I came home the other day from where ever I was, and the husband approached my car. Hmm somethings up. My neighbor was perched on her front porch, where she can often be seen. He informed me that the neighbor had not one but, six owls in her tree. WHAT! I carefully approach. Well I tend to move like a bull in a china shop but, I moved in as carefully as possible. Now I’m expecting huge owls and this tree isn’t quite that big. What I found were a mom and pop and 4 babies. OMG this was the sweetest sight. The mom and pop were probably 8″ tall and huddled together with the babies scattered about on different branches. They must have been nested in the tree, because they appeared to be right at home, so we watched for a while absolutely riveted. Did they move? Nope not even a wink. Eventually we had to remove ourselves from the spectacle and park the car! I asked her the next day if they were still there and she said they had flown. I would have loved to hear them.

Another evening we were out on the deck chatting away. The husband is looking east and I am looking west. I commented on how still the air was. Looking up and thru the new blinds that we just replaced, I said I think we’re going to get wet! The husband was looking at blue sky. Just then the wind came up and we hurried to get the blinds up and out of the way and started to cover the furniture. I had just dropped the cover for the chair I sit on all the time, behind the chair. I noticed something black about the size of my fist on the cover but, didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was just a dead leaf. I reached down with my fingers about 1 1/2″ from the black blob only to have it take flight. Yup a bat. Scared the *** out of me. With wings extended it was at least 15″ across. It was a big bat. Not that I am familiar with them. I have seen them fly thru the deck before so quick, you barely register what it is.

Once many years ago I would spend every Thursday with my parents. Mom was notorious for moving things around in their home. I noticed a black blob on the wall in the family room. As I’m talking to my folks I am puzzling about this blob. Seemed like a funny place to hang an accessory, that I couldn’t identify. It was right above my mom’s head. After staring at it for several minutes, I finally realized it was a bat. I told mom to get out of her chair slowly and come my way. Of course she wanted to know why. I said just do it, to which she refused. This went on for a couple of minutes with her refusal. I finally said mom there is a bat above your head! Did she quietly get up out of her chair? Nope, she flew out of the chair, as did my dad. But my dad exited the house, got in the car, and left the little women to take care of the bat! I called the humane society and they came with a coffee can and scooped it in, and removed it. Strange happenings!

So if this wasn’t enough bat encounters I can now top it. The other night we were again out on the deck, the air was very still. Rain on radar all around us, we decided with the threat of 60 mile an hour winds we better button things up again. The blinds go up, the furniture gets covered. We decide we better bring in the mirrors that are above the serving shelf. We didn’t want another episode where a mirror takes flight and crashes on the other side of the deck.

The wind comes up even more and we are now hustling to get the mirrors down. I pull one off the wall and there is what looks like in the dimming light, black bugs on the wall. Of course I don’t want bugs in the house, so I peak my nose around the back side of the mirror only to have a bat take flight. I felt it hit my nose! Soft and silky. Ick!!!

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The door was wide open and my friend mister bat, decided to invite himself in for a party. OMG what to do. It is frantically flying around the living room and the kitchen. The husband to the rescue. Broom in hand he decides to make it feel really unwelcome. I run down the hall closing doors in my wake, trying to keep it isolated. Bat is flying high and low with the husband swatting at it, trying to get it back out the door. Now you can tell this bat is getting really pissed off!!! Finally he makes contact with the bat, and the bat gets the message and exits the house!!!

Looking back on it and visualizing the husband swatting at the bat, it is really pretty funny. A miracle that nothing got broken, and something I don’t ever want to repeat in this lifetime. Gee I have no pictures of this whiley bat. I got to clean up bat guano off the outside wall and the serving shelf. I took some dawn vinegar and water to it because I don’t want it to come back. I would lay odds that it was the same bat I encountered the first go round.

Has anyone out there had any experiences with bats? I much prefer the owl story! Ah summer in Nebraska!!! I think we are officially out of our drought. That is a good thing.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley