About THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW By Sarah McNeal

 

Because my parents allowed us to read comic books to interest us in learning to read, in fact encouraged it when we were children, my sister and I were free to read comic books all we wanted. Pop preferred us to read classic stories in comics, but, well, we were kids after all. I had a fascination for ghosts, “Casper the Friendly Ghost”, was my favorite comic. I had quite a collection of them. I did, however, have one classic comic which I favored above all others: “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW” by Washington Irving written in 1820. This Halloween favorite takes place in Sleepy Hollow, New York—a real town in Westchester County. Some think Irving was influenced by a poem written by Sir Walter Scott in 1796 titled “The Chase” in which A Heisman soldier lost his head from a cannon ball in the American Revolution.

 

Disney's Less Scary Animated Movie of Sleepy Hollow

Disney produced an animated movie about Ichabod Crane the tall, lanky school master who met up with the famous headless horseman. This movie was scary enough to satisfy children without terrifying them.

Tim Burton's Movie of Sleepy Hollow With Johnny Depp

Most recently, the movie version of Sleepy Hollow came out starring Johnny Depp as a somewhat eccentric detective. It’s playing on Netflix for any of you who might be interested in some Halloween movies without the horror of some movies these days.

Sleepy Hollow the TV Series

I don’t know if this TV series still exists, but I enjoyed Sleepy Hollow with Tom Mison until I gave up cable TV. I quite liked the series. In this series Ichabod, an American soldier in the Revolution is brought back to life into the present with the mission of finding and eliminating the Hessian soldier who still haunts Sleepy Hollow.

 

This is the actual town of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, New York.

What is your favorite Halloween movie? Why is it your favorite? Did you read comic books as a kid? Which ones did you like best? Did you trade comic books with your friends?     

Too Wet or Too Dry by Sarah J. McNeal

 

Here in North Carolina it has rained almost every day this summer—even in August which is usually a rather dry month.

 

Meanwhile, out on the west coast forest fires are once again taking a toll. I wish I could send some of this rain across the country to the places that need it the most. An equal distribution of rain would be a good thing, God…just a suggestion.

Y'all stay safe wherever you are.

Excerpt:

Kyle kicked open the door of his mother’s former dress shop despite the sign that read, No Men Allowed. The raging fire upstairs in the private quarters made this an emergency, certainly enough to ignore that sign. Smoke began to fill the shop as he raced up the stairs calling out the name of the new shop owner. “Miss Beckett! Miss Mia Beckett, where are you?”

As he reached the landing of the second floor, he heard someone cough nearby. With the wet blanket wrapped around him he rushed toward the direction of the cough until he found the woman lying on the floor almost unconscious from smoke inhalation. As soon as he removed the wet blanket he wore and wrapped her in its protective layer, he scooped her up in his arms to carry her away from the flames and smoke. The scarf she wore fell away from her neck and her head lolled back against his chest to reveal a thin, straight scar that ran all the way across her throat from her left ear to her right. It wasn’t an old scar, most likely no more than two or three months in the past. She attempted to raise a hand as if to cover her throat and replace the silk scarf. He’d always seen her wear a scarf of some description or another around her neck since her arrival in town. Now he knew all those scarves were not her unique sense of fashion, but her desire to hide the scar. She was a woman attempting to keep a secret.

For more of my Wildings books click onto the “Wildings” in my signature.

Sarah J. McNeal

Diverse stories filled with heart

 

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My Childhood Home

This is the house where my sister, Mary, and I were raised. Originally, the front portion was a two story log house. In the 1940's more rooms were added to the back for a big kitchen, dinning room and bathroom. The owners who renovated it made every room downstairs paneled in cedar and French doors everywhere. They also added a screened in porch on the right with a room above it with four big picture windows on 3 walls. I wish they had thought to properly in...sulate that upstairs room because it was kinda cold in winter. This picture was taken on one of those rare winter snow days, I am not certain of the year this was taken, but I'm guessing in the 1960's.

The house is still there on Tuckaseegee Road, but some things have changed, The big oak tree in the front yard is gone and the field across the road is now a housing development.
I rarely go by there. It's across town from where I live now and it makes me feel sad that strangers live there now. I have some warm and wonderful memories as well as some sad ones from all the years I lived there. If houses could talk, just imagine what they could tell us.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

To all my Irish friends and to those who are only Irish for today--Have a happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Go Green!