Courtyard Downtown - Amarillo, TX (February 2025)

The Courtyard Downtown in Amarillo, Texas opened in 2011, but the Fisk Building that it's located in was built in 1927. Marriott bought and renovated the place, but its remastering of the original building garnered it a National Register of Historic Places plaque in 2013. The building was originally designed by prominent Amarillo architect Guy A. Carlander, the building was considered the tallest high rise in Amarillo at the time. To this day, the Fisk Building boasts a stunning presentation of Gothic Revival from the 1920s. It stands as a reminder of the wealthy influence of the former city commissioner Charles Fisk and the need for expansion of his Amarillo Bank and Trust group. Fisk succeeded greatly during the petroleum boom years. The building, though, was also designed as a Medical Arts Building, where doctor's offices, dentists, and other professionals could fill the floors of the building not being used by Fisk's personal interests.  You can access the history of this building via the many historic reference points around the lobby area. 

While on my road trip to Tombstone and the Southwestern USA, I wanted to take advantage of my hotel benefits and I booked myself at the Marriott Courtyard Downtown in Amarillo, Texas. I wasn’t aware of the elaborate history of the building until I took some time to wander around the lobby area and take in what the building had to offer. But that was after I was booked into room 302, from which you can see Amarillo’s tallest Gothic Revival building - The Santa Fe Building. Built during the same time period and sporting a very similar structural style to what is mentioned above. 

Room 302 was nice, as to be expected of a Marriott. My favorite part of the room was semi-circle couch and accompanying footstool. Once I had settled in, had my dinner, and connected with my loved ones, I knew it was time to put out some equipment to allow the spirit in the room to make themselves known. I had this gut feeling that someone was in there with me. It wasn’t a scary feeling at all. I just knew that it had happened.

I set my equipment bag on my bed and pulled out a few things and when I turned around, I saw someone duck down and then disappear behind the couch. I took a closer look, but they had disappeared. So I put out some cat balls and a lantern. The cat balls I put on on the wall by the fridge, the front entry wall table, and the foot stool. I put the lantern where I saw the figure disappear. The figure I saw what a youthful boy with tan skin and medium short brownish-black hair. As I placed the lantern, I saw the flashing of the cat ball that was placed near the counter by the fridge. 

I will say I debunked it being the fridge, someone jumping, neighbors moving around, etc. for all of my equipment. It only became humanly active in my area of the hotel around 10PM and then in the morning around 6AM. I was doing this at around 8:30PM.

Since the cat ball took so long to cycle through the lights, I knew it wasn’t going to work to converse, like I hoped it would. The cat ball industry caught on to the influx in purchases, but also made some very specific tweaks to its design that now make them a little less useful for ghost hunting. The lights didn’t use to go on for so long and the plastic case is harder, which makes movement a bit more difficult. Even though, I do need to explain here that it’s not always movement that is setting off the balls. It’s some sort of energy trigger between the spirit and the simple mechanics of the ball.

So to improve communication I took out my divining rods to see if whoever was there would speak to me. As always, I explain what the rods are and how they work. I let them know why I am reaching out to them. I had already started talking to the spirit, explaining that I wanted to use these to communicate and I did get their permission to switch communication modes. The spirit was open to speaking with me using these rods and then confirmed that they were in fact there and willing to communicate.

• Hello. I just want to establish some basic information so I know who I’m talking to. Are you a woman? - No.
• Are you a male? - Yes.
• Are you a child? - Yes.
• Are you older than 9? - No.
• Are you 8 years old? - Yes.

At this time I’m starting to get an image in my mind that matches the image I saw behind the couch.

• Do you have brown hair? - Yes.
• Did I see you hiding behind the couch by the lamp? - Yes.
• Can you share your name with me? I’m sometimes good at picking up names. - no response.
• I spent a little time closing my eyes and quietly focusing on picking up his name. And the name that came through was Daniel.
• Hey hun, is your name Daniel? - Yes.
• Well hello Daniel. I’m glad to meet you. (I had already told him my name.) Some of the other information you shared with me, I’d just like to go over so I know I picked up on your story and not someone else’s. Are you from Mexico? - (severe hesitation to answer) yes (very slowly).
• Awe, hun. It’s ok. I’m not going to do anything that would get you or your family kicked out of anywhere. You’re safe speaking with me. Can you sense the safety I’m sending to you? - Yes.

The rod crossing felt much more open when he answered that time. The previous one was so, very, not how he had been responding. You could feel the hesitation to respond.

• Did you come here for medical reasons that you couldn’t get help for in Mexico? - Yes.
• Were you being treated for cancer? - Yes.
• But things didn't work out the way your family hoped. The treatments weren’t helpful the way they hoped. - Yes.
• I’m so sorry, Daniel. (There was a brief break as he shared his pain with me and I felt his grief.)
• Was this the hotel you stayed at? - No.
• Did you find this hotel after you passed on? - Yes.
• Did you like how big it was and how it stood out? - Yes.

I paused for a moment, then I asked him to share some more information with me about why he is here and what he likes the most.

• Do you like to people-watch? - Yes.
• I gave a little laugh, then said, “I know you are polite about it.” - Yes.
• But you do sometimes move things in people’s rooms? -Yes.
• To mess with them? -No.
• To be funny about it? - Yes.
• And you just really find the excitement of the hotel interesting, with all the comings and goings on that happen here? - Yes.
• Do you like that people can have their pets here? - Yes.
• Am I right to say that you really like cats? - Yes.
• Especially orange haired cats? - Yes.
• So if you had been allowed to get your own pet, you would have wanted an orange haired cat? - Yes.
• But I feel that you’re sad. You don’t see anyone bringing their cat here. Only dogs? - Yes.
• Awe, that’s not fun. Are the dogs ok, though? - Yes.
• Even the small ones that yip a lot? - Yes.

It was at this point that I started to feel myself fading a bit. I didn’t have the energy to keep up the conversation and exchange of information. He was sharing things with me so fast, I couldn’t keep up. And I wanted to acknowledge as much of it as I could aloud to him. So I reminded him that I would not report him for being in the country. I offered him a Spirit Hug. He made the cat ball go off a few times and we said our goodbyes, with the typical caveats of being respectful allowing me to have a peaceful sleep.

