Alone with a Ghost

21 days. He will be graduated and living on his own. 21days.

21 days. I will be living alone for the first time in my 40ish years. Just 3 weeks away.

To bear the undeniable sadness (pride) this event is going to cause, I've come up with a list of things that I plan on doing.

• Visit a haunted Bed and Breakfast. No lie.

Usually I head for the coast. I am kind of a beachy girl. But this just intrigued me. Here goes, I am going to sound crazy, but I have had an experience before that I 'think' was supernatural.

I was staying with a friend in an old 1800's farm house. It was her family home. It was beautiful and filled with antiques. Every corner of the house held a deep history of a time long gone. There was a barn with sheep, horses and some chickens. I have visited here before to pick blueberries, but only for the day.

I was sleeping in an upper room and I dreamed that 'something' was coming out of the wall right behind the head of the bed. Suddenly, the bed started shaking. Hard. I am not sure if I was dreaming it or not, but I do know that as I was waking up and yelling for my friend, I still felt the bed shaking. It wasn't until I heard her running down the hall, asking if I was alright, that it stopped. I mentioned something about a bad dream and she said, "We get that here a lot."

The next morning we were chatting over coffee and I told her my dream. Especially the part about the wall behind my bed. She said the room I was in used to be a maids quarters and there was at one time a staircase behind that wall. She also told me that even as a girl things were never right there.

Well, I am not sure what I believe. I am not sure if that was a dream or what. I do know that I am anxious to see if anything turns up at the B&B. Or if I will just have a few days relaxation after 22 years of parenting. 

More of the list later. Do YOU believe?

One Fall at a Time

I hike. I take pictures (bad ones, remember). I discover new trails and waterfalls. Today I went to Houston Brook Falls. It was quite a drive to get there. The hike was only about 1/4 mile into the falls. I left my ipod in the car.

When I hike I like to listen to music so I wasn't sure I wanted to leave my iPod behind. But I could hear the falls from my car and they just soothed this soul that is aching and breaking everyday. My children will all be moved out in a matter of weeks. I am single and about to be alone for the first time in my life.

As I move into the forest, the sounds of the water gushing over ancient rocks to a pool 35 feet below gets louder. I am slightly disappointed because I thought the hike would be a long one. But I was in for a surprise.

This is such a magical place, there is no one else here but me.

The mossy rocks remind me of hobbits. I love discovering what is out there for me to find!

I hate crossing bridges and this one looked a little iffy. 

Pure beauty. I wondered if this waterfall had been here since the earth was new. If it had changed course somehow to flow over the rocky formation. I know how water smooths rock and wondered how smooth the rocks under the falls were. There was too much force for me to find out today (besides, the water was freezing). After spring, when the rivers run a little drier, I want to come back here and find out. I walked up a little higher and sat for a while. Breathing the beauty of this little treasure in.

Just me. Sometimes it takes realizing how insignificant I am to realize that all my worries and fears can simply be washed away by the glorious-ness of the world that surrounds me.