Halloween came early to my premises last night.
After a somewhat batty City Council meeting with lots of topics, I was finishing a snack and trying to read my notes when I saw a strange look on Mau's face. It was the wide-eyed stare he gets when there is a bug on the ceiling, but he was not making his special bug noise. And no wonder. This invader was not some eensy-weensy spider, it was a bat!
Shrieking ensued. I was screaming, Michael was in his room yelling and Mau decided to duck under the futon for the nonce.
What to do. With no spouse to foist the task off on, I saw it was going to be up to me to take action. From behind his door, Michael was offering fruitless suggestions ("Call 9-1-1! Call pest control!") while the bat swooped around, occasionally landing on a screened window and folding itself up to a litle package. When it took flight again, it looked as big as a pterodactyl to me.
Seeing no help from any other quarter, I put on a hoodie (bats in hair?) and took up a broom to deal with the bat. First I had to open a screen, then convince him to leave. Wielding the broom, I got over to the window by degrees and pushed up the screen, then urged him with the business end of the broom to fly out.
More shrieking. More swooping and fluttering by the bat. And then poof! It was gone.
By this time it was nearly 1 a.m. Trying to figure out how the bat got in, I settled on the thought that he came out of the hole in the porch ceiling left by the recent raccoon invasion. Both previous incidents of bat invasion since 1992 took place on the enclosed porch and I could envision bats hanging from the rafters above the dropped ceiling, just friendly insect-eaters and ecological pals until they get in my personal space.
So that's why blogging on council matters will be delayed. According to an online search, the invader was most likely a Little Brown Bat, but it looked darned big from my vantage point behind the broom. I envisioned it outside, eating up all those mosquitoes that have been plaguing me in the garden. All in all, it was a happy ending, but as for me, I was finished. I took a stab at blogging but just fell asleep at the keyboard and gave it up.
Check back later.
--Bernice
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Bernice, I am so sorry for the incident, but I have to say that as I was reading, it was getting harder to read because tears of laughter were falling down my face. Not that I thought it was a joke, but you have a brilliant way of writing that makes me feel as though I was swatting the bat with you.
ReplyDeleteHope you get some sleep, glad all turned out well, and I will check back later.
A perfect ending for a Council meeting in Oz,
ReplyDeletetime to move bernice,for your own safety.
ReplyDeleteA technique that works is to put a tupperware container over the bat when it lands. Use the lid to scoop under the bowl taking care not to create too much open space for it to escape. Then close the lid and move the bat quickly outside to release it.
ReplyDeleteIf the lid is too bulky use a section of newspaper. Hold the paper tight around the tupperware (or secure with a rubberband)and take it outside for release.
I've done this before....
I too feel bad about the incident like "anonymous" but have a grin a mile wide due to your eloquent way of telling the story.. Thank you for sharing Bernice.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the news from Lake Woebegone, where all the men are ...
ReplyDeleteBats in your home are serious. Animal Control used to come out 24/7 for bat calls. I'm not sure if that is still the case. Animal Control Officers used coffee cans to capture the bat after it lands.Holes should be punctured in the lid and the bat should be sent to Trenton via the local Board of Health to check for rabies. Between the bats and the racoons - time to have a serious chat with your Landlord
ReplyDeletefunny that friday night my partner and i were in our library and a bat came swooping into there like he owned the place. we chanced him upstairs and locked in the bar/billairds room... hope he didnt drink too much... we havent seen him since :-)
ReplyDeletei have a recipe for bat
ReplyDelete