Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 59

Monday Movie Madness: Calamity Jane!

Hello Posse, Sorry this is coming out a bit late today. I have been having what I refer to as a bad brain day. I'm sure by now you all now I live with three neurological conditions and sometimes they can be problematic. Today has been one of those days. However, I am muddling through! So let's get to the movie! Today's selection is unique in many ways: the lead is female, it is a musical comedy, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute several times over the years. It time to watch Calamity Jane. Calamity Jane was released by Warner Bros. in 1953. It was loosely based on the life of Wild West legend Calamity Jane. This movie stars Doris Day as Calamity, Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok, Allyn Ann McLerie as Katie Brown, and Philip Carey as Lt. Daniel Gilmartin. The plot follows the romantic interests of four people and how misunderstandings can lead to laughs and gunfights in the old west. In the end, love finds a way as the main characters finally end up with the partners they should have been with all along. Some of the songs featured in this movie received critical acclaim including Secret Love sung by Doris Day. As you can see on the poster, it was advertised as featuring more new song hits than any picture in years, With the talents of Day and Keel, it is easy to believe. Secret Love won the Oscar for and made it to number one on the Billboard and Cash Box musical charts. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Day and McLerie sing A Woman's Touch. But don't take my word for it, check out Calamity Jane for yourself and don't forget to check out my Facebook page for links to todays savoury movie snack, Maple Chili Nuts and Chex Snack Mix from Yay! For Food. Enjoy! Stephen Secret Love A Woman's Touch Movie Trailer Quarantine Boredom Buster: Charades with kids! Moms & Munchkins has some great ideas for simple charades for families with children. She even provides a printable sheet of charades ideas you can just cut apart and start playing. She also has loads of other printable pages including scavenger hunt sheets, word scrambles, word search pages and so much more! If you are trying to keep little kids entertained right now, this might be the site you have been looking for! Have fun! #MondayMotivaton #MondayMorning #MondayMood #mondaythoughts #blogging #COVID19 #Writer #books #movies #DorisDay #HowardKeel #snacks #kids #charades #QuarantineLife

Friday Funnies: National Siblings Day Edition

A very OLD photo of me and my sister. Hello Posse, I hope you are having a great week and are still finding fun things to keep you and your loved ones entertained and busy while we are all #SafeAtHome right now around the world. I have been working hard to finish up part four of my Into the West Saga Serial. I had a huge break through last week and I am so close to getting it done. The really good news, with the storyline problem I had to split the story I was originally writing and put half of it in the next book. Because of this, book five in the serial is already started. Because I am working so much to finishing up the book, I am going to cheat a bit today on the funnies and instead of me writing out some jokes, I'm going to let a professional comedian tell you some sibling jokes for me. Check out comedian, Kanan GIll. Be sure to check out his other videos on his Youtube channel (<-- click here) and subscribe to follow his work. Quarantine Boredom Buster: Have a worm race! Not with real worms, of course, but with paper worms. You will need: Paper A Marker Scissors A straw for each player Now watch the next video to see how to make your racing worms. Bonus ideas: Since Easter is coming up I wanted to share some simple DIY Easter craft ideas too. I know many people are disappointed they will not be able to get together with friends or family this holiday so here are some ideas to make the day at home a little more fun. If you like these videos, be sure to thank them by subscribing to their channels for more jokes and craft ideas. Take care all and Happy Easter! Stephen #NationalSiblingsDay #FridayMood #FridayMotivation #FridayMorning #FridayThoughts #blog #indiebooks #indieauthor #books #writer #author #writing #writers #book #BookBuzz #Reading #mustread #COVID19 #COVID #COVIDー19 #QuarentineLife #coronavirus

