Posted in April, authors, Autumn, Baer House Inn, beach, blooms, Family, food, friends, Halloween, Holidays, humor, Jansen Schmidt, romance, sports, spring break, vacation, Vicksburg, weather, writing, tagged auturm, crawfish, Fall, graduation, harvest season, hunting, Mardi Gras, pilgrimage, school, seasonal, seasonal fruit, seasons, sports, spring, summer, television, tourists, winter on February 12, 2018| 9 Comments »
We’re all familiar with the four traditional seasons and most of us have a favorite. I’m partial to summer, because I like it hot. Spring is beautiful, but too short. Autumn is pretty but often too cool for my liking. I love the long hot summers. I know, I’m a weird-o to some of you, but hey, I’m honest. I like it hot. (more…)
Posted in Autumn, blogging, Christmas, dessert, desserts, Disney, Disney World, Family, Holidays, humor, Jansen Schmidt, pumpkins, writing, tagged animal enrichment, Autumn, bats, birds, decorations, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Fall, feeding animals, harvest season, monkeys, old pumpkin, peppermint, pumpkins, tigers on November 27, 2017| 13 Comments »
Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Another end of the harvest season. Another end to everything orange and pumpkin and in with everything green and peppermint. That’s right, we’ve officially entered the fifth season – the holiday season. (more…)
Posted in Autumn, dessert, desserts, dieting, drinks, Family, food, friends, Holidays, humor, Jansen Schmidt, pumpkins, vacation, writing, tagged Black Friday, Christmas, eating, family, funny, funny video, give thanks, gratitude, Holiday, holiday meals, raw eating, raw food, Shopping, Thanksgiving, turkey, turkey day on November 20, 2017| 8 Comments »
Happy Thanksgiving week y’all! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday no matter what your plans.
Posted in authors, Autumn, Baer House Inn, blogging, cement walls, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, Paranormal, short story, Vicksburg, window coverings, writing, tagged antique furniture, Chinese antiques, eye glasses, furniture, ghosts, glasses, Gone With the Wind, haunted house, old houses, paranormal investigations on October 31, 2016| 11 Comments »
Photo courtesy Google Images.
When we first bought the Baer-Williams House, the previous owner told us some fantastic tales about “ghostly happenings,” that allegedly occurred in the home. Keep in mind, I’m a skeptic so I simply smiled and silently said, “Okay.”
The previous owner, bought the house in 2005, after his home in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He’d always loved old houses and always wanted to run a bed & breakfast. (more…)
Posted in authors, Autumn, Baer House Inn, blogging, camera, cement walls, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, short story, Vicksburg, writing, tagged abandoned house, back yard, bulldozer, condemned house, demolish house, family, historic Vicksburg, history, house demolition, houses, memories, Mississippi, old houses, Victorian homes, Victorian houses on October 24, 2016| 6 Comments »
Houses have souls. I’m sure of it. Have you ever noticed that a house starts to deteriorate when it is no longer occupied? Why is that? I believe it’s because when humans move out, the house loses it soul. Without a soul, it dies. (more…)
Posted in authors, Autumn, blogging, dogs, Family, Fiction, friends, Holidays, humor, Jansen Schmidt, Paranormal, romance, singing, theater, theatre, words, writers, writing, tagged animal spirits, Baer House Inn, clairaudience, dog ghost, ghosts, ghosts & gravestones tour, haunted, haunted houses, Haunted Vicksburg, hauntings, limestone, music, old houses, paranormal, party, spirit beings, spirits, supernatural on December 7, 2015| 9 Comments »
Photo courtesy Google Images.
So, I live in an old house. As old houses go, mine’s pretty cool. But, I’ve discovered that if you have an old house, especially in the south, you have to have a ghost. So, naturally, we have a ghost (or 2 or 3 if rumor is to be believed).
According to the “experts,” (http://paranormalistics.blogspot.com/p/types-of-ghosts-and-spirits.html) a ghost is nothing more than: “the energy of a person or animals soul that once lived.” Okay. It makes sense that we’d have a ghost then since people did live in this house.
According to the same site, “There are multiple reasons why ghosts make themselves known to us and how they interact with the living is usually determined by what personality characteristics they had when they where alive.” Cool.
Photo courtesy Google Images.
So, what does that say about our ghost(s)? Nobody has actually seen a ghost in his house, but many have captured shadowy figures in their photographs, or so they say. I’ve taken lots of pictures and I got zilch, nadda, zip. But, I’ve learned that there’s many different ways to be “haunted.” This was news to me. Apparently ghosts make their presence known in several ways.
http://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/types-of-ghosts.php explains it like this: “Many of us have weird sensations about seeing shadows or shapes out of the corner of our eye, only for it to disappear when we turn to look. And while you may be one of those people who are not afraid of such a paranormal experience, did you ever stop and wonder just what kind of ghostly apparition you encountered? Maybe, like most folks, you didn’t even consider that there could be different kinds of ghosts out there.” (Me, me – raising hand.) “But the fact is, experts in the field have put together a list and definitions of the types of supernatural phenomena that exist and it may come in handy, especially if you’re headed out on a Ghosts & Gravestones Tour.” (Or perhaps the Haunted Vicksburg Tour.)
“1. The Interactive Personality – The most common of all ghosts spotted are usually those of a deceased person, someone you know, a family member or perhaps even a historical figure. These ghosts can be friendly or not . . . ” (I vote for friendly) “- but often show themselves to others in a variety of ways. They can become visible; they can speak or make noises, touch you or even emit an odor like perfume or cigar smoke, etc, to let you know they are there. Experts say that this type of ghost retains its former personality of when they were alive and can feel emotions. And often, they are visiting you to comfort you or let you know something important.”
