Gambling Ghosts

This weekend isn't the first time I've noticed a ghost in or around a casino. But it's one of the rare sightings my husband makes.

I got tickets for Bugz, Blues and BBQ at Sam's Town Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana, where I had a room with an affordable rate. The Mudbug Festival was also going on this past weekend, so there were a few things to do besides gamble. The room was really nice, but the moment we walked in with the pleasant young guy pushing our loaded luggage rack, I noticed someone else already in residence.

He was tall, black hair, and nicely dressed in a white shirt and trousers. I got the impression he loved to gamble, but also liked staying at the hotel and being around other folks who enjoyed the excitement of playing the odds. Tired from the three-hour drive, I didn't chat with him, and he didn't bother me. He hung around the bathroom … at least when he was in the room with us. I only glimpsed him three or four times, so perhaps he also roamed the boat.

Later on that first day, we returned to our room to rest before we headed out for more fun. As Barney sat down on the side of the bed, he froze, staring toward the bathroom.

"Is there anyone else in here with us?" he asked, although I'm certain he knew I hadn't called for any room service.

"Why?" I asked, trying to concentrate on the book I was reading.

"I just saw a man over there by the bathroom," he said, and he didn't sound very happy about it.

That got my attention, and I looked up at him, surprised he'd actually seen the man. "Uh … yeah, there's a ghost here," I said. "He's been here since we arrived. He won't bother us."

He didn't look like he believed me, but what could he do? He laid down and turned his back on the bathroom, so at least he wouldn't have to watch the ghost if it decided to prowl around a bit more.

The first gambler ghost I recall meeting was James at the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico. ("St. James Jeepers Creepers," Ghost Hunting Diary Volume IV) He wasn't the "James" in the name of the hotel, just a gambler who played in the numerous poker games there. I saw him while we were checking in, standing behind Aunt Belle. When I whispered to her that there was a gorgeous ghost behind her, she said, "I know. He's pulling my hair, and he's a gambler."

That explained his clothing, since he wore a black suit from the late-1800's, with a gold watch with a chain and fob across his vest. Later, Aunt Belle said his name was James.

James accompanied us when we left the hotel and continued our trip. We lost him at the casino riverboat in Natchez, Mississippi; however, Aunt Belle saw him again one night in a nursing home where she was working.

Women like to gamble, too. I've been known to push a slot machine button now and then. J At a casino in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, someone invisible opened the door to the women's restroom and walked out while I was washing my hands. ("Casino Carouser," Ghost Hunting Diary Volume I) I hope it was a woman, although both the bathrooms at my house are haunted by males.

One of the saloon gals from the St. James Hotel also appeared in my home a few months after my visit to that wonderful old place. She was the blonde in the mural on the wall of the game room there. I never asked her if she gambled herself. In the mural, she's flirting with a cowboy in a card game.

I've felt ghosts several times when I'm around a historical place where part of the entertainment was a type of gambling, and even other times at today's modern casinos. Perhaps it's a fascination with the noise and suspense of gaming, or more likely in my opinion, the energy that flows around the people visiting there. Paranormal researchers believe ghosts can use the energy from others to serve their own purposes, such as visualizing like the one did recently in our hotel room. Of course, their presence can foster different reactions. I love seeing them. Others would rather not.

But then, I see ghosts a lot more often than many people do.

****

It's going to be another one of those busy weeks after my couple of days "vacation." I'm looking into moving the blog to a different server (BlogHer), but I'll make sure everyone can find it. Hopefully, it will be an easier design and I can put up some photos for y'all to look at. While I’m moving, I'm downloading the blogs to put up in a collection in a new e-book. I'll also be working on Silent Prey, and Angela has a fantastic cover idea for that one.

Our weather is starting to work into those hot Texas summer days, and we'll have to be up early for any yard work. Luckily, the next door neighbor shares his yard man with us. However, we have plenty we have to do ourselves.

It's nearly sunrise, so off to (more) work I go! In the meantime, Ghost Hunting Diary Volume V is up at all these e-book sites:

Kindle: http://tiny.cc/tuteww

Nook: http://tiny.cc/bzteww

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/311687

Kobo: http://tiny.cc/978oxw

Sony: http://tiny.cc/l68oxw

      iTunes: http://tiny.cc/ovapxw

Boo!

T. M.

Do We See Our Pets Again?

I can't think of a better way to memorialize my dog Rex than to write about my beliefs as to this. That's why my blog is late this week. We lost Rex on Friday, and I couldn't face writing about him yet ... or doing much of anything else except grieve. It's hard even now. My goodbye to him was: "See you later, Rex." And the tears still flow easily.

Yes, I believe I'll see him in the afterlife … along with every other pet I've every owned. I like to think of him running and playing with my grandson while he waits for us. They enjoyed each other in life, also. Everyone loved Rex.

A man I know likes to argue about whether or not animals have souls. His favorite is: Well, then all the cows we eat have souls too, do they? And every other animal.

He's not someone I even bother to argue with. Half the time he's only arguing for the sake of being a devil's advocate; half the time, he believes some of his ideas. Whichever. Life's too short for arguments like that.

