There's a crispness in the air, but judging by the brown bat flailing on the Fayetteville Street sidewalk this morning, there's no enthusiasm yet for the season of spooks.

   The creature fluttered and sputtered in front of  the Capital Bank Plaza, indifferent pedestrians glancing at his last gasp, until a janitor came and  unceremoniously swept him into the gutter -- where he remains to this moment.

    I keep imagining his furry corpse morphing slowly back into its vampire form, and cursing the Monday sunrise with its final breath.

The basketball players of Durham's Wilson Street had been scraping by with a banged-up, oval-shaped hoop. It had fallen down a few times and taken more than few pavement shots to the rim, turning many a pretty 3-pointer into a disappointing clanger.

But this morning, the hoopsters of the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood woke to find someone had delivered a new goal overnight. No explanation. Just a brand-new hoop. So they're chalking it up to good fairies, or maybe some magic dust that wafted over from Duke.

Check out this dispatch from the Associated Press. Perhaps Mr. Hussey was practicing to be a mall Santa ...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A chimney sweep may be lucky as lucky can be, but William Hussey was neither.

The Knoxville News Sentinel quoted Knoxville police who said a homeowner heard cries for help and traced them to her chimney early Friday.

Police found a sport utility vehicle abandoned with a door open in the road near the home. There were seven gasoline containers in it and a strong smell of petroleum coming from it.

Then, they found Hussey in the chimney of someone he didn't know. Hussey is 22 and is from Chapel Hill, N.C.

The fire department used a rope to hoist him and he was taken to a hospital to be examined.

Police charged Hussey with public intoxication, vandalism and aggravated trespassing.

Officers had no explanation for why he was in the chimney.

Spotted on Oberlin Road near Wade Avenue. Sometimes, the "on hold" music on the customer service line can drive people to drastic measures.

Sad sight in Garner: two Mormons with their bike upside-down on the side of the road, furiously working a pair of wrenches in 100-degree heat.

I was pulling out of downtown Durham today on 147 when I saw homeless woman standing on the on-ramp holding a sign that said, "I live in these woods."
It was hot. Hot hot. And the woods where this woman claimed to live looked like they'd be really noisy, being about 10 feet from highway traffic.
But nobody gave this woman any change. Nobody gave her anything until one man rolled down his window and extended his hand with a peach in the palm. The homeless woman walked out into the middle of traffic, accepted his gift with a smile, and took a bite.

Have you ever noticed that the Hardees sign on Creedmoor Road is completely black and white, and that the gas station sign just down the road -- I think it's an Exxon -- is also completely lacking color?
I think that maybe that block is stuck in a time warp, and it's still 1954 there.

OK, Weird fans. Here's an offer you need to jump on: One Mrs. Lorraine of Durham is giving away one whole house for free!
It's a charming, pink, two-bedroom number that looks to be some kind of double-wide. You can spot it in the free section of today's Craigslist. Mrs. Lorraine warns that there's "asbestos" in a back bedroom, but beggars can't be choosers. Also, it's not airborne so you won't need to fret about "cancer."
Just one catch: this offer is available on a to-go basis only. Want it? Gotta move it. No word from Mrs. Lorraine on whether that means all at once or one piece at a time.

The No-Hand King is giving wheelie lessons!
Seriously, what else need be said?
You've seen Rodney Hines riding one-wheel style down Person Street, American flags attached to his bikes, abs cut like Mount Rushmore.
Now Raleigh's quirkiest celebrity will be teaching his art to mere mortals. Sign up now at www.thymusicgroup.com.

From the Dunn Daily Record. Somehow, I think the owner isn't far away:

"Found front wheel off wheel chair on Ashe Ave & Powell Drive, Dunn. Damaged but can be repaired. Call 910-892-5002 and leave message."