Every time, something like what we are about to share, happens we say Oh Good Lord we need to blog that, then we start our days and have a million things to do like everyone else and never find or take the time to share it. Well this one is to good not to share with our On The Road Friends.
It all started about 10:00 PM last night – our normal time to give the horses their last flake of hay for the day check water and let the dogs out and in this weather, we let the 2 “Barn” cats out to. They are only barn cats in weather that is above 27 degrees anything under that they turn into “house” cats. On a good note they are like the dogs and go to the door to get out and scratch at the door to get in.
So, we bundle up to go out into the tundra – which our barn and house are attached but it is still freakin freezing out there. We hear the dogs barking like crazy at the side of the house I look out and there is a coyote – crap and it is not going anywhere. I yell at it and it runs away but now all the dogs are scared to go away from the door of the house so after we get the horses taken care of Clea walks out with the dogs and I am looking for the cats. We get the dogs in and one cat (Kujo) and say OK well let’s give Shim (we called him that as we didn’t know if he was a she or a he when he was little) a few mins then we will see if he is out there, knowing full well I am not going to bed without Shim being in the house.
So, we all get our layers on to go to bed – our house is cold in these temps. I mean like we put bottles of water and other liquids on the floor in the kitchen and they are colder then in the frig. If you come to our house to visit in this weather, you better bring some slippers. (We do pass out complimentary throws as you come in the door 😊 ) It’s almost 11:00 pm way past our bedtime (I know you think we are party animals – not so much) and Shim finally decides he needs in. We have 5 dogs, 2 cats in the house and the horses are tucked in and ready for bed. (see illustration below but add one more person and 2 more dogs) Can anyone relate to this?
About 4:30 AM we are awakened by banging and clanging in the barn. Clea un mummifies herself and goes to see what is going on. It is only Cracker playing with his feed bucket grrrrrrrrr Dog 2 is the only dog that gets up with her the others are way to warm and comfy. She gets back in her Dog Allowed sleeping position and then Josie starts pacing up and down the hallway (ok she needs out about 2 hours before she should BUT….my turn to get up. I get up let her out and by now Kujo is awake and needs out. I think, well Shim is gonna be up I might as well throw him out.
As I walk over to the couch, I swear I see something out of the corner of my eye, now I am half blind – as a bat you might say- and deaf in one ear, you could at times, mistake me for Helen Keller as Clea says I am 30% there already. Anyhow, as I reach for Shim he jumps off the couch with an arch in his back and his tail in the air and runs down the hall. At this point I am like WTH is wrong with you, you weirdo THEN I SEE IT! It looks 
like a pterodactyl flying through our house. I yell, CLEA, SHUT THE BEDROOM DOOR THERE IS A BIRD IN THE HOUSE! I run to the bathroom SHUT THE DOOR and compose myself (saying ok you are not that blind something did go by you earlier) I look for a hat to put on because I am not real sure what is out there. So, I put 2 hats on.
By this time Clea is asking “Did you get it?” I said “Hell NO I didn’t get it I don’t even know what it is!” I said “Get out here and help me” – “Seriously” she said ummmmmmmmmm I say “YES!” She comes out and says “why do you have a hat on? it’s only a bird” WELL then we see it again, it is a BAT! You wanna see someone hurry to get her head covered. She grabs a blanket and looks like Little Red Riding Hood until she can reach for a hat. She is not asking why I have a hat on now.
Meanwhile it is -3 out and the door has been open for 15 mins and it is freezing on top of freezing in the house now. I am in my bare feet Clea at least has flip flops on and we look at each other and start laughing even louder than we were. WTH! We eye spy the bat on the wall. I grab the dust mop to cover it until we come up with a plan. Clea shuts the door in hopes we can stop losing what little heat we have in the house and the dogs, well they are still in bed!
We decide to wrap blankets around the broom and the dust mop and hopefully it will jump on the blankets and we will throw it out the door. We arm ourselves with our weapons and start throwing Harpers Dog toys at it, so it will move, nothing, we jab it with the dust mop, nothing, Clea lets her broom down I give it one more jab and it jumps off the wall, I scream, and I get it out the door. I turn around and say “it’s out, it’s out” just in time to see Clea, in her flip flops, winter hat and a pump shot gun! I say “noooooooooooooooooooo” – She said “good thing that sucker went out” I so wish I would have had my phone out for a pic. Thank you Uncle Al, Momma Lynn and Aunt Carol for the great Christmas Gift (the gun) we will NOT be using it to kill bats, not in the house anyhow!
We open the bedroom door the dogs come moseying out like Hey it is 5:45 AM why are you all up. We all get back into our perspective mummified places and catch a few more zzzzzzzzzz.
Until we can chat again
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and hope to see you down the road in 2018!
Remember Live, Laugh and Love it makes for a momentous day!
Dawn and Clea and the Animal Squad!
On the Road with Dawn and Clea 