Things are looking up...

The big news of my day is that Charlie is definitely on the mend!  We had our appointment with the new (to Charlie, not to us) vet today and she ran another urinalysis (done on premise, while I waited).  His urine came back completely free of crystals or blood, which was a huge relief.  The vet spent a generous amount of time with me, discussing various causes and what we might expect in the future.  For now, we will keep him on the food that I found over the weekend since he seems to like it, and it is formulated for urinary tract health.  If he has another flair-up,  she may recommend x-ray and/or ultrasound, but she says best for now is to wait and see.  I feel very relieved and am so glad I switched vets.  Both cats are now napping on their respective perches in the office, with a nice view of the bird feeders.  

Hubs is on his way back from AL.  He is not yet sure if he'll try to drive straight through or stop for the night.  And, as much as I want to have him home, I am not keen on him trying to drive straight through. It's a 900-mile trip.  Either way, though, he'll be home soon.  

Today's photo was selected for no other reason than that I thought it visually expressed my message.  We have a healthy population of Downy Woodpeckers in the yard this winter and it's not at all unusual to see at least 4 at a time near the feeders.  They don't share well, but one will perch on a nearby branch, chattering, while another finishes his/her suet snack.  This one was getting impatient and was seconds from hopping up towards a second woodpecker in an attempt to get it to leave.  Very entertaining to watch.  

My second choice for today...a male white-breasted nuthatch, another common backyard bird.

I've put up a few more feeders, including a seed ball that is right outside my office window in a big shrub - currently there are woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice in the shrub.  Which makes me smile.  

Happy Monday, people.