The DandeeLyon

Club Rules ( in 3rd Grade and in Life)

2012-02-05T15:39:00.002-05:00

I was cleaning the house and found a notebook with some writings from Dandeelyon. Turns out she has a little club of friends at her school. Here are the rules:

1st time and Dandeelyon was UP!

2012-02-05T15:37:00.002-05:00

Down near the inlet at Chicks Beach with family/friends.

Dandeelyon and Dee Lyon! Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-11-01T10:15:00.002-04:00

We took Dandeelyon to the Lawn at UVA last night. Much better than Hanover Avenue in the Fan primarily because the candy didn't run out in 10 minutes.

The autumn air was cool and crisp, the leaves are perfect this time of year.

Then we had some slammin dumplings and bangin mexican food to top things off for the evening!

Is "Lawyering" a word??

2011-10-26T14:13:00.004-04:00

Dandeelyon: "Do you think I'd be good at lawyering?"

Me: laughing, "Yes. VERY good. Why?"

Dandeelyon: "cause I chose being a lawyer today when I was playing "Life."

Me: "Wow! That's huge Dandeelyon. I've never heard you say you wanted to be a lawyer."

Dandeelyon: "Well, I did choose that. AND I chose being a lawyer over being an entertainer even though the Entertainer was wearing a red sparkly dress and had boys in tuxedos all around her."

Dandeelyon random dinner quotes

2011-05-04T10:11:00.002-04:00

Dandeelyon covering her mouth: "Many people, now that Obama is raising taxes, wish they'd voted for John McCain."

Dandeelyon again, "the Librarian says that I will make a great teacher ONE day. But not today."

When asked "What do u think the other kids say to their parents regarding you?"Dandeelyon replied "that I'm a little bossy. That I like to talk. And that my mommy works for the Governor."

Dandeelyon "I wish I had a remote control ghost. Bwahahaha."

Report Card Time...Drum roll please....

2011-02-11T23:28:00.004-05:00

Dandeelyon has rocked all A's. In Science, Language, Math, and Social Studies. Bravo young lady Bravo!!

So proud of my baby girl. Shhhh....don't tell her that I still call her that. She would disapprove ;)

6 strings closer...

2011-01-22T20:48:00.002-05:00

To being the best guitarist in the worrrllllddd!! So far she knows the C and G7 chord. Daddy is having her teach him so he can learn also...

Her teacher plans on having her recital be opening for him at Open Mic Night at Starbucks!

"I would have tripped him with a big root!"

2011-01-19T15:19:00.002-05:00

Says, Dandeelyon when responding to the news of a mass shooting in Tucson Arizona last week.

The conversation happened next to a TV which was streaming the most recent headlines at a restaraunt.

"That man...he's a bad man. He's... well, grrr...I would have tripped him with a big root!!!"

A part of me was proud of her for being willing to stand up to the "bad" in this world. Another part of me wanted to shield her from it. Protect her from the thought of anything bad. Anything less than perfect. At the one hand, she needs to know in the right age appropriate context. On the other hand, I hate watching her wrestle with this new reality.

After dinner we went home and watched a fairy tale princess cartoon to regain some of the lost Innocence (daddy inlcuded)

MMmmmmmDessert!!

2011-01-19T15:16:00.002-05:00

It has been said that children have an insatiable appetite for all things sweet. I ran across a diagram explaining the anatomy of a kid's stomach and I have say, it's spot on!

...while dreaming of a white Christmas, Dandeelyon woke up, and saw it was REAL!!!

2011-01-05T22:08:00.005-05:00

A Bulleted list of highlights from Christmas 2010.

Snow... 16 inches of it. Record amounts in Hampton Roads.

Santa drank all of his milk...took almost all the carrots for the reindeer and dropped one in the Fireplace. Guess Prancer didn't get one.

Dandeelyon woke up with a soot print on her forehead. Santa left his very own mark on her beautiful little face.

Remote Control Helicopters.

Vet Puppy in a pink bag

Barbie Barbie Barbie stuff

and lots more!

Had a great time with family. Grandma, Dadad, Kimberly, and Matthew were a ton of FUN!

Christmastown in Williamsburg was amazing as always.

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis ( or uhmm Merry Christmas!!)

2011-01-05T21:49:00.003-05:00

Said the night wind to the little lamb,

"Do you see what I see?

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,

"Do you hear what I hear?

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,

"Do you know what I know?

Said the king to the people everywhere,

"Listen to what I say!

