I heart woodpeckers

Get home from work tonight, and I'm out feeding the birds. Yes, I am the crazy bird lady, I hoard wild birds, when they come to my feeders. I've cut back on the number of feeders, and I've discontinued using the front feeder, where we had many bird crashes into windows. ANY way, I hear a chachacha-ing coming from above me, but the sun's wrong, and I can't see. It's more of a "laughing" sound, and I hadn't heard it for a while, and couldn't place the bird call.
A little while later, I'm inside working, and husband says, I think I just saw a red-headed woodpecker at the suet! All red head, white belly. A red-headed Woodpecker looks like this

and is like the coolest bird, ever. He flies with great swoops and flashes of those tuxedo-sharp wings, and his call is unique. I haven't heard it for a long time, maybe 8? years. And it's February First.

Which is the first time in my life, I believe, that February has surprised me.

As I walked the dogs later, hoping for but not getting further sightings/hearings, I remembered my favourite cartoon character of my yout', Woody Woodpecker.

A red-head, and when I remember his laugh, I'm struck by its' similarity to a real redhead's call.

Which is NOTHING like my laugh, but then, I'm not a woodpecker. Three blows to the head (or was it four??) was enough for me. First time, I was 11, and I leaped off of a stair-landing smack dab into the wall above. I was being a horse, of course. Second time was with the little hot chromey TB Nickey aka "Surprise Package", who showed me what stars look like when you slam your forehead into the horse's poll. Then there was the dangerous bay mare with no withers, she slammed the side of my head into a rock. No helmet. DUhMB, right? Then...? three times it is/was, what a charm:) The rest of my injuries were back-knee related. Those appendages are much easier to fall on:) NOT.
Seems my hands are starting to razz me too. I've worked them hard, and they took several (dozen) applications of pain over the years.

In other equally irrelevant news, things are also changing here. No surprise to me, of course, but I'm not an IBM child for nothing, I guess. I am always prepared to leave.

OH, and my Dad is going for a TAVI operation this month. Say a prayer for him? and the ICU nurses, because I'm pretty sure Dad doesn't /will never make it clear how difficult he is, post-op?! At least, I hope he doesn't struggle. sigh.

Things are changing here, but insides remain the same.

personal note
9 years ago, Joanie. Still missed. Thank you for Joyce, incredible how that has worked out. He had to ask her. And he did. Dad said it just "came to him". Thank you, Joanie.