Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 34

Whatever Wednesday: Unboxing Video

Hello, Posse!

I've been doing so much the last few days. I did an unboxing video for the new formats I just created and finally designed a logo for Burckhardt Books to use for both Dianne Burckhardt and Stephen Burckhardt as the publisher for both author names.

I have been working on writing part seven, but it is going a bit slower than I had hoped. I have had a flu bug (not THE flu bug) for about a week and it has disrupted my plans. However, I am feeling better and plan to hit it hard the next few days.

In the meantime, check out this unboxing video and let me know what you think. I haven't posted it online yet. I thought I would just share it here first.

Enjoy and have a wonderful week!

Diannehttps://youtu.be/WJs0squW1L4

Monday Movie Madness: Texas Rangers (2001)

Hello, Posse!

I hope things are starting off great for you this week. I'm going to jump right into the movie. I have a nasty case of the flu going on (not covid, I was tested) and want to go back to bed.

Never fails to hit when P.R. is on a business trip. Which in good in a way, I don't have to worry about getting P.R. sick.

Today's movie, Texas Rangers, is interesting for several reasons. Like many western movies, this was based on a book. Actually, from what I read on Wikipedia, the script took from more than one book. Planning for the movie started in 1989 or even before. It is not mentioned when the first book was optioned but listed the second story idea based on another book happened in 1989.

The original plan had John Milius (Dirty Harry, Red Dawn, Apocalypse Now) tied to the project. He wrote several script drafts and wanted to use a young cast and make the movie for less than 20 million dollars. He left the project after disagreements on casting.

Milius is reported as saying that this was one of the best scripts he had written, but the movie continued to change hands over the years and many changes were made. Eventually Bob and Harvey Weinstein bought the rights and contacted Milius to come back to the project, but he refused. He reportedly did not want to be help tear apart his original work even further than had already been done.

In 1999 the movie was finally made, but was not released until 2001. When you read the cast names, it is surprising this movie did not do better at the box office. Though I personally have to wonder about their marketing or lack thereof. I look for western movies in the cinemas and I have no memory of ever seeing anything about this until recently when I looking for Texas Ranger movies.

Texas Rangers was ultimately directed by Steve Miner and released in 2001. It has some very notable actors attached including James Van Der Beek, Ashton Kutcher, Alfred Molina, Dylan McDermott, Usher Raymond, Robert Patrick, Rachael Leigh Cook, Leonor Varela, Randy Travis, Jon Abrahams, Matt Keeslar, Vincent Spano, Marco Leonardi, and Tom Skerritt. It also features western legend James Coburn as the story's narrator.

The movie is credited as being loosely based on a book by George Durham titled Taming the Nueces Strip. The book details his own life as a young man while serving as a Texas Ranger under Captain Leander McNelly's command.

The movie takes place a decade after the Civil War. Texas is having trouble along the Mexican border and enlists Leander McNelly (McDermott) and his group of Texas Rangers to keep the peace on the border. Many of the recruits are young and inexperienced lawmen. The Rangers end up in a major conflict with a cattle rustler, John King Fisher (Molina). Fisher and his men are stealing cattle from Texas ranchers and taking them to Mexico to sell to the Mexican army.

The Rangers suffer many losses in confrontations with Fisher and his men. Refusing to give up, they regroup on the Mexican border and plan a final showdown. The outcome could ensure better border security or lead to total lawlessness in the area.

This movie did not do well with critics or at the box office, but given the cast involved, it is worth watching at least once if you like stories about Texas Rangers. There are two historical points that have been mentioned at being fictionalized for this movie. In the movie McNelly dies shortly after the big action scene, but in reality he retired from the Texas Rangers a year before his death. Fisher is killed by Texas Rangers in the movie, but in reality he made an arrangement with the lawmen to end hostilities.

Movie Snack Recipe

I thought a Tex-Mex snack recipe including beef would be in order given today's movie theme. So we are using Beef Loving Texans' recipe for Tex-Mex Queso with Grilled Steak.