Whatever Wednesday: Memorial Edition, James Drury

Hello Posse! I debated about whether or not to do a memorial edition today because it seems like I have done a few of these fairly close together and I try to keep the Wednesday Whatever blogs fun and upbeat. But it just didn't seem fair not to acknowledge the passing of James Drury, known for his work on The Virginian. Drury's death was confirmed by his assistant on Facebook. Lindsey Karen wrote: "THE COWBOY took his last ride. It is with immense sadness that I let you all know that James Drury, our beloved Virginian and dear friend passed away this morning of natural causes, Monday, April 6, 2020. He will be missed so much. It is beyond words. Memorial service to be determined later." Drury appeared in many TV shows and movies but is probably best known for his portrayal of a mysterious foreman on Shiloh Ranch known only as The Virginian. The series was set in sometime in the late 1890s in Wyoming. It ran from 1962 to 1971 with a total of 249 episodes. The series featured other well-known actors and actress over the years such as: Lee J. Cobb, Doug McClure, Jeannette Nolan, Gary Clarke, and Roberta Shore just to name a few. Rest in peace cowboy. Dianne Quarantine Boredom Buster by Jumpin' Honey on YoutTube.

Monday Movie Madness: The Paleface

Be sure to visit Heritage Auctions at HA.com to check out all their vintage posters for sale. Hello Posse! Sorry this blog is getting out a little late. I have been working hard on finishing book four in the Into the West Saga Serial. You read that right, I am almost done writing it. Keep watching my social media or a sneak peak coming soon. Now, on to tonights movie, The Paleface staring Bob Hope and Jane Russell. This film was released in 1948 Paramount Pictures. This western comedy was a Techincolor production was directed by renowned American director, cartoonist, and writer, Norman Z. McLeod. Bob Hope plays dentist, Peter "Painless" Potter, to Jane Russell's Calamity Jane. Jane is in trouble with the law and given a chance to erase her crimes by working for federal agents to uncover a gang of gun runners. She is supposed to meet up with an agent out west and together they will pose as man and wife to root out the smugglers. However, a mole in the agency sends word and the agent Jane is set to meet ends up dead. Quick thinking Jane teams up with Peter and marries him to keep up the pretence and continue her mission. The smugglers know that another agent is on their trail and mistakenly assume it is Peter. After accidentally crossing into Indian territory The group they are all traveling with takes refuge in a log cabin. When Peter gets locked out, he hides in a barrel when they are attacked by Indians. Peter, who is not good with a gun, shoot wildly from his hiding place. Jane secretly uses her sharpshooting skills and takes out all of the Indians. When everyone emerges after the gunfight, everyone thinks Peter was the hero, solidifying the smugglers suspicions that he is the agent on their trail. As with many Bob Hope movies, his character fumbles his way into finding his courage and eventually manages to save the day and win over the girl, though there are many trials and tribulations he has to make his way through first. Hope sang the song Buttons and Bows in this film which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year. Hope would later film a sequel in 1952, Son of Paleface, which we will get to in a few weeks in the blog. So, now is the time to get your popcorn and put it in the DIY movie snack try posted on my Facebook page (<-- click to go to it) today. Then sit back and enjoy a great western comedy. Enjoy! Stephen Quarantine Bordem Hack: If you have kids in the home with you (or just a few really bored adults) and you need to keep them busy for a while with a . . . Scavenger Hunt! Since everyone is stuck inside anyway why not have a scavenger hunt. The winner can choose the movie or TV show the family watches together on movie night. To begin: Someone needs to make a list of 10-20 items they know exist in the home. It is better if there are not enough of everything to go around for all players. For example: if you have four players and you put, Book: Little Women, on the list but you know there is only one copy of that book in the home, then only the first person to find the book will be able to get that point. If you have four players and four copies of the book, you could end up with everyone having the same score at the end of the game. Set a timer for twenty minutes. When the timer goes off everyone must immediately come back to the starting area and share what they found. The player with the most correct items from the list is the winner. You can always make up different lists and play more than one round. Have fun! #MondayMovieMadness #StephenBurckhrdt #cardgames #thepaleface #bobhope #janerussell #MondayMotivation #mondaythoughts #MondayMotivaton #coronavirus #CoronaVirusDE #games #movies #movie #Quarantine #QuarantineLife #athometogether