I am happy to say that my sleep that night was very good and had no paranormal interruptions or interferences. 

I did, though, have a bit of a shock, though, as I made my way to Cadillac Ranch.  While driving down W Amarillo Blvd/U.S. Rte 66, I started passing medical campuses and I started seeing signs for Cancer and Oncology clinics. It put a little pain in my heart that Daniel and his family weren’t able to find the cure or best treatment for Daniel. I also knew, in that moment, that Daniel had been telling me the truth. The previous night I thought maybe it wasn’t true, because a quick map search around the hotel didn’t turn up a hospital or treatment centers, but I had forgotten what I had learned… spirits don’t need to be nearby where they passed to find a place that brings them happiness - cats or no cats.

Bad Energy and a Warning (March 2025)

 My family is gearing up for an investigation coming up in the next week. We've been talking about it a good deal and we even brought up Becky. We still have Becky's doll and I promised her that we would take it to her at Glenbeulah if she decided to return and not come back. According to my guides, Becky's position as my teacher has come to an end, as she had done what she needed to do for me to learn. Now I will be anticipating another teacher or teachers. We'll see.

Becky has been on my mind a bit and yesterday I started, in the early evening, to get ghost fuzzies on my right side leg and up to my arm and they were intense ghost fuzzies. And while my mind wanted to entertain thoughts of it being Becky, I knew it wasn't. Something was trying to get my attention. I couldn't engage at the moment, as I was busy doing other things, but I knew I needed to address the situation before I went to bed.

Before bed I said my piece and opened myself to my guides and other positive influences in my world, put out some equipment, in case it was Becky, and then used my rods to start questioning. I explained all the equipment, in case it was a new spirit, and offered an opportunity to interact that way. I received no reactions. I then offered communication through the rods, but was strongly met by very intense ghost fuzzies. I think the best description for how intense these were is that they actually took the form of raised goosebumps and made my nipples so hard, it hurt (it is incredibly awkward to write this, but how else do I explain the true experience of what was occuring).  I pushed through the intensity and started asking questions.

This was not Becky, but was a man and after a few introduction questions, I was given an info dump of who it was I was interacting with. It was the tweed man from the cemetery. The friend of the spirit we banished last January. I was getting intense ghost fuzzies and I felt very uncomfortable in my space. I immediately told him that he is not allowed to communicate with me. He is not welcome in my home. He is not to touch me or my family. I then started to focus on my communication with my spirit guide and she told me that it was him and that I just need to stand firm on forcing him to leave.

I called my husband up from downstairs and he then proceeded to firmly tell the spirit that he is not welcome here, he has no power here, he is not allowed to interact with my family or be in this house, and I envisioned myself pushing him out the front door. I kept sending the same images and picturing the same things. My husband came up and also shared in telling him to get out. 

I didn't immediately realize it, but I had grabbed my tiny ghost shaped rose quartz off of my table and had been holding it tightly in my hand. I was seeking peace in my home and I ended up holding onto this little guy until I fell asleep. Also, after realizing who was trying to communicate with me, I put away all the equipment, sending another message that communication is cut off. I fell asleep later than I wanted, but I finally felt like our house was free of a spirit and I was able to sleep and I slept well all night. Before I fell asleep, but after my husband left the room to go downstairs to write, I heard a loud knock on the wall behind me. I could have also sworn I heard a voice say something, deep and mumbled, at the foot of my bed. I could not verify this information, as I didn't have an additional witness and I wasn't sure who would have engaged like that.

The following morning, I took some time to commune with my spirit guides to try to understand what is going on. First they wanted to address an issue going on with our family (a teacher at our daughter's school has been harassing and abusing her, but the administration refuses to see it). After we discussed this issue and my guides called me out for "overthinking," I turned to communing with the rods to try to access the information differently. And someone who had been on my mind made herself known. Becky was here to share a warning about the Old Glenbeulah School that our family planned on visiting during Spring Break. 

Becky, having called the Old Glenbeulah School her primary location, came back to my house (she left back in January, having been a teacher on my Guide Squad) and wanted to let me know that I needed to be very wary of the man from the hallway and to keep Isabelle safe from him. Our daughter had an interaction with this spirit when we investigated Glenbeulah with Adam Berry in December 2022. Becky, in this conversation, sent me some images of what she was talking about. I saw the hallway and the shadow of the man, the water fountain where he reached out and touched me, and a place I haven't been before, but later realized was the boiler room. 

I started to feel a bit fretful over my daughter going there with us, but then I realized that we are together and we'll keep each other safe. So after a little more discussion about safety with Becky, I asked her if she wants me to bring her doll to the school for her. Back when she first started visiting us, I bought her a doll for Christmas and I said if she ever feels that she's going to spend most of her time at the school verses here, I would see if the school would let us donate her doll for the doll room. Becky, though, wanted me to keep it here for when she visits and didn't want to share it with the other spirits at the school. She said it was special to her. 

After some general talk about how Becky was doing and then speaking with my guides about more personal matters, I wrapped up the conversation with the rods. 

Later that day, I was talking to my husband about the strange knock that has started on the wall by our bed. Our neighbors aren't home, so it's not someone in the house bumping into the wall. Then my husband had a moment where he wanted to share something, then held back, and then shared it with me with a caveat about how he chooses to share things that might be odd that happen to him. He said if he debunks it, he usually doesn't mention it or he ignores it and might remember it later. This one, though, he thought was a little different and he opted to share it with me. 

We have a very elderly dog who has bouts of whining during the early hours of the morning. Maybe confusion over wanting food or drink. She's a beagle, so she's crate trained. She also has bathroom problems, so the crate is helpful for her. But on this morning, her whining was particularly intense and had lasted a while. Even I heard it when I got up for the bathroom around 5:30AM. My husband said she had been at it since at least 4AM and would only quite down if he woke up and told her to stop.

