Something is in the Air

By / November 6, 2019

What a wonderful time of the year. I don’t know if it’s the upcoming Holidays that makes me so excited or just the season itself. During most afternoons, the briskness in the air with the intense warmth of the sun makes Alabama a good place to be in the fall. No matter where you live, you can find beauty – especially in the Fall. If you are lucky enough to live around the woods or forest, the changing colors of the leaves is such a wondrous work of art from our Creator.

Oh my goodness, the Alabama sunsets in the fall are gorgeous! They are especially beautiful on a cloudy evening. The sky will change colors within minutes and it is such an incredible site. My husband and I sit on the deck every evening for the show. Of course some nights are prettier than others but spending the time with the people you love always make every sunset special.

It is hard for some of us to see the beauty this time of the year. If you are prone to depression, you may become more depressed in the fall when the days become shorter.

Here are a few tips that may help you manage your seasonal depression.

  • Take nature walks. Studies have shown that even short walks in nature will increase your mood among other benefits for your mind and body. Just make sure you are comfortable and warm so you will be able to enjoy the walk.
  • Try taking a scented Epson salt bath, a citrus scent which may improve your mood. If you want, try an aromatherapy candle and your favorite, book, music or podcast. Just don’t knock your phone in the water. During your relaxing bath time, stay away from social media.
  • Prayer and meditation. God knows our heart but it helps just to talk to him. For example, when I have those moments where things that I did many years ago that embarrassed me, saddened me or angered me try to live in my mind, I will talk to God about those moments and ask him to calm my mind, mend my heart and lift my worries away. Meditation is also a powerful practice for the mind. It’s good to have a positive daily mantra.
  • Gardening or caring for potted plants may make you feel better if you are feeling down or out of sorts.
  • Join a group of like minded people to spend time with. The CAPI family is a great group of people to hang out with every Sunday night at 9pm Central on YouTube. Be sure to hang out with us on Discord as well. When we have meet and greets or open paranormal investigations, please join us. We will lift your spirits!

I am not a doctor or specialist but the above tips have helped me immensely. We hope they help you too. Just know we are here for you if you need us. The links above are Amazon partner affiliate links. By purchasing the item listed you help support CAPI with no extra cost to you.

A Note from Central Alabama Paranormal Investigations

We were shown just weeks ago how good people can be. One of our own was hit with an incredibly high electric bill. With her husband out of work, there was no way they were going to be able to pay it. She had resorted to figuring out how they were going to make it without electricity. Members of the CAPI family gathered valuables, including the person we wanted to help, and we held a 2-day auction to raise the funds that went directly to pay her bill. People were so giving and it shows, regardless of what we see on TV, there is goodness in this country.

A tremendous thank you to everyone who donated items and to the ones who so generously bid. Your kindness touched so many hearts and greatly helped a special family that will definitely pay it forward.

We hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends. For those of us who have lost loved ones, we know they are happy and healthy again and will live in our hearts forever.

Stay safe and be blessed.

Local Lore, John Bowen – Team Manager

Bama and BigFoot

Greetings beautiful CAPI Family.

Of all cryptids in the paranormal community, BigFoot is probably the most famous – but did you know that Alabama has it’s own unique version of BigFoot?

With reports going back as far as the 1900’s, the Alabama White Thang has been part of folklore for a very long time.

Descriptions very, but as the name suggests, this crypid curiosity is reportedly to have white fur and pale pink skin, red eyes, a cat like head, stands between 5 to 9 feet tall, has an extremely bad smell, a wailing cray like a screaming woman, walks on two legs, but can use all four when running at great speed.

Reports of sightings of the Alabama White Thang are mainly in Jefferson County, Alabama, but go as far out as Morgan and Etowah Counties as well.

The Alabama White Thang was often sighted around times of death and hardships like when someone in the community would pass away or large amounts of livestock were slaughtered due to sickness.

As a child I remember hearing stories of a white BigFoot around where I grew up in McCalla area, but was never able to find hide nor hair of this unique giant.

Though eye witness reports have dropped in recent years and they may not be as popular as Florida’s Swamp Ape or other forms of BigFoot, there are still some that believe that the Alabama White Thang still inhabits the backwoods and rural areas of our great state.

Just as loved and unique as the state that it inhabits, the Alabama White Thang is part of what makes local history and lore interesting.

That is the point of the paranormal, that we stay curious and keep investigating.

If you have any suggestions for local lore to be featured in this column please send them to me at JBowen.CAPI@gmail.com.

Thank you,

John Bowen, Team Manager

Up Coming Events – Terri Wilson, Public Relations Liaison

Kymulga Grist Mill and Covered Bridge, Nov. 8, 9 & 10

Welcome to our second paranormal training weekend…

Kids 12 and up are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult that also has taken the class.

If you have ever wanted to become a paranormal investigator this weekend is for you. CAPI’s Founder will be presenting his Paranormal Investigation 101 Class and the hands on Paranormal Equipment Training Class. The cost of the class is $25. (Payment information below:

For Camping, it’s $7 per tent, per day. We have a large camping area reserved by Terri Wilson. The sites have power. Bathrooms/Bath Houses onsite. Checkout is at noon.

For Day Tripping: $3 per person, per day. If you decide to stay the night and hang out by the fire you MUST bring a tent and pay the $7 per night for whatever night or nights you stay, or bunk with someone with a tent.

