BATS IN THE BELFRY.

The other day my dad and I were talking about the importance of curiosity and how it really is the catalyst for a good adventure.  I found it entirely appropriate, then, that just days after our grand philosophical discussion, I was overcome with curiosity within his presence!  Without further ado, I give you the story of the bat in the fireplace!

My mom had been watching Makayla and Garrett the night before I arrived in Cascade for the weekend.  They were all sleeping in the living room and were awakened in the night by a strange noise.  Mom could hear the scritchy-scratchy but didn't know exactly where the noise was coming from.  Makayla, on the other hand, woke up and said to Grandma, "There's something in the fireplace!"  I arrived the next afternoon and quickly heard about there being something alive in the stove.  I resisted temptation for most of the day but as night fell (and I thought about being kept awake by the same noise myself) I just had to discover what was lurking in the ancient ashes of that fireplace.

  

  

don't you love my CREATURE-SEEKER headlight?

although dad let me do the initial scouting of the situation, he came over for a curious peek himself, after determining, that is, that there was no immediate risk of being eaten alive.

  

as suspected, a bat had flown down the chimney and was trapped in the fireplace!

  

i had a REALLY brave thing planned for the next day, so, not wanting to overextend myself, i let mom reach in and rescue the little guy!

look at how sooty he was!  

she said when she let him go, a cloud of black puffed out off of him as he flew away!

It was just a BATTY weekend!  

Mom and I were sitting in her lawn swing a couple of days later when we noticed Sadie's intense concentration on something in the grass.  In fact, she got rather grouchy when Daisy even LOOKED at her treasure!  She had found a DEAD bat!  Whether it was the same bat we rescued and released a few nights before, we'll never know.  But you do know I had to quickly steal it from Sadie so I could pose with it! 

   

A BATTY GIRL WITH A BATTY BAT!