Unexpected Guest

What is it with me and wild animals?

It was just after 5AM this morning when I slid open the glass door so I could go into the sunroom and put Tucker outside.  Right away I noticed something was...off.  Various objects were scattered across the floor.  Taking a look around, I noticed a long tear in one of the window screens.  My first thought: Bat! I turned the light on and slid the door closed behind me so the offending animal wouldn't have access into my house.  Tucker would have to wait.  Perhaps my first reaction was slightly ridiculous.  The chance of a bat being persistent enough to claw its way through the window screen would be next to zero.  I think.  However, I've never completely shaken my fear of bats.

I can't remember if I was in eighth or ninth grade when I encountered my first bat.  My bedroom window was left open to let the cool air fill my room while I slept.  Sometime during the night, or very early in the morning, I woke up to find my cat pouncing something on my bed.  As soon as the light was on, a bat began flying around my room.  I have had a strong aversion to bats ever since.  It took two days to get the thing out of our house.

Next story.  Different animal.  While staying at my mom's one summer, my brother fell asleep on the couch (i.e. my bed) and I had to sleep on the living room floor.  I woke up to find a baby opossum staring at me, its gaping mouth inches from my face.  Later that morning, we discovered a hole by the washer and dryer which allowed the varmint entry and access to my nose.  Everyone except me was amused by the scratch the opossum left on me.

More recent story.  Yet another animal.  Last year, I was sleeping peacefully in my bed when I was woken up.  Feeling something on my face, I swiped at it and felt something wet and of a significant size.  I turned the ceiling light on and discovered a tree frog resting on the floor where I had thrown it.  I managed to catch it and release it outside.

Back to the sunroom.  A cautious investigation assured me the animal was gone.  I straightened up and let my dog out.  Taking a closer look at the screen, I could see numerous puncture marks plus a second slit about four inches long.  The slit that allowed entry was about a foot long and a couple inches wide.  Definitely a determined critter.  But I don't know what it was.  Other than the mess, there was nothing to determine what kind of animal would have been so bold.  That being said, it was probably the same animal that got into my chicken coop last week and devoured two of my chickens. 

So the moral of the story? Don't go to sleep apparently.