Sylvia Shults's Blog, page 55
February 14, 2019
News News News!
So I’ve got quite a few projects going on this year, and it occurs to me that I ought to share some of them with you guys!
Here’s one that is very special to me. I’ve been a guest on the podcast Ron’s Amazing Stories for some time now — for the past five Octobers, Ron Hood has invited me to be a part of Ron’s Month of Spooky, which I’m always happy to do.
Well, late last year, Ron gave me a magnificent Christmas gift — he asked me to be a recurring guest on his show with even more regularity! Now, instead of just appearing once a year in October, I am proud to be a monthly guest on Ron’s show, as part of the feature Ghost Stories With Sylvia.
I’m still pinching myself that this has happened — that it IS happening! I collect so many fun ghost stories, and some of them, well, they just don’t fit in any of the books that are currently in the pipeline. But nevertheless, they do deserve to be shared. I am intensely grateful to Ron for giving me a platform on which to share these wonderful tales. And I’m grateful to YOU, too, for tuning in to hear them. The segment is loads of fun — I tell a few true ghost stories, and then we chat a bit about what’s going on here on the blog, and about what’s in store on Lights Out.
Ron’s Amazing Stories can be found on all kinds of stations, including the actual radio, if you want to go old-school. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Here’s a link to this month’s show: http://ronsamazingstories.com/ras-367-the-test-rocket?fbclid=IwAR1aNsHelCDFVEziP7HDJA4awuG0x7iud3N8qBTdRhb5DN5-Ov-Xq0HGH4I
February 11, 2019
Today I Learned …
Ever wonder why the South is known as Dixie? It’s all about the money, honey. In the mid-1850s, French was the most commonly spoken language in Louisiana. One of the Louisiana banks issued a $10 bill, stamped with DIX on the front and back — “dix” being the French word for “ten”. The bill soon became known as a Dixie.
Lights Out: Archer Woods Cemetery
It’s time for another episode of Lights Out, your virtual campfire! Tucked away near one of Chicago’s forest preserves is Archer Woods Cemetery. There’s plenty of ghost lore beyond these iron gates … as well as a mystery. Join me for a stroll through haunted Archer Woods Cemetery. https://youtu.be/incQHNS6Dsg
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February 4, 2019
Today I Learned …
Pandas have a tough lining in their throat that protects them from bamboo splinters. (From National Geographic Kids Weird But True! Animals)
January 31, 2019
Food For Thought
So I’ve been doing paranormal investigation for a while now. I’m always interested in refining my techniques past the Scooby-Doo stage. And I’m also interested in cross-training … adapting things from other areas for use in investigation.
The other day, I was working on a batch of bread. I’ve been baking for decades — I don’t think we ever bought a loaf of bread while I was growing up, it was always homemade. My parents taught me how to bake starting when I was, oh, eight years old or thereabouts. I made mistakes when starting out, like we all do. Heck, I’ve made bad bread as an adult. I’ve killed yeast, I’ve not put enough flour in … I’ve done all sorts of things to make a batch of bread turn out badly.
But I also know when a batch is going to turn out well. I can put my hands on a bowl of dough, and feel that it’s going to rise into a beautiful loaf. Also, I can put my hands on dough and tell that nope, this is a lost cause, it’s not going to rise worth a darn.
The batch I made the other day was great. I pulled the dough out of the bowl after the first rise, gave it a few kneads, and started to shape it into loaves. I could feel the vitality and energy of the yeast under my hands, yeast eager to help the bread rise into round, gorgeous loaves.
Then it hit me. Is this a variation of what mediums or other sensitives must feel when they go into a haunted place and sense that spirit energy? And could I learn to sense that energy too, the way I can sense energy in a good batch of bread dough?
Laugh at my simplicity if you want to, but I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts. If you’re a sensitive, do you have any hints on how I could develop my gift, spare as it is? Do you think this idea has any validity, the idea that life energy is all around us, even down to the yeast in the bread we eat? Comment away!
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January 28, 2019
Today I Learned …
The southern grasshopper mouse stands on its hind legs and howls to claim its territory. (From National Geographic Kids Weird But True! Animals)
January 24, 2019
Backyard Visitors
Well, we didn’t get the 6 to 10 inches of snow they were calling for this past weekend, but there was still plenty left over from the weekend before.
You can tell exactly where the feral kittens stand to snarf out of one of the food bowls. 
January 21, 2019
Today I Learned …
When archaeologists were restoring colonial Williamsburg, they were puzzled to find that a part of the site was packed with thousands upon thousands of chicken bones. After some research, they realized that in the 1700s, the midden, or garbage pit, had been the local hanging spot. The chicken bones were the remains of countless picnics enjoyed by audiences at the public executions.
January 18, 2019
Lights Out: Mount Carmel Cemetery
Hey hey hey, it’s time for another episode of Lights Out, your virtual campfire. Let’s take a trip to Chicago and drop in on Al Capone! Come with me for a visit to beautiful Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, outside Chicago. This is the resting place of many well-known Chicago gangsters, including Al Capone. It also has the grave of Julia Buccola Petta, The Italian Bride. When her body was exhumed six years after her death in childbirth (1921), it was found to be perfectly preserved. For more about Julia Petta, I encourage you to visit http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/the-italian-bride-of-chicago , for a blog post by Adam Selzer, Chicago historian and ghost hunter.
January 14, 2019
Today I Learned …
Snails sometimes travel in the slime trails of other snails to save energy. (From National Geographic Kids Weird But True! Animals)