Aww, I feel so comforted. Or maybe I’m just missing something. Something . . . important. Hmmmm.
Photo courtesy Google Images.
So, to recap, there are the filmy white apparitions seen by the naked eye. There are “vortex” ghosts who freeze people out of a sound sleep. There are the “smelly” ghosts, who like to scare people away by filling a space with fragrance of some kind. And then there’s our ghost – the kind that most often “materializes,” in an auditory form.
Here’s how http://www.ghoststudy.com/types.html explains our most common type of “haunting”: “CLAIRAUDIENCE: the ability of hearing the paranormal as opposed to seeing it.”
Ah. Now, I have heard things. Unexplainable things. And others have, too. So . . . perhaps we are “haunted?”
Again, quoting from the paranormalistics blog, “Ghosts were once human, just like you and I. It is believed that you keep your personality characteristics when you die. For example, if you where an evil person in life, you will be the same as a ghost. Mean spirited ghosts usually torment the living at haunted locations, feeding off the victims fear energy. The same goes for good people. If you were a loving person in life, you will be a loving ghost. Good spirited ghosts are usually very protective of families that live in haunted locations. Remember not all ghosts are bad.”
So, if I’ve done my deducting correctly, we have a friendly, even loving, and protective ghost. Probably a family member who once lived in the home. Here’s why I think it was a family member:
Photo courtesy Google Images.
http://www.angelsghosts.com/family_ghosts says this about family ghosts: “Family ghosts may best be defined as spirits of deceased humans, as well as animals,” (more on this below) “that remain around certain families for a particular function . . . who still care for the family in his or her own way, in a sense, acting as an angel or guardian over the family. And the ways they might find to interact with the living is fascinating . . . Family ghosts are commonly believed to also make themselves knows through use of strange sounds (the hoot of an owl, the sound of a dog, a bird against a window, etc.). Some ghosts of families are said to make everyone aware of them by the cracking of pottery or dishes!” (Or an expensive chandelier, like the sound I heard? Hmmmm.)
So, there you go. We have a friendly family music-loving ghost. Lots of guests report hearing music. Happy music like perhaps from a party. Perhaps a ball? Some have heard the jingling of a dog’s collar. Some hear dripping water (not that that’s particularly happy).
That’s right, it’s not just people sounds. Remember above I mentioned the jingling of a dog’s collar?
Here’s what I unearthed about animal spirits: According to http://listverse.com/2013/03/27/10-little-known-mysterious-ghost-types/, “Animal ghosts make their presence felt not just in manifestations, but also sound and smell. It is not unusual for a person experiencing a haunting which includes animal ghosts to hear the pitter patter of the invisible animal, or whimpering, panting and scratching on the walls and doors.” Add to that list, the shaking of the head so that a collar and metal tags jingle merrily. Could we also have an animal spirit hanging around?
Photo courtesy Google Images.
So, why are we experiencing paranormal activity but the neighbors aren’t? Here’s what the paranormalistics think: “An area can become haunted for many reasons, not just untimely deaths or tragic accidents. Sometimes an area can become haunted because it was the favorite place of a person who has passed. People do not have to die at a location for it to become haunted and it can technically happen anywhere. The architecture of a structure, the minerals in the land, underground springs and other water sources can have a major factor as well. For example, you should never build structures on top of limestone or water tables, because limestone retains energy and water is a conductor of energy. This belief dates back over 5000 years in ancient China and other areas in the region.”
Photo courtesy Google Images.
Okay. There you go. We have at least 2 cisterns below the house previously used for water collection. Hmmmm. Are we a conducting ground for paranormal activity? Could be.
Stay tuned for Part Two next week. Maybe after hearing a little more about the history of the Baer House, we can discover the whos and the whys. Until then dear readers, have you ever experienced a “haunting?” Did you know there are different types of ghosts? Is your house built on a limestone foundation? Inquiring minds want to know.
Word of the Day: Panoply
Fun fact about me: I’m glad we’re out of pumpkin season.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, November 2015.
Posted in authors, Autumn, blogging, camera, Family, Fiction, friends, humor, Jansen Schmidt, love, pumpkins, words, writing, tagged Autumn, Baer House Inn, decorations, entryway, Fall, fall colors, holiday decorating, newel post, pumpkins, scarecrows, stairs, Thanksgiving decoration, Vicksburg on November 16, 2015| 24 Comments »
Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
So here in Vicksburg we’re finally getting some cooler temperatures and rain. It feels like fall. Still not a lot of colored foliage (except green) because it hasn’t been cold enough, but it’s getting there.
I’ve been a busy little beaver installing the flavor of Autumn inside the Baer House. Here’s a photo journey of some of my handiwork:
Baer House photo, circa 1890. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Baer House entryway welcome. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Baer House guest book in entryway. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
The newel post. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
The information station. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Happy autumn from the Baer House Inn. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Grand ballroom mantel. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Grand ballroom mantel. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
The grand ballroom library. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
The grand ballroom sitting area. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
The huntboard. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Sideboard where morning coffee is served. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
Dining area in the grand ballroom. Photo by P. Rickrode, November 2015
And there you have it. A photographic journey of the Baer House in its autumn colors.
How about your readers, do you decorate for the seasons? What’s your favorite season? Do you like to see your town, house, grandma’s house decorated?
Thanks for touring today. Until next week, take care of yourseves and be kind to others.
Word of the Day: Mangelwurzel
Fun fact about me: I think fall is my favorite time to decoarate the house. The fall colors are so warm and inviting.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, November 2015. Original photos by P. Rickrode.
