My Partner's Grandma Visits Us at her Gravesite

A TRIBUTE TO MY PARTNER'S GRANDMA - This weekend would have been my partner's grandmother Grace's 100th birthday. She passed 4 years ago, however, but remains strongly around today. Grandma has been tossing pennies to my partner since she passed. We drove to eastern Virginia with our dogs and went to her gravesite to pay tribute to her.
Not surprisingly, I received some messages at the cemetary. I got my tell-tale headache indicating there were some spirits or ghosts present. Now, cemetaries aren't "haunted," until living people come there with feelings of love and other emotions to "power up the spirits." If there were earth-bound ghosts there, negative energy would power them up, but love powers spirits who have crossed into the light. Grandma gave me several messages and one was her telling me how she would go out in the backyard kitchen (separate from the house) and bring ice cream to my partner when he stayed there as a kid. Hem confirmed that one for me. There were other images, some of which we're still trying to understand.
Grandma Grace was really funny. I only knew here about 6 months before she passed and 5 of those she spent in a nursing home. She had a good wit about her, and was loved by many people in the town. She did a lot of sewing for people, and Tom tells me she was a good cook, too, always canning and preserving something. She's very loved and missed.
I sensed some other spirits that were able to "power up" when we were there- one leaning against a tree, another sitting on his gravestone. I didn't get their messages though (we didn't stick around a long time as it was too hot!).

You, Your Pets and This High Heat - *off topic, but important*

I'm a meteorologist as well as a developing medium, so I thought I'd pass this information along because of the extreme HOT temperatures in the U.S. this summer.
With this dangerous heat, its easy for people and pets to get sick quickly from dehydration, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion.
What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?
Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when your body can't keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool when your sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn't enough to cool your body, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill.
HEAT SICKNESS - Our Weimaraner Dolly was only out for 30 minutes at a time at Daycare yesterday (in a shaded run and with water) and she came home with heat sickness. She ate dinner then threw it all up. After I rubbed her down with a washcloth and icecubes, and gave her a bath in cool water, she was fine. ... then she was hungry. That was only 30 MINUTES!!

DON'T WALK THE DOGS ON HOT PAVEMENT IN THE DAYTIME - Asphalt tends to be 20 degrees HOTTER than the air temperature (once the temps get over 85F), so avoid walking dogs on asphalt. Think about walking on 105F pavement in bare feet. OUCH! When temps hit 90F, the asphalt can be around 120-122F in direct sunshine. ***WITH THE HIGH HEAT INDICIES, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG OUTSIDE FOR MORE THAN 15-30 MINUTES***
What is heat exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot. It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience:
•Heavy sweating •Feeling weak and/or confused •Dizziness
•Nausea •Headache •Fast heartbeat •Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration
What should I do if I think I have heat exhaustion?
If you think you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a building that has air-conditioning. If you can't get inside, find a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Do NOT drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks (such as soda). These can make heat exhaustion worse. Take a cool shower or bath, or apply cool water to your skin. Take off any tight or unnecessary clothing.
If you do not feel better within 30 minutes, you should contact your doctor. If heat exhaustion is not treated, it can progress to heatstroke
What should I do if I think someone has heatstroke?
If you think someone might have heatstroke, call emergency medical personnel immediately. While you are waiting for medical assistance, take the person into an air-conditioned building or a cool, shady place. Remove the person's unnecessary clothing to help cool him or her down. Try to fan air over the person while wetting the skin with water. You can also apply ice packs to the the person's armpits, groin, neck and back. These areas contain a lot of blood vessels close the surface of the skin. Cooling them with ice packs can help the person cool down.

Ronda's Encounter at Montpelier Mansion

Ronda wrote me with an experience she had, and has allowed me to share it with you. She wrote: "While reading your book I came across the section about the Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Maryland. I use to work the "Needle Art" show there every year around July. I would get there early before all of the people arrived, open the doors turn on the lights, etc. One day while I was there alone waiting for the people to arrive, I was sitting in the breeze way (the one that goes between the house and the room with all the book shelves) cross stitching. When out of the corner of my eye I could see the bottom of a dress. The dress was a robins egg blue color and had a pattern kind of like herringbone. When I looked directly at door the where the person was standing, no one was there. This happened 3 different times, there was no doubt that there was a lady watching me sew."

I'm wondering if anyone else had a ghostly encounter at the Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, as Ronda and I have. Please write in and share them!

