FLASHBACK long ago and far away

"i dream of jack o'lanterns...driving by these bat night skies...haunted by their lighted grins...i close my eyes, somethings reaching in"

a little history lesson:  ever look at your freshly carved pumpkin and say "i wonder where this tradition started?". well, i did the research so you don't have to...

first came the story of "stingy jack" (please listen to my tale with a thick irish brogue...k?).  stingy jack was an irishman who was very, shall we say, cheap. so one day, jack's strolling down the road and bumps into the devil. jack says "devil! have a pint with me!!" and the devil says sure. but jack has no money. he convinces the devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the pints. remember how his name is STINGY jack? he decides to pocket the coin and skip out on the bill. the coin is next to a cross, so the devil is trapped, until jack says "devil. i'll let ya go if ya let me be for 1 year and spare me soul if i die" and the devil agreed. so, the next year, the devil's back. jack says "devil, i sure would love a taste of fruit before me punishment." so the devil agreed to climb a tree and get him the fruit. jack quickly carved the sign of the cross into the tree, trapping the devil. "devil. i'll let ya down but ya must agree to let me be for 10 more years and spare me soul if i die" and the devil agreed. jack soon died. god refused to let him into heaven...i mean, would you let a trickster like that into heaven?...and the devil, still mad about the tricks jack pulled (cuz old lucifer can dish it out but he can't take it) and true to his word (cuz what does a man have if he doesn't have his word?), refused to let jack into hell. the devil sent jack into the deep, dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. jack put the coal into a carved~out turnip and used it to light the way. and so began the legend of jack of the lantern.

people in ireland and scotland started making "jack's lantern" out of turnips and potatoes, carving scary faces into them and placing them in their windows to ward off evil spirits, including stingy jack. immigrants to america brought this tradition with them and found that pumpkins (which are native to america, by the way) were perfect.

FLASH FORWARD today
we americans love our jack o'lanterns. from carving, or painting, to purchasing pre-lit pumpkins, jack of the lantern is a halloween favorite.  and now you know why... (^^)

                    

 

                                            

FLASHBACK 8 dec 2012

 i wake up and post a blog. i realize what day this is in history...a glimpse around our apartment will tell you this is a true statement...yet i post about the history of christmas trees. i get a text almost as soon as i post. "i'm surprised your blog isn't about john lennon today". i thought about it but it's also jim morrison's birthday so i was torn. "yeah, i get it". bridgette KNOWS me...she may not always UNDERSTAND me, but she knows me. so, then, it bugged me all. day. long. so i came up with a solution. two...two...two blogs in one. and a day late...so neither of them can haunt me over picking one over the other...
FLASHBACK 9 oct 1940
"you may say i'm a dreamer..."
john winston lennon is born. in liverpool, in wartime england. to julia and alfred. though he lives with his aunt and uncle, julia visits often. she introduces him to elvis records and teaches him the banjo. first song he learned to play? "ain't that a shame" by fats domino.
FLASH FORWARD 8 dec 1943
"no one remembers your name...when your strange"
james douglas morrison is born. in melbourne, florida. to clara and (future rear admiral general) george. when jim is 4, he witnesses a car accident in which a family of native americans dies. he considers this the most formative event in his life and will mention it in spoken word (dawn's highway) and song (peace frog and ghost song). as a navy brat, he will spend his childhood moving from base to base. he loves to read and is greatly influenced by philosophers and poets.
FLASH FORWARD february 1964
beatlemania strikes the united states. formed in 1960 by john lennon and paul mccartney, the beatles also include george harrison and ringo starr. they will become the most successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music, releasing 12 albums and producing 20 #1 hits in the united states. all of the members will have successful solo careers.
FLASH FORWARD the summer of 1965
jim morrison forms the doors after graduating ucla with a degree in film. in june of 1966, the doors are the opening act at whiskey a go~go...opening for van morrison's them. van morrison will be an influence on jim's stage performance. the doors receive national recognition in 1967, when they sign with elektra records. and the single "light my fire" (ps...my least favorite doors song) spends 3 weeks at #1 on billboard's hot 100. 
FLASH FORWARD 3 jul 1970
jim morrison joins the 27 club. he is found dead in his paris apartment bathtub. with no evidence of foul play, no autopsy is performed. he is buried in pere lachaise cemetery in paris and his grave is one of the cities biggest tourist attractions.
FLASH FORWARD 8 dec 1980
returning to his new york city apartment at 10:50p, john lennon is shot in the back, four times, by mark david chapman. he is pronounced dead upon arrival at roosevelt hospital. 11:07p. his ashes are spread in central park, where the strawberry fields memorial is later created.
FLASH FORWARD december 2007
the boys are playing with a ouija board. they swear they have talked to frank zappa. now they try to talk to jim morrison. the spirit keeps asking to speak to "sofa mama". who the heck is "sofa mama"? duh doy!! i'm a mama! AND i'm sitting on a sofa. he wants to speak to me. so i do. andrew and i sit on either side of my coffee table. the only lights are from the glow of the christmas tree. we stare into each other's eyes and ask the lizard king questions about rock 'n' roll heaven. cody stands above and tries to follow the planchette, repeating back the letters it points to. we get really strange and poetic answers. also, the lizard king hits on me. and, seriously. i. did not. just make that up. 