No hard liquor. (Especially if you are participating in that days or nights training class)

We will be cooking in the camping areas. If you would like to take part in the group meals, message Terri Wilson, to talk about what to bring. Email today to RSVP and meal plan terriw.capi@gmail.com

We hope everyone has a chance to enjoy this wonderful weekend.

Payment information: https://www.paypal.me/MicheleRushing. Use the friends and family option at checkout.

Past Events – Terri Wilson, Public Relations Liaison

Halloween Bash

The Krewe of Sparta invited the Central Alabama Paranormal Team to their annual Halloween Bash on October 11th this year! We had an amazing time!!!

Our founder and lead Investigator, Johnny Rushing shared some basic facts about Paranormal Investigating before our team shared hands on Investigations in the field with party attendees. In the field we shared how to use equipment such as K2 meters and digital recording devices. We shared some of our evidence from previous investigations with the crowd. And had the honor of being the judges for their costume contest!!! We loved sharing our experience with the Krewe of SPARTA and their guest. It was an amazing night!!

We would like to thank everyone who helped us at the event, and the Krewe of Sparta for inviting us! We look forward to next year!!

Tech News, Bryan Johnson – Investigator

Use of the Personal Computer in Paranormal Investigation

The use of a personal PC in Paranormal Investigations is paramount. The PC offers a vast array of software to make the investigation process more streamlined.

The use of digital voice recorders in the Paranormal is a basic tool. We use the PC to download and analyze this data. There are numerous programs available to accomplish this task. CAPI uses a program called Audacity. This program allows researchers to record audio and to analyze the captured audio for EVP’s. Once an area of interest is identified, we can use this program to isolate and to enhance the audio to better hear what was captured.

CAPI also utilizes different types of microphones that are very sensitive and cover a wide range of audio wavelengths. Without the use of a PC and the associated software, we would be unable to record and to analyze the data obtained.

There are various types of Data Loggers available for Paranormal Research. These devices record data such as EMF, ambient temperature and vibrations. This data can then be downloaded onto a PC and analyzed with a graph, allowing us to see a pattern that may or may not exist. This data can be overlaid to see if there is any pattern to the recorded data. This data then can be used along with firsthand experiences and other data collected by various devices to determine if Paranormal activity exists.

In later issues, we will discuss, in more detail, the tools that Paranormal Investigators use and how this effects the evidence that we collect.

CAPI Kitchen

Terri Wilson, Public Relations Liaison

Welcome to our kitchen! We are glad you have joined us. Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea and have a seat while we share some of our favorites with you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m here to tell you we do so much more than “ghost hunt”. When our team comes together there is always food. That is why we have decided to add this section to our newsletter. Each month we will feature a different type of food. This month we are sharing some of our favorite potato recipes.

We hope you enjoy our recipes and we would love for you to share your pictures and opinions if you try them. This will help us decide what we will add in our team section of the CAPI Cookbook coming in 2020. It will be a great Holiday gift for your favorite cook next year. The CAPI Cookbook will be filled with recipes from YOU, our loyal followers, family and fans.

The CAPI Cookbook will be a cooks dream!! All of their favorites in one book. I don’t know about you, but I hate searching thru different books to put one meal together. Our goal is to fill this with the best recipes so it will be that number 1 go to cookbook for every cook. We will even have a Kid’s Section!! Help us make this “that” cookbook and submit all of your favorite recipes to Beth at bharris.capi@gmail.com.

Deadline to submit January 20, 2020. We would like this to go to print and be available for purchase by Summer 2020, so please start sending us your recipes today!!

We appreciate and love you all!

Happy Cooking!

Grandma’s Fried Tater Cakes – Terri Wilson’s Kitchen

  • 2 Cups Leftover Cold Mashed Potatoes
  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Diced Onion
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Salt & Pepper to your desired taste

(Bacon bits, Jalapeno Pepper, Green or Red Peppers or Shredded Cheese can be added to the mix.) Grandma always topped ours with cheese after frying.

Mix all ingredients well. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in skillet on medium heat. Drop by heaping tablespoons into heated oil, turn down heat to medium low. Pat mix down to form an even patty about 1/4 inch thick before flipping the first time. Turn after 2 minutes, then fry until golden brown. About 5 minutes per side. Top with cheese, sour cream, kids love ketchup on them.

Sweet Potato Casserole – Beth Harris’ Kitchen

  • 3 Cups Cooked and Mashed Sweet Potatoes (I roast my potatoes in the oven before mashing)
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/3 Cup Melted Butter or Margarine
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 to 2/3 Cup of Canned Pineapple Tidbits, Drained. (I use 2/3 cup unless I’m doubling the recipe, then I use a 20 oz can, drained)

Mix above ingredients until smooth. Pour into a two quart casserole dish.(If you double the recipe a 9 x 13 dish will work.)

Topping

  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Melted Butter or Margarine
  • 1 Cup Coconut
  • 1 Cup Chopped Roasted Pecans

Mix all ingredients and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. This is my most favorite sweet potato casserole recipe. I normally double it for large Thanksgiving Dinners. Even my husband who hates sweet potatoes and other sweet potato casseroles loves this one. Serves 6 to 8 people.