Bat in My Belfry

Okay, here's the scoop.

Last night, I got home after a wonderful dinner with my oldest son and daughter-in-law and went down to the basement to let the bunnies out. When I flicked on the lights, this unidentified thing was flying around close to the ceiling (which is not that far from my head). At first I thought it might have been a bird but then changed my mind to [potentially blood sucking, rabies infected] bat. Its outline looked exactly like when Commissioner Gordon signals for Batman.

I amazed myself by not screaming like a little girl. My wife refused to come home from Baltimore or DC, wherever she was, to take care of it. The curse of "stuff happens when my wife leaves" the city on business -- still solid (house floods, deathly ill bunnies...).

After flying around some, it disappeared in the basement kitchen. Based on internet searches and phone coaching from the ladies, I tried a couple of things. Put the bunnies back in cage, turned off all the lights and opened the door, with the porch light on. Nothing except we all froze (we = the bunnies and me). Trying to give it a more direct path, opened top of window facing kitchen with outside light on. No results.

After searching around, I thought I found it (hanging upside down) in a space behind the kitchen cabinets (they do not go all the way to the walls, leaving a little L-shaped opening in the corner). I rammed cardboard against the bottom and threw towels on the top to try to block it in.

The bunnies and I watched TV with eyes wide and keeping low to the ground, necks covered.

This morning, internet searched and called a service. "Tim" called me when he was on the way to the house and I left work to meet him. He looked around outside for entries. Found none (house recently painted, caulked and such). Went into basement and I showed him where I had blocked. He put on gloves and looked up the opening with his flashlight. Nothing. Then he followed the light into the adjoining cabinet, opened the door and found our visitor.

He removed it (that's his hand holding it) and tied it in a grocery bag. He continued to look at the fireplace, in the ceiling tiles, up vents, in can lights and such but never found any more or anyplace where it could get in. Climbed on the roof - the chimney looks good. Cut him a check and that's it. Starting to flurry and rain/ice from Alabama predicted, so going to try to go grab lunch and get back home before it's a real mess.

I am getting an ankle bracelet for my wife that will shock her if she tries to leave town.

Oh and when I asked Tim what happens to it, he said he might put it in the bat box he has in his back yard, about 30 feet off the ground.

P.S. The title of this post is a cliche, but, hey, how many times do you get to say that? BTW, a belfry is a bell tower. This was really "Bat in My Basement".