Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 57

Monday Movie Madness: Buffalo Girls

Hello Posse!

I hope you are all safe and healthy. I have been saying a lot of prayers on that for everyone in the US lately. Things are really crazy in the world right now and I have been throwing myself into my work to try to find my personal "happy place" whenever the stress of the world just gets to me too much. The good thing about that is I am almost done with Part 4, Into the West: Most Wanted. I have my edits back from my wonderful editor Greg Wood and notes from my beta reader (A.K.A. mom) and this week I will be finalizing all the edits and getting it formatted to go live! FINALLY!!! It will be released sometime this month!

Keep watching my social media for release dates. Now, on with the show.

Today's pick is another TV miniseries that was released in 1995 and was based on a Larry McMurtry book of the same name, Buffalo Girls. This show was produced by CBS Entertainment and starred

,

,This mini series was directed by

,The story centers on the fading

Just check out the cast list:

Anjelica Huston
Melanie Griffith
Sam Elliott
Gabriel Byrne
Peter Coyote
Tracey Walter
Jack Palance
Charlayne Woodard
Reba McEntire
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman
Liev Schreiber
Russell Means
https://youtu.be/1NkYt4qE2qU
,,Movie Snack

How can you possibly go wrong with this mini series? Watch it tonight or save it for the weekend but be sure to check out

Quarantine Boredom Buster

Who says fun can't also be educational? Not me! Check out the KQED website for loads of fun educational options for children of all ages (and the young at heart, A.K.A. the perpetually immature). I personally suggest the Dung Beetle game on National Geographic Kids. You will not regret it!

Have fun!

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/34761/10-free-online-educational-game-sites

One last note:

It's finally happening! Keep watching my social media for release information:

#MondayMovieMadness #recipe #cooking #blog #Writer #writerslife #writerscommunity #bookboost #Quarantine #COVID19 #COVID #BoredomBuster #boredom #MovieReview #movie #movienight #tvtime

Friday Funnies: Writers

Hello Posse!

We are getting closer to the launch of the next book in The Into the West Saga Serial. Into the West: Most Wanted is in the last stages of editing and should be ready to format and upload to the publishing sites in just a week or two. I am hard at work creating a contest, choosing prizes, creating different media and advertising content and I hope to start sharing all of this with you very soon! So, if you haven't signed up for

I introduce some very special new characters in this book. One is named for an incredible young woman I connected with on Facebook, Tonja Miller. Her mother, Shelly Miller, gave me permission to use her name. Another is named for all of you, my readers. It will be part of the scavenger hunt in this book so I cannot tell you what it is. You will have to figure that our for yourselves, I hope you like it. I wanted to do something special so that each and every one of you will know when you read that name, I am thankful you are following my work and that is my way of saying hi to you every time you read it.

Since we have been talking about books so much this week, I wanted to share some wise and often funny, words from some of the most influential writers (and some of my favorites) of our time. I hope you like them.

Enjoy!

Stephen

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

― Ernest Hemingway

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”

― Stephen King

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

― Madeleine L'Engle

“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

― E.L. Doctorow

“Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which can sometimes pay the rent.”

― Neil Gaiman

“People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy.”

― Joss Whedon

“I hate writing, I love having written.”

― Dorothy Parker

“A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity."

― Franz Kafka

"It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly."

— C. J. Cherryh

"It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous."

— Robert Benchley

“A best seller was a book which somehow sold well simply because it was selling well.”

— S. Boorstein

“Never throw up on an editor.”

— Ellen Datlow

and last but not least . . .

“I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.”

— Peter de Vries

Quarantine Boredom Buster

Here are some great easy crafts for book lovers. Who wouldn't want to make a reading bench that also is a functional bookshelf for your favorite books?

Have fun!

https://youtu.be/3RMHYBMJNJU

#books #reading #booklovers #crafts #boredombuster #quarantine #covid19 #westerns #amwriting #writingcommunity #indieauthor #bookboost #allauthor #author #mustread

Whatever Wednesday: Ghostwriting

Hello Posse!

Now, some people may be wondering what the heck is ghostwriting. I am going to explain that and share with you how I sort of fell into ghostwriting after my husband moved me to Europe. Today will also be a great day to see how many people actually follow my blogs and really know what is going on with Stephen Burckhardt.