Friday Funnies: UFO Edition

Hello Posse, I asked P.R. to give me a topic for this Friday Funnies blog and I was given aliens as a topic and boy am I thankful. Because of that I found a fantastic and hilarious site called The Gray Zone. Be sure to check it out for yourself, you will NOT be sorry! So, now for the jokes . . . Q: Why did the sun want to go to school? A: To be brighter! Q: What is an astronaut’s favorite candybar?
A: A Mars bar! Q: Why won’t aliens eat clowns? A: Because they taste funny! Q: What phase makes the moon stop eating?
A: When it’s full. Q: what do you call a crazy astronaut on the moon?
A: A lunar-tick Q: What music is Saturn's favorite?
A: Neptunes! Q: What’s a light-year?
A: The same as a regular year, but with less calories. Q: Why did the astronauts not like the restaurant on the moon?
A: The food was great but there was no atmosphere. Quarantine Boredom Tip: Play a memory boosting game with the family. You will need: A tray A towel to cover it with the items on it 10-20 small, random items that will fit on the tray A pen or pencil and a piece of paper for each player A timer Arrange all the items on the tray and cover them up so no one can see them before the came starts. Give each player a piece of paper and a pen or pencil but they cannot touch them until they are told to start writing. Set the timer for 10 - 20 seconds depending on the age of the players. Younger kids will need more time. When everyone is ready, uncover the tray and start the timer. When the time is up, cover the tray and reset the timer for one minute. Tell the players to start writing what they remember being on the tray and start the timer. The player with the most right answers at the end of one minute, wins! #FridayMood #FridayMotivation #FridayMorning #FridayThoughts #blog #indiebooks #indieauthor #books #writer #author #writing #writers #book #BookBuzz #Reading #mustread #QuarantineLife #Quarantine #COVID19 #COVIDー19 #familytime #gamenight #jokes #alienlife #ufo

Whatever Wednesday: Les Anderson Memories!

