Terrifying Tuesdays: This Week's Favorite Mid-Century Scary Movies to Watch (Week 2)

From Amazon

 This week I have links to two of my favorite mid-century scary movies, but both come with caveats that have nothing to do with the supernatural.  First up is a YouTube link to "Fiend Without a Face" (1958), about a US Air Force base in Canada experimenting with atomic energy, which leads the soldiers at the base and the inhabitants of the nearby town to confront one of the most unusual horror fiends ever seen in old 1950s B movies.  Unfortunately, however, please be aware that a dog dies in this movie.  I almost never watch movies in which dogs perish, but this old film is one of my very few exceptions (if I could I would just remove that scene from this movie as it is not even necessary to the story):

From Amazon

Up next is "The Ghost Breakers" (1940), starring Paulette Goddard as a young woman who inherits a spooky castle in the Caribbean and Bob Hope as a radio personality who ends up helping her explore the mystery surrounding the old castle.  This is mostly a comedy (I especially love the hilarious scene where Hope and Goddard are trying to read through a tourist brochure once they reach Cuba, the island closest to Black Island where the castle is located), but there is an actual ghost and some of the scenes are truly scary.  The caveat for this movie is that, like a lot of old movies from this era, there is a rather racist undertone, so keep that in mind if you decide to watch.  Happy pre-Halloween viewing, everyone!

Terrifying Tuesdays: This Week's Favorite Mid-Century Scary Movie to Watch (Week 1)

From Youtube

This week I have a link to one of my all-time favorite scary movies from the 1950s.  "The Crawling Eye" (1958), AKA "The Trollenberg Terror", stars Forrest Tucker as an American scientist who travels to Europe to investigate strange events which are occurring on the Trollenberg, a mountain in Switzerland.  The blurb on the image above is a bit melodramatic, but the movie does provide a lot of suspense and a few very creepy scenes.  Below is a YouTube link to the movie (enjoy!):

On the Homefront: Traveling by Train from Lamy, NM, to Pittsburgh, PA, and Back - Is It Worth It? Part 2

As I mentioned in my first post, boarding the train at the Lamy Train Depot was a hurried affair as we only had a couple of minutes before the train pulled out again.  Once we were all on the train and it began to move, our car attendant began showing us to our rooms.  I was on the second level, so I was directed to the very narrow and steep staircase that went up to this level.  I had two small but heavy suitcases plus a large tote bag-type purse.  Two of these I could carry on my shoulders, but the small spinner bag had to be hoisted up the stairs step by step, which took a while but, with the help of fellow travelers, I eventually made it to the top.  I found my room and placed all my bags inside, and the car attendant showed up to explain how everything worked.  A roomette has two beds, one that folds down from the ceiling and another that is created by folding out the two seats that face each other so that they meet in the middle.  The attendant comes around in the evening to set the bed(s) up for each passenger.  The space is quite adequate for one person, but for two people the larger rooms would be a more comfortable option.  There are controls for the lights, and a call button for the attendant should the need arise.  The fixed windows facing the outside have curtains, as do the doors and windows facing the inside aisle.  The door to the roomette can be locked from the inside, but not from the outside, so my tip number two for train travel is not to bring any valuables that you cannot carry with you if you leave your room (tip number one was in my first post).

One thing I should have anticipated but did not was the fact that motion sickness was going to be a problem.  For some reason I thought train travel would be similar to flying or going on a car trip, which means I cannot read but otherwise I feel fine.  Being on a train, however, is more like being on a boat - there is a lot of side-to-side movement, which really brings on the nausea for me.  Tip number three for train travel is remember to bring Dramamine if you are prone to motion sickness!  Unfortunately, I did not have any, but luckily I did have one thing that really saved my stomach, which was a bag of almond butter pretzel bites that I brought as a snack for the trip.  Apparently salty carbohydrates and nuts can reduce nausea, and these little snacks did the trick for me.

I never did get used to the rolling motion of the train, and had a hard time staying on my feet in the moving train, but luckily the aisles are narrow and I could brace myself on the walls when necessary.  I even found that I could read if I stayed in a semi-prone position, which was easy to do in a roomette (yet another reason I was grateful I did not travel in coach!).  I decided to skip lunch and stay in my roomette until dinnertime, hoping that my stomach would be settled enough to handle an evening meal.  I managed to take a short nap but woke up when it started to rain.  We had had pretty much no rain all summer in New Mexico so it was good to see the precipitation, but it began to rain so hard I could not even see out of the window.  And then the train got hit by lightning!  The power blinked off for a few seconds and an alarm went off briefly, but fortunately there was no damage and we continued on our way.

