Silliness So what are you doing RIGHT NOW? - Page 473

phenomshel · 08-14-2009, 02:14 AM

Trying very hard to be non-hysterical. I have spent the last hour held hostage in my own house by a BAT. No idea how it got in or where it got in. I can do spiders without cringing. I can do mice/rats without squealing. I do NOT do bats!!! I had to wait for Chris to come home and get it out. It didn't bite me or the cats, so that's one less concern. Found out you can't kill them, they're protected. Chris had to SCRAPE him off the crown molding - (he didn't want to leave, apparently) - and into my flour canister (which was the biggest container I could find with a lid), and then took him down the block and let him go.
I have a feeling I'll be jumping and squealing at everything that moves for awhile...

rebarnmom · 08-14-2009, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Trying very hard to be non-hysterical. I have spent the last hour held hostage in my own house by a BAT. No idea how it got in or where it got in. I can do spiders without cringing. I can do mice/rats without squealing. I do NOT do bats!!! I had to wait for Chris to come home and get it out. It didn't bite me or the cats, so that's one less concern. Found out you can't kill them, they're protected. Chris had to SCRAPE him off the crown molding - (he didn't want to leave, apparently) - and into my flour canister (which was the biggest container I could find with a lid), and then took him down the block and let him go.
I have a feeling I'll be jumping and squealing at everything that moves for awhile...

You still up too, Shel? I think we had a bat in the barn once sometime last year in the middle of the night. While my husband was running around like a maniac trying to catch it, I was sound asleep.

Missed the whole thing! Probably a good thing!

My night is not so exciting. Just got done baking a cake for Mallory's pool party tomorrow. Her party was supposed to be last month, but summer didn't arrive until this week. Strange... I thought summer began in June.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should do some cleaning or go to bed and do it in the morning.

Bed's looking pretty good though.

phenomshel · 08-14-2009, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

You still up too, Shel? I think we had a bat in the barn once sometime last year in the middle of the night. While my husband was running around like a maniac trying to catch it, I was sound asleep.

Missed the whole thing! Probably a good thing!

My night is not so exciting. Just got done baking a cake for Mallory's pool party tomorrow. Her party was supposed to be last month, but summer didn't arrive until this week. Strange... I thought summer began in June.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should do some cleaning or go to bed and do it in the morning.

Bed's looking pretty good though.

Hey, sweetie... I'm always up this late. Second shift hours, still. If the adrenaline ever wears off, though, I'm for bed too. We've had three "early for us" mornings in a row this week, I feel like I could sleep for a week. Or I will..when the adrenaline rush goes away.

Before the Bat Incident, I made peach muffins. Good stuff!
Hey we need to get together again, you think?

rebarnmom · 08-14-2009, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Hey, sweetie... I'm always up this late. Second shift hours, still. If the adrenaline ever wears off, though, I'm for bed too. We've had three "early for us" mornings in a row this week, I feel like I could sleep for a week. Or I will..when the adrenaline rush goes away.

Before the Bat Incident, I made peach muffins. Good stuff!
Hey we need to get together again, you think?

I'm usually a night owl too, but I did too much yard work today, which makes me tired and sore. I got a second wind after dinner, but it's fading fast!

Yes, I agree! We need to get together again! After my daughter's party tomorrow, my calendar should be pretty much open! We still need to celebrate your birthday! Good night! Try to think happy thoughts between deep breaths, to take that adrenaline down a notch or two!

phenomshel · 08-14-2009, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

I'm usually a night owl too, but I did too much yard work today, which makes me tired and sore. I got a second wind after dinner, but it's fading fast!

Yes, I agree! We need to get together again! After my daughter's party
tomorrow, my calendar should be pretty much open! We still need to celebrate your birthday! Good night! Try to think happy thoughts between deep breaths, to take that adrenaline down a notch or two!

G'night and sweet dreams! I sure hope this adrenaline fueled jumpiness wears off, otherwise Chris is going to touch me in his sleep and I'm going to scream my head off in the middle of the night.

Let me know when's good for you. They changed my schedule at work, but I'm still off for sure on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends. Someone bought a four pack of Switch last night and reminded me of you

Sparrow · 08-14-2009, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Trying very hard to be non-hysterical. I have spent the last hour held hostage in my own house by a BAT. No idea how it got in or where it got in. I can do spiders without cringing. I can do mice/rats without squealing. I do NOT do bats!!!

Awww, sorry you had a scary experience; but I like bats.