Hello Posse! I hope everyone is having a fabulous April Fools Day and have not been too irritated by pranks from the loved ones with whom you are quarantined. I have never been one for April Fool's pranks except for one time in my life and it always makes me remember my college advisor, journalism teacher, and long time friend, Les Anderson. Les owned the newspaper in Valley Center, Kansas when I was a kid growing up there. He was also the cousin of one of my best friends, who we will just call Mary for this story. In Valley (as we all call it for short) there is a well known bridge that is reported to be haunted by the ghost of Theorosa. Mary and I and a male friend of ours, we will call him Sport (for my own amusement), decided one night to try to find the bridge. To make a very long story short, we were no where near the bridge, got lost, and had car trouble. Sport did not want to walk in the dark to a strange farm house to call for help, so I left Mary and Sport in the car while I hiked in heels and a skirt on sand loaded farm roads, about half a mile just to have the homeowners at the first house turn off all their lights when I knocked on their door. I then started to hike to the next house I could see, about another quarter of a mile away. Sport caught up to me about halfway there, saying Mary made him come check on me. Luckily, the next house belonged to one of my classmates and we were able to call Mary's dad, who was a mechanic. He came out and got the car started for us so we could get home. The very next issue of the Valley newspaper had a special notice in the personal section. It read: Mary, Dianne, and Sport, Stay away from my bridge! Love, Theo. Our story of getting lost in the boonies was well known around Valley after that. Now, let's jump ahead several years. I was in college studying journalism and by chance, Les Anderson is assigned as my college advisor. I was also taking a few writing classes with him and our journalism class goes to a writing conference out of state. The last day of the conference just happened to fall on April 1st. I was rooming with a few other women I was friends with and I con them into helping me prank Les. I start off by going to the front desk and telling them I am Les' daughter and it is my job to help him keep our students on schedule while at this conference. Since we had several students miss seminars on the first day, we wanted to change everyone's wake up calls for an hour earlier the last day. Except for our room, of course, because we got up on time. The front desk staff didn't even question it. The next day, we came down for breakfast complaining that we didn't get our wake up call while our fellow students complained that their wakeup calls were an hour too early. We all acted appropriately perplexed. When it came time to leave for the seminars, my friends and I got in my car and left with everyone else but we went shopping instead of to the conference. We bought Kool-Aid, plastic Easter Eggs, Easter Grass, cling wrap, and Vaseline. Then we headed back to the hotel. My friends went straight upstairs while I went to the front desk. Again, I introduced myself as Les' daughter and said he had gone to the conference with our room key and I was locked out. I had come back to get some important papers for a speech Les was giving in half an hour to a packed auditorium and could they please let me into the room. Again, they did not even question me and handed me a key to his room. It was about this time that I began to realize I have a talent for BS. I went upstairs where my friends were waiting for me in the hall outside of Les' room. They were all just as shocked as I that I had actually gotten the key. We quickly went in and proceeded to booby trap the entire room. Vaseline on the phone and all the handles, Kool-Aid in the shower head and toilet tank, cling wrap on the toilet and . . . well you get the idea. As we were making little nests of Easter Eggs around the room, we found a fairly large wad of cash just sitting on the desk. I remember we were all impressed how trusting he was to just leave it sitting out like that. He had a jacket hanging on the desk chair so we put the money in the breast pocket. Then we left and went to the seminar for the rest of the day. Later that night, everyone met up for dinner at a local restaurant. I excused myself and headed for the bathroom but snuck around and ordered a birthday surprise for Les. After dinner, the entire wait staff came out placing a chocolate cake in front of Les and sang happy birthday to him. It was not his birthday and Les was diabetic. After the "birthday" celebration, I wished him a very happy April Fools Day with an obviously smug grin. It was then everyone knew who the instigator behind all the mischief was. Later, Les told me I should not have owned up to it all, because now he would have to get me back. Sadly, he never did. But considering he kind of got me first, I was just evening the score. I hope you all have a wonderful and fun All Fools Day! Enjoy, Dianne P.S. Note to Les, I went back and took out most of my "thats". See, I did listen to you. Quarantine Bordem Buster: Card game for adults: Speed You will need: 1 Deck of cards (if you have more players you can always use two decks of cards) At least two players To play: For two players- Deal the cards face down into six separate places 20 cards (draw pile) 5 cards (reserve pile) 1 card () 1 card 5 cards (reserve pile) 20 cards (draw pile) Each player has a draw pile, a beginning play card, and a reserve pile. Each player begins by drawing five cards from their draw pile. When players are ready the both turn over their play card in the center. Each player then tries to play as many cards out of their hand as quickly as possible. They can place any card that is one higher or lower than is showing in either play pile. For example: if the play card is a 10 players can lay a 9 or jack on top of it. If the card is an Ace, players can play a King or a 2 on it, etc. If a player can lay down all of the cards in their hand, they win. However, if they cannot lay down all of the cards and neither player can play, both must replenish their five card hands from the draw pile and continue play. If both players hold five cards but cannot play, they both must flip the top card from their reserve pile onto the play pile and continue play until someone plays all their draw pile cards or players have used all the cards in the reserve pile and no one can play. The winner of the hand is the person to play all the cards in their hand and draw pile or with the fewest cards left in their hand and draw pile when no one can make any plays. The winner of the hand earns 1 point for each card their opponent still has in their hand and draw pile. The winner of the game is the first person to reach 25 points. #ArkValleyNews #LesAnderson #WichitaStateUniversity #WednesdayMood #WednesdayMotivation #WednesdayMorning #WednesdayThoughts #blog #indiebooks #indieauthor #books #writer #author #writing #writers #book #BookBuzz #Reading #mustread #WednesdayWhatever #AllFoolsDay #AprilFoolsDay #AprilFools #April1st

