MY GYPSY DREAMS

Pictures from Les Temps Des Roulettes by Jeanne Bayou


GYPSY DREAMS

This is my very first Blog Party~~ I am so excited!! I don't know what to expect, but I sure am looking forward to being part. I so want to see what you all have done and hope to make some new friends too!! Thank you so much Sharon from Plumrose Lane for inviting me to this event, and a special thank you to the hostess for having this party!

I think I have always had a Gypsy Spirit. My favorite thing to do as a child was to take adventures in the woods. I so enjoyed being close to nature and being mezmerized by what I considered the unusual ... Jack in the Pulpit plants, wild mushrooms, and the general atmosphere of being alone with just a natural setting surrounding me. The feeling of moss beneath my bare feet felt inviting and soft. I loved bringing blankets and pillows, comic books, snacks and a flashlight into the woods near my home. My thoughts turned to the fairy, wood nymph and forest elf stories my mother would tell me. I could even smell the earthy aroma beneath me and felt a part of creation. 

I would pick Lily of the Valley and Violets to bring home to my mother. She would place them in an antique emerald green perfume bottle with sterling silver swirls to display their beauty.  Below is a picture of one that is similar.  My mother gave it to me and it is adorable! The larger one (not mine) shown below just sold for $3,000 can you believe that?  Amazing huh? 

I have my mother's handkerchief with violets and lily of the valley

No matter where there were woods or little secret out of the way nooks, I searched them out. I dreamed of traveling to far away places, meeting new people and finding other charming treasures, and fantacized about living an enchanted life.

When I was a little girl about the age of five or six, I was a Gypsy for Halloween. Somewhere I have a picture of myself all dressed up in a costume with bright colors, a laced bodice, full gathered skirt and a bright lemon yellow satin ruffled short sleeved peasant blouse. My vest had fancy soutache scrolling and I just loved it. I wore a colorful scarf Gypsy-style on my head and lots of makeup. I also donned some of my mother's glitzy jewelry, and carried a purse over my shoulder with rows of dangling beads, too cute!! I also wore large hoop earrings, and a scarf worn around my waist with a fringe.

My girlfriend Annette was dressed as a Clown and I can't remember what her twin sister was? Anyway. I really didn't know what a Gypsy was at that age, but in my little girl mind, I thought I looked pretty spiffy and mysterious! I remember feeling adventurous and magical in this outfit and I wanted to take my shoes off, but it was October in NY!!!

My father and mother said I was always well behaved, but supposedly I was very quick, and if they turned their heads, I would be gone in a flash! I always have loved life to the fullest!  Parents were very different when I was growing up (I'm 65)... they said things parents today would never say!! So, if my Mom was concerned I was doing something that would be dangerous for me, she would tell me if I did that again, she would sell me to the "Gypsies". YIKES!!! I really had never even seen a Gypsy.. or knew what that meant, I only knew I didn't want to leave my parents and my sister. LOL!

At just about that time in my life I saw a show on TV where there was a shady character type older man who was a Gypsy and he kept young children in captivity and turned them into thieves. So my opinion of wanting to be anything like a Gypsy was not particularly appealing. Over the years I would hear comments such as .. "he/she lives like the Gypsies" or ... if my closet got a bit messy the comment would be, "do you want to live like the Gypsies"? 

The only thing I remember is a Gypsy family who lived within walking distance of my Grandparents home. Within that community they had an organ grinder who owned a tiny monkey who wore a cute little suit and played teeny brass cymbals.. He would dance and perform and then tip his little tin cup for money. He was so adorable, and I just loved him. One time my father gave me coins to put in his hat and the monkey grabbed my coins scaring me, and then he bit me. He only grazed the surface of my skin, but it was enough to cause me to be cautious of anything that had to do with Gypsy's after that time! LOL

It wasn't until I became older and had a very large Gypsy family on one of my flights (I was an airline stewardess for United Airlines)... that my opinion changed. I had a ball on that flight!! What a warm, loving community of people who were full of life and fun loving. I also realized my own life of being a stewardess suited me, and was a bit Gypsy-like. I loved seeing new places, and discovering new things. So, I felt the Gypsy lifestyle would agree with me. After that Cher made the song "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"  famous and I loved that song so much... what a great beat.