This whining, though, made me think of how she whines when we get home from being out for more than an hour. She's eager to be let out of her kennel so that she can say hello and sniff anything and everything. But I didn't make a possible connection until my husband revealed what had happened. After his last time of waking up to tell Lessa to stop, he heard three very loud stomps in front of his office (about 7-8ft away from where my husband was lying down). No one was there. No one responded back. And after that our dog stopped whining.

I agreed that it was an odd event. I knew Becky was still in the house, so I immediately got out my rods and I asked her about the stomping. She said it was her and she was letting my husband know that she was there in the house. Since he was sleeping, she didn't know how to let him know. Making our dog whine wasn't helping anyone make the connection to her. (She had appeared in the hallway to our dog, trying to get her attention, which is why our dog reacted that way.) So to shift stances on getting our attention, opted to stop loud enough for him to hear her next time he woke up. 

Before I stopped our communication for this second time, I asked Becky if she would be at Glenbeulah when we were there and she confirmed that she would be. So I'll see what kind of fun she shares with us when we meet her again on her home turf.

Curious Passerby - Part 2 (3/10/2025)

 Following up on the Curious Passerby, I wasn't expecting to see Marie or at least have her interact with me in the future. Many spirits just pass through and I never see them again. I had gotten the impression Marie was just passing through like so many of the others before her and didn't really want to interact. So you can imagine my surprise when she made herself known to me this morning. 

I was sitting at my desk working. My cat, Katsu, was sitting in front of me watching the ocean life video playing on my computer as I worked on some things and listened to my audiobook. All of a sudden, Katsu's head whipped around looking behind us (towards the front of the house and hallway area). I stopped what I was doing and turned off my book and looked around. I stretched my ears to hear anything I had been ignoring. I didn't sense anything, so I went back to what I was going. Katsu, though, stayed only for a few minutes before getting down and wandering off.

A few minutes after he left, I was hit with ghost fuzzies from my feet to my waist. It was so strong, I actually thought I had stepped on a plug or something around my feet. Or maybe my grounding mat had rebelled. I let the fuzzies wash over me and I sat for a minute, wondering how I wanted to handle the situation. I was working on something and it had taken me forever to get to this point in my day (appointments and things in the morning). Yet, as I sat for a moment, I decided I could pick up where I left off and entertain this interaction for a moment. So I stopped everything and turned off my book. Then I got out my divining rods and settled in to work.

I explained how the rods work and my intention for the interaction and then asked if a spirit was here that would like to communication - yes.

• Are you a spirit I know? - no.
• Are you the spirit that passed through last Wednesday? - yes.
• Is your name Marie? - yes.
• Is your name Marie E*********? - yes.
• Hi honey. It's so nice to meet you again. I didn't think you'd come back this way. Are you doing well? - yes.
• Did you use to live in W*********? - yes.
• Was your husband a man who studied religion in different parts of the country? - yes.
• I saw you were at the California Lutheran University in the 90's. I almost applied to work there about 10 years ago. Did you help set up the school? - yes. [tentative]
• Were you a volunteer nurse there? - yes. [confident again]
• I feel you have a very caring heart. Is there anything I can do to help you? - yes.
• Did you want someone to talk to? - yes.
• Did you want someone to acknowledge you, in a way? - yes.
• I can try to do that for you when I am free. So I saw that you loved having concerts in your home. Do you want to talk a little about music? - yes.
• I got the impression the concerts were beautiful performances of Christian music, like hymns. - yes.
• Did you ever listen to The Singing Nun? - yes.

(I put on the original Singing Nun - Dominique and let it play a little.)

• Do you know this song? - yes.
• Is she singing Italian? - no.
• Is she singing French? - yes.
• Do you like spiritual music like this? (put on chakra meditation music) - no.

I shared with her that I used to study nuns in film and I brought up The Singing Nun (1966) with Debbie Reynolds and I played the English version of the song. She liked that version, too. 

I then explained I had to go, because I had work to do and I had to get my household going. I asked if next time I felt her around, she'd want me to play her some Lutheran hymns and she eagerly answered yes. I ended by expressing how much I appreciate her stopping by and letting me know she was here. And I told her I look forward to next time when I can play some music for her. 

As I brought the rods down into my hands, I was consumed by ghost fuzzies and I said "awe honey. You are welcome and I'm getting the impression this is a church hug." All of a sudden the fuzzies intensified and I leaned in, putting my arms in a closed-hug position and told her she is appreciated.

And then she was gone.

Curious Passerby (3/5-3/7/2025)

I promised myself that I would record my experiences, even if they're small. It not only helps to look back on the experience, but it provides information about what is happening at my home. It also empowers me when trying to best understand how my gifts work.

Wednesday morning I was sitting at the kitchen table and I looked to my right into the living room. I'm not sure why. Maybe I was looking for the cat. But as I moved to turn back to my work, I saw a brief white reflection on the television. I thought it was strange, but I tried to recreate it and couldn't. I figured if it was something trying to get my attention, there would be other experiences to validate this one. I let it go.

About twenty minutes later, my dog, Logan, starts barking down the hallway. He's standing on our runner rug staring down the hallway barking, like someone is coming in through the doors. But I don't see or feel anyone at the time. I encourage him to quiet down and I try to get back to work.

Within 5 minutes I am hit with a large blast of ghost fuzzies from my feet up my legs to my back. And I had this weird sensation of being told off. Like, that dog shouldn't be barking at me. And I feel compelled to reach out. I mean, three things just happened, so I'm going to reach out to learn what is occurring. 

I grounded myself and then used my divining rods to try to communicate with whatever spirit has entered the house. I started by explaining what this equipment does, how to use it, and what my goal is for reaching out to them: Learn who you are, your intentions, and if there is anything I can help you with. 

The spirit crossed the rods to notify me that they were present. I asked if they were a man or a woman - woman. I asked if they were from Winneconne - they were. I asked if I could help her with anything - she said no. I asked if she was just walking around and passing through - she said yes. I asked if she was surprised someone noticed her - she said yes. And this whole conversation was information that was passing through my mind and I was just asking the questions, developing a picture of this woman. It was agreed that she meant no ill-will and was just passing through, didn't need any help. I felt the hesitation in her use of the rods growing more as the conversation went on. So I pulled back and wrapped things up. 

