Semi-Solution

It must have been perking away in the back of my mind while my attention was elsewhere because suddenly yesterday I had at least a partial answer to the problem of the laundry room chicks.  More rain is predicted for this weekend, so putting them in their own dog run under the oak was out of the question.  Overcrowding leads to pecking at each other and disease.  Cleaning up their prodigious output was getting to be more and more of a chore.  And then it came to me!  I got another cage and divided the chicks, six in one and ten in the larger, and took both out to the hen house.  Now there is room for large waterers and larger feed dishes, and the chicks have space to spread out.  The cages are right next to each other, just in case I inadvertently separated best friends.  They are under cover and can acclimate to outdoor temperatures without getting wet.  The hens all came to check out the new kids on the block.  It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps by becoming acquainted this way it might be possible to skip the interim phase in the separate dog run entirely.  That remains to be seen.  I have my laundry room back!

I find gardening to be so therapeutic.  My granddaughter, Taylor, had an hours-long orthopedic surgery yesterday, and I couldn't sit still.  I got the tomato plants in their barrel, and weeded two others out in the garden.  Working in the sunshine (yes, there was sunshine!) was calming while I waited to hear finally that she was in recovery and doing well.  She is at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Sacramento.  If anyone were looking for a charity to support, Shriner's Hospital would be a great choice.  In this day and age, it's hard to believe but they do not even have a billing department; their services to children are provided free of charge.  A room has been provided so Taylor's mom can be with her for the next week to ten days.  Tay's autism presents its own problems in terms of her recovery, and having her parents close by will be a great help and comfort.

Still waiting for word, I moved on to plant the "Lady Lucinda Memorial Posy Pot" with colorful petunias out on the deck, and then repotted a miniature rose I'd been given for Mother's Day (they never seem to do well for long in the house).  Looking out this morning, I see the hummers have found the petunias, dipping their beaks into the flowers' throat, looking for additional nectar in the light of the rising sun.

Taylor is safe.  The chicks are settled in their new home.  The garden is nearly cleaned of weeds.  The sun came out this morning.  All's right in my world.