Why There's a Ouija Board in the Kitchen

I am sure I have told several parts of this story before, but here is the whole thing from start to finish in one place.

We moved here 11 years ago, back into the house Matt grew up in.  It had been empty a while and then his sister and her husband lived here a while and moved out.  When his job in Tennessee ended, we opted to come back here.  The house was still full of things left behind.  His sisters took what they wanted, some things got bagged up to be given away, we moved some things to the attic and incorporated a few things to use ourselves-it was a process that took several weeks and during that time, the front bedroom closet was still full of not-our-stuff, mostly games, stacked on the shelves.

To get to the hall bathroom, you have to walk through one of the two bedrooms on the east side of the house.  Until Chan was 8 or 9, they all 3 shared the bigger bedroom for sleeping and kept their toys in the front bedroom, so I walked through the 'playroom' to access the bathroom instead of walking through their bedroom.  I guess it was just easier or less intrusive.  Either way, it took me past the game closet several times a day and more often than not, the door would be open and on the top of everything in there, there was a Ouija board and it liked to slide off onto the floor.

Now, let's back up a little and fill in my background and the house's background.

Mine: I am a preacher's kid.  My father had very few rules, we were surprisingly secular for a family of Baptists in Alabama in the 70's.  There were not many 'nos' growing up-from Daddy that is.  But one thing he did caution me about was a game friends were playing in 5th and 6th grades, where they'd light a candle and look into the mirror to call spirits.

I asked him about it and he said, "It's not a good idea to send out an invitation like that, you can't control what hears you."

Through my adult life, I shed the various indoctrinations of my childhood, holding them up to inspect and realizing I lack the faith required to not see the holes in the stories any longer.  This has been a struggle for me for many years and the shunning by folk who are hip-deep in their religions has done nothing to sway me back to the light.

But the one thing I have never, ever bucked was my firm belief that there are things we can't see.  Not 'all around us all the time' and more of an energy than a spirit.  That people acting with intent can create energy: that when something profound occurs, there's an after effect.  Think about the juju created by sexual tension, or the glow of love for a child or spouse-even a beloved pet.  Or the palpable energy of an angry mob.  You've walked into a room where people are having an intense discussion and 'felt it in the air', that tension, that high emotion-fueled energy.  You've felt someone's stare from behind you, or been subjected to a scare or the cold shoulder-and actually felt a chill.  Or been around that person who is takes your energy and you feel ebbed away just sharing space with them.  An emotional vacuum.  To some extent, people control energy.

My respect for my father and having been subjected to so little interference from him growing up made me very attuned to taking seriously what he did warn me about or asked me to do.  So much so that one of my biggest gut-aches to this day is not naming Ben 'Sam' which was Daddy's suggestion.  Ben's name is synonymous with thanking my lucky stars daily for Matt, so it's not like I dissed Daddy.  I just needed a Ben more than a Sam.  But it still bothers me that I let him down, in any way.

Add in my belief that energy can be created and to some extent controlled-especially by people who are running high on emotions-and knowing my father believed there is something out there and you have the perfect mix for totally avoiding Ouija boards.

Then I moved to a house where one fell out at my feet a few times a week.

The house.

The house was built around 1930.  It was added on to in the 50's and again in the 70's.  While Matt was growing up here, his sisters often saw a ghost of what everyone assumed was their great Aunt Ruth, though several other people have died here. It  has been lived in by various members of the same family since it was built, providing shelter as needed, for weeks or years.

I have had a few experiences here, but I have never seen Ruth nor have my kids.  I don't think the house is haunted, I think it has an energy and that energy likes the house full of people.  Or it could be that the house is a structure and needs to be kept clean, heated and cooled and dry and a house that is lived in is always in better shape than one that is empty.  You can often tell an abandoned house simply driving by it.  It has a vibe even without a For Sale sign.