We had Rex for nearly twelve years. I'll miss him until I see him again.

~~~~

As for the rest of the week, it's been a fairly quiet one paranormal-wise. I have "glimpsed" a resident ghost now and then. But the most encounters I had this past week were at the Granbury Paranormal Expo on Saturday. Since it had been a few years since I'd attended a Psychic Fair, I'd forgotten how a gathering of sensitives can attract ghosts and spirits. I'd barely walked in the door when I started noticing a plethora of them around.

I had a fantastic reading with one of my favorite mediums, John Cappello, and we were inundated by the spirits who surround me. John even mentioned all of them. Mine were there because they always are … especially when I need them. They include not only relatives (which John mentioned) but also my spirits guides.

I believe this is also why our SRT group has such success with our investigations. Nearly everyone in our group has a high measure of gifts, and the couple who do not are fast developing their sensitivities. A lot of mine and Aunt Belle's relatives also have abilities, and John even mentioned that he believed I came from an ancestry such as that. He brought up quite a few truths (and rumors he could not have known about) that he picked up from those surrounding me. If you ever have a chance to attend one of John's workshops or have a reading from him, don't miss out. He's one of the best.

~~~~

I'm putting Dead Man Talking free for Kindle for the last time today and tomorrow (5/19 & 20). So grab a copy if you haven't already and let your friends know this is the last chance.

http://tiny.cc/q1n4uw

Sad Boo.

T. M.

Aunt Belle & Ghosts

I've said many times that when Aunt Belle shows up, the ghosts here at my house get pretty active. As an example, here's what happened during her most recent visit, May 2-4.

I'd been seeing flashes of my resident ghosts fairly often. They had also frightened guests several times. The week of Aunt Belle's visit, they grew even more active. I also kept sensing someone new; however, I was busy getting my new books up (Ghost Hunting Diary Volume V) and didn't have time to visit with whoever had wandered in.

After Aunt Belle arrived (finally!), I remembered something I had to do at Wal-Mart.

"Want to ride to Wal-Mart?" I asked her.

"Of course," she said. She's never one to sit around if there's something else to do. She's afraid she might miss out on something.

So we grabbed our purses … or I thought we both did. Just as I opened the front door, she said, "Oh, shoot. I forgot my purse."

She turned around so fast, she walked right through the ghost following her. All I saw was a flash of blue as he disappeared, but I felt sure it was the "new guy."

"You walked right through him!" I said. She just laughed and shook her head, as I did, and went on to get her purse.

Later, we were sitting around watching a DVD. I glanced over toward the front door. There he stood, wearing his blue shirt. But he immediately disappeared when he knew I could see him. I'm still not sure who he is. He's evidently rather shy. Hopefully, he's not a troublemaker. If I start sensing anything like that, he's outta here.

My ghosts are also usually quite helpful when I lose something. I had mislaid my keys after one of our in and out trips for shopping and/or fun. The next time we left, I had to use the backup keys, and when we got back, I looked everywhere for that ring of keys. They sure weren't in the usual place, where I always put them, in the bookshelf in the dining room. Believe me, I searched there at least three times. No keys.

After I'd seen the blue shirt guy, I mentioned to Aunt Belle, "I wish I could find my keys. Maybe I should ask the ghosts to find them."

"You probably should," she said."

I said to the room at large, "I really need my keys. Do you think one of y'all could find them for me and put them where I can find them, too? Please, and thank you." I always say please, and thank them in advance.

Nothing happened for a moment, then Aunt Belle frowned and said, "They say they are in the bookcase. Where you always keep them."

"They are not," I denied. "I've looked there three times already."

So we went back to watching the movie … for about thirty seconds.

She glanced over at me as I started to get out of my chair. "Going to check the bookcase again?"

"I guess," I said. "Or I'll never be able to concentrate on our movie."

Sure enough, there were the keys! I did remember to again thank everyone around here who helped put the keys back where they belonged.

The next day, we went to some garage sales. At one, the people had some tools and other things laid out in the garage. I usually browse the tools to see if there's anything my husband might want, and once in a while I even find something for myself. This time, I heard a man say, You don't want to buy any of these tools. I knew it was the man who used to own the tools, still hanging around as a ghost. He was not happy at all about his stuff being sold. He wasn't angry, just sad and upset.

In the car, as we left, I said to Aunt Belle, "The man in the garage wasn't happy about his things being sold."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "I felt him behind me as I was looking at some stuff across the garage from where you were. When I turned around, no one was there. I knew it was him."

Things like this happen once in a while when Aunt Belle isn't here, but a lot more frequently when she is visiting. It's nice when we both have experiences together, confirming what each other has seen, heard or sensed. Lots of fun!

As I write this to have it ready to put up this weekend (having cataract removal Thursday, so pre-planning the blog), I have a cleansing scheduled. It's at Aunt Belle's granddaughter's house. Something rather nasty is bothering her granddaughter, her two great-grandchildren and their dog. Nothing gets me moving to a cleansing quicker than a darn ghost messing with kids. And it being Aunt Belle's and my family already has my dander up. I'm taking my heavy backup, Angela, with me on this one. The nasty thing is already on his way outta there, and just doesn't know it.

If you missed the url's for my latest book:

Kindle: http://tiny.cc/tuteww

BN/Nook: http://tiny.cc/bzteww

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/311687

Take care, read a lot, and ….

Boo!

T. M.