KENTUCKY'S HAUNTED HOSPITAL, WAVERLY HILLS SANITARIUM

The Waverly Hills Sanitarium opened in Louisville, Kentucky in October 1926. The structure was created to house tuberculosis patients and staff fighting this dreaded disease sometimes known as the "white plague". Waverly Hills was a 500 bed hospital offering a person anything they needed. A kitchen, laundry, dentist, library, and barber shop was located in the building.

Tuberculosis was rampant during this time affecting whole families and was so contagious that people were quarantined from the general public. This disease destroyed the lungs causing the patient to suffocate. It could also infect the brain, eyes, larynx and bones. Antibiotics had not been invented and the only treatment available was rest, fresh air and sunlight and to try and boost the patient's immune system by good nutrition. Some did recover and return home but many people died. TB outbreaks continued to grow. It is said that more people died from tuberculosis than Americans who died in WW1. Many experiments were performed and surgeries done trying to find a cure for this dreaded disease but over 60,000 people ended up dying in this facility.

The hospital faced the problem of how to dispose of the bodies. Since a recovery from tuberculosis also requires a person to be in a good mental state of mind corpses had to be removed from the premises without other patients viewing the procedure. The staff and doctors thought the bodies could still be contagious because of body fluids.

The inclined corridor or tunnel was first constructed to move supplies in and out of the building but at some point it was decided it could be used to discreetly transport bodies off the hill without other patients witnessing it. The dead were placed on a cart and lowered to the bottom that was 500 feet underground. They were picked up by surviving family members or cremated.

In 1943 streptomycin was introduced and tuberculosis cases gradually lowered and the hospital closed in 1961.

In 1962 The Woodhaven Geriatric Sanitarium opened but was closed for good by the state in 1980 for alleged patient abuse.

The building was taken over by vagrants and ripped of anything valuable. By 2001 Waverly Hills had been nearly destroyed by vandals and the elements. The hospital soon gained a reputation for being haunted and stories began to circulate of resident ghosts like the little girl who was seen running up and down the third floor solarium, the little boy who was spotted with a leather ball, the hearse that appeared in the back of the building dropping off coffins, the woman with the bleeding wrists who cried for help. Visitors told of slamming doors, lights in the windows, strange sounds and eerie footsteps in empty rooms.

There is a legend about room 502 where two suicides are said to have occurred. A nurse is said to have hanged herself from a fixture in 1928 after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Another nurse is said to have been pushed or jumped out a window. It is believed that the mentally insane tuberculosis patients were housed on the fifth floor at Waverly.

The Louisville Ghost Hunters Society introduced the sanatorium to a national television audience, held two ghost conferences there and spent scores of thankless hours taking literally thousands of people through the building on more haunted tours than they could begin to count. They would also, during independent investigations and tours, experience numerous incidents of paranormal activity. According to many ghost hunters, the most common paranormal activity is the phenomenon of the shadow people, "moving shadows" that seem to have substance and are able to "walk" across doorways. They are supposedly able to block some light when a laser is pointed at them.

Below is a video of Waverly Hills and you can also learn more about it from the following link:

http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/home.htm

This will conclude my posts about scary things. Hope everyone has a great Halloween.

MORE HALLOWEEN STUFF!

I am going to be an authority on Halloween by the end of the month. Hope you have enjoyed learning a little more about this time of the year and the customs, poems, and recipes of October.

JACK-O-LANTERNS AND PUMPKINS

This story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

PUMPKIN FACTS

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange the color of pumpkins.
Turnips and beets served as the original jack-o-lanterns.
Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep spirits away and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green.
Pumpkins originaed in Central America.
Growing big pumpkins is a big time hobby.

SOME FACTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN

Halloween was originally a Celtic holiday celebrated on October 31.
Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
Mexico celebrates 'The Day of the Dead' instead of Halloween.
Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first. People spend as much as over $2.5 billion during Halloween on candies, costumes, decorations and parties.
Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters.
It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating.
The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night.
Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
Samhainophobia is an intense fear of Halloween.

BEETHOVEN HALLOWEEN JOKE

A daring vacationer in Vienna is walking through a graveyard on Halloween when all of a sudden she hears music. No one is around, so she starts looking to see where it’s coming from.She finally locates the source and finds it is coming from a grave with a headstone that reads, “Ludwig van Beethoven.” Then she realizes that the music is the Ninth Symphony and it is being played backward. Puzzled, she leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend to return with her.By the time they arrive back at the grave, the music has changed. This time it is the Seventh Symphony, but it is also being played backward.Curious, the ladies agree to consult a music scholar. When they return with the expert, the Fifth Symphony is playing and the expert concludes that the symphonies are in fact being played in reverse order.By the next day the word spread and a huge group gathered around the grave to hear the Second Symphony being played backward. Just then the graveyard's caretaker approaches the group. Someone in the crowd asks him if he has an explanation for the music."Oh, it's nothing to worry about" says the caretaker. "He's just decomposing!!"

