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October 4, 2023 · 12:00 am

Preparations

Merry meet all,

Pumpkin season is here. The Paranormal Symposium is a few days away. I have been busy preparing for it. I can’t wait to attend. 

The beautiful black plush blanket that I ordered from Killstar arrives tomorrow! I can’t wait for that either. The blanket has a spiderweb print and will keep me warm. I want to download lots of photos of my ancestors for Samhain. I also want to make them a beautiful offering of golden flowers this year. I decided on goldenrod and marigolds, and maybe asters. I am sure they will appreciate the offering. 

The host of the Paranormal Symposium, Elliott Van Dusen, wants to interview me about my blog, The Paranormal Quill after the Symposium. I am happy about that. It is nice to get some recognition after all my hard work. I have had a long go of it. I will have to prepare for that too. It should be interesting. 

I bought a cool black glossy nail polish the other day. The brand is Opi and the color is black onyx. I love the color and the quality of the nail polish. I am almost all set for the Paranormal Symposium. I just have to decide what to wear. I washed two gothy witchy dresses and they will be clean in time for the big day. I bought a beautiful black handbag today on Spring Garden near the Public Gardens. It is so lovely. I hand washed that too, as it had a strong scent. I want to use that bag the day of the event. Yes this has taken a lot of thought. I need spending money for lunch and maybe cabfare. It is a day long event so that is why I have been thinking everything through. The black boots I wanted to wear aren’t ready. I have an alternate pair. The clothes are clean. Yup I do believe I just have to enjoy myself and relax. I even asked my Mom to give me a wake up call early in the morning. I take the bus so I have to get up early early in the morning. I have to be ready by 8 am to leave or be there at the time. I know where the event is to be held and I know which bus to take. Now the old me would have scrambled at the last minute. This time I have prepared well in advance. Yeah being this organized sure feels better. 

I even checked out hairstyle options. Maybe not that necessary but you never know. I mean we would seriously prepare for a job interview right? Right. I really want to make an impact with my appearance.

Penny will be groomed later in the month. I needed the money today to buy groceries and to pay for duties and taxes for the quilt to be shipped to me. I hate that but I had to do it. The blanket was 60% off. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise, considering it is mailed from the States. 

I harvested roses, yarrow, black horehound, asters, lavender, apples and red clover. I dried them save for the apples in my dehydrator. Now they are stored in jars. The herbs look beautiful even when dried. I ground up a large quantity of black pepper and I ground up a loaf of white bread. I stored the black pepper in the same jar and stored the bread crumbs in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I want to use up the food that I have because it is so expensive these days. Yup times are tough right now. I am not buying a new outfit for the big day. I intend to use what I already have. That is what the happiest people do. They make the most and best of what they have. I have nice things and I try to make them last me as long as I can. 

I will have to get to know black horehound. I am not too acquainted with that herb but it is not that accepted amongst herbalists. One more herb to learn! 

I am a student of life! 

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch )O(

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May 18, 2023 · 12:16 pm

Seedlings vs. the Frost

Merry meet all,

I never thought I would thank a hurricane for cutting off a tree branch but I have. A tulip blossomed in my garden – FINALLY! The chopped off tree branch means that my garden gets more light at last. So now I get a tulip that has never grown a flower for years. The tulip is beautiful, and I plan to plant more bulbs this fall. I get more light now so why not? 

I may see more flowers but we still have frost. I am just itching to put my plants out but that would kill them and put them in shock. It is so cold out I can’t even have the windows open. The days are sunny but the wind is icy cold. 

Nevertheless, I am excited now to see what the advantage of better and more sunlight means for my garden this summer. I will probably see an increase in flowers and vegetables growing better. The tulip is a good sign! I have yet another reason to look forward to summer, if this frost ever leaves. I can’t wait to put my long suffering plants out. My mugwort plants are so big now. One long stem is growing bent over but when I plant it in the garden, I will help the stem grow straight. My mugworts are almost three feet high. I grew them from seed and that tells you how long I have waited for the frost free days to arrive. 

I have a new issue of Willow and Sage magazine. I want to make the marshmallow root lotion bars recipe. I have some cool Celtic molds for making the lotion bars in a cool shape. I also have skulls, witch hats and other molds to use. That will look great. The witch’s flying ointment is still steeping. The oil is a dark colour. That will turn out great. My squash is flowering and growing male flowers without being pollinated by a bee. I feel so bad for my squash vine but it is not warm enough to out. This is the problem. It really needs to warm up. I have a frost cloth but I doubt that will help. I suspect the frost is truly overstaying its welcome. 