I should start out be explaining that I have a degree in communications from Wichita State University in Kansas and have worked for magazines, newspapers, online services, and even had a short stint in broadcasting. When my husband moved me to Denmark in 2014, I was really not prepared to find work in a foreign country, especially since I did not speak Danish. Since I had done work online before, I started searching for communication jobs for which I could "telecommute," essentially any work from home jobs.

I found some great sites that connected me with people looking to hire bloggers, P.R. staff, and there were even many people looking for ghostwriters for books. I started taking odd jobs with which I was comfortable. I worked as a social media manager for an indie movie company in California. I wrote short advertisements, and a few other things.

You should know, I have always had this dream in the back of my head of writing books one day. However, after having an accident in 2002 that resulted in several brain surgeries in 2004, I was not totally confident in my ability to do that well anymore. Now, some of you might be thinking (though I think most of you know now), this sounds an awful like Stephen Burckhardt's story. You would be correct, stick with me on this.

I started seeing ads for ghostwriters on the difference freelance sites I was using and decided to take the leap. When you ghostwrite for someone, they tell you what to write, you write it, they pay you, then they publish the work as their own with their name as the author. You get no credit for the work. Most even require a confidentiality agreement so you can never tell anyone you are actually the person who wrote the book. Luckily, the people who hired me did not ask for that so I am able to advertise the books in my portfolio of work. However, I do not and will not make any more money off of those books beyond what they originally paid me.

The first job I decided to accept was to ghostwrite a booklet about essential oils. I had just left a job in the US where I was a manager in a health food store where I was in charge of the natural health and beauty products, part of that was essential oils. Over my years in that job, I learned a great deal about essential oils and their uses. It seemed like a perfect fit for my first try at writing a book. I had a great deal of experience researching a subject and writing an informative piece about it. This one would just be a lot longer than I had produced before. We had some trouble with formatting because of the program I used to write it in and the program they used to layout the booklet, but other than that, the client was happy with my work and it has been well received on Amazon. With my success with that first attempt, I decided to try something in fiction.

I found a client who was looking for someone to write a very short western novella. I grew up watching westerns and spent time living on a ranch. I had first hand knowledge of animals, tractors, and how to handle different kinds of guns. I have a second degree in forensic criminology and had been planning to be a firearms and tool marks examiner. I have deadly aim and can even reload shells. Plus, my Granny always loved westerns. I thought she would like that I was writing one. Once again, the job seemed like a good fit for me. The client gave me a word count and a simple prompt and the rest was up to me. This time we discussed writing formats first and avoided the formatting issues. Once again, the client was very happy with my work and the book has been well received on Amazon.

I enjoyed writing the western much more than I ever imagined I would. Since I had managed two short books, one in fiction and one in non-fiction, I felt I was ready to give it a try under my own name. However, I was still nervous about doing a bad job. I continue to have trouble with words and communication due to my neurological conditions. I have found I have trouble using conjunctions and I tend to stutter when I type. I often find I often find (

To throw in another challenge to my writing, in 2015 we moved to Germany. Eventually the computers I had brought with me from the US died and I had to buy new ones here. The American keyboards and Germany Keyboards are not the same. I can set them for the English set up but then the keys do not match the letters printed on them and I have to type by memory or I can leave them set for German and they match what is printed on the keys but they are not where I am used to them being on the keyboard. To really mix things up, we just bought a refurbished Mac from a German shop and it came with an Italian keyboard which is not like German or English set ups so I am working on a German keyboard and an Italian keyboard while typing according to the English keyboard set up. It makes for interesting typos. I do love a challenge.

Because of all of these obstacles I was facing, I decided to take a pen name. Since I had so much fun writing the western, I chose to make my first book a western novella, that is how The Into the West Saga Serial began. I finished my first book in the serial after my Granny passed away. She never got to see this series but I like to think she would have liked them. Each one is dedicated to her memory.

When I started writing The Into the West Saga Serial, I thought if I hid behind a pen name and used my father's photo to represent my persona it would give me a safety net. If I did a horrid job, I could just walk away from it all and no one would ever know it was really me. But now the books are doing well, even winning awards, and very few people know it is actually me who is writing them, kind of a catch-22.

