We are having our good friends Jean and Ray over tonight to celebrate New Years. So everyone is busy around the house cleaning up and tidying things.
One of the biggest and most constant fights is dog hair. With two dogs that shed, there is always hair, and since we have dark carpets, it's always noticable.
I had tasked Shelby and Sophia to vaccum the stairs, since they are both in their 'tweens, one holds the big heavy vacuum while the other handles the hose and actually sucks up the hair and debris.
I was downstairs sweeping the kitchen floor when Shelby walked up to me and said that Sophia just saw the same white "thing" that Shelby had seen a few weeks ago. I asked Sophia what she saw, and she replied that she looked up once and saw something white standing there, and saw the round shape of a head, but it disappeared.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tampering with the alarm clock volume
My alarm goes off on weekdays at 5am sharp. I don't use that annoying beeping sound. I tune the radio to one end of the dial, where all the white noise lives, and turn up the volume. So when the alarm goes off, its loud white noise.
Like everyone I'm sure, either I or Holly reaches over to hit the snooze button a few times.
For some reason today I was overly tired. I usually wake up only a few times after the snooze button is hit. This morning I let it go a few times more.
I woke up at some point later, and the volume of the white noise was turned down. I thought that Holly must have turned it down instead of hitting the snooze button. I reached over, turned the volume back up, and hit the snooze button. I got up a few minutes later, started my morning and forgot about it.
Today in the car while running some errands, Holly told me some extra info. This morning, at 5:09, the alarm went off for the second time. Holly reached over to hit the snooze button and as she was reaching for it, the volume of the white noise went down. She snatched her hand away from the alarm clock for a second, then reached over and hit the snooze button, rolled over and went back to sleep.
My corroboration of this event is the fact that I had to reach over Holly and physically turn the volume knob back up. So there was nothing wrong with the radio. Someone actually turned the volume knob of the radio down as Holly was reaching for it.
Like everyone I'm sure, either I or Holly reaches over to hit the snooze button a few times.
For some reason today I was overly tired. I usually wake up only a few times after the snooze button is hit. This morning I let it go a few times more.
I woke up at some point later, and the volume of the white noise was turned down. I thought that Holly must have turned it down instead of hitting the snooze button. I reached over, turned the volume back up, and hit the snooze button. I got up a few minutes later, started my morning and forgot about it.
Today in the car while running some errands, Holly told me some extra info. This morning, at 5:09, the alarm went off for the second time. Holly reached over to hit the snooze button and as she was reaching for it, the volume of the white noise went down. She snatched her hand away from the alarm clock for a second, then reached over and hit the snooze button, rolled over and went back to sleep.
My corroboration of this event is the fact that I had to reach over Holly and physically turn the volume knob back up. So there was nothing wrong with the radio. Someone actually turned the volume knob of the radio down as Holly was reaching for it.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Follow-up to Holly's Hello
I talked more with Holly this morning about her experience from 4am. I was under the impression that she had the exact same experience as I did - that the "Hello?" came from outside the room, that it was loud, and it was phrased in the form of a question.
Boy was I wrong. Although still a little girl's voice, it came from inside our bedroom - right next to our bed in fact. It was quiet, and soft - almost a whisper. And it was phrased in the form of a greeting rather than a question.
Holly also told me that a few nights ago a soft "Hi" was spoken near her ear. This was also in a child voice and it originated from next to the bed. She admitted that she didn't mention this because she thought she might have been dreaming, but last night's episode confirmed that indeed she wasn't.
Boy was I wrong. Although still a little girl's voice, it came from inside our bedroom - right next to our bed in fact. It was quiet, and soft - almost a whisper. And it was phrased in the form of a greeting rather than a question.
Holly also told me that a few nights ago a soft "Hi" was spoken near her ear. This was also in a child voice and it originated from next to the bed. She admitted that she didn't mention this because she thought she might have been dreaming, but last night's episode confirmed that indeed she wasn't.
Ernie, my constant freaky toy companion
Back in August, I blogged about the strange behavior of a Sleepy Time Ernie, packed away in a box somewhere in this unfinished basement. Unfortunately, I work down here as well, tucked in the corner of this basement where my future office room will be if I ever get a chance to start finishing this basement.
Anyway, Ernie is still going, taunting me with his exclamations of how well he feels. It's mot constant, but very intermittent.
BUT, he did just go off ten times in a row.
"I feel GREAT!"
Which caused me to kick off this quick entry. I think I'm going to have to find that Ernie this week, if not today. I will have to find him and do some tests on him to see if indeed the mechanism that causes him to speak is broken.
Anyway, Ernie is still going, taunting me with his exclamations of how well he feels. It's mot constant, but very intermittent.
BUT, he did just go off ten times in a row.
"I feel GREAT!"
Which caused me to kick off this quick entry. I think I'm going to have to find that Ernie this week, if not today. I will have to find him and do some tests on him to see if indeed the mechanism that causes him to speak is broken.
Holly hears the "Hello?"
This morning, fifteen minutes before the alarm went off, Holly woke me and told me to turn the bedroom light on. Half-asleep, complaining, and asking why, I stumbled out of bed to comply.
She told me she heard had rolled over and was awake for a few seconds, when she heard, very distinctly, someone say "Hello?"
I asked her if it was a girl's voice, thinking back to when I had the same experience and she confirmed that it was indeed a little girls voice.
We lay there in silence, myself wondering if I would hear the voice. No voice, but I did hear things that have been missing the last few weeks: knocking on the walls and in the ceiling.
Could it be the holidays are over and the girl has returned?
I got tired of hitting the snooze button, got up, and came downstairs to start work.
She told me she heard had rolled over and was awake for a few seconds, when she heard, very distinctly, someone say "Hello?"
I asked her if it was a girl's voice, thinking back to when I had the same experience and she confirmed that it was indeed a little girls voice.
We lay there in silence, myself wondering if I would hear the voice. No voice, but I did hear things that have been missing the last few weeks: knocking on the walls and in the ceiling.
Could it be the holidays are over and the girl has returned?
I got tired of hitting the snooze button, got up, and came downstairs to start work.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Quiet during Christmas season
I noticed something this morning as I was waking up for work. The house has been quiet, very quiet since Thanksgiving. There are no knocks on the walls, no mysterious bangs, no weird compression noises from the shower stall in my bathroom at night, no voices. It's been blessedly quiet.
As I've stated before, the main culprit of the cause of these noises is a little girl. She's been heard and seen by just about pretty much every one of us who live in this house. I've also been told by several people who live in the area that a girl who died in a barn fire back in the 19th century. This house is only a few hundred yards down the road towards town. I don't think it's a big stretch to assume that the girl that visits this house is the girl that was killed in the fire.
So my theory is this: what if the reason things are so quiet is because the girl has returned to the house she died in for the holidays. What if Christmas is such a significant event for her, that she feels compelled to return there for this period of time?
As I've stated before, the main culprit of the cause of these noises is a little girl. She's been heard and seen by just about pretty much every one of us who live in this house. I've also been told by several people who live in the area that a girl who died in a barn fire back in the 19th century. This house is only a few hundred yards down the road towards town. I don't think it's a big stretch to assume that the girl that visits this house is the girl that was killed in the fire.
So my theory is this: what if the reason things are so quiet is because the girl has returned to the house she died in for the holidays. What if Christmas is such a significant event for her, that she feels compelled to return there for this period of time?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Shelby sees something white peek around the corner at her
The girls are home for Thanksgiving this week. They were all downstairs watching TV in the family room. I had went upstairs for something and was on my way back down to the basement to continue working when Shelby stopped me.
I'll recreate the conversation I had with her from memory.
"I just saw something white peek out of the bathroom door at me," she said. Her voice was low, almost whispering like she didn't want the whatever she just saw to hear her.
"You did? Are you sure it wasn't your imagination playing tricks on you?"
"Yes. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, and when I turned to look, it ducked back into the bathroom."
I just nodded and said, "Well, you know funny stuff goes on around here."
What am I supposed to tell her? She's seeing things? She's getting too old for that. I don't want her to start questioning her own sanity at 11!
I'll recreate the conversation I had with her from memory.
"I just saw something white peek out of the bathroom door at me," she said. Her voice was low, almost whispering like she didn't want the whatever she just saw to hear her.
"You did? Are you sure it wasn't your imagination playing tricks on you?"
"Yes. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, and when I turned to look, it ducked back into the bathroom."
I just nodded and said, "Well, you know funny stuff goes on around here."
What am I supposed to tell her? She's seeing things? She's getting too old for that. I don't want her to start questioning her own sanity at 11!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Three knocks in the early morning
Early this morning I woke up for some unknown reason, and lay there, trying to return to sleep.
A few minutes later, three knocks happened in quick succession. The sound had an "echo" quality to it, so I knew it came from the foyer, which has hardwood floors and is open to the second floor above.
I thought that maybe it might have been Jack, my larger dog, dreaming and tapping his tail on the floor, but the taps were too quick for that.
I then thought of Bobby, my Jack Russell Terrier, and how he barks furiously whenever someone knocks on the front door, or any door inside the house, or even the dinner table. So... why didn't he bark? Did he not hear the noise?
I saw a Ghost Hunters episode a few weeks ago where there were two investigators, only feet apart. One heard a voice, and even captured that voice on a recorder, and the other investigator, only feet away in another room, separated only by an open doorway, heard nothing. Very strange. Could this phenomenon be occurring with me and the dogs? Could whomever made the tapping sounds enable only my ears to hear it, and not the dogs?
A few minutes later, three knocks happened in quick succession. The sound had an "echo" quality to it, so I knew it came from the foyer, which has hardwood floors and is open to the second floor above.
I thought that maybe it might have been Jack, my larger dog, dreaming and tapping his tail on the floor, but the taps were too quick for that.
I then thought of Bobby, my Jack Russell Terrier, and how he barks furiously whenever someone knocks on the front door, or any door inside the house, or even the dinner table. So... why didn't he bark? Did he not hear the noise?
I saw a Ghost Hunters episode a few weeks ago where there were two investigators, only feet apart. One heard a voice, and even captured that voice on a recorder, and the other investigator, only feet away in another room, separated only by an open doorway, heard nothing. Very strange. Could this phenomenon be occurring with me and the dogs? Could whomever made the tapping sounds enable only my ears to hear it, and not the dogs?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Daylight Empty House Recording Results from Sep 5, 2008
Date Recorded: September 5, 2008.
Analysis Started: 9/05/2008 2:35 pm
Analysis Completed: 10/28/2008 10:01 am
A day recording of the house was completed at the request of one of my good friends, Martin from France. I left the house to go work out, and recorded while the house was empty.
The recorder was left upstairs, at the landing to the stairs. Based on the floor plan of the house, this was the optimal position, and noises should have been heard from all the rooms upstairs, and from downstairs as well. This is because the foyer is completely open, all the way up to a balcony on the second level, so sound travels well no matter where you are in the house.
Results:
Most of the recording was full of taps and knocks from the lower level - so much that I stopped splitting them off and decided just to make a note here.