Needless to say I was wide awake now, but the conductor told us that this stretch of the trip was a good opportunity to see wildlife, and I did get to see a pronghorn antelope before my dinner reservation time was called.  The train stopped in the little town of Raton in the mountains of northern New Mexico, and we were permitted to get off of the train for a few minutes before dinner in Raton.  I jumped at the chance to walk without being thrown from side to side in the train!  I have always liked Raton, as it is such a cute little town and is situated in an area of stunning scenery, but for some reason the economy has always been depressed and that does not seem to have changed in the decades since I was there last. 

After I got back on the train I made my way to the dining car which was the one just in front of my sleeper car (my stomach seemed to have settled sufficiently to handle eating a meal).  As it was a weekday there were not many people on the train and most opted for the later dinner service, so only a few of the tables were occupied.  I sat by myself and ordered quite a good meal from the impressive three course dinner menu - mixed green salad, oven roasted salmon, and a chocolate toffee mousse.  Best of all, as I was waiting for my dinner, I saw a huge herd of elk at the base of the mountains off to one side of the tracks, including a huge bull elk with an impressive rack!

My meal was served and it was excellent!  I highly recommend the trip from New Mexico to Chicago just for the dining experience, as this trip has a chef on board and the food is as good as any you would get in a restaurant.  The salmon shown above was freshly prepared, and if you are a chocolate lover you will swoon over the chocolate mousse pie (the portion is huge - I wished I had someone to share it with as I could not finish the whole serving).

As we sat in the dining car the outside world suddenly went dark - we were passing through the Raton Tunnel, the highest point on the Old Santa Fe Trail.  I managed to get a picture of this sign on my return trip:

After dinner I returned to my roomette and waited for the attendant to prepare the bed for the night.  After he was done I brushed my teeth in the tiny little bathroom and got ready for bed.  The disadvantage of a roomette is that you must share a bathroom with fellow roomette passengers on your sleeper car, and there is only one bathroom on the second level.  There are three bathrooms and one shower on the first level and you can use those as well, but as my balance was so bad on the moving train I decided it was not safe for me to attempt to use the shower.  The bathrooms, unfortunately, are just like airplane bathrooms, utilitarian but not especially pleasant.  This would be another reason to opt for a room if you want to spend the extra money and especially if you are traveling with another person, because at least you would not have to share the tiny bathroom with strangers!  Oh, and tip number four for train travel is try not to wear long pants into the bathrooms - it is almost impossible to keep water from splashing from the tiny sink to the floor in a moving train, so wear pants that will not drag on the floor (if your pants are long, roll up the hems).

Luckily I found that the same rocking motion that made me nauseous was actually soothing when I was trying to sleep, like being rocked in a cradle, so I had no trouble sleeping on the train.  The bed was actually pretty comfortable, and the only problem I had was that the heating and air conditioning system in our car did not seem to be working properly - it alternated between being too warm and too cold.  Since the weather was still very warm (and stayed that way for the duration of my trip, except for a brief cool spell in Chicago on my return) it took a while before the temperature in my roomette was comfortable, but I still managed to get a good night's sleep.

Okay, let's end this travel saga here and pick up again in the morning in the next post!

Terrifying Tuesdays: My Favorite Mid-Century Scary Movies for Halloween

From Love This Pic

In case you did not notice, to the left of my blog page I have added a list of my favorite mid-century movies for Halloween.  In my opinion these old movies are some of the best creepy films to watch, although I have added a few that have some frightening or supernatural elements but are more comedic than horrific, just to give you a break from scares now and then.  I will add a new selection every day - we are up to three today.  Every week I will add a link to any of these movies that are available free online.  This week I have a link to the movie "Attack of the Crab Monsters" (1957) that you can watch on YouTube:

  

 I hope you have as much fun watching these old classics as I do! 👻🎃💀🐍👽

Wish List Wednesdays: Recent Purchases for Autumn

Image from Mercari

After returning home from a train trip back east for two weeks to visit family for Labor Day, I am so ready to welcome autumn.  We had a particularly hot and dry summer this year, but have finally gotten some rain and cooler temperatures with the onset of fall, and I could not be happier.  Since we are still unpacking boxes after moving all of our numerous belongings from Georgia to New Mexico, I rarely give myself permission to shop for anything other than essentials.  However, I decided that I would indulge just this once to celebrate my favorite season, so let's take a look at what I found.

