Would You Name a Ghost?

There are things that really suck lately:  the economy, joblessness, the attacks in Norway.  But I don't care about any of that today.  Today, all I care about is the fact the sun is shining, and everyone in my house is happy.  Including the ghost.

Our house is about 70 years old.  It has the creaks an old house makes and the details that you don't find in newer houses, like the woodwork embedded in our staircase.  We have the cave, ie basement, which I am terrified to go into.  It has a low ceiling and hasn't been finished, so you are literally in a root cellar.  Both my guys knew of my fear of the cave, which is how they managed to stash a 5 foot tall box full of pink flamingo's in my house without my ever knowing.

I am convinced that we also have a ghost.  I'm not afraid of the ghost at all.  I actually think it's pretty cool to have a ghost in our house.  Gives the house character.  It also gives me a reason for talking to myself.  I'm talking to the ghost.  Ryder has been acting weird lately and I attribute that to his sensing the ghost as well.  He'll run up and down the stairs, run outside, comes back in, sits really close to me and does it all over again.  He hasn't done it when Jeff's around, yet.

Last night, I really did talk to the ghost.  Jeff was out playing poker and it was just the kids and I.  I closed the house down, left some lights on for Jeff and went upstairs to read myself to sleep.  Both dogs were downstairs because its still pretty hot at night and they like the cool floor.  I am in bed with a great book for about 15 minutes until I hear a crash.  Something was going on downstairs and it wasn't something usual.

The dogs were at the foot of the stairs, alert, waiting for me.  I checked the living room, and there was nothing out of place, or dead in the middle of the floor.  I walked into the dining room and there on the floor, was a picture I had hanging in my kitchen.  Face down on the floor.  For no apparent reason.

Yeah, I'm a little freaked out by this point.  The picture is a charactercure of a woman in motion.  Now its face down on the floor.  The glass wasn't broken, it just fell off the wall.  For no apparent reason.  I pick the picture up, brush it off, and I said, I hope you'll let me hang this up again for a little while.  I really like this picture.  I re-hang the picture and say Thanks.  I really appreciate you letting me hang it again.  Yes, I am talking to a ghost.

This wasn't the first time something really weird has happened in this house.  When my son was out for the holidays, we had another incident.  It was really late, and we had all made it to bed.  Again, just as we're settling in, we here this THUMP.  It sounded like a dead body had fallen down.  Jeff and I both sit up and look at each other.  Then we ran downstairs as I was yelling Thomas David, GET UP!  Thomas David, Get Up!  Thomas comes flying out of his bedroom, and we all just stood there looking around.  WTF?

I was yelling for Thomas to make sure he wasn't the dead body.   We have never figured out what that noise was or where it came from.  So we have a ghost.  I haven't named him yet, but I'm pretty sure its a him.  Everything that belongs in my house has a name, and naming the ghost isn't something I'm going to do.  Unless I really do find a dead body the next time.

Thanks for reading!