The Story of Skansen

Our family was having dinner recently and I asked if they missed our home on Skansen Street. That was our boy’s childhood home and we decided to sell it in 2014. Up until then, it was the only home they had known. They both, without hesitation, said ‘no!’ Surprised, I asked why they didn’t miss it and they began telling us about all the frightening things that had happened to them there. They were happy when we decided to sell it. Below are the collective memories of events that happened there.

Here’s where it started. In 1996 we built our home on land that was previously farmed, probably with grapevines. I was pregnant with our first born, RJ at the time. We were somewhat settled in when my husband and I went shopping. When we returned, the kitchen and living room were covered in flying ants. They were everywhere. We assumed they had come down through the chimney and perhaps this used to be a favorite spot for them. The only way we could think to get rid of them was to vacuum them up. Somewhere, I have a video of this event.

According to our youngest, Michael, the back bedroom had the most activity. He said that he would wake up in the morning and his closet door would be open. We always kept the closet doors closed.
He also stated that sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and our dog, Catahoula, would be in his room standing there staring at him. This was…