The rest of the recording was uneventful.
Analysis Started: 9/05/2008 2:35 pm
Analysis Completed: 10/28/2008 10:01 am
A day recording of the house was completed at the request of one of my good friends, Martin from France. I left the house to go work out, and recorded while the house was empty.
The recorder was left upstairs, at the landing to the stairs. Based on the floor plan of the house, this was the optimal position, and noises should have been heard from all the rooms upstairs, and from downstairs as well. This is because the foyer is completely open, all the way up to a balcony on the second level, so sound travels well no matter where you are in the house.
Results:
Most of the recording was full of taps and knocks from the lower level - so much that I stopped splitting them off and decided just to make a note here.
The rest of the recording was uneventful.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The constant knocking
I might have mentioned this before, but this morning I realized, perhaps not for the first time, that the knocking inside the walls is pretty constant throughout the day. It can be broad daylight, or the dead of night. If you stop to listen, there is some sort of noise being made somewhere in the house.
I know what noises a house makes when it settles, and when this first started I just kept telling myself that the house was settling. But after a while doubt started creeping into my thoughts. Does a house only 5 years old settle this much?
And after I started making the night recordings did I realize that the settling was not really settling, but knocks from a ghost. Now I hear the knocks and think to myself, "will you just knock it off already?"
But like I said, it never stops.
I know what noises a house makes when it settles, and when this first started I just kept telling myself that the house was settling. But after a while doubt started creeping into my thoughts. Does a house only 5 years old settle this much?
And after I started making the night recordings did I realize that the settling was not really settling, but knocks from a ghost. Now I hear the knocks and think to myself, "will you just knock it off already?"
But like I said, it never stops.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Voices from upstairs while I work
I work from home and am located in the basement. I've been alone in the house for most of the day. Around 30 minutes ago I kept hearing a young female voice upstairs. It was very muffled and I couldn't tell what she was saying. It was also very intermittent. I would hear the voice and several seconds would go by, and I wouldn't hear anything. So I would go back to my work, only to hear it again a minute or so later!
I finally got tired of this and walked softly over to to the landing of the basement steps. I put my voice recorder on the landing, and turned it on. My plan was that any noises from upstairs should echo down the stairwell and be captured by the sound recorder.
I went back to my desk and continued working for around 5 minutes, after which I got up to retrieve the recorder. During that time I did hear the voice several times and was excited to listen to it on the recorder.
Alas, the recorder picked up no voices. I was more than a little disappointed because I know I heard the voice off and on for a period of about 30 minutes or more.
I finally got tired of this and walked softly over to to the landing of the basement steps. I put my voice recorder on the landing, and turned it on. My plan was that any noises from upstairs should echo down the stairwell and be captured by the sound recorder.
I went back to my desk and continued working for around 5 minutes, after which I got up to retrieve the recorder. During that time I did hear the voice several times and was excited to listen to it on the recorder.
Alas, the recorder picked up no voices. I was more than a little disappointed because I know I heard the voice off and on for a period of about 30 minutes or more.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
White Vortexes
I just took Bobby, our runt Jack Russel Terrier, out to his runner. To get there I go down the steps of our porch, hang a left, then walk across some stone steps I laid on the grass until I get to the cable which is is runner. If you take a look at the image of my house, you can see it's on the hill. So while I am going out to the runner, the hill drops away on my right.
While I was carrying him, the peripheral vision of my right eye was completely obscured by a white opaque... thing. It was like a small cloud came hovering by the corner of my eye. I quickly turned my head to the right, and it disappeared. I was reminded of pictures I had seen of vortexes, and this looked exactly like one.
I quickly turned my head back to make sure I was not going to step off the stones, and then the white vortex appeared again in the same place, obscuring the peripheral vision of my right eye. And then it was gone.
I finished hooking Bobby up to his runner, and went back into the house, pondering how strange this experience was. I've never seen anything like that before, and it hasn't happened since.
While I was carrying him, the peripheral vision of my right eye was completely obscured by a white opaque... thing. It was like a small cloud came hovering by the corner of my eye. I quickly turned my head to the right, and it disappeared. I was reminded of pictures I had seen of vortexes, and this looked exactly like one.
I quickly turned my head back to make sure I was not going to step off the stones, and then the white vortex appeared again in the same place, obscuring the peripheral vision of my right eye. And then it was gone.
I finished hooking Bobby up to his runner, and went back into the house, pondering how strange this experience was. I've never seen anything like that before, and it hasn't happened since.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Momma?
Holly had trouble sleeping last night, so lay tossing and turning most of the night.
This morning she told me of two sounds she heard during the night. The first sound came from our room. Holly said she heard a little girl's voice from somewhere in our room, say "Momma?" About an hour later Holly heard a female voice humming a tune softly.
I keep forgetting to record so I missed these sounds. Tonight I'm going to try and remember to record.
This morning she told me of two sounds she heard during the night. The first sound came from our room. Holly said she heard a little girl's voice from somewhere in our room, say "Momma?" About an hour later Holly heard a female voice humming a tune softly.
I keep forgetting to record so I missed these sounds. Tonight I'm going to try and remember to record.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hello?
Last night, a voice woke me up.
"Hello?"
It was a child's voice - a girl. I was very clear and distinct. It woke me up immediately. Only one of my girls talks in her sleep, and when she does, it's very mumbled. This voice I heard was not mumbled at all. I went through each child's voice in my head, trying to match the voice I just heard with one of them, and realized I couldn't. This was a stranger's voice.
I then lay there in bed and tried to estimate where the sound came. It sounded very much like it came from downstairs, perhaps in the foyer, perhaps in the family room.
Then I thought, why didn't the dogs bark? It would seem that if a voice came out of nowhere, especially one they didn't recognize, they would be going crazy. Did they even hear it? Why wouldn't they if I heard it?
I lay awake for a few minutes to see if I would hear something again, then eventually fell back asleep.
"Hello?"
It was a child's voice - a girl. I was very clear and distinct. It woke me up immediately. Only one of my girls talks in her sleep, and when she does, it's very mumbled. This voice I heard was not mumbled at all. I went through each child's voice in my head, trying to match the voice I just heard with one of them, and realized I couldn't. This was a stranger's voice.
I then lay there in bed and tried to estimate where the sound came. It sounded very much like it came from downstairs, perhaps in the foyer, perhaps in the family room.
Then I thought, why didn't the dogs bark? It would seem that if a voice came out of nowhere, especially one they didn't recognize, they would be going crazy. Did they even hear it? Why wouldn't they if I heard it?
I lay awake for a few minutes to see if I would hear something again, then eventually fell back asleep.
Monday, September 8, 2008
A chair just moved upstairs above my head
I am in the basement right now, working (I work from home). Holly is next door, visiting our neighbor and drinking coffee. The house is very quiet. The nosiest thing is my tapping on the keyboard.
About ten minutes ago I heard a chair or something similar-sized move across the floor above me. It slid only a few inches then stopped. The dining room and the kitchen is above my head as I sit here in the basement. Both rooms have chairs. The kitchen has an island with some bar stools around it.
Jack, my biggest and oldest dog, was upstairs at the time. I heard him walk over to where the sound came from, and after a few seconds, I heard him walking awkwardly down the wooden steps to come and jon me.
When he came down, he stopped, and stared at a spot over at the far side of the basement. He stayed there for quite a while, then went over to that area to investigate. He wasn't staring at the floor, but at a spot about the same height as his head.
Goose bump city! I almost considered that it was a good time to take a break from work and go work out at the gym...
About ten minutes ago I heard a chair or something similar-sized move across the floor above me. It slid only a few inches then stopped. The dining room and the kitchen is above my head as I sit here in the basement. Both rooms have chairs. The kitchen has an island with some bar stools around it.
Jack, my biggest and oldest dog, was upstairs at the time. I heard him walk over to where the sound came from, and after a few seconds, I heard him walking awkwardly down the wooden steps to come and jon me.
When he came down, he stopped, and stared at a spot over at the far side of the basement. He stayed there for quite a while, then went over to that area to investigate. He wasn't staring at the floor, but at a spot about the same height as his head.
Goose bump city! I almost considered that it was a good time to take a break from work and go work out at the gym...
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A female voice from upstairs
This just happened 15 minutes ago. Tropical Storm Hanna is rolling through Maryland now, so we are getting dumped on with rain. Holly and I were just drinking coffee on the porch, watching the rain come down, and the two youngest ones were down at the bottom of the hill, playing in the rain and in the puddles.
I stepped inside to check on something, and I heard a female voice saying something upstairs. At first I thought it was someone in the house - with 5 females in the house, there is always someone talking or making noise. But then I realized, I was the only one in the house!
I stopped in my tracks and listened to the voice, which only went on for a second or two longer, trying to understand what it was saying. But it was very muffled, and it was sing-songy, like it was singing a few lines to a song, or saying something soothing to someone else.
And then it was done. I went upstairs to see if any television sets were left on, but it was very quiet up there.
I stepped inside to check on something, and I heard a female voice saying something upstairs. At first I thought it was someone in the house - with 5 females in the house, there is always someone talking or making noise. But then I realized, I was the only one in the house!
I stopped in my tracks and listened to the voice, which only went on for a second or two longer, trying to understand what it was saying. But it was very muffled, and it was sing-songy, like it was singing a few lines to a song, or saying something soothing to someone else.
And then it was done. I went upstairs to see if any television sets were left on, but it was very quiet up there.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Night Recording Results from May 12, 2008
Date Recorded: May 12, 2008.
Anaylsis Started: 6/19/2008 11:29 am
Analysis Completed: 9/03/2008 8:49 am
Wow, it took almost three months to finish the analysis of this recording. The reason is because I took a break from the subject matter for the summer.
Results:
Clip #1, 1:26 am, 0m 26s
A series of two soft taps, then the clip ends with a very obnoxious bang.
Clip #2, 2:45 am, 0m 43s
What sounds like a door closing, then footsteps very faintly could be heard walking around. I think this is the double-doors to the laundry room on the main level closing.
Anaylsis Started: 6/19/2008 11:29 am
Analysis Completed: 9/03/2008 8:49 am
Wow, it took almost three months to finish the analysis of this recording. The reason is because I took a break from the subject matter for the summer.
Results:
A series of two soft taps, then the clip ends with a very obnoxious bang.
What sounds like a door closing, then footsteps very faintly could be heard walking around. I think this is the double-doors to the laundry room on the main level closing.
Sound files moved to new host
I shut down my ccgworkshop.com domain server, and forgot that the night recording files were hosted there! Whoops! Everything is now moved over to my Comcast hosting account and things should be back to normal.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thuds, footsteps, Bite'n me arse! Toes have been nibbled on...
I work from home all day in the basement of the house. Yesterday I had the house to myself as the kids started school, and Holly had to go to the airport.