Just about the same time, I saw a picture and there was a Gypsy woman dancing before a fire. Her long hair was thrown back and she was barefoot. The flames from the fire caused her face to shine with a warm glow. She danced with such freedom and abandon. I thought to myself, "WOW" how wonderful.. To live a life of such openness and freedom, never knowing from day to day where you would go and what you would do. How sweet to be such a free spirit. And what woman doesn't want a Gypsy Wagon of her own to decorate and have a special cozy secret place to call home? 



I would dance with sweet abandon



MY DREAM GYPSY WAGON!

In these days when everything is so planned out, I think it would be so refreshing to sometimes throw caution to the wind and just live breath by breath.
Somehow, I think the Gypsies experience more of life and it’s fullness than most people. Being out close to nature tends to give one a different perspective about life. I now have a new found respect for Gypsy’s and think it would be so much fun to join them in their caravans of life; throwing caution to the wind and living in the moment. What do you think???!!!

The idea of a life of travel and constant movement seems so romantic and inspiring to me. My caravan would be colorful with lots of lights that would twinkle like little fairies at night. My nights would be spent dancing, inviting friends to my wagon, and quietly enjoying time in my hideaway... enjoying nature and listening to Gypsy music!!

I would wear lively, unique jewelry and broomstick skirts, with handmade vests, peassant blouses and bright boots. I would make stuffed cabbage and my teapot would be ready with Gypsy fruited tea, and eclectic china I would pick up along my travels. I would set the table with sweet Scottish shortbread cookies prepared for my guests. There would be lots of happy and uplifting music, and lively conversation… and of course much laughter and joy!


Care for some Zhena's Gypsy Tea?
Raspberry.. they come in many flavors



I will serve you in only my best china!













Midnight Fairy – What a delightful and unique set. I just love this winged fairy holding a green shiny stone. She is set with beautiful silver etched barrel beads and a sterling S clasp. Multi colored beads such as fire polished Czech, gold and plum lampwork, and glass, iridescent leaf, and mother of pearl to name a few in different shapes, colors and textures encircle her. The perfect set for Fall I think .. a Renaissance Festival for your magical Gypsy Caravan…or anytime! Matching earrings complete this set.. SOLD, but I can make something Similar

For me, I want to go back to that time when I was about five, and take my shoes off and dance before the fire in the moonlight!


I was lead singer in a band years ago, and played the tambourine.. I guess I was
getting ready for Gypsy moments without even knowing it!

  

I would hope all the Gypsy’s and the Gypsy wannabees would join me in my enchanted, magical life!

Bohemian Delight Necklace Set

ONE OF A KIND Bohemian Delight what an enchanting mixuture .. and the colors are dynamite and bright lime green, navy, gold with silver and lampwork and glass beads.... the brass focal is totally dynamic I think ... Drop earrings included SOLD

TO LISTEN TO GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES BY CHER .. CLICK BELOW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSsu2BDdX4o
Email me at: donnatrex@yahoo.com


Please also visit me at my other blogs,
I would love to make some blogger friends!

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

The Headless Horseman

Battle Hill Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Headless Horseman Bridge

LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

I have a personal interest in the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, as I grew up in Tarrytown, NY (25 miles north of New York City, in a suburb called Westchester County), and lived there from birth until I left home at age 19. Tarrytown and the adjoining town of what is now called Sleepy Hollow are seeped in history. For example, I had my wedding reception at a mansion once owned by Mark Twain overlooking the Hudson River. My grandparents on my father’s side are buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where the alleged “Headless Horseman” in the fictional story pursued Ichabod Crane.

Tappan Hill Restaurant once owned by Mark Twain

For a brief history of Tarrytown here is a good site:

http://www.tarrytowngov.com/pages/tarrytownny_webdocs/TarrytownHistory

I have been to the cemetery with high school friends on several occasions, including fall nights, and I can assure you it is a scary place. One that you are sure ghosts and goblins will come to torment you any minute! The name of my high school was Sleepy Hollow and our football team were called “the Horsemen.

Washington Irving, the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, not only attended, but had his own pew in the historical church I was baptized and married in, Christ Episcopal Church.