But that didn't help me figure out who she was, so that I could personally honor her in my own way, since I met her. So I checked out the recent passings in our local community and I wasn't finding anyone that felt right. I checked recent burials and the same thing there... nothing was feeling right. I was about to abandon the thought, when I felt compelled to turn to my spirit guides.

I started out by asking my guides if they knew her name and could help me. They confirmed that they could, so I shared, one at a time, the three new names I had pulled from my research. My guides said those were not the person. I asked one of the names one more time, because it was a name that was making itself known to me in different ways, but they said it's not the name of the visitor I had. Then I start having thoughts that I need to ask.

I asked if they were from the area - they are. I asked if they were cremated - they were. Did they pass on this year? - no. 2024? - no. Before 2020? - no. 2023? - no. 2022? - no. 2021? - yes. Is she under 70-years-old? - no. Is she in her 90s? - yes. 

I turned back to my computer to use the information to help narrow down who it might be and I immediately found someone on my local funeral home website who even felt very familiar, like I had met her, but I had never met her. I asked my guides if Marie E. is the woman who visited me and they confirmed it was her. I asked a few other ladies, but those were no. Does she often just wander around through homes? - yes. Is she happy doing this? - yes. Does she have access to her family and friends on the other side? - yes. Was she surprised that someone noticed her in their house? - yes. 

As I read through the entire obituary for Marie E. I saw things like "interment" and that she lived in Winchester, which is in our area, and was active at the one of the local Lutheran churches.  

Her obituary references her desire to travel and see the world and maybe that's what her time now is spent doing. I just know I surprised her when I reached out to her, as she was not anticipating someone here being able to interact with her, so maybe I've been the first and by having this exchange, she'll be able to go forward and maybe reach out to others she wants to communicate with. 

The Frontier Hotel - Pawhuska, OK (February 2025)

Triangle Bldg, Pawhuska, Okla from FrontierHotelPawkhuska.com

The Frontier Hotel in Pawhuska, Oklahoma is a boutique hotel across the street from the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's, The Mercantile restaurant. There is no better description for this hotel than being at the heart of Downtown Pawhuska. And its unique design lends itself to the beauty of the historic environment. According to my research this building was one of the first fire-proof buildings in Oklahoma (one of five in the US at the time), having been built as a five-story "flat-iron" building in 1912. During its time it housed lawyers, jewelers, beauty shops, tobacco stands, doctor offices, and other commercial businesses. The interior design is ornamental Art Deco, truly embracing the early 1900s in the United States. The rooms are converted from offices and have decadent down-home touches throughout. Even the keys aren't plastic. 

Taken from The Mercantile side of the street.

I didn't choose the hotel for any paranormal reasons, but I do enjoy the historic revival that the rise of boutique hotels has offered travelers. It has been my experience that spirits are everywhere and don't need to be in historic locations, but that spirits are often drawn to places that allow them to feel grounded and part of the day-to-day bustle. This is not a definitive statement, but absolutely envelops the results of my hotel investigations. 

Entryway Lamps

It was over a 12 hour drive to the Frontier Hotel from home. I checked into room 304, an Osage King room. 

I was feeling pretty tired after I got checked-in and sorted dinner, but I wanted to at least do a little mini paranormal session in my hotel room. I started putting equipment out and while I was setting down the last cat-ball, a cat ball on the table in between the two chairs went off and I received a HUGE blast of ghost fuzzies (I guess everyone just accepts these as goosebumps, but I find them to be so very different from goosebumps). I asked if whoever was there could make it go off again, so that I knew someone was here with me. It did not, but as I walked into the room, I just kept getting so many ghost fuzzies, in bursts, all over. So I switched off the lights and settled myself on my bed with my K2 meter and I let everything settle for a few minutes. But I kept getting these “images” when I looked up and to the left. Like, not straight on, but not out of the corner of my eye, I saw a male shadow standing by the mirror and I got a big old dose of ghost fuzzies when I looked up to try to see more clearly. But it had disappeared. 

I put the cat ball right in front of the sign.

Finally, the ghost ball went off again on the table between the chairs. I asked it to come closer and make my K2 meter go off, because it might work easier for communication (those cat ball lights can go off for a long time, as they are designed for cat play after all). I received a very small spike and then nothing, but I was continuing to pick up on the energy in the room. Since the various equipment did not seem to suit the spirit’s fancy, I got out my divining rods. First I tried to clear my mind to receive any information the spirit might be trying to pass me and then I used my rods to clarify the information that was being shared with him. 

The mirror next to which I saw the shadow.

I won’t go through the whole Q&A experience, but by the end of it, I was able to learn the following information:

The spirit is a man named Michael and he was the shadow I briefly saw at the mirror (so also about 5’10” in height). He was born and raised in Pawhuska and was raised as a gentleman. This came up in regards to respecting the privacy of visitors, especially of the female persuasion. Michael said he worked here in the 1930s, when he was fresh out of school. He was involved in office work, but not lawyer work. But he died young in the 1950s. He shared that he had a sudden heart attack (the images in my mind were of my father and when he had an aneurysm). He shared that he knew this building well and came back here, because he finds peace being downtown among the people. Michael said that spirits do come and go from the building and that he is not the only one, but that this evening other spirits didn't seem to be around. Finally, though, we got down to business. The reason that he wanted to get my attention was to let me know that I had put a pillow on his chair and he was hoping that I would remove it so that he could continue enjoying that particular chair. 

After I promised that I would remove it, we agreed to respect each other’s space and privacy, and we ended our session. I got up and put the pillow somewhere else and after that all communication, including ghost fuzzies, ceased for the night. I slept well enough, even though I did wake up once and looked towards the mirror, thinking someone was there. But I felt no danger and no ghost fuzzies and I went back to sleep.

