in 1999, we were given the opportunity to purchase an 1890’s victorian in n. portland. we were in the market for a new house and were looking in the hood for something we could get at a good price and turn it around. the house we purchased was from relatives. longs story short, the previous owner lived his last years in 1 room of the house and it was in need of some love. it also explains some of the experiences we have had since. the day we signed a contract with the current owners, they were nice enough to give us the keys so we could do some cleaning and begin moving in. it was also that day that i experienced my first, but not last ghostly experience.
when we arrived at the home, there was still some items left over from the estate sale and previous owner. very few of the lights worked as the bulbs were either burned out or just not there. in the late afternoon and evening, this led to a darker home than i prefer. on that first day, we decided to make the basement our base of operations, the place to store stuff while we worked upstairs. the first time i went down there, i just remember thinking, wow, there’s something strange here. 1000+ sq. ft. of emptyness other than the rafters and posts holding up the house. i figured out the lights, but i still felt like i was being watched or followed. that evening when at home, i mentioned it to my partner in crime and she too had felt a strange feeling in the house. her recommendation? next time you head down there, say loudly and confidently, “i’m coming down and this is my house now. i don’t mean to bother you if you don’t bother me.” it worked people. it worked. while i was down there in the dim light, i felt like whatever had been there was either gone, or satisfied with my assertion. but that wasn’t the end of our experience with the new home.

from the beginning, we both had experiences of either seeing things or feeling things in the house. one evening when we were watching tv in the living room, i caught out of the corner of my eye a cat or small dog running up the stairs to the second floor. the strange thing was that the cat and dog that lived with us were sitting on our laps at that specific moment. we saw this many times, movement of what appeared to be animals running through rooms or up the stairs.

one afternoon, i remember hearing my love take in air quickly with a jolt in the office/kitchen area. i rushed in and she was ashen. while walking from the office into the kitchen, she swears she walked right into someone standing by the fridge. a person. a ghost. i too have experience that not once, but a few times. it usually occurs shortly after we do a major renovation or change to the home. the prevous people are coming out to tell us weather they like or dislike what we’ve done.

we have chihuahuas and they are usually calm. they are the perfect lap dog who’s only goal is to hang out with you in front of the heater or under a blanket. one of our little ones, phoebe, is sometimes caught in the bathroom, barking at nothing. she’ll just stand in one spot and begin barking and barking. yet there is nothing there, no sounds, no knocks at the door, nothing. BUT there is. she knows there is something there and is affected by it.

on this, all hallow’s eve and tomorrow on all saint’s day, we have an opportunity to embrace our spirits from the other side whether they were people or animals. tonight and tomorrow, when wandering about town or in your home, open up to the possiblity that there were others there before us and they may still be there. they may be caught in a place between heaven and hell or maybe they just didn’t want to leave in the first place. they like it there.

i’m gonna walk around my home tonight and say goodnight to all the ghosts. it makes it easier when i get up in the night to get my glass of water to not step on a lonely cat wandering through the kitchen…….