Everything 'scary' that happened to me in this house happened before we lived here, with one exception and that was not scary, simply...odd.  Matt and I both saw the face of a woman as if she were made of mist, form and reform over the bed.  We both woke from a sound sleep at the same time-we were not up telling each other scary stories-and saw it at the same time.  Matt and his dad have had more encounters, that was the only time I saw anything.  And that was not an 'energy manifested' thing as we were asleep-then not asleep. So who knows what's really there?

I have read that people who are afraid of the dark are not in control of their house.  That's a feeling of power thing, not an actual human vs structure thing.  Kids are scared of the dark because they don't have physical strength or they worry, or are overwhelmed in other ways.  Fear of the dark is just another manifestation or symptom.  A confident kid isn't scared.  They control their house.

I don't fear the dark.  My fears are far more tangible and rational and are not unique.

Usually...

Well, after the board fell out AGAIN one afternoon, I scooped it up along with several more games and put them all in a box I had just emptied via our own unpacking.  The box got put on the porch and Matt's sister, Erin, moved it down the road to their aunt's house where many things were going to either be stored, in limbo to be claimed or heading to a huge yard sale for a church fundraiser.

I thought about the board many times over the next decade.  It kept falling out of the closet, not just a couple of times but so often it was a little disturbing. Was it trying to get me to use it?  Did I even believe in something like that-a object with a will?  Was 'someone' trying to communicate with me?  Maybe a previous occupant needed to warn me or disclose some valuable information!

Maybe it was gravity.
But.

(If it were a Monopoly board, I would not have thought of it again.)

Move forward 10 years. Matt's aunt moved into assisted living and her out-of-town kids got her house ready to sell.  Since they moved away, our county  went to single can collection-if it's not in the provided can it does not get picked up.  They continually piled boxes and bags by the side of the road and we got in the habit of going by after the regular collection and cramming the can full of the leftovers until after a few weeks, it was all picked up. Then they'd come pile up more over another weekend and leave again.

One afternoon I swung by and one of the last remaining piles had fallen over.  Laying out in the rain, in the road, in my path again, was the Ouija board.

I brought it back and put it in the kitchen.  And that is why it's there.
Waiting.

New Camera!

Picked up a used Olympus Tough camera on eBay for $50.  Yay!

We have an older model that is smaller and looks more rugged.  This one did NOT look like it would survive being under water, it's clunky!  It has a slightly better zoom and the video is in HD.

But it did!  I kept it in my pocket the whole hour I swam, Chandler used it while, too.  :)

Back at the house, the dogs were at the window.  SO cute!  Do you see little Nia?  Awwww!

Today was different, not only a new camera to play with, but I spent the night last night at our house to wait for the meter reader who, for the first time in 18 months, wanted me to put the dogs up.  She said she would be there before noon and I waited until nearly 2.  I hope they did not eat her.  (I heard back, she lived.)

While there, I cleaned out shelves and cabinets and bagged up stuff and dropped it off on the way through town.  I plan to do more of that tomorrow when we head back for the kids to mow before dance class.  I am in a 'clean' mode, Katy's house has SOOOOOO much light, the whole east wall is solid glass.  Our house is dark, it's always been not just dark, but light disappears in it, the cedar walls and ceiling absorb it. In an effort to at least make it more open I moved some things around, it's practically empty because the music stuff and computers are all up here!  Just beds, dressers and empty desks.  I can't make a glass wall, but maybe we can get some bright lamps, help with that gloom!

1.17 Miles

I walked around the track!!!  I am HEALING!  I am so happy!  Other than finding out about that website where you can check to see if there is puking in a movie you want to watch and discovering an AWESOME field trip spot that does blacksmithing and soap making and candle making AND has baby pigs you can hold (also ponies to ride) this is the best thing to happen all month!