Christ Episcopal Church ... Washington Irving's Church

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820. With Irving's companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest examples of American fiction still read today. Many films, videos, and such have been in circulation over the years to include Will Rogers in the silent version in 1929 to a remake with Johnny Depp in 1999. One of the favorite Halloween costumes in my hometown was to dress up as the Headless Horseman!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: hard bound book with a flowered silk cover and gold foil lettering, printed circa 1907

For information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow

The story is set circa 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (based on Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a lean, lanky, and extremely superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, the town rowdy, for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel. As Crane leaves a party he attended at the Van Tassel home on an autumn night, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, who is supposedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War, and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head". Ichabod mysteriously disappears from town, leaving Katrina to marry Brom Bones, who was "to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related". Although the nature of the Headless Horseman is left open to interpretation, the story implies that the Horseman was really Brom Bones in disguise.

Home of Katrina Van Tassel

Lover's Lane

Sunnyside ...Home of Washington Irving

Katrina Van Tassel

Brom Bones

Katrina and Ichabod


Records show that the first residence in Tarrytown was built in 1645; however, the exact location is not known. The first white settlers were Dutch and that they were farmers, fur trappers, and fishermen. Tarrytown soil was light and loamy which was ideal for growing cereals; especially wheat. This led to the area being known as Wheat Town, or Terve Town, which later became mispronounced as Tarrytown. However, I prefer Washington Irving's interpretation of the origin of Tarrytown's name, in "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" which was published in the Sketch Book in 1820. Irving began his story, "In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators of the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port which by some is called Greenburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town. This name was given, we are told, in former days, by the good housewives of the adjacent county, from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days." Washington Irving has had the distinction of being the first American writer who was recognized by the British and European community. There have been countless references, and movies made about his famous story.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was based on a German folktale, set in the Dutch culture of Post-Revolutionary War in New York State. The original folktale was recorded by Karl Musäus. An excerpt of Musäus:

The headless horseman was often seen here. An old man who did not believe in ghosts told of meeting the headless horseman coming from his trip into the Hollow. The horseman made him climb up behind. They rode over bushes, hills, and swamps. When they reached the bridge, the horseman suddenly turned into a skeleton. He threw the old man into the brook and sprang away over the treetops with a clap of thunder.

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by John Quidor
The dénouement of the fictional tale is set at the bridge over the Pocantico River in the area of the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow. The characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel may have been based on local residents known to the author. The character of Katrina is thought to have been based upon Eleanor Van Tassel Brush, in which case her name is derived from that of Eleanor's aunt Catriena Ecker Van Tessel.

Irving, while he was an aide-de-camp to New York Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins, met an army captain named Ichabod Crane in Sackets Harbor, New York during an inspection tour of fortifications in 1814. He may have borrowed the name from the captain and patterned the character in "The Legend" after Jesse Merwin, who taught at the local schoolhouse in Kinderhook, further north along the Hudson River, where Irving spent several months in 1809.

The story was the longest one published as part of The Sketch Book, which Irving issued using the pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon" in 1820.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" follows a tradition of folk tales and poems involving a supernatural wild chase, including Robert Burns's Tam O' Shanter (1790), and Bürger's Der wilde Jäger, translated as The Wild Huntsman (1796).

LOCAL IMPACT
• In 1997 the village of North Tarrytown, New York, where many events of the story took place, changed its name to Sleepy Hollow. The high school teams are named "The Horsemen".
• In 2006, a large statue depicting the Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane was placed along Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, New York.
• A not-for-profit organization Historic Hudson Valley[12] has held since 1996 Legend Weekend at Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow, New York, featuring a rider portraying the headless Hessian, and a storyteller retelling The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as a historic celebration attended by thousands annually before Halloween.
• My sidenote: If you do visit the Historical Tarrytown Area, be sure to visit Philipsburg Manor, the Old Dutch Church, Tarrytown Music Hall, the place where Andre’ was captued.. and of course the Cemetery, and so many other places... Also, plan a meal at Tappan Hill, a bit pricey, but a wonderful experience.

Philipsburg Manor

Email: donnatrex@yahoo.com

BATS IN THE BELFRY!

THE BAT STORY!

I was going to call my blog;  "Bats in my Belfry"or "Going Batty" but my husband Joe told me I am already there, so I decied on a different name.. LOL!!