At the top of the page is an image of the Peanuts Autumn Is Calling mug that I found at TJMaxx for only $6.99.  I love Snoopy, of course, but also the colorful leaves on the exterior and the orange handle and interior.  Best of all, there is even an image of a fall leaf at the bottom of the interior!

Image from Poshmark

I also found this DW Home Log Campfire candle at TJMaxx for $12.99:

While I am not crazy about the scent (it is okay but not my favorite), I could not resist the cute embroidered top with an autumnal mushroom design.  Luckily this top fits on other candles I already own with scents that I really enjoy, so I can easily reuse it.

I really did not need new kitchen towels, but I could not pass up the cute autumn dogs pattern on this Casaba Home Kitchen Towel Set (2 patterned towels and one orange towel) for just $9.99, also from TJMaxx.

I am hoping that purchasing these towels with give me the push I need to sort through my kitchen towels and finally get rid of some of the older ones that have been kept around for far too long!

My last autumnal TJMaxx find was a couple of packages of Simply Wize Gluten Free Pumpkin Gnocchi for just $3.99 each.  While I am not on a gluten-free diet, I do like pumpkin gnocchi, which I have actually made from scratch before, so I am looking forward to trying these, perhaps with a simple garlic and sage butter sauce.  This is apparently an Australian brand, so I was lucky to find it for such a reasonable price in the United States.  Luckily food purchases are only temporary additions to our home, so I don't need to feel guilty about bringing them into the house. 😊

I found the Republic of Tea Pumpkin Spice Black Tea Bags for $7.99 at our local Sprouts Farmers Market.  Of the various pumpkin spice-flavored teas I have tried, this version is the one I prefer.

My next purchase was quite the splurge, but I really wanted to try the Fall Tamales from Williams Sonoma ($99.95 for a dozen tamales).  The pumpkin mole flavor sounds delicious and I can't wait to try these with the surprisingly tasty Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Salsa Roja from Walmart.

Update: These tamales were okay but a bit dry and bland.  In my opinion they need the addition of cheese to reduce the dryness and some Hatch or other tasty chilies to add more kick.  I still have half of the order left, and plan to try them with a generous amount of cheesy enchilada dip to see if that enhances the flavor.

And speaking of Walmart, I also picked up a package of Oreo Pumpkin Spice Cookies there (available online for $4.58).  I do not usually buy packaged cookies, but I have never tried this flavor before and I do usually let myself try something new once, even if it is not the healthiest choice.  I hope I like them!

Update: Meh - I was not impressed.  These Oreos did not taste like either pumpkin or spice - all I could taste was sugar.  You would be better off getting the Halloween Oreos with the chocolate cookies and bright orange filling because at least then you can taste the chocolate.

I always seem to end up buying new sweaters every autumn, and this year is no exception.  I purchased two St. John's Bay Womens V Neck Pullover Sweaters from JCPenney (one in Rustic Brick and one in Deep Bronze, two very autumnal colors) for a very reasonable $16.49 each.  If you are looking for a good quality inexpensive lightweight mostly cotton sweater I highly recommend these (they also come with a crew neck but I prefer the V neck).

Okay, one last purchase I made for fall is the Galison Autumn in the Neighborhood 1,000 Piece Puzzle ($17.99 on Amazon).  I love 1,000 piece puzzles, and the little dog reminds me of our dog Madison, so I will truly enjoy working on this one!

As you can see, I really stocked up on seasonal goodies for fall this year.  I also added to my book collection in anticipation of more time for reading once gardening season is over and the weather turns chilly, so I have a future post planned with recommendations for spooky season reads.  Bring on the fall weather! 🍂🎃🍁

On the Homefront: Traveling by Train from Lamy, NM, to Pittsburgh, PA, and Back - Is It Worth It?

My husband standing in front of the cute little Lamy Train Depot on a beautiful late summer day.

I moved to New Mexico in November 2019, and have not been away from the Santa Fe/Albuquerque area until just recently, mostly due to the pandemic.  This year I decided it was finally time to travel back east to visit my family, whom I had not seen for at least five years!  My siblings and I chose Labor Day for our little reunion.  However, I am still reluctant to travel by plane as I find airports less and less appealing as I get older, so I decided to give train travel a try.  I had never been on an overnight train trip before but have always been intrigued by the idea, so I figured it was finally time.  And what did I think of the experience?  Read on and find out!

