I’ve always said you can’t make this shit up. Tonight about 8 o’clock I went to the barn to close up and discovered I needed a lightbulb and I didn’t have one there so I came to the house. I walked in the entry way where the lightbulbs are on a shelf above the coats. The door could not have been open even 15 seconds. I took the bulb to the barn and came back to the house and started cleaning litter boxes when Rick yelled “there’s a bird in the house”. I yelled “I’m coming” and I opened the door. Then he said “it might be a bat”. As I walked through the room there was the bat hanging upside down on the open window BY MY CHAIR!
Now I’m not afraid of much but bats are at the top of my list. I grabbed a bag and screamed at Rick to get it out right now and I ran outside. I watched him put the bag around the bat, bring it outside and turn it loose. It flew away.
If you’re a long time reader you’ll remember the “son of a b… Walker story involving a bat. I don’t normally scream at things.
Enough. Huge rain storm again this morning.
It cleared off during the day but here are pictures I took about an hour ago – when I was at the barn. Ugh.
We’re under a thunderstorm warning again. When it dried off a bit this afternoon I mowed where I could.
Corn pictures – please put your location on your photo if at all possible.
Thanks for these corn pictures!!!
More patterns available. Please do not order patterns that I have not posted. How do you know I have it to copy for you? I don’t even know where you’re seeing these old patterns but I can’t spend hours searching and I don’t have them all anymore so I just waste a lot of time looking. From now on I’ll return your money. Or I’ll simply keep the money and you get zip. Sounds fair to me.
Each pattern is $5 and a SASE. Cash or check only.
And then Dove In the Window – also $5 and SASE
I think this is what I’m going to work on.
Before I can start cutting I have to clear a spot – I can’t work in this mess. I’m excited to begin – the lawn is mowed, supper is leftovers and I have a visitor stopping tomorrow and a friend who has a birthday. Life is good!
Love the cornfield pictures. And the bat stories. We would get an occasional bat in the farmhouse when we were growing up. I don’t mind them because they eat so many mosquitoes! We did have a bird in our garage just last week. I told my husband to come out of the garage and to quit yelling. As soon as he exited the garage, the bird came out in a minute. Now I see a snake every day while in our large flower gardens. At least one and many days I’ll see two or three. I had one laying across the crack between my cement steps and the front porch. He was sunning himself. I don’t usually scream but I do make a noise snd then I tell the snakes to move on, I’m working there! Lol.
Take care everyone. 🌻
Sunflower – I have seen only 2 or 3 garter snakes around here in the nearly 50 years I’ve lived here – I really don’t like them either but I hate bats!
Growing up on a farm we had both snakes and bats, neither of which frighten me. I recall one time we had a bat in our house, and it got tangled in my sister’s hair! We were screaming like the 7- and 8-year-olds that we were. We still chuckle about that. Our dad managed to get it out and told us the bat was in shock from all of our screaming, ha! Love seeing all the corn crops and the different rate that they are growing. Lovely fabric choice, cant wait to see what you decide to make with them.
We have bats in our barn, but so far they haven’t been in the house. But I have had birds fly in the house when a door has been left open. My husband has a bad habit of leaving the door open if he goes out into the garage to get something, or out the front door to check the weather, and in fly the birds! Hummingbirds are the hardest to get back out! We have had rain/storms off and on for the past 3 days, I think we are supposed to have 2 more days with rain/storms. This evening my husband went down to our barn to feed the horses, he found a fox sitting on top of a hay bale stored in a covered area on the back side of the barn. We have had foxes before, but not that close!!
Debra – evidently you don’t have chickens if the fox was just sitting there. They are beautiful animals really, just not welcome here. I have the same habit – I’m just running out quick and the dogs are slow so I leave the door open for them.
My bat story has to do with keeping the kids calm and not scaring them when a bat would decide to tour the big Victorian house that was our first home. I usually said, “Well, that surprised me!” when one came swooping through the sliding doors that separated the dining room and front parlor. Little did they know until years later that during a bat encounter in the old stone basement I threw down the laundry basket, made it upstairs in record time, SLAMMED the basement door, and LOCKED it! Take that, bat! Me? I’m not afraid of bats. Nope, but they did “surprise” me a few times in that wonderful old house! I’ll take bats over snakes any day, though!
Sewing multi-colored improv blocks for LWR quilts and cutting 2 1/2″ strips from donated fabrics for the next church quilt project.
88* here today and 90’s forecast for the end of the week. Happy for the AC, that’s for sure. stay well, everyone. Kris in WI
Kris …..would you share your improv blocks you are making for LWR? I too sew blocks into quilts for that group, but usually only blocks of alternating co!ors.
Mary …….I miss seeing the cornfields in the summer in Illinois so thanks for the pictures.
Bat story is too funny and so is the drunk bat in the wine glass!!! LOLOLOL I love the pictures and I love the fabrics you have for your next project. I don’t have a corn field picture for you but our next door neighbor has corn about 5″ tall. We have beans in our fields this year.