This dip would go well with tortilla chips or other kinds of ships. It would also be great over a baked potato or steamed veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.

Great Westerns

Remember, many great western movies started out as great western books. If you haven't already, why not read my Into the West Saga Serial Collection (. Parts one through six are available now on Amazon.com and BN.com. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this saga, part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. It is currently set for a Christmas release.

Don't forget, you can join my mailing list and never miss out on news or upcoming release dates. Just go to our subscribers page (Into the West: The Orphan Train for free. If you haven't read my books this is a great way to try them out with no risk to you or if you have Kindle Unlimited the entire Into the West Saga Serial is available to read free with your subscription. The mailing list is free to join, quit anytime, no strings attached . . . ever! What have you got to lose? Join us today and start reading!

You know what time it is now, posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!

Enjoy,

StephenTexas Ranger (2001) Official Trailerhttps://youtu.be/BTwLLnBbot0

Friday Funnies: Librarians!

Hello, Posse!

I thought today would be a good day to have some cute librarian/library jokes. I always wanted to be a librarian. The closest I ever got was working for a big chain bookstore for 13.5 years. I have always loved being around books. When we finally get our house here, I have to have at least one wall with bookshelves! I miss my books! My old bedroom used to look like a library. I miss that.

I have the first part of Part Seven, Into the West: Family Ties set in my head and am working on getting it all written out. I have a lot of things going so I am going to get back to work. I hope these jokes help get you in a great mood for your weekend.

Enjoy,

Stephen

Click the covers to check out my books.

What is the tallest building in the world?

The library, because it has the most stories.

What do you call a South American librarian who is always in a hurry?

Urgent Tina.

Why did the librarian win a Lifetime Achievement Award?

She had a storied career.

What section of the library can you get bitten by a snake?

Hissssssstory.

What has a spine but, no bones?

A book

Who's the biggest liar in school?

The Lie-brarian.

What did the librarian say to John Cusack?

Shhhhh! Don't Say Anything.

Why was the math book always unhappy?

Because it has a lot of problems.

What is a librarian's favorite meal?

Shhhh Kebabs

What did Ashton Kutcher ask the Librarian?

Dude, Where's My Library Card?

What did the rapper say to the librarian?

"I like big books and I can not lie."

What did the frog say when the librarian gave him a book?

Readit! Readit! Readit!

What did the librarian say to Jackie Chan?

Shhhh! This is Hush Hour.

Have you read the new bestseller about Stockholm Syndrome?

The librarian said most don't like it at first, but in the end you get hooked.

What is a cat's favorite book?

The Prince and the Paw-purr.

And last but not least . . .

What do dogs and libraries have in common?

They both have tails!

These are too cute not to share. They are not librarian jokes but they are great Dad jokes and they are so cute together!

Bad Dad Jokes with Maisy vs Dad. https://youtu.be/tQ2DDYzYKqY

Whatever Wednesday: Life . . .

Hello, Posse!

Things of been so crazy the last few days. Recently our microwave caught fire, that was fun. I did get to buy a new one so silver lining. Just when I was geared up to start writing part seven, Into the West: Family Ties there was some surprise repairs our landlord decided to do with no notice that caused a major disruption to my schedule yesterday. In short, I got no writing done yesterday and I don't even know if the issue was fixed in the apartment building. Murphy is so unforgiving.

On an up note, I recently got all the new printed editions of the serial from where I made all the updates to get them all formatted the same. I plan to do an unboxing video here soon and we can check them all out together and see how I did. I'm going back and forth over if I should do it live video or not. If I pre-record it, I can add captions and other things to the video, but a live can be fun because you get the real, dorky, unedited me . . . not sure if that is a plus.

