C.R. Richards's Blog, page 3

Have a Happy Halloween

[image error] Have a Happy Halloween! © TAW4 stock.adobe.com

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well. AND BE SPOOKY!

Madame Midnight Tells Your Halloween Fortune

[image error] Madame Midnight Tells Your Halloween Fortune – © ratpack223 stock.adobe.com

Welcome seekers! Madame Midnight SEES all. She calls forth the spirits to guide her hand.

Concentrate. Look upon the letters below. Which one draws your attention? Keep it firmly in your mind and scroll below for your Halloween Future.

L or A or U

[image error] Concentrate! © SamsonFM – stock.adobe.com

L – Madame Midnight Sees New Love for you on Halloween

[image error] Tall, Dark and Horrible! © taufan – stock.adobe.com

[image error] Ghoulishly Gorgeous! © Sara Showalter stock.adobe.com

A – Madame Midnight Predicts Abundance for your Halloween

[image error] I hope you plan on sharing! © Elena Schweitzer stock.adobe.com

U – Madame Midnight Predicts “The Unknown”

This is awkward. Better stay under the covers until November!

[image error] Have A Happy Halloween! © bazzier stock.adobe.com

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well. And be Silly!

My Pick of The Top Three Funniest Horror Movies

Halloween is the perfect time to indulge in one of my favorite movie genres – Horror Comedy. Master movie makers begin with terrifying scenarios capable of scaring the pants off their audience. Then they mix in a little humor and boom! You have classic movie gold.

[image error]Zombie Party! © sergo77 – Stock.Adobe.com

My Top Three Favorite Horror Comedies

# 1 Top of my list – Shaun Of the Dead – Simon Pegg and Nick Frost at their finest!

Shaun (Simon Pegg) tries winning his girlfriend back during the Zombie Apocalypse. Reconciliation is a challenge. Hmm. Maybe they should’ve avoided the Winchester?

# 2 Boo! A Madea Halloween – Tyler Perry’s Madea mixes hilarity and horror in this fun movie.

A college fraternity sets out to deliver some scary revenge. Has Madea met her match?

#3 Young Frankenstein – Classic Mel Brooks!

Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Terry Garr, Madeline Kaun, and Cloris Leachman lead this stellar cast in a funny take on the classic Frankenstein legend.

Special Mentions

Army of Darkness and Bubba Ho-Tep – Bruce Campbell! Need I say more?

Eating Raoul

Gremlins

Housebound

Tremors

Creepshow

Happy Halloween!

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

[image error] Halloween Book Sale!

Five Ideas to Get You in The Halloween Spirit

[image error]Hello Halloween! © Elena Schweitzer – Stock.Adobe.com

Celebrating during the time of COVID can be a little daunting with so many restrictions and safety precautions. We NEED Halloween this year with its spirit of fun and mystery.

Here are some ideas to get you into the Halloween Spirit despite the pandemic:

Plan a Scary Movie Watch Party with your friends. There are many Web-based platforms you can use: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, WebexHave an Autumn and/ or Halloween themed cocktail party online or by practicing social distancingRead a scary book. Check out Horror.org for ideas from my fellow Horror WritersContact your city or local organizations to see if they are planning Safe Social Distancing Halloween events Social Distancing Friendly Ghost Tours (Check your Botanic Gardens or Zoos)Make the Face Mask Fun! Check Etsy.com for spooky Halloween Mask ideas

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

[image error] Halloween Book Sale!

My Autumn Wishes

[image error]

Hello Autumn! © sonyachny – stock.adobe.com

My Autumn Wishes for 2020:

May We:

Learn the beauty of letting go from the Fall leaves
Remember generosity in this season of abundance
Seek out peace rather than turmoil 
Learn the grace of acceptance as the old fades away
Embrace our sense of child-like wonder during this festive season

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

A Little Reminder About Respect

[image error]

Respect Each Other – © stockphoto-graf stock.adobe.com

The dreaded “Political Season” is upon us – here in the US anyway. Mudslinging and nasty advertisements have already invaded social media, radio, and television. Ugh. I hate to say this, but we mustn’t follow the examples of our ambitious leaders on the topic of “Respect.”