My late husband Bart, (who passed away in 2004)  was caretaker of  Edgemont Condominiums in Tarrytown, NY for a time period just after we married in 1975.  There were 188 units, and they were upscale in a very desirable area.  The condos go for about $460-600 thousand for a small  two bedroom at present.  They were situated on prime property which had previously been a Nursery with incredible tree, plants, shrubbery, flowering greenery from around the world.  While the condos were being built, my husband Bart managed the completion of the condo's, working with contractors, and when they were finished, he was overseeer of maintenance. We were given the very large main house on the property to live in.


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My Aunt made the sampler on the wall, and my uncle made the frame



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We displayed Bohemian Ruby and our Falkener Figurine with our china



I loved the original cathedral windows






The French Doors led to our outside entertainment area patio



The large, over 4,000 foot home was three stories tall with three fireplaces.  We loved this home with plenty of room for our four children, and lots of space for family activities.  I immediately got to work refurbishing this old gracious home with my husband .. having an absolute ball doing so!  I particularly loved our dining room.  We decorated this room in a stunning navy blue wallpaper with eagles and cheeries.. with Navy blue under the chair rail and chair rail and all the trim in white.. The carpet was navy and deep red/burgundy stripe and we furnished the room in dark pine.  With a very pretty dining room hutch and rolling liquor table.  It folded open to quite a large serving table for guests.




I loved this rolling liquor cabinet.. it was so versatile for entertaining

I also loved re-doing the children's bathroom .. The walls were painted a pastel cloud blue with white trim and I used a Beatrix Potter design material to have the shower curtain,  swag window treatment and valance over the shower.  I found some amazing pastel striped towels and completed the room with Beatrix Potter look-alike soap dish, drinking glass and toothbrush holder. I was also delighted to find some very fluffy and soft throw rugs in a pastel blue, and some Beatrix Potter prints for the walls!!  All in all it was a darling room.. I even wanted to go in there for my shower!! LOL!!



This was similar to the material in the children's bathroom



The Master Bedroom was done in a deep rust/orange with white trim and black/ brass and gold accent pieces... Our bedding was black / chocolate brown/rust/gold/orange andd the room was a Safari theme with very large animal statues and lots of jungle greens.  We used some unique antique hurricane lamps over the bed as sconces that we picked up at a house in Connecticut selling antique pieces in brass.  We so loved these sconces, with flickeing antique lights.  They needed quite a bit of work to bring them back to their original condition, and it was truly a labor of love on both my husband's and my part.  He did the repair work and I did the cleaning.  Also, the Master Bathroom had a claw foot tub ... so much fun,  decorated also in Safari theme with a faux animal fur rug. We even had a small refrigerator with shelf in the closet for midnight snacks, with wine, soda and what we called "noshes".


The kitchen pantry was large with floor to ceiling hardwood cabinetry going from the buffet table to the ceiling.  and then storage underneath on one end.  I decided to wallpaper one wall.  BIG mistake.  I must have used the wrong glue, or did not prime it beforehand, because after I finished the whole wall I called my husband in to help me complete what I was just too tired to do.. and when it was all done we stood back to admire our work.. and it literally in front of our eyes .. peeled down and off the wall!!! LOL  We didn't know whether to laugh or cry!!  We finally did get it up properly and it looked wonderful and added some spark and interest to the room .. ...  

We decided to to the TV room in a Toy Train theme and used some large gauge trains Bart inherited from his brother who died before he was born.  His name was K just like that .. no other letters... just K .. anyway.. he decided to go sleigh riding with a friend after church.  Bart's sister Carmen who was inseperable from K had gone overnight to a friend's sleep over.  Somehow K's sled went on to the frozen lake below and the ice was thin enough to give way and he drowned.  Bart's mother and father and Carmen were devestated .. and we were told he had been the model child.  So loved.  A good majority of married couples separate or divorce when there is a death of a child.  But, George and Erlamond worked out their sorrow with faith and persistance.. Poor Carmen as a young girl, and loving her brother so much, had a hard time, I am sure thinking to herself .. if she had only been there as she always had with him.   How difficult.


Because of the extreme grief over losing a child, Bart's father said he wanted no more children, figuring "if you don't have them, you can't lose them".  But, Bart's mother was so desiring another child.. she prayed and said to the Lord. "if you will give me another child, I will dedicate the child to You".   She told us years later, that she got dressed up and seduced her husband!!  My darling Bart was the product of the union.. and I told her time and again, I  was sure glad she did!! 