For years my garden has been a shade garden. That is changing now, and I am very happy about that. The first week of June will be safe enough to set my plants out. I have grown all my seed starts from seed, nurtured them, watered them, fertilized them and weeded out the weak plants. Soon nature will take it from there when they get in my garden. I can’t wait. I added dandelion greens and chives from the garden to my breakfast this morning! That is one of the perks of living here, going out to my garden to get herbs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penny keeps an eye on Gilbert, the tenant’s new cat. He is an outdoor cat and usually is on a leash. He is so cute. Penny gets excited when she sees a cat in the yard, seeing as she deems it her territory. The outdoor cats don’t give a fig. They drive her crazy roaming about in the yard, because to them, it is her turf. I love seeing her act up when cats are nearby. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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December 2, 2022 · 10:57 pm

My fave horror authors!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I love my new spooky  shower curtain from Killstar. The curtain came with black shower rings for hanging it up. I could not ask for more. The bland white shower curtain I will give to my Mom. She likes white and I love black. We are so different. I mean very different from each other. I am waiting for a pair of Dark Lord slippers to be delivered today’s also bought from Killstar. The slippers arrived! The Dark Lord shall keep my feet warm this winter!!! 

I can’t wait for my slippers. My feet are shivering! Speaking of shivering, the Wheel of the Year turns to the Winter Solstice. I can’t believe it is that time of year. I have decided I will set up my goth tree.  I made some cute gnome ornaments last year. I want to dig them out this year. 

I totally binge watched the Wednesday series on Netflix. I was blown away by the show. Wow,  I love it. Let’s not leave out Krampus. 

I want to sew a lot of kitty catnip pouches and donate them to an animal shelter. I bought cute fabric the colour of pink or lavender. The fabric has a cute cat print on it and is made of flannel. I’m going to buy a huge amount of catnip to stuff the pouches with. I can’t wait to donate them. I plan to sew the pouches at my Mom’s. If I do it here, Penny will never let me get anything done. Yeah cats love catnip, which is why this will work. 

Giving is important at this time of year. I feel like Santa Paws, donating hand sewn items to an animal shelter. Every one of those cats (and dogs) wants a home. I hope to brighten their days they spend at the shelter, hoping against hope they will be adopted. I am sure the donations are appreciated by the staff and hopefully the kitties will love the pouches too. I may add some doggy bones for their canine pals too. 

I want to post about the horror authors I truly admire: Tim Waggoner. I love this author. Waggoner is contemporary and is so good, keeping horror at the forefront for readers and making horror relevant!!! I admire him very much, so amazing and down to earth. 

Tim Waggoner’s latest novel is titled We will Rise. I can’t wait to read it. I love books in print. I am not a Kindle chick. I will buy it on Amazon or Indigo. The book is about a ghost apocalypse. I am so intrigued! 

‘He’s the author of the acclaimed horror-writing guide Writing in the Dark, which won the Bram Stoker Award in 2021. He won another Bram Stoker Award in 2021 in the category of short nonfiction for his article “Speaking of Horror,” and in 2017 he received the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction for his novella The Winter Box. In addition, he’s been a multiple finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award, and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. In addition to writing, he’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.’ Credit given to http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

I have Tim Waggoner’s book Writing in the Dark which won a Bram Stoker Award. Writing in the Dark is an awesome textbook Writing in the Dark.  I  love it! He also did a follow up on Writing in the Dark with a workbook. I have both and I do use them for my own writing. If you are serious about writing, horror specifically, you will find these books most valuable. It is chock full of writing advice and tips you could find it hard to get elsewhere. He also offers advice from many other authors, not just him. I love that the other authors are included. Most books don’t offer that. This makes the book far more awesome. 

I am so happy that Waggoner authors are publishing books like these. I recently penned a novella. I hope to get it published. I nominated Tim Waggoner for a Bram Stoker Award. I believe he deserves it. He is so cool too. Maybe someday I can meet him. I hope he continues to publish such amazing books. Well I want that too. I think my writing path is easier and brighter with Tim Waggoner! We are all a global community and we can support each other in our writing. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

 

 

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October 2, 2021 · 9:40 pm

October Harvest

 

Merry meet all,

October is here!! I am so excited I hope you are too. I have a small pumpkin dwarfed by my  HUGE pumpkin. I am storing them for Samhain. I’m busy prepping for Samhain I look forward to reading the honking’ huge October newsletter produced by the Horror Writers Association. My blog post about doing a paranormal investigation goes live on October 11th, as part of the Halloween Haunts blog event. I was interviewed by Amanda for the Feminine Macabre interview. That went live on the 29th. Lots happening!!!