It was a fine visit. If I hadn’t been so tired, I would have loved to have investigated other parts of the hotel and I have so many questions about the architecture, but it had been a long trip and I had another long day of driving ahead of me. So maybe next time.   

The long pillow is the one I needed to remove from the chair.

A Very Restless Night (December 2024)

 Last night was an absolute stresser for me. And things only got weirded when I woke up in the morning and realized there was more at play than I had thought.

At around 11:36PM on Sunday, December 29, 2024, I woke up to a horrible dream. Well, my emotions were horrible, but the dream was tepid. My nephew had become a DJ and was abusing me by excessively playing bass heavy music and it was pounding into my head. I burst awake, quickly realizing my left arm is fast asleep. I loosen my FitBit so much, it's barely hanging on my wrist. All of this is done in a daze. And I give a little bit for my arm and hand to wakeup and I try to go back to sleep. But I can't. 

Something feels off. The bass isn't going away. As I lay there, I wondered if maybe I should turn my fan done one. I turned the fans off the other day and I didn't pay attention to what they were set to. I tried this, but it was actually worse, so I turned it back to what it was, as I was starting to feel really hot. I rearranged myself in bed and got comfortable and put in a concerted effort to fall back asleep.

The next hour of events is comprised of experiences while I was falling asleep and waking up.

I couldn't fall back to sleep completely, because I kept feeling the bed vibrating. No, not like the Quarter Machine Beds, but this very faint vibration that you couldn't feel if you stopped to identify it. I've had this feeling in my bed before and I can't ever really figure out what it is. I thought at one point previously that maybe it was the washer or the dryer. Now we don't run washers or dryers at night, because we assumed maybe that was what I was feeling. You know, like when they go into the spin cycle or those damn silicone plastic dryer balls that I loathe using. I knew it wasn't that. A long time ago when I started living here, I thought it was maybe the vibration from the boats on the water. Some of those big boats really pack a punch, but it's 11:30PM in the winter. The river is frozen. You would also hear if it was snowmobiles and it wasn't safe to take anything near the water last night. We've been having warmer temperatures. 

I texted my husband, who I assumed was awake downstairs doing things. I asked him if the dishwasher was running. I got no response, but I swear I felt his heavy footsteps vibrating from downstairs. So I just assumed he was moving around, letting our other dog out, or just doing what he does in the middle of the night. So I once again, tried to get comfortable, but was definitely feeling like the "Princess and the Pea" with this unexplainable movement. And as I snuggled into my pillow, I heard my dog start growling.

Logan, my dog, was right next to me on the bed and I could feel the growl, as well as heard it. I can rule out his growl as the bed vibrations, as they do not have the same vibration frequency. I tried to see if he was facing a certain direction, but he was still facing into the room, so it didn't help me identify anything. I looked around the best I could and then calmed him, once again settling in.

The slight movements of the bed came and went. I even thought I felt something press down on the other side of the bed, just like someone was leaning forward with their hands. It also felt like someone was walking around my bed and I even, at one point, anticipated seeing my husband coming up to check on me. In my state, though, I can't debunk the footsteps or the pressure on the bed. After a little while I finally slipped into unconsciousness.

BARK! Came from right next to my head and Logan was sitting up in his dog bed that he sometimes uses on top of the bed. I looked around for what he might have barked at, again feeling my left arm having fallen asleep, and then I heard a knock from behind me. It sounded like it was from the wall. I turned towards the wall that we share with our neighbor and listened again. I said "hello" into the room, but heard nothing back. I didn't see the flicker of our neighbor's TV and I actually don't even think they were there. Our neighbors are snow birds, so they leave in the winter. Sometimes they come home for Christmas to check on the place and visit family and friends, but they spend most of their time in Florida. I looked around again and checked in with Logan, then attempted to go back to sleep again.

Not long after, I woke up again. This time it was because I was overheating and my arm was asleep again. I couldn't figure why I was overheating. I had a ceiling fan on, a table fan next to my head, thin pajamas, and a heat-sensitive blanket. I heard the click-click of the space heater further away in the bedroom and saw that it was at 77 degrees, which is way hotter than what I put it at. I have it set to 72 degrees. I left it alone and realized my dog's winter blanket had somehow become entangled with my heat sensitive blanket. I'm sure I could give a dozen reasons for it leaving it's place under my dog's bed and my husband's pillow, but it felt wrong to have that blanket so entwined with mine. It is a blanket that really bumps up body heat. I had it for my dog while we traveled and for cold days and I learned quickly that it causes him to overheat and learned I, too, can overheat with it. After untangling it, I discarded it to the other side of the bed and rolled around for several minutes trying to get comfortable and cool down. 

During that time I was getting weird feelings on my legs and my body, like faint wisps of tingles. I ignored it, though, wanting to get back to sleep. And finally I did.

But yet again, at 12:35AM, I was awoken with a start. When my eyes opened, they saw the cat ball on the table at the end of my bed going off. I sat up and quickly texted my husband so I had the information documented. Then I said "Susy is that you?" and the cat ball lit up again and one more time and then I felt consumed with ghost fuzzies and I heard a distressed woman's voice to my left (where the knock came from) saying something like "Go away! Stop!" I actually thought it was my neighbor, like "Oh my goodness! Who is beating Patty! Greg would never do that!" But, again, no light was on in their room. 

And then everything just... stopped. The ball stopped. The noises stopped. I wasn't getting feelings or responses. It was almost calm. I slowly got up to go to the bathroom and walking through the room felt calmer than it had for the last hour. 

I went to sleep one more time and was able to sleep mostly fine for the rest of the night. And when I got up in the morning, I quickly went downstairs to talk to my husband about the whole thing. And while I was retelling things, something clicked in my mind: Two Dark Men.

The men who were harassing my daughter Isabelle. I pulled up my entry on the situation and right there it said everything I was thinking. But this time, Susy Clemens was there and, at the end, tried to make them go away. 