So, Bart inherited the trains that had been his late brother's, the Lionel Standard guage.  They were in perfect condition and in their original boxes, also in brand new condition.. He had also collected some smalller O guage Lionel trains to so we decided to do the TV room in a dark sage green.  Bart had at an earlier date made a exquisite credenza from Walnut with labouious lattice work and brass embellishments on each door.  He then made some walnut shelving to display the trains, and we filled in the shelves with some wonderful and very collectible train memorabilia, and I used some antique velvet window swags with twisted fringe trim that we purchased at an antique auction.  The curtains  had been used in a dining train.  The room was such fun, and we all enjoyed the warmth and nostalgia of the room.




Lionel Standard Train

We also were amazingly fortunate to have first opportunity to purchase the furnishings and decorating pieces from the Condominium models.  So, with them .. we were able to completely decorate the children's rooms in top style.  Our only daughter, Keri had her room in pink and white stripe with a window treatment of beads.. gorgeous!!  Chip and Tood had their room done in a boys pattern bedspreads with aqua/red/tan/and mustard yellow print and it really popped with their pine furniture.  Our oldest son, Mark was way up on the third floor and we did his room in red/white and chocolate.  The decor in his room was dramatic and totally majestic in my opinion.  We all felt like we had our little corner of our world, andwe even put in a salt water fish tank in our living room that was done in greens with a soft off white velvet couch, and dark pine furniture.. a chancy combination that worked to a tee when all done with an all wool striped sage green/gold and off white striped carpet.

We all loved the fish tank, and the children knew the names of the fish by heart.... I always loved turning on classical music with a glass of wine or coffee/tea and just watch the fish in the tank looking like they were dancing!  We had a Hawaiian Wrasse fish that had an inner time clock and at exactly 9 PM, if we were looking at that moment, this fish would scoot under the sand and go to sleep until morning.  Our daughter was the same way.  Keri would be ready for bed at 9 PM... she would say "Goodbye, I have to go to sleep now".. we used to laugh and ask her if she was going on a trip, because she would say "goodbye instead of goodnight".   hahahahah  anyway, our pet name for her was our "little Hawaiian Wrasse" and it has stuck till this day.  LOL     PS ... she is still that way!


Keri .... our Hawaaian Wrasse!

Another story about the fish tank.. One morning we got up to find ALL the fish dead in the tank.. Panic set in as we tried to find out the reason... until we asked the children if they had done anything to the tank?  Our youngest son Todd replied "well, I did put some soda in the tank"??? SODA we inquired?????   "Yes, he said.. we were all having a party last night and I thought the fish might be thirsty"!!!   I guess he wanted to have the fish join the party... Todd is sitll the same today.  He has more parties and entertains more people than anyone I know.. what a caring person.  He is such a giver.





Fish like to PARTY too!!!!!

One more story and then I will get to my main point.  With Keri being our only girl, you can imagine the joy I found in dressing her .. she had a collection of Polly Flinders dresses we just loved and she looked like a "sugar plum" in every one of them.. what a darling child... little white tights and Maryjane's.. how precious.  One summer day she was dressed in an adorable little sundress with a yellow background and bees all over it.  She wore little white sandals too. 



Our Keri outside our home at Edgemont Condos
wearing an adorable Polly Flinders dress

She was playing outside and unbeknowing to her stepped into an underground yellow jacket nest.  Immediately she began to cry and her brother Mark rescued her (Mark was such a rescuer .. .he has a heart for the hurting) anyway the bees of course follow her into the house and I had the presence of mind to quickly pull out the hornet spray and tell her to close her eyes while I quickly sprayed her and Mark. I was horrified that I could not tell the difference between the bees on her dress and the real bees, so I kind of swated everywhere.. poor Keri.. !! The bees fell dead on the floor, but to my horror, my little girl was swelling up with an allergic bee reaction.  I asked Mark to call his Dad, call the Dr's office to tell them what was going on, and I got my daughter in the car.  Half scared to death she would die before I got help for her .. and yes, I sure did pray!  Silently, as I did not know about praying out loud at that time in my life.. but it worked .. Keri's face was blowing up before me as I was driving, and I was so concerned her throat would become constricted, but the minute we arrived to the doctor, he brought her into his office and gave her a shot and a sedative for the pain, some ointment for the stings and he pulled out the stingers.  I think not only was my traumatized daughter in shock, but I think we all were.  I never left her side all night long, monitoring her breathing.  She was one hurting little one for awhile....   How scary huh?? 

