Month: October 2023

This year’s visit to the (maybe) most haunted house in Loudoun…

/ Katie / 7 Comments

In what is becoming one of my favorite traditions for the spooky season, I stopped by the (maybe) most haunted house in Loudoun County again this year.

I’ve posted about it since 2020. Is it the most haunted in Loudoun County? I don’t know. But I do know, as of now, it’s still standing, though for how long is anyone’s guess.

Here it is, just yesterday:

Not much change, I think, from last year.

It’s little more than a ruin now, and has been for some time. I don’t think it’s been inhabited since the 1980s, possibly before, and it’s fascinating and sad to watch it crumble. You can see signs that it was once a beloved, well-kept home – the delicate dental molding at the front, what was once a fireplace on the second floor, remnants of bright white paint on the exterior bricks.

It’s certainly not a home anymore. But whether it’s empty? Well, who can say for sure?

P.S. As I did last year and the years before, I’ll add this disclaimer:  This house is on private property, and there are no trespassing signs posted, so please don’t go poking around where you’re not welcome. It’s easy enough to take a picture from the road.

*And one more quick note: October’s short story will be posted one day late, on November 1st. I think it’s going to be a good one, so check back if you’re interested!*

Is my house haunted?

/ Katie / 22 Comments

When Graham and I decided to buy an old house, and in the process of looking for just the right one, a surprising number of people asked us if we were worried about ghosts. And the short answer is, no, not especially.

I believe in ghosts. I always have. And I’ve been to a few places I’m certain are really, truly haunted. But I’m not particularly afraid of ghosts, and as we toured historic homes, I wasn’t concerned that we might be walking into our own ghost story.

We did look at one home – it was our second choice, actually – that I felt pretty certain had a ghost or two.

But our house? No, I don’t think it’s haunted.

It’s a question we get a lot. Every time someone comes to visit for the first time, they usually ask. And I can’t blame them! This is, after all, a very old house in a very old village with a cavalry battle in its history. There’s certainly been a lot of opportunity for this house to acquire a spirit or two.

And sometimes, I wonder if I might be wrong.

Often, people will suggest we do a ghost hunt. They’ll offer, and talk about how exciting it would be, and how their friends are really into that kind of thing. And…just no. Y’all, I have to live here. Why would I want to invite the possibility of being frightened in my own home?

This house is cozy. It’s happy. I’ve always felt like it’s a happy space. And so, even if there is a ghost or two roaming around, I don’t think they have any intention of bothering us. I feel lucky to live here, and grateful. A house doesn’t have to have a ghost story to have a story. I’m fortunate to be part of this one.  

Marvelous, Musical Keepsakes

/ Katie / 17 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that I come from a pretty musical family. It’s how we celebrate, how we have fun, and how we share special moments and memories. And so it doesn’t surprise me at all that around the time I was born, my parents wrote me a song.

I don’t think I realized just how special that was until I was much older, and now I’m so grateful to have it, to hear it still, and to be able to share it now with you.

That’s my mom singing. My dad’s best friend produced the recording (many years ago). And he’s also drawn an adorable onesie for Baby Girl, who seems to already love music, based on how she squirms around in my belly when I sing to her.

How perfect is it? Seriously. He even captured Merlin’s magnificent tail! It was meant to be a guest book at our baby shower, but I just couldn’t let anyone sign it, so our guests signed a plain onesie, and this one will go in a frame that she can have as a keepsake.

At any rate, I’ve been trying for the last couple of weeks to write a song for Baby Girl, and I’ve made some progress. But I’m not there yet. As with many things in life, I think it’s just going to come to me all at once, when the time is right. Doubtless the time will be right when I’m preoccupied with something else, but that’s fine. Special things are worth a pause in the action.

I can see it!

/ Katie / 15 Comments

And it’s going to be lovely.

Work on the upstairs bathroom continues, and we’re almost there!

It might be hard to tell, but we really don’t have very much left to do. And by we, I mean our contractors, because yeah, I am not skilled enough to lay tile correctly and not strong enough to carry a clawfoot tub up a very narrow set of stairs.

