Bat House

Hello, I have been gifted with a bat house. Now the question is where to put it and will any bats use it. After a little research, it becomes clear that bat houses are a special structure so the bats feel right at home. Apparently, some commercial bat houses are not really good for bats. I hope this rustic one is just fine. Will we ever know if bats are in there? As I know it is very difficult to see them coming and going. Today is a cooler day and there is no bat on the screen. It is also a deal if there are pups in the bat house as they sometimes fall to the ground and die if it is not set up correctly or at least so something could catch them. I did not finish this letter very fast. It is now July 31. Daughter Sarah’s birthday. How could we have a child as old as she is? Time certainly slips away. We are grateful for our new washer. It works like a charm, does not put oil on the clothes and is much quieter. The clothes look just fine when they come out of the machine. It is a bit larger than the old one, but I do not want to get carried away with what will fit. Last year our little free library had plants on it that required watering once or twice a day. That feature has been covered over. I overheard a girl tell her dad, “Last year it had flowers up here.” as she patted the top. I now miss the flowers even realizing that it was quite a care. All of life seems to have exchanges to be made. Paula

Stretching Bat

Hello, Dusk was setting in when I happened to be in the room where the bat hangs out on the screen, outside of course. It started twitching a bit, moving its head and then its position. It paid no attention to me so I openly stared, wishing for more light so I could see a little better. It started moving its limbs around. Then it made a noise, rather like a thump, thump. It seemed to be scratching itself, just as a dog might. The scratch only lasted a short time. A wing started to come out from time to time. The goal seemed to be working on cleaning it. That again took quite some time. Leroy found me and stayed to watch for a bit. He was not quite as enthralled as I was. I kept thinking it was going to fly away and I wanted to see that. All this wing action probably took some ten minutes and still no flying. I finally left, but not before it had started on the other wing. Darkness was making it difficult to see. Some of those infrared glasses would have been helpful. What a deal, to have this animal hanging on the screen so I can get about six feet away from it. It is a great learning experience. Paula

Scheduled Morning

Hello, First things, first. We ate breakfast, went out and delivered the last of the neighborhood newsletters. By the time we were done it was starting to feel hot and sticky. We had made a list of tasks the night before. We had planned to water plants at church in the afternoon because the person who would let us in on a Saturday was not there in the morning. Before we were done with our walk, she texted to say that she had come in early and we could come anytime. We decided that the morning was a good time to do our other errands. Riding our bikes, we set off for the post office to mail our visa application for November trip to Turkey. I had a little trouble keeping up with Leroy. He is definitely in better shape for this activity. We wanted to be sure that we had enough postage on the letter as it involved several papers. From there it was a ride to drop off some sneakers that one of the running shoe stores ships off somewhere. I found that part of the ride a bit scary as we were on a somewhat narrow street that had cars parked on both sides. I complained to Leroy when we stopped at the store. I like to be able to have my old stuff be used some way rather than put them in the garbage. A bit farther in the same neighborhood was the bike shop. Leroy had listened to me so we took a path/alley that was less traveled. At the bike shop, I was able to get a shorter height stem so I do not bend over so much when riding. I was impressed that it could be accomplished in about ten minutes, so we just waited. After that we rode back to the church to call our door opener and water plants. By this time, we were both sweating quite a lot. After the watering was done, Leroy went in to fill the containers for the next day. We finally put the bikes in the building so I could spend a little time indoors too. The temperature was 95 degrees F. when we got home. It apparently felt like 112 with the humidity. We did have a water bottle so we could drink and not get dehydrated. It was great to know that our afternoon could be spent at home in the air-conditioned place. What a luxury! Paula