The closest train station to Santa Fe is in Lamy, New Mexico, which is a tiny little town with a tiny little station.  My trip would take me from Lamy to Chicago's Union Station, where I would get a connector train from Chicago to Pittsburgh's Union Station, the closest train station to the town where I grew up.  Amtrak has a website where you can create your own travel schedule and pay online, so I gave it a try.  Our neighbors, who had just traveled by train to Chicago to visit family and had a positive experience, told me to make my reservations as soon as possible if I wanted to get a roomette like they did (small room with two fold-out beds and no bathroom, as opposed to coach, which is just a seat on the train, or a room, which has at least two beds plus a bathroom).  I tried to make my reservations six months in advance but the website would not let me make round-trip reservations from Lamy to Pittsburgh, only from Albuquerque to Pittsburgh, so I waited another month and tried again.  I kept running into this problem until two months before my trip, when suddenly I could make the reservations I wanted.

It took me about half a day to arrange a schedule because by this time roomettes were in short supply.  I originally planned to spend five days with my family and had to extend it to ten just to get a roomette for each of the four legs of my trip (Lamy to Chicago, Chicago the Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Chicago, Chicago to Lamy).  Fortunately my time was flexible enough to allow for this.  When I finally had a schedule that worked for me, I went to checkout to pay for my tickets.  I was asked if I wanted trip insurance and chose to buy it as I had never traveled by train and did not know how reliable it would be.  Unfortunately, when I went to finish and pay, my credit card would not work.  Concerned that my card was somehow compromised, I called the credit card company, only to be told that the transaction had never even come through at their end.

My next step was to call Amtrak, which took forever as with most customer service calls.  After almost an hour I finally got a representative.  She also could not get my transaction to go through, so she started over and was successful in getting the tickets I wanted, but she had to omit the trip insurance, telling me that I had to call their insurance company and set that up as a separate payment.  This was luckily relatively easy to do, but apparently it was because of trying to add the trip insurance when paying online that my transaction was unsuccessful.  So tip number one - if you try to buy a ticket with trip insurance online and it does not work, try omitting the trip insurance and buying the ticket only.  If you still want trip insurance you will have to call customer service for the number of the insurance company, so be prepared to wait on the phone until the Amtrak representative can get to you.

The great thing about train travel is that there is no long wait through security to get on the train, but if you are at a small station like I was be prepared to board very quickly as you will literally only have a couple of minutes before the train pulls out again.  Another great thing is that the luggage limit on trains is very generous - two bags weighing 50 pounds each plus two bags weighing 25 pounds each per person! - but be aware that you may have to lug all of these bags up a very steep and narrow flight of stairs if you have a second level room.  The car attendant will help you if they can, but that climb is still a challenge with a bulky bag.

The day finally arrived for my trip and my husband drove me to the Lamy Train Depot.  I loved the cute little station, but Amtrak recently decided to change the full-time station master to a part-time one.  Since I was leaving on a weekday, this meant that the station waiting room was closed, so everyone was forced to sit outside with no access to a restroom, except for some port-a-johns in a nearby little park (the weather was hot and sunny, but there is a shady covered seating area).  Also, there are two restaurants in the town, but both are closed on weekdays until the holidays (we did know that so we ate before we left).  I returned on a Saturday and the very nice waiting room was open, so I think more people travel by train on the weekends (at least one of the restaurants was open as well, and my husband had lunch there as he waited for my train to arrive).

The daily train to Chicago pulling into the Lamy Train Depot (our knowledgeable little friend and my fellow passenger in the lower right foreground).

The station master and his wife arrived briefly about half an hour before the train arrived and the wife asked if we needed to use the rest room (we did not but it was nice of her to ask).  She also told us to check the train status on the Amtrak website to make sure the train was on time (there is free Wi-Fi at the station), because there had been times when the train was up to three hours late!  Thankfully my train was on time.  As we waited a few more passengers arrived - I was beginning to think I was the only one getting on at this station!  A cute little boy and his father, both seasoned train travelers, were among our fellow passengers, and the boy kept us entertained with his knowledge about trains.  The train finally arrived, all of the passengers quickly boarded after telling loved ones a hurried goodbye, and I was finally off on my first train trip.  As this post is getting a bit long, I will end here and continue my tale in an upcoming post.  See you on board next time!

On the Homefront: Happy Autumn!

Happy autumn, everyone!  Today our pineapple sage started blooming, which for me is the most reliable sign that summer is officially over, and that the growing season is rapidly coming to a close.  After our prolonged hot, dry summer I am so ready for cooler temperatures, and fall is my favorite season.  It is also probably the most beautiful time of the year in New Mexico (everyone told me when I first arrived that October is the best month here).  I look forward to enjoying the season!