Several times during the day, I heard footsteps walking around upstairs on the main floor. Also, a very loud thud occurred from somewhere on the third floor. I ignored them for the most part and just continued my work. Sometimes I hear a box behind me slide a bit across the floor, and that really gets my hackles up. But I just pretend I don't hear it. The last thing I want is for whatever or whomever to realize that "Hey, if I do this, I'll get his attention. So let me do more of this!"
Also, I have some old computer equipment laying on the floor next to me. During the day, little ticks and knocks come from the pile, like a mouse is in them.
Also, last night something was stinging my ass, all night! Well, it was more of a pinching sensation. Either way, this happened at least five times over the course of the night. Each time, I would put my hand on the area, and feel around for an insect, and come up with nothing.
Around 3:30 I got sick of trying to sleep through it, and just lay there listening to the various knocks, bangs, and thuds, until the alarm went off.
This morning I asked Holly to check my bum for bite marks. If there was indeed an insect biting me, I would have thought there would be welts of some sort. But there was nothing. No bite marks. No welts.
Holly forgot to mention to me that a few months ago she was woken up to the sensation of someone biting her toe. I told her it could have been a dream. Her reply was that she could still feel the pressure after she woke up, and it didn't stop until she moved her foot.
I haven't forgotten the recordings still to review and post here. I've just taken a break from them for the summer. I can feel the urge to start back up, so more material will be posted here soon.
I learned last week that EVPs are technically not the term I should be using for my recordings. EVPs are voice signatures on a recording that were not previously heard with the naked ear at the time of the recording. The bangs and footsteps that I've been recording therefore, can't be classified as EVPs, and I'm not awake during the night to verify if a voice I have captured was heard by a human. So I'll just call them "Night Recordings" from here on out.
Several times during the day, I heard footsteps walking around upstairs on the main floor. Also, a very loud thud occurred from somewhere on the third floor. I ignored them for the most part and just continued my work. Sometimes I hear a box behind me slide a bit across the floor, and that really gets my hackles up. But I just pretend I don't hear it. The last thing I want is for whatever or whomever to realize that "Hey, if I do this, I'll get his attention. So let me do more of this!"
Also, I have some old computer equipment laying on the floor next to me. During the day, little ticks and knocks come from the pile, like a mouse is in them.
Also, last night something was stinging my ass, all night! Well, it was more of a pinching sensation. Either way, this happened at least five times over the course of the night. Each time, I would put my hand on the area, and feel around for an insect, and come up with nothing.
Around 3:30 I got sick of trying to sleep through it, and just lay there listening to the various knocks, bangs, and thuds, until the alarm went off.
This morning I asked Holly to check my bum for bite marks. If there was indeed an insect biting me, I would have thought there would be welts of some sort. But there was nothing. No bite marks. No welts.
Holly forgot to mention to me that a few months ago she was woken up to the sensation of someone biting her toe. I told her it could have been a dream. Her reply was that she could still feel the pressure after she woke up, and it didn't stop until she moved her foot.
I haven't forgotten the recordings still to review and post here. I've just taken a break from them for the summer. I can feel the urge to start back up, so more material will be posted here soon.
I learned last week that EVPs are technically not the term I should be using for my recordings. EVPs are voice signatures on a recording that were not previously heard with the naked ear at the time of the recording. The bangs and footsteps that I've been recording therefore, can't be classified as EVPs, and I'm not awake during the night to verify if a voice I have captured was heard by a human. So I'll just call them "Night Recordings" from here on out.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sleepy Time Ernie
About 10 years ago Santa brought a Sleepy Time Ernie to my oldest daughter, Sarah, on Christmas morning.
Basically you press his belly, he tells you that he is sleepy. You then lay him down, and he begins to sing himself to sleep, at which point he starts snoring. As he snores, his chest rises and falls. Quite cute really.
And then, if you sit him back up, he exclaims, "I feel GREAT!"
As all stuffed toys go, battery-operated or not, it eventually went unplayed with and ended up in a toy bin.
Well, a few years later, and this must now be about 10 years ago, I was awoken during the middle of the night. Coming from Sarah's bedroom was the happy tones of Ernie's voice, exclaiming, "I feel GREAT!.....I feel GREAT!......I feel GREAT!"
Now, Sarah at this point was a heavy sleeper. She never got up in the middle of the night. So I knew that it was not her playing with the doll. Also, if she was playing with the doll, she would be putting him to bed by making him sing his lullaby, and the make him sit up.
My imagination, being what it was, could envision Ernie, sitting up by itself, and then laying down, sitting up, then laying down. And there was no way in hell I was going to go into Sarah's room and witness this. I rationalized to myself that it was the batteries, yep, the batteries in the Ernie that were going dead, and it was malfunctioning.
"I feel GREAT!...I feel GREAT!"
Eventually it stopped. I told Holly about it the next morning, and she thought it was weird, but thought it was batteries as well.
I never changed the batteries.
Ernie woke me up once more a few months later, in the exact same way, and still I never changed the batteries.
And it never happened again, until a few weeks ago, 10 years later.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I just recently moved my office downstairs to the unfinished basement. Its one big room of storage, with my desk in the corner. Since the house is new, it's not a damp basement or anything like that. But it does have open studs, exposed insulation against the walls of the foundation, and a concrete floor.
So Holly and I were having a conversation while I sat at my desk. And all of a sudden, Ernie piped up again, muffled, and no doubt stuffed into some bag somewhere in one of the corners in the far side of the room.
"I feel GREAT!"
We both stopped our conversation and looked at each other, because we remembered Ernie and his rudeness from 10 years back. What really got me is that, if his batteries were so low 10 years ago, and they never got changed, why are they still working to the point where Ernie would still malfunction?
Strange, but hardly definite proof of paranormal activity. But it was enough to get the hairs on the back of my neck raised up.
Basically you press his belly, he tells you that he is sleepy. You then lay him down, and he begins to sing himself to sleep, at which point he starts snoring. As he snores, his chest rises and falls. Quite cute really.
And then, if you sit him back up, he exclaims, "I feel GREAT!"
As all stuffed toys go, battery-operated or not, it eventually went unplayed with and ended up in a toy bin.
Well, a few years later, and this must now be about 10 years ago, I was awoken during the middle of the night. Coming from Sarah's bedroom was the happy tones of Ernie's voice, exclaiming, "I feel GREAT!.....I feel GREAT!......I feel GREAT!"
Now, Sarah at this point was a heavy sleeper. She never got up in the middle of the night. So I knew that it was not her playing with the doll. Also, if she was playing with the doll, she would be putting him to bed by making him sing his lullaby, and the make him sit up.
My imagination, being what it was, could envision Ernie, sitting up by itself, and then laying down, sitting up, then laying down. And there was no way in hell I was going to go into Sarah's room and witness this. I rationalized to myself that it was the batteries, yep, the batteries in the Ernie that were going dead, and it was malfunctioning.
"I feel GREAT!...I feel GREAT!"
Eventually it stopped. I told Holly about it the next morning, and she thought it was weird, but thought it was batteries as well.
I never changed the batteries.
Ernie woke me up once more a few months later, in the exact same way, and still I never changed the batteries.
And it never happened again, until a few weeks ago, 10 years later.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I just recently moved my office downstairs to the unfinished basement. Its one big room of storage, with my desk in the corner. Since the house is new, it's not a damp basement or anything like that. But it does have open studs, exposed insulation against the walls of the foundation, and a concrete floor.
So Holly and I were having a conversation while I sat at my desk. And all of a sudden, Ernie piped up again, muffled, and no doubt stuffed into some bag somewhere in one of the corners in the far side of the room.
"I feel GREAT!"
We both stopped our conversation and looked at each other, because we remembered Ernie and his rudeness from 10 years back. What really got me is that, if his batteries were so low 10 years ago, and they never got changed, why are they still working to the point where Ernie would still malfunction?
Strange, but hardly definite proof of paranormal activity. But it was enough to get the hairs on the back of my neck raised up.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Yeah it's been a while
I took a break from a lot of things over the past few months because of some tragedies that have happened in my families lives over the past year. I've been having a hard time coping with things, and added stress had just made me shut down even more, so it was time to start simplifying my life. I took a break from most everything computer-related and have slowly been pruning dead branches off the tree that is my life. This blog, thankfully will make the cut.
I also took a break from the blog because I felt like I was getting to wrapped up in this ghost thing, I felt like I was getting too obsessed with going over the recordings, and too obsessed with the bumps-in-the-night.
My mom came to visit over father's day weekend, and I had a group of gamers come over my house that same weekend. And for whatever reason, the combination of those two things seemed to have calmed the house down at that point. The house felt quieter, and this continued for several months, with no noticeable activity.
One interesting thing that has happened in my hiatus is that Candace, a friend of the family, contacted a TV show that focuses on paranormal subjects. A producer of this show called me, interviewed me, asking questions about the house and the things that were going on in it. This producer asked me to not reveal the show on this blog, and of course I am complying. After the interview, the producer said he would be in touch, but I've not heard from him in several months. I'm not sure if this opportunity will pan out, or even if Holly and I are even sure we want a team of people in here, especially to make an episode of a TV show. We don't want them pissing off anything that is in here, leaving us to deal with it after they leave, capiche?
Since the weather turned warmer, I've been keeping a large an at the bottom of the stairs running. This blows the cooler air from downstairs up to the bedrooms so I don't have to turn the AC way down low. I really need to get ceiling fans installed in all the bedrooms, but this will do until then. Anyway, the fan creates so much noise, there's really no point in recording. So I haven't done any in a few months. I am going to be hating life with the weather starts to cool again and I turn the fan off. The silence will make every single bump-in-the-night seem twice as loud!
Just recently, some bits of activity has started up again. I've not been taking notes, but I'll just list the things that I can remember off the top of my head.
I've recently moved my computer desk out of our bedroom and moved it to the unfinished basement. It's more quiet down there, and I'm hoping it will inspire me to finish it. Because of this I'm going in and out of the basement door on the main floor more often, and leaving it open a lot.
So I was taking a break one day last week, and was upstairs with the girls watching Sponge Bob in Sophie's room. I heard the door to the base shut softly. I went downstairs, and Jack our dog was nearby, but after some debunking attempts, he would have really had to push that door shut hard to make it close completely. Just pushing it softly was not enough to close it, and him brushing past the door to get by was not enough to shut it. Strange.
Holly and I were downstairs in my newly-created temporary basement office just talking and we were interrupted by a Sleepy Time Ernie toy that was packed somewhere in the basement in a bag.
"I feel GREAT!" said Ernie.
Now that Ernie, by all accounts, should not have said anything at all. It should be dead. It's had the same original batteries that came with it, and it's been sitting down here in this basement in a bag for the last four years. Why all of a sudden would he just shout this out, I have no clue.
We have a long history of weird things happening with this Ernie doll, and I'll probably expound on that in a future post.
I also took a break from the blog because I felt like I was getting to wrapped up in this ghost thing, I felt like I was getting too obsessed with going over the recordings, and too obsessed with the bumps-in-the-night.
