Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

I have never had a year (as far as I can remember) when I haven't dressed up for Halloween. When I was a kid, my mom would help me put together costumes. We'd look through her closet, do some crafting, or even stop off at the Halloween store to put my costumes together. Perhaps I can find some of my childhood Halloween photos to post one day. This year, I came pretty damn close to not dressing up for Halloween. My Ryan and I took a train ride in the Blue Ridge for Halloween and then walked around town and stopped for some muscadine wine. We didn't get back until somewhat late, but neither of us had actually gotten a costume together because of our schedules. Regardless, I didn't want to make this the first year I didn't dress up, so I pulled something together before a Halloween get-together. The result: Carnival Fortune Teller complete with third eye.  Above, notice the "orbs" and face-like reflection on the mini fridge in the background. It really...

Have you ever wondered why people tend to display carved pumpkins during the Halloween season? If you really take a step back to think about the tradition, it seems a little random and perhaps odd to carve out a gourd for the sake of decoration. Like many traditions and legends, It's steeped in folklore and the supernatural. The origin of the Jack-O-Lantern comes from an Irish Folktale about "Stingy Jack," aka Jack of the Lantern (hence the name, Jack-O-Lantern). source As the story goes, there was a man named Jack in Ireland who happened to be a drunkard and a trickster. One night (some say Hallow's Eve), he happened to meet the Devil at a pub. Jack and the Devil had some drinks. When it was time for last call, "Stingy Jack" lived up to his name by not wanting to pay for his alcohol. Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a sixpence to pay for the drinks...in exchange for Jack's soul, that was. When the Devil did so, Jack put the sixpence ...

source "Death, the final, triumphant lover."- Bela lugosi If you did not know, today is the 56th anniversary of Bela Lugosi's death. He died this day (August 16) in 1956. Bela Lugosi is regarded by many to be a horror legend. He starred in movies such as Dracula , White Zombie , Murders in The Rue Morgue , etc. This man changed the face of horror forever.

There is much mystery surrounding the art of dowsing. For those of you who are curious, I'm going to share what dowsing is, the uses of it, my experiences with dowsing, and possible explanations surrounding it. source Dowsing, or divining, is considered to be a form of divination  in which the operator holds two L-shaped rods or a Y-shaped rod in order to locate things such as water, metals, gravesites, buried treasure, and even lost items. This method of divination has been considered useful for thousands of years. Dowsing was even condemned at one point for being "satanic," and it was strictly forbidden, especially with puritan settlers in the new world. Today, it is used by hobbyists, including myself, and even in murder investigations. If you would like to learn more about how to dowse, look here . I bought my first pair of dowsing rods two years ago when I went on vacation to Salem, Massachusetts. I got them from a very lovely shop that I highly recommend cal...