Creepy homemade costumes were the norm for Halloween trick-or-treating in years past. (Photo provided by the author)

My mom was the queen of creating really fun Halloween costumes for my brother, me, and the grandkids. We would wait with bated breath on Halloween to see what she made for us. Then came the ghost year. My brother and I were bouncing on our toes waiting for our costumes, and mom comes out with two white sheets, drapes them over us, marks where our eyes should be and then cuts out eyeholes. That was it, the end of fabulous costumes for us. We were reduced to store-bought, hard plastic masks with eye holes so small that you couldn’t see in either direction and “suits” made of rayon. Oh, but once grandbabies hit the scene, she was sewing costumes or buying expensive pieces. My youngest was given a beautiful ladybug costume that ended up being worn by several family members.

What is Halloween without a bit of scary and unknown thrown in? I am a paranormal investigator; this was born out of sharing my extremely haunted antique shop with energy I didn’t get to see very often. The activity was pretty well documented and certainly changed my view on the afterlife. I learned how to deal with objects that had spirit attachments.

My gift to you in this month in which the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is a link to a blog I put up showing a few of the investigations at the shop – hauntedantiqueshop.blogspot.com or if you would like to listen to a recent two-part podcast interview by a dear friend to get a shot of paranormal – search on Youtube for: The Haunting of Granny’s Attic with lots of great EVPs, ghost stories and haunted antiques (parts 1 and 2). Like many, I don’t like hearing my recorded voice and I promise I had not been drinking prior to the interview. My Southern drawl is on full display. Enjoy!