On Thursday morning about two a.m., I happened to look out the window of the back bedroom. There were seven deer grazing in the moonlight. Although their coats are brown at this time of year, they appeared to have silvery coats in the moonlight. It was a great treat to see. On Saturday morning, just before eight a.m., there were deer foraging. Tommy, one of our three rescue cats, was busy watching them from our enclosed deck when a loud clap of thunder disturbed the calm setting. Like a bolt of lightning, Tommy scampered inside and ran into the garage to hide. He didn’t re-appear for at least an hour. Poor Tommy! Is this where the term, scaredy-cat, came from?
The Detroit Tigers played another six games over the past week. They won four of them and lost last twot. Their record is now 30-16. Not only are they on top of the American League’s Central Division with a four game lead over Minnesota, right not they have the best record in the MLB. Go Tigers!
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. ” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Compliments of https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/55-motivational-writing-quotes.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on May 18th, the twentieth Sunday of 2025 and the third one in May. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician (cubic equations), astronomer (Jalali calendar, basis of the Persian calendar), poet (quatrains), and philosopher; Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker; Nicolas-Marie-Charles Barbier de la Serre, French soldier, invented the use of raised dots for writing (Louis Braille later used); John Wilson, Scottish writer and literary critic; Sydir Vorobkevych, Ukrainian composer, poet, newspaper editor, and Orthodox priest; William Heinemann, English publisher (Heinnemann); Franiska [Franny] zu Reventlow, German writer and feminist; Ernst Wiechert, German writer (The Simple Life); Gunnar Gunnarsson, Icelandic writer (The Church on the Mountain); Rudolf Carnap, German American philosopher (German Logical Positivist); Juan José Domenchina, Spanish poet and interpreter (sombra desterrada); Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell, British newspaper proprietor, journalist and editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph (1954-85); Charles Wintour, English journalist (The Evening Standard; Francois Nourissier, French journalist and writer (Un petit bourgeois; La crève); Barbara Goldsmith, American author (Little Gloria…Happy At Last); Fred Saberhagen, American sci-fi author (Book of Swords; Berserker stories); Olzhas Suleimenov, Kazakh poet, writer and anti-nuclear activist (Nevada-Semipalatinsk); W. G. Sebald, German-born writer (Austerlitz); Stuart Gannes, American writer (Fortune); and Diane Duane, American sci-fi author (Door into Fire).
Any names familiar to you? There was one for me this week: Omar Khayyám. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Work In Progress
All gears are going full steam as progress with Harding’s Challenge: The Great Rebellion continues. All chapters are now posted to the two online subscription sites I use. There were twenty-eight new chapter reviews this week, bringing the total to 136. As always, plenty of feedback to improve the story.
Here’s another snippet:
In mid-July, Brigadier General Beauregard brought his horse to a halt near the bivouac his men had laid out. He jumped off and tossed the reins to an aide before strolling into his command tent.
Several men sitting around the able jumped to their feet.
He waved them to their seats as he studied a map of the Manassas area. He pointed. “I want a defensive position laid out along the south bank of the Bull Run River. We’ll guard a stone bridge on the left, since we’re only about twenty-miles from Washington.” Beauregard glanced around the table. “Where’s Brigadier General Kirby Smith? Hasn’t he arrived yet with the 4th Brigade?”
A tall, thin man with thick busy chops extending to either side of his mouth, stood. “Sir, I’m Colonel Francis Bartow. General Smith is still with Brig. Gen. Joseph Johnston and the other brigade commanders. They will arrive within twenty-four hours.”
Beauregard nodded. “Thank you. How come you’re already here?”
The general wanted me to support Colonel. J. E. B. Stuart’s arrival. He brought about three hundred Virginian cavalrymen with him.” He pointed toward the tent’s entrance. “They are bivouacked out yonder.”
“Excellent.” Beauregard glanced at the others. “Gentlemen, you are dismissed. See to your commands and prepare for battle. We shall attack the Yankees as soon as General Johnston arrives. I expect the Yankees will outnumber and outgun us, but our Southern ingenuity and our bull-headedness will see us win the battle.”
After the officers departed, a civilian remained seated. “Excuse me, General. President Davis asked me to speak with you.”
“And you are?”
The man stood. “Sorry, General. I’m Barnabas Latimer. I’ve designed some machines—I call them automatons—which you might find of some interest.”
The general waved Latimer to a seat and sat across from him. “I did hear a rumor about this. Can you show me?”
Latimer nodded. “Of course, General.” He picked up a pouch and extracted a ten-inch by ten-inch image.” I used one of my machines to capture your arrival.” He slid the image across the table.”
As Beauregard studied the image, his jaw dropped. “How in tarnation did you manage this, Latimer? I didn’t spot anyone following me.”
Latimer reached back into the pouch and extracted a palm-sized bird from it. The bird sat on the table chirping and flapping its wings before taking flight, flying around the tent before landing near the general’s hand.
“Sir, you are a genius!” Beauregard chuckled. “How many of these critters do you have?”
“I made six, General, along with some mice.”
The general nodded. “With your—what did you call them?”
“Automatons.”
“With your automatons, we’ll be able to track the Yankees and learn their plans.”
“Yes, General. Except, I need to be nearby to control them and print out what they capture with their onboard cameras. To do this, I shall require a tent, some supplies, and an assistant.”
The general rubbed his hands together. “Give me a list of what you require and you shall have it.”
More next time.
This brings us to an end for another week. I hope you found something of interest. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading and hope you drop in again.
© Copyright 2025 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
