Girls Day Out

Blessed Sunday, friends! Yesterday my "seester" and I spent the afternoon having lunch and, of course, shopping - lol! ...

We had a nice lunch at "Ganly's Pub"

One of the places we frequented was "The Mint Leaf" where I found a couple of items for fall ...

I also picked up this cool little "gem" at "T.J. Maxx" ...

We also stopped at "The Mystic Mind" and I purchased these awesome treasures ...

I especially loved this black cat and pumpkin multi-colored decoration ...

On the way out, we looked through the free donation books located right outside of their shop and found these books ... 😉

"Miss Bennie" meets a new friend!

In other news, I finally got my new "specs" ...

Have a great rest of the weekend all!

Samhain Blessings!!!

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

The Unknown Roommate: My True Ghost Story

Before I moved into my home back in the year 1999, I lived on the third floor of an old house in Shillington, PA for seven years. I really loved this old apartment. The landlord at the time inherited it from his uncle and decided to section off the three floors and make it into three apartments. The third floor was once the attic and therefore fairly small, but plenty roomy enough for me and my cats. It had a cute little kitchen with a small full refrigerator, kitchen sink with cabinets, a stove with oven, and wall shelves as well. The living room was also small as was the bathroom which did not have a bathtub but a shower stall; however, both the kitchen and the bathroom did have a lot of closet space which was great! The bedroom was pretty large with a small closet for clothing, etc. The basement was set up with three separate storage spaces (no washer or dryer) for all three apartments.

My apartment building, 3rd floor on 31 S. Wyomissing Avenue.

A couple of months after I moved in, I noticed that my telephone would ring around 11 o'clock in the evening, but when I picked it up there was no one there on the other end. This would happen a couple times a week or so. Okay, maybe just something whacky with my telephone line? Since it did not happen ALL the time, I just shrugged it off at first.

Then, for no reason that I could understand, my bed would shake while I was trying to sleep. This happened EVERY night! I was so scared all I could manage to do is freeze up and not move a muscle until it passed! 

I finally decided to ask my neighbors who lived on the first and second floors if they ever experienced anything like what I had. After all, they also lived in the same house/building that I did. Neither of them had - apparently, I was the lucky one. However, the neighbor on the first floor who happened to know our landlord's family for a long time had disclosed to me that someone had hung themselves in the attic many years ago! 

Other than feeling terrified for a little while, I eventually got used to "whoever' or "whatever" was making their presence know to me. Never once had I felt in any serious danger in spite of how unnerving it could be at times. 

I miss that old apartment so much and I have never regretted living there - not once!

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

TBT: Pennhurst State School & Asylum

Admittedly, I had planned a rather different 'Throwback Thursday' post for today; however, I was reminded of this particular subject a couple of days ago when I saw a really disturbing and (for me a pretty despicable) advert for an up-coming 'Ghost Tour' of Pennhurst State School & Asylum on FB's homepage. So, I decided to re-post this instead.

(Originally posted on October 19, 2014)

Pennhurst State School & Asylum

Last night,  my husband & I went to the "untouched" section of Pennhurst State School & Asylum located in Spring City, PA ... NO actors, NO set ups, NO props. Let me tell you, my friends, THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED - haunted by the poor souls who onced resided there and experienced the events which took place during its' tenure.

Sadly, it has a rich history filled with accusations of torture, abuse and neglect. A history of mental patients chained to the walls in dark tunnels, children left for years in cribs, sexual abuse by the staff and even murder. All this happened behind the walls of Pennhurst State School.

Pennhurst was constructed and opened in 1908 as a state school for the mentally and physically disabled. Pennhurst's property covers 120 acres and was built to house over 10,000 patients at that time ~ making Pennhurst one of the largest institutions of its kind in Pennsylvania. Half of Pennhurst's residents were committed by court order and the other half were brought by a parent or other guardian. It was devoted strictly to the care, treatment and education of the disabled. Originally named Pennhurst Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic, it was finally just called Pennhurst State School.  Pennhurst employed a large number of staff to help assist in maintaining the facility. This staff included a board of trustees, medical staff, dental staff, and specialists in psychology, social services, accounting, and various fields of education. 

The grounds of Pennhurst included a 300-bed hospital, which had a full nursing staff and two surgeons on call at all times. Others at Pennhurst included members of the clergy and farming experts who grew most of Pennhurst's food . Pennhurst was an essentially self-sufficient community, its 1,400-acre site containing a firehouse, general store, barber shop, movie theatre, auditorium and even a greenhouse. The buildings of Pennhurst were named after towns in Pennsylvania such as Chester and Devon. The original buildings were designed by architect Phillip H. Johnson. All of Pennhurst's electricity was generated by an on-site power plant. A cemetery lay on the property, as well as baseball and recreational fields for the residents. Many of Pennhurst's buildings were strictly for storage; however, the majority were dormitory and hospital-style living quarters for the residents. Many of the buildings had security screens that were accessed on the inside, to prevent patients from escaping, or jumping to their deaths. Most of the stairwells had security fences to keep patients from jumping over the railings. Many of the buildings are linked by an underground tunnel system designed for transportation of handicapped patients to and from the dormitory, recreational buildings and dietary. 

