Wade's World on the Web: What a Great Day!

Let's start with a little quiz:

Q: What costs more than a vacation to Europe, but less than a halfway decent used car?

A: Having a thumb-sized polyp removed from a cat's oral-nasal cavity!

OK, that expense might not make the "great day" list for everyone, but the immediate relief seen in Miss Ousier's comfort is evidence that it was worth it. I had dropped Ousier off at the U of I College of Veterinary medicine in Champaign on thursday since her issues were more challenging than what the local vets were equipped to handle. X-Rays, CT scans, and a host of tests revealed the giant polyp to be the reason Ouiser has had continual breathing issues. After they yanked it out (yes, that's really what they did), Judy and I drove over this morning to pick her up. It is amazing to see her running around the house like a kitten this evening, obviously able to breathe easily, which gives her more energy. She is such a sweet and friendly cat, taking everything in stride. While most cats are nervous wrecks at the vet, she was all about socializing and exploring, even trying to engage Lilly in the exam room.

Prior to the vets, we took the dogs for a walk at the gardens near the vet clinic. It was so nice out and we were enjoying ourselves when Peaches, Judy's tracking lab, caught a scent she wanted to follow. It was neat to watch her track a scent trail that we could confirm by seeing tracks in the dew filled grass.

After leaving the vets, we stopped to look at a cow in a pasture, a cow which had some sort of port implanted in its side. Not sure exactly what for, but obviously big enough for reaching inside. Eewwww....

(Hope that starling flying overhead isn't looking for a hole for nesting!)

Had to head back to Springfield to open up shop. We had a busy day, with many last minute Mother's Day shoppers.

After work, I planned to do a number of projects but quickly got distracted by a huge number of migratory birds who decided to drop into my yard and use the pond to drink and bathe. They also fed from insects gleaned from the Douglas firs flanking the pond as they methodically searched limb to limb for a meal. The moving water of the pond is a huge draw and I higher recommend it as a bird attractor.

Projects never got done, but I couldn't pass up a relaxing evening of birdwatching.