I'm going to do a bit of research then get to writing part seven today. I need to look through the books and see if I mentioned an occupation for a character or not. It will be important for the first chapter. I will let you all know when I have the first chapter finished and uploaded to the secret page so those of you who want to do the trivia question hunt on the Members Only Page and read it can do so.

I also plan to make a few puzzles today for the companion fun book I will release this December for all the Members Only page members. I think I want to ad in some holiday crafts and recipes too. I just want it to be a lot of fun for anyone no matter what the age so it can be shared with the whole family. If you are not a member, it's free to join and you can quit anytime. Just click Exclusives in the menu at the top of the page and select the Members Only page in the dropdown menu to sign up.

I have an idea for a homemade Advent calendar I want to include in the book. I like this because you can fill it with whatever you want. If you are interested, start saving toilet paper (TP) rolls or paper towel rolls if you want to make one this Christmas. You are going to need 24 TP rolls if you want to fill it with bigger things or 12 and cut them each in half for smaller items.

You will also need one green crepe paper streamer, non-toxic glue stick or glue (like Elmers) or tape, scissors, and things to fill the compartments. I'm also using some silver tree tinsel in the compartments for added decoration as you open the days. I'm making one for Shaggy. He is allergic to most of the things that come in the pre-made Advent calendars for dogs so I thought I would make one for him with things he can actually eat. Yes, I spoil my dog . . . and I always will!

So now I'm of to do my research and get started on writing part seven. Keep watching my social media for updates on the release dates. I have more things I am working on and will let you know what is going on as things develop. I want this to be a Christmas to remember!

Have a great Wednesday, Posse!

Dianne

Bonus . . .

If you are starting to plan for Thanksgiving, here is a great DIY decor video to help get your ideas flowing.

Dollar Tree Thanksgiving Decorations - Brianna Nolandhttps://youtu.be/mWHlDm9NPIM

Monday Movie Madness: The Texas Rangers

Hello, Posse!

I hope you all had a frightfully good Halloween and are ready to head into the holiday season. I will admit I am stressing a bit. Today I start writing part seven, Into the West: Family Ties, the final novella in the Into the West Saga Serial. I'm stressing about getting it done in time for Christmas and I worry that I will rush the story to get it done on time. So I will be very focused on writing for a while.

Plus, P.R. had to leave this morning for few weeks for business. This is good and bad. It's good because I can just spend all my time focusing on writing while P.R. is gone. It's also bad because I already miss P.R. and it's only been about 8 hours since P.R. left. I used to be so completely independent, what happened to me? I used to travel all over the place by myself, even to foreign countries. Now, just a few weeks without my better-half seems like a very long time.

At least I have Shaggy and some great western movies to keep me entertained. Like today's flick, The Texas Rangers starring Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie. (Like that segue?) This movie was released in 1936 and was directed by King Vidor. This is another great western movie that was inspired by a book. Walter Prescott Webb published the book, The Texas Rangers, A Century of Frontier Defense in 1935.

The movie adaptation would go on to earn an Oscar nomination in 1936 for Best Sound Recording. The film was also featured at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020 as part of a tribute to the career of King Vidor.

MacMurray and Oakie are joined on the cast by Lloyd Nolan, Edward Ellis, Jean Parker, and one of my favorite character actors of this time period, George "Gabby" Hayes.

The movie follows three bandits: Jim (MacMurray), Wahoo (Oakie), and Sam (Nolan). With the law closing in on their trial, Sam leaves his friends behind and sets up a new racket with other outlaws. Jim and Wahoo try to keep up their old racket and barely escape being gunned down by a Texas Ranger. When they realize how lucky they were, they decide to change their tactics and join the Texas Rangers. They join up thinking they can use their positions in the Rangers to commit more crimes but circumstances lead them down a different path.

The pair are sent out to round up some cattle rustlers only to find out their old friend, Sam is the leader. When they meet up again, Sam tries to talk them into using their Ranger connections to commit more crimes. However, as events unfold, Jim and Wahoo have second thoughts and end up having to choose between a life of crime or arresting their old friend.