Monday Movie Madness: Quigley Down Under

Hello Posse, It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great Tom Selleck western but this time with a twist. Most westerns are set in the mid to late 1800s to the early 1900s and take place in the American west during the early expansion of the United States. However, this one is set in the Australian Outback. Quigley Down Under was released by MGM studio in 1990. It was directed by Simon Wincer (who also directed Lonesome Dove) and stars Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman, and Laura San Giacomo. The movie takes place in Australia during the takeover of Aboriginal lands by settlers much like what was happening in the American west with Native Americans. Landowner, Elliot Marston (Rickman), places an ad in US newspapers seeking cowboys with special skills, men who can accurately shoot at long distances. Mathew Quigley is an American cowboy who sees the advertisement. He uses his specially modified rifle to answer the ad by sending a copy of the advertisement with six tightly spaced bullet holes and the words M. Quigley 900 yards as his job application. Shortly after stepping off the boat in Australia, Quigley gets into a fight with men who are trying to force a woman, Crazy Cora (San Giacomo), onto their wagon. It turns out the men work for the very man Quigley came to Australia to see. Quigley identifies himself and is taken to see Marston. After demonstrating his rifle skills, Quigley is offered a job. However, when he finds out that the job is to kill off innocent Aborigines, he flatly turns it down and even throws Marston out of his own house to emphasize his refusal. Quigley is attacked from behind by Marston's manservant, who is himself an aborigine, and knocked unconscious. Marston's men beat Quigley and Cora unconscious and take them to the Outback where they are left to die. The pair are rescued by local aborigines and from here the story takes off quickly. As Quigley and Cora try to survive and get back to town, they encounter Marston's men killing aborigines along the way. As Quigley takes out more and more of Marston's men and saves aborigines, Quigley starts to be revered as a legendary hero among the native people. There is a lot of great action in this movie and Cora's back story is a heart-wrenching tale of loss and well explains why she acts crazy at times. Eventually, the conflict between Quigley and Marston comes down to a final showdown with a surprising twist. And you could say that "the Calvary" saves the day in the very end, so to speak. But you will have to see the movie to understand what I mean by that. I do not want to give away the ending for you, because it is a good one. This is a great spin on traditional westerns and the performances by the entire cast make this a must see. Tom Selleck is most definitely one of my favorite modern-day cowboys and, in my book, ranks right up there with likes of Jack Elam, Roy Rogers, and Ward Bond. Now, go on over to my Facebook page today and check out the post for this week’s Movie Snack or Hack post. I have a recipe for making your own slushies at home. So, grab your drinks and snacks, it's time to settle in for movie night! Enjoy, Stephen Quarantine Bordem Hack: If you have kids in the home with you (or just a few really bored adults) and you need to keep them busy for a while, here is a new card game you can teach them. Pow! Bang! Shoo! Whoo! This fun, and usually, loud card matching game is suitable for young kids and mixed age groups. It is best with three or more players but can be played with just two. All you need is a standard deck of cards and you are set. To begin: Deal all the cards out to players. Players sort the cards in their hands by rank (all 8s together, all Ks together, etc). The player to the left of the dealer begins by laying down any card (example: an 8 or K) on the table. If the next player has a card of the same rank (8-8 or K-K) they place it on top and say Pow! If they have another card of the same rank (8-8-8 or K-K-K) they lay it on top and say Bang! Players alternate between saying Pow! and Bang! until they cannot play anymore cards of that same rank. When the player cannot lay down anymore cards of that rank, they say Shoo! to show that play moves to the next player. If no one has anymore cards of that rank, the player who laid down the final card of that rank, wins the right to place the next card down for play. The player then lays down a new card for everyone to play and says Whoo! The first player to run out of cards wins and gets to shout Whoo Hoo! #MondayMovieMadness #StephenBurckhrdt #cardgames #quigleydownunder #tomselleck #MondayMotivation #mondaythoughts #MondayMotivaton #coronavirus #CoronaVirusDE #games #movies #movie #Quarantine #QuarantineLife #athometogether