Pray for peace, people, everywhere,

Listen to what I say!

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light,

He will bring us goodness and light."

Thank God for Jesus, the sacrificial lamb who made the gift of grace possible. Merry Christmas!

IPhoto fun....

2010-11-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

Dandeelyon routinely sits in front of the laptop and snaps crazy photos of herself. Occasionally, she strikes at brilliance. I especially liked this one...

7 years, 3 months, and 4 days ago...

2010-11-15T21:16:00.002-05:00

I received this in the mail

A few days ago, I showed Dandeelyon this letter we recieved a few days after she was born and ...well she was very impressed with herself.

Very impressive indeed. :)

Folding Old Glory

2010-04-20T16:56:00.004-04:00

So Dandeelyon was sick and was home from school when I realized that we were short on all of the essentials ( ginger ale, salteane crackers, soup, etc) so off we went to the local grocery store.

While walking out to the parking lot we saw the manager ( or at least a dude in a tie) showing some of the bag boys how to properly fold and fly the American Flag.

Perfect teachable moment...

so Dandeelyon stood in as well, helping fold the flag into triangle "just so" and leaning to never never ever ever let the flag touch the ground lest it be destroyed by burning. She started to understand what it means to honor our nations flag? Dandeelyon started to understand that the flag means alot to alot of people for different reasons. Now she loves to stop and stare at it whenever we pass... which has turned a quick trip to the grocery store into, well..a not so quici trip to the grocery store.

What does a skinned knee and some determination equal?

2010-02-27T16:38:00.003-05:00

Training wheels OFF!!

One of the most proud moments I have had as a parent is when I saw Dandeelyon steer through the uncertainty and fear to find that inner confidence. Once she found it, she kept going and going and going...and going.

Anyone seen Dandeelyon? :)

Dashing through the snow in a one...errh, uhm giant cardboard sled..

2010-02-02T00:08:00.002-05:00

So we decided to head to Byrd Park to try out the giant hill with the mysterious fence at the top. Anyone know what is over that fence?? Anyhoo, I digress. Dandeelyon flew down the steep hill and did all sorts of twists, flips , and hard landings... what a tough kid!

Since everyone bought all the sleds up from Pleasant's Hardware, we decided to make do with what we had...cookie sheets from the drawer under the oven, the top of an igloo cooler, and a laundry basket. All served their purposes, but the find of the night was when we encountered a massive broken down box which 3 people could easily ride down the hill on...

check out what happened next.. ;)

Here's to wintertime...it gets such a bad rap.

Balloons anyone?

2009-09-24T14:12:00.003-04:00

Balloons are a lot of fun initially , and then they deflate and then take over bedrooms!! :)

Chaaaa--Chinnngggg!!

2009-08-19T17:50:00.003-04:00

Dandeelyon opened her very own savings account today with a banker friend of mine. She'll start to deposit her "chores" money and begin watching her money work for her. According to Dandeelyon, the most exciting thing for her was

A. The sucker....Duh! :)

B. The Bank Statement will come in her name each month telling her how much money she has ( or doesn't have)

When asking her how much she wanted to save, she said enough to buy herself a horse. Anyone know what a good horse goes for these days?

BIG Girl Gauze at the Horse Races!!

2009-06-22T01:15:00.003-04:00

So Dandeelyon accompanied her daddy and his "circle of friends" at Colonial Downs for a stellar day of horse racing ( Colonial Turf Cup) and what an eventful day it was. Dandeelyon pet a horse which proceeded to smile at her (not kidding--look at the pic) and she had a mis-hap on the green ( skinned knee) and landed herself in the infirmary where Dr. Shaun helped her recover so we could catch the last raceof the day...

She off course now wants a horse of her own. My friend Brit thinks it's doable...maybe she can help me figure out how to make that a reality??I think we'll start with some lessons... ( baby steps)

Dandeelyon's Loses her first tooooff !!!

2009-06-13T22:54:00.005-04:00

So Dandeelyon was a little bit nervous but received tons of encouragement and support from her friend Eilidh, Fiona, Alexander, and Deb as her mommy pulled her first toof!!

So proud of my baby girl!!

Swine Flu and Convertibles..

2009-06-12T15:41:00.004-04:00

Yeah FAKE smile, cause Dandeelyon had swine flu. Yuck...we pulled her from school the day before, she started running a fever of 102 and they confirmed it this am. They had to make a call to report it to the health department. Wierd... She is fine though, just hot and bothered. I told her one day she could forward to feeling this way all the time and it would be called menopause. She asked what men went through and I said mid life crisis...she asked what that meant and I said we would wear hawaiian shirts and drive convertibles...