One of the great things about movies from this era is they tend to all be in the public domain and you can find many of them online to watch for free. I have posted a link to the full movie below.

Movie Snack Recipe

I thought today we would go with something a little spicy considering we probably all had plenty of sweet recently.

Today's movie snack recipe comes from

Just a Pinch Recipes, Texas Rattlesnake-Bites (.

Now, I was never fond of jalapeños until recently, but that also goes for mangos and beets too. For some reason, my tastes have seemed to have changed drastically as I got older. I eat jalapeños quite often now and this recipe is on the menu for this week! Remember, if you don't have buttermilk in the house you can make some with the required about of regular milk then add about a tablespoon of white vinegar and let it sit for about 15 minutes then use as directed in the recipe.

Great Westerns

Remember, many great western movies started out as great western books. If you haven't already, why not read my Into the West Saga Serial Collection (. Parts one through six are available now on Amazon.com and BN.com. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this saga, part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. It is set for a Christmas release.

Don't forget, you can join my mailing list and never miss out on news or upcoming release dates. Just go to our subscribers page (Into the West: The Orphan Train for free. If you haven't read my books this is a great way to try them out with no risk to you or if you have Kindle Unlimited the entire Into the West Saga Serial is available to read free with your subscription.

The mailing list is free to join, quit anytime, no strings attached . . . ever! What have you got to lose? Join us today and start reading!

You know what time it is now, posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!

Enjoy,

Stephen1936 The Texas Rangers- Fred MacMurray, Jack OakieFull Moviehttps://youtu.be/-dPILLtJyEA

Halloween Eve Makeup Blog

Hello, Posse!

Sorry I missed the Friday Funnies yesterday, but I spent the day in bed with a horrible headache. Good news is, it has passed and I have some great Halloween Dad jokes you can share with your kids tomorrow!

So why not just get right to it!

Enjoy,

Stephen

Why don’t mummies take vacations?

They’re afraid of what will happen if they unwind.

Why did the headless horseman go management seminar?

He wanted to get ahead in business.

Why did the vampire's girlfriend hate making out with him?

It was always a pain in the neck.

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?

Frostbite.

What's a vampire's favorite fruit?

Blood oranges.

Why are skeletons always so calm?

Nothing can get under their skin.

What do skeletons order at a restaurant?

Spare ribs.

Why didn't the skeleton go on the roller coaster?

He didn't have the guts.

What's a skeleton's favorite song?

Bad to the Bone.

Why can't skeletons play church music?

They don't have any organs.

How do you mend a jack-o'-lantern?

With a pumpkin patch.

What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?

Squash.

Who helped the little pumpkin cross the road?

The crossing gourd.

What did the pumpkin say to its carver?

Cut it out!

And last but not least . . .

What's a pumpkin's favorite Western?

The Gourd, the Bad, and the Ugly

DIY Dollar Tree Halloween Costumeshttps://youtu.be/Nm48s5WwalQ

Friday Funnies: Postponed

Hello, Posse!

im in bed with a migraine. We will do Funnies on Saturday this week. Sorrry for the delay. I’ll make them extra good for the delay.

Take care,

,,Stephen

Whatever Wednesday: National Black Cat Day!

Hello, Posse!

I hope you are having a great week so far. I was coming in to write this blog today and honestly, I had nothin'. I am so tired and have been doing so much around the house lately, I'm wiped out.

I told Pedro I was going to do the blog on National Black Cat Day/Halloween and how people with black pets need to keep an eye on them in the coming week because some people have been known to hurt black animals around Halloween. Pedro just looked at me and asked, "You are out of ideas right now, aren't you?" The answer to that is, yes. Yes, I am. I know I will rally soon, but right now, I'm just burnt out.