Slowly but surely, I have been revealing it to more and more people, that I am in fact, Stephen Burckhardt. If you go to my website www.DianneBurckhardt.com you can see Stephen listed as a pen name for me. Everything I write about Stephen's life is true for me except the fact that I am female and my "better half" is a man. While my husband does want to stay as anonymous in my online life as possible due to his job, I also chose to only refer to him by initials because I do not know of any culture where the name Pedro could be used for a female. There was no way to spin that to fit my Stephen Burckhardt persona.

Ghostwriting turned out to be a great beginners guide for me to make some money while I started to figure out how to become an indie author. Since then, being Stephen Burckhardt has been a great learning experience to help me grow and improve as a writer. Everything about this adventure had been fun and educational. It has its stressful moments too, like trying to build my following, getting an email list of active followers, trying to get people to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes & Noble Booksellers, or just to interact with me and comment on my posts. The struggle is real and ongoing! There is so much more work behind the scenes than most people realize beyond just writing my stories, but I would not have missed this for the world.

If you want to check out some ghostwriting opportunities for yourself why not check out the Noomii Career Blog where they list the 8 Best Freelance Ghostwriting Jobs Online in 2018. I realize that is two years old, but all of the sites listed are still great resources to test the waters in a new freelance venture.

Good luck!

DianneQuarantine Boredom Buster

I love painted rocks and I know right now this could be great moral booster for the people in your community. Paint a few rocks and drop them around your neighborhood as you go for walks. You could make someone's day with just a little time, some paint, and a few rocks.

Have fun!

https://youtu.be/hY9r-oMOG-A

#covid19 #quarantine #boredombuster #freelance #ghostwriting #books #novellas #amwriting #writingcommunity #paintedrocks #crafts #familyfun #art #reading

Monday Movie Madness: The Hateful Eight

,

Hello Posse!

I hope this blog finds everyone happy and healthy this week! We have been "safe at home" now for about 91 days. Thankfully P.R.'s job is something that can be done from home. We have been very lucky in that regard. Mine as well but then I am not really making a living from this just yet; I'm still working on that part of my writing career. Thank goodness for 401Ks and being old enough to use them.

I have lots to cover today, first of all, the good news!!!!!

My wonderful beta reader, Sharon Stephens (otherwise known as, Mom) has finished reading part four and given me her notes on the storyline. My irreplaceable editor, Greg Wood, has given me the edits for the first third of the book, which I will be starting on this week, and will be giving me the rest of the edits very soon. I would be lost without these two!

Once I get the edits updated in the book, I will begin the countdown to the book launch. I am working on some ideas for promotions but if you have any ideas as to what you would like to see, please share them with me. I will have more updates on this later this week. Why not take this time to

,

But for now, on with the show . . .

,

Today's flick is very different from anything I have posted before. It is a typical Quentin Tarantino movie in that it is most definitely for mature audiences. If you do not like movies with graphic violence, curse words, and a total lack of anything even resembling political correctness, this is NOT the film for you!

However, if you like films that more than likely show life in the Wild West as it truly was, at least in some places, this movie is filled with stars who give incredible performances. It might just be me, but this movie had a real "Ten Little Indians" (movie based on a book by Agatha Christie) feel to it. You know there is a conspiracy afoot but the action keeps you guessing until the reveal.

While Tarantino movies usually push me to my ultimate limit of what I feel comfortable watching (which I often think is his goal), I am always impressed with the performances and the overall story in his movies. The Hateful Eight is no exception.

,

This movie has an incredible cast,

It was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and distributed by

,The plot of this movie is simple but how it unfolds is very complex. Eight strangers seek shelter from a blizzard at a stagecoach stop. While confined in the small space together alliances are formed, secrets are revealed, people are poisoned, shot, and so much more. I will not go into detail on the plot here. With all the twists and turns in this story, I would never be able to do it justice. If you can handle this kind of raw entertainment, this is a movie you should not miss. Just keep in mind that Tarantino is the film maker who is probably single handedly keeping the theatrical blood makers in business. Be prepared for blood, guts, and probably more blood along with the captivating story and stellar performances.

,Be sure to check out

,So pop that corn and settle in, it's time for a movie!

,Enjoy!