This is the time to stock up on root veggies! I have a few squashes, pumpkin in chunks, applesauce, elderberry jam stored away. Yup the cold season has arrived. Like it or not though, it does entice us with the gifts it brings, such as ciders, stews, foods to keep us warm and healthy. I have to puree the pumpkin, which I will do tomorrow. The rind on the squashes is so hard it’s like wood. I have no idea how to cut through that. Pumpkins can be cooked into breads, soups, pies and cookies. I buy smaller pumpkins for cooking – and roasting seeds. I get larger pumpkins for carving. Pureed pumpkin can be stored in the freezer. Once you puree squash, you have a variety of healthful options available for you. Butternut squash also makes good soups. Add ginger, cayenne, and lemon for some tantalizing flavour. 

 

I want to harvest the remaining herbs from my garden before the heavy frost sets in. I have to collect all the lemon balm ( a huge task in itself(, the oregano, some thyme, lavender, and mint. I’m letting the tomatoes ripen on the vine. There is a risk of mildfrost tonight. Later in the month, the frost will be heavier. I bought a huge herb drying rack to dry my herbs. I am grateful for the space but it is too big. I figured it would cost too much to return it to Amazon. I nailed in a big hook in the wall. I need to store away a lot of herbs. The size of it helps. That is the only corner where I can hang it up. I’m just anxious because of the resident overly curious cat who may snoop and sniff out the herbs. Here is a photo of the rack:

 

But it will prove useful this fall and many years to come. I love fall. It is the most beautiful and magical time of year. The leaves are turning, pumpkins regal front decks and store baskets.This is a good time to harvest the herbs you grew with care all summer. Harvest herbs in the morning after the dew has dried but before the frost kills them. Let them dry completely before storing in jars to prevent mold from ruining the herbs. Put them in brown perforated paper bags, tie them upside down to dry or arrange them on cookie sheets to dry. Then, once totally dry and crisp, you are free to use them for tincture making, syrups, teas, cordials or whatever suits your fancy. Know the herbs from each other too. It is so easy to mistake lemon balm from mint. They look and smell alike when dry. It’s easy to confuse yourself. 

I went to the Farmers Market this morning. I forgot a turnip, but I did come home with carrots, leeks, basil + oregano sea salt, and parsnip. – and alcohol cider.  I love parsnip and crunchy sweet carrots. Later, I bought hamburger meat. I can now make stew. Yum!! The farmers market at the Forum was smaller than the market at Seaport. But since we are in a pandemic, a smaller market pleased me. I loved the cider. Oh my gosh it tasted so good. That man is a master at brewing cider wine. Wow I never tasted anything so fine. I am all set for fall. The people at the market ( forum) were so pleasant. I may return there. 

Last night, I removed mullein seed pods from the stalk. Unfortunately for me, the seed pods were hard as rock. I stored the seeds in a labeled jar. The seeds are toxic so I was careful. I am truly blessed with a harvest of herbs, veggies, seeds, and flowers. This is an ideal time to focus on what we harvested and to thank those who bestowed it upon us. Besides Mother Nature and Father sky, we can take the time to reflect who else is so generous to us. It’s a good time to give as generously to those who were good to us. That is an exchange of good energy and is a way of ensuring good energy follows you!!! The Universe hears everything you ask for, so keep sending out good energy and it will reciprocate. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

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April 1, 2021 · 11:55 am

Spirit Boxes

Merry meet all,

I just received my new Spirit Box in the mail. I am so excited! I watched a tutorial on Youtube about how to operate it. I already own an EMF detector. I am eager to begin detecting spirits in my home or in haunted areas of Halifax. We have the Civil war here, the Titanic victims and the victims of the Halifax Explosion here. You can all then understand my enthusiasm. 

A Spirit box is a paranormal research device. It uses a radio with a frequency scan code meant to rapidly sweep the frequency  channels of radio stations creating a white noise effect. This allows spirits to affect the white noise and communicate through it. Clear sounds can be caught while the device scans a multitude of radio stations. The faster the sweep, the clearer the sounds are. 

If you hear a robotic voice answer your questions, congrats, that is the spirit talking. Here are some questions to ask that are effective in getting responses:

  • Are you here?
  • Is there anyone here?
  • Where are you?
  • How old/young are you?
  • What do you want?
  • Show yourself
  • Give us a sign
  • Talk to me/us
  • Open a door
  • Turn on/off the light

I plan to attempt communicating with spirits using my Spirit box and my K-II EMF meter. This shall be fun. I will also jot my sessions in my Book of Shadows. Just like when using a pendulum, keep the questions easy to answer. It shows a respect for the spirits. It is unwise to ever disrespect the spirits. If you don’t believe me, then ask Zac Bagans why he wears prism glasses now and for the rest of his life. 