Dandeelyon just realized life is NOT fair. Indeed it's not.

Memorial Day in DC

2009-06-06T13:06:00.005-04:00

So Dandeelyon and I go to DC to visit my cousins from the North who now live in Alexandria, Virginia. My cousin has been in the Navy since about 2000. He has been from the Persian Gulf aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, to Alfghanistan, to Pearl Harbour, to most recently Tokyo, Japan. He and his wife ( they dates since like the 6th grade) are now parents to a beautiful little..who Dandeelyon absolutely adores!!

We headed into DC for the National Memorial Day Parade..and Dandeelyon being Dandeelyon had to get so close that she could beat the drums for the Marching Bands... a great time indeed!

The most memorable quote of the day was when Dandeelyon said the WW2 Veterans ( Pearl Harbour survivors) "looked old...like Skeletan Old" but also sweet like Dad-dads ( her code word for grandaddy)

Dandeelyon's First Race!!!!

2009-06-05T23:56:00.002-04:00

So it all began several years back when Dandeelyon was just 3 ( 2006) when her daddy reached over the barracade and carried her across the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon. Dandeelyon recieved her very own medal that day and has been watching daddy run races..but also chomping at the bit to run herself.

Dandeelyon had her chance at the Carytown 10k on May 17th. Her proud daddy ran hand in hand with her until the end. My proudest moment came when she looked at me, about 100 yards from the finish line and said, "Daddy, let's turn it on!!"---and we ran as hard as we could across the finish line!!!

Atta Girl!! Looking forward to running many more with her...

2009 Monument Avenue 10k

2009-03-28T22:13:00.002-04:00

So as I ran the race, Dandeelyon teamed up with some friends at the Mile 2 Hydration Station handing out power-aid and water to the runners. She had a BLAST, but was a little miffed that the Kenyans did not take water she offered them... to quote her, "The Nerve!"

Afterwards, she joined me and all of our Area 10 Church friends at the 1st Annual Post Race Chile Cookout for some chile, hot dogs and veggie burgers!! Yumm...

Box Car Drive In night!

2009-03-15T13:13:00.002-04:00

So Dandeelyon and some of her closest friends got together at our favorite Carytown hot spot, Carwheels & Coffee to decorate their own box cars and then have a drive in movie night. Dandeelyon. Dandeelyon won the prize for box car with the most windows...

It's snooowwwiiinnggg!!!

2009-03-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

...says Dandeelyon as we exit the Byrd Theatre this afternoon...and boy was she right!

The view from inside the Byrd Theatre of the snow outside with the lights accenting it was amazing!! I wish I had a camera on my at that moment..

I took a picture as soon as I got home...Baked Mac & Cheese and cuddle time under the covers tonight. Winter has Finally arrived in RTown.

Dandeelyon explains why we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day...

2009-01-18T22:23:00.003-05:00

So tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr Day and Dandeelyon is very grateful to Dr. King because she gets out of school because if him...so when having a discussion about why else he matters she tells me a little story.. it went kind of like this.

Dandeelyon: Daddy, do you know Martin Luther King?

Daddy: I sure do, why do you ask?

Dandeelyon: Because we get out of school to celebrate his day.

Daddy: Oh is that so? Why is he so important to have a whole day named after him?

Dandeelyon: Because when he was alive, white kids had to go to white schools, black kids had to go to black schools, and chinese kids had to go to chinese schools.

Daddy: Wow, and then what happened Dandeelyon?

Dandeelyon: He gave a big dream speech, now they let the black and chinese kids come to the white schools.

She had it kinda right....kids are so funny.

Tomorrow night we are going to a candlelight Vigil at Boaz and Ruth...5 Corners. Should be a neat thing for Reagan to experience.

Dandeelyon made a Christmas "Funny"

2009-01-10T14:04:00.002-05:00

So I am having a discussion with Dandeelyon about the Christmas story, when she tells me that baby Jesus was visited by wise men and they gave him gifts....when I asked what the gifts were she said, "Oh daddy, everyone knows that, they were gold, myrrh, and a sentence."

BREAKING NEWS!! Dandeelyon endorses her candidate!

2008-10-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am sitting there and watching the "Obamercial with Dandeelyon and she says 2 things which take me by surprise.

