Good Morning.  I hope this Tuesday finds you well and being about your week.

The Lagerstroemia are blooming in Texas.  Commonly know as the Crepe Myrtle, Crepes are the official harbingers of summer in much of Texas.  A bush that can grow as high as a small tree, the crepe flowers look somewhat like northern lilacs but in favored shades of hot pink, red and white.  One of my favorites is the watermelon, which has light red flowers with dark black centers that give the impression of seeds.  Crepe Myrtles are incredibly hardy, drought resistant and easy to transplant.  I have a transplanted seedling in a pot by the front door.

Turning to our second topic, if I click on the Internet for haunted houses I am given the location of 10 nearby houses that have regular hours.  I encounter phrases like “complete darkness — game room,” “amusement park – terrifying,” “meat packing plant — getting scared,” and “old west — haunted.”  I am sure all these houses are safe, spooky and fun, and I am sure they are all busy.

A 2005 Gallup Poll showed that 37% of American believe in haunted houses.  One New York judge ruled that a seller has a fiduciary obligation to disclose that a house has a reputation for being haunted.  At least, 64 haunted house movies have been made between 1921 and 2011.  “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” was made the year I was born and it is a commendable film.  Literature is replete with haunted house stories.  People believe in them, judges rule in their favor, Hollywood films them, and authors write about them.

Clearly, there is popular support for haunted houses.  It seems that people generally want to know more about them and want to be involved with them.

I don’t know that Uncle Joe really wanted to know more about the haunted house in his story or really wanted to be more involved with that house.  As you can read, he did learn more about the house and he did get more involved with it.  Maybe that is something that all haunted houses really want.

I can’t help wondering if Uncle Joe is thinking about planting a Crepe Myrtle in the front yard of that old house?  Next time I’m down, I may just take that pot out front.  A lonely Lagerstroemia can always use a little company.

Enjoy your day,

Grandpa Jim