Friday Funnies: Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Hello Posse! It is Friday again and that means it's time for jokes! I thought with everyone having to spend more time at home with their families, this might be a great time to share some of the funniest things kids have said. They really do say the darndest things! So try not to snort your drinks as you go through these little gems! Enjoy! Stephen 6-year-old: Can we get a cat? Mom: No, hon. I'm allergic to cats. 6-year-old: You could sleep outside. 7-year-old: Mom, what is a humanitarian? 6-year-old: I got this, Mom. It's like a vegetarian but the eat humans instead of vegetables. Mom: You didn't even notice my new hair style. 10-year-old: I'm not married to you . . . not my job! 6-year-old: Don't do that on my head! 4-year-old: I'll fart where I want! Dad: You and your brother are being annoying. 6-year-old: We're kids, that's our job. Now for the one-liners: 8-year-old: (walks in room) You have to have a backstory to explain why you are evil, right? (walks out of room without waiting for answers) 6-year-old: Mom, you need to shave your legs. They look like wheat fields. 4-year-old: You ruined my whole life! 8-year-old: (at bedtime) See you in the morning, my tasty mango. 6-year-old: I love Hohos, they are filled with cream and hopes and dreams. 5-year-old: Mom, my nose is about to barf with weird air. 7-year-old: Do it again, Dad. I promise I won't fart on you this time. And just in time for the holiday . . . 8-year-old to his little brother: Don't eat those! The Easter Bunny poops jelly beans! #FridayMood #FridayMotivation #FridayMorning #FridayThoughts #blog #indiebooks #indieauthor #books #writer #author #writing #writers #book #BookBuzz #Reading #mustread

Wednesday Whatever: Garden Hacks!

Hello Posse! With the craziness going on in the world right now and grocery shelves being wiped clean of some things, I thought I would share a few easy garden hacks that might help get you through the weeks ahead or anytime, really. Have you ever tried home gardening from kitchen scraps? It is surprisingly easy! You do not always need seeds to grow your own food. There are many things you can grow from scraps leftover when you use something such as lettuce, spring onions, and celery. Just cut the root end off and place in a glass of water. Change the water everyday and make sure they do not go dry. Place in a sunny spot and watch the plants regrow. Here you see romaine lettuce, celery, and spring onions beginning to sprout after just a few days in water. I have a red onion I am trying as well but not sure is that one will work. It never hurts to try though. I also have lime seeds I am trying to sprout so I can put them in soil to go with my lemon tree I stared from seeds last year. To see how this kind of thing is done, check out this video below and start your own home garden today! Happy Gardening! Dianne #WednesdayMood #WednesdayMotivation #WednesdayMorning #WednesdayThoughts #blog #indiebooks #indieauthor #books #writer #author #writing #writers #book #BookBuzz #Reading #mustread #gardening #covid19 #coronavirus #AtHomeTogether

Monday Movie Madness: Streets of Laredo

Hello Posse! Today I want to share with you another TV mini-series based on the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurtry, Streets of Laredo. This three-part series is the third instalment in the Lonesome Dove series and was released in 1995. It has an all-star cast which is headed up by one of my all-time favorite actors, James Garner. I know I have shared a few things staring Garner, and I guarantee I will share more in the future because I just love his work. This miniseries is a direct sequel to Lonesome Dove which was released in 1989 that I recently shared with you in another Monday Movie Madness blog. It is set in the 1890s and disregards Return to Lonesome Dove which was released in 1993. In Streets of Laredo, we are once again following the life of Captain Woodrow F. Call (Garner), a former Texas Ranger who has now turned Bounty Hunter. He is hired to track down a bandit, Joey Garza (Alexis Cruz) who has proven to be a serious threat to the railroad and its passengers. After Garza costs a railroad tycoon significant money and business because of his murderous raids, railroad accountant, Ned Brookshire (Charles Martin Smith), is sent to hire Call to track down the bandit. The two men form an unexpected alliance to track down Garza. In addition to James Garner, this miniseries features the talents of Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Ned Beatty, Randy Quaid, Wes Studi, Charles Martin Smith, and George Carlin. It is time to pop your corn, get your drink, and settle in for another great miniseries! Enjoy! Stephen P.S. Don't forget to check out my Facebook page on Mondays for a movie snack recipe or a snack hack to go with this movie blog. I am featuring different recipes and ideas to jazz up those movie nights at home. One Last Note: During these trying times, I will post a "One Late Note" on every blog that will give you a link to a different entertainment resource while we are all trying to survive this #AtHometogether time. Today's Resource: Rotten Tomatoes shares 200 movies to watch free online right now. (Click here) #movies #MondayMovieMadness #blog #AtHomeTogether#COVIDー19 #COVID19 #QuarantineLife #QuarantineAndChill #MondayMotivation #MondayMorning #MondayMood #mondaythoughts