Is this house haunted or not?

Is it haunted?
Do we have any evidence to suggest it might be haunted?
Has anything spooky happened in the house?
No, no and not yet.

The spooky hallway light

Well, okay... there was one night when we were convinced that the ghost was messing with us by triggering the hallway sensor light. It kept going on when no one was in the hallway. We were in the living room by the fire and the hallway light kept flicking on. Then off. On.... then off. Freaky.

We were certain it was the ghost. We might have even talked to it. Asked it nicely to please knock it off. Told it we were only here to take care of the house and there's no reason to mess with us. Yes, we were drinking wine that night.

The following morning Bob had a perfectly good explanation for the flickering light. The air pressure created by the fire in the fireplace. That pressure was triggering the sensor. Not the ghost. Our conviction that it was the ghost was perhaps created by our over-indulgence in red wine.

We've since turned the sensor off on the hallway light. No need to get freaked out by an electrical tick.

So where does that leave us? Living in a haunted house... or not?

I'm happy to say with the utmost conviction... not. Not haunted.

As far as we can tell this house is absolutely ghost-free. Aside from the flickering hallway light, we've had zero ghost-related incidents. Nothing freaky about this house. My evidence for it not being haunted is that I feel absolutely, 100% comfortable here. I can be here alone and not be scared. And that's saying a lot. I have come a loooooong way. Honestly, when we first moved in and especially after I was told that the house had a ghost, there was no way I would ever be alone here. That's changed.

But what about what that local said about the house being haunted?

Well, either she's confused this house with stories from another or she was seriously trying to mess with us (but I highly doubt that as she is a very sweet person.) Or... it was perhaps haunted at one time but isn't anymore. There is, as I've been told, a lot of "paranormal activity" in the San Juan Islands and everyone seems to have a ghost story to tell. For example, it's common knowledge that the hotel at Roche Harbor is haunted. So I suppose it is possible that this house was at one time haunted. But I did ask the former owners when I met them at the farmer's market one Saturday and they laughed at the suggestion. Not a nervous laugh. A genuine laugh. As in, "What an absurd thought." As in, "Haunted?! Silly girl." And I have to say that comforted me.

But the thing that comforts me the most is my own intuition. And I just feel good here. Comfortable and at home. I'm good. Bob's good. The house is good and is not, as far as we can tell, haunted. So what's the point in looking for ghosts where there aren't any?