The next adventure at my home in the woods. Well, you all know I have entertained foxes, a teenaged bear and lots of deer including twin babies in my yard, plus mice, scorpions, a nesting squirrel and a baby rattlesnake inside my house. Last night I settled down in my chair in the dark, with just the tv on, because I wasn't sleepy and it was late, late, late. As the tv flickered and was boring and I started nodding, I noticed there was a weird flicker to the tv light in the room - sort of a regular pattern of dark and light. Yep, I looked up to the ceiling. What I first feared was a bat turned out to be a smallish bird who apparently flew down the chimney. I closed the door to the rest of the house and grabbed for something to swat the air to encourage it toward the lighted stairwell to the basement. Turned out to be one of my crutches from knee surgery. The next thing I tried was aerosol - hoping to make him uncomfortable in my room. After about 60 cycles around the room, most of which I took with him, down the stairs he flew and I slammed the door. Of course, this morning, I had to accomplish the second half of his escape. I had to open the basement from the garage and prop doors open. I proceeded to start the washing machine and then went to rake around the garage door - all to give him time to decide to leave. After an hour or so, I checked and did not find him. I sure hope he left. I named him "Freedom."

Very interesting!! gave all a flower... hope I get a few, would like to at least get up to 7000. thanks

Wow, I think you have us all beat on the wild life stories. Thanks for sharing. I've enjoyed yours and the others in the comments below. I hope you don't mind if I add some of my own. We had a squirrel decide to join us one day, which is not a healthy choice as we have cats. The cats were going crazy and the squirrel was in the large plate glass window (no openings) near the 14 foot ceiling side of the house. We first had to catch the cats and move them behind closed doors elsewhere in the house, then opened doors and try to convince him to leave. It took awhile! Also had honey bees in the wall and had to pay a beekeeper to come and extract them. Seems unfair as he got to keep the bees and all the honey he removed from the walls. And strangely though I've yet to run into a scorpion outside, we have found 2 in DH's den in the 18 years we've been here.

This has entertained me very much Betsey. Haven't seen a bear but we have all the rest around here. Thankful you did not get hurt in the eviction./Lillian

Well, I am happy to hear all is well and you didn't fall down the basement stairs. Don't need anymore knee or any other surgeries. Speaking of that. When my sister got married the last time (at least we hope was: ) her friend was standing in the kitchen/living area at the top of the stairs, where they go into the basement. Mind you it is an open stairwell, no door. Mrs Amber fell backward down the stairs! She lived. My sister is a nurse and they were cutting their cake I believe, when it happened. Mrs Amber was in her eighties at the time. She had a busted lip and I am sure she was really sore for a good while.
Now your snake in the house scares me, little or big. Reminds me of the snake in my same sisters car. Ugh....
I would be afraid of the bear too, so be careful when you are distracted and enjoying working in your flower gardens. Wouldn't want a surprise 'helper'.

2 comments

by graceandham 11 Jan 2018

I only found out about the bear being at the pond three days later. Got a little anxious and talked to a state wildlife officer about allowing my cat back in the yard. He assured me that cats "weren't worth the bother" and that the bears can make over 100 miles in a day, so 3 days, 300 miles if he wasn't finding food here. All that sounded good. Then he told me that he probably came from Talladega National Forest area and they tend to loop back the same path they came!

by toogie 11 Jan 2018

lol-Oh No!

Thanks for sharing Freedoms story. You are definitely very kind to your interesting neighbors. I love seeing wildlife too but we don't encourage them into the house. Well, I don't, my handsome hubby insists on leaving the garage door open during the day and we have had some interesting wildlife try to take up residence.

Wow, no wonder you consider TV "boring" when you have such "great" LIVE entertainment! LOL!

1 comment

by graceandham 10 Jan 2018

Boy, then it took ANOTHER long time before my heart stopped racing so I could gear down to sleep.

Wow,

Wow, you have certainly "entertained" a variety of guests! Hopefully, the little fella left...glad you didn't get hurt in the antics!

This was the most entertaining read I have had in a long time.........love all your tricks to get little "Freedom" out........You have way more mysterious house guests than most........

OH DEAR! A baby RATTLESNAKE????
Gee, I don't think I'd entertain the thought of hosting any kind of snake. LOL!!!

We had a swallow in our house just before Christmas, the first time in many years, I kept trying to think of what was the old wive's tale about birds in your house.

I didn't know it was there at first, until I came out of the bedroom to find Ray madly flaying at the ceiling, with a shirt, to shoo the poor little thing out through the open (French) doors.
I was so concerned it would hurt itself as it kept, continually, bashing its head on the ceiling, really hard!

After I disarmed Ray, before he killed it, I went into bird training mode, like when I had my first Budgie, and went looking for our broom.
I opened another set of doors at the other end of the lounge room and started quietly whistling little chirpy sounds to the bird.
I grabbed hold of the bristle head the broom, chirping away as I followed the little bird until it landed on the curtain rod, then I slowly put the end of the handle of the broom up to rest on the rod, sliding it carefully toward the bird, right up close to him, until he jumped onto it. Then I gently lowered it down until it was in front of the open door and it flew off.

We had a swarm of bees inside, downstairs in the garage and my sewing room, a few months back and I had saved many of them by painstakingly doing the exact same thing as they landed on the light fittings.
We later discovered some of the bees were swarming inside a breather hole in our external brick wall and, sadly, we had no choice but to spray them. It really upset me terribly having to do that, but when we checked, the next day, we didn't find any dead bees and they did disappear so I hope they found a more suitable place to swarm.

Don't you just love it when natures wild critters interact with humans and no one gets hurt?

Hugs n roses, M

3 comments

by jenne 10 Jan 2018

I loved your story, we often have deer and raccoons, opossums, and lots of birds mostly cardinals.

by killiecrankie 11 Jan 2018

A few years ago during winter bees started appearing in the kitchen ,it took awhile to discover how they were getting in because all the windows & doors were shut,They were getting in through the weep holes in the side wall.Called a bee keeper who said we had to let them decide when they wanted to move on,we ended up spraying to help them to make the right decision ,because the bees were quickly multiplying in numbers.
We have had to have a hive removed from a tree successfully by a bee keeper.

by toogie 11 Jan 2018

I think it was yellow jackets, if I'm not mistaken, that built in between the outer wall of my daughter's previous house.

Wow Betsey, how wonderful to have so much wildlife around you. I'm so glad the bird escaped. Love Chris

You never can complain about not having enough excitement.

Sounds like what my KiKi has brought in to please me for years. When they are alive I try as you do to let them escape. I did open a window and prop open the screen for a bird to fly out once.

It is amazing how creatures seem to gravitate to your home! Never a dull moment!

1 comment

by graceandham 10 Jan 2018

I think they are just reclaiming the woods. I don't belong!

Always an adventure for you. I'm glad you aren't bored.

2 comments

by graceandham 09 Jan 2018

I wish you could see me. I just rolled my eyes real-l-l-l-y slow-l-l-l-ly.

by jrob 10 Jan 2018

LOL

Great tale life sounds exciting in your home