Bat!

Wednesday, August 24

We took a nice hike in the state park this morning and decided to stick around the park for the afternoon to swim, read some more Harry Potter and make a delicious, low-key day of it.

First, though, we had to pack up the campsite and move the van.

I was behind the van pulling the bug screen off the back. I pulled down the right side of the screen when all of sudden this little black head pops down.

[Insert loud scream.]

Holy sh** - it’s a bat!

I had slept with the back doors open and the bug screen on so I could look at the water and the stars over the lake. I did remember seeing a bat flapping by and noting it. BUT I HADN’T EXPECTED IT TO SLEEP OVERNIGHT IN OUR VAN!

What creeped me out the most was that I had shut the back doors of the van and locked up that morning when Auggie and I went for our hike. That means that little bugger was nestled in the very tiny space left in the crack between the door and the rest of the van, and he had obviously crawled into the inside of the bug screen. I’m so glad he wasn’t squished! (cause I didn't want to clean him up) But the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I realized how close I had been to a bat for several hours that night/morning.

I pulled myself together enough to think about getting the camera. I then realized that he wasn’t moving from his spot and I was going to have to dislodge the evil flying rodent.

And then I thought … “What is it with me and rodents this trip??? First a mouse in my pantry. And now a freakin bat in my belfry." Let's just hope I don’t end up with a squirrel in the shower or something – all things come in threes, you know!

In the storage area in the back of the van, I had a dustpan and brush right there, so I grabbed it. I tried to brush the bat out, but he did not want to go. He moved a bit over to the side, but started to hiss at me and open his mouth, showing his little bat-fangs. He didn’t like being woken up in broad daylight, and he certainly didn’t like me moving him from his roost.

[Oh good lord, I can’t believe I am doing this.]

[I am also fully exposed here. What if he flies into me and starts to attack? I have nothing to shield myself with except this teeny little dustpan.]

He didn’t want to go. He was a tenacious little bugger and did NOT want to be moved. I kept prodding him with the dustpan and he kept squirming and turning around and hissing, not wanting to be in the sunlight and not wanting to be poked.

[Oh, please let this thing leave. Please, please, please.]

Finally, after another couple of prods and bad, four-letter words, followed by gutteral, squeamish breaths from me, he understood that I was not stopping and that he needed to go. He FINALLY flew away, up into a tree. I don’t know where he went from there because I got the shakes and needed to scream again.

Another adventure in the Champagne Chevy, eh? Yes. But a gross one!  Ew ew ew.

OK, now where is my martini? Because I have certainly earned it with this escapade!

I didn’t get my martini, mostly because I didn’t have any vodka in the van. But I did get a lovely few hours down by the lake to swim and read. That calmed me down.

Then it was off to Whitefish, MT, to drop off Auggie at a kennel for a few nights. I have a horseback ride in Glacier National Park booked for tomorrow and he can’t come with. Boo!

Once he was dropped off, I found my campsite, cooked some dinner and uploaded a few belated blog entries. (I know, I know – I’m majorly behind!) More Potter, then sleep. G’nite.