It's National Candy Corn Day!

Learn all about candy corn from this previous blog post...

Frankenstein - Free EBook

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Snow Queen Bedroom

Better Homes and Gardens' website has a fun application for testing color combinations in virtual rooms. In the spirit of the Halloween season, I first tried different combinations of black, orange, brown and yellow, but something was amiss.  I then decided that artwork should inspire the project, and I chose this illustration by Ernie Kwiat as my guide.  Here is the finished project.  Try your own designs and email them to me.  I'll post your links here!

Bram Stoker's Dracula - Free EBook

Click to read Dracula through Project Gutenberg

Doggy Judogi, or Shih-Jitsu!

Two canine pals of mine, Scooter and Baxter, emailed this recent photo. Do not let their adorable puppy dog exterior deceive you; however, as they are highly skilled martial arts warriors! 


Fear not, Uptown Dallasites, for Scooter and Baxter will protect you from Halloween hijinx!

photo courtesy Sophia Young

They remind me of another ancient canine martial arts legend...

It's Saturday Night.....Night....night...night

Everyone who grew up near Pittsburgh in the '60s or '70s will remember Saturday nights spent munching pizza and sipping POP while watching Chiller Theater.  It was low budget, campy, and the best!  Host Chilly Billy Cardille (pronounced car-dilly) is still popular and chilly after all these years.  He's also immortalized in his role as the TV reporter in "Night of the Living Dead," which was filmed entirely in Western Pennsylvania.

Trivia: I met Mr. Cardille in New Castle, Pa., circa 1979 at a charity haunted house in Cascade Park.

I obviously missed this memo...

RIP Vic Mizzy, Addams Family Theme Composer

The legendary Vic Mizzy died on October 17 at the age of 93.  In addition to having one of the coolest names ever, Mr. Mizzy was known for his numerous television and movie theme compositions.  Most notable was his finger-snapping theme to "The Addams Family," for which he also provided vocals.

We can also thank Mr. Mizzy for the themes to "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction" and several Don Knotts movies.  My favorite theme of his Knotts films is "The Ghost and Mr.  Chicken."  I dare you to listen and not be taken immediately back to carefree childhood memories of Saturday afternoon cinema and silly sitcom reruns!

Visit Munster Mansion!

Waxahachie is home to a replica of 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the address of the Munsters.  Munster Mansion was designed and built by Charles and Sandra McKee based on the television series.  Drive by visitors are welcome any time (just stay outside the fence), and the home is open each Halloween for a charity event.  This year's event benefits Meals on Wheels and will be held from 7-12 pm on October 30 and 31, and Pat Priest aka "Marilyn Munster" from the TV series will be there to sign autographs.  And yes, the McKees believe their home really is haunted.

What's A Stigmatized Property?

Should you tell a prospective buyer if you think your property is haunted?

According to the National Association of REALTORS, a property is stigmatized when it has been "psychologically impacted by an event, which occurred or was suspected to have occurred on the property, such event being one that has no physical impact of any kind." 

Texas Property Code requires that sellers and real estate professionals have a responsibility to make proper disclosures regarding the condition of the property.  But does duty to disclose go beyond physical condition? 

Sellers and real estate professionals have no duty to disclose or inquire as to AIDS/HIV-related illness, deaths that occurred on the property by natural causes, suicides or accidents unrelated to the condition of the property.  But what about ghosts?

The Deceptive Trade Practices Act says that failure to disclose known information is a false, misleading, or deceptive act if doing so is intended to induce the consumer into a transaction he or she would not have entered had the information been disclosed.  The Act does NOT limit the information to the condition of the property.

So, if you think your home is stigmatized, you should make this disclosure.  Always consult a real estate attorney for the best advice.  When it doubt...Disclose!
Source:  Texas A&M Real Estate Center April 2001 Letter of the Law, Judon Fambrough

McKinney Ghost Walk

Interested in some spooky Halloween fun for the family?  Take the McKinney Ghost Walk to learn about haunted places around Chestnut Square.  Click here for more information!

Movie Review - Paranormal Activity

A new movie release, particularly around Halloween, is an event!  On Sunday, I attended a matinee of "Paranormal Activity" at NorthPark AMC. This is not a slasher or monster flick.  The filmmakers rely on the audience's anticipation of what will happen when the lights go out. If you dig spectacular special effects, this might not be a film for you.  It's organic. Imagine an extended, homemade YouTube video (the one with the maze where Linda Blair pops out) or the "Blair Witch Project."  It was worth the price of a matinee admission, if only to watch the audience's reactions.  Although I didn't find it particularly scary at the time, I must admit I was slightly spooked at bedtime! 

Happy Birthday, John Lennon

John Lennon would have been 69 years old today.  Imagine.

Sketch by Ernie Kwiat.   From the K Baugh Collection.

Haunted House Tour Destinations

Here are links to Dallas-area haunted houses.  Have a spooky time!
artwork copyright Ernie Kwiat

Random Things Rediscovered While Cleaning My Desk

The crisp fall air always inspires me to throw open the windows, clean and reorganize.  This morning's project was my desk.  Many treasures were uncovered during this excavation, and seeing them all piled up reminded me of children's "I Spy" books.  Among some normal office items (i.e. mace), see if you can find:  one blues harp in C; three Oscar Meyer wienie whistles; one ketchup bottle; Todd Rundgren's guitar pick; St. Joseph; one fortune telling fish; one Peruvian alpaca letter opener; one TREPAC 99 club pin; one Stevie Nicks Bella Donna LP; one Sam's Club children's cookie card; one flock of Color For Real Estate flamingos; one vintage AF Weymer Co. broom label.

