Friday, September 10, 2010

Part Seven Menagerie Manor .......... Lucy Has A Tantrum

We lived in the Manor's older rooms untouched; left the way Lucy left them. The original wallpaper still hung in the parlor and dining room. Mema decided it needed a face lift and so the long hard job of removing wall paper three layers thick began. Once the paper had been removed one could see that all the crown molding had been removed from windows, door and the entry way, the stain marks were still visible on the raw walls. There had been plate rails halfway up the dining room walls and wainscoting, removed as well, probably to make it easier to wallpaper. We researched the wood and design and decided to replace everything back to its original state. When it the wood work was done Mema picked out the paint for the two rooms, but being that they had never been painted before we had to prime all walls and the new wood work as well.
I was busy painting white primer on every surface when I heard a loud pounding coming from the dining rooms bay windows. I went and had a look but could see nothing. Returning to my painting the pounding returned, except this time it was at one of the small upper fireplace windows. I figured it had to be a bird looking for insects and went and stood on the deacon's bench next to the fire place and again nothing was seen. I returned to my painting and heard Mema and the "Crazy Cat Lady" talking on the walk by the front porch when all of a sudden the window directly next to my shoulder started shaking under a loud hard pounding. I looked out at Mema and she asked me what I wanted. I said, "nothing, I thought you were pounding to get my attention".  They had both heard all the pounding and thought I was working on something in the room. I said, "Oh my god", Mema and the C.C.L. both said, "Lucy". They both came into the room were I was painting and Mema said out loud "Now Lucy, Doc is just painting the rooms and we are going to fix your house up just the way your Father had it, it's going to look real nice". The pounding stopped and the work was finished. The rooms look as they had in 1916. Life at the Manor has returned to normal.....well normal as life with a ghost who has a sense of humor can be.
 Besides the color change to the green bungalow, it has all new wiring and plumbing. It sports a four car garage instead of the small one large enough for a model "T" car, and has a lovely sun room off the back that leads into an open basement with a theater room, extra bath and laundry facility. The original part of the home has not changed much; even the old kitchen is in its original state. In all I would like to think we kept our bargain with Lucy Warner and that she will continue playing her little jokes on the stewards of Menagerie Manor.

3 comments:

  1. What a great story. Don't know if I could have stayed there, but I think it's neat that you all did. :)

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  2. Linda,
    Well it's not exactly your normal family memories that is for sure, but I think we all agree we would not have changed a thing. and some of the little pranks she pulls just make you chuckle.

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  3. You will have to keep us updated on Lucy and her tricks!

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