Strange pumping sound continues

   The strange pumping sound continues. Friday we heard it twice one at 10:01 and again at 11:00. Today (Saturday) it sounded very loud at 9:00AM. This is the first time its been heard it in the morning. My wife was in the diningroom and did not hear it. This evening it sounded at 8:01. The origin is a complete mystery. Hearing it in only one room makes no sense. Both the den and diningroom open directly into the library. The doorways are open, yet this sound, usually loud enough to be easily heard, is audible only in the library.

Weird Events Today

     Today has not been my day.  I just all but finished our Christmas tree decorating when, for no logical reason, the thing came crashing down. All 12 feet of it. Talk about frustration and an unholy mess. I barely got the mess cleaned up when my wife said we may as well eat supper, as she had it ready. We sat down to eat and were discussing the tree tragedy then suddenly a shadow passed over the table. We both looked up and exclaimed,"What the blazes?". There was nothing up there. The Kitchen is lit by a hanging double light with two 100 watt equivalient bulbs. Other than a small light over the sink, thats it. The lights did not flicker, it was a moving shadow. But a shadow of what? Surely we would have been aware of a bird or bat in the house. I told you the weird around here began shortly after election day. This year is starting off with a bang.

Strange sound repeats

     Last night the sound repeated at 9:59. I went to the basement five minutes to 11:00pm. There was no sound registered, I figured it didn't repeat. When I came upsdtairs, my wife said "Well, what is it?" I replied "You mean you heard it up here?" "yes", she said, "Didn't you?" No I hadn't and whats more the flour I scattered on the floor of the basement was totally undisturbed, not even mouse tracks. The sound is quite audible in the library but no where else inside or outside of the house. Yes, thats weird.

Strange sound resumes

     Back on February 23rd I wrote about a strange sound that seems to only be present in the library. Before I got a chance to explore into the matter, the sound quit occuring. Its back again, begining last night it was first heard at 7:58pm. Neither of us were in the library at 8:58, or thereabout so we don't know if it repeated at that time; however, it was heard again at 9:58pm and 10:58pm. I await to see if it repeats tonight.

Dog barks at something on the stairs

    Today, while I was decorating our Christmas tree, my wife opened the door from the diningroom and came into the parlour to see how things were going. I had shut the dogs out of the parlour while working on the tree because their wild romping could have disasterous results. Needless to say they joyfully bounded into the room when my wife opened the door. The older dog stayed in the parlour with us as we discussed the tree. The younger one ran on into the hallway and bounded up the steps; stopping just before she reached the turn in the stairs,  and started barking frantically. Both of us quickly ran into the hall to see what the commotion was about. Standing stiff legged on the stairs the younster was staring dead ahead and having a fit. We saw nothing on the stairs. We called her, she ignored us and continued barking. Our older dog was standing beside my wife, whinning. I started up the stairs and the pup turned and beat a hasty retreat back down the stairs, went past me, past my wife and on into the parlour. I continued on upstairs to determine what up-set her so. I saw nothing unusual. My wife laughed and said, "Well I guess she saw the ghost". Interesting, that turn in the staircase is where I recorded the strange sounds that sounded like some stringed instrument being plucked and the photograph that appeared (to me at lest) to show the faint image of a womans head. I wondered if this new dog would react like the older one. Apparently she will.

Dog insists somethings in the basement

     Today our younger dog went into a barking fit and tried to dig her way through the basement door. As you might recall from past postings, our basement door is steel and has a bar lock on the kitchen side. Had our basement not been a muddy mess, I'd have opened the door for her and seen where she went and what had her so agitated. I didn't want muddy paw prints all over the house so I didn't let her through to the basement. However, I did go down to see if I could figure what she was after. I saw no sign of anything amiss. My wife said this was the second time this week that the dog has insisted there was something in the basement. So in true Hardy Boy fashion, I took a bag of flour down into the cellar and spread it about on dry areas of the floor. I'll go back down in a couple of days and see if there are any tracks. I've pretty much sealed off the basement for heat conservation. I don't see how anything bigger than a mouse could get in. On the other hand, I wouldn't think anything as small as a mouse could so agitate my dog from a floor away. Maybe the flour will reveal our culprit. I have seen no indication of rats, but if rat tracks appear, the mystery will be solved ,and I'll have to put out rat bait.

Christmas Tree trimming ghost?

     Again, this happened to my wife and dogs. In preparation of Christmas, I have the job of setting up and decorating our Christmas tree. The tree, an artifical 12 footer, comes in four sections. Because of its size it takes a good bit of effort to even set it up. As my wife was home, I closed the parlour door because I didn't want the Schnauzers to be rough housing in that room while I was up on the ladder. The ladder is a ten foot aluminum step ladder. I had finally got the sections of the tree put together and was stringing on the electric candles toward the top. Naturely some of the candles didn't light. Remembering I had purchased some new ones a few weeks ago, I left the area and went to the attic to locate them. I could hear my two dogs having a fit ,as only spoiled dogs can do, just as I was entering the doorway leading to the attic and figured someone had come to the front door. I went on about my business getting the candle lights and a couple of extension cords. Not finding the extension cords I wanted (I needed short 6 ft ones) I came back downstairs by the rear staircase and entered the kitchen hoping to find the cords in a built-in closet. My wife said, "Where have you been?" I said,"Up in the attic getting the new lights." She said, "We've been visited again". "Oh, how so?""Didn't you hear the dogs throwing a fit?" she replied. "Yes, I admitted, "But I figured you'd answer the door". "There wasn't anyone at the door", she continued, "I came into the diningroom to see what they were carring on about and I distinctly heard you going either up the ladder or down it." "I opened the door and said,"See, its just your......", there was no one to be seen. I called, you didn't answer." I didn't hear her call, in this house, if you are only upstairs you can hardly be heard, in the attic, forget it. The dogs are schrill and their barking does carry better than a human voice. I have no idea what she thought she heard on the ladder. It wasn't me. I had been off the ladder for some time trying to figure which bulb was out on a set of candlelights, before I thought of the new ones.