the words and worlds of John Robinson
So, you've come home from a grueling day at work, or just a trying day of listening to blah blah blah, and you're tired, maybe a little irritable and you need some downtime. We all need some time to relax. Maybe you have some Samhain Cider left from yesterday, maybe you need to make some …
Ingredients 2 quarts apple cider 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/2 cup apricot brandy Directions In a large pot, combine the apple cider, confectioner’s sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Simmer slowly on low heat for about 15 minutes. Do not boil the cider. Add the apricot brandy …
Based upon the 1957 short story of the same name by George Langelaan, The Fly was first adapted to the screen with horror icon Vincent Price in 1958. It was then remade, with director and co-screenwriter David Cronenberg, in 1986. I believe it is safe to say that to compare the two versions with each …
As a companion, or alternative, to a solitary nature walk, consider a cemetery tour. It may seem strange to suggest this as a family activity, but my son and I have always enjoyed them. Cemeteries, depending on how one views them, are akin to museums: they are filled with beautiful works of art and history. …
It is easy to feel overwhelmed, especially in our modern age, to become stressed to a maximum degree by the minutiae, and not just the bigger problems, of daily life. It's not just the world at large, it's our own personal universes. There is work, which doesn't stop when we punch the clock (my job …
Arthur Machen is best known for his 1894 novella, The Great God Pan, of which Stephen King once remarked is “maybe the best horror story in the English language.” It begins with a doctor performing a primitive sort of brain surgery on a young lady which will allow her to see the hidden world just …
Peter Kerlan is an author of books for youngsters. If you have Goosebumps in mind, you would be on the right track. He is tasked, by his agent, Bill, with writing a Halloween insert story for a magazine. The trouble is he has a slight case of writer’s block. Being unable to write something he …
For those doing some Halloween decorating, or those who have already decorated and just want to kick back for a break to admire your work, here's a short playlist to make it more enjoyable. There's something about the blues that makes it appropriate for all occasions. From Junior Wells to Muddy Waters to, of course, …
Ingredients 2 envelopes yeast1/2 cup lukewarm water2 beaten eggs, divided2 tablespoons melted lard (shortening or butter may be substituted)2 tablespoons fresh orange zest4 cups flour1 cup sugar (granulated)2 teaspoons salt1 beaten egg Directions Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Stir in the two beaten eggs, lard, and orange zest. I a separate bowl, sift together …
One Halloween, many, many years ago, my grandfather built a haunted house in his and my grandmother's back yard. Not technically a house, mind you, but a maze, a labyrinth twisting this way and that, filled with any ghoulish thing that popped in his head. I was young, maybe three years old, and I have a …
Curio Macabre 