 Pennhurst Campus in 1934

Pennhurst was often accused of dehuminazitation and was said to have provided no help to the mentally challenged. The institution had a long history of staff difficulties and negative public image. For example, a 1968 report by NBC called "Suffer the Little Children" documented the travesties which surrounded Pennhurst State School and it was closed in 1986 following several allegations of abuse. These allegations led to the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States, Pennhurst State School and Hospital vs. Halderman, which asserted that the mentally retarded have a constitutional right to living quarters and an education. Terry Lee Halderman had been a resident of the school, and upon release she filed suit in the district court on behalf of herself and all other residents of Pennhurst. The complaint alleged that conditions at Pennhurst were unsanitary, inhumane and dangerous, that these living conditions violated the fourteenth amendment, and that Pennhurst used cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the eighth and fourteenth amendments. After a 32-day trial and an immense investigation, prosecutors concluded that the conditions at Pennhurst were not only dangerous, with physical and mental abuse of its patients, but also inadequate for the care and habilitation for the mentally retarded. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also concluded that the physical, mental, and intellectual skills of most patients had actually deteriorated while in Pennhurst. 

And so, in 1986, Pennhurst was ordered closed, and began a program of de-institutionalism that lasted several years.  Once the buildings were closed, they began to rapidly deteriorate from lack of heating, moisture invasion and vandalism. Consequently, Pennhurst fell into complete ruin as the complex was shut down. Buildings were abandoned as they were, with patient’s clothes and belongings scattered everywhere. Furniture, cabinets and medical equipment were left to decay as if someone had just got up and walked out the front door. 

Another part of the building is an area that has suffered a moderate fire. Door frames and headers are charred, and the smell of burnt wood is still perceptible. The area that was burned housed two sound proof cells; small rooms where patients could be locked away and their screams could be totally muffled. The floors, walls and ceilings are 6” thick with heavy insulation stuffed between the studs. The interiors are lined with sound proof tiles, and the exterior is sheathed in another layer of sound proofing. Even the doors are 8” thick and insulated. As you walk into these rooms, you can feel the air get heavy, the sounds deaden and you can imagine how the patients felt being locked up in the pitch dark with no one hearing your screams. 

It is no wonder that Pennhurst is really haunted. Featured on the Travel Channel, the Ghost Adventures crew have recorded many strange voices, noises and unexplained movement and documented this in their shows. The Pennhurst Ghost Tours open to professional and amateur ghost hunters with recordings, photos and accounts of physical contact throughout the Pennhurst complex. 

Just an added note, we were not allowed to enter the cellar nor the upstairs floor as I am assuming that due to the rather hazardous conditions of the building's deterioration, it would be far too dangerous and a huge liability issue as well!

While walking through the museum portion of the tour, I personally experienced an overwhelming feeling of sadness and confusion. And, as we continued throughout the many different abandoned rooms, I could literally feel the temperature getting much colder. Although I was not at all scared, I was extremely saddened by it all. On the way home in the car, my hubby told me that one of his distant family members was once a patient at Pennhurst many years ago. Without speaking further to any other family members, we know very little at this time about this relative other than they were admitted because they were born "mongoloid" (Down Syndrome). In fact, my natural grandmother was diagnosed with schizophrenia a couple of months after my mother was born and, she herself, spent her entire life in a mental institution where she had passed away at the age of 86.

To watch "Ghost Hunters" - Season 7, Episode 2, click on this link:

https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/pennsylvania-asylum/umc.cmc.5ykx44by3uq7su5hku2827maq

TBT: Our Trip to New Hope

Yesterday hubby, my sister Aurora Skye, her husband, and I took a lovely little day trip to one of our favorite spots ~ New Hope, PA. This was Aurora's hubby's first time ever visiting there and we had a simply beautiful fall afternoon!

Of course, we had to stop into the village witch shops where I found some great stuff ...

"Gypsy Heaven"

A cool candy dish

A celestial pendant

A Green Man pendant 

 

And, "Mystickal Tymes" where I not only picked up a couple of more sweet items, but had also gotten the chance to see their gorgeous mascot (and shop owner Eric's beloved kitty) Morganna who is an amazing 20 years old!

A taper candle holder which I plan on using in my next Beltane ritual.

A Mermaid Chalice

A Mermaid Tea Light Holder

Mermaid Statue

'The Gang' posing outside of "Gypsy Heaven"

  

As always, there are plenty of cool things to see and do ...

Year-round rail road trips

The Bucks County Playhouse 

"Christmas Past" 

  

A Trip to Green Dragon

Happy Friday! Today, I had another rare day off from work so my husband and I decided to go to a place called, "Green Dragon" - an awesome flea market where you can find homemade food, cool  handmade items, and more! I came home with these little treasures!

My husband bought this wine vinegar for himself and I bought the Rosemary olive oil to use on my cooked pasta instead of butter!  YUMMY!!

And, these homemade raw creamed honey spreads ...

Flavored yogurt pretzels - Blueberry, Pumpkin Spice, and Strawberry.

A cheap pumpkin Halloween garland to adorn my entranceways ...

And, of course, I have my battery operated wax candles I picked up last weekend at "Dutch Apple" in the kitchen ...