After processing everything, here is my acting theory on these two men:

They are two men who come from the cemetery about a half mile up the way. One of them is taller than the other. They have chosen to behave like boogeymen and get a kick out of "scaring" people. We're not the only people in the area that they've done this to. I feel like they had gone to other houses in our neighborhood as well, especially a certain house on the corner of our neighborhood. When we drove past the house, I felt like they were a prime target for these two men. I also felt that these two men did not know each other in life, but met after death and are from the older part of the cemetery. The other night was not their first time meeting us, but they've been coming to our house for a few years now and we just weren't tuning into what was causing these restless and disturbing nights. The other spirits leave these two spirits alone, because they are so hostile and nasty. They come late in the evening, sometime between 11PM and 4AM, when people are most likely asleep and easily manipulated. My husband has never had any negative encounters, but then he is almost always awake during these hours. I don't feel the taller one always wears a mask, but I feel like he changes up his look to scare different types of people. The shorter one I picture in a tweed jacket and the taller one is in a black suit. 

I tried to communicate with Susy this morning, but we weren't connecting. I have some questions for her later. Maybe she can help me understand what went on. Until then, I worked on a great deal of debunking.

Debunking:

~ My arm was probably related to my own body issues with too much salt and sleeping on it weird. It's not an uncommon thing, but also I don't think it's anything paranormal.

~ The shaking of the bed is not due to anxiety tremors or restless leg syndrome. I also do not have MS and I haven't been tested for Parkinson's. That's what the internet suggested. I'm not going to run out and get tested for these illnesses without other symptoms, but I feel I should at least mention it. 

~ We checked the stability of the bed. It is a giant, heavy wood sleigh bed. It's sturdy. The slats and box springs are also in good order. Our current mattress needs updating, but we recently turned it/flipped it and it's quiet firm. I've been in unstable beds before and, yes, they are a nightmare, but that is not my bed last night.

~ Nothing external from the neighbors contributed to the situation. My one set of neighbors, as mentioned, were not there last night. Our other neighbors do not typically affect our bedroom, aside from the glow of their TV, because they don't shut their blinds.

~ My daughter was in bed and asleep by the time this all started. She does play videos on her laptop on low volume in the room. When I made a bathroom stop after the situation, her videos were not loud enough to hear in my room. Plus the hallway leading to the door to the hallway by her room is on the other side of my bed, a good ways away.

~ The fans could cause matrixing of noise, but not a loud knock or a specific female voice in distress. The most it would matrix is a conversation or maybe what sounds like music 

~ The vibrations are not from the dishwasher (which was run at 5AM and I didn't feel it). It was not the laundry, as it was not run at all that evening. It was not the furnace, which is on the other side of the house and doesn't cause vibrations anywhere in the house. And it's not the sliding glass doors below my bedroom, because no one was awake to use them.

~ The cat was in the hallway outside my room and could have maybe caused Logan to initially bark, but when he jumps at the door, it's a noticeable sound that did not match what I was hearing and also didn't match the location where it came from. 

A Famous Visitor? (December 2024)

I arrived home from a two-week road trip through New England on November 18, 2024. I went to so many amazing places and experienced so many different things that I turned it into its own blog that I'm working on. While on this trip, I had several paranormal encounters. Two I will write about here when I get to that portion on my travel blog, but one encounter happened once I arrived home and realized someone tagged along. It's funny to say, because in my last few hotels, I had that feeling that makes you want to put out some equipment to see if someone is trying to get your attention. I joke that I know a spirit is around, because it feels like someone stuck their fingers into your personal space bubble and started wiggling them. It's not a big bold feeling, just this tiny whisper of something feeling odd. My husband always asks me, "Why did you want to do that?" when, for what seems no reason, I open up some equipment. I always tell him that something is odd and maybe someone wants to share something. Sometimes the spirit is all for interacting with the equipment we've put out once they've made themselves initially known. Other times I might have a spirit who, as a few have told me, hate the noise the equipment makes or they are lower energy spirits at the moment (having maybe expended the energy) and can't seem to make things work. The only reason not using our equipment is mildly frustrating is because we do operate under a more Ghost Hunters style investigation technique where we seek evidence to back up our personal experiences. Well, also... my husband can't feel or know what I'm feeling and knowing from the spirits. And I sometimes wish the spirits would confirm things on the equipment, because I am sometimes self-conscious about trusting my own feelings. 

The long and short of it is, though, that I've kind of stopped demanding "evidence." I don't have to prove anything to anyone. And those who don't believe aren't going to believe if they don't want to. Even our best friend has had experiences, but remains very skeptical. And there's nothing wrong with that. Additionally, these spirits who come into my home or want to interact with me, I've learned, are not there to prove something to me. They are there because they want something from me, which is usually to be heard and acknowledged and sometimes hugged. So what does it matter if I use the fancy, evidence-collecting equipment? I can display my goosebumps to my husband to verify. He can watch me when I'm using my divining rods. He can literally hear me having a conversation based on information in my head and see the rods ebb and flow. Did you know each spirit I interact with for several sessions has their own rod-voice or swing-fingerprint? I can actually talk to all three of my spirit guides at once and I know who is answering what. But all I want anymore is whatever method of communication works best for the spirit. Do I still try for evidence on the millions of things we've invested in purchasing? Yes. Do all the spirits I encounter use them? No. The majority do, but then you get the special cases like our Famous Visitor.

After things settled at home from my travels, I started to notice something odd. Just something in the air feeling out of the ordinary. I didn't push too much, because our friend Daniel (the little boy spirit from the Oshkosh Grand) was still visiting and I knew Becky (spirit guide and active Glenbeulah spirit) was popping in and out now that I was home. Becky did not accompany me on my travels, unlike Peggy and Michael (my two primary spirit guides). (A 12/11/24 interaction with our visiting spirit proved that Becky did come with me on the trip.)  I put out a lantern so that if a spirit needed to get our attention, it was available to them. Daniel pinged on it a day later and we briefly talked, ending with a hug. I haven't encountered him since. And still, there was a strange shift in the atmosphere. I was getting strange tickle-ghost-fuzzies - like when someone is trying to ASMR you and they're not touching you, but they're running their hands just above your skin. This usually means one of two things for me 1) I need to bring myself into the immediate moment and focus on who is trying to reach out to me (spirit guide? visiting spirit? other?) or 2) Someone is trying to reach me and is slowly edging closer, but is too shy to signal a lantern or they goose-ghost-fuzzies me flat out. 

