Dallas here.
GUESSWHAT!!!
We had a visitor over the weekend and since Mama’s working on her next novel, I get to tell you about it.
(Mama said something about striking while the Muse is hot. Don’t ask me why she’s hitting a hot Muse. It didn’t make much sense when she said it either!)
Anyway, before you get all excited thinking it might be The Kid, I have to tell you it was a small visitor.
And judging by Mama and Grandma’s reactions, it wasn’t a particularly welcome visitor.
Mama and I were just settling down to sleep when Grandma shrieked, “We have a BAT!!”
Uh-oh.
Mama leaped out of bed, shut me in her room (where I could only hear the fun), and raced downstairs.
Sure enough, Batty was dipping and gliding all through the house, making laps from the basement through the kitchen and back again.
Now Mama likes bats almost as much as Katybeth likes rats, so there was a LOT of screeching going on.
First off, Mama went to the garage for the butterfly net she uses as a bat-catcher.
It’s small, but once Batty is inside, he’s not getting out.
I could hear Grandma making silly suggestions like, check the valances. Look under the desk, under the bed, and so forth.
Right. Batty is going to pay a few bills, play Hide-and-Seek, and take a nap.
Then Mama saw him clinging to a dresser mirror. When she swung the net in his direction, he started making clicking sounds.
Eventually, Mama dislodged him and sent him lapping again.
She took that opportunity to scurry up the stairs and prepare to shoo him out the door.
Batty followed, and Mama swung. Would you believe she snagged him in that net?
My Mama’s got skills!
Guess all the tennis she’s played over the years sharpened her aim.
She tossed the whole kit and caboodle out the door and returned to bed.
Next time I’m gonna follow her and watch the show!
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Awesome quick reactions! Bats? Eeeek.
Eeeek, is right! Especially when you see those little monkey faces of theirs. And the tiny feet. *shudders*
Ah, bats – I have a little family of them living somewhere at the bottom of the garden. harmless creatures, but a little unnerving! Don’t worry, Dallas – I’m sure next time you will get to join in the fun!
Miss Lucy, Mama read that bats are supposed to be good mosquito catchers, but we don’t have mosquitoes inside the house so this one must have become confused. Mama helped him back outdoors so he can have something to eat!
Bats are definitely outside creatures! Your mamma was so clever to catch one. I bet he was pleased to be back outside.
I think it was as much a surprise to Mama as to Batty that she caught him! 😉
Just so you know I called the Cubs manager and suggested they sign you ASAP. OMG i am gobsmaken amazed at your awesome swinging and snagging ability! And the story! Mama yelling, you racing around swinging a net in your jammies, BIg D frankly barking…. belongs on Odd! And is wrong to be delighted that other people have these kind of experiences? Was the bat ok? ( if a rat was sighted in our house, I’d move-I’m better but not that much better)
I was so excited by your story I typed this on my phone. Something I should NEVER do but I suppose you knew that frankly barking was frantically barking
Mama doesn’t respond on her phone that way either. She hits enough typos as it is, hee-hee (but don’t tell her I said so!)
Batty was just fine, we suppose. The net was empty the next morning so he must have extricated himself. Probably glad to be back outside away from the screeching! Mama would never have gone to sleep if she hadn’t been SURE he was back outdoors though!
Yikes! I know bats are supposed to be our friends since they eat insects and all but NO THANK YOU!!!! Dallas, your mama did herself proud!!
Miss Mo, my mama is part Celtic warrior princess (or so she claims). I think she’s especially amazing when she whips out a garden hoe and chops a snake in half!! But you ought to see her skedaddle when she sees a centipede!
“My Mama’s got skills!”
YAHOOOOO! Please tell Mama I said, “Way to go and brava!!!!”
Wow…what an exciting and riveting story, Dallas! You had me on the edge my seat reading this. You’re such talented writer!
And thanks for sharing the bat clicking noise bite because I had always thought that noise came from their wings. I had no idea it was an actual sound they made.
Great post, my canine friend! Tell Mama I said Hi and that I hope her novel is going well!
X and woofs!
Thank you, Mr. Ron. I guess that clicking noise helps them find their way around, but Mama thought (until she Googled it) that Batty was ANGRY at her and ready to attack. No wonder she was swinging that net for all she was worth, ha!
Mama says Hi right back and is glad nobody minded my taking over her blog so she could do some writing. Novels don’t write themselves, as she keeps reminding me!
xo
Used to have bats come down the chimney. All covered in soot banging off of white walls. Nice job on the net. Lacrosse in your background?
Mr. John, my grandma would be so MAD at having fireplace soot smeared on her white walls by a bat! I don’t even want to hear what Mama would say about that. Probably nothing printable. No lacrosse; tennis … and lots of it!!
Well it looks like it worked for the batter up exercise.
😉
Aaarghhhhh! Our servant hates bats! She says to tell your mama she deserves a major bravery award and a giant slice of chocolate cake! Catching it in a net is super-impressive – she could nearly be an honorary cat!
Love, Tommy and Tuppence
Miss FF, Mama would LOVE a piece of chocolate cake, thank you so much! As for me, well, dogs shouldn’t eat chocolate. I agree she’s a brave one, that mama of mine! I think she was pretty surprised to find she’d caught Batty on her first real try. Honorary cat, huh? Well, Tommy and Tuppence, that’s quite a compliment, and I’ll pass it on to her!
Yikes!!!! Well done, D. Both Ds, actually. I enjoyed this tale and the outcome!
Thank you, Miss Audrey. My mama really doesn’t like things with wings being inside — and that encompasses a LOT of critters. If there’s a next time, maybe I’ll get to help herd Batty, ha!
Be on the ready, Dallas. My sister just had a bat removed from her attic…the electrician found him. HUGE! Wow
I hate to admit this, Miss Audrey, but I’m glad to hear someone else has had a bat in the house. Mama thought she was the only one!
I’m astonished — it sounds as though you have a history with bats. I can’t remember ever knowing anyone who had a bat in their house — or their belfry, for that matter. Well, I can’t say that any more. I’m just glad everything worked out well, no one was hurt, and no one called the police on the batty lady running around the yard!
Miss Linda, you are absolutely right, we do have more than our share of bats coming indoors. Why we don’t know. We think perhaps they’ve made a home in our neighbor’s tree which drapes a lot over our yard. Mama tries to be real careful about opening the door to let me in and out — especially from dusk to dawn — but somehow they slip in any way. Good thing my mama has super aim!!
Awwwwwwwww, glad you saved him!!
Love Bats!! xx
Do you really? Next time, how about if I send him to you?!! xx
Oh my, Dallas. A bat in the house would surely get my blood pressure up, even though I never have an issue with it, small fast creatures would probably do it. I’m glad Mama took the lead on that, I’d agree she’s got skills :D. Sorry you missed all the fun, but it’s good to play it safe.
Mama forced me to play it safe, Miss Lana — she shut me in her room!! That’s probably for the best because I’d have just been in the way, barking and trying to herd Batty!!
Yikes a bat in the house! Debbie I think you should have used a strong backhand to get rid of that bat for good.
Miss Pat, Mama thinks it might be illegal to kill a bat. After all, they’re good mosquito-catchers! And since there are NO mosquitoes inside the house, there was no reason for Batty to be in there either.