Respect is Earned, as the saying goes, but there is basic human respect we must afford one another.

Listener – Listen and HEAR what the other person is saying. Give them the respect they need as they share their opinion.

Sharer – Say your peace. Then respect the other person’s right not to agree with you.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Feast Your Eyes on the Full Corn Moon Tonight

[image error]

Corn Moon Rises over the fields. © Balazs Kovacs Images – stock.adobe.com

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “when the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, known as the Harvest Moon, happens in October, September’s full Moon becomes the Corn Moon.”

Step outside and look to the skies! It has been a tough summer and a tough year, but good things have grown in the garden of our lives too. Celebrate the Harvest! Feast on the new growth in your life.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

When Your Life Is in The Mud, Grow Flowers

[image error]

© ruslan_khismatov – stock.adobe.com

Life can sometimes feel like a mudhole. It drags you down. Each step feels harder than the last. Honestly, how much more can a person take?

[image error]

© 13smile – stock.adobe.com

Normally, I would tell you to focus on the goal. What is the target at the end of your journey? BUT –

That advice won’t do right now. We must be kind and patient with ourselves.

Take a moment to notice the mud. What is it trying to tell you? Is it trying to help you strip away old perceptions or unhealthy habits?

[image error]

© DoraZett – stock.adobe.com

Then think about this. A mud or dirt patch can be the perfect place for a garden. What flowers will you plant? Think of the hardy prairie flowers like the sunflower and the coneflower. They grow in the toughest terrain and keep coming back year after year even more beautiful than before. Then there is the Marigold. Its vibrant beauty may only last for a season, but everything has its time.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Heroes Show Up

[image error]

Firefighters of Colorado © Tomasz Zajda – Stock.Adobe.Com

It’s a hot and miserable August. Colorado is on fire. We’ve broken heat records for the last three days. The air is filled with smoke. Many of us are struggling with respiratory issues. We hide in our air-conditioned houses to stay comfortable. There are those who don’t hide from nature’s fury. They stand against the heat and fire, putting themselves at risk to save lives and homes. If you’re looking for the perfect example of heroism, think of our Colorado firefighters and other first responders.

Heroes show up while the rest of us stay safe.

[image error]

Thank You! © laurarts – Stock.Adobe.com

Why I Changed My Mind About Memoirs

[image error]

History Where You Live – © Tony Craddock stock.adobe.com

I’m fussy about what I read. So many books, so little time. The Memoir and Biography genre doesn’t typically interest me. Self-aggrandizing celebrities and politicians with their pictures splashed on a book cover written by someone else – hard pass. Then I started doing research for my novel about the Santa Fe Trail. My notion of memoirs changed a bit. The most impactful book I’ve read to date is a memoir not written by a sports star, but rather written by a woman living her life in the Southwest during the 1800s.

Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail is an authentic account of a courageous woman who traveled the Santa Fe Trail (more than once) and lived in old Santa Fe. She lived in a few forts with her soldier husband as well. Then helped him build a town in a rugged part of Colorado.

Her recollections make this memoir real for the reader. We share her shock and fear when the wagon train comes across gruesome deaths and other violence against innocents. These accounts, for me anyway, were more troubling when I stopped to consider this isn’t a work of fiction. The murders – witnessed by Marian as both child and woman – really happened. I found myself grieving with her when she experiences tragedy as a young wife. Marian was an extraordinary woman who took on a sometimes-brutal land. She was a true pioneer.

I believe part of the allure of this book for me is the setting. I’ve lived in the Rocky Mountains most of my life. Many times, I’ve traveled across Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada (in a car) passing through the places she mentions in her book. How about you? Do you know who lived in your hometown before it was a town? Seek out the stories that reveal more than one dull paragraph in a history book. You might be amazed by what you find.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.