Entertaining Fiction Book for All: Dead Person Following My Sister""

I recently went to a Scholastic book warehouse sale with a good friend who found the paperback "There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around" by author Vivian Vande Velde.
I just finished the book (142 pages) and although its written for kids and young teens, I LOVED IT!
I learned the Ms. Vande Velde has written others like it, which I intend to read (even though we have no children). The Publisher's Website says of the book "Vande Velde continues her string of historical ghost stories, this time focusing on the Underground Railroad. The first-person narrator, 11-year-old Ted, is certain that his house in Rochester, NY, can't be haunted because it has been in his family for generations and there have been no secrets to speak of in its past. Then his five-year-old sister Vicki's imaginary friend Marella and the "bad lady" who seems to be chasing her prove themselves to be all too real. Ted decides to get to the bottom of the mystery and finds a journal belonging to one of his ancestors that recounts the tragic story of two runaway slaves, a mother and her five-year-old daughter, who drowned in the Erie Canal, which used to run through the family's backyard."
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. It was a fun and enjoyable read.

Karma- It Will Get You on the Road!

I was driving to a doctor's appointment this morning on a road that was dropping down from 4 lanes to 2 lanes (one lane going each direction) and I was in the appropriate lane for the merge to go straight. As the lanes came together a young woman in a silver sports car raced past me on the shoulder and quickly swung in front of me, cutting me off (and forcing me to brake). She startled me, and I gave a quick toot on my horn. Of course, she put her arm outside her window and gave me the finger. Lovely.
Here's where the Karma part comes in;
1) There was a truck 3 cars ahead of her, so she couldn't speed excessively.
2) When she turned off, I followed (because that was the road I had to go on), and she must've been driving about 80 mph (it was a 40 mph road). She took off like a bullet and was out of sight. A couple of minutes later, I drove past her as she was PULLED OVER by a Police Officer for speeding! KARMA!!!

Wesley's Spirit Gives Me Messages

Our friend Cynthia's dad Wesley passed this week. He was 88 and suffered from memory loss and dementia. On July 1 he was waked, and Tom and I went to the wake. As we were driving toward it, her dad came to me with a number of messages, many of which took me and Cynthia by surprise.
The first one was "Cindy Lou." That came to me over and over, and I didn't know who that was... turned out that it's what he called Cynthia. I was blown away by that! The next message was about one of her brothers and she understood what it meant.
The third thing he told me was what happened as he passed. He had bleeding on the brain, and he told me that he "heard a pop" in his head, and the next thing he knew, he (his spirit) was standing up in the hospital (ER) while the doctors were working on him. He stayed for a brief time (I believe 1-2 days) and then was ready to move on (that's when he passed). He said he feels no pain, and doesn't remember any (spirits typically don't remember any pain associated with passing).
He said that now that he's transitioning to the other side (he was still at his wake) he can think clearly now, like a great fog has been lifted from his brain. Now that he's passed he is free of the dementia, so his thoughts are clear.
He mentioned how he had missed "Honey Bun" (his wife) who is hospitalized in a different care center, but would now be watching over her.
The last thing he said was to "thank Cindy Lou" for all of the love, care and attention she provided to him, especially since he fell ill. When I told these things to Cynthia it brought her to tears, but happy tears. She's comforted to know he's okay.

BOOK: Gift : Understand and Develop Your Psychic Abilities

I just finished reading the book "Gift : Understand and Develop Your Psychic Abilities" by Echo Bodine. This is a good book for people who are developing mediums. It will give you a good sense of what kinds of messages to expect and how to interpret (or not over-interpret) them. If you're curious about what the Bible says about mediumship there's a long chapter included, where Ms. Bodine has done extensive research. She has also authored a number of other books that also sound interesting.

Airing July 5 on HBO: Mediums: "No One Dies in Lilydale"

HBO is airing a documentary tonight, JULY 5, called "No One Dies in Lilydale." The program showcases a town in upstate New York and the large number of mediums that reside there.
Whether or not you believe in people being able to cross over or communicate with the dead, you have to admit, the subject’s kind of interesting, especially when it involves a town with a concentrated population of so-called Mediums.
Located just south of Buffalo, tiny Lily Dale, NY, is home to the world’s largest concentration of mediums, people who claim to be able to communicate with spirits of the deceased. Every year, thousands of visitors from all over the world flock to this quaint Victorian community to have their questions answered and grief assuaged. Directed by Emmy® winner and Oscar® nominee Steven Cantor (HBO’s Devil’s Playground), NO ONE DIES IN LILY DALE follows visitors on their emotional quests, chronicling their mysterious and deeply personal interactions with the town’s unusual residents, when it debuts MONDAY, JULY 5 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Good Book! Haunted Nantucket Island

I just finished reading a good book about 22 different haunted places on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The book is called "Nantucket Haunted Hike Presents: the Haunted Nantucket Island: Twenty-two True Nantucket Ghost Stories" by W.B. Alexander, a man who lives there and runs the ghost tours of the island. The book is extremely well-written, captivating, and has some really great stories in it that will make you want to visit Nantucket!
ISBN-10: 1413488935. I highly recommended it!

