or a spectacular sky that makes me SO glad I put on the harness and walked his whiney old ass around. He is possibly 15, and forgetful, and can’t be trusted to just sniff the bushes and return. But even a formerly feral cat knows that a walk on a harness in the woods is better than a nap on the couch. Most of the time. (We have stories of snakes and foxes….but not today.)

My grandson has been dogless for several years. They went from several large old dogs, to one, to none … but this Christmas he and his brothers got a Burmese Mountain Doodle. I see many fun times ahead for all of them!

If you love animals, whether you have one at the moment or not, you are already a person with a different heart. It’s not for nothing that prisons have found success in placing service animal training in the hands of lifers and long haul prisoners. People who work with socially disabled and other challenged people have found horses to be calming and therapeutic for them. The places where people swim with dolphins have hundreds of anecdotal instances of dolphin recognizing Down Syndrome people, and other challenged visitors, and spending more and different time with them.

Animal people know that having an interaction with a wild animal is often profound, and never forgettable. Even the fox and deer I routinely see and who often look back at me — those are not mundane moments, even though they are in my yard. Having a dolphin come up at take a good look at you in a boat….well, that’ll make your day. It’s almost no wonder that crazy people think they can walk up and pet brown bears in Yellowstone. Who wouldn’t want to hug a big ole bear?! Well, sane people….but it is understandable.

Have fun – it’s a jungle out there!