,Stephenhttps://youtu.be/nIOmotayDMYQuarantine Boredom Buster

Time for some science!! https://youtu.be/McVpXiSttnU

#movies #MondayMovieMadness #Tarantino #BoredomBuster #Quarantine #Covid19 #Covid #snacks #wine #moviesnacks #cooking #recipes #weinstein #science #kids #fun

Friday Funnies: Some (More) Good News!

Logo Art produced by the minor Kransinski family members. You can now support your favorite charity by

Hello Posse!

If you liked the TV show The Office, you have got to watch this episode of SGN (Some Good News) from the great mind of John Krasinski. I should warn you before you watch, I am not an emotional person but even I usually tear up every time I watch one of the SGN videos.

Grab some tissues, just in case, and check out Some Good News . . .

https://youtu.be/NDjNX3nEfYo

Now, in honor of The Office reunion video, I am going to share with you some office jokes!

A Day at the Office:

To whoever stole my copy of Microsoft Office: I will find you!

You have my Word!

To err is human

To blame someone else for it shows management potential.

,,The boss told me to have a good day.

,,So I went home.

How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?

None. That's a hardware issue.

,,Why wasn't the koala hired for the factory job?

He didn’t meet the koalafications.

,,The scarecrow's son asked him why he was outstanding in his field.

He just shrugged and said, "Hay, it’s in my jeans."

,,Yesterday at work, I saw a man being very inefficient and told him so.

,,He replied, “I know, but I’m in the kitchen remodelling business. I’m supposed to be counter productive.

,An man goes to see his supervisor to ask for a day off.

,"Boss," he says, "we're doing some heavy house-cleaning at home tomorrow and my wife needs me to help moving and hauling all the heavy stuff out of the basement and attic."

,The boss just shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, but we're just too short-handed right now. I can’t give you the day off."

,The man smiles and says, "Thanks, boss! I knew I could count on you!"

,My office is so fun!

,Lately, my colleagues started writing names on the food in the office fridge.

,I'm currently eating a yoghurt called Susan. How cute is that?

,,Retirement is wonderful.

,,You get to do nothing without worrying about getting caught.

,,Job interview:

,,Employer:, We are looking to hire someone responsible for this job.

,,Applicant:, Sir, your search ends here! At my previous office, whenever something went wrong, everybody said I was responsible.

,,I got a job at a paperless office.

,,Everything was great until I needed to use the bathroom.

,,Last but not least . . .

,A man walks into his boss' office and says, "Sir, I’ll be straight with you. I know the economy isn't great, but I've got three other companies after me. I'd like to respectfully ask for a raise."

,After a long discussion, the boss finally agrees to a 5% raise and the man gets up to leave.

,"By the way," asks the boss, "which three companies are after you?"

,The man replies, "The electric company, water company, and phone company."

Quarantine Boredom Buster

Get out your crayons and hair dryer, it's time to make some great art!

https://youtu.be/GzBoIL7Kzos

#COVID19 #QuarantineLife #Quarantine #boredombuster #blog #blogger #FridayVibes #familyfun #jokes #SGN #johnkrasinski #TheOffice #TheOfficeUS

Whatever Wednesday: National Rescue Dog Day!

Hello Posse!

Today is National Rescue Dog Day! Being the proud owner of a wonderful, sweet, rescue pup myself, I just had to share some great ways to celebrate today! If you have a wonderful rescue dog in your life, you can share your story on social media. Just be sure to use the tag #NationalRescueDogDay. Be sure to share your rescue dog photos with us as well. Just drop them in the comments. We would love to see your furbabies!

NationalRescueDogDay.com

How to celebrate rescue dog day:

ADOPT: It is always better to adopt a rescue dog in need than to buy a dog.
FOSTER: Many shelter dogs benefit from the socialization they can get in a foster care situation. Even if they are just in your care for a short while, they tend to thrive better away from the shelter environment.

,VOLUNTEER: If you can't foster in your home, you can help out by taking dogs for walks, giving baths and grooming them, and just spending time with the animals to help them socialize more is a huge benefit to their mental and emotional well-being in a shelter setting.
DONATE: Shelters always in need. Besides financial donations, shelters always have a list of supplies they need such as blankets, collars, toys, food and treats, and leashes. Just all your local shelter to find out what they need.
SPAY/NEUTER: Overpopulation is the number one reason shelters exist. Help put a stop to it by doing your part.

