Snow started a bit ago, big flakes slowly falling. It won’t amount to much, less than an inch, but it is the first snow of the season. The morning is warm, in comparison to the last few mornings, at 34°. My bird feeders need filling. That’s next.

Henry is afraid of ghosts. No big deal, I’ll just add it to his always growing list of phobias. Let me explain. Both dogs sleep on my bed, Nala under the covers, Henry at the foot of the bed. Nala moves a bit under the spread before she settles. Henry usually jumps on second. Last night was different. Henry was asleep at the foot of the bed when Nala got under the cover and did her usual settling. Henry saw a giant, amorphous, moving lump under the covers. He growled his scary growl. I quickly took the spread off Nala so he could see her. I patted him. He settled down at the foot of the bed. Nala slept beside him with her head out and her body covered by the spread. Ghost dispelled.

I love black and white science fiction movies, especially the ones released in the 50’s. I saw them first hand back then. I loved the monsters and the men who became monsters. The special effects looked real enough in black and white. Aliens were never friendly. Earthquakes were common and many necessitated a trip to the center of the Earth. Much later, Creature Double Feature cemented my love for these movies. I have watched a few of these movies the last few days. Right now I’m watching The Night the World Exploded. I can see what I never saw when I was a kid. The special effects are now easy to see. I see repeat pictures, backgrounds. Moving a set back and forth or up and down is movement, in a train or an airplane. One character is a woman scientist, a beautiful scientist. She and the leading man are thrown together to stop the disaster. At one point they kiss, world crisis averted, romance begun and the movie is over.

I love finding new 50’s movies I haven’t seen or don’t remember. Those special effects now enhance the movies for me. Many are creative. Many are not, some almost silly, but I don’t care. They are fun to watch and enjoy.