Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Father/Son Time
This evening my son and I were in the middle of watching Jackass Forever. Yes, I watch infantile movies of idiots performing extremely dangerous and stupid stunts which also happen to be hysterically funny with my teenage son. We both love these kinds of movies so it’s really nice Father/Son time. So, as I said, we were in the middle of the movie when a bat started flying around the living room.
This also became some good Father/Son time as we assisted the bat back outside. This took a good five minutes or so as the bat seemed to enjoy playing keep-away with the ceiling fans and us. I can only guess that it slipped in from the garage when my son passed through with the weedeater early in the evening to finish trimming in the backyard. Now I think that many of us have seen similar scenes in many a movie.
The main difference that I can attest to in this real-life scenario is the lack of panic on either my son’s or my part. There was no squealing or cringing in the face of a five-ounce flying rodent. We both found it highly amusing and were laughing out loud. This was likely enhanced by the ridiculously funny movie that we had been watching prior to the interruption of our airborne guest.
We did our best to point the bat toward the two large exits that we provided. After a few near misses, our uninvited guest took to the night skies to, what I hope, is a long life for an insect-eating machine. It made for a fun and eventful evening with my son. It’s one of those things that will be a great story for a long time between us and for the next generation when they come along.
Published in Humor
I’ve had that happen a few times with birds, and once with a ferret that had escaped from a neighbor’s house.
Great story, and one your son will be telling six decades hence. I know this because:
Just over six decades ago now, my family was enjoying bonfire night (Guy Fawkes night) in our back garden in the UK. The neighbors were there, the bonfire was going (and baking potatoes in its ashes), and there was hot chocolate all round. Dad–who never outgrew his childlike love of such things–was in charge of the fireworks, which were going off in all directions. At some point, a small sparrow, who had hitherto (I assume) been slumbering peacefully in her nest in the back porch roof, was woken up and thrown into a panic by the fizz of a roman candle, or the pop of a pom-pom cannon, erupted out of her cozy nest with a squawk, and flew through the back door into the house.
Hilarity ensued, and this time the ladies carried the day, with my mother trapping the little bird inside the bread bin and taking her outside via the front door.
As She mentions, you’ll still be telling the story for decades. Mine was about 50 years ago. It was either late Jr High or early HS and my father woke me up at 4 am. Never did get an explanation of why I was the one who had to deal with it, especially since he was already up, but there was a bat flying in circles around the light in the kitchen. Don’t remember how long it took me to think of it, but I went down into the basement and grabbed the fishing net. Held it below the circuit and then shoved it up in front of the critter on it’s next approach. I managed to take it outside and shake it out of the net after a few tries.
At age roughly 15 and 4 am, I was not particularly amused!
I live on and occasionally in a river. It has its own ecology. Wild life in the house is part of it. Bugs, spiders, insects of all types, snakes, rats, beavers, ground hogs, turtles, river rats, mice, etc. I have found a good shop vac helps with a lot of these. Suck them up. Take them out. Let them go.
If that does not work there is always a hammer.
Hilarious and disturbing.
You’ll definitely remember that. My very earliest memory is grandpa chasing a bat out of a summer cabin we rented in Michigan’s U.P. There was a broom involved… and a whole lot of cussing in Finnish.
I’m a Los Angeles girl. My only bat experiences were also in a cabin in the UP. I was calm and watched the show.
We found it funny as we both ducked around a little or a lot depending on perspective. The big thing was to keep it downstairs where is was easier to wave it toward one of the open doors. The doors had been opened to give it a way out. It took a little bit but it did eventually find it’s way back to the great outdoors of South Texas.
Was there an outside light (patio, for example) to help draw it out? That might work better for birds than for bats, at night.
Ha!
Yes, there was. It was on and I turned it off. The bat flew out shortly after with some arm flapping to encourage it in the right direction. I can’t honestly say that it either helped or hindered but the light was off.
May not make much of a difference with bats since they don’t see much by light anyway.