It was the second option. This spirit was hesitant to reach out fully. I started to speak out into the room, encouraging them to come forward to the lantern. Letting them know that if they are here, they have to "ring my doorbell" so to speak so that we can find a way to communicate that works for the two of us. Later that day, the lantern went off, indicating that someone was present and wanted to speak. I asked for them to do it again, so that we could establish a conversation. They did not. I didn't hear from them again until the next evening, this time in my bedroom. The lantern went off just once and no more. But this time I got a blast of ghost-fuzzies. I told whoever was there that I couldn't speak anymore that evening, but that we could speak tomorrow and I would bring some more options.

The following morning, I was doing a late yoga session in my room and I felt compelled to communicate. It was overwhelming, like I just didn't want to get up at all and my gut was urging me to speak. I didn't have any equipment and I explained that I could feel them. Whatever they "just" did made me feel a sensation on my skin. I explained that's the only way I can communicate at the moment and I really feel like you need me to know you right now. And they lit me up with ghost-fuzzies. So I concentrated on what was around me. I asked some basic questions to establish our interaction. And then I closed my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. What appeared behind my eyelids was something I've never experienced before. I saw a solid dark rectangle and then all of a sudden, like 8-bit style, I saw the portion of a woman's head/hair. My face was turned down, and as I raised my head, it was like an 8-bit silhouette of a woman appeared and when I looked back down, it moved back to the top of her head. I said, shocked, as my eyes flew up and looked ahead of me, "I see you! I see a young woman standing here" and I outlined the empty space in front of me with my fingers. And the spirit lit me up with ghost-fuzzies, not just the gentle confirmation of tapping my leg or shoulder. We continued to communicate as I confirmed she is a young woman, she wants to speak with me, and is a visitor to our home and area. I had to dismiss myself after catching sight of the clock and promised we'd talk more later.

The rest of the day I had ghost-fuzzies throughout the day. Mostly on my leg, like someone was patting my knee or thigh. That evening, I took my lantern, a cat ball, and my divining rods to my bedroom. I set up the ball by my grandma's chair on a shelf that is now there. I put the lantern near the questionable corner (where I see spirits at night often) on the corner of the dresser. I sat in the middle of the room on my chair with my rods. I started out asking the the spirit to make themselves known using the cat ball or the lantern. My husband and I waited for a response. I had gotten a few ghost-fuzzie hits and knew someone was with us, but I hoped to get a more "reputable" sign of their presence. And sadly, nothing.

I held up my divining rods, ready to interact. I felt the spirit move closer. I started asking basic questions (is someone with us? are you willing to speak with us? can you use the equipment laid out? Are you someone I know? - list of people who typically stop in. Are you from here?). Then I start to dig more. I try to learn where they came from and how they got here. I have to use thoughts that pop into my head to help drive the Q&A, else I'm just reaching out at nothing. I learned that the spirit was a woman and she found me during my trip to New England. I started listing off places I had visited and avoiding the one location that was screaming in my head to ask. I was lit up with ghost-fuzzies and I finally asked "Are you from Connecticut?" Yes. "Are you from the Mark Twain House?" Yes. 

I paused, because a new thought pushed to the front of my mind, again, practically screaming while the spirit lit me up with even more ghost-fuzzies. "Are you Mark Twain's daughter?" Yes! "Are you Susy?" Yes! The whole interaction had come to a climax and all of a sudden I felt slack. The realization washed over me that Susy Clemens had followed me home and wanted to interact with me. I felt out of my depth. I felt confused. I politely asked again, just to confirm what I was feeling and, yes, once again she confirmed she is Susy Clemens. I thanked her for sharing and, feeling exhausted yet exhilarated, I asked if she needed something specific from me. Essentially, she just wanted to be around for the holidays and was happy to interact with me. We said our goodbyes and I established my sleeping expectations for visiting spirits (no bedroom once I've gone to bed) and I closed out our session.

I was at a loss for what just occurred. Could I really have inspired the eldest daughter of Mark Twain to piggyback home to Wisconsin? I had just dealt with an Egregor (I think?) in Salem, Massachusetts. But this spirit didn't carry that energy. This spirit shared very specific things with me that caused me to have the feelings that I had. But isn't it a bit coincidental that only about a week ago I booked to attend an Adam Berry event AT the Mark Twain House? Was she the reason I had been looking for haunted Mark Twain House shows on my streaming services? (But not finding the ones I wanted for some weird reason.) My mind was whirling and I was starting to talk myself into dismissing everything, including my own mental state. (I have to stop not believing in myself or I'll never grow and understand who I am and what I am capable of.) I laid in bed trying to devise a way to gather evidence to support the claim that she is Mark Twain's daughter, Susy Clemens. 

Eureka! I had the answer to how I would try to achieve a more assured identification. I would come up with 5 questions and provide 3 answers for each question. I would write them down in a notebook with no answers marked anywhere. Then I would have my husband randomly lay out the three answers on the floor, upside down, and I wouldn't look. We would then ask Susy to answer the question by pointing the rods to the left, right, or center. If she chose center, I would ask to clarify, as it was right in front of me. My husband would mark the answers in my notebook (he didn't know the answers either) and he would not tell me what was selected until we were finished. All the questions were about Susy and things I either learned on my tour of the Mark Twain House or information I learned on the internet.

The questions and answers are above. She answered all of them correctly, even the one I totally screwed up and didn't realize how right she was at that moment. 