Your story reminded me of a lovely poem that Vicki Feaver (UK poet) wrote about a similar experience:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/jul/20/poetry

montsnmags · 08-14-2009, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Hey, sweetie... I'm always up this late. Second shift hours, still. If the adrenaline ever wears off, though, I'm for bed too. We've had three "early for us" mornings in a row this week, I feel like I could sleep for a week. Or I will..when the adrenaline rush goes away.

Before the Bat Incident, I made peach muffins. Good stuff!
Hey we need to get together again, you think?

Shel, I know that if you're afraid so of them, it's not much help, but I believe most bats live on insects, and are mighty fine harvesters of things like mosquitoes. Of course, that's not including the fruit bats, which eat fruit obviously and, having up to a 5' wingspan, you probably don't want in your house more for fear of structural damage

(they do enough to our fruiting palms, at least until the possum chases them off what he believes is his plantation).

I'm glad you had compensatory muffins to help you past it though. I'm thinking of making some and letting loose some bees and wasps (a fear I have, though the conscious part of me loves them) in my house, just to give me an excuse to eat homemade muffins.

Cheers,
Marc

nekokami · 08-14-2009, 04:45 AM

Awake at 4:43 am... Second time I've been woken up. I gave in and read Girl Genius.

(It's published at 12:00 am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at http://girlgeniusonline.com, and it is only by an effort of will that I don't just stay up until midnight Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.)

Slite · 08-14-2009, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Shel, I know that if you're afraid so of them, it's not much help, but I believe most bats live on insects, and are mighty fine harvesters of things like mosquitoes. Of course, that's not including the fruit bats, which eat fruit obviously and, having up to a 5' wingspan, you probably don't want in your house more for fear of structural damage

(they do enough to our fruiting palms, at least until the possum chases them off what he believes is his plantation).

I'm glad you had compensatory muffins to help you past it though. I'm thinking of making some and letting loose some bees and wasps (a fear I have, though the conscious part of me loves them) in my house, just to give me an excuse to eat homemade muffins.

Cheers,
Marc

A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!

Say no more!

yvanleterrible · 08-14-2009, 05:54 AM

A bat will crawl into tiny spaces around the roof soffites to look for shelter. Once safe inside, they will continue crawling looking for insects.
They can consume half their weight in insects a day.
Once in a while they will accidentally crawl in the house and it's a terrorized little animal you will see. I catch them with towels as their tiny claws catch in the fabric. Once folded in they feel safer and will not move.
The trick is to open all windows in a room and herd the tiny thing towards that room. If it lands, just gently put the towel on it. I like to catch them in my hands and get fascinated easily by the beauty of their details and their strangeness.

krisk · 08-14-2009, 11:29 AM

I love bats! this has to be one of my favorite children's books. it came out after my kids were too old for it, but I bought it and several other books for "visiting dignitaries"

phenomshel · 08-14-2009, 12:57 PM

Yes, I realize bats are worth their weight in insect control, and we didn't hurt it or kill it. The problem was, when I turned the living room light on to make him roost, he roosted with his tiny little claws stuck into the crown molding around our ceiling. I'm not a tall person, and at the time I didn't know that you could get close to a bat without him getting scared and taking off. The scenario of me on a chair with a container or towel, the bat flying in my face, and me falling off the chair really didn't sound like a good idea.... I was serious, though, it took Chris literally scraping him off that crown molding, he did NOT want to let go.
Once Chris got him into the container (clear plastic), we got a good look at him, and they ARE cute...but I still don't want them flying around in my HOUSE! They're more than welcome outside where they can eat their weight in insects, but not in here. Also, there have been something like 37 cases of confirmed rabid bats in Illinois this year, and that's something I just don't want to deal with, for me or the cats.

Marc - you *need* an excuse to eat homemade muffins? All I need is a new recipe and the fact that peaches are cheap right now, *laugh*.

Patricia · 08-14-2009, 04:46 PM

I quite like to sit putside on my patio after supper on summer evenings, watching the swallows and swifts screeching overhead. At some point in the twilight they stop screeching and turn into bats instead.

They did once get entangled in a young neighbour's hair (after we all reassured her saying that it was a myth that bats landed in one's hair. It's just lucky that her skirt wasn't any shorter.). But, so far, they've never bothered me. We also have laws in the UK to protect bats. You can't disturb them if they're nesting in your attic, or belfry, or whatever. I believe that you are allowed to eject stray visitors, though.

kazbates · 08-14-2009, 04:53 PM

Bats are far from being a nuisance and are a great help here during the summer months to help keep the mosquito population in check. However, I would not want one in my home. It's not that they aren't kind of cute, in a kind of *eewww* way, but the guano they create can be quite noxious and, considering they eat so much, fairly voluminous.

vivaldirules · 08-14-2009, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

I quite like to sit putside on my patio after supper on summer evenings, watching the swallows and swifts screeching overhead. At some point in the twilight they stop screeching and turn into bats instead.

