It's a Twister, Auntie Em

Tonight the wind is blowing really hard. When it hits the side of the house, it makes some really awful noises that sound as if somebody is trying to break in. My "practical and logical like Mr. Spock" brain knows exactly what I am hearing, the wind. My "Eek it's a mouse, save me honey" brain knows that it is probably either a crazy axe murderer from Craigslist (see this) or a pot plant stealing (see this) crazy axe murderer looking for a hidden meth lab in my garage.

Let me set the record straight, I DO NOT have a meth lab in my garage nor is that what blew my house to bits last year.

I have always felt very safe in this neighborhood. Sure there is always crime and trouble to find, but I try to let my inner "Mr. Spock" be the driving force in my thoughts. A few years ago there was a bad crime spree here, but they caught the guys and we stayed very informed during the process. Having a police officer as our back door neighbor does have its advantages.

So, why is it that tonight's wind has me so on edge? I'm really not sure, but it is not going to keep me from my dog walking duties.

In spite of the wind, there is a lovely stillness to a night like this that just lets you look at the stars and breathe. As I ventured out into the back yard, the night reminded me of one many years ago in our previous neighborhood.

It was a dark and windy night in November, just like tonight. I was walking the last nightly walk with the dog as Hubby was out of town, like tonight. It was cool and there was a very strong, steady breeze blowing. Our dog was still more of a puppy then, so the last walk of the night was important to the cleanliness of our floors and my ability to get a partial night's sleep. Therefore, it was a very late walk, when the street was deserted and most everyone had retired for the night.

I was standing in our front yard watching the dog, when I heard a voice say "I...see...you." It was an oddly pitched voice and it spoke very slowly and haltingly. It took a minute for this to register and I looked back toward the front door to see if one child had followed me out of the door. No one was there, and I could see no one out of their homes either.

I figured that maybe I had imagined the sound as the wind was blowing and leaves were rustling in the trees. The wind can make things move and I thought that my imagination had just played a trick on me.

Then I heard it again, very clearly, "I...see...you."

At this point, I started to panic and looked over both shoulders at one time while scanning the street for any sign of the source of the voice. My head was doing its best Exorcism spin. It was my best guess that perhaps one of my neighbors was having some fun trying to scare me. It was working.

You might be thinking - "Why in the hell were you still standing there?"

Simple. The dog was pooping. I was not about to dash over and swoop him up in my arms mid-poop. I might be attacked by some deranged peeper but I wasn't going to be defiled by my pooper.

I counted the steps that it would take me to jump back inside at a breathtaking sprint. I scanned the street. I begged the dog to push harder.

Then, as I was looking across the street, a big gust of wind blew. It lifted up and swung a fake ghost that was suspended from my neighbor's porch. As it swung by their door, I once again heard "I...see...you." Then I figured it out.

They still had their Halloween decorations up which included a special head shaped door knocker. This knocker had a sensor in it so that when the kids approached the door, it would speak. The ghost had triggered the sensor as it blew in the wind.

Yes, it said "I..see...you."


Tonight there is just the wind, the dog and me. If I hear that kind of creepy voice in this neighborhood, the dog is on his own!