My paternal grandmother was born in a rural area of Sweden in 1891, and when I was a boy she told me stories of the Tomte (as I understand it, Tomte is plural and the singular is Tomten), small beings that took the appearance of old, bearded men. The Tomte were no more than 3 feet tall and wore pointed hats, which we’ve of course come to associate with gnomes and similar creatures. Legend tells that the Tomte were capable of invisibility and could shapeshift, sometimes taking the appearance of a large, grown man.

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Last night I actually had a dream about elves.  It was that time of night when I had just barely fallen asleep.  I found myself walking around in the land behind my house.  It was night time and the grasses and sage were high, as it is now, only there did seem to be a LOT more of it.  When I looked down in the grass there were little men, probably not much more than a foot high.  I suppose they sort of looked like gnomes, so far as clothing, but they had no beards and rather than a pointy hat, they had flat caps.  I remember they had very round faces.  They were holding lanterns and seemed to be searching for something.  I was shocked to see them there, so shocked that it woke me up.

Last year I had a very detailed, real seeming dream.  Now, understand that I don't normally remember my dreams, but I remembered everything about this one and still do.

In the dream, I was not Lesley and yet was Lesley.  In physical form I was a very beautiful and young Chinese girl, early 20s at most.  It was modern times and I was in a big city, perhaps Beijing.  I made my way through the streets and to a large apartment building.  I knew I would see friends in there.  I took the elevator up, got off and walked through a long hallway until I came to the apartment where my friends were.  Knocked and went in.  Everyone was speaking Chinese and I totally understood that something had gone very wrong and they were very upset.  A moment later a group of men come through the door and begin shooting everyone.  They shoot me a couple times and I lay on the floor pretending to be dead.  I made a big mistake and moved.  They tell one of the men to shoot me again.  As I look up at him I realize he is someone that I am very close to, someone that I have a sexual/love relationship with, but it is secret.  He pretends to shoot me, but actually shoots the floor right next to me.  The other guys aren't paying attention because they are looking for something and so they just assume he shot me again.  I lay very still.  They finally leave.  I continue to lay there, afraid to move, afraid they may come back.  I am covered in blood.  I finally crawl to the door, get out and crawl along the hallway.  The dream ends.

The thing that gets me about this dream is that I really feel that while sleeping I had somehow entered the body of a real person and shared her horrible experience with her.  Aside from that I felt she knew I was there and wanted me to see these things.

I still don't know what to make of that dream.  I have never had a dream (that I remember) in which I was a totally different person, in a totally different country and speaking a different language. 

Whoever that girl was I hope that someone found her and that she lived.

Add -- Something I forgot to mention, the only reason I knew that I was a beautiful Chinese girl is because the apartment I was in had a huge mirror that I saw myself in.  I was shocked to not see my actual self in that mirror.

Have a great one -- no matter what you celebrate!  Do make sure you find something to celebrate though.

While I would say that Santa's Elves are not real, that doesn't mean they aren't based on beings that are real.  It is my feeling that all fictional stories have some basis in truth.  Just because I have never seen an elf doesn't mean that they don't exist and that others haven't seen them.

My thought tonight (more of a question really) -- are you more likely to see UFOs or even ghosts and other paranormal being if you expect to see them? 

I see a lot of odd things in the sky, in comparison to most people.  Is that just because I am looking or also because I somewhat expect to see them?  I honestly don't know the answer to that, but perhaps our thoughts and expectations actually draw these things to us.

Hopefully J won't mind me using his photo.  You can read his original post here.

Something about that photo struck me. 

It was a Bigfoot investigation, but the little fairy type being showed up too.

I am sure there are "photo experts" that would try to explain that photo, but to me it is an amazing image. Of course, I can't say for certain that is Bigfoot or a fairy, but why couldn't it be?

Several things bothered me about that.  First off, just that he had the nerve and rudeness to look up my phone # and call.  I have my email addy listed at the end of my column and that is how I expect people to contact me.  If I wanted people calling me I would have my phone # in there.  Second, I include all information of where to download the podcasts that I write about.  You get more information by listening to them -- that is the whole point.  They are not thoughts I can elaborate on very much because they don't come from me. 

Really I found it creepy and I can't entirely explain why.  The same person called back at least 4 more times on Tuesday, but didn't leave a message.

I would have thought this person would have got the hint -- I didn't call him back and therefore do not have anything to say to him.  Apparently though he could not get that hint and called back and left another message yesterday!

Likely I am just overly paranoid.  I haven't really done anything to attract MIB's and there would be no reason for them to waste their time with me.  Probably just some guy without computer access or some lonely guy who thinks I am single.  

I still think it is creepy no matter what the reason or who it is.

I am stepping into Regan Lee's realm and thinking a bit more about trickster these last couple days.  It is mostly due to the Bigfoot Body hoax. 

What I have been wondering is -- what is the difference between a liar and a trickster?  Is there a difference?  Is a trickster merely someone or something that is a good enough liar that you actually believe them?

And thinking about it, maybe that is the difference between a mere liar and a trickster.  Tricksters are harder to not believe.  OK, just maybe. 

I came across some nice photos here of the Pilton Green Man Festival. 

I am a big fan of  "Green Men" and have quite a few yard ornaments like stepping stones and wall hangings that bear the green man image. 

One of the reasons I like things like green man, Bigfoot, elves and fairies is that they are creatures of nature.  You rarely if ever hear of a fairy sighting in a large city.  Bigfoot does not frequent downtown Chicago.  I think one of the reasons we will never find Bigfoot is that he has a connection to nature that we have lost.  When you are really connected with something you notice every slight change.  Even if Bigfoot didn't hear or smell humans long before they got near him, he would probably notice other things like they way the birds and other animals are reacting.  Unlike many animals in the forest he is smart enough to not trust humans.  

There are certain animals that live around my house here in the canyon that I have rarely seen in 15 years of living here.  I have seen a bobcat twice, but only very briefly.  A mountain lion once and a bear once, both very brief encounters.  I am outside quite often too, so it isn't because I never go out there.  It is because those animals are smart enough to want to stay away from humans.  I can only assume that Bigfoot would have a bigger and more evolved brain that would make him even smarter and better at keeping away from people.