                                        

                                        

FLASHBACK 1803

"hang on sloopy, sloopy hang on..."
ohio was admitted to the union, as the 17th state, on march 1. it is steeped in history, from native americans to the civil war. which is why it should be no surprise that ohio is full of haunted history...so, in honor of halloween, let's take a little tour!

#1~the ohio state reformatory, mansfield: opened in 1896, the reformatory's history goes back to 1861 when the field, where the building sits, was used as a civil war training ground. and, like most prisons, it has a long list of horror stories: two corrections officers were killed while on duty, one in 1926 and, the other, in 1932. in 1948, two inmates were released for good behavior and, then, went on a killing spree. they murdered 6 people before being trapped at a roadblock. 1 was killed in a shoot out, the other taken to prison where he faced the electric chair. in 1950, the wife of the prison superintendent was accidentally killed when she knocked a gun off a table. it discharged and shot her in the lung. not  surprising, the events are suspicious. reported hauntings include: voices near the superintendents office, two men fighting near the pond, and many apparitions near the chapel.
#2~king's island, mason: how many of you knew this? yep. king's island is haunted. it actually appeared in an episode of "ghost hunters" with grant wilson and jason hawes. opened in 1972, king's island is located on property that used to be part of an ammunitions factory. employees, especially tram drivers, report sightings of a young girl, in blue, out in the parking lot.  there are also reports of "tower johnny", a teenage boy seen by the eiffel tower, and "racer boy", a young boy in white, seen by the racer. the white water canyon ride is haunted by a ghost that likes to throw rocks at observation tower 2.
#3~the golden lamb, lebanon: first established in 1803, it is ohio's oldest, operational, inn. many famous people have stayed here including charles dickens, mark twain, and harriet beecher stowe. the inn is said to be haunted by, at least, two spirits. the most famous is a little girl named sarah. sarah was the niece of inn manager, isaac stubbs. she died of a terrible fever in 1825. her hauntings are confined to one room, where she makes noises and knocks things off the wall. guests also claim to experience hauntings by ohio supreme court justice, charles sherman, who died at the inn in 1829. he is described as gaunt and gray. guests, also, claim to smell cigar smoke that is believed to belong to justice sherman.
#4~air force museum, dayton: housed at wright-patterson air force base, the museum dates back to 1923. people who are sensitive to the supernatural, as well as psychics, claim to feel an unsettling presence...some even claiming to see apparitions. many of the sightings are attached to exhibits. maintenance workers claim to see the pilot of the "hop along", a helicopter that  saw action during the korean war. the pilot was killed in a battle and his blood has stained the pilot's seat. workers, also, claim to see the apparition of a small japanese boy hiding under "bockscar", the plane used to drop the atomic bomb on nagasaki. a shadowy figure has been spotted near the under cage of "strawberry bitch", a WWII aircraft, and a maintenance worker claims to have been slapped by that spirit.
these are just a few of the many famous haunts of ohio. and 3 of them are super close to home. i sense an investigation coming on!!!