They did once get entangled in a young neighbour's hair (after we all reassured her saying that it was a myth that bats landed in one's hair. It's just lucky that her skirt wasn't any shorter.). But, so far, they've never bothered me. We also have laws in the UK to protect bats. You can't disturb them if they're nesting in your attic, or belfry, or whatever. I believe that you are allowed to eject stray visitors, though.

Curious. Do many birds there have the ability to turn into other species? I thought that was reserved for certain humans and only at full moon. I'm personally hoping one day to turn into a doughnut but that's something else entirely.

08-14-2009, 11:29 AM	#7091
krisk Wizard Posts: 2,148 Karma: 8229 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: on the road again Device: kindle	I love bats! this has to be one of my favorite children's books. it came out after my kids were too old for it, but I bought it and several other books for "visiting dignitaries" Attached Images

08-14-2009, 02:14 AM	#7081
phenomshel ZCD BombShel Posts: 4,793 Karma: 8293322 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Frozen North (aka Illinois, USA) Device: iPad, STB Kindle Oasis	Trying very hard to be non-hysterical. I have spent the last hour held hostage in my own house by a BAT. No idea how it got in or where it got in. I can do spiders without cringing. I can do mice/rats without squealing. I do NOT do bats!!! I had to wait for Chris to come home and get it out. It didn't bite me or the cats, so that's one less concern. Found out you can't kill them, they're protected. Chris had to SCRAPE him off the crown molding - (he didn't want to leave, apparently) - and into my flour canister (which was the biggest container I could find with a lid), and then took him down the block and let him go. I have a feeling I'll be jumping and squealing at everything that moves for awhile...

08-14-2009, 04:45 AM	#7088
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	Awake at 4:43 am... Second time I've been woken up. I gave in and read Girl Genius. (It's published at 12:00 am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at http://girlgeniusonline.com, and it is only by an effort of will that I don't just stay up until midnight Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.)

08-14-2009, 05:54 AM	#7090
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	A bat will crawl into tiny spaces around the roof soffites to look for shelter. Once safe inside, they will continue crawling looking for insects. They can consume half their weight in insects a day. Once in a while they will accidentally crawl in the house and it's a terrorized little animal you will see. I catch them with towels as their tiny claws catch in the fabric. Once folded in they feel safer and will not move. The trick is to open all windows in a room and herd the tiny thing towards that room. If it lands, just gently put the towel on it. I like to catch them in my hands and get fascinated easily by the beauty of their details and their strangeness.

08-14-2009, 12:57 PM	#7092
phenomshel ZCD BombShel Posts: 4,793 Karma: 8293322 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Frozen North (aka Illinois, USA) Device: iPad, STB Kindle Oasis	Yes, I realize bats are worth their weight in insect control, and we didn't hurt it or kill it. The problem was, when I turned the living room light on to make him roost, he roosted with his tiny little claws stuck into the crown molding around our ceiling. I'm not a tall person, and at the time I didn't know that you could get close to a bat without him getting scared and taking off. The scenario of me on a chair with a container or towel, the bat flying in my face, and me falling off the chair really didn't sound like a good idea.... I was serious, though, it took Chris literally scraping him off that crown molding, he did NOT want to let go. Once Chris got him into the container (clear plastic), we got a good look at him, and they ARE cute...but I still don't want them flying around in my HOUSE! They're more than welcome outside where they can eat their weight in insects, but not in here. Also, there have been something like 37 cases of confirmed rabid bats in Illinois this year, and that's something I just don't want to deal with, for me or the cats. Marc - you need an excuse to eat homemade muffins? All I need is a new recipe and the fact that peaches are cheap right now, laugh.

08-14-2009, 04:46 PM	#7093
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I quite like to sit putside on my patio after supper on summer evenings, watching the swallows and swifts screeching overhead. At some point in the twilight they stop screeching and turn into bats instead. They did once get entangled in a young neighbour's hair (after we all reassured her saying that it was a myth that bats landed in one's hair. It's just lucky that her skirt wasn't any shorter.). But, so far, they've never bothered me. We also have laws in the UK to protect bats. You can't disturb them if they're nesting in your attic, or belfry, or whatever. I believe that you are allowed to eject stray visitors, though.

08-14-2009, 04:53 PM	#7094
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	Bats are far from being a nuisance and are a great help here during the summer months to help keep the mosquito population in check. However, I would not want one in my home. It's not that they aren't kind of cute, in a kind of eewww way, but the guano they create can be quite noxious and, considering they eat so much, fairly voluminous.