On a side-note  I worry about Zac. He can’t die. He has to not die. I say this because the spirits that he provoked or angered now will recognize him when he finally crosses over. I hope they don’t do terrible things to him. I will never know of course, but I still worry. 

I bought my Spirit box from Amazon.com. I live in Atlantic Canada but it was shipped to me so fast. Wow. Spirit boxes are available on Amazon and other sites if you are interested in attempting your own spirit communication. I highly encourage you to do so. Paranormal devices are so widely available now. Move over, Ghostbusters. The devices are now found in many homes in North America. We can all do research on our own these days.  

I shall have fun investigating my own very haunted hometown. The window that steadfastly remains haunted no matter how many times it is replaced, the haunted 5 Fishermen restaurant, the Halifax Explosion, the harbour front. Oh I can’t wait to get started. 

And that’s a good thing! It’s paranormal groups like Ghost Adventures that has made this possible for people who seek their own spooky fun in investigations. I have covered some of those groups on this blog. The future looks bright – and spooky for those with a passion for the paranormal – like me! My cat is my assistant. She’s napping on her cat bed right now. She is so darn cute!

Use caution and common sense. You cannot assume that every sound that comes out of a Spirit box though is a ghost. Learn when you get a false positive and what can be debunked. If you hear footsteps and your team member is just walking up behind you, or there’s a draft that causes a door to open, it could just have a rational explanation. Be skeptical until you rule out all causes. Then you have to accept the unexplainable. 

Remember: Never summon what you can’t banish!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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September 7, 2020 · 11:05 am

The Golfhill School Ghost Girl

Merry meet all,

Today is overcast. I was out in my garden today. I spotted an amazing spider web. Every August, I find spiderwebs everywhere. It is their time. The spider web is shown in the above photo. A perfect way to sweep in the Witches season. I can feel it in the air. I gathered fresh blackberries today too. Mmm

Now is the time, now is the hour. I feel so witchy. Tonight Mercury enters Libra. It’s a time of balance, which makes sense since Mabon, or the autumn equinox, is approaching. We can heal the chaos of our pasts to have peace now. 

I‘m reading Zac Bagan’s book Ghost Hunting for Dummies. I was shocked to see how in depth he goes about ghosts, hauntings and Spiritualism. I highly recommend this book. I am not finished reading it. It’s such a long read it will take me a while. 

Our spooky tale of the day comes from Glasgow:

Dozens of Dennistoun residents have been left spooked by a ‘creepy’ image of a ‘ghost’ at Golfhill School.

Local Martin Monaghan has caused a stir on social media after sharing the snap on community Facebook group, Dennistoun Information Page. The photo appears to show an old woman peeking through a window at the east end school, which has lain derelict since 2007.

And commenters were quick to refer to previous rumors of a ghost who lived in the school, a young girl who allegedly used to wander around the halls on the top floor.

Two faces appear to be side-by-side (Image: John Stewart/Martin Monaghan)

Yet, others believe the image bears an uncanny resemblance to Donald Trump, or perhaps even Boris Johnson.

Speaking to Glasgow Live, Martin said his friend John Stewart – who took the photo back in January of this year – hadn’t noticed anyone in the frame when he originally took the picture, only to be shocked when he later looked through his photos. Meanwhile, Martin says ‘paranormal experts’ have reviewed the image and believe it to be ‘unexplainable’.

He added: “John was out with a couple of friends taking pictures of Golfhill School. The school is due to be demolished soon and the friends wanted some pictures to remember the school.

“When John got home he looked through his photos and got freaked out as he didn’t remember seeing anything odd whilst taking pictures but this creepy image stood out.

“John said: ‘I am not really a big ghost enthusiast but this image certainly haunted me and my friends’.

“The picture has been sent to paranormal experts who agree the image is certainly unexplainable and that there are actually two heads right beside each other.

“We are non-religious and don’t believe in ghosts but when you see something freaky you can’t unsee it.”

A real-life ghost? Or a well-planned hoax? What do you believe, Glasgow?”

Credit to website: read://https_www.glasgowlive.co.uk/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.glasgowlive.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fglasgow-news%2Fgolfhill-school-ghost-spooks-dennistoun-18825210

Residual energy could explain the eerie appearance of the ghosts. I leave it to you to decide. 

Stay spooky!!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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