She likes Barack Obamas kids...and wants to hang out with them.
She thinks Barack Obama is quote, "probably better than John McCain because, he stays up and talks to the country, and she was pretty sure that John McCain was already in bed."

And so it begins.... God indeed has a sense of humor.

Meet Mr. Jack O.Lantern

2008-10-26T14:17:00.004-04:00

Wallahhhhh!!

Fall Fun with Family in Alexandria

2008-10-25T19:19:00.002-04:00

So we visited some relatives in Alexandria, Virginia on a cool damp fall day...we visited the Pumpkin Patch, ate some "5 Guys" Burgers (which is always a hit) and cooked and decorated some Halloween Cupcakes... it was a fun mess!!!! Here are some shots of the Pumpkin Patch and Cupcake fun with Dendeelyon's cousin.

Hard Work..

2008-09-15T07:11:00.002-04:00

6:40 AM

Dandeelyon has just been beckonded out of bed for some "budderbread" when she looks over and sees the laundry basket full of clothes, her bookbag packed ( complete with snacks) kitchen cleaned, and coffee made... and she says to me, "Daddy, you are a hard worker huh?" and I respond by saying yes Dandeelyon...

Her reply, "Well, I am glad, because I am a hard player!!"

I concur..

Have a good week everyone!

Kindergarden has arrived!

2008-09-01T08:22:00.003-04:00

This is MONUMENTAL!

Dandeelyon starts school TOMMOROW! We are headed out to the Doggie Park in a bit, hitting a cookout and enjoying her last final day before it all starts...

Here is a little poem that Dandeelyon's Auntee sent via email and it tore my heart out!

Choooo Choooo! Dandeelyon does DC via Train!

2008-07-28T00:20:00.004-04:00

Lowes...Home Depot...Lowes...Pleasants Hardware...Lowes

2008-07-27T23:48:00.002-04:00

OK so many of you know that Dandeelyon has been helping her daddy renovate their basement and you know what that means. Endless trips to lowes, home depot, and other hardware stores. The good folks at Lowes know Dandeelyon and are very patient when she crawls in the bath tubs and then says hello to each person that passes, asking them to hand her the soap and laughing.

This day however she had had it with Lowes and said, "wake me up when we are home!!".
I second those sentiments. I am sick of lowes too!

Fun with an Apple...

2008-06-28T17:25:00.004-04:00

OK,so since I have lost my laptop( or it may be stolen??) I think I may actually get an applethe next go around. They have so many cool things...like a camera with special affects! Check these out...

I scream, you scream...we all scream for..

2008-06-01T23:31:00.002-04:00

ICE CREAM!!

Mmmmmmm chocalate.

Soccer Awards Night!

2008-05-28T19:55:00.006-04:00

So after asking DandeeLyon how she liked soccer this season, she answered " I want to be a cheerleader instead!"...like we didn't know that already ;)

Cock a doodle doo!

2008-05-18T19:25:00.003-04:00

Dandeelyon has some friends who have several pet chickens....they started out as eggs in an incubator and then hatched and are now almost full grown. I did this when i was a kif but had to give the chickens back to the school when they hatched. I guess home schooled kids get to keep theres ;)

Changes changes...

2008-05-13T21:05:00.005-04:00

OK quick update. I start back at Capital One after a 3 month break ( 4 months really) and I learned a few things while being out of work and having some time to slow down.

I have learned to be still and hear what God is saying. It's so easy to miss when we fill out heads with our own noise. I have learned that surrendering is no easy feat...it's an act of the will, like "dying" to live. Furthermore, the most dangerous point is when we have surrendered 99% of our own plans. That last 1% is what God wants, the 99% is usually things we try and barter with ;)

So, I have rented out house number 2 in Richmond. Dandeelyon and I will be moving to my our very own Loft Space. The building was built in late 1800s, has exposed brickwork and beams, and a very open foorplan with lots of BIG windows and natural light. More pics as we get settled in.

Pics of House number 2 can be found here http://3912pattersonave.blogspot.com/
We start renovating the basement, which will have a master bedroom suite with exposed brick, recessed lights, a foyer aea, laudry room, walk in closet and full size bath with jacuzi tub etc. Vurrry Naaaas. Check in every few days as more pics will be added as the transformation happens. We have a hard deadline of July 1. The tenants move in right after that.

It's called a "Sprout Do"....