         

 

1.ohio state reformatory

       2. eiffel tower of king's island

                                                                                               3. the golden lamb

                                                                                               4. air force museum

^evp from king's island investigation^

                                            

FLASHBACK 1970

  
"this is halloween...everybody scream!!! in our town of halloween..."
i am counting down the days 'til halloween. trick~or~treat is so much fun in oxnard. halloween specials are important, too. its the great pumpkin, charlie brown is my favorite (still is)...but there is also scooby~doo and garfield. at halloween parties, we play "pin the tail on the donkey" and "bob for apples". our costumes are homemade or are a vinyl cover~up with a plastic mask, held on your head with a flimsy piece of elastic stapled to it. yep....i said it was stapled together.
FLASH FORWARD today
gone are most of the halloween specials...kids do still get charlie brown (sorry, i don't count ANYTHING that comes on nickelodeon or the disney channel as a SPECIAL)...and the costumes, though some are still homemade (my preference), are somewhat better quality. no more staples and made of cloth...if you're careful with it, it can last you for years.
but the games! oh the games!! with the invention of the iphone, and other smart phones and tablets, kids have access to a lot of cool halloween games and apps. there are countdowns, coloring books, talking skeletons, and zombie creators...too much fun. here is my review of just a few of these apps (all free and available at itunes):

#1~halloween by schatzisoft games: this app has a simple countdown...no programming necessary. just open the app and it tells you how many days until halloween. it also offers spooky sounds, ringtones, backgrounds for your phone, and halloween trivia. one very cool feature? a costume finder for all ages and genders. want an idea for your 10 year old daughter? just go to the finder. it will give you a list of ideas AND...after you've chosen the best idea...it will take you to google to see where you can purchase, if you don't want to make it yourself...
#2~talking skeleton by sixits, inc: just like the talking cat everyone loves, this skeleton will repeat what you say. you can punch him for no reason (not sure i understand that one), play games with him, and paint his face to your liking. you can even take pictures with him...he is a lot of stupid fun, however...he's a little slow. it takes a minute to navigate thru all his features, and he doesn't open to the talking feature. one thing that is kind of cool, when in talking mode, he puts his hand up to his ear and "listens" to you talk before repeating it. 
#3~halloween coloring book by peep software: for your little ones. this app has tons of halloween pages for your child to color. they can color with their finger...CAREFUL! don't go outside the lines!...or paint (changing the color in one click). it has a zoom feature making it easier to get those tiny images...and tons of colors to choose from. trust me, this keeps toddler and preschoolers busy...
#4~zombiematic camera by second fiddle apps: okay...this app has a few bugs. it doesn't always read the face and shuts down on occasion. but be patient...it's still a lot of fun. you can use pics in your photo library, or take one with the app. the app then detects the face and you can size it to fit exactly...tap infect and the person in the pic turns into a zombie!! ack!!! the only flaw i found is that it seems to only affect the eyes...no zombie mouth or rotting skin. but we have a had a ton of laughs with this app.
#5~pumpkin creations by libii: this app is another one that will keep your little ones entertained. you can change the color of your pumpkin...then you pick eyes, nose, mouth, and accessories. you can even choose a background and candle. it's simple and fun. 
#6~zombie builder by appinthesky.com: i mention this app for one reason...it doesn't seem to work and i don't want you to mistake it for zombiematic. i tried 3 times...taking pics of the bk with the app...and that's as far as i got. i hit "use" and the app froze in the "preview" feature. hopefully they get the bugs fixed soon because this one appears to give me the features zombiematic doesn't. however, i would rather have an app that works.
#7~ghost o meter by adrian 3: okay...okay...this app is really cool. it is simply a meter that detects ghosts. open the app...walk around the haunted place, wherever you may be...and the meter will spike if there is something paranormal around. even if you don't believe it's detecting ANYTHING, this app can entertain for hours in the dark. i know paranormal when i see it and, so far, i have not experienced anything in our new home but....i turned the app on and it stayed steady for about 15 minutes and suddenly started spiking when i got near an antique armoire...does that mean it works? i have no idea...but it's still fun!

keep in mind that, although free, some have features that are only available with an upgrade to the paid version (usually 99 cents).

old school games:

 







new school games:

                      

 

                      

 

fun with zombiematic:

                       

 

FLASHBACK 1977/78?