My mom came to visit over father's day weekend, and I had a group of gamers come over my house that same weekend. And for whatever reason, the combination of those two things seemed to have calmed the house down at that point. The house felt quieter, and this continued for several months, with no noticeable activity.
One interesting thing that has happened in my hiatus is that Candace, a friend of the family, contacted a TV show that focuses on paranormal subjects. A producer of this show called me, interviewed me, asking questions about the house and the things that were going on in it. This producer asked me to not reveal the show on this blog, and of course I am complying. After the interview, the producer said he would be in touch, but I've not heard from him in several months. I'm not sure if this opportunity will pan out, or even if Holly and I are even sure we want a team of people in here, especially to make an episode of a TV show. We don't want them pissing off anything that is in here, leaving us to deal with it after they leave, capiche?
Since the weather turned warmer, I've been keeping a large an at the bottom of the stairs running. This blows the cooler air from downstairs up to the bedrooms so I don't have to turn the AC way down low. I really need to get ceiling fans installed in all the bedrooms, but this will do until then. Anyway, the fan creates so much noise, there's really no point in recording. So I haven't done any in a few months. I am going to be hating life with the weather starts to cool again and I turn the fan off. The silence will make every single bump-in-the-night seem twice as loud!
Just recently, some bits of activity has started up again. I've not been taking notes, but I'll just list the things that I can remember off the top of my head.
I've recently moved my computer desk out of our bedroom and moved it to the unfinished basement. It's more quiet down there, and I'm hoping it will inspire me to finish it. Because of this I'm going in and out of the basement door on the main floor more often, and leaving it open a lot.
So I was taking a break one day last week, and was upstairs with the girls watching Sponge Bob in Sophie's room. I heard the door to the base shut softly. I went downstairs, and Jack our dog was nearby, but after some debunking attempts, he would have really had to push that door shut hard to make it close completely. Just pushing it softly was not enough to close it, and him brushing past the door to get by was not enough to shut it. Strange.
Holly and I were downstairs in my newly-created temporary basement office just talking and we were interrupted by a Sleepy Time Ernie toy that was packed somewhere in the basement in a bag.
"I feel GREAT!" said Ernie.
Now that Ernie, by all accounts, should not have said anything at all. It should be dead. It's had the same original batteries that came with it, and it's been sitting down here in this basement in a bag for the last four years. Why all of a sudden would he just shout this out, I have no clue.
We have a long history of weird things happening with this Ernie doll, and I'll probably expound on that in a future post.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Results of EVP recordings from May 11, 2008
May 11, 2008.
Anaylsis Started: 6/12/2008 12:15 pm
Analysis Completed: 6/19/2008 11:28 am
Results:
Clip #1, 12:56 am, 0m 24s
A bunch of pops from what I'm pretty sure is the shower stall in my bathroom. These pops are repeated for almost 30 seconds.
Clip #2, 4:22 am, 0m 11s
It almost sounds like an object rolling along a surface and then striking another object. The striking sound is pretty loud, and I'm pretty sure this is also in my room based on it's volume.
Anaylsis Started: 6/12/2008 12:15 pm
Analysis Completed: 6/19/2008 11:28 am
Results:
A bunch of pops from what I'm pretty sure is the shower stall in my bathroom. These pops are repeated for almost 30 seconds.
It almost sounds like an object rolling along a surface and then striking another object. The striking sound is pretty loud, and I'm pretty sure this is also in my room based on it's volume.
The bed moves and wakes me up three times last night
Last night I felt the bed shake about three times, each in separate incidents. However, shaking is not the best verb to describe the movement.
It's like laying on your back, with your knee up. As you fall asleep, your knee will start to fall. You'll feel it falling and jerk the knee back up to the vertical position. This action creates a lateral movement of the bed, and that's what I felt.
Each time I felt it, I checked if Holly was the cause. Nope, she was on her stomach. No way to cause the movement. So other than someone (or something) standing at the side of the bed, giving it a little shove, I have no explanation as to it's cause.
It's like laying on your back, with your knee up. As you fall asleep, your knee will start to fall. You'll feel it falling and jerk the knee back up to the vertical position. This action creates a lateral movement of the bed, and that's what I felt.
Each time I felt it, I checked if Holly was the cause. Nope, she was on her stomach. No way to cause the movement. So other than someone (or something) standing at the side of the bed, giving it a little shove, I have no explanation as to it's cause.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Quiet over father's day weekend
I had lots of company in the house this past weekend, and as a result things were and still are very quiet.
I'm experiencing a slight lull in the desire to record. I still have about 9 days worth of material from early- and mid- May to analyze, and things are so quiet that I haven't felt the need to break out the recorder at night.
I had my mom visit from Puerto Rico over the weekend. She had some business to attend to locally, so she stayed with us. I also had 3 friends over to play games all day on Saturday. With all the commotion in the house, I wonder if we scared off the ghosts?
All this week, the atmosphere in the house has been much lighter. Going to bed, I listen for tell-tale sounds of activity, and really don't hear much. Granted, there are some here and there as I'm falling asleep, but I wonder if I'm really just getting used to them?
I was in the kitchen with Shelby last night and out of the blue she said, "I just saw something white flash over there." She was pointing to the living room area, which is connected to the kitchen. I and Holly have seen "white flashes" before, which I think are apparitions you see out of the corner of your eye. But we had never talked about them with Shelby before. So she saw this on her own without any suggestion from us.
Anyway, I'm about done analyzing May 10, and will put up the results soon.
I wish a belated Happy Father's day to all you Dads out there!
I'm experiencing a slight lull in the desire to record. I still have about 9 days worth of material from early- and mid- May to analyze, and things are so quiet that I haven't felt the need to break out the recorder at night.
I had my mom visit from Puerto Rico over the weekend. She had some business to attend to locally, so she stayed with us. I also had 3 friends over to play games all day on Saturday. With all the commotion in the house, I wonder if we scared off the ghosts?
All this week, the atmosphere in the house has been much lighter. Going to bed, I listen for tell-tale sounds of activity, and really don't hear much. Granted, there are some here and there as I'm falling asleep, but I wonder if I'm really just getting used to them?
I was in the kitchen with Shelby last night and out of the blue she said, "I just saw something white flash over there." She was pointing to the living room area, which is connected to the kitchen. I and Holly have seen "white flashes" before, which I think are apparitions you see out of the corner of your eye. But we had never talked about them with Shelby before. So she saw this on her own without any suggestion from us.
Anyway, I'm about done analyzing May 10, and will put up the results soon.
I wish a belated Happy Father's day to all you Dads out there!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Results of EVP recording from May 10, 2008
Recording Date: May 10, 2008.
Anaylsis Started: 6/10/2008 11:37AM
Analysis Completed: 6/12/2008 9:12AM
Results:
Clip #1, 1:39 am, 0m 10s
I only saved one of these little knocks but there have been at least 5 more previous to it, starting 10 minutes after I went to bed.
Clip #2, 1:51 am, 0m 15s
About ten minutes later, two little taps in succession. Something is definitely in my room and moving stuff around.
Clip #3, 2:00 am, 0m 12s
This clip really demonstrates that I have poltergeist activitly. You can hear someting sliding across a surface, and then slamming into a wall, or a door - hard to tell. When I heard this raw from the recorder, it really sounded to me like this was the door to the washer/dryer room being slammed shut! I heard this a few days ago and reported in here in this blog.
Clip #4, 4:31 am, 0m 11s
This is a strange noise, like maybe the duct work in the walls is being given a little shove.
Clip #5, 4:47 am, 0m 12s
A very loud and obnoxious bang. This seems obviously like something was lifted from a nearby surface in the room, and slammed or dropped back down.
Anaylsis Started: 6/10/2008 11:37AM
Analysis Completed: 6/12/2008 9:12AM
Results:
I only saved one of these little knocks but there have been at least 5 more previous to it, starting 10 minutes after I went to bed.
About ten minutes later, two little taps in succession. Something is definitely in my room and moving stuff around.
This clip really demonstrates that I have poltergeist activitly. You can hear someting sliding across a surface, and then slamming into a wall, or a door - hard to tell. When I heard this raw from the recorder, it really sounded to me like this was the door to the washer/dryer room being slammed shut! I heard this a few days ago and reported in here in this blog.
This is a strange noise, like maybe the duct work in the walls is being given a little shove.
A very loud and obnoxious bang. This seems obviously like something was lifted from a nearby surface in the room, and slammed or dropped back down.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I catch a glimpse of the little girl
Last night, Holly and I had went to bed, and I was watching TV until I fell asleep (this is a better alternative than laying in bed in the dark and listening to the sound of something walking around in your room and making noises).
The TV is located to the right of the master bathroom doorway. The bathroom was dark, and the lights were off in my room, so the entire room was lit only by the light of the TV.
I was watching TV, and caught movement in the bathroom doorway with my peripheral vision. By the time I looked over at the doorway it was gone, but I'm almost positive what I caught in my peripheral vision was the shape of a little girl, stepping into the doorway quickly to see if I was still awake, then quickly stepping backwards into the darkness of the bathroom.
The TV is located to the right of the master bathroom doorway. The bathroom was dark, and the lights were off in my room, so the entire room was lit only by the light of the TV.
I was watching TV, and caught movement in the bathroom doorway with my peripheral vision. By the time I looked over at the doorway it was gone, but I'm almost positive what I caught in my peripheral vision was the shape of a little girl, stepping into the doorway quickly to see if I was still awake, then quickly stepping backwards into the darkness of the bathroom.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Holly tells me of an encounter
Late last year I built Holly a large 2-person swing. It's playground height, so you can get some serious air on it. Sometimes Holly and I sit on the swing and share a beer. We pour it in wine glasses because I think you get more bouquet from the beer that way than drinking it from a long neck bottle.
Anyway, tonight's selection was Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Yum. The smell of cherries is almost overwhelming from this brew, and it is indeed delicious.
So we were sitting there, relaxing on the swing, and I was taking sips of my delicious ale, and Holly said, "Something happened last week that I've been putting off telling you."
Great.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I walked into the downstairs bathroom and flicked the light on. A female voice yelled 'Hey!' like I interrupted her. She didn't sound happy."
Ok, so my wife interrupted a ghost while it was relieving itself? Do ghosts think they still go to the bathroom?
"What did you do?" I asked Holly.
"I calmly told the voice that this was my bathroom and I'll use it whenever I want."
Good for you Holly. Good for you.
And while I made the tone of this post light, there was a reason why she waited over a week to tell me what happened. It really spooked her.
Anyway, tonight's selection was Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Yum. The smell of cherries is almost overwhelming from this brew, and it is indeed delicious.
So we were sitting there, relaxing on the swing, and I was taking sips of my delicious ale, and Holly said, "Something happened last week that I've been putting off telling you."
Great.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I walked into the downstairs bathroom and flicked the light on. A female voice yelled 'Hey!' like I interrupted her. She didn't sound happy."
Ok, so my wife interrupted a ghost while it was relieving itself? Do ghosts think they still go to the bathroom?