HOW TO ROAST PUMPKIN SEEDS

Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN AND THE FODDERS IN THE SHOCK

This is another poem by James Whitcomb Riley that I used to love as a child. I hope you like it, too. It seems so appropriate for this time of the year.

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodders in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.


Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

THE GOBLINS WILL GET YOU IF YOU DON'T WATCH OUT!!

My mother used to read this poem to me when I was a child. I read it to my three children on Halloween and I hope my children will read it to my grandchildren.

To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones;The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones; The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

Little Orphant Annie
by
James Whitcomb Riley

Little Orphan Annie's come to my house to stay.
To wash the cups and saucers up and brush the crumbs away.

To shoo the chickens from the porch and dust the hearth and sweep,

and make the fire and bake the bread to earn her board and keep.

While all us other children, when the supper things is done,

we sit around the kitchen fire and has the mostest fun,

a listening to the witch tales that Annie tells about

and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!

Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers,

and when he went to bed at night away up stairs,

his mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl,

and when they turned the covers down, he wasn't there at all!

They searched him in the attic room and cubby hole and press

and even up the chimney flu and every wheres, I guess,

but all they ever found of him was just his pants and round-abouts

and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!

Once there was a little girl who always laughed and grinned

and made fun of everyone, of all her blood and kin,

and once when there was company and old folks was there,

she mocked them and she shocked them and said, she didn't care.

And just as she turned on her heels to go and run and hide,

there was two great big black things a standing by her side.

They snatched her through the ceiling fore she knew what shes about,

and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!

When the night is dark and scary, and the moon is full

and creatures are a flying and the wind goes Whoooooooooo,

you better mind your parents and your teachers fond and dear,

and cherish them that loves ya, and dry the orphans tears

and help the poor and needy ones that cluster all about,

or the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!!

GOD'S PHARMACY

A friend sent this to me...

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.



A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.




Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.





A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.




Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.






Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries






Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.




Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

These are best and more powerful when eaten raw. God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

DIDDLE, DIDDLE DUMPLIN, MY GRANDSON, THOMAS WYATT

Thomas Wyatt came for an overnight visit on Saturday. We spent a lot of time outside with me pulling him in that red wagon and him checking out all the trees in my yard. He can now say "tree" and goes around touching each one and says the word. I have about 22 big trees so he is getting a lot of practice. He is fine as long as I keep moving the wagon but the minute I stop he stands up or tries to get out.

He had totally run himself down by 7 p.m. and Nanna decided to put him in the big tub instead of the sink like I usually do. He gets in the big tub at his house and plays with all his toys in the water. He stood there and watched me run the water, let me take off his clothes and diaper and when I got ready to lift him over the side, he balked like a mule, sat in the floor and would not budge. All of a sudden he jumps up and runs in the kitchen to the sink and starts jumping up and down. Of course, Nanna put him in the sink and he was so happy to play with the spray and the faucets. I told my son I could see me getting the little step stool when he was five years old and saying, "go up the steps and get into the sink" since I would not be able to lift him by then....

TW was fast asleep by 8 p.m. and I was awakened by a cute little humming noise about 5 a.m. this morning. He was awake and happy and ready to start another day . We did a diaper change, heated a bottle and Nanna did "rock-a-bye baby" in the rocking chair with him covered in a blanket enjoying his bottle. Next, when he was good and awake we had oatmeal in the high chair.

The picture with one sock on and one off reminded me of diddle, diddle dumplin a children's poem. He is standing in front of the pantry where I keep the fruit loops. He goes there when he wants some and I put just a few on a placemat for him to munch on between meals.

He needs to grow just about one more inch and he can reach my light switches. This is going to make him so happy! He tries very hard but just can't quite make it.

His dad came to get him around 9:30 a.m. and we got the stroller out and went for about a 45 minute walk through the neighborhood before they left for home. TW enjoyed seeing the dogs and cats and I enjoyed visiting with my son.

I cannot believe that TW is already 16 months old. It seems like yesterday when we brought him home from the hospital. He will be back in two weeks and Nanna will be ready to see him again.

HOW MANY ZEROS IN A BILLION???

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain... let's take a look at New Orleans . It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D) is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number.. what does it mean?

A. Well... if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child) you each get $516,528.

B. Or... if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or... if you are a family of four... your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D. C <> Are all your calculators broken??

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax

CDL License Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)

IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Tax

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Service charge taxes

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax (Truckers)

Sales Taxes

Recreational Vehicle Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Servi ce Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State a nd Local Surcharge Tax

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Tax

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago... and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt... We had the largest middle class in the world... and Mom stayed home to raise the kids .. What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

We are talking about a billion here. Now, think about 700 billion! I just thought this was really interesting considering what is going on right now with the economy and the bailout.