Strangeness at the store

Whether or not the following story is paranormal or something else, I guess, is up to the individual. The story is true but could have a more rational explaination. This occurred   to my wife at the store she owns in a small town. The story as it was told to me by my wife. She had just opened for business a few minutes ago, she heard a car pull up in the gravel outside so she awaited the customers. In came an older couple who appeared to have walked out of the 1950s, The woman wore a jacket and skirt. The jacket was definitely 50s style and the skirt was below the knees. She wore a scarf on her head but her hair style was an obvious mimic of Mamie Eisenhower. The mans dress was typical male shirt and trousers (mens styles do not change a great deal.) They were pleasant and walked about the store. Finally the man said," We're looking for linoleum, you know, the kind that looks like carpet when it is lain." My wife told him we don't handle linoleum and directed him to the only store close that might. That type of linoleum, as far as I know, hasn't been manufactured since the early 1960s.  The man finally said, "I don't know this stuff", indicating the merchandise in the store. He and his wife said they would check out the referred stored and left. Looking after them as they left, my wife saw they left in a nice newlooking 1960s Pontiac.  My wife is in her 60s and is well aquainted with styles and vehicles of the 50s and 60s. So what did we have here? Makes you wonder.

Are ghosts scarey?

Since I saw the youth, who wasn't there, I have had several people ask if I was scared. As this was the first human figure I have ever gotten a good look at; I would have to say "no". Seeing the boy and the few seconds that elasped before he faded out, I just thought he was a customer. He was gone so quick that I had no time to register anything. I was left standing there wondering just what I had encountered. I was not scared, just a bit confused. I was looking right at him so I know he didn't leave. Nonetheless he was gone. So upon reflection the only thing I could come up with was he was a "ghost". I have gotten glimpses of people ,who couldn't be there, a couple times in the past, but the effect was so quick that only a general discription could be given. I have had, on several occassions sightings of dogs in this old house that were substantial enough that I though they were my dogs or that some stray dog had entered the house. But not people, until this time. I think I could identify this young man if I ever saw him again. But he definitely did not scare me. I doubt anyone would be scared because it started so normally and passed so quickly that you are left scratching your head and saying, "What just happened?"

My wife's store

My wife talked me into watching her store again today while she went into Columbus for new merchandise. I arrived at the store at approximately 10:30am. The stores does not officially open until 11, but I wanted everything in place. I had walked to the front of the store to turn on an "open" sign and had turned to return to the checkout area which is midway and near the main entrance. I looked up and saw a young boy, about 15 or 16 years old stasnding at a table my wife had arranged merchandise on. He was a bit scruffy looking with uncombed brown curly hair. He appeared to be bucktoothed and was wearing a lightblue shirt with dark blue stripes running both horizontally and verticall on it. His shirttail was out in back and he was wearing jeans. Just as I started to ask him if I could help him find anything he just faded away. That perplexed me about right. Phantom dogs I have definitely seen on several occassions but people are rare. To have seen him long enough to take in that much detail is a first for me. I have had glimpses of people before; but no mistake on this one, he looked real enough until he faded out. Then I had two other bits of strange; at around 11 oclock, a bit after, I distinctly heard footsteps going back through the rear salesroom. No mistaking that, the floors are barewood and sound out very nicely. Thinking someone had gotten in and I missed them, I hurried to the rear salesroom and there was noone there. There is no place to hide and the rear salesroom deadends in a bathroom. No one there either. Then around noon, with no customers in or around the store (I had had several but they had made their purchases and left) leaving the store empty except for me; I heard several hard, sharp, raps like someone really striking a wooden door quire hard. Both doors leading into the store are wood but with large glass windows. There was no sign of anyone anywhere. The rest of the day was uneventful. My wife says she experiences the weird there frequently and so she was nor surprised. I was putting out Halloween merchandise today and I thought how appropriate.

This is scarey

Today, I worked on a hall mirror and clothes rack (not sure what to call it) until about 2 pm, then I went to our Byesville store as my wife thought I'd be needed to move some furniture she had sold. I did go on line this am for less than half an hour to check my mail. So no one was home, except the dogs, from 2 until almost 7pm. The house is locked before either of us leave. This evening, about 7:30 give or take 15 minutes, I went to the computer to again check my mail. Lying on the computer keyboard was a scringe. A rather large scringe, which neither I nor my wife recognised. Back when I was still teaching school, I kept a small scringe which I loaded with rubbing alcohol and squirted into magic markers to rejuvenate them. I've been retired for quite a long time an am not certain that scringe is even still around. But this scringe is three times as big as that one was. Where did it come from and how did it get on my computer keyboard. Can't blame this one on the dogs and neither me nor my wife was home from 2 to 7. This is really eerie. Suggestions?

An apology

I just recently learned that I actually have comments on some of my postings. Unfortunately this blog was sending those comments to Spam and I never knew they were there. I apologize to those who commented and I didn't respond. I have gone back and responded to comments that are now 2 and 3 years old. I will respond to comments and questions from this point forward. I wondered for some time why I got no comments on this blog as I did have comments on a previous blog. I simply did not know the comments were there. Again sorry.

My turn at the store

The first time I tried to post this something went wrong and it did not publish. I'll try again. The store survived my running it for a day. I arrived at about 10am and began setting up for the day. I did remember to bring my tape recorder but I had no need for it as there was no murmering noted. After getting everything ready for customers I decided to straighten up a tall showcase that is located roughly 20 feet from the door to the shop. I had a direct view of the door. The door to our shop has a large delicately balanced brass bell attached to it. It rings loudly if anyone enters or exists. The loud bell is necessary in order to be heard in the back of the store where the sound has to pass through two walls. Anyway, I was placing some bric a brac in the showcase when I distinctly heard the door open and close in short order. OK, you say, someone decided against coming in. I would have thought that too, but the bell did not sound on the coming or the going. I tried several times to open and shut that door without activating that bell; I couldn't do it no matter how softly I attempted it and yet what I heard was a direct opening and closing, nothing soft about it. The sound was normal for someone opening that door and then closing it. But the bell did not ring. I looked up immediately at the sound of the door opening and saw nothing. The Open sign on the door was perfectly still; it rocks a little when the door is used. Maybe I'm nuts; but I know I heard that door open and close and I know the bell did not ring. Other than that the day was pretty much uneventful except for the chatter of customers and me. When my wife returned I mentioned there was no murmering and she reminded me that it doesn't occur every day.

My turn at the store