We Thought We Could

Proud Mama and a few Peeps, above


I am so relieved to report that the Peeps and their mom, Sharon, are safe inside the henhouse this evening. Yes, we did it! We weighed the risks of both sides of the question: predators in the big world versus Sharon's innate sense of doing things her own way and potential Big Chicken Meanness inside the coop.

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to move them alone again, I finally enlisted Jonas's help and ingenuity in a carefully calculated SWAT Team-like maneuver. It was like we were in the movie The Matrix, in our skin-tight leather suits and black duster jackets, with Techno music thumping....Oh, no wait. It was more like me with my fly-away hair in blue clogs and favorite jean skirt and Jonas in the same tie-dye tee shirt he wore yesterday---a little bit sweaty and feeling pretty nervous. I took a tall laundry basket and laid it on its side, putting the open end flush up to the side of the house on one side of where the family was trying to hide in the irises in the front garden. Jonas was on the other side of the irises with a piece of plywood. With only minimal shooing, the family soon trundled into the basket! We closed the end with the plywood and transported the whole thing to the henhouse. We kept them shut in for the remainder of the afternoon, with the amenities of food, water, and a nice box to nest in on the ground. Sharon, ever the independent-minded chicken, chose instead to make her bed in the opposite corner in the poopiest part of the coop.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow with the big chickens! Tonight, I am resting easy...And you know, trusting my instinct worked pretty well. When I returned home this evening there was a cat sniffing around the porch! Had we not moved the family this afternoon, who knows!

Below, a Peep taking a little tiny nap. They are so busy all day long: playing tug of war with a worm, drinking and eating, learning to scratch the ground to dig up little edibles, stretching their wings, tripping and falling over, but they nap when they can, usually just a few seconds!

Look how sweet they are, posing for the photo:

Below is a chick in motion! S/He is hustling along, maybe thinking: "Oh No! Where'd everyone go?!"
ATC Make and Swap Report
We had a wonderful ATC evening on Wednesday and carved some beautiful rubber stamps. I will post a picture soon of the stamps that Jonas and I created. One mom who wasn't able to be there reported that her son, very uncharacteristically, broke into loud screams of frustration when he learned that he wasn't going to join us! Everyone was safe with the sharp tools and it seemed like everyone was satisfied and had fun. Two participants unknowingly carved the same design in opposite (one carved away the parts that her neighbor did not) and the result of the two stamps together was a very cool surprise!

Below, an ATC from The Universe to YOU, sent via Thought Mail Telegram, with the postmark Love Everywhere:
And this one is called "Thinking of Joanie:"On Sunday, I will draw four names for the ATC Giveaway! You still have time to leave a comment! Hmmm, and then to pick which cards go to which folks!