I love all the haunted tea parties, but this one was extra special.

We had not only three guests that are highly skilled psychics, (sisters Suzanne Worthley, Lisa Eckman, and Suzanne’s daughter Phoebe) but three guests whose great grandparents, grandparents, and great aunt and uncle lived in my house from the 1920s through the 1960s. (Sisters Barb and Kathy and their cousin Bill.) Between the stories that Barb, Kathy and Bill shared about their memories of Leon and the house, and Suzanne and Lisa’s impressions of the spirits and residual energies, we had a fascinating time!

To share just a few of the things I learned at the tea: I found out that Leon and his wife used to sit on the side porch, while the upstairs tenants had use of the front porch. It was Barb and Kathy’s grandmother Liz, not their aunt Gertude, who used to sit at the upstairs window and watch to make sure kids didn’t leave church early ~ and who called their parents if they did!

Suzanne took a look at pictures of both Liz and Gertrude and said that although they were sisters, their energy was very different. Suzanne picked up on Liz’s sharp intellect and serious nature and on Gertude’s warmth, kindness and sense of whimsey ~ she said Gertrude had a love of flowers and fairies. Gertrude used a conch shell as a doorstop in the parlor, a practice I followed after I heard the story from Barb a few years ago.

Suzanne also said that Leon and Liz had a deep friendship, based on mutual respect. (There was a period of time when Liz and her husband were renting from Leon and his wife.) I found this interesting, because I have heard from more than one psychic that Leon has a female companion in the spirit world who is not his wife but was a good friend of his during their physical lives. I had figured that it must have been a family member, since friendships between men and women who were married to other people seemed to have been pretty unusual in Leon’s time. Suzanne said Leon respected Liz’s intellect, which resonated with me as a characteristic that Leon, who was very traditional, would value. (Leon once told psychic Echo Bodine that she “came across like a man,” meaning she was very direct. I got the impression that although Leon didn’t think of directness as feminine, he did respect it.)

Last, two things: Bill gave me a photograph of Gertrude and her husband Ted, which I am very happy to have. (I will share it after I make sure it’s all right to post.) And, after Barb told me a few years back that the guest room closet (with a big window) was her grandmas’ sewing room and happy place, I said I was going to put my sewing machine in there. (I do already have an antique sewing table in the closet.) On Monday this week, I came home and found the sleek and beautiful, steampunk-ian  Franklin sewing machine pictured here on my back porch, with a note from Barb, saying it belonged to her grandma Liz and she wanted me to have it. I am thrilled and honored, of course.

I was intrigued by the Egyptian symbolism on the sewing machine ~ my son told me that it was probably from the 1920s, as that was when King Tut’s tomb was discovered and there was kind of a worldwide craze about it. I looked online and found the Franklin sewing machine and it IS from the 1920s. That would explain the unexpected drama of ancient magical symbols on an important, but common, household machine.

I called Barb and let her know that I will take good care of her grandma’s beautiful sewing machine and that I see it as a permanent part of my house and its story.