However, I am looking forward to starting Into the West: Family Ties here next week. Pedro has a big project at work that will keep him very busy the next two weeks, so I am going to use all my alone time to focus on writing the last book and getting the companion puzzle book finished. I was even thinking about adding in a few holiday recipes from the time period as well. We will see what I can come up with.

But back to the National Black Cat Day. I remember this National Day because I love black cats. Not sure why, but I have always wanted to have one for a pet. There is something about a black cat with green eyes that just makes me want to pick it up and take it home with me. Shaggy likes cats and when we finally decide to buy a house, we plan to get Shaggy a kitty. It will be a female black cat (if I have my wish) and we will name her Velma.

If you have black dogs or cats, please bring them in house between now and Halloween. There are people who are not nice to animals who look for black animals this time of year. I would hate for anything to happen to your fur babies. But now we also need some positive Halloween fun. Check out the video below for some last minute Halloween party ideas.

Have a great week, Posse! And I promise, next wednesday will be a better blog, after I've had more sleep.

Take care,

DianneLast Minute Halloween Party Ideashttps://youtu.be/d2WE5f1RuTIWhy are Black Cats Associated with Halloween?https://youtu.be/qgQXE5S7rQg

NOTE: In this video, they mispronounce Samhain. It is pronounced Sow-win.

Monday Movie Madness: The Harder They Fall!!!

Hello, Posse!

You may (or may not) have noticed I have not been posting something every single day recently. The last few weeks, I have been working long hours reformatting the serial and getting ready for the push to write part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. I ended up being very sleep deprived and just generally exhausted. I decided to step back a little and just worry about keeping up with the blogs during the week as I tried to get my projects done and still take care of my family and myself.

I have had a few full nights of sleep recently, which is actually really rare for me. My norm is about 5-6 hours a night, but getting 8-9 for a few nights has really seemed to help reset my internal clock. I think I am about ready to hit this big push to get things done for Christmas.

One of the things I'm excited about is today's movie. I have been waiting for this! When I first saw previews online, I only saw the opening with Regina King. That was more than enough to hook me. She was great in movies like Ray, Enemy of the State, and Miss Congeniality 2, and I always loved seeing her on The Big Bang Theory. So when I saw a western coming out with her in a starring role, I was looking forward to that. Then I saw the full trailer with Zazie Beetz (Domino in Deadpool 2) and Delroy Lindo, who has had a steady career since the 70s, and I thought, "oh yeah, this will be good".

But then . . . the scene came on the train when there is a tall metal box surrounded by guards and out steps a prisoner in handcuffs and it's Idris Elba! I marked my calendar that day for the movies release! I was not going to miss this movie!

The Harder They Fall is a Netflix production. It had a limited release October 22nd (not in my area unfortunately) and will have a full release November 3rd. The cast includes Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole, and Damon Wayans Jr.

(PHOTO CREDIT: SHADOW AND ACT -- 'The Harder They Fall': Netflix's Jonathan Majors-Idris Elba Western Adds 7 To Star-Studded Cast by Trey Mangum

September 11, 2020 [

The premise for this movie is pretty simple. Outlaw Nat Love (Majors) finds out the man who killed his parents (Elba) is being released from prison. Love decides to bring his old gang back together to finally take revenge on his enemy. While the basic synopsis might be simple, the action is not. Be sure to check out the trailers below.

One of the things I love about this movie is black cowboys and cowgirls were a big part of actual American history in the Wild West and yet are still very under represented in books, TV, and movies. History records that about 1 in 4 cowboys were in fact black and yet I cannot think of one movie or TV show that accurately portrays that fact.

Another thing I love is that they have Delroy Lindo playing a Bass Reeves character. I hope they stay true to this man's legacy, because he is a fascinating man and deserves to be accurately depicted. I know I have mentioned before that it's believed Bass Reeves is actually the real-life lawman who inspired the story of the Lone Ranger. If you have never read anything about Reeves, you really should.

The movie will be streaming soon, but we still have plenty of time to prepare a great movie snack for this premier.