"What did you do?" I asked Holly.
"I calmly told the voice that this was my bathroom and I'll use it whenever I want."
Good for you Holly. Good for you.
And while I made the tone of this post light, there was a reason why she waited over a week to tell me what happened. It really spooked her.
New procedures for this blog
Today marks a turning point in the format of this blog. Until now, I had many anecdotes and sound clips I needed to "back fill". You might have noticed with the dates of the past postings I reviewed a whole night of recordings quickly and posted the results the next day. In truth, a night of recording takes several days to go through. It's tedious and boring to listen to hours of silence or my snoring.
So right now I am working on the May 10, 2008 recording. When I get done with that I'll post it immediately. I already have a draft of that blog entry and am making comments directly into it as I hear sounds.
So right now I am working on the May 10, 2008 recording. When I get done with that I'll post it immediately. I already have a draft of that blog entry and am making comments directly into it as I hear sounds.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
I wake to the sound of running footsteps
I was woken last night by the sound of running footsteps. They were loud and pronounced and just like what I've been catching on the recordings, like someone running on a hard surface. I lay there, realizing I finally was listening live to these sounds. I could not tell where they were coming from - it sounded like the ceiling or the walls.
I wasn't scared. I remember thinking, "Is that Jack digging at the carpet?" Our 8-year old mutt does that sometimes to get comfortable (and promptly gets yelled at for it), but I knew it wasn't Jack. It was the same sounds I kept catching on the recordings.
Based on how quick the steps were, I'm pretty confident that it's a child.
Unfortunately I wasn't recording last night, so I won't have these sounds to put up. But they eventually stopped and I went back to sleep.
I wasn't scared. I remember thinking, "Is that Jack digging at the carpet?" Our 8-year old mutt does that sometimes to get comfortable (and promptly gets yelled at for it), but I knew it wasn't Jack. It was the same sounds I kept catching on the recordings.
Based on how quick the steps were, I'm pretty confident that it's a child.
Unfortunately I wasn't recording last night, so I won't have these sounds to put up. But they eventually stopped and I went back to sleep.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Alone downstairs, I hear the door to the washer room close
I was downstairs by myself on today. I was in the library where I keep all my board games, and had the game Rheinlander broken out and was trying to teach myself the rules and the order of play. Tomorrow is the first Gathering of the Four Horsemen - me and four friends that get together for the entire day to do nothing but play board games. Geeky, I know. But I love board games.
I was deep in thought with the rules of the game when I heard one of the doors to the washer/dryer room slam shut. The doors used to have this ball and spring assembly where you would have to push hard against the frame to get that ball into a little socket. That would hold the doors shut. Over time the assemblies have popped off and the springs bent by Holly and the kids before I could get to them. Anyway, to make a long story short, to currently shut the doors now, you just gently press them against their frame. Usually they stay. But when you shut them more forcefully they make a distinctive noise.
When I heard the door one of those doors slam shut, I thought that Sarah, my oldest daughter was downstairs with me doing some laundry. I called out to her and got no reply. So I got up and walked over to the kitchen and saw I was still alone.
So I walked upstairs and found all four women of the house in my master bathroom, chatting up. I asked them if anyone was just downstairs. They all said no, why?
Never mind, I said, and walked back downstairs to finish teaching myself Rheinlander.
I was deep in thought with the rules of the game when I heard one of the doors to the washer/dryer room slam shut. The doors used to have this ball and spring assembly where you would have to push hard against the frame to get that ball into a little socket. That would hold the doors shut. Over time the assemblies have popped off and the springs bent by Holly and the kids before I could get to them. Anyway, to make a long story short, to currently shut the doors now, you just gently press them against their frame. Usually they stay. But when you shut them more forcefully they make a distinctive noise.
When I heard the door one of those doors slam shut, I thought that Sarah, my oldest daughter was downstairs with me doing some laundry. I called out to her and got no reply. So I got up and walked over to the kitchen and saw I was still alone.
So I walked upstairs and found all four women of the house in my master bathroom, chatting up. I asked them if anyone was just downstairs. They all said no, why?
Never mind, I said, and walked back downstairs to finish teaching myself Rheinlander.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The sheet is pulled from my face
Last night I woke up around 4am and found myself unable to go back to sleep. It was taking me a while to get back to sleep because I would hear little noises and that would get my adrenaline going, causing the opposite effect of what I wanted to do - go back to sleep!
I remember I had the sheet pulled up to my mouth, just under my nose. At some point I was just dozing off when I felt the sheet pulled quickly from my face. It was enough to startle me back awake. But I kept my eyes closed and waited to see what else would happen.
Nothing else happened and I finally fell back asleep.
I remember I had the sheet pulled up to my mouth, just under my nose. At some point I was just dozing off when I felt the sheet pulled quickly from my face. It was enough to startle me back awake. But I kept my eyes closed and waited to see what else would happen.
Nothing else happened and I finally fell back asleep.
Friday, May 23, 2008
EVP Recordings, May 22, 2008
After the little girl made herself known to Shelby in Sophia's room, I put the recorder in their room last night. There are about 10 nights of EVP recordings that I need to go through ahead of this one, but I wanted to see what was caught, if anything, in the girls room.
Clip #1, 3:09 am, 1m 11s
Quick running footsteps, no doubt at this point that it must be little girl.
Clip #2, 4:23 am, 0m 51s
More footsteps. It seems like the footsteps are are aimlessly wandering around. I wish I knew where the girl was walking in the house!
Quick running footsteps, no doubt at this point that it must be little girl.
More footsteps. It seems like the footsteps are are aimlessly wandering around. I wish I knew where the girl was walking in the house!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Shelby awakens to find a little girl standing over her bed
There hasn't been a lot of time to go over EVP recordings this month - the new job is really keeping me busy.
But this morning two things happened. I was working at my computer before anyone woke and just happened to look over at Holly sleeping. Movement at the side of the bed near the floor caught my eye. A section of the comforter was touching the floor and was flapping quickly, as if there was air blowing from underneath. I had to look at this for a few seconds because I wasn’t sure if there was a concrete reason why it was doing this. Then I realized that there was no way it could be doing it, as no heater registers were near that part of the bed. Then it stopped a few seconds later.
About thirty minutes later I woke up Shelby and Sophia for school. Shelby still sleeps with Sophia, and refuses to sleep in her own room after the incident in her room last month.
Shelby told me that she woke up during the night to see a girl approximately their age standing over their bed. I asked her if it was Sophia, and she said no, because she had immediately looked at Sophia next to her in bed and saw that Sophia was asleep, When she looked back to where the girl was, she was gone. Shelby described the girl as “looking like Sophie” but with much longer hair. She could not see her face “it was all like a shadow” but could see the outline of her hair.
This confirms our idea that one of the spirits here is a little girl.
But this morning two things happened. I was working at my computer before anyone woke and just happened to look over at Holly sleeping. Movement at the side of the bed near the floor caught my eye. A section of the comforter was touching the floor and was flapping quickly, as if there was air blowing from underneath. I had to look at this for a few seconds because I wasn’t sure if there was a concrete reason why it was doing this. Then I realized that there was no way it could be doing it, as no heater registers were near that part of the bed. Then it stopped a few seconds later.
About thirty minutes later I woke up Shelby and Sophia for school. Shelby still sleeps with Sophia, and refuses to sleep in her own room after the incident in her room last month.
Shelby told me that she woke up during the night to see a girl approximately their age standing over their bed. I asked her if it was Sophia, and she said no, because she had immediately looked at Sophia next to her in bed and saw that Sophia was asleep, When she looked back to where the girl was, she was gone. Shelby described the girl as “looking like Sophie” but with much longer hair. She could not see her face “it was all like a shadow” but could see the outline of her hair.
This confirms our idea that one of the spirits here is a little girl.
Friday, May 9, 2008
EVP Recordings, May 8, 2008: Another male voice caught
This is a really loud, aggressive knock. I hate these types of events simply because if I were awake it would probably make me jump. These types of events have woken me in the past, and I come slightly out of my slumber with the thought of, "What was that?" on my mind.
The second night in a row a male voice has been caught. This one is more disturbing than the first.
At the beginning of the clip you hear some rapid tapping. I didn't even hear this in my ear buds when I was going through the raw material.
Then at :06 you hear a really strange male voice that says something completely unintelligible. It almost sounds like the mouth is full of water or something similar.
Then three seconds later at :09 you hear a female voice emit a wordless sound of what could be disapproval.
All in all, a very strange clip.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
EVP Recordings, May 7, 2008: A male voice caught
Due to lack of space on the recorder, I was unable to record two nights ago, when Father Patrick blessed the house. However I was able to record last night.
It will be interesting to see whether the activity increases or decreases as the result of the blessing.
Clip #1, 1:59 am, 0m 14s
This is one of the more creepier recordings. It's a woman's voice, sighing, or moaning. Take your pick.
Clip #2, 3:58 am, 0m 42s
Almost two hours later exactly, the quick footsteps return. The more I hear this, the more I think it's a child. An adult would not make footsteps this quick.
Clip #3, 4:23 am, 0m 15s
Here is the first voice captured since the first night I started recording. This time it's a male voice. From what I can tell, the voice says, "BOPE!" Post comments if you disagree.
It will be interesting to see whether the activity increases or decreases as the result of the blessing.
This is one of the more creepier recordings. It's a woman's voice, sighing, or moaning. Take your pick.
Almost two hours later exactly, the quick footsteps return. The more I hear this, the more I think it's a child. An adult would not make footsteps this quick.
Here is the first voice captured since the first night I started recording. This time it's a male voice. From what I can tell, the voice says, "BOPE!" Post comments if you disagree.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Father Patrick blesses the house
We joined the St. Johns Catholic parish a few months ago. In our application form we requested to have a house blessing done. I sort of forgot all about it until Father Patrick Peach called last week and scheduled to come out today.
I must say Father Patrick was awesome. He was very young - I think St. John's is his first assignment. Before the ritual started we told him what was going on in house. He didn't seem to concerned about it, which surprised me. Perhaps he didn't want to appear alarmed. He explained that spirits were part of the natural order of the world, and that we just need to pray for them to pass on. He did ask which rooms were the most troublesome, and we told him our room and Shelby's room, since those have had the most activity lately.
To begin, the whole family stood at the foyer while he performed the blessing, and then together we said an Our Father. Then we toured the house, going from room to room while he sprinkled holy water. He left no room untouched, and even sprinkled us with the water when we were on the second floor landing.
Afterwards, I asked him to stay for a snack, and we all sat at the island in the kitchen and ate a pastry and drank some milk. We joked and talked for quite a while, asking Father Patrick about his time in Italy with the Pope. He had many fascinating stories to tell, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company.
I must say Father Patrick was awesome. He was very young - I think St. John's is his first assignment. Before the ritual started we told him what was going on in house. He didn't seem to concerned about it, which surprised me. Perhaps he didn't want to appear alarmed. He explained that spirits were part of the natural order of the world, and that we just need to pray for them to pass on. He did ask which rooms were the most troublesome, and we told him our room and Shelby's room, since those have had the most activity lately.
