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"In Eastern culture, people see ghosts, people talk about ghosts ... it's just accepted. And in Western culture it's just not." - Jessica Alba
As I close out this GroveZine, I'm looking fondly into the future... my wife cooks a turkey on low all night before Thanksgiving, so I wake up with the unbelievably scrumptious scent on that morning. That sensation is almost better than the meal itself. Um, "almost," I said. Actually the turkey dinner is the highlight of the month. I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful Halloween, join us for the History, Haunts, and Legends Conference, and then settle in for a great Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. I look forward to emailing you next month!
Here's what's coming up around Jefferson...
10/30/2021 - Fall Jefferson Wedding Expo
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Happy Fall from The Grove! We made it through September, the air is turning cooler, and Halloween is just around the corner. This is truly my favorite time of the year - next we have Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Year's, and we start another trip around the Sun. Meanwhile, it's been an interesting month at The Grove. Natural Gas crews have been digging up the neighborhood (which you'll read a story about), the entire city is getting ready for Halloween, and we're enjoying decorating The Grove for Fall. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks, we'll be decorating Christmas trees!
In last month's GroveZine I talked about the upcoming History Haunts & Legends conference here in Jefferson, and I wanted to issue a final call - it's almost here! I've had a peek at the line-up of speakers and it's going to be an incredible day. Don't forget that with a VIP ticket, you also get to go on the investigations that evening. I went on them at the last conference, and had some amazing experiences. I can hardly wait for November 6 - hopefully I'll see you there!
I always talk about all the weird things that happen to me in the GroveZine, and this is no exception. It isn't supernatural, but then again, it isn't natural... I don't really know what it is. I woke up a few days ago and both of my wrists were sore. When I told my wife, she immediately said that it might be carpal-tunnel syndrome - I have spent the majority of my life at a keyboard. Fortunately, for years I had a wrist pad to protect from just that problem, and for the last decade or so I have a desk with a keyboard shelf to keep my wrists at a perfect posture. More than that, though, my wrists hurt when I moved them side to side, up and down, in every direction. And even more than that, my left wrist had bruising on it. I didn't think to take a photo until three days in, so a lot of it had faded - you see the "day 3" picture here. My right wrist hurts a LOT more than my left one, but then I'm right-handed. I haven't fallen and caught myself on my hands, I don't lift weights, in fact I haven't lifted anything heavy... it had been a very benign, normal week. Weird, to say the least. I hope that it doesn't become a regular occurrence.
If you're not watching the television show Yellowstone, just skip this section, because it won't make any sense. If you are, can you believe that we're only a couple of weeks away from the season 4 premier?!? The language is a little rough, but it's about life on a working ranch, and it's not only my favorite show on TV, but IMHO one of the best that's come along in years. I think that this is Kevin Costner's best role ever. But enough fan-boy gushing... if you remember that romantic scene where Rip prepared breakfast for Beth, he made her his mother's "fry bread." It looked delicious, right? I found the recipe online, so if you'd like to make it in your own kitchen, just 
UPDATE: In the last GroveZine I mentioned seeing a worker from the gas company using dowsing rods to find a line. I had the opportunity to talk to one of the supervisors the other day, and I told him what I'd seen. I asked if they normally used dowsing rods in their work, and he said, "Oh, you mean witching - yeah, we use that to find gas lines or water lines." I remembered that I've heard guys who locate water sources for a well called "water witches." I told him that was surprising, since they have all sorts of electronic equipment and sensors and such. He laughed and said, "You can only do so much with fancy equipment. Witching works every time."
This was so cool, and I greatly appreciate the GroveZine reader who sent me a copy. Several years ago the TV show "The Daytripper" filmed a program at the Grove, and the host Chet Garner dressed up as our famous spirit, "The Lady in White." In the current Texas Co-Op Power magazine, he wrote a story called "The Grove's Groove" based on his visit here. I really appreciate it, even if Chet doesn't know how to spell my last name. To read the story, 
I wrote a book several years ago The Light at the Top of the Mountain: Ghosts in the Bible that examined all the references to ghosts and the supernatural in the Good Book. It was obvious that experiences with ghosts go back to the start of human history. This was confirmed when I read the new article "Figures of Babylon: Oldest Drawing of a Ghost Found in British Museum Vault." I was delighted to see a 3,500-year-old image of a ghost on a Babylonian tablet. It's very interesting - click 
We had a gentleman on the tour recently who pulled me aside after it was over. We'd made our way back up front, but he took me to the doorway between the Dining Room and the Game Room. He said, "I don't know if you noticed, but when everyone went into this room I stood in the doorway." In fact, I'd seen him take a position there, and he kept glancing back over his shoulder - I was expecting him to tell me that someone had come to the door, in fact... but he didn't. Continuing his story, he said that as he was listening to me talk, suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he felt something move behind him. His back was suddenly very cold, even though he had been a little warm beforehand. He told me that he knew something strange was happening, but he didn't get any visual confirmation, although he definitely felt it.
If you're one of the GroveZine readers in the Fort Worth area, check out our friends' brewery, Neutral Ground. They have some delicious, hand-crafted beers, and it's located at 2929 Race St in Ft. Worth. The photo is my wife and I out in front if the place. My buddy is an incredible brewer, and it's well worth a visit for a few craft beers - and don't miss their King Cake Brew!