The Price Of Seclusion

Took the afternoon off to meet Jean for lunch and spend some time together.
A (guarded) celebration of sorts; she met with her lawyer and the
judge and signed on the dotted line, thus settling her workers' comp
case, which has been active for 4 years. A pretty decent chunk of
change and since she's feeling better (her neck and back), figured the
time was right. With her physical health returning, the old law of
diminishing returns was inevitable and rather than be declared
"healthy" and dropped, they pay her/us to go away quietly.

Been very unsettling out here in the country battling mice, as we seem
to do each year at this time. Snagged three in traps and it seems
quiet now. Maybe they're all gone. I HATE HATE HATE RODENTIA! And to
make it a perfect week, what with my own obsessive health concerns, we
awoke Wednesday night about 1:00am to a bat or a bird flying around the
bedroom. I was melting down, but after we opened the sliding doors off
our bedroom, we both thought the thing had flow n away and out. All
was quiet on the Western front...until last night (Thursday), when Jean
woke me again around 1:30am cause he was back again. It was a bat and
he hadn't left the night before. Sooo, we (Jean, really--I cowered)
chased him from wall to wall and eventually stunned him to the ground,
where we plopped Max's former water bowl (it's actually a standing
tribute since he can no longer make it up the stairs) and I leapt into
action, bagging him in a trash bag, and then bagging him again in a
heavier trash bag, as he yelped and cried. Ghastly. Brought him down
to the outside garbage cans and properly deposited him away for the
ages (angels?). Called the Health Department today and because we
apparently slept Wednesday night with a bat in our bedroom, they want
to examine the damn thing, and suggest we both start with rabies shots.

Went to the garbage can this afternoon and he was still sturdily
bagged, but still alive. Not sure what to do now, but I have to
somehow get him to the Health Department on Monday morning.

Dian Fossey didn't deal with this much wildlife!