To begin, the whole family stood at the foyer while he performed the blessing, and then together we said an Our Father. Then we toured the house, going from room to room while he sprinkled holy water. He left no room untouched, and even sprinkled us with the water when we were on the second floor landing.
Afterwards, I asked him to stay for a snack, and we all sat at the island in the kitchen and ate a pastry and drank some milk. We joked and talked for quite a while, asking Father Patrick about his time in Italy with the Pope. He had many fascinating stories to tell, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company.
EVP Recordings, May 5, 2008
Here is another set of recordings from last night.
Clip #1, 3:25 am, 0m 21s
Something being banged around. I want to say it's perhaps my electric razor hanging in the shower stall, but it really could be anything. Whatever it is, you can hear it bounce a couple of times against a surface.
Clip #2, 4:20 am, 3m 29s
This clip is very strange. I keep the recorder close to me when I sleep. So in the background you can hear me breathing in my sleep. But layered on top of that, someone or something is very close to me, lightly whistling in time to my breathing.
If you don't listen carefully, you could make the observation that the whistling sound is coming from me as part of the noises I'm making while I sleep. But if you listen very closely, you will notice that the whistling is off from my breathing pattern, making it obvious that I'm not the whistling.
Something being banged around. I want to say it's perhaps my electric razor hanging in the shower stall, but it really could be anything. Whatever it is, you can hear it bounce a couple of times against a surface.
This clip is very strange. I keep the recorder close to me when I sleep. So in the background you can hear me breathing in my sleep. But layered on top of that, someone or something is very close to me, lightly whistling in time to my breathing.
If you don't listen carefully, you could make the observation that the whistling sound is coming from me as part of the noises I'm making while I sleep. But if you listen very closely, you will notice that the whistling is off from my breathing pattern, making it obvious that I'm not the whistling.
Friday, May 2, 2008
For the first time, "nothing" was caught on the recorder
Last night there were no significant voices, bumps, or bangs caught on the recorder - another first! Up until now, every recording I've listened to had at least one event on it that was worthwhile to earmark.
But while listening to the recordings last night there were tons of "little" noises. Unfortunately there were too many, and they were too minor to continuously split the recording and save them off.
Most of the night from around 3am on, there were lots of little knocks and clicks, like things were being picked up and then put down on the dresser. I believe the noises were coming from my room.
Am I starting to get picky with what I save off? Or am I getting used to the "minor" noises enough that I don't believe they are worth bookmarking?
But while listening to the recordings last night there were tons of "little" noises. Unfortunately there were too many, and they were too minor to continuously split the recording and save them off.
Most of the night from around 3am on, there were lots of little knocks and clicks, like things were being picked up and then put down on the dresser. I believe the noises were coming from my room.
Am I starting to get picky with what I save off? Or am I getting used to the "minor" noises enough that I don't believe they are worth bookmarking?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 30, 2008: Seven recordings!
There were seven events captured last night on the recorder.
Clip #1, 12:08 am, 0m 12s
I can't really explain what this is. It seems like it's some sort of dialog. There's a sound like someone making a wordless query, and then it's immediately followed by a growl of some sort.
Clip #2, 12:42 am, 0m 11s
Some sort of loud knock.
Clip #3, 12:50 am, 0m 11s
Another loud knock 8 minutes later. It almost seems like something is trying to wake us up when these types of noises occur.
Clip #4, 1:50 am, 0m 11s
Exactly one hour later, the recording picks up a strange electronic noise. There is nothing on in my bedroom that would make this type of noise. This almost sounds like an old 80s hand-held game...
Clip #5, 2:46 am, 0m 31s
This is a longer clip that contains something running (and possibly jumping) around the house. It only really becomes audible around 10s into the clip. It sounds almost like a child running around and playing somewhere in the house, again on a hard surface. I'm wondering if this is happening downstairs on the wooden floor, and the recording is picking it up.
Clip #6, 3:30 am, 0m 51s
Around forty-five minutes later the footsteps return. The clip lasts for almost a minute and you can hear the footsteps almost the entire time. Again, these footsteps are quick, like a child walking briskly.
Clip #7, 4:23 am, 0m 12s
Another small knock to end a busy night. This one is interesting in that right before the knock, you can hear almost the sound of something being dragged over a smooth surface, like a wood counter top or a dresser top.
I can't really explain what this is. It seems like it's some sort of dialog. There's a sound like someone making a wordless query, and then it's immediately followed by a growl of some sort.
Some sort of loud knock.
Another loud knock 8 minutes later. It almost seems like something is trying to wake us up when these types of noises occur.
Exactly one hour later, the recording picks up a strange electronic noise. There is nothing on in my bedroom that would make this type of noise. This almost sounds like an old 80s hand-held game...
This is a longer clip that contains something running (and possibly jumping) around the house. It only really becomes audible around 10s into the clip. It sounds almost like a child running around and playing somewhere in the house, again on a hard surface. I'm wondering if this is happening downstairs on the wooden floor, and the recording is picking it up.
Around forty-five minutes later the footsteps return. The clip lasts for almost a minute and you can hear the footsteps almost the entire time. Again, these footsteps are quick, like a child walking briskly.
Another small knock to end a busy night. This one is interesting in that right before the knock, you can hear almost the sound of something being dragged over a smooth surface, like a wood counter top or a dresser top.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 28, 2008
Three clips were recorded last night.
My first impression is that this sounds like a hand or foot being dragged across the fiberglass surface of a bathtub, or across a glass surface like my shower stall. There are two bathrooms on the second level, and since the microphone is not directional, it could have come from either one.
This noise is loud and distorted like the source occurred on the shelf where I was keeping the recorder. The only thing I can think of is that an object got moved on the shelf, or something hit the shelf.
This is another interesting impact sound. You can hear the impact, and then you can hear whatever was hit bounce once or twice after the impact.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I feel pulling at the covers
Holly and I had went to bed pretty late last night and we were watching TV in bed. Holly was already asleep and I finally turned things off to try and go to bed. As soon as I got comfortable I started feeling the comforter slowly being pulled off the end of the bed.
I simply lie there, wondering if what I was feeling was just my imagination. I was trying to convince myself that Holly’s description of the events a few days before had contaminated my imagination. I could have been creating this feeling.
But I could not shake the physical sensation that the covers were slowly, VERY slowly, being pulled off us.
Eventually, I feel asleep and did not wake again until morning.
I simply lie there, wondering if what I was feeling was just my imagination. I was trying to convince myself that Holly’s description of the events a few days before had contaminated my imagination. I could have been creating this feeling.
But I could not shake the physical sensation that the covers were slowly, VERY slowly, being pulled off us.
Eventually, I feel asleep and did not wake again until morning.
Friday, April 25, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 24, 2008
The best I can do to describe this is noise is a flexible metal conduit being dragged across a piece of wood...like the 2x4 studs in the wall. Very strange noise. After some padding, the noise starts at 0:10 seconds.
Footsteps, walking slowly somewhere in the house. It's Friday, and this recording was taken around 5am, so this should have been right around the time my alarm went off. Also, the footprints sound like they are close like on the top floor where we are sleeping, but there is no hard floors on this level. Very strange indeed.
Also, at 0:46, there are 5 chimes that do not sound familiar. Usually, when its windy outside you can hear the wind chimes outside banging against each other. These 5 chimes do not sound like anything I own.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 23, 2008
We went to bed pretty early last night (11pm is early for us). Right after we fell asleep the recorder caught something.
There are two clips, and they are over 3 minutes each. In each, it sounds like a toy being played with. Ever slip a playing card into your bicycle wheel spokes and ride up and down the street? The sound is something similar. In the clips, something is being turned at variable speeds, creating a fast clicking sound. But the speed is variable, making this two very interesting recordings.
Holly and I have been talking and agree that one of the ghosts is a child. This type of evidence adds weight to that theory.
Clip #1, 11:37 PM, 3m 31s
The first clip.
Clip #2, 11:43 PM, 3m 31s
A few minutes later it starts back up and runs for 3 more minutes...
There are two clips, and they are over 3 minutes each. In each, it sounds like a toy being played with. Ever slip a playing card into your bicycle wheel spokes and ride up and down the street? The sound is something similar. In the clips, something is being turned at variable speeds, creating a fast clicking sound. But the speed is variable, making this two very interesting recordings.
Holly and I have been talking and agree that one of the ghosts is a child. This type of evidence adds weight to that theory.
The first clip.
A few minutes later it starts back up and runs for 3 more minutes...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 22, 2008: Obnoxious knocks
The theme of last nights EVP work is Obnoxious Knocks. "They" were in an annoying mood or something. While I sleep something knocks on the walls. And I record it for your entertainment!
Clip #1, 12:09 AM, 51s
This clip is amazing. It features rapid knocking on the walls, with footsteps afterwards. There's even some sort of grunt, but that could be me, so I have to discount it as evidence.
0:10: Obnoxious raps on the walls or ceiling. Who knows really where this thing is knocking? And why didn't Bobby go crazy over the knocking? Anytime someone knocks on the door our Jack Russel Terrier goes absolutely bonkers. Did he not hear this? Could this noise have come from upstairs so he assumed it was just us? Sometimes I wish there was direction indicators on my digital recorder...
0:22: Some sort of grunt. About a second prior, you can hear me snoring, so its possible that the grunt could be me. However, it could also not be me...
0:27: From here to the end of the clip, you can hear footsteps walking on some sort of hard surface. Funny thing, there is no hard surfaces on the upper level. The bottom level has wood floors, and the only other thing I can think of that would make noise like that is the basement steps.
Clip #2, 2:16 AM, 26s
This clip disproves that I am a light sleeper. How I slept through this noise I will never know. Or maybe I did wake up and went back to sleep pretty quick.
0:04: A small rap, or knock, or tap on something. Not sure what it is really.
0:17: BAM! An aggressive and harder rap, knock or tap.
This clip is amazing. It features rapid knocking on the walls, with footsteps afterwards. There's even some sort of grunt, but that could be me, so I have to discount it as evidence.
0:10: Obnoxious raps on the walls or ceiling. Who knows really where this thing is knocking? And why didn't Bobby go crazy over the knocking? Anytime someone knocks on the door our Jack Russel Terrier goes absolutely bonkers. Did he not hear this? Could this noise have come from upstairs so he assumed it was just us? Sometimes I wish there was direction indicators on my digital recorder...
0:22: Some sort of grunt. About a second prior, you can hear me snoring, so its possible that the grunt could be me. However, it could also not be me...
0:27: From here to the end of the clip, you can hear footsteps walking on some sort of hard surface. Funny thing, there is no hard surfaces on the upper level. The bottom level has wood floors, and the only other thing I can think of that would make noise like that is the basement steps.
This clip disproves that I am a light sleeper. How I slept through this noise I will never know. Or maybe I did wake up and went back to sleep pretty quick.