Squirrel curiosity

Hello, While walking home from church, I noticed a squirrel approaching us from Leroy’s side. As we stopped moving it kept coming closer and closer while looking up at us. It started circling us. Both of us were watching this squirrel all of the time. I wondered was it rabid? That seemed not to be the case as it moved smoothly and just kept looking at us. After it made the complete circle of us, we moved a little and it scampered away. It was so close I could clearly see its toenails were a lot larger than our bat’s. We also saw a fox when picking black raspberries. All this city wild life comes to meet us. When we see a fox, another walker is almost certain to tell us that they also saw a fox. There is something about it that helps us to break the barrier and talk with a stranger. A friend asked us if we would go pick their green beans as they are in MN now. Someone else was supposed to do it and they could not. Last evening Leroy and I went there, picked enough beans for a meal or two. Noticed that many of their red raspberries were ripe or even overripe. I ate quite a few before Leroy decided that it would be better if we picked them as otherwise, they just rot on the branch. We picked a nice amount, went home, put water on them to wash them, and were treated to a spectacular showing of small black bugs crawling up to the surface. Hastily, we took them outside. After four washes they were clean enough that we could not see any more bugs. The vinegar in the water did seem to bother them at all. Not wanting the bugs in our yard, we managed to dump the water in a five-gallon bucket with a lid on it. Every time I opened it; I could see them working their way to the top of the bucket. I am not quite as enamored of these bugs as I am of the bat and the squirrels. Instead, I thought, “Gross, gross, gross!” Paula

Bat, no Bat

Hello, We have a bat again today. I was pleased to see it. Especially nice was that it was hanging lower on the screen and I could clearly see its top fingers or toes. They were so tiny and slim. Later in the day it had moved higher so I could not see them. Personally, I found that disappointing. Another day the bat was back. My suspicion is that it is always somewhere under the awning, just in different spots. I am just delighted everyday that it puts in an appearance. This morning when I closed the window it lifted its head and swiveled just the head around. My thought is that it was trying to track the sound for source or danger. I went to the grocery store this morning, thinking there was only a little rain. It was a little more at the store. I got out my injured umbrella that should be replaced if I ever remember. It helped a little. By the time I was ready to come out, it was pouring down. This is a store where I put my purchases in my vehicle myself. After waiting for some time, the rain seemed to slow down. I headed out with the umbrella over me, but not the groceries. I moaned as I stepped in a large puddle. Why hadn’t I worn my water proof sandals? Getting the things in the car was also a bit of a challenge with water coming in the trunk and then in the door when I got in. At least people do not melt as is also true of most of the things I had purchased. Our garage is detached so I took waiting time to wipe down car windows and the backup camera. Paula

Yoga and kids

Hello, This afternoon, I went back to the library to lead the kids in a yoga session. It was quite fine. One of the six, was acting up a bit, but the rest were all attentive and tried hard. I was a bit sorry that I had said “yes” I would do this on my day off, but it was nice to get it done. I do feel energized afterwards. That makes it good. I have had a full day with washing and hanging out a load of clothes. I also brought them back in. That gives me some good steps. A cicada was hanging on one of Leroy’s shirts. I thought it was a beautiful specimen. I have not yet seen any, but have heard them for a few nights now. I prefer the sound the Iowa cicada species makes compared to the sound of the DC cicada. Not that we humans have much choice in the matter.

It feels good to have gotten a haircut. It is a little shorter in back than I like, but it will grow again. This is a walk-in place and I was pleased to go at just the right time when someone was paying their bill. Yesterday was a very hot day. There was a squirrel spread eagled on the sidewalk enjoying the shade and a little cool. I have also noticed birds sitting with the wings spread out and panting. We humans have it nice with air conditioning, but has that made it worse for the entire world? Paula

Home Safe

Hello, Two days ago, when I came home from work, I noticed a flashing emergency light on the ramp ahead of me. Two cars were also pulled over. I figured someone had been stopped for a driving issue. Then I noticed that four people were looking down in the ditch. As I pulled over to go around the police car, I could see that there was a vehicle upside down in the ditch. That did not look good. Just ahead of the overturned vehicle was another lying on its side. As I proceeded further up the ramp, I met another police car in the opposite lane. Fairly soon, two more came zooming past, followed by an ambulance. Not much later, a fire truck came roaring past. By this time, I was on the Interstate. Eventually another fire truck came with lights flashing. The last I saw was the pickup truck from the fire station. I prayed for the people involved as well as the emergency helpers. I realized the accident must have just happened. I think about the number of miles we are in the car with no accidents. Considering the possibilities, our safety is amazing. I was also aware on this Saturday of all the people who visited the brewery across the street. Many rode bicycles and many drove cars. Course there are many other types of distractions when driving. Leroy and I are trying to take the day off, but I managed to create a to do list. Leroy has now gotten 10,000 steps or more for a bit over two months’ worth. Paula