To answer your questions about the above items: I am not Catholic; I've never been to the Hard Rock Casino; My fortune telling fish usually curls up at both ends when I hold it; I need to trade in my flamingos for some fabulous prizes at CFRE; and all of these valuable items will be gently returned to my desk.

Hideous, Horrible Creatures...Beware!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Witch's Brooms

A witch's broom is typically depicted as a besom broom, which is a constructed broom made of a bundle of twigs tied to a stouter pole. They are still made today and sold at garden centers. The bristles can be made of many materials including straw, herbs, or twigs. Traditionally the handle is of hazel wood and the head is of birch twigs.

A bristle-up broom near a doorway is said to help protect the house from evil spirits or negative energies.  Perhaps evildoers see the broom and assume a witch is at home and move on to the next house.


But why are witches associated with brooms? There are theories revolving around herbal ointments and "flying" hallucinations. If you want to know more, a quick search of the internet will retrieve some entertaining results.  (We'll reserve that info for the advanced class...)

Witch's Broom is also a deadly tree disease. In medieval times, unexplainable events were often blamed on witchcraft. The term witches' broom comes from the German word Hexenbesen, which means to bewitch (hex) a bundle of twigs (besom). The name for this mysterious tree ailment could have come about because it manifests like a broom--and is so difficult to pinpoint the cause-- that it might have been easier to say the tree was bewitched!


Source:  Paula Flynn, Department of Plant Pathology at Iowa State University.

Celebrating Candy Corn

Who doesn't love delicious candy corn?  Even if your tastebuds don't appreciate the flavor, there's something about a bowl of those precious little kernels that just screams happy childhood Halloween memories!


Here is some fascinating information detailing the origins and production statistics of candy corn.  Most candy corn contains gelatin, so I prefer to buy mine from a health food store.  Here is an easy recipe to make your own cruelty-free version from Denise Oliveri.

Click here for a groovy illustration by Ernie Kwiat depicting an intergallactic struggle over the last candy corn.  And here's Uncle Ernie's recipe for a non-alcohol candy corn drink...bottoms up!

Virtual Tour - Spooky Town, TX

Ghosts Included But Not Guaranteed!

Check out this eBay item for sale:  Haunted Kentucky Horse Farm.

The owner claims to have seen spirits on the property, and she is "more than willing to take a lie detector test at your expense, not mine" to prove it's true.

The home is described as a fully furnished manufactured home on five fenced acres.  "Ghost are included but not guaranteed."

She doesn't mention if the ghosts are human or equine.
Photo:  Lura Ketch

A Night At A Haunted Hotel

On August 8, 2009, my brother, daughter, and I spent the night in damp, dark, old hotel in northwestern Pennsylvania on Lake Conneaut.  Hotel Conneaut dates back to 1892 but officially opened in 1903 and was once one of a dozen or so hotels surrounding the lake.  Hotel Conneaut is now the last one standing. The hotel maintains its historic style, which means no elevators, televisions, phones, or air conditioning! 

The A&E television show "Paranormal State" investigated and filmed at the hotel just a few days before we arrived.  Legend has it that the hotel is home to several ghosts who have permanently checked in...but can never check out.

The most famous ghost at the hotel is Elizabeth, a bride who supposedly died in a hotel fire on her wedding night.  The room where she stayed (#128) is closed, but hotel guests are allowed to explore the deserted wing.  My daughter took some photos of what was Elizabeth's room, and "orbs" showed up in several.  (Some people theorize that orbs are spirit energy.) After taking the photos, we heard two very loud BANGS on the wall directly beside us, and we both noticed a strong floral scent.  There was no one else in that part of the hotel with us, nor were there any flower arrangements.  We were like the Three Stooges, bumping into each other and the walls as we ran as fast as we could to get out of that hallway!

Upon returning to our room after exploring the hotel, my brother noticed that the water in his bathroom sink was running.  None of us had used the water that evening.

After finally falling asleep, I awoke because I felt something heavy near my legs.  It felt just like someone had sat on the edge of the bed.  When I sat up the heaviness disappeared, and I didn't see anything other than my brother asleep in his bed and my daughter in hers.

Sometime later, my daughter woke me by frantically scrambling into my bed because something was slowly pulling the covers from hers.  She spent the rest of the night with me.

In the morning, my brother's toothbrush was missing.  I saw him carefully put it in a ziplock bag and place it on his sink the night before.  We searched the entire room multiple times, under his bed, inside the bedcovers, the closet, his suitcase...everywhere...and that toothbrush could not be found.  We gave up and ventured downstairs for coffee in the lobby (we were gone, perhaps, 5 minutes). When we returned, we immediately noticed that the toothbrush had been neatly placed inside the suitcase on top of his clothes.  Housekeeping had not been in our room.

Did we have ghostly encounters at Hotel Conneaut?  That will remain a mystery.  BUT, it's a fun adventure to share!