Graveyard Scene
Gottfrid Kallstenius (Swedish, 1861 –1943)
This portrait intrigues me-a grave covered with living flowers.
Flowers and Graves
Month: August 2025
August 27,2025
I haven’t had a decent nightmare in wages.
WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?
Oh. So That’s Where She Got It From
WP Prompt asks, what TV shows did I watch as a kid? Well, I didn’t just watch these shows- I took inspiration from them and here is my story:
When I was little, my parents and grandparents watched two shows with me- one was Lawrence Welk and the other was Nightmare Theatre.
Before you make jokes about Lawrence Welk- me and my brother and sister loved watching that show with our Grandparents. We liked the singing and dancing.
As far as Nightmare Theatre went- my family were big on ghost stories and spooky movies so this was must see TV for me:
By the 1960s, most larger cities had their own weekly late night program that offered old horror films, usually hosted by a an actor or actress in ghoulish make-up, chewing the scenery and bombarding the mostly young audience with really bad jokes. For most of Western Washington, it was Nightmare Theatre and The Count. By most accounts, Nightmare Theatre–which ran Friday Nights, usually around 11:30 P.M.–was kicked off on September 25, 1964. What isn’t currently known is when Joe “The Count” Towey stepped in to host the show, as Nightmare Theatre is said to have existed several years before The Count rose from his crypt in order to host the proceedings. It is a certainty, though, that Nightmare Theatre’s mascot was around by 1968.
Me and my Mom and my Grandma Ginger used to watch Dark Shadows when I got home from school- I was in Kindergarten at the time and I made it home just as the opening title started to run. I named all of my dolls after the female characters all except for Maggie- I thought she was a cry baby.
Star Trek made me want to learn about science and it made me want to be an astronaut so that one day I could fly my own spaceship. Plus I was crazy in love with William Shatner and to be honest,I still am.
Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone made me want to be a writer- and guess what I am still writing.
Two things from the Twilight Zone set me on my path- the first was the intro. It was like someone was telling me HOW to write and I just followed the instructions.
The second Twilight Zone tie in was when I saw ” An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” I didn’t actually see the episode air. I saw the film in school and my teacher explained how it had been featured on the Twilight Zone ( which caught my ear ). My Aunt Sharon actually watched that episode and told me it was the best scary movie she had ever seen in her life, so when I was about 6 years old she told me the story and it stuck with me.
However, when I saw the ending of the movie I knew I was going to be a writer for the rest of my life- in that brief moment the lights went on, and I became both a voracious reader and I started to write stories-to this day when characters in my stories buy the farm I see Abby put her hands lovingly around Peyton’s neck.
What was there not to love about Klchak as the Nightstalker? He was a writer, he fought monsters and the first Nightstalker movie took place in Seattle, Washington. I took that as a sign and asked for a typewriter for Christmas.
So there you have it- my favorite shows as a kid and the WHY. I hope you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane!
The In Between Time
My favorite time of the day is Twilight Time.
Heavenly shades of night are falling
It’s twilight time
Out of the mist your voice is calling
‘Tis twilight time
When purple colored curtains
Mark the end of the day
I hear you my dear at twilight time
Deepening shadows gather splendor
As day is done
Fingers of night will soon surrender
The setting sun
I count the moments darling
Till you’re here with me
Together at last at twilight time
Here in the afterglow of day
We keep our rendez-vous beneath the blue
Here in the sweet and same old way
I fall in love again as I did then
Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me
Like days of old
Lighting the spark of love that fills me
With dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just
To be with you
Together at last at twilight time
Here in the afterglow of day
We keep our rendez-vous beneath the blue
Here in the sweet and same old way
I fall in love again as I did then
Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me
Like days of old
Lighting the spark of love that fills me
With dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just
To be with you
Together at last at twilight time
Together at last at twilight time