Now go out and spend some time with a rescue dog today, you will not regret it!

Take care,

Dianne

Watch Stephen's dog, Shaggy, playing fetch in the house. Be sure to follow Shaggy on Facebook:

https://youtu.be/ia6FeqEPCRkQuarantine Boredom Buster

DIY Dog Crafts from Martha Stewart

MarthaStewart.com has a great selection of DIY dog crafts that are not only fun to make, but attractive and functional.

Her page,

Just click the link above and start crafting!

FYI: for those who are asking why we started adding (

#dogs #rescuedogs #MarthaStewart #BoredomBuster #covid19 #covid #crafts #quarantine #Shaggy

Monday Movie Madness: Jeremiah Johnson

Hello Posse!

There was so much happening for me this weekend. You will not believe what finally happened . . .

Drumroll please . . .

I finally finished my rough edits on Into the West: Most Wanted! I was so excited I could hardly sleep last night!

Right now, the book is in the hands of my beta reader (a.k.a. mom) and my editor, Greg. I am looking at a June release so I can have time to build up a little interest, come up with a fun contest, and maybe design a few tie-in freebies. I don't what all I will come up with, you will just have to keep watching my social media to find out.

In the mean time . . .

Todays movie is considered an American Revisionist western, Jeremiah Johnson. This movie was directed by Sydney Pollack and stars Robert Redford. It was released in 1972 by Warner Bros.

The movie is based in part on the legend of a mountain man, John Jeremiah Johnson, who's exploits were chronicled in books by Vardis Fisher (Mountain Man) and Robert Bunker and Raymond Thorp (Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson). John Milius and Edward Anhalt wrote the script. The movie was shot in numerous locations around Utah and in 1972 it was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival.

This movie stars Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson, Will Geer as Bear Claw Chris Lapp, Stefan Gierasch as Del Gue, Delle Bolton as Swan, Josh Albee as Caleb, Joaquín Martínez as Paints-His-Shirt-Red, Allyn Ann McLerie as the Crazy Woman, Paul Benedict as Reverend Lindquist, Jack Colvin as Lieutenant Mulvey, Matt Clark as Qualen, Richard Angarola as Chief Two-Tongues Lebreaux, Charles Tyner as Robidoux. While you may not recognize many of these names, I guarantee that if you spent any time watching movies or TV shows from the 70s, you will recognize the faces.

The film follows w,ar veteran, Jeremiah Johnson (Redford), who decides to become a mountain man. He moves to the Rocky Mountains to take up the life of a trapper. His first year in the wilderness is not an easy one. He has a run-in with a chief of the Crow tribe, Paints-His-Shirt-Red. Later, he accidentally botches a bear hunt of Chris "Bear Claw" Lapp (Geer), an elderly, eccentric mountain man who later mentors Johnson on how to survive as a mountain man.

,Johnson eventually sets off on his own and meets a woman crazed with grief (McLerie) who's family had been attacked by Blackfeet. She forces Johnson to take her son, who he names Caleb (Albee), and they set out together. They meet up with another mountain man, Del Gue (Gierasch) who would end up being a blessing and a curse to Johnson.

,Del Gue and Johnson end up killing a band of Blackfeet while attempting to recover Del Gue's stolen property. Del Gue steals the natives' horses and takes scalps. Later, when the pair meet up with a band of Flatheads, Johnson accidentally places their chief in his debt. To save his honor, the chief must now either kill Johnson or give him a gift of more value. The chief decides to give Johnson his daughter, Swan (Bolton), for his wife.

,Now, having acquired a wife and son against his will, Johnson decides to take his new family into the wilderness. They build a cabin and set up a home together. Surprisingly, the odd group slowly bond and become a loving family. About this time a troop of U.S. Calvary come through searching for a missing wagon train. The commanding officer, Lt. Mulvey (Colvin), coerces Johnson into helping them track down the lost settlers.

,When they come upon a sacred Crow Burial ground, the soldiers ignore Johnson's warnings and force him to lead them through the sacred area instead of going around. When Johnson leaves the soldiers to return home, he goes back the same way. He notices the graves have been decorates with items that belong to his bride, Swan.

