One Little, Two Little, Three Little...

We are the Harpeth Indians. Named for that auspicious tribe that inhabited the banks of the river of the same name. That river flows through Kingston Springs where the other part of my life takes place. I am the Art teacher in the Middle School and it brings me great joy most days. However when my Principal Shannon Schliwa came and asked me to take on a new project I had my doubts. It all started with this bat problem we had in the school.... Bats and Middle Schoolers really don't mix and to tell you the truth if the kids had been a little quieter or the bats made less guano the two would have never run into one another. Bats are nocturnal and if left undisturbed they will hang folded up, upside down all day, flying out at night to gleefully scoop up bugs and such. Anyway I digress... They had to "remove " those bats-for safety sake, and because the bats had moved into pockets in the cinder box walls, specialists were alerted. I had visions of "Men in Black" sporting shades with greasy hair and tied up wing tips-but the truth is I never saw the specialists. I did however see the traps they set and the bats that were caught up in them. There was also a large size bat vacuum that was to suck the varmints out of there hiddie holes. It was truly bizarre see one of them- furry rodent with floppy leather ears crawling around on the gym floor using it 's folded leathery wings to scoot with. He looked up at us on this occasion and made a sad little bat noise. All his family and friends were caught up in the cage but he had managed to stay awake and escape. They seemed to be cheering him on in their little batty screeches and cries. For all his bravery he was still just a small pitiful rodent forcibly removed from a good home into the strangely flat and slick environment of the gym floor. On closer inspection we could see he had somehow picked up a piece of silver duck tape and it was clinging to his fur. Whether he was trying to free himself from the tape or his situation, he was extending his pitiful little nubby winglets out on the floor in front of himself and then scrunching himself up to that point and then starting again. Bats obviously were not meant to walk. It was such an obviously difficult and awkward movement for him but he slowly made ground and the tape fell away. Suddenly freed, he soared majestically up and off into the air. DRAMA! Women react hysterically to the most unusual things. I have actual seen grown women stand on chairs at the sight of a tiny little mouse! WELL.....you can well imagine the effect this bat had on my colleagues. They went slap wild! What I thought it was fascinating was causing great disstress tothese adventure seekers! I couldn't bring myself to watch my little friend for trying to witness the dramatic hissie fits being performed in ritual on that gym floor. I never did get to see just where he went or if he escaped. It was much later when the gym was declared bat-free but still could not be used until the guano had been removed. Which brings me finally around to the point of all of this....To clean the gym they brought in a lift to reach up into the rafters. This lift was sort of like a combination of scaffolding and a cherry picker and it ran around on big fat wheels. It was through this large piece of equipment that Mrs. Schliwa thought we had a large opportunity. 20 feet up on the far wall of the gym was the Indian crest of the school. The head of the Indian must have been about 3-4 feet tall, and had originally been done with an air brush. My job if I decided to take it (can't you hear the Mission Impossible theme now?) was to crawl up the ladder to the top of the platform, lift it up 20 feet in the air and repaint the crest-Ha ha ha talk about the fear of falling! And to make matters worst I had never painted a portrait before-let alone one of a "Native American"So summing it up...I was to paint a realistic 3-4 foot Indian head (among other details) using skin tones I had no experience mixing or using, 20 feet in the air, on a platform that swayed in hula-like movements. Strong prayers were offered before I began. I think there are good reasons there are no photographs taken of me while the work was being done...fear comes across pretty strong in pictures! Once I got going it turned out to be quite invigorating- no chance of falling asleep - fall yes- asleep no!! When it was all said and done with I knew the hand of God was in the work....surely he did bless me with enough of a gift that I can be proud of job we did...Now if I only knew where they took those little bats....

*Disclaimer*Some names and events may have been changed to protect the innocent.