We are continuing the healing by moving to the Mountain of Health for the remainder of this month and the first bit of next month.  While there, I will walk and swim just about every day and my view while resting will be of the valley below and not Matt's desk across the room and the one tree out Chan's window.  I still can't be 'up' more than 3 hours total, but was given the clear to do 'straight line' exercise that involves literally going in one direction and not shifting, such as basketball or soccer (darn). Even vacuuming requires alternating foot position and twisting while on one foot. Did not think about that...I have been vacuuming for a couple weeks!  Biking is okay, which surprised me. Pressing down still hurts a LOT, I have only driven a short distance, but braking is very painful, so Jake does my carting around.  So no biking for me just yet, I doubt it counts the same if Jake does my peddling there,  hehehe

I have decided that swimming time is nearly resting, since there's not full weight on my foot, so it will not count against my 3 hours.  Otherwise,  I will just be swimming and sitting!

We will be back and forth the whole time, I have a couple repair projects I want to get done while we are not here to live in the mess!  The kids have classes that start later this week, too, so we will be in and out fairly often.

In keeping with my new, narrow format of only talking about my foot, the trip and what I have watched: I have not watched anything in days!  Well, not totally true, we are watching Legend of Korra and there's just no need to go into that-Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra are probably the two best 'cartoons' ever made. We are in season 3 still catching up.  I still don't LOVE the characters like I did Aang and his crew, but it's still a good story.

Disney front: I have picked out the tent we will buy for the trip to replace our 12 year old family tent that has zipper issues and gorilla taped poles.  Also, I have discovered Tom Bricker's photography and have fallen into a delirious funk both wanting to take exactly some of the very same shots and knowing my 9 year old camera and kit lens will never compete.  I know I say all the time that it's not the camera, it's the photographer, but for some of these, it's the camera along with the eye and phenomenal timing and some photoshop skillz that I seriously don't have.  I can remove a zit or change the contrast level, but that's about it.  But go check him out, the link will open a new window.  He even has Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon shots.  At the very least, I am inspired to shoot more than the kids and the major landmarks this time around!

That's it for now, I took several photos yesterday but have not resized them yet.  I took one of Ben down a long tube so he's just this little head off in the distance.  He suggested I take photos of everyone I know that way so I can cobble together group photos after the fact.  hahaha. I guess I need to start seeing people I know.

The Ball and a few updates

On the 26th, the kids went to the Masquerade Ball.

They had a blast, Jake said it was the most fun he's ever had.  I imagine Rho being there had something to do with it.  From the video I have seen, his dancing was...inventive.  When I popped in to check on theam at 11:30, his hair was plastered to his head with sweat and Chan had danced right through her stockings.  There were grown men dressed as Ponies...loud music and a good bit of Munchkin playing.  I imagine it probably was one of the best nights of his life.

House news-Matt finished putting down the flooring in the hall bathroom, I have scrubbed all the tiles and grout and repaired any little gaps and resealed the whole thing.  I pulled out all the tiles in the window and replaced some damaged wood in the frame.  I covered every inch of wood in there possible in 50 year silicone made for exposed outdoor/shower use, then covered that with a layer of waterproof flexible wood filler and then put the tiles back down and used silicone instead of grout to keep them in place.  I also put some glass tile squares at the edge of the tub, that's where the water was sloshing out with baths or getting out of the curtain with showers.  That's all nearly done.  I need to replace the quarter round and put a little more sealant around the toilet base and it will be finished.  The kids are going back and forth about painting.

Our bathroom is coming along.  He's leveled out the new shower floor so it drains much better.  I replaced a few tiles and cleaned the grout and it's ready to be repaired in a few spots and sealed again which I will do Thursday morning.  It still needs to  be trimmed out, but the trim is actually ON the front porch.  I have a feeling this may be the year.

We have a guy coming with a trailer-I hope, I have not heard from him all week-to pick up the dead TV and a few other things from the yard.  Dead mower, dead grill, dead fridge.

Saturday Jake is finishing the last little bit on the front of the house and that will be done.  It's coming along, we just keep having to spread it out to pay for everything and I imagine things will  grind to a halt over the winter.  Maybe we will tackle redoing that kitchen floor.  The scraped paint on plywood look is starting to lose its charm.  