My husband asked, on question 2, "Who did you write an Autobiography for?" And Susy hesitated, not sure what to say and then slowly swung the rods, so hesitantly, to the right. I could feel her hesitancy, like she wasn't sure what we meant. I clarified, saying "It was published later. You were about 13 when you wrote it?" My husband had already started moving to change the answers for the next question, and all of a sudden, it was like someone was aggressively tapping my leg or even squeezing my arm, as if to say "No! No! It's this answer!" And my rods swung rapidly to the left to a different answer. And I told my husband mark it. That's the answer she wants. And it was Mark. The first answer she chose was Olivia, which was her mother. Later, I forgot, that Susy's name is Olivia Susan Clemens. We had asked her about an AUTObiography... what she wrote for her dad was a BIOgraphy, but was added to Mark Twain's AUTObiography when he published his. Even in my mistake, she was correct. 

I conversed with her later about equipment. She said she knew of Spiritualism and communicating with "the other side," which is why she is engaging with us. (It was shared with me in a "duh" type thought.) She didn't know what a Ouija Board was and had never encountered something similar. She also said she had no interest in using it. I asked her if she uses my energy to help her move the rods and she confirmed this. She said she has tried the other things we gave her to use, but isn't interested. I'm starting to think she isn't as powerful as other spirits I've encountered, which is why she has been able to be so lowkey on our plane of existence. When I asked her about reports of events at the Mark Twain House being her, she said no to all of the poltergeist-type claims, but did not answer regarding the white lady or her father. I did confirm that her preferences for proximity to me is my right side or in front of me and that, yes, she is tapping my thigh (a friendly female gesture) or touches my arm/shoulder. I promised her we'd talk again.

My husband and I discussed how to proceed. I still needed to find out if there was more to her claim and that she just wanted to be with us for the holidays and that she saw my "light" and felt compelled to stay with me. So we decided to do the questions again (a new set) and this time completely block the answers from my view. I do feel she is who she says she is, but I think she might be okay if we ask her questions one more time, especially if we can have a conversation. The rods can be draining to me, so I can't always go for long sessions. Susy told me the other day, too, that she does draw on my energy to communicate with us. But she just wants to be with us for Christmas. She wanted to travel and see more of the world that she hadn't before and that's why she's here, because I felt like a person she wanted to come home with.

It's funny... that story continues to echo over so many spirits to me. They were drawn to me. They liked my light/energy. They thought they would enjoy being in my space and sharing a small part of my life. I've asked other spirits before what we (my family) look like to them and they've shared that we just stand out "bright." Bright is from our visitor Daniel. Maybe more will be made clear over time. (A 12/11/24 interaction with Susy and a 12/13/24 session with Becky revealed that Becky encouraged Susy to come home with me to help me learn to further learn to communicate with spirits. Becky's spirit guide goal is to develop my empathic abilities.) 

To wrap things up for now, I should share that we did one more set of 5 questions. They were written from things I knew or learned on the tour and two questions from a biography online. My husband was in his closed office with my questions. My daughter had the notebook with the questions and 3-answer suggestions (unmarked and she didn't know the answers). She also randomly put down the answers behind blinders (boxes) so that I couldn't see the answers. I sat on my chair with the rods, communicating with Susy. So I would say to my husband "we're ready for the questions." I would wait for the rods to move. My daughter would mark Susy's answer choice and not tell me. Then my daughter would reset the answers and we'd do the process over again with the next question until 5 questions were finished.

4 out of 5 questions were answered correctly. Again, I was asking these questions to validate that I am actually communicating with Susy, even though my heart and her energy make me feel that it is. It's the Ghost Hunter in me that wants confirmation. This process was the best I was going to get. Two sessions of questions using the rods. And, honestly, all 10 questions were answered correctly. 

The one question on our second interaction that was wrong actually has a story behind it. The second question was "What is your birthday?" When asked, Susy kept the rods straight. When the rods were kept straight, I asked her to confirm that she was pointing forward and I received so much hesitation from her regarding what to do. But she said yes. When the answers were revealed, she had selected my husband's birthday. I asked her again, in the moment, if she could select her birthday. (My daughter randomly put down the birthday answers behind the boxes before the selection was made.) The rods stayed straight again. They didn't move at all, just like before. I asked if that was her birthday and the rods just stayed straight. The answer was, again, incorrect. My husband pontificated that maybe she doesn't remember her birthday and the rods confidently swung to cross as a yes. 

Why wouldn't she know her birthday? To us now adays we just think everyone would know their birthday. We started looking into when celebrating your birthday became a common place activity in America. We learned that it didn't become a common activity until between the 1860s and the 1890s in the American middle class. So for Susy, with her family moving back and forth between Europe and America, perhaps it wasn't something that her family participated in, at least her parents wouldn't have. So Susy wouldn't have a grandiose yearly reminder of her birthday. Additionally, a birth date wasn't typically used like it is today. Today we use it for everything. Back then, a young woman wouldn't have needed to use it except for maybe travel and, even then, travel was usually handled by the leading male in the household. Birthdays were usually recorded in a family Bible and, for women, weren't used for more than an age identification for marriage purposes. This has, of course, changed a great deal since Susy's lifetime and isn't something our modern minds think much about when interacting with spirits from a different era. It definitely heightened my awareness of asking information such as ages and dates that just might not be known. And, sadly, often some of this information is the hardest to identify via research for females who have passed. 

Olivia Susan "Susy" Clemens came home with me from the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut in November 2024. I know it in my bones. I am terrified to share it with the greater paranormal community. I don't want to exploit her presence here. She wants to be with us for the holidays and have occasional talks together, being acknowledged and appreciated. We have a small family with several pets to fill our home with heartfilled warmth during the holidays and I am more than happy to include and acknowledge her in our celebrations. (Sidenote: she was fascinated by our cookie making.)

So there it is. I don't know what her plans are for when I return to the Mark Twain House in January. I also am scared to share what I've learned with those I meet, so maybe I'll stay silent or be dubbed attention-getting. As I read over this I laughed, because writing this is outing my experience. I'm scared at the reception. I am not attention seeking, I am merely sharing my experience to allow others to feel seen. But maybe Susy and I can work on how to use offered energy to wow a crowd, as if entertaining friends or to let us all hear her beautiful singing voice. I'll talk to her about it and see where it goes. Susy is so sweet and I appreciate being a home she wanted to be a part of.