What did you get....

for whatever you celebrate for the holidays: Kwanza, Christmas, or Hannakah?

I was pleasantly surprised to get the Nikon D 60, and a new piece of ghost hunting equipment (thermal/infrared thermometer gun), and 5 new Amaryllis from my parents. Paul got me the D60 and the thermal gun. I always get shocked a wee bit, but this was a WEE bit.

Another really nice surprise was my brother coming in. He finished his PhD, joined the Navy, and is going through Naval Flight School in Florida. He surprised everyone with the visit!

Cool! Have fun with the D60, Thom. You're into ghost hunting?!! Wow. Have you seen The Haunted and Ghost Lab?

Ghost hunting equipment!?!?!

OK... you can't just drop that in without SOME kind of explanation!!

Nancy

Who ya gonna call??

Hemhostaholic!!!!

great, keep us posted

Most of the episodes of The Haunted on Animal Planet took place in PA. What's gong on there?!

Lotsa old Rev.War soldiers I bet.

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Ghosts-Scott-Thomas/dp/1888993626

lol...didn't mean to drop and run like that. One of the RN's that I work with started a paranormal investigative group 2 years ago. Most of the members of the group work 11p-7a, so Debbie (the RN who started the group) calls us the Night Owls. There is a web site out there, need to look it up and link it.

Most of us have the ghost hunting shows all recorded on our DVR's, and we've investigated some of the places where Ghost Hunters have gone to. The place where I found Ivan (our Tuxedo rescue) was one of the places. The link is the building/place where we did our first "out of state" investigation. It's called Prospect Place: http://prospectplace-dresden.com/

Found our website: http://nightowls-ghosthunters.com/

We've investigated churches, cemetaries, private homes, our nursing home, other nursing homes, abandoned buildings and pretty much nothing is off limits. As long as we have permission, we'll investigate it. The website pretty much says it all. The "hunt" itself is usually over and done with rather quickly, it's the listening to audio/video that is really time consuming, and where most things are "caught!"

That is a spooky looking place! I didn't get any plant related gifts :(, but I did get a book of Maine paintings that I love----clothes, jewelery, & money, & a Steam Shark---my floors are spotless!

So what have you found? Do the owners follow up with 'cleansing'??

Yeah! like leaving a glass of water in the room, putting a broom on the threshold, burning sage leaves and incense stuff! - you know, all that stinky stuff ghosts don't like!

On a recent episode they did salt around the outside too. I think the first ghost-busters were cooks.

Hahaha! If the loaf burns - blame it on the ghosts>

Forgot to say I got a nice gift certificate to Fairweather from my mom. Combo Christmas and bday gift.

We, as a group, are strictly investigative...we don't cleanse/purge, try to get rid of, or try to anger anything that maybe there. We pretty much tell whomever has us investigating that that is specifically what we do, is investigate. I'm gonna say about 70-80% of what is thought to have been paranormal (by definition that word simply means "above" the normal) can simply be explained by other means. Heat changes/floor boards. Steam pipes/rattles, shaking, knocking. Wind knocking things off shelves/howling noises, sudden drops in temps, senses of cold, etc. We spend most of the time trying to disprove what is/isn't there. It's the other 20-30% that makes us do this :-) We have some really fun audio, and a few interesting things caught on infrared night vision, that we simply can't explain.

Anyone who lives in/near that area of Ohio, Prospect Place is a long term project that the owner is trying to complete. The house is enormous, and needs lot and lots of work. I think, looking at the moldings in some of the rooms, that to say the house needs money to fix it up is an understatement. I would guess that $10-15 million would probably take care of it...maybe...just maybe. Lots of history there. I didn't know that Ohio would be such a safe haven along the Underground Railroad. It was a neat history lesson.

With all of these Amaryllis that I have, I believe I have about 8 different ones now, I have no idea what to do with them once Summer comes. I believe, if memory serves me correctly, that I'm supposed to plant them outside, and they may actually grow (in the sense of increasing) dig them up, and repeat....anyone know?

I had heard that Amarillis summer well.
My daughter does it but the next season flower isnt so great.

chasing ghosts is pretty cool - ever afraid they may follow you home?

besides the two gift certificates i received and the assume onion - i got a bonsai tool kit - now i just need to know what to do with them :) will probably take a class this spring.

Bonsi sounds cool. Its a serious hobby- persuite.

Ghost chasing! how exciting!!

Always wanted to try bonsai...but I don't think my watering habits would work well with it.

There are a couple of people I work with that do ghost hunting as a hobby. They go to all kinds of places - houses, hotels, cemetaries, etc... They live in Charles County, MD and routinely go to the nearby Dr. Samuel Mudd house. Dr. Mudd treated Booth during his escape after the Lincoln assassination, and there is a lot of spooky folklore associated with the house and surrounding area. They have some pretty interesting unexplainable stories.

The last few years, my family has been doing the round robin gift exchange thing. Everyone brings a gift for the pile and draws numbers. It is a joke that I ALWAYS get one of the lowest numbers and if I happen to pick a great gift, my brother and sisters make sure it gets "stolen". It's fun, and I think we all enjoy it more than we did doing the traditional gift exchanges. The oddest things become the gifts of choice that get repeatedly stolen as the round robin continues. This year it was a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and a 3' tall Christmas Nutcracker Soldier Decoration. Needless to say, I didn't end up with either - I went home with the giant bin of popcorn... Terri

i am going to suggest that to my family.
we go to a neighborhood party where thats done its a riot.
we ended up not giving gifts at the BIG family meal.
This game is also called the White Elephant or The Chinese Gift exchange.

or a yankee swap

Yes I knew there were more,just drew a blank, too much sugar I guess.

May need your help, Thom. My wife swears money just disappears and plants suddenly appear!

How odddd

Thom, I summered my amaryllis on the patio, repotted it, watered & fertilized it, & all I got was a leaf---the bulb looks fine, just not cooperating.

Thats the history with Amarillis here too Robindog.

Victor I think your ghost travels far and wide!

I got an iphone for my son, but couldn't get it before Christmas because they would have to inactivate his old phone immediately. I wrapped up a box of soap...

Nice! I'm thinking of getting one. Shall I send my address, Deb?

Sure, I have lots of soap!
He likes it, and his job will pay for the increase in the monthly bill for internet usage, so that helps.

Hee hee! Please - no Lifeboy if I say a bad word!

So he took the promotion?

He is going to, they just have to hire someone to take his place. They interviewed someone but he turned it down.

Good for him. Congrats! Guess I'll be seeing him at the next stickball game. ^_^

Remind me maybe I'll be there too.

It's a special one - the 25th annual!

You've been playing since you were 4?

Hee hee. Just about. Probably first played at six.

Nice gift Deb

i like the wrapping in soap idea - somthing i would do.

an update on my wifes present - she graciously picked one of the rings i got her and i was able to return the other one - whew! - when we went to get it sized she saw another she liked better - and yes it was more by expensive be several hundred dollars - this year she stayed with the one i purchased - i would have gotten her the other in years past without hesitation.