Come Here Spring!

Dearest Mother Nature – Really?  This weather you are throwing at us is outrageous.  One day it’s in the 70’s and the next day it’s in the 30’s.  Daddy says you are going through – what did he call it? – menopause.  He says that’s the only way to explain the vast difference in temperatures.  I can’t tell you what mommy called it – it was a bad word.

Yesterday here it was beautiful.  It was the first day it hasn’t rained.  Which by the way it has rained so much that I think I’m sprouting feathers and quacking now instead of oinking.  Today when mom went to work, it was so dark I thought it was night.  Nope, it was the same time that she usually leaves.  It was dark because it looked like the sky was fixing to fall out with thunderstorms.  Lovely.

 You know there are medicines that you can take for these mood swings.  If they don’t help, maybe you need to see a professional instead of taking this out on everyone in the world.  I’m just sayin’.

 

Boo! Winchester House

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.  The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

Come Here Spring!

Dearest Mother Nature – Really?  This weather you are throwing at us is outrageous.  One day it’s in the 70’s and the next day it’s in the 30’s.  Daddy says you are going through – what did he call it? – menopause.  He says that’s the only way to explain the vast difference in temperatures.  I can’t tell you what mommy called it – it was a bad word.

Yesterday here it was beautiful.  It was the first day it hasn’t rained.  Which by the way it has rained so much that I think I’m sprouting feathers and quacking now instead of oinking.  Today when mom went to work, it was so dark I thought it was night.  Nope, it was the same time that she usually leaves.  It was dark because it looked like the sky was fixing to fall out with thunderstorms.  Lovely.

And let me tell you about Albert, mom’s Smart car.  Mommy has not driven him in 8 days.  Why?  Because with your winds, your rain, your up and down temperatures, dad thought mom would be safer in Tank, the other car.  So you see now Mother Nature you are ticking off Albert.  He wants to run and he can’t.

 You know there are medicines that you can take for these mood swings.  If they don’t help, maybe you need to see a professional instead of taking this out on everyone in the world.  I’m just sayin’.

 

Fabulous Friday – YAY!

Hello my friends and Happy Fabulous Friday – YAY happy piggy dance wagging tail non stop.  This all mixed in with a long weekend due to the Memorial day holiday on Monday is fantastic news.  You do relax what all of this means, right?  Extra snuggles for the next three days!  OH YEAH!

Mom and dad are still trying to finalize their beach trip for October.  I hear them talking about it all of the time.  It sounds like it’s going to be a blast.  I know it ‘seems’ weird to go in October but they do it all of the time to their favorite beach spot.  There’s a couple reasons why.  (1) It’s off season so that means way less tourists.  They like to hang out with the local yocals that they have become friends with at the beach.  They’ve been going to the same place now on and off going on 10 years.  (2) Off season means off rates which means they can stay longer for less.  That’s the practical side of mom talking there – can you tell? snort chuckles  (3) Also, do you know that they haven’t been on ‘vacation’ per say in over two years?!  They’re wondering around the house these days like they’re planning a trip to Disney World!  They’re like little kids – it’s cute.

They keep talking about all of these wonderful restaurants that they want to go back to and the delicious food they have.  It sounds amazing.  I told mom, which I know she will, that she has to take LOTS of pictures for me to look at and drool over.  And, I’m sure she will share with ya’ll too.  That’s my mom – most people never leave home without money.  She never leaves home without her camera. 

You’ll probably hear me talking about their trip on and off until it happens.  They get so excited that it makes me excited for them.  Can you tell?

Happy LONG and safe weekend my friends. 

XOXO – Bacon