Another bat story. When I was six yrs old, a bat flew down from our attic and over an old, old picture of two horses in a wind storm that was over my bed. I screamed bloody murder and yelled down to my mom that there was a “wasp with wings, two wings”! I had never seen a bat before. My Dad came running with his tennis racket and knocked the bat down. The next night we went to my brother’s Boy Scout event which was outside in a shelter. Bats were flying everywhere, but I stayed calm and just watched!
RAIN here last night and we lost power at 7:10 this AM. Not sure why b/c the rain was over. It lasted until about 8:30, but we have a generator. Lots of deer and fawns out this AM.
I think I have most of those patterns:)
Mary, forgot to say that I love your fabric selection & can’t wait to see what you create with it!
Growing up in southern Ohio on a farm we always had bats in the barn. Luckily none ever made it to the house. When we moved to that farm it was infested with large snakes! The house was built in 1848 & had a damp basement that the snakes seemed to love. I learned to check the floor & the ceiling before going in. This house was also part of the Underground Railroad & there was a secret room in the basement. It took a couple of years to rid the place of most of the snakes, but by my parent, not me! I’m deathly afraid of snakes! In my former home I was bringing in my hanging basket one fall to put in the sunroom & didn’t notice a bird had found a home in one of the baskets until it flew out! I chased that bird all over the house for a couple of hours with a broom! I finally corralled it in one of the bathrooms, caught it & let go at the front door. I learned to check pots before bringing them in! We had another slow easy rain during the night here in SW Ohio!
My bat story: 40+ years ago our first house was very old and near our downtown. It had plenty of small openings that critters could access. We lived across the street from a Methodist church with a belfry full of bats—you could watch them fly out every evening at dusk. Inevitably we got one in our house on three different occasions. Once one of our cats jumped up and caught one! Anyhow, we invited a couple of friends over one evening and we had a glass of wine before we went out. The glasses were all set on the counter by the kitchen sink. I got up in the morning and saw a fake bat hanging on the inside of a wineglass and promptly called my husband’s friend Dave the practical joker to chastise him. He denied knowing anything about it. I went back and looked and it was breathing! It didn’t wake up and I realized there was a bit of wine in the bottom of the glass—the little guy was drunk! I put him outside and when he came to, he flew away. I have learned to appreciate bats—they eat 3x their weight in mosquitoes and other insects every night! Amazing! But I still don’t want them in my house!
I love your bat story! They are not my favorites either. Early this morning, just before sunrise, I heard our bats return as their wings bump when flying inside the soffits. Sometimes they fly inside the garage as well.
Sue – now that’s a story! Drunk bat – haha!!!!
The only bats I like to see are ones flying in the sky eating mosquitos and the ones on Halloween fabric!
Oh Bats! We used to have a lot of trouble with bats in our church! Quite the disturbance during a church service! Needless to say, the service was ended! Yup, bats in the belfry!
Like Betty, one of these days it should be our turn for rain.
Joy – you know how to get rid of bats in church? Confirm them and you’ll never see them again! This is said with tongue in cheek and is sadly true at our church.
haha, and then there were the nights (yes, more than one) when I woke up to my cat jumping on me in bed…trying to catch the bat that was flying low over my head…yup, can’t make this up!!! On a lighter note I had the score of a lifetime. I found a brand new copy of Quilts from Aunt Amy on the quilt shop sale table for $10!!!!! I feel like I won a diamond!
Bridget – oh, your story sends shivers up my spine! Yay! A copy of the out of print book!! Lucky!
Wish we’d get a good rain here, grass is getting brown already. It seems to miss us.I love your fabric choices for your next project. The fabric on top is a precious blend.
Near where I grew up in Louisville there was an underground rock quarry with huge caverns that we were told half of Louisville could shelter in if we were bombed. We used to lay on the living room floor and play or watch tv and we could hear them blasting at the quarry and it felt like they were way down under our house. Of course, where there are caves there are bats and the bats would come out at dusk and fly all over our neighborhood. I remember them swooping down at our blond heads when we would be outside playing hide and seek or kick the can. We would just swat them away and keep playing.
I’m the rescue squad at my house. Don is terrified of snakes so when I find one I take it to show him just to get his blood moving. I pick up all the dead mice, moles and possums that the cats and Sammie leave laying around and I found Don is really afraid of bats. Once he was in the basement doing something and he starts screaming for me through the floor! I ran to the basement door to see what was wrong – “get your gloves and a bag, there’s a bat down here!” There was this little guy folded up hanging on the side of one of his valuable advertising signs. I could tell it was dead when I got close to it so I simply picked him up and took him out to the woods. Don squealed like a girl!
Spider used to really creep me out but now, if small, I can smoosh them or pick them up to escort them out. If they are monsters like the wood spider the dogs found in the barn – sounded like I stepped on a soft plum when I smooshed that monster! That creeped me out, still think about him because he has to have relatives!
Bats and mice are like spiders and ants, if they want in they can find a way, the smallest crack, pipe chase or cable coming into the house are an invitation for them to visit. Such is life!