2008-04-14T17:10:00.005-04:00

And allthough this is the first time it's been on a human being...she thinks it will make it's debut in Paris Fashion Week this year...whatayathink? One of my best buds from college models it above...

Breakfast in Bed...DandeeLyon Style

2008-04-14T17:08:00.001-04:00

Cap'n Crunch on a deli tray woke me up this am. 5 stars all the way...

Chasing Geese...an old Richmond Pastime

2008-04-01T16:40:00.003-04:00

So, Dandeelyon and I had some visitors today. An old college buddy drove up from the South to visit and he brought a bundle of fun with him. Dandeelyon had a blast chasing Geese at Byrd Park as well as paitning her face with fingernail polish.

I DO NOT LIKE Green Eggs and Ham!

2008-03-15T22:30:00.006-04:00

But DandeeLyon does..alot. We had some at a Diner while celebrating St Patricks Day with cousin DeeDee...Sham-rocking the Block here in River City.

Green Eggs and Ham...I do not like them, Sam I am.

Blessings in Disguise

2008-03-15T22:19:00.006-04:00

So the basement flooded in the Lynchburg house (don't ask how...or why) that's irrelevant for now ;)

but in the course of cleaning it out and drying everything out, I happened upon some great picture albums which had some shots of DandeeLyon when she was about 16 months old....

Here is 2 all star shots of her in my buddy's antique car and front porch swing...I am getting both blown up for my office.

Coming to a Soccer Field near you!

2008-03-03T23:18:00.002-05:00

Yep, DandeeLyon has registered for Rec League Soccer.

Practices Tuesday's at 5:30-6:30PM

Games Friday from 5:30-6:30.

Games will be played at Humphrey Calder Community Center on the corner of Patterson Avenue and Thompson Street.

Schedule coming soon...

Sickness sucks!

2008-03-03T23:10:00.004-05:00

DandeeLyon has a cold and is miserable. No school today and likely tommorow...has forced me to slow down and catch up on some reading.

I tried explaining that she had white blood cells which were constantly fighting her jerms and that Vitamins made their muscles big...and she paused then yelled ,"Daddy Listen!! Did you just hear that...I think one just bit the dust!"

All Hail the Pizza Tzar!!

2008-02-24T13:41:00.003-05:00

Dinner at Pizza Hut Friday night...and the kid's menu had a survey. Here are the questions, and Dendeelyon's answers. Her answers were typical except one....which I thought showed her savvy...

1. If you were stranded on an island forever what would you bring? A Puppy...

2. If you had a Genie who could grant one wish, what would that one wish be? To get a Puppy...

3. If you were President for a day, what would you do? and DandeeLyon says...."Oh Daddy, I'd need a week for that!"

Classic Dabdeelyon.

BIG DAWG!

2008-02-20T15:23:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I am at my attorney's office doing some business the other day and decided to take DandeLyon with me. She fell in love with his dog which quite possibly is the largest dog I think I have ever seen in my life. It's name is Eustace and he weighs 160 lbs...and she rode him like a horse.... seriously.

One good thing came from this...she no longer wants a chiwawah...thank God for that.

Adventures in Lynchburg

2008-02-18T22:23:00.009-05:00

Another worldwind visit to "The Burg"

I have rented out what DandeeLyon affectionately calls our "Blue House"...mainly because the columns out front are painted...uhm...

TARHEEL BLUE.....

which is really a North Carolinians way of renaming Baby Blue... I on the other hand am a Virginian....and will likely paint them white sometime this summer. ;)

DandeeLyon enjoyed seeing her best friends and after 2 days of solid playtime, she was asleep in the back seat within 2 minutes...

Enjoyed hearing about what God is doing in All Souls Church.. and would like to get back for a Sunday night service sometime in the near future...

Thoughts on a sermon...

2008-02-17T17:12:00.005-05:00

So I visited a new church today with DandeeLyon and as usual the message was timely for me..

It basically was the first several verses of Revalation Chapter 4, where John describes the throne of God in Heaven. The throne represents 2 things...one is God's authority and the other is how the throne represents his almighty nature. A third comparison was made with earthly kingdoms and how thrones have come and gone, but God's is forever.

2 thoughts...

1. Allthough health declines ( as mine has lately), relationships change ( as mine have), jobs end ( as mine has), economies go into recession ( which ours is), God is the same yesterday, today, and tommorow. He does not change...and we can rest on that fact.