,Johnson rushes back to his family and what he finds ends up being the beginning of the feud between Johnson and the Blackfeet. It is the continued encounters between him and the native warriors that truly builds the legend of Jeremiah Johnson and must be seen to really understand the unique blend of contempt, hatred, and, oddly enough, mutual respect that builds in this part of the movie. It is an intense western that is defiantly a classic and really should be seen at least once by any western fan . . . at least, in my humble opinion.

,Now, it is time to go check out my

,So, grab your snacks and sit back for an emotional, intense ride with Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson!

,Enjoy!

,Stephenhttps://youtu.be/INxY0uoZbow
Quarantine Boredom Buster

DIY Notebooks!

CremedelaCraft.com

#MondayMovieMadness #movies #blog #blogger #snacks #recipes #DIY #covid19 #BoredomBuster

Friday Funnies: National Pizza Day!

Hello Posse!  

I hope you had a great week and this blog finds you all happy and healthy! With today being national pizza day I wanted to share my pizza dough recipe with you. I believe I have shared this before but since the last posting I have been playing around with it and think I have settled on my final version . . . maybe. 

I start out with the Crazy Dough ( recipe from Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking. It is a fabulous recipe that can be used as a great starting point for so many things. If you haven't checked out this site before, I highly suggest you do it. It is where I learned to make English Muffins and I now have my own favorite homemade pizza dough. I may never go back to store bought again!

Follow the recipe from the site but if you want to try my version, add in 1 teaspoon each of Basil, Oregano, Tarragon, and Rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder, and 1/4-1/2 cup of shredded cheese. I have been very happy with the results. From this point you can make whatever pizza you fancy. I love using olive oil to lightly coat the crust then top it with Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese, Spinach, and Artichoke Hearts. Yum!

Bon Appétit! 

Stephen


And now for the jokes . . . 

Q: What do you call a fake pizza?

A: A pepperphony pizza.

Wife: Today I burned 2,000 calories in just a few minutes.

Husband: Zumba? Hot Yoga?

Wife: No, I forgot I had pizza in the oven. By the way, we are going out to eat tonight. 

Q: Why was the Hawaiian pizza burnt?

A: Because it should have been on Aloha temperature. 

Q: What does an aardvark like on its pizza?

A: Ant-chovies!

Q: How does good King Wenceslas like his pizza?

A: Deep pan, crisp, and even! 

Q: What is a dog's favorite kind of pizza?

A: Pup-peroni!

Q: What kind of people don't like pizza?

A: Weir-doughs

Q: What is the difference between a good pizza joke and a bad pizza joke?

A: The delivery!

Q: Why did the hipster burn his mouth?

A: He was eating pizza before it was cool! 

Q: Why did the mushroom get invited to all the pizza parties?

A: Because he is a fungi! 

Q: Where does Jabba always get his pizza?

A: From Pizza Hutt.

A pizza walks into a bar . . . 

Pizza: I'd like a beer. Whatever you have on tap is good.

Bartender: I'm sorry but we don't serve food here. 

This New Years Eve I want to order a pizza 5 minutes before midnight. 

When they deliver it, I want to say, what took you so long? I ordered this LAST YEAR?!

Q: What is the difference between a pizza and a pizza joke?

A: My pizza jokes can't be topped! 

Q: Do you want one more joke about pizzas? Wait, never mind. It's too cheesy! 

Quarantine Boredom Buster!!

Get your cups ready. Here are 8 family friendly games to try at home for a great evening. Make a little pizza, play a few games, sounds like a great family night to me! 

Have fun!

S.B. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZyGbE8UghA

#covid #covid19 #BordeomBuster #blog #blogger #pizza #cooking #recipe

Whatever Wednesday: Cooking Again!

Hello Posse!

It seems like with extra time on our hands at home right now many people are trying their hand at new recipes. I am no exception to that. This last week, I tried making my own cheese crackers. This will serve as a great Quarantine Boredom Buster too. It is an easy recipe that the whole family could help out with and later enjoy the fruits of the labor together.

I was surprised how easy this actually was and they taste amazing. I did not use a food processor for this. I did it all by hand. It was not time consuming at all. They are a lot lighter and flakier than the ones you buy in the store. There are just a few ingredients and the hardest part of the whole process was rolling them out thin enough without going over board. 

So, if you are looking for a fun new recipe to try at home right now I suggest going to Don't Waste the Crumbs website and check out their recipe for Homemade Cheez Its (. You will not regret it! 

