God's Amazing Creatures

God's creatures are amazing to me...except when you find a bat in the sink or a mouse in the washing machine.  Yes, these have both happened to me personally. Years ago, I worked in Rapid City, South Dakota for a psychiatrist. The offices were set up in an old, two story, brick house. Since I was the receptionist, I was usually the first one to open up in the morning. My first duty was to make coffee in the break room.  I put a new filter in and filled it with grounds.   I took the pot over to the sink and went to turn on the water when I realized someone had left the filter and coffee grounds from the day before in the drain. A bit disgusted, I started to reach down to grab it but leaped backwards when I saw a tiny claw emerge from the drain next to what I thought was the filter. In fact, it was a bat and I was not a happy camper!  Thank goodness, one of the doctors came in immediately after the incident and asked if I was okay. I pointed to the sink, still trying to get my heebie jeebies under control. He approached the sink and I loudly informed him that there was a bat. He said, "There is no bat in the....there's a bat in the sink!" He quickly found a towel and covered it then placed a large jar over it. We called animal control because who else would you call? They politely informed us that they did not handle bats. After a brief go around and losing that battle our only option was to take it outside ourselves.  I say 'our' to make me sound brave, but I actually had nothing to do with that part AT ALL. No thank you!

As far as the mouse? We live in the country, so mice are a common occurrence. However, mice in my washing machine are NOT a common occurrence.   I was doing my laundry one day and had emptied the dryer. As I was loading the clothes from the washer into the dryer, I realized that there was a clump of nylons left in the bottom of the washer. The only reason I stopped before grabbing it was because it dawned on me that I rarely wear nylons. Why would there be a pair in the laundry? I was not that far behind on my chores.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the nylons had a tail...and a little pointy nose!  A mouse! Now it was not the fact that I had a mouse in my midst that freaked me right out but rather the fact that the ONLY way that mouse could have gotten into my washing machine was by ME putting it there.   Heebie jeebies all over again!  By the grace of God that thing did not wiggle its way through the dry clothes, up my arm and down my back. If that had been the case, I would have to be severely medicated in order to sleep at night!

So yes, God's creatures are amazing, in their own little communities and not invading my territory.   I wish that were possible sometimes. Beware of bats and mice!