Your skies are scary! Thank heavens we don’t have many of those up here. Louisville is good for the horrific summer storms and I don’t miss them at all. Funny, we weren’t scared of them as kids, we just wanted to go run in the deep puddles after a big summer downpour.
Linda – I can hear the delight in your voice as you’re teasing Don! “Just to get his blood moving”? Hahaha!!
Shame on you …but I’m chuckling
I love seeing the corn photos — I grew up in Ohio and it reminds me of mom saying (about corn) knee high by the 4th of July…….
We’ve been having bad storms in the middle of the night here lately. My Lexi likes them about as much as Hazel does. They’d be good comfort for each other!
Bats….. ugh…… I got one in the house once — had a patio umbrella right outside my screen porch. It had been windy and it was squeaking and annoying so I had pulled it out of the stand and just laid it on the porch. I had the slider open to get in some air. All of a sudden the cat was up on all fours with a crazy look……. I no sooner said “what?” and whoosh…… yep, a bat. I chased it with a broom – screaming the whole time — finally got it back on the porch. Called a company that dealt with critters in the house. She said leave the screen door open and it will fly out……… thank goodness that is exactly what it did!!! Rest assured I’ve never brought in that umbrella without opening it first!!!!! hahahaha.
Lynette – another great story!! We all learn, don’t we? I’ll never leave the door open at dusk anymore either.
I hate snakes, but can handle bats. I was playing cards with friends when we got dive bombed by a bat in their home. Everyone but me dove under the table. We opened a door and the bat flew out with a little encouragement. Once, I arrived to work at the hospital to find a bat hanging on an office door next to my office. I found a 2 gallon bucket and a large sheet of hard plastic. I put the bucket over the bat and slid the plastic between the bucket and the door (underneath the bat). Then I called housekeeping to come get the bat.
I jump and/or shriek when I see a snake. Not an elegant look, I can assure you.
Vicki – snakes? Bats? Not an elegant look for any of us! Ha
I have the same issue with bats. We were in Luray Cavern in Virginia many years ago and a bat flew right into my left cheek!!! I was totally freaked out. Funny thing was the guide said we might encounter bats as they were in the cave but not to worry their radar was good and they never hit people. I think the one that ran into me may have been sipping on an “iced tea” or two. Ugh….
Year later in Illinois, we had a bat come in through the chimney. Hubby grabbed a tennis racket and chased it over the house managing to clobber it upstairs in our bed room. He also clobbered the chimney on my Aladdin lamp. You know the one I kept away in a safe place so it wouldn’t get broke? Sigh. No other bat encounters to my relief.
DebMac – last night Rick even asked me where the tennis racket was – I think I gave it away. Dang. Oh, right – they never hit people?
The dorm I lived in was right across the street from the main door of the Iowa Methodist Hospital which was in an older section of Des Moines. If we looked at the street lights after dark, we’d see swarms of bats flying all over. Of course, in the old building we’d get a bat inside every so often. The girls would scream bloody murder — probably scared the bat. They’d eventually catch and kill it and things would return to normal until the next bat. The girls kept a lot of goodies in their rooms, too, and of course, we had mice. Same reaction. That was many, many years ago! It’s a parking lot now.
So far it is thundering with lightning, but not enough rain to wet the sidewalk. Our turn has to come one of these days.
Cleaning the barn is such a chore, but it has to be done. Guess there are many things that are worse. Living on the farm is always cleaning up after something.
My sister-in-law’s quilt is almost done. She got the quilt on Thursday morning and I picked it up on Saturday afternoon. I’ll get it bound and then I can get back to my Project Warmth Quilts.
Summer is here. Betty Klosterman in Rapid City
Betty – I have dealt with any number of things in my life here on the farm – many took place when I was single and living here. Rick asked what I would have done if he weren’t home and I suppose I’d have put on my big girl panties and trapped him in a bag just like Rick did but I wouldn’t have wanted to!!! Yes, summer is here and now it’s going to get hot. I’ve loved these 80 degree days!!
OMG!!! I would have been running out of the house too! I just read online that this is the time of year when bats move into homes. My sons family is in the process of moving and they found a dead bat in their kids closet. They lived in that house for 15 years and had never seen a bat in the house before.
A few months ago we cleaned a shop out in another county that we sold.Husband left and I told him I’d be there to help in an hour. Hank likes to sit in the living room with the sliding glass door open so he can go in and out. I left the door opened and when I was getting ready, he started barking so I went to check on him. He was behind our tv cabinet-when I went to see what was behind it, a bird flew out and went into the kitchen. I went to grab a broom and he was gone. Hank was behind the cabinet again. I didn’t see a bird so assumed he flew outside. Hank and I left. Got home 7 hours later and that bird was sitting on my kitchen counter. My son caught it in a butterfly net. Looked all over for bird crap-none found. Days later while cleaning house, found it-on the back of my couch and on a rug by the front door. Ugh!!!
Cindy – haha! A great story! I’ve had birds in my sewing room and the cats go nuts / there are marks and feathers stuck on my ceiling still!