"who ya' gonna call?....."
my great~grandpa dies. i adore him...but as far back as i can remember, he was in a wheelchair and then a hospital bed, so i can't say i'm surprised. still, i'm worried about him. who will take care of him in the after~life? my great~grandma is still alive. won't he be lonely without us? so, i'm in bed, trying to sleep but worrying...and there he is...at the foot of my bed. gg "don't worry about me...i'll be fine" me "MAMA!!!!!!!!" gg "it's okay..." me: "DADDY!!!!!!!!". the parents come running. i tell them what happened. "oh, you're just upset. you just saw what you wanted to see." blah blah blah...
FLASH FORWARD 1981(ish)
mama and daddy are out doing whatever it is old people do. my lil bro is out playing little brother games with his little friends. it's just me...and kat...and my german shepard, kacy (look...i don't know how my parents spelled it, i spelled it this way so i could sing the radio station jingle to her: k~a~c~y port hueneme!). so, the 3 of us are in the kitchen, planning our night when we hear a toilet flush. what?!! then we hear someone clanging around in the basement. remember how i said it was just the 3 of us? just like a movie...the 2 dumb blonds and the dog go into the basement instead of getting out of the house. there is nothing there. and no evidence that anyone was ever there. as we get to the top of the steps...FLUSH...the basement toilet flushes. ummmmmmm...."that toilet doesn't even work, kat! it doesn't even have water in it!!!!!!!" AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! the parents think we're crazy.
FLASH FORWARD 1998~2009
we've bought a new house. really, it's just me and my boys...the ex works away from home. we see a lot of shadows in our peripheral vision. we hear a lot of noises. dustin hears someone tapping his feet to "build me up buttercup". i hear someone whistling the tune to "young folks". it's not scary, just life. his name is ted...we know this because, at one point, we asked a ouija board. ted likes to walk past our front window and make us believe someone is coming for a visit. he likes to sit in our rocking chairs on the porch. at first he is just a shadow...but it doesn't take him long to show me a human form: i come into the living room and i see a figure walk past the front window...tall, skinny, tan and wearing a white t~shirt...it looks like houseman and i'm super excited to see him back from college...i run to the door...no one is there...
FLASH FORWARD 2007
i take a tour of eastern state penitentiary in philadelphia. i know it's haunted, but it's broad daylight.  it's 95 degrees in the shade, and you can feel the humidity in the old prison. i'm darting in and out of cells, sensing nothing. i'm bored now...they all look the same. i go in one last cell. i feel like someone is breathing down my neck. i feel like i can't breathe. i back out slowly. i bump right into blue~eyes. he grabs my arms to steady me "my god girl! you are freezing!!". ummmmmm....in case you were wondering, that place is haunted.
FLASH FORWARD 2012
betsy is giving the grandboy a bath. he is giggling and splashing and having a ball. i watch from the doorway. "hey!" i hear in my left ear, even feeling the breath on my neck. i turn around to hug mamabird...there is no one there. i look in the dark bedrooms, thinking she is now hiding from me and plans on scaring me, they're empty. betsy looks at me like i'm crazy. i know i'm not. the next day, betsy is positive that she turned off all the lights and locked all the doors when she left for work. she gets home to find the front door unlocked and the hall light on. coincidence? i don't think so.
1 in 3 people believe in ghosts. 23% claim to have seen, or been in the presence of, a ghost. i know i am one of the 23%. i KNOW i've seen a ghost. but today is not about the people that believe. today is international skeptics day. today is a day for you to give in to all the things you are unsure exists and celebrate them: ghosts, ufo's, santa claus, the great pumpkin....BELIEVE...even if it's just for today.

       

 

                                ^me and kacy...and the haunted house i grew up in...DO NOT let looks fool you^

                     

^a 2nd trip to eastern state...very successful^

^the long front porch ted liked^

^monkeyboy...what's that beside him?^