I left Saturday morning after dropping off my girls. It was an amazing experience. When Katie opened the hen house door, her girls just streamed into the yard. They have their run of the place. My girls joined Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Ameracaunas, and Delawares. They live with about 20-30 hens. And they will be senior girls. I was nervous when I left them because they showed no interest in even going near the door, let alone leave. But then one day, Katie posted the following message to my facebook wall: "This morning, for the first time, when I opened the chicken house door, Thelma and Louise came running out with all the rest of the chickens. Last I looked, they were under that pine tree, pecking and scratching for bugs in the pine needles. Happy hens!" My heart raced with happiness. And then another time, she posted on December 14th, right before Christmas: "Thelma and Louise are starting to feather out again. There's no question that, with their Jersey Giant height, when they're fully re-feathered they will be the Grand Dames of the farmyard. They've also been fully accepted into the flock--this morning they were right up at the feeder with Audacity and Buffy." This last post made my heart rest. I felt the weight of the past 20 months fall away. I felt the worry leave my body.