Cripes, Suzette!: Look! Up In The Sky! It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's Not A Bat!

I thought it might be a good idea to jot down a few thoughts while I was out on the deck in the evening, winding down from the day. I came to this conclusion because all of the good ideas I have for blogging don't seem to stick in my head long enough to post them. It would be a shame if the blog world could not share these nuggets of wisdom, flashes of insight and piths of observation. Here's the first crop harvested from that effort:

Where are the bats? It seems to me that they should be around by now. My recollection is that as soon as it was warm enough for me to be out in the evening, it was warm enough for them. So far this year, I haven't been treated to the nightly vision of them swooping around in the dusk. I thought I saw one once in early May, but that could easily have been a bird staying up late.

In the absence of bats, I'm left to observe airplanes. I guess I must be more absorbed in air travel than I previously aware of , because I realize how many planes I can identify by their silhouettes. It's entirely a matter of self-preservation because since I've just about memorized the seating charts on Seat Guru and plan my flight tickets accordingly, I want to know if there was a last minute vehicle switch at the gate that will jeopardize my comfort. Without realizing it, I have incorporated general chassis recognition and engine placement into my body of knowledge.

We have a weird little seating thing called a Jack and Jill on the deck. Although reviled for its flimsy construction, it is very comfortable. Settling into it, one naturally leans back and looks up. So last night there we were, The Hub and I, laid back and looking up with me giving a running commentary on planes overhead. Now that might not sound like a thrilling evening to you, but the Hub, fresh from a week in Cold Shouldersville, was happy that I was saying anything at all to him.

FYI - From what I can see, the evening skies carry 1/3 MD-80s, 1/3 737s and 1/3 assorted others. Now its not like we live at the end of a runway - the planes are far up and the jet noise can be easily unnoticed, but when you make a point of listening, you can hear them coming and be looking at the treetops in anticipation of their appearance. So he was timing the arrivals (pathetic overreaction, is it not?) and then we were blessed with the vision of one plane in a holding pattern. It was almost bat-like in its degree of curve and its repetitive appearance.

Its not as good as watching bats, but sometimes you have to take what you can get and be happy about it.

Special note to Dogette: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.