Bats in the Belfry??......a series

Not quite.  It's been bats in the house!!  Yep.  Sunday morning, 3:30am; getting up to go to the bathroom; walk into the kitchen to see what time it is;  walking back down the long, dark hallway to the bedroom; turn around for something, I forget what, and here they come!!!!........2 of them flying faster than I can run......diving and weaving.

I am screaming like a banchee;  I fall next to the bed.  BH jumps up.."what's the matter???"   BATS!!  THERE'S BATS IN THE HOUSE!! I am screaming at the top of my lungs.  He's holding me in his arms.  "It's ok, it's ok; calm down."   OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?  HOW DID THEY GET IN HERE?!

I am hysterical.  I'm now sitting on the bed, he still has me wrapped in his arms.  There's a window directly across from the bed.  Yep...you guessed it.  "There's one behind the blind, I can see it"  I'm saying low, voice quivering.  "Ok, I'll get it; calm down"  he says.

"What are we going to do, what are we going to do"  I keep saying, wringing my hands, eyes darting here, there and everywhere; still shaking, still hysterical.   "I can't stay here"  I keep repeating to him.

"Do you want to go to Julie's?"  he asks.   "yah, I think I better".

So he walks me out to the car.  "You need some clothes" he says.  "No, no, I'll just go in my pajamas".   "I'll go get you some clothes. What do you want me to get?"      I tell him where to find some pants and a shirt.  "Do you want you're makeup bag?"  he asks.   "No. No".   "OK, call Julie".

I get out the cell phone (I did grab my purse as I'm flying out the door).  Turn it on.  "Oh shit....the battery's almost dead" I tell him.  "Where's the charger?  I'll get the charger" says he.

Call our daughter.  It's 4:00am.  She's not answering.  "I'll just go there.  I'll call when I get there" I tell him.   She lives an hour away.  It'll be easier to wake her up at 5:00am.

He gets all I need and off I go.  "Call me when you get there", he says.  "And call an exterminator this morning". 

In the pitch black, all the way on a 2-lane highway, no street lights, and fog!   Fog as thick as "pea soup".   Fog as thick as the last scene in "Gone With the Wind"; fog as thick as something from a horror movie (which I never make a habit of watching).  All the way to her town.......1 hour away.  The longest hour of my life.

Stop at McD's for coffee, call daughter.  She answers.  I tell her what's wrong, I'll be at her apartment in 15 minutes.

Call BH.  I'm here.  "I'm going to Home Depot to see if they have some kind of sonic repellent", I tell him.  He says he got the 2 bats out of the house and he's been checking all around (my hero!!)  He also tells me he's been searching in the Yellow Pages and gives me the info.  I call the first one at 6:30, it's a "24-hour" service.  I woke the guy up.  Telling him what happened, he's yawning, searching for answers to my questions, blah, blah, blah.  "If they don't find a way out in 2 days, they'll be dead" was his attitude.  "They'll be dead!?", I repeat.  "They'll be dead".  So I agree to an inspection; he says he'll get back to me at the beginning of the week to set up an appointment.  This does not allay my anxiety one bit.

So, 7:30, daughter and I go for breakfast, then to one of the hardware stores.  Of course.  The kid tells me they have nothing.  Off to Home Depot.

Yes, they had something....mainly for mice and bugs.  "I'll give it a try" I hurriedly tell him.  5 sonic wave emitting devices,  a roll of screening and a can of "Great Stuff" aerosol spray foam insulation.
Drop daughter off at her apartment, and I'm on my way home.  Like an army battalion that has just been re-enforced with more ammunition.  I'm ready!

When I get home, BH informs me that he found another one behind the shade in the bedroom.  Not what I wanted to hear.

Armed with screening and "Gorilla" duct tape, the battle begins.  Screen the exhaust vent in the kitchen; screen the vent on the defunct furnace; screen the vent on the A/Cs;  duct tape around the pipes on the wood stove (also notice that there is a 1/2" gap where the pipe meets the ceiling and there is a terrifying amount of creosote pieces on top of the stove.......this is NOT a good sign!)  Tape those pipes up like they can withstand an earthquake! Tape the edges of all the screens that look suspiciously loose.  Duct tape all noticeable gaps anywhere!

BH tells me he was searching on the internet.  Bats can enter a space as small as a dime.  Not the information I wanted to hear.

Sunday night we spend "sleeping" in our recliners in the family room.....all lights on.   Monday morning we feel much more at ease.  At 7:00am, BH says he's going to lay on the bed for a hour.  Okey dokey.  I'm putzing around the house.  It's 7:15, I walk into the utility room......THERE IT IS!!  Another one!!  I run into the bedroom "there's another one in the utility room"  and I proceed to run down the hall, noticing that it has now flown into the family room - around the wood stove, and I'm out the door!  "Where is it?" yells BH.  "By the woodstove...by the woodstove"  I'm yelling through the screen door from the deck.

He got it.  Through the day, I'm walking gingerly throughout the house, making noise, checking here and there, always on the lookout.  So far, so good.

Ah, but after supper, dusk is approaching.  My anxiety is rising with every minute.  The house is getting darker inside. I'm getting very nervous.  "ummm, ehhhh,  uhhhhh, I don't want you to think I'm being ridiculous, but I'm really nervous about tonight"  I tell him.   "Do you want to go to Julie's?"  he graciously asks.  "ehh, yeah".   "If you're feeling uncomfortable, go to Julie's; I'll be ok, but go now before it gets dark".

Quickly I pack my bag, grab my knitting, kiss him, tell him to be aware and careful.....and off I go.

Call him Tuesday morning.  Yep.  2 more flying behind him in the evening while he's on the computer.  Yeah....I'm going to call more exterminators.  One service answers with "you're call is very important to us.  Due to the increasing amount of calls , we may not be able to return your call for 2 or 3 days.....leave your name and number".   I do, but continue the search.  Call another service.  Tell the gal what's going on.  "We'll have the man in your area contact you".  (This is a state-wide service).

3 hours pass, no call.  I call them.  I'm agitated and irritated; I let the receptionist know this.  She puts me right through to the guy.  "Where do you live?  What's the next largest city near you?  Oh, I only go as far as xxxxx.  There's no one that takes care of your area".

Now I'm pissed.  "Why didn't she tell me that 3 hours ago; I'd be looking for another company!"   After giving him the 3rd degree, I call the answering service back and inform her what the guy told me.  She's very apologetic; puts me on hold.  Comes back and tells me she has contacted the owner directly and given him my info.  He will be calling me back today, she says confidently.  Yeah.  I'm not holding my breath.

I call another service.  Yes they take care of our area.  The earliest someone can come out is Tuesday.  I make the appointment.

8:00pm, I get a call from the owner of the other company.  Oh geezz, I've made another appointment.  He tells me he can be at our house tomorrow (Wednesday).....definitely!   Let me call my husband.  BH says go with this guy.  Call him back, set up the appointment.   Wednesday.....Hallelujah!!!

To be continued..........