0:04: A small rap, or knock, or tap on something. Not sure what it is really.
0:17: BAM! An aggressive and harder rap, knock or tap.
Holly feels pulling at the covers
Last night, Holly and I had just went to bed and the light was still on in our room. I had forgotten something downstairs and left our bedroom to go downstairs. While I was out of the room Holly claims something was slowly pulling the top comforter off of her.
She claimed she gripped the comforter, thinking that it was gravity pulling it down, but could feel the pressure of something still pulling, trying to slowly pull the blanket off of her. Once I entered the room again, the pulling stopped.
She is amazingly calm about this whole thing. She's gone through this before - the house she grew up in was haunted as well, so these things "don't freak her out" she claims.
They freak me the fuck out, that's for sure.
She claimed she gripped the comforter, thinking that it was gravity pulling it down, but could feel the pressure of something still pulling, trying to slowly pull the blanket off of her. Once I entered the room again, the pulling stopped.
She is amazingly calm about this whole thing. She's gone through this before - the house she grew up in was haunted as well, so these things "don't freak her out" she claims.
They freak me the fuck out, that's for sure.
Monday, April 21, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 20, 2008: Weird Mechanical Noises
More recordings for your listening pleasure. This must be the night of weird mechanical noises.
Clip #1, 1:39 AM, 15s
This is a very strange clip. It's some sort of mechanical noise that I have never heard before in this house. Not sure if it qualifies as paranormal, but I have no clue what it is. One thing I have learned from doing this EVP work is that there is some strange shit that you hear at night in your house.
0:06: The noise starts and lasts for only a second or two.
Clip #2, 3:04 AM, 56s
An even stranger clip. Is it a some weird alien bird? Again, it seems mechanical, but I have never, ever heard this type of noise in the house.
0:05: The first of two instances of the weird noises.
0:46: The second part of the weird noises
Please leave comments if you can offer insight as to what the noises are in these two clips.
This is a very strange clip. It's some sort of mechanical noise that I have never heard before in this house. Not sure if it qualifies as paranormal, but I have no clue what it is. One thing I have learned from doing this EVP work is that there is some strange shit that you hear at night in your house.
0:06: The noise starts and lasts for only a second or two.
An even stranger clip. Is it a some weird alien bird? Again, it seems mechanical, but I have never, ever heard this type of noise in the house.
0:05: The first of two instances of the weird noises.
0:46: The second part of the weird noises
Please leave comments if you can offer insight as to what the noises are in these two clips.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
EVP Recordings, April 19, 2008
So, what happened the first night? I captured two EVPs of interest. Both clips were within minutes of Holly and I going to bed.
Clip #1, 10:52 pm, 14s
Clip #2, 10:54 45s
This sound was easily recognizable because I hear it a lot. It is of my shower stall, which is a small square area completely enclosed in glass located next to a larger tub. My theory is that something is placing weight on the floor of the stall, then taking that weight off. There are two parts to the clip:
0:04: You can hear the weight being applied to the shower stall floor.
0:08: The weight is lifted off, causing the second noise.
Think of the noise a coke can makes as you squeeze it, then unsqueeze it. The shower stall does make this noise when Holly or myself are standing in it.
What's really interesting is at 0:02 you can hear the same voice from clip 02!. I did not hear this until I transferred the recording to the computer, so this was a surprise to me. You can barely hear it but make sure you check that out because I make note of it below.
This is a capture a small female child or a young woman. I think the voice originated from within my room, or just outside my room in the landing.
I verified with all my daughters that this voice was not theirs, even though I could immediately tell it was not any of them (you know your own daughter's voices).
0:08: The voice starts.
0:15: I think this is my daughters talking to each other in the next room, but it could also be the voice distorted, or facing a direction that the microphone could not pick up clearly.
0:22: The voice is clear again with a sound that to me is like a wordless disapproval. Note that this disapproval is the same sound at clip 01 at 0:02.
This EVP really freaks me out. It's a voice that is saying something in a language I can't understand. If anyone knows, or knows what she is saying, please leave a comment.
The rest of the night was quiet.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time for some passive EVP work
Holly and I went to dinner last night - our favorite place for sushi. I told her at dinner I wanted to start recording sounds in the house while we slept, sort of passive EVP work.
So after dinner we walked to Staples - which was right next door to North China Inn, to pick up a digital voice recorder. I ended up picking a Sony ICQ-B600 for around $50. It's far from the top of the line, but it stores over 50 hours of sound, and can split recordings on the fly.
I have decided to the start recording my house while I sleep, just so I can prove to myself and hopefully others that something is going on in my house. The incident the other night in Shelby's room is the last straw for me and I am pissed off. I want to know what's in my house.
EVP is about the best I can do, because I can listen to the recordings while I work. Video would not work because I would have to watch a screen, so wouldn't be able to go through the hours of evidence while I worked. No, EVP is the way to go for me. If there's anything going on in my house, this is the way to find it.
Also, I'm not sure I want to see what's walking around my house while I sleep...
So tonight will be the first recording. I wonder what I'm going to catch. Maybe nothing?
So after dinner we walked to Staples - which was right next door to North China Inn, to pick up a digital voice recorder. I ended up picking a Sony ICQ-B600 for around $50. It's far from the top of the line, but it stores over 50 hours of sound, and can split recordings on the fly.
I have decided to the start recording my house while I sleep, just so I can prove to myself and hopefully others that something is going on in my house. The incident the other night in Shelby's room is the last straw for me and I am pissed off. I want to know what's in my house.
EVP is about the best I can do, because I can listen to the recordings while I work. Video would not work because I would have to watch a screen, so wouldn't be able to go through the hours of evidence while I worked. No, EVP is the way to go for me. If there's anything going on in my house, this is the way to find it.
Also, I'm not sure I want to see what's walking around my house while I sleep...
So tonight will be the first recording. I wonder what I'm going to catch. Maybe nothing?
Friday, April 18, 2008
"Something just crawled into my bed!"
Something walked into Shelby’s room last night, right after I put her down for bed. I said prayers with her, tucked her in, gave her a smooth, and said good night. I walked out of her room, got myself ready for bed, and started to look for something to read. I think 10 minutes tops had elapsed when she came into the room, really upset and scared.
"Something just crawled into my bed!"
She said she was lying in her top bunk when something knocked once on her door. Then she heard footsteps on the carpet coming into her room, and stopping at her bed. Then it climbed into the bottom bunk. She felt the bed shake and heard it creak. I guess that was enough for her at that point. I commend her for even getting out of bed and running through the her room to my bedroom. I can imagine how terrified she must have been.
This is not the the first time a spirit in this house made themselves known to my kids, but this is definitely the first time a ghost has upset one of them.
Not cool. It's time to do something about this.
"Something just crawled into my bed!"
She said she was lying in her top bunk when something knocked once on her door. Then she heard footsteps on the carpet coming into her room, and stopping at her bed. Then it climbed into the bottom bunk. She felt the bed shake and heard it creak. I guess that was enough for her at that point. I commend her for even getting out of bed and running through the her room to my bedroom. I can imagine how terrified she must have been.
This is not the the first time a spirit in this house made themselves known to my kids, but this is definitely the first time a ghost has upset one of them.
Not cool. It's time to do something about this.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
No way that was a cat
We always let Bobby (our Jack Russell Terrier) outside one last time for the night. This is between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.
After that, I'm usually the one that goes out to get him well, because there are things out there, and I don't want my wife or my girls going out there at night.
So sometime in March, I went out to go get him from outside on his runner. I called him, picked him up, and proceeded to carry him in. We have a porch in the front of the house (look at the picture) and there are about 3 steps you have to ascend. Flanking the steps on the left is Holly's garden. As I was carrying Bobby and going up these steps, from somewhere in that garden came a loud and long meow.
This was no little kitten meow. This was a tomcat growl - long, low and pissed off. And it was so close it made me jump and made the hairs on my neck stick straight out.
Now, the thing that really wigged me out was that Bobby is a Jack Russel Terrier. So anything that moves is prey. If there really was a cat there, he would have heard that threatening mewl. If he did hear that cat, or even sensed that cat was anywhere in his vicinity, he would have been gone ballistic, twisting like crazy to get out of my arms and yelping in uncontained rage and frustration.
So I'm not sure there was really a cat there. Based on other EVP evidence that I have yet to post, I think this cat encounter was paranormal.
After that, I'm usually the one that goes out to get him well, because there are things out there, and I don't want my wife or my girls going out there at night.
So sometime in March, I went out to go get him from outside on his runner. I called him, picked him up, and proceeded to carry him in. We have a porch in the front of the house (look at the picture) and there are about 3 steps you have to ascend. Flanking the steps on the left is Holly's garden. As I was carrying Bobby and going up these steps, from somewhere in that garden came a loud and long meow.
This was no little kitten meow. This was a tomcat growl - long, low and pissed off. And it was so close it made me jump and made the hairs on my neck stick straight out.
Now, the thing that really wigged me out was that Bobby is a Jack Russel Terrier. So anything that moves is prey. If there really was a cat there, he would have heard that threatening mewl. If he did hear that cat, or even sensed that cat was anywhere in his vicinity, he would have been gone ballistic, twisting like crazy to get out of my arms and yelping in uncontained rage and frustration.
So I'm not sure there was really a cat there. Based on other EVP evidence that I have yet to post, I think this cat encounter was paranormal.
Friday, April 11, 2008
"Melanie?"
Out of nowhere, that's what Holly heard one morning while in our bedroom. A voice, from somewhere off to her left in the same room, calling someone named Melanie.
Was it a mother calling a daughter? Would there even be a daughter to answer her? Even if there is a remote possibility that, as ghosts, a mother and daughter could be sharing the same plane of existence is mind boggling to me.
Could Melanie be the name of the woman who hung herself at the top of Hawks Hill?
Was it a mother calling a daughter? Would there even be a daughter to answer her? Even if there is a remote possibility that, as ghosts, a mother and daughter could be sharing the same plane of existence is mind boggling to me.
Could Melanie be the name of the woman who hung herself at the top of Hawks Hill?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
I see a shadowy figure "fly" up the hill
Ok, so all married couples fight, Holly and I included. And one night a few months ago we were fighting. I needed to get away from the situation so we could both cool off, but I didn't want to drive anywhere.
So I sat in my truck in the driveway and listened to some gaming podcasts. It was just past twilight, almost completely dark. It was to the point that if I were inside the house with the lights on, it would look like it was completely dark outside.
At one point I looked to my left up the hill towards the neighbor’s house behind us, and saw what I can only describe as someone wearing a black cape “floating” very fast up the hill. The “cape” was billowing behind the figure. I thought it was a kid in a Dracula cape running up the hill but it was moving WAY too fast, and there were no legs visible.
In a few seconds in was gone and I knew it was an apparition I just saw, outside of the house.
It made me remember a year prior when Holly said she thought she saw a shadowy dog or something run up the hill towards our house when my headlights splashed across the yard. She was positive she saw something then. Maybe I has just seen something similar?