I’m eager for this project to be done, because next up on my list is finishing the nursery. And with less than seven weeks to go before Baby Girl is due to make her debut, it feels like we’re already cutting it close.

But, deep breaths. Everything will work out. And we’ll have a pretty new bathroom, too.

What makes a good ghost story?

/ Katie / 18 Comments

Halloween and Christmas are my two favorite holidays, and I’d have a really hard time choosing between them. But there is one thing that I love that’s definitely more Halloween, and that’s a good ghost story.

(As you can imagine, A Christmas Carol is an absolute forever favorite. Christmas and ghosts? Yes, please!)

But over the last few weeks, as I’ve been sitting a lot, thinking about writing without actually writing much, I’ve been pondering: What makes a good ghost story? What elements come together to make something truly spooky? Or sad. Or happy. Not every ghost story has to be scary. Right?

Or should it?

When I think about my favorite ghost stories, there isn’t really anything consistent among them. Some are scary. Some are psychological. Some are funny.

I love BBC’s Ghosts, which is funny and heartwarming and about as far from creepy or spooky as you can get. I was really struck by the quiet, tense storytelling of I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House is sort of a revelation for psychological hauntings – the things that haunt us not because they’re real ghosts, but because they’re our ghosts. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is sweet and sad. Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood and Co. series (the books, but the show on Netflix, as well) is such an interesting exercise in building an alternate world that feels close to our own, but is one we definitely wouldn’t want to live in. And certainly some of the old stories, like The Turn of the Screw and The Tell-Tale Heart, they stick with me. That building sense of dread, there’s really nothing else like it.

All of that to say, there are so many components, I think, that can make a really good ghost story. And some that can make an otherwise great story feel hokey and silly. Jump scares are fun, but they need to be used sparingly for maximum impact. There’s more to fear in what you don’t see, what you imagine and build up in your head, than in what you do see.

I’m rambling, I know. But I’m curious. What are your favorite ghost stories? What draws you in, or pushes you away? How do you like to see ghost stories end? Do you like to be scared in the first place?

I do, within the secure confines of my comfy chair and cozy living room. And that’s the power of stories, isn’t it? To be scared – or sad, or angry, or worried – but ultimately safe.

Baby Party Break!

/ Katie / 13 Comments

We’ve got some family visiting this weekend, and we’ve planned what I hope will be a very enjoyable baby party, despite the weather not cooperating. (Because yes, after a whole summer with no rain, it now rains like clockwork every Saturday.)

So, in light of the upcoming busy-ness, I’ve decided to take a quick blogging break. I don’t like to do this without planning ahead, but I feel like I can’t focus well on my writing right now. So much else going on over these next few days! (And that’s not even mentioning the work going on in the house – the bathroom’s coming together!) It’s lovely, appreciated chaos, and I’m so excited to celebrate Baby Girl with some of my favorite people in the world.

And hopefully, I’ll have the energy to do just that, because you guys, pregnancy takes it out of you. I can’t sleep these days. It’s impossible to get and stay comfortable, and Baby Girl is a little gymnast. If I don’t nap for a couple of hours during the day, I’m pretty much a drooling zombie. But a very happy drooling zombie. We’re 32 weeks on Friday, and I just can’t wait to meet this kid. If you’d told me three years ago I’d be looking forward to motherhood this way, I would have called you crazy. Now, I’m so ready for this shift, and I’m eager to see who I’ll be – how I’ll change, how I won’t – come December. But I do miss sleep. Already. And as I understand it, that doesn’t get better for a little while. Worth it, though. So worth it.  

All of that being said, I’ll be back on Wednesday, October 18th, and I’ve got lots of fun posts planned – an update on the (possibly) most haunted house in Loudoun County, some thoughts on spooky season and why Halloween is the best, a call for some Q&A questions now that I’ve hit 1000 followers (thank you so much for reading and sticking around!), and of course, October’s short story.

So, stop by next week and we’ll catch up! For now, happy creating, y’all!