Movie Snack Recipe

I looked through a lot of snack recipes and I think I have a great one for you, but I also think we can take it up a notch too.

First, we need to make Indigo Scones' Spicy Honey Roasted Cashews. Now, you can stop right here and just have the cashews for your movie snack. They are sweet and savory and very satisfying.

I did not want to stop there though. I thought, I wanted to mix up the flavors even more. I tossed the cashews in fresh popped popcorn with a handful of plain M&Ms. Now, don't go crazy with the M&Ms. The cashews are already sweet, so we don't want to add too much sugar to the mix, just enough for a hint of chocolate to go with that chili powder in the cashew recipe.

Adding popcorn and M&Ms to the mix was just perfect to me! It's my own little trail mix of sweet, spicy, and salty to watch some great actors when they hit the trail in The Harder They Fall.

You could always give it a try both ways and see which you like better. The great thing about us getting ready for this premier now is you can make the cashews ahead of time and just add them to popcorn on movie night (if they last that long, that is).

So mark your calendars, Posse! A movie that promises to be great will be streaming everywhere on Netflix November 3rd!

Great Westerns

Remember, many great western movies started out as great western books. If you haven't already, why not read my Into the West Saga Serial Collection (. Parts one through six are available now on Amazon.com and BN.com. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this saga, part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. It is currently set for a Christmas release.

Don't forget, you can join my mailing list and never miss out on news or upcoming release dates. Just go to our subscribers page (Into the West: The Orphan Train for free. If you haven't read my books this is a great way to try them out with no risk to you or if you have Kindle Unlimited the entire Into the West Saga Serial is available to read free with your subscription.

The mailing list is free to join, quit anytime, no strings attached . . . ever! What have you got to lose? Join us today and start reading!

You know what time it is now, Posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!

Enjoy!

StephenThe Harder They Fall (Trailer)https://youtu.be/Poc55U2RPMwTrailer 2https://youtu.be/pKz5kZr8mrg

Friday Funnies: Halloween is coming!

Hello, Posse!

I have been so busy getting things ready with my books serial that I have not done anything to get ready for Halloween. For those who know me, they know this is shocking. I usually start decorating the first day of October and hate taking them down when it's over (and not just because I'm lazy).

The last few years I have shared some of my favorite Halloween movies on the Monday Movie Madness blog, but I completed missed that this year. I think next week might be devoted to Halloween movies, crafts, and snacks, not to mention a few Halloween Dad jokes.

To start playing a little catch up, I plan to devote today to some Halloween fun. First up, if you follow the blogs, you know I have been working on creating a companion fun book to give to the members of my Members Only page as a fun Christmas gift this year. So since I have been learn to create puzzles with the help of a few different websites, I thought a Halloween themed seek and find would be fun. I hope you will be able to copy this and print it but just in case you can't, here is a PDF of the puzzle and answer key you can download. The answer key is also at the bottom of this blog.

So let's get on with it, Posse! It's time to have some Friday fun to get us in a good place for a great weekend! I hope you enjoy the puzzle and if you do, be sure to join my members only page to get your free puzzle fun book this December!

Have a great weekend, Posse!

Stephen

Why do ghosts count calories?

They want to keep their ghoulish figures!

Where does a ghost go on Spring break?

Mali-boo!

Why did the policeman give the ghost a ticket on Halloween?

He didn’t have a haunting license!

Why did the ghost starch his sheet?

He wanted to scare people stiff!

What is a ghost's favorite dessert?

I-Scream!

What's their favorite flavor?

Straw-boo-rry!

Why did the ghost haunt the local bar?

For all the Boos!

Why are demons and ghouls always together?

Because demons are a ghoul's best friend!

Halloween Jokes: Laugh-out-Loud

“Funny stories for Children and kids”

by Starr Princess Show on YouTube

https://youtu.be/_7C9BYpzm_Q

Halloween Fun Seek and Find Answer Key