XtineFiles

Today I decided to bid farewell to summer and ring in the sleepiness of fall with a trip to TarryTown and Sleepy Hollow, NY. Yes Sleepy Hollow is real and it is the place where the ghost of the Headless Horseman rides!

I seem to be traveling to places where people are compelled to wear costumes. Today was no different. I went to a farm and grist mill were women clad in 18th century garb milked cows the old fashion way and brewed their own rose water tea. You may ask, what is a grist mill? The answer my friends, I have no freakin idea (that tour was $20 so I skipped it).

Back to the horsemen without a head...

You can rent the Johnny Depp/ Chrisopher Walken movie if you like, or read the Washington Irving story. In short, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow takes place in 1787. It is the story of Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel and the Headless Horseman of the Hollow; a trooper who lost his head to a canon-ball during the Revolutionary War and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head."

Now, I didn't see any headless horsemen, but I see several castles, a farm, a lighthouse, and some antique shops. I ate in a local dinner where the wait staff promptly told me, "We only have hamburgers today". While I did notice other patrons dining on salads, soups, and vegetables, I ate my burger silently for fear of what would happen to me if I requested the local dish.

All things considered, it was great trip. Here are some useless facts about how to get rid of a problem ghost (or frustrate it to the point where it decides to take up residence elsewhere):

1. Talk to it loudly and tell it to go away

2. Sprinkle your home with Holy Water, tie garlic around all the door knobs, string hazelnuts above your door, paint your front door red

3. Call a Priest to do it for you

4. Ghosts have huge problems crossing a line of blessed sea salt, get some holy sea salt, draw a line and dare the ghost to cross it

5. Randomly toss split peas, rice or sand across the floor. Evidently ghosts are compelled to count every grain, and it seems that ghosts are bad counters. Do this two nights in a row and the ghost will get so frustrated it will leave

If that fails, you're screwed. Boo!