Dread and Anxiety Drive us from Haunted New Hope, PA

Tom and I visited New Hope, Pennsylvania this past Saturday and as soon as we crossed into the town line I started feeling anxious, nervous and miserable. It was like I walked into a thick blanket of negative energy. It didn't help that the bed and breakfast that we were going to stay at (but we didn't) was full of negative energy either, which is why we drove home that evening.
First, however, we walked through the town for about 2 hours. The first hint that things were screwy was a restaurant we went into. I sat while Tom went to the restroom for a minute. During that time (which was about 3 minutes) a waitress and her husband (they owned the place) walked up to me and asked for the order. Not knowing what Tom wanted the man said "you come to the cash register when you know." Um... so when Tom returned to the table I had to order at the cash register. Weird.
New Hope, Pennsylvania runs along the west side of the Delaware River (yes, the one that George Washington crossed on December 25, 1776, and he did so just south of New Hope). As I've mentioned many times before running water near a town adds to ghostly activity. This was off the charts for me and I couldn't block it out. The tell-tale headache I get that signals ghosts or spirits are around hit me when we came into town. The negativity, the sadness, the fear, anxiety, nervousness I felt were making me really, really uncomfortable.
In terms of the haunts, here is what Unsolved Mysteries.com says about New Hope, PA: "The New Hope area has been rumored to be haunted by a number of ghosts. So many, in fact, that it has been named “America’s Most Haunted Town.” Most [haunts] originate in “downtown” New Hope surrounding Bridge Street and the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge." (That's especially where I felt miserable and where we decided to leave the town that night and return home!
Unsolved Mysteries.com goes on to say that many places have ghost stories: the Inn at Phillips Mill, the Pickett House, the Logan Inn, Odette’s Restaurant, and the Van Sant Bridge. Each place has its own specific legend and the witnesses to back it up.

"The Inn at Phillips Mill is known for having a couple of ghosts spending their time inside its walls. There is rumored to be a woman who wears a long dress with a high collar roaming about around the staircase and the upstairs hall of the building. A rocking chair in one corner of the Inn is also claimed to have a spiritual presence about it."

"The Logan Inn also has a reputation for being haunted; in fact, so much so that the place has four ghosts. If you stay in room six, watch out for a man’s reflection in the mirror which disappears when you look around. Two children are also said to stay in this room sometimes. A Revolutionary War soldier also wanders about the Inn, taking refuge in different rooms including the bar, the basement, and the dining room. A portrait of a woman who enjoyed wearing lavender perfume hangs in a hallway, and many claim that they can still smell the scent when they pass by it. For men who wish to use the restroom, be wary if the steps leading to the one in the basement: it is believed that a man in knee breeches waits on them. And in the parking lot, a little girl who was known to have drowned some time ago lurks in the shadows."

"Joseph Pickett is a deceased artist who hauntes what once was his bedroom in the house he owned on Mechanic Street. He also, like many residents of New Hope, enjoys strolling along the towpath. Joseph likes to visit a house on Mechanic Street once owned by his cousin. Odette’s, which used to be called the River House and used to serve boatmen in the late eighteenth century, has occurrences of a ghostly woman who was rumored to be murdered during the time when the restaurant was called the River House. There are also moments of chills and voices in the restaurant, accompanied by a strong smell of perfume, much like in the Logan Inn."

"The Van Sant Bridge is also haunted by an unmarried young woman with an infant, who was thrown out of her house by her parents. She jumped to her death off the Van Sant Bridge, with her baby in her arms. The legend says that to this day, when you stand on the bridge, you can hear the baby crying. Horse thieves also used to be hanged from this bridge, and people can often still see one of them hanging there."

So, it's no surprise to me that it was especially walking over that bridge that I felt the most negative energy and we decided to leave the town. Between the suicide and the hangings from that location, there was way too much negative energy for me to block out.

Information from: http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm464955.html