Which then begs the question: is there some sort of "highway" that goes across my property? Is my house smack dab in the middle of ghost expressway? Is the shit I keep hearing at night now just wayward spirits stopping temporarily on their journey?
So I sat in my truck in the driveway and listened to some gaming podcasts. It was just past twilight, almost completely dark. It was to the point that if I were inside the house with the lights on, it would look like it was completely dark outside.
At one point I looked to my left up the hill towards the neighbor’s house behind us, and saw what I can only describe as someone wearing a black cape “floating” very fast up the hill. The “cape” was billowing behind the figure. I thought it was a kid in a Dracula cape running up the hill but it was moving WAY too fast, and there were no legs visible.
In a few seconds in was gone and I knew it was an apparition I just saw, outside of the house.
It made me remember a year prior when Holly said she thought she saw a shadowy dog or something run up the hill towards our house when my headlights splashed across the yard. She was positive she saw something then. Maybe I has just seen something similar?
Which then begs the question: is there some sort of "highway" that goes across my property? Is my house smack dab in the middle of ghost expressway? Is the shit I keep hearing at night now just wayward spirits stopping temporarily on their journey?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Holly gets greeted in the middle of the night
Holly woke up a few months ago in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When she crawled back into bed, something whispered, “Hi” right in her face. She never woke me up, just laid there, terrified until she finally fell back asleep.
Needless to say, I was a bit upset that she didn't wake me up! I don't want her laying there, afraid. Better just to go downstairs, make some coffee or tea and play a game or watch some TV.
Needless to say, I was a bit upset that she didn't wake me up! I don't want her laying there, afraid. Better just to go downstairs, make some coffee or tea and play a game or watch some TV.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Holly hears a sigh from behind her
Around January 2008, Holly heard a sigh.
I was leaving for work very early in the morning those days, so I could get home at a decent hour and still have a "life" outside of work.
I had already left for work that morning and it was still dark outside. Usually after I left for work Holly would go downstairs and watch some TV until it was time to get the girls up for school. One morning she was on the couch sje heard a sigh from behind her. The couch was pushed away from the wall, allowing a passageway behind it to the stairway and this passageway is where the sigh came from. The girls were not up yet and it was not the dogs. It was a human-sounding sigh.
She wasn't sure what to make of it but she described it as a sigh of boredom. Several minutes later she heard the sigh again. This time Jack, who was sleeping at the foot of the staircase landing, growled and started walking around the area behind Holly from where the sigh came from. He did this for several minutes, looking for the source of the strange voice.
I was leaving for work very early in the morning those days, so I could get home at a decent hour and still have a "life" outside of work.
I had already left for work that morning and it was still dark outside. Usually after I left for work Holly would go downstairs and watch some TV until it was time to get the girls up for school. One morning she was on the couch sje heard a sigh from behind her. The couch was pushed away from the wall, allowing a passageway behind it to the stairway and this passageway is where the sigh came from. The girls were not up yet and it was not the dogs. It was a human-sounding sigh.
She wasn't sure what to make of it but she described it as a sigh of boredom. Several minutes later she heard the sigh again. This time Jack, who was sleeping at the foot of the staircase landing, growled and started walking around the area behind Holly from where the sigh came from. He did this for several minutes, looking for the source of the strange voice.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Holly gets scratched
In November of 2006 a mysterious scratch appeared on Holly's back. She first noticed this in the shower, but she's not sure if she actually got scratched in the shower, or if it happened earlier that day and the water hitting it made it sting.The scratch really looks like two claws to me.
This happened again a few months later, though I failed to get a picture of the second scratch.
I have no other proof that these scratches were caused by something paranormal, but based on other things going on in this house, I can't rule it out.
Neither Holly or anyone else in the house has displayed these types been scratches since these two events occurred.
The scars from these scratches are still visible.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Shadow Person strolls by
I think the first "encounter" that happened in our house after we moved in happened to Shelby and Sophia. But they never even told us about it until a few months ago! I'm guessing it happened some time in 2005. Shelby would have been 7, and Sophia, 6.
At that time on the weekends, Holly and I used to sleep in an extra hour or two in the morning. Shelby was an early riser then, and would wake up about 6am to 7am. She'd wake Sophia up and they would play on the 2nd floor landing just outside our bedroom door. I'd tell them to close my door because they would break out the Littlest Pet Shop and play for a few hours until Holly and I woke up.
As it was told to me by the both of them, one weekend morning a shadow person walked through my bedroom door out onto the 2nd floor landing. It stepped over their toys and passed by them within in inches. It then walked into what was then my office, right across the landing.
They recall craning their necks to look up at the figure as it walked by them. They described it as tall, all black, and with a featureless face.
What freaks me out is how close it was to them.
"Weren't you scared?" I asked them. They both told me no, they weren't.
To be honest I'm not certain why they weren't scared, or why they didn't run immediately into my room after it happened. And I'm not sure why it took them almost a year to tell me. It's possible that because it was morning, i.e daytime, that the environment was not as threatening compared to if it happened during the night.
So the big question is: who is the shadow? Is it a civil war soldier?
At that time on the weekends, Holly and I used to sleep in an extra hour or two in the morning. Shelby was an early riser then, and would wake up about 6am to 7am. She'd wake Sophia up and they would play on the 2nd floor landing just outside our bedroom door. I'd tell them to close my door because they would break out the Littlest Pet Shop and play for a few hours until Holly and I woke up.
As it was told to me by the both of them, one weekend morning a shadow person walked through my bedroom door out onto the 2nd floor landing. It stepped over their toys and passed by them within in inches. It then walked into what was then my office, right across the landing.
They recall craning their necks to look up at the figure as it walked by them. They described it as tall, all black, and with a featureless face.
What freaks me out is how close it was to them.
"Weren't you scared?" I asked them. They both told me no, they weren't.
To be honest I'm not certain why they weren't scared, or why they didn't run immediately into my room after it happened. And I'm not sure why it took them almost a year to tell me. It's possible that because it was morning, i.e daytime, that the environment was not as threatening compared to if it happened during the night.
So the big question is: who is the shadow? Is it a civil war soldier?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
New Windsor Ghost Legends
New Windsor is rich with history, and of course ghost stories. I've not done extensive research, but what I've been told second-hand is even enough to fill a blog entry!
This is what I know so far. As I do more research into why my house is haunted, I'll post my findings in future entries.
Here is what I know so far:
This is what I know so far. As I do more research into why my house is haunted, I'll post my findings in future entries.
Here is what I know so far:
- No Civil War battles were fought in the immediate area, but confederate troops did raid New Windsor in 1864 without conflict and looted Roops grocery store.
- There is a an unconfirmed story of a woman who hung herself at the top of the Hawks Hill from an oak tree that no longer exists. Since this would have been Taggart's farm back then, we are trying to find out from Nana Taggart (who lives in New Windsor town now) if she remembers the incident and who that might have been.
- A few houses down towards the town, there was a barn fire that happened in the 1800s during Christmas season. A little girl was trapped in that fire and still reportedly haunts that house. The current owners keep Christmas lights up all year around the outside of the house to keep the girl happy.
- Old New Windsor Road, which runs in front of my acre plot, used to be a toll road for carriages. The locals say the road is haunted and that at night you can sometimes hear the sound of a carriage, complete with hoof steps, coming down the road.
- A year ago I was talking to Galen Roop, a local realtor, and descendant of the Roops (who owned the grocery store in town). He told me he was preparing to sell either the old Ander's House or the old Stouffer's House on Main Street [I need to confirm which the next time I drive by]. He was on the upper level taking pictures with his digital camera. When he went back to the office to download them to his computer all the pictures taken on the upper floor were completely blacked out. In the days of 35mm film, this could happen when the film was damaged or exposed prior to development. But this is very strange for a digital camera, as there is no film to be accidentally exposed.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The House is built
New Windsor, Maryland is an old town. Its history dates back to the late eighteenth century.
I had my house built four years ago on the outskirts of town. It was built on an acre of land located on the eastern side of Hawks Hill, a gentle rolling hill that overlooks a small valley containing 500 acres of corn field and is slowly being turned into a limestone quarry on the north end by the evil concrete company Lehigh. Thankfully, I will still have a view of a corn field for at least ten more years.
When our house was being built during the winter of 2003, Holly and I would drive up to New Windsor from Glen Burnie just to see how the house was shaping up. It magical seeing the construction transform from a concrete foundation to framed walls to siding to a completed house.
On an unseasonably warm January day, Holly and I brought my parents to the construction site to show my parents the house for the first time. At that point the walls were still only framed out and the floors were still plywood, but you could tell it was a house.
We pulled up the driveway and went in via the garage, which had no door on it yet. As we were mounting the steps from the garage into the kitchen, we all heard someone walking on the second floor directly above us. They were heavy steps, like boots. But they weren't fast footsteps, like someone who was trying to find an escape route - and we made plenty of noise coming into the site. No, the walking was slow and determined, like something with all the time in the world.
I went upstairs with my dad, but no one was there. We all sort of blew it off at the time. I think as a group we decided some local teen was upstairs and escaped out one of the windows. But the jump was too high from the second floor, and all the windows were shut save for one, which was only cracked. In their haste, someone wouldn't re-shut the window to that size of an opening. In retrospect there really was no logical reason for the sounds of the boots.
But I now realize that:
Hopefully someone out there will see this information and will be able to provide some insight into what's going on.
I had my house built four years ago on the outskirts of town. It was built on an acre of land located on the eastern side of Hawks Hill, a gentle rolling hill that overlooks a small valley containing 500 acres of corn field and is slowly being turned into a limestone quarry on the north end by the evil concrete company Lehigh. Thankfully, I will still have a view of a corn field for at least ten more years.
When our house was being built during the winter of 2003, Holly and I would drive up to New Windsor from Glen Burnie just to see how the house was shaping up. It magical seeing the construction transform from a concrete foundation to framed walls to siding to a completed house.
On an unseasonably warm January day, Holly and I brought my parents to the construction site to show my parents the house for the first time. At that point the walls were still only framed out and the floors were still plywood, but you could tell it was a house.
We pulled up the driveway and went in via the garage, which had no door on it yet. As we were mounting the steps from the garage into the kitchen, we all heard someone walking on the second floor directly above us. They were heavy steps, like boots. But they weren't fast footsteps, like someone who was trying to find an escape route - and we made plenty of noise coming into the site. No, the walking was slow and determined, like something with all the time in the world.
I went upstairs with my dad, but no one was there. We all sort of blew it off at the time. I think as a group we decided some local teen was upstairs and escaped out one of the windows. But the jump was too high from the second floor, and all the windows were shut save for one, which was only cracked. In their haste, someone wouldn't re-shut the window to that size of an opening. In retrospect there really was no logical reason for the sounds of the boots.
But I now realize that:
- This was our first ghost encounter with this house
- This happened during daylight hours
- My house was not even built yet and it was haunted.
Hopefully someone out there will see this information and will be able to provide some insight into what's going on.
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