Notch 9, Secretariat and the Five-legged Turkey

     Hey, everyone. As the erudite among you might suspect, I published my ninth and final ebook about the gunman, Cedric Gant. It is very satisfying to put that character, his friends, enemies and family, to bed at last. I enjoyed writing this series of short stories very much. I just wrote the first one to see if I could write a western. It has outsold any of my books and the characters became real to me. Not as real as Ben and Karina from KGB, but very real.
     In this last book, Cedric Gant has become an outlaw because of the public outcry from his gun battle with a lady shooter. He finds himself forced to flee south from Colorado in hopes of reaching Mexico. Chased by Texas Rangers and his own dark memories, he continues toward his destiny. This book is currently available on Smashwords for the princely sum of 99 cents. It should become available on Amazon within a day and the other on-line stores within the next few weeks. I'd like to thank everyone who has followed this series. (Links to the right.)
        At our Thanksgiving get-together, 5 different grandchildren wanted the turkey legs. There were only two, so Carley cut the meat off them and divided it. They had to fill up on the other turkey meat, ham, etc. For Christmas, she has already bought 5 turkey legs so that everyone that wants one can have one. She'll throw the extras in the bag with the turkey so they will taste the same. Grannies are remarkably dedicated to pleasing their babies. Even if the babies are grown, now.
      Tonight I had the pleasure of watching the Disney film called Secretariat. Somehow, even an entertainment glutton lets a good movie slip through the cracks occasionally. This is an excellent movie and I would rate it as 4.5 stars out of 5. Here's the recipe, in case it slipped through the cracks at your house as well.
    Diane Lane portrays Penny Chenery, a Denver housewife in the late 1960's, early seventies. At that time women were homemakers and mostly subjugated their fire, talents and abilities to the work of family raising. Certainly an honorable and high calling. Penny has an aged father and mother. The mother dies, quickly followed in death by the father. The family horse ranch in Virginia is in serious tax trouble and Penny's brother and her husband want to sell everything and clear the books. Penny fires a crooked trainer and decides to make a go of the place, for once subjugating her home duties to this outlet.
     Her grit and fire, brains and guts, seem perfectly suited to her new pursuit. She is enthused by a new colt from a regal sire, who seems to have the chance of greatness. The horse, of course, is the now-legendary Secretariat. His growth to prominence is a worthy tale. More so is the story of animals and people with the eye of the tiger, a spirit that soars and a true story that reads more like a fairy tale.
     Many of us have subjugated their dreams and aspirations to the good of others. Like Miss Penney did. Whether that means cooking five turkey legs or selling breeding options on a thoroughbred to pay a tax bill, the story is similar. There is an eagle or two in every family. Carley could have been successful at anything she tried. I was reminded of her as I watched this show. I was also angry that women were so often marginalized during the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's. You've come a long way, baby.
      I also thought about a great old song by the late Dan Fogleberg. It is called Run For the Roses. It is about race horses, their fire and spirit, and the Kentucky Derby. As an old man, I look back on my life and wish that I had done more to assure my wife's freedom of spirit and the fulfillment of her dreams. God forbid that we break the spirit of the eagles who are in our families, whether that be children, spouse or whatever. Their fire can be a bit overwhelming at times, and threatening to our egos.
    So often the task of making a living makes us insensitive to things like ... fulfillment.
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.