2. The word "almighty" is used to describe God while on his throne...and is used 47 times in the old testament and 31 of those times are in the Book of Job. I think this is not a coincidence as Job went through all sorts of calamity...and his faith remained in God. God is faithful...and he can be trusted to deal with these situations. Good for me to hear...and good for me to teach to DandeeLyon as well.

Sushi and a famous Dog

2008-02-16T22:46:00.000-05:00

A buddy, DandeeLyon, and I go to a place called Akida Japanese on N. Robinson St. As we parked, we walk past this guy and his white dog. DandeeLyon off course pets the dog first, then asked if it was friendly...and a conversation ensues.

The dog is Max, and the owner, Barry. Barry owns a restaraunt called The White Dog, which as it turns out I have been to several times with friends...it's a great place and has won many awards....and DandeeLyon was petting Max, the white dog who inspired it all.

Afterwards DandeeLyon sampled some of the best sushi in Richmond ( and loved it) Yessss!

Upon visiting http://www.thewhitedog.com/, DandeeLyon emailed Max to thank him for letting her pet him..(yes he has an email address)

Great Night!

Movie Night

2008-02-16T21:06:00.001-05:00

MOVIE NIGHT!

Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller

...she loved it.

Pros...

1. She wants to learn about Teddy Rooservelt, T-Rex, Sacagawea, and Lewis & Clark.

2. I had a blast watching her curiosity grow.

3. Robin Williams is brilliant in every role he plays

Con

1. She clawed my leg and 30 minutes later I am just getting feeling back.

Encounter with a bat

2007-07-29T19:31:00.004-04:00

So it's Saturday morning and I have finally decided to mark off "cleaning the house" from my to do list. This particular task has been staring at me every day for about
3 weeks and me being the busy bachelor with no roomate...it became evident my house was not going to clean itself.

So I did some laundry..loaded the dishwasher..took a nap, unload the laudry, took another nap and then I remembered the sayings of several wise women in my life, "Men straighten up, Women clean!" So after hearing that and asking them what separated the two? They almost always said, "Dust...use cleaner...actualy scrub stuff...make it smell pretty."

So instead of doing the normal guy thing...just spraying my house with an entire bottle of Febreeze, I decided to actualy "clean my house". It was short lived...

As I was dusting an end table, I moved a lamp and noticed what looked like a black dress sock hanging on the lamp cord. Now, if I had not shaken the bad habit of kicking of my shoes and socks that would be one thing. But that's not the case , so I looked closer...closer, closer and then I noticed THE SOCK MOVED! Holy Crap, it moved. What was it...

a stinkin BAT!

Yes, you heard me correctly. I had a real live bat hanging upside down from a lamp cord in my living room. How on God's green earth did a bat get into my house?? One can only guess, but I was not thinking about that now...I was thinking how can I get this thing out of my house?

So being the fearless stud that I am...I took immediate action.

I slowly unplugged the lamp with one hand and grabbed the lamp with the other...and slowly

ok now let me explain what I mean here by slowly..I mean it took me 10 minutes to go 5 feet all the while clinching by ass cheeks as tight as they'd possibly go and holding my breathe at the same time.

I remembered in school that bats are blind and use sonar to determine when they are coming closer to something..it's how they navigate. So I am
factoring this into my steady movement..making sure to stay equi-distant to both sides of the furniture, the door frame etc . I layed down the lamp with the bat still hanging there next to my front stoop just outside my front door.

The bat sensing some movement and waking up some...opened it's mouth and hissed at me.It had teeth...and the face was grey with little white hairs.

I peed on myself a little bit.

It was in direct sunlight and so I'm thinking to myself, " Dracula can't stand the sunlight", so I went in and got a towel. ( hush, you were thinking the same thing) so I hung the towl over where the lamp was to provide some shade for it. I went in the house and spent the rest of the day trying to get over a pulled sphincter. Yes, It turns out you can pull your rear end. Just lovely.

Later on, I had some friends come in from out of town and when they arrived, I told them about the experience and took them to where the bat was. I noticed it had moved...it was on the side of the porch now..and it was awake. It walked up until it was on the flat steps, it opened its wings and took off into the night...wight there in front of me and my buddies.

So, since I am an educated man who learns from my experiences and since I had several beverages to help me clear my mind, I decided to ponder the lessons of the day while on my 10th drink. Here they are:

1. You can pull your sphincter.
2. Bats are as scary as I remembered them in Scooby Doo.
3. Never dust your house...ever.

Here's to my first blog ever. Hopefully I won't have to injure myself every time I write.