In which pride goeth before a cetera

[struggle4progress]

Tuesday, I was bragging here that I haven't seen a bat in my house for about a decade cuz with my typical brilliance I had bdeduced they must be dropping down through the chimney pipe, so I had covered the top with steel mesh to keep the little blighters outside and happy

But an hour or so ago, I just heard a loud thump in the back of the house. Went to check if something had fallen down off my workpile in the kitchen. Nope. Maybe a limb fell on the back deck? Open the back door ... nope ... click click click ... hey, what's this? It's a really big bat down on the sill between the storm door and the house door. Click click click. Throw open the storm door and close the house door quickly. Wait thirty seconds. Look again, hoping I haven't smashed the poor critter. Nope: not there any more. From high in a nearby tree: click click click. That's good

So I guess the thump was the bat dropping onto the sill after discovering that there wasn't room to wingflap and fly between the doors. Ooopsie

Now, I've been through those doors repeatedly today, and if the bat had been hanging between the doors, it would have been hard not to notice it, since the body was something like the size of my fist, and it had about at least a 9 inch wingspan. So I figure the bat probably got there later in the afternoon, but that's a bit odd: it's overcast but still hours to sunset, so it should have been snoozing and not on wing. Hope the little thing isn't rabid

The storm door doesn't quite close tight unless I pull it, but it only leaves about a quarter inch gap if I don't pull it: I never worried about bats crawling there, but I guess I'll always pull it shut from now on