Just one more Halloween post, because Lucy carved her very first pumpkin! Well, her daddy carved it and she watched. But I think it’s safe to say, she was a pretty big fan.
She gave it lots of hugs and said hi to it every time we went out on the porch. SO. CUTE.
From our family to yours. 😊
May you always believe in magic…and in friends, frolicking, harmless mischief, and the utterly restorative power of candy.
(We’re the Belcher kids from Bob’s Burgers. It’s okay if you didn’t know. No one else did either. Lol.)
Some have called me
ray of light
and some have called me
shadow.
It seems some universal law says
I can’t be both.
So, who am I to you?
Look closer –
Is it true?
Welcome to the ghoulies and the ghosties
and the spirits
of ancestors long since dead,
and welcome to those who remember them as if they are still here.
Welcome to oranges and golds
and to wood smoke and sunsets and the chill in the air
that reaches your bones and your toes.
Welcome to October,
to the darkening of the year,
to traditions and tales to tell and moments of reflection.
Welcome, welcome, to the ancient
Month of Stories.
Sit for a spell and take your share.
Picture me just there
in the window
forever looking out
at the road and sky,
no more now than air
and memories
and the old, dry dust of
a thousand near misses.
You wish you could?
Well, so do I.
Another year, another visit to Loudoun County’s (maybe) most haunted house! And this one might be my last, for reasons that I’ll talk about in an upcoming post. (Are you curious? I hope so!)
Anyway…
Here she is, in all her crumbling glory, as of October 2024:
And here’s last year’s post, for comparison: https://myvirginiadiary.com/2023/10/30/this-years-visit-to-the-maybe-most-haunted-house-in-loudoun/
They say nothing lasts forever, and this house certainly won’t. In the years that I’ve been visiting, I’ve watched the old girl deteriorate a little more each season.
And who knows if the house’s story will outlast it. I hope I’ve done my part, at least, to capture some of the mystery. It will never be anyone’s home again, but perhaps it can be someone’s memory. Even if it’s only mine.
P.S. As I do every year, 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.
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!*
I’m just here
in the corner –
I watch,
I see,
but no one sees me.
They pace the floor,
drink their tea
and count the hours.
The world turns and
I am still,
more solid somehow
than before.
It is an enviable position,
to be invisible.
They say it’s the fate
of all women:
to disappear.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 