Ashy Jim, the friendly ghost

We've been staying in an Airbnb in Ohio since Friday. It was built in the 1930s and still contains some of that charm, from the squeaks and creaks in the floor, to the super weird sounds coming from the pipes and heating systems. Personally, I love it. I think that if I lived here, the nonstop creaking stairs would eventually drive me crazy, but for a short stay, it is endearing. 

I love those French doors. All of the doors are such thick, heavy wood that you just don't see in new builds anymore. Even more proof that nothing is as sturdy as it used to be. This house has super thick walls too. The first night at Kings Island Gage and I took an Uber home at 10:30 because Owsley wanted to get in line for his last ride at midnight, and well, we did not. Peppy was afraid we would wake up when they came back and showered, but neither of us heard anything.

Old houses also come with that eerie charm of being potentially haunted. Now, I don't believe in BOO! type of ghosts where you are being haunted by your dead nana, but I do believe that in some unexplainable way spirits and energies can collect and manifest into current reality. And this house has Ashy Jim. 

This is a non-smoking property, but from the time we entered the doorway I have felt a lingering cigarette smell following me and popping up out of nowhere. Peppy and Gage have noticed it too. It is never in the same spot and it is only there for a brief moment and then gone, and we all noticed it at different times. 

The house is adorable....the basement with the washer and dryer is absolutely not. You also don't want the door to the creepy basement to just randomly pop open from time to time, for no apparent reason. Gage noticed this the first night and I was glad for the warning, but let me tell you that most people would probably be pretty freaked out if they were making coffee in a strange kitchen at 4:30 am and suddenly the basement door next to them just pops open. 

The door through that entryway leads to the basement. I took this picture after it randomly popped open while I was sitting on the couch with this view. I do not scare easily at all, especially not now, but come on. I think I've seen this movie before. 

Washer and dryer were included in the listing, so I assume we were allowed to be down here. This space is massive, but wait! It gets creepier. 

I wonder what's behind these creepy doors?

Did someone originally live in this space? Maybe it was just a workspace? Despite the lack of upkeep in the basement, there wasn't a single cobweb or dead bug or little critter to be found.

Yesterday morning before anyone else was awake I heard a thud and someone go into the upstairs bathroom, but then they never came back out so I convinced myself I imagined it, but I'm not so sure. I'm not prone to audible hallucinations, or hallucinations of any kind for that matter. If some spectral body appeared before me, my first thought would not be, Oh, this is normal. I must be hallucinating.

I kind of thought the whole thing was hilarious. If you have an active imagination I can easily see why this basement alone might keep people from booking this house. I'm pretty sure Ashy Jim is harmless though. 

Or maybe he's going to latch on to one of my kids and follow us home and then really begin some Amityville Horror stuff. 

For real, this house has been great and the neighborhood has felt very safe. The beds have been comfortable. Both kids got their own rooms. I could wash and dry clothes, and everything was clean and easily accessible. I love being able to keep my regular routine that I have at home and that I can move around in the early morning without worrying I am going to disturb someone. It has been fun for me to imagine all the things this house has experienced in the last 90 years.

The only downsides were the lack of electrical outlets, but considering the house is almost 100 years old I guess it gets a pass on that one. Although if I were the host I might supply some extension cords or power strips. The bathrooms also need a shelf or a small table, just something because there isn't anywhere to really put your toothbrushes. I know these are petty problems, but those are literally the only two things I could suggest (and no one is asking me for my input anyway.)

This morning it was windy outside so I was hearing lots of sounds because there's tons of trees all around the house, but then I started hearing something that sounded like a person digging through trash right outside the door. And you know me, no adrenaline De decides to confront whatever it was head on. Maybe Ashy Jim, in the spectral flesh?

It was not Ashy Jim. Just a very healthy looking raccoon eating some trash Peppy had taken out of his car. He definitely seemed more annoyed than afraid when I startled him and he waddled off.