The eternal quandary of the blogger, “what to write about this time?” This happens mostly when everything is going OK. So I guess I shouldn’t complain.
More-so, my goals of pursuing the literary life are seemingly coming together. Madame Langlois’ Legacy is currently in my editor’s hands. Which brings to the fore, my next task of formatting the book – text, images, and recipes – to present to a publisher.This task will be accomplished using the app, Scrivener. A wonderful writer’s tool that I have been putzing around in for 2 years now, but never doing anything substantial in. (Aaarrrggghh – the dreaded dangling preposition) Be sure to join us next blog – when the Scrivener reduces Jerry to a quivering gelatinous lump !!!!!!!
As for TSSI Editorial Services, I am glad to say that I am booked up until October. Doing four books with a possible fifth in the bullpen. I really enjoy editing. It’s like teaching again – without the aggravation of paperwork, or hostile administrators, or driving to work, the low pay, and a good proportion of students who really could not care less. As an editor, I am the administrator, the paperwork is minimal, the extra money is nice, and my students – errr, clients – actually pay attention to what I say and do for them. Like the old saying goes – “If things were any better, I don’t think I could stand it !!!!”
And now, let’s check back into the Tricentennial. As I have said before, the Founding of New Orleans actually took four years, 1718 thru 1722. 1719 was no exception. Two items are worth noting. (1) We find in the records a reference that will sound all too familiar to modern day New Orleanians:
“Bienville himself seems to have allowed his faith to be shaken, for a while. On the 15th of April, 1719, he countersigned a despatch of Larcebault’s stating:
“It may be difficult to maintain a town at New Orleans; the site is drowned under half a foot of water. The sole remedy will be to build levees and dig the projected canal from the Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain. There would be half a league of cutting to do.”
de Villiers, Baron Marc. (Tr. Warrington Dawson) A History of the Foundation of New Orleans (1717 – 1722). The Louisiana Historical Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 2, April 1920.
http://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee/louisiana_anthology/texts/de_villiers/de_villiers–new_orleans_founding.html Accessed 7/24/2018, and many other times earlier.
Well, we won’t linger too much on this one. After all, what is there more to say?
(2) The second reference is quite proper now as the Saints will kick off their season this Friday. 1719 saw yet another of those endless European wars that culminated in 1763 with the end of the French Empire in North America. The war in this case was called the War of the Quadruple Alliance. This European war is of little moment in American colonial history, but it is worthy of mention in our commemoration of New Orleans’ Tricentennial. Therefore, here is but a small taste from Madame Langlois’ Legacy about the 1719 war in Louisiana.
“The battle for Pensacola has been likened to a modern football game by more than one source. The French kicked off by taking Pensacola almost at once. However, neither Mobile or Pensacola were well supplied in those early days, so the victors had to send the Spanish prisoners to Havana because they could not feed them.
The Spanish moved into the Red Zone on their possession by capturing the French officers and sailors who transported the prisoners, and sent a small fleet to recapture the harbor and attack Mobile. They scored by driving the French out of Pensacola, but still holding the ball, they plodded on too long and failed in their attack to capture Mobile.
By this time, St. Denis and his Indian army had arrived from the West, and a French fleet had also shown up. The French got the ball back and scored again when St. Denis and the other French forces recaptured Pensacola. Once again, they had to ship the prisoners back to Havana, but his time they held the officers hostage against the return of the French ships and crews.”
Chapter 20, “1738, Natchitoches” Madame Langlois’ Legacy, in publication, 2019
As can be seen, these 18th century wars among the European powers were essentially silly affairs – tragically silly – but ridiculous in any case. As it turns out, the whole thing was for nothing. Yet another treaty signed in Holland, put all the territory and political issues back to exactly where they were in 1717. Ah, politics!
And, finally, cutting the grass. Yes, it is August on the South Coast of the USA, the grass doesn’t stop. Between the humidity, the heat, and the almost daily rain shower, my yard – divided into four “mowing” segments – is pretty much a daily affair. By the time segment four is mowed, segment one is again ankle or even calf high once more. But – as I am sure I mentioned before – my summer exercise plan is a given, a no brainer. To wit, yesterday my blood sugar was below 100.
So for those of you in more pleasant climes – enjoy your summer. Here in New Orleans, we look for October’s first cold front! See Ya soon.
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