Anyway, just wanted to update-keep a record somewhere of our progress.  And put the ball photos somewhere more permanent than Facebook, I tend to delete date-specific albums after a couple months.

Fall...

It finally feels like fall around here.  I had to put on a sweater to go feed the cats this morning and I dragged the dog bedding out to hang to air.  I doubt they care it smells a little musty being stored all summer, but...one does what one can to be civilized.  hahaha  I will get them a snug spot to lay, one that will likely be infested with cats within 10 minutes.  It's okay if the dogs are there first and the cats come snuggle up.  But Kuma can't lay down with a cat on purpose.

It's going to get into the 30's tonight.  Upper 30's, but that hardly makes any difference, it's still too cold.  I was hit in the back of the head with the first ladybug of the season as I was making hot tea this morning.  Time marches on, but dang.  Cold and bugs, I don't care for either.

Matt and Kuma are walking around with the same bright-eyed bushy-tailed look of happy wonder on their faces.  They LOVE the nippy weather, Kuma can run for hours and Matt revs up into Prospector Mode, wherein his face gets bushy and his stops shaving his head.  He wears a light jacket when it's 12 degrees out and complains about how the heat dries out his contacts.  I bet he will say that 45 times before the end of the year.  I will keep count.  It's like he has no idea the vents angle or that he can use eye drops or just wear his glasses.  But, he has LOADS of body heat, so I have to keep him around despite the eyeball issue.

Since getting back from Cayman, we have gotten into gear with the house...some.  Matt has about half of the hall bathroom tiled.  I did a spot in front of the front door to keep the winter mud at bay.  I have the WHOLE porch covered in 2 mats and a full carpet where we walk in and the doorway had its own mat and the carpet under there was still filthy.  So I pulled it out and I added a muddy shoe tray inside and out.  We'll see if that helps!  I have gotten more painting done, that's going slowly, though.  Maybe we can get a burst in this week and have it nearly finished in the cool dry weather coming up.

We made plans with friends-pontooning the lake to see the fall colors, grilling out, bonfires, sleepovers, hikes.  Chan is busy with a new play, the music director encouraged her to try out for a lead role that had already been cast before she joined in, but the girl has not pulled her weight.  So, that might go from a minor blip (once a week rehearsals, YES) to a major one as she takes on the lines and songs.  She would get a solo!

It feels like we are...cocooning or something similar.  Surrounding ourselves with friends and enjoying the kids and our pets.  Trying new things and making bigger plans, gathering ideas and wool.  Getting the house cozy and tidy and in good shape, even making it more a reflection of us now.  I love this house, I am glad we are putting in some time and money to keep it healthy and whole.

Speaking of friends and gatherings, yesterday we went to Kurt and Katy's for Inde and Alex's birthday party.  She's 5 and he's 14, we had a blast!

Matt...not sure what he and Gina were talking about:

some kids.

The patio expansion, I love it!

Jake loves rainbow cake!

Gina has long wanted to try ziplining, so Kurt set her up last night!  I think she enjoyed it!

This is a new thing...I think it's funny how I am trying to sort MY feelings about HIS feelings.
At least I really like Rhoen and they seem to be taking things slowly.  AND she griped about his awful spelling and he's been working on that double time. I knew it was going to take a girl to get him to shape up in that arena.  

Hanging out waiting for a zip!

Gina was lei'd!

Delicious spice cake

Muscadine moonshine, it was 120 proof.  I could only smell it.  WHOOOOO.

Drink ANYTHING from this company, it's all good.  I tried whiskey, gin, absinthe and bourbon.
I stopped sampling around 8, we left after 11.  I may have loosened up, but I have not gone nuts.  

Jake and Rhoen chatting.

Everyone dancing on the deck.

It was a great evening, we had such a good time just hanging out talking and laughing and munching on yummy things.  We have another bonfire at the lake and then it's my turn to host!   I am excited!