Amazing MickaCoo Redoo Number 2!

Oh my goodness, I don't even know how to convey how supported I feel by all the wonderful volunteers who came to my home on Saturday to clean, repair and rehab my MickaCoop.

Expert builder Jim came over bright and early to help me shop for materials.

Then Cheryl & Robert came back to help for the second year in a row! Together we relocated 16 pigeons into a spare room so that we could get to work in the coop.

I was even more excited than the pigeons because my coop had problems. Last year, Robert, Cheryl, Katie & Eric did a fantastic and meticulous job building two big nest box cabinets and replacing my roof according to my designs. Their work was perfect but my designs were not. The two nest boxes I designed to accommodate at least eight couples were only housing three and I had been having to add nest boxes until the place was an impossible-to-maintain and very annoying warren. The flat roof leaked and had to be tarped and siphoned and was also a constant source of annoyance.

Soon more help arrived! Katie and Eric and Amaryllis helped clean and further mouse-proof the coop, assemble origami cages, tame a monster pile of transport boxes & crates, and snuggle baby dove Lily.

Amaryllis not only came over ready to work all day (and snuggle birds) but brought me this beautiful mama and baby birdies work of art that she created.

All Katie was hoping for was a little caffeine to help along the way but I forgot to make coffee.

Everybody was incredibly good-natured and hard-working all day long.

I was especially touched that in addition to two first-timers Jim & Amaryllis, all four of last year's volunteer crew- Cheryl, Robert, Katie & Eric- returned to help again this year.

Cheryl brought her puppy Dunkin and he kept my old man dog Monkey company while we all worked.

We were so well staffed that volunteer Chris went home after delivering organic strawberries, donated ceramic dishes and visiting with and video-taping oops baby dove (and now Taupe Eagle) Lily.

After many hours of work, Jim, Robert & Cheryl added finishing touches and helped to return the pigeons to the spiffy new coop.

Peppermint & Sparkle found all the brand new, sparkling clean nest boxes very exciting.

And so did Tux & Betti and Isabella & Gale...

Now we have a wonderful, nonleaking slanted roof that will drain off of the coop instead of into it!

And lots of beautiful, roomy, easy-to-clean nest boxes that hopefully everyone can share.

And there's a whole lot of excited house-hunting drama going on in the coop.

Oops baby dove Lily and her friend Neo enjoyed a day out in the sunshine in the origami cage puzzle that Katie & Eric solved for me.

The coop birds put on an exciting show. I need to figure out how to rig up a web cam so y'all can see the goings on.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you to Jim, Robert, Cheryl, Katie, Eric & Amaryllis for all their incredibly generous help to fix up my MickaCoop. I am blown away by your support and kindness.