Yellow Jacket Sundress

So, back to my original thought.  Okay.. so here we are in this beautiful home we had all worked so hard to fit into our little palace that worked with our lifestyle and personalities, set in this Adam and Eve atmosphere.  Life was good, and we were all happy.  Bart and I decided to go out for dinner one night and asked our babysitter if she could come over.  Which she did.  We had been so busy with our home, and had poured every bit our our resources into the repairs, we didn't have the money to go out to dinner too, we loved the choice we made, but now it was time for some fun, and we were so looking forward to this night out. 


We drove about an hour away to our favorite romantic restaurant in Bedford, NY called the La Cremilliere.  Wonderful atmosphere, food and service.  Immpeccable in every detail. 

http://www.cremaillere.com/  

So, we make the long, but totally enjoyable drive, we are drinking in the ambiance of this magnificent place and relaxing finally with a glass of wine, playing "toesies" under the table and anticipating a wonderful romantic night.  We had just finished our appetizers and we were waiting for our entree when we received a frantic call from our babysitter.  The maitre' d lead us to the phone as, this was before we had cell phones.  Oh no, we thought, finally we have a moment together and what could be wrong?  

Our babysitter hurridly and in a terrified voice begins to tell the tale of how are your ready??   How the house was being invaded with BATS!!   OH NO... surely not bats...  ???   But, yes this was true.  My thought turned to old wive's tales from my mother and grandmother about bats getting into people's hair and making a nest.. and how the nasty little varmints' were loaded with germs and bacteria and disease.  I panicked and we quickly paid for our dinner and had a very hair rising mad dash trip home to the children who were all huddled in the living room by this time downstairs ready for another onslaught of the invaders.  


Each child told their story of the incident and before long, the feared flying bats began to swoop down with all of us screaming except for Bart..   The problem was that the children had seen several bats, and we were not sure how many would appear, or if we had gotten them all even if we were able to kill them. We called my parents and said "guess who's coming overnight?"   We quickly packed overnight necessities and headed for my Dad and Mom's with each child re-telling their story!!   There was NO WAY I was going back in that house without it be "de-batted"... and so the next day my husband called a policeman he knew would surely be accustomed to this kind of thing, who ended up being a scaredy cat.  Bart took our trusty cast iron frying pan and proceeded to investigate the whole house from one end to the other.  When he folded back the curtains in the living room, he found one of the culprits sleeping.. When he was rudely awakened by my husband, he came flying at him and my husband with his frying pan held it out, and the bat flew right into it, killing himself instantly. 


The trusty weapon!

"Hurray" they cried while my husband's policeman friend said.. "all done, I'm out of here" without a second breath which left my husband to fend for himself hunting down the rest of the bats!!!!  My husband said it had been a one in a million shot.. hahaha   He did find several more and deemed it safe enough for us to come back home.  However, my brave Mark who had his bedroom closest to the attic had taken a bat to bed with him just in case, and he slept with it under his bed.... just in case.  I guess in his little 11 year mind he thought you could come against the onslaught of a bat with a bat!!  Makes sense to me .. LOL! 

He could hear more activity at night and several came into his room, which sent the whole household in another bout of screams and running.  Oh no, they were back again.  All of us scrambling to hide in bathrooms and such huddled together while brave Daddy hunted the enemy down.   None of us got any sleep and we decided to call in an exterminator my husband knew who could take care ofthe job.  He found the hole they were coming in and out of in the attic as they can fold their wings into just about nothingness and get in very small spaces. But, those critters did not die so easily and we were uneasy for a very long time, and my son had a perpetual friend as a companion I think probably for years as protection.. I don't blame him.. I thought he was WAY brave to even stay up there after the attacks.  I would have made a permanent bed in the enclosed bathroom!!





Our family at my parents home.. left to right
Chip, Me, Keri, Mark, Bart and Todd

So that is the story of the Bat's in the Belfrey at Martling Avenue!! Hope you enjoyed it. 

If I never see bats again in my life, it will be too soon.   I know my family will never forget it for sure!