Enjoy!

Dianne

#cooking #BoredomBuster #covid #covid19 #recipe #blog #blogging

Monday Movie Madness: North to Alaska!

Hello Posse!

Today I want to bring you one of my favorite John Wayne westerns. I know, I have a lot of favorites with John Wayne in them but this one is special, it is a comedy. Most of Wayne's westerns were straightforward dramatic westerns but North to Alaska proved that Wayne was good with comedy too. 

This film was released in 1960 by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne, though he is uncredited. John Wayne stars in this movie along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Capucine, and Fabian.  The story is based on a play titled, Birthday Gift by Ladislas Fodor. 

It was reported that Gary Crosby (son of Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee) was originally cast to play the part that eventually went to Fabian, a popular singer at the time that 20th Century Fox was trying to cross over into a film star. 

The story is set in 1901 in Nome, Alaska. Brothers George (Granger) and Billy Pratt (Fabian) and partner Sam McCord (Wayne) struck gold on their claim and have become rich. Sam travels to Seattle, WA to buy new mining equipment. George has been writing to a French woman, Jenny Lamont (Lilyan Chauvin), for years, whom he has never actually met. He asked her to marry him and she agreed. George asks Sam to bring his fiancée back with him. Sam, who considers marriage to be worse than servitude, is disgusted but eventually agrees to escort George's love to him. 

Before leaving Alaska, Sam runs into a conman who just recently came to town, Frankie Cannon (Kovacs). Frankie tries to cheat Sam out of some of his money before he leaves town. When Sam reaches Seatlle he finds that George's fiancée has already married another man.  Considering George has never met the woman, Sam decides to bring back a prostitute who is called "Angel" (Capucine) as a substitute. Sam gives her the gifts George had sent for Jenny. Angel misunderstands the situation and Sam's intentions. She thinks Sam is the one interested in her.

Angle begins to fall for Sam when the two attend a reunion picnic of Sam's old logging buddies. Sam treats her like a respectable lady, something she is not used to having men do. As they travel north to Alaska, Angel learns the truth of the arrangement. Sam decides to send her back to Seattle, but she gets off the boat in Nome and goes to the hotel only to find out that the conman, Frankie, a man she has had relations with in the past.

Angle refuses to stay in the hotel and risk being forced back into a relationship with Frankie. She fakes an altercation and leaves the hotel. Sam decides to take her back to the mining claim with him where the fun and misunderstanding really take off.  This is a great film to watch when you really want to relax and have a few great laughs with some serious onscreen talent.  

I was trying to find something that would be a good themed movie snack with this one. I had a few ideas but when I was looking up foods I noticed a lot of things talking about meat shortages in the US right now. Because of this I am going to offer a meat alternative snack today, Popcorn Tofu with Sriracha Dipping Sauce. You can always replace the tofu with chicken and follow the same recipe. The important part will be to have "golden nuggets" to go with this movie. I hope you like the food and the flick! 

So grab your snacks and settle in for a good laugh and great movie!

Enjoy!

Stephen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZeTaaus2Y
Quarantine Boredom Buster:

Time for some science! 

Egg in a bottle:

This is a fun science experiment you can do with just a few household items. 

You will need:

A hardboiled egg, peeled
A glass bottle that with a mouth that is slightly smaller than the egg
Some hot water. 
(Optional: matches and/or strip of paper to burn)

Instructions:

Carefully fill the glass bottle with the hot water and shake vigorously to warm up the glass. 

Place the egg on the mouth of the bottle and make sure the opening is completely covered by the egg. Leave it like this for a while and the egg will slowly get sucked into the bottle. Note: If you have adult supervision, you can do this experiment faster with a lit match or burning paper instead of the hot water. Just light the match or paper and drop it in the bottle and place the egg on top to be pulled inside. 

Why this works:

When we began, the air pressure inside the bottle was the same as the pressure outside of it. After we heated up the air inside the bottle, it expanded. When we place the egg on top of the bottle, it stops the air from coming back into the bottle as it cools down and contracts. The air pressure inside the bottle was lower than the air pressure outside of it. The higher air pressure out side of the bottle pushes the egg inside. 

Cool Science Experiments Headquarters (

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