Haunted bookshelves`

     Sometime ago I related an incident whereas the bookcase coughed several times, No explaination was evident then or now. Last night I was working with the computer in the library. It was rather late, a bit past midnight. My wife had retired for the night as she had to get up at 5 am and go to work. She has a very erratic schedule. The dog was sound asleep on the rug directly behind me. All of a sudden a noise, exactly like an empty tin can crashing down a brick road, jarred me suddenly from my work. The dog awakened  lay growling and looking directly at the fourth section of our built-in bookshelves. As I was sitting parellel with the bookcase and not more than six feet from it I was in an excellent position to hear the direction of the sound. The bookcase was built into the library when the house was built in 1857. It extends from ceiling to floor (about 12 feet). After the coughing episode, I had drilled several test holes into the back of the bookcase looking for an opening, like a passageway. I found none. The bookcase is on a wall that is away from the street, and is on a wing of the house. I immediately checked the rear of the house where the library juts out. There was no sign of anything that could have made such a loud tinny sound.

Pistol shot

   I was working the computer in the library yesterday when what sounded very much like a pistol shot, very loud and very close. The pup who was sleeping in his favorite chair in the den came running to me in an agitated state. I went immediately to the front den window and looked out on a perfectly peaceful street with no cars or people in sight. My neighbor across the main street from me doesn't own a gun; I doubt he knows how to fire one. My next door neighbor who is really a good 100 ft. from me does not believe in firearms. The house on my other side belongs to me, it is my shop and storage shed . There are no houses behind me for a quarter mile. I heard the "shot"; my dog, obviously heard it, but no one else in town that I spoke to heard any kind of loud noise. Most people in this tiny village go to the local post office for their mail, a  cup of coffee, and a lot of gossip. Thats where I asked about the "shot". This is not that unusual for this house, just another unexplained noise. But as I have said before, these crashes, shot sounds, etc. are so loud, so real, you never hesitate to investigate. Just another strange day, in a strange old house, in a strange, historical, little village.

Friday 13th Jinx

       This past Friday the thirteenth was something else. My nephew asked me for a copy of the family coat-of-arms as he wants to build a violin with the coat in the front. I took the coat picture off the wall and realized it was too big for my scanner. So I took it into the den and used my digital camera to copy it. When I tried to get the computer to take the picture off the camera it wouldn't work. We recently got a new computer and although the program had transfered ok; it apparently is not compatible with this computer. So I took the copy and drove into town (about 8 miles away) and had a copy made at the local print shop. I had it reduced to 8 by 10 so it would fit the scanner. I got in the car and drove home. When I got out of the car...no print nor original. Holy Cow I must of placed the pictures on top of the car while I was unlocking the door and drove off scattering the pictures along the countryside. I immediately got back in the car and drove back to the print shop; I didn't see the pictures in the parking lot nor along the road going in. I went into the shop and asked if anyone had brought them in, perhaps. No luck. I went back out to the car and took it apart inside....no pictures. I drove home, Emailed my nephew the dumb stunt I'd pulled. Then I remembered the digital pictures I had taken, so I made another trip into town to see if anyone could pull them up for me. No luck... all the shops had some sort of different set up. Totally frustrated I came home, by this time my wife was home from work and I lamented my woes to her. She assured me that I was simply a computeridiot and she would save the day by bringing up the pictures off the digital camera. I guess she just proved that we are both computeridiots. In the meantime my nephew tried to find the family coat on line. He found several, but not unfortunately the one in direct line for our family. I told him that as long as I had it on the digital camera there was always the possibility of it being saved.Saturday morning I went out to the car to drive to the post office and there laid the original coat of arms and copy, in plain sight for anyone to see. No further comment.

Strange movements about the house

     As I intend to mention anything strange that happens here, in this journal, this is todays event. Again I was in the library working on the computer. My dog was in the den, easily observable from my position in the library. My wife had gone upstairs to read and possibly take a nap. Sounds of footsteps coming from the rear staircase, through the dining room and the rusel of clothing, like a coat ,were very plainly heard. I asked my wife if she wanted the computer....no answer. The dog was still plainly asleep in his favorite chair. Perplexed, I got up went into the dining room....no one there, I checked the kitchen.... nothing. I went upstairs, it was obvious my wife was asleep in our bed, an open book resting on her. This has been a most active month for strange unexplained noises in this house, much more than usual.

My Dog

     I'm beginning to worry a bit about my dog. He's about 9 months old now. Again ,today, he had a snarling, hackle raised fit about the dining room. My wife and I were in the kitchen, just finishing up supper, which we generally eat at an earlier hour than most people I know. It was early, still light outside, though this house can be rather dark even when the sun shines brightly. The pup had been busily running from the kitchen through the dinningroom and into the library dispersing his toys all over the place. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he stiffened, his hackles went up and he began snarling and barking toward the diningroom (we were in the kitchen); there was no quieting him down. My wife suggested I go into the dining room and show him there was nothing therein. He followed me, hesitatingly, jerking first forward than leaping back, until I entered the dining room. I walked around the dining room table, showing him there was nothing there. He turned and returned to the kitchen going to his water bowl to drink. I guess he strained his throat. I ,again, have no idea what he thought he saw or sensed. None of my other dogs ever reacted as violently. The most they ever did was face down the upstairs hall, at night, and emit low growls. This dog seems to have a "thing" about our dining room. Yet he often naps on a pillow next to the heat register in that room.

Phantom entrance

     Not a big deal, but I was working upstairs today, the dog was lying lazily nearby. My wife was at work. A sound that was distinctly like our backdoor opening and closing was clearly heard. The dog jumped up and ran down the backstairs to the kitchen. Thinking my wife had returned home early, I went down the stairs as well, asking her why they'd let her off early. No response. The dog was standing in front of the backdoor looking confused. There was no one around. Typical for this house; after a while you just accept it as a fact of life and return to whatever you were doing.

Footfalls and doors

     I said earlier that events most often take place in this house between election day and new years. But this year the house has been noiser than usual even into January. Footsteps have been heard on several occasions. Not in the upstairs hall and front staircase as is usual but coming out of the kitchen and into the dining room. In the past I have heard them coming from this direction and leading on into the library. But this year, I am in the library so the steps seem to end in the dining room.The downstairs back door on the western side of the house will not stay tightly closed even when locked. As the temperatures are hovering around 5 degrees here now at night, I don't need the backdoor to be ajar. The lock is turned and the door tested, it is tightly closed. Later entrance into the kitchen often finds the door ajar letting in considerable cold air. I may need to place a slidebolt on it; but that didn't cure the problem with the upstairs door to the porch. If this be spooks, I wish they would learn to close the door after themselves. My dog had a hackles up, snarling fit last night. I was in the library using the computer. My wife was not home from work as yet. The pup had lain about for some time in the vicinity of the radiator. He roused, looked intently toward the dining room and let out a couple low growls. I asked him what his problem was. He continued to snarl not taking his eyes off the darkened diningroom. His hackles went up and the snarls became almost frantic. I wasn't sure what had gotten him going but it unnerved me as well. I got up and preceeded to the dining room; turning on the lights. His reaction became less intent, but he was looking in the general direction of the diningroom table. Slowly, carefully, he made his way to the table, looked and sniffed about. Finally settled down. I have no idea what he saw or thought he saw.