That her fair form may stand and shine

  Make bright our days and light our dreams,

Turning to scorn with lips divine

  The falsehood of extremes!

--From "Freedom" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

--First, enter the giveaway - 2 winners will be selected and notified in the next newsletter.

Another era has ended. I sold the brown battle wagon - for slightly more than scrap value. Hopefully, it has many happy miles left with the new owner. I'd owned it since 2006, and it had had two prior owners. With the acquisition of La Longue Carabine Rouge as my regular vehicle, we had to divest ourselves of the aging highway veteran. If you've checked out the blog lately, you also know that we sold the chateau; may it give the new residents many years great joy and sanctuary.

On the writing front, I've got a detective story I can't get done because of life, including editing the adventure book for boys for publication next month. I've got other ideas that I haven't been able to get to either--largely because of the work and travel associated with the sale of the chateau and the process of getting the adventure book ready--which includes constructing a framework for the sequel.

In music this week, I enjoyed some old swing (like 1940s old) and some relatively recent electro-swing by various artists, along with some Jenny Oaks Baker numbers, and few songs from Rush's Farewell to Kings. I like variety.

My new read is One Crowded Hour: The Little Bighorn by David Larson. So far, my reaction is mixed. I'm loving the historical narrative and details, which are fabulous, while barely skimming the fiction, which I find a little overwrought for my tastes.

History Bite: De Soto and his men arrived at Cholupa in August 1540 and named it Villafarta because of the abundance of corn. No word on whether the men made juvenile jokes based on that designation. It was on the Santa Fe River, which they named, because of a quarrel they had, The River of Discords. The moved on to Aguacaleyquen where they captured a number of indians who had fled into the forest, including the chief's daughter. The Spaniards were suspicious of the Indians here. De Soto's messengers returned with four men with feathered headresses and who were apparently of some importance. Although he suspected them of being spies, he received them well and invited them to dine. When the Spaniards were not paying close attention, the four fled and were too quick for the soldiers to catch. However, they were not to quick for Bruto, the attack dog, who dragged down all four and held them until the soldiers arrived. De Soto sent back for the rest of his men, and Moscoso joined him with his contingent in early September after a difficult journey.

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"Too many people think about their current situation, instead of thinking about what could be." Donald Trump - Think Big: Make it Happen in Business and in Life.