- QOTD for Saturday 22 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Sat, January 22 2022, 10:21:32
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 34, “Dougal's Story.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~
Once again, I forgot last night. I've been watching the 2010 version of Upstairs Downstairs and got caught up in it.
~*~*~
"So you were fond of her," I said coldly. "Much good it did her. Or the child. What did you do with that?"
He shrugged. "Saw it placed in a good home. A son, and a healthy babe, for all its mother was a witch and an adulteress."
"And its father an adulterer and a betrayer," I snapped. "Your wife, your mistress, your nephew, your brother - is there anyone you haven't betrayed and deceived? You...you..." I choked on the words, quite sick with loathing. "I don't know why I am surprised," I said, trying to speak calmly. "If you've no loyalty to your king, I suppose there's no reason to think you'd feel it for your nephew or your brother, either." ...
A big hand clamped hard on my shoulder.
"My brother? You think I'd betray my brother?" For some reason, that had stung him; his face was dark with anger.
"You've just admitted that you did!" And then I realized.
"The both of you," I said slowly. "You did it together, you and Colum. Together, as you've always done things." I pulled his hand off my shoulder and flung it back at him.
~*~*~
I've enjoyed doing QOTD this week. Thanks for traveling with me down memory lane!
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- QOTD for Friday 21 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Thu, January 20 2022, 17:50:35
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 26, “The Laird's Return.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~Claire isn't the only woman who gives Jamie a run for his money...LOL~*~*~
"Of course I remember! I'm no likely to forget it!"
"Then perhaps you'll remember that I gave the Captain a fair jolt in the crutch wi' my knee at one point in the proceedings?"
Jamie hunched his shoulders, wary. "Aye, I remember."
Jenny smiled in a superior manner.
"Weel then, if your wife here - ye could tell me her name at least, Jamie, I swear you've no manners at all - anyway, if she was to give ye similar treatment - and richly you deserve it, I might add - d'ye think you'd be able to perform your husbandly duties a few minutes later?"
Jamie, who had been opening his mouth to speak, suddenly shut it. He stared at his sister for a long moment, then one corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Depends," he said. The mouth twitched again. He had been sitting hunched forward in his chair, but sat back now, looking at her with the half skeptical expression of a younger brother listening to a sister's fairy tales, feeling himself too old to be amazed, but half-believing still against his will.
"Really?" he said.
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- It's a shame he took Dougal's word for how things turned out. (NT) --
kgp, Thu, January 20 2022, 18:41:13
- Loving these "back to the beginning" quotes, JudithONH. Thanks for a great week. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, January 21 2022, 8:29:11
- Thanks, Ladies! It sure is true for Outlander, almost every page has a quote-worthy event with great memories! (NT) -- JudithONH, Fri, January 21 2022, 9:59:14
- In some ways, Jamie's responses, particularly here, remind me of my own DH. In any instance that could go either way, he goes WAY the other way. He's sure that the worst is on the way....... I understand why Jamie listened to his uncle. He'd been gone for several years so he doesn't know how Jennine can handle most everything, and I wonder if he was feeling guilty for being gone, and flying off the handle was guilt-driven. (NT) -- Betsy Barefoor Spinne, Fri, January 21 2022, 10:26:58
- QOTD for Thursday 20 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Thu, January 20 2022, 9:58:58
Sorry I'm late today...forgot last night to post...
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 24, “By the Pricking of My Thumbs.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~
Jamie's hand tightened on my shoulder, turning me toward the archway, and we made our escape, pelted by a hail of laughter and bawdy advice.
In the dark hall outside, Jamie leaned against the stones, doubled over. Unable to stand, I sank to the ground at his feet and giggled helplessly.
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Jamie gasped at last.
I shook my head. "No, of course not." Still wheezing, I groped for his hand, and he hauled me upright. I collapsed against his chest.
"Let me see if I've got it right, now." He cupped my face between his hands and pressed his forehead to mine, face so close that his eyes blurred into one large blue orb and his breath was warm on my chin.
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- My copy of Bees came...but I'm halfway through another book, and I have a rule that I read one book at a time. I'm exercising an amazing amount of self discipline right now! -- Janet, Wed, January 19 2022, 11:08:18
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- QOTD for Wednesday 19 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Tue, January 18 2022, 20:34:15
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 21, “Un Mauvais Quart d'Heure After Another.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~
"And when ye screamed, I went to you, armed wi' nothing but an empty gun and my two hands." Jamie was speaking, a little more calmly now, but his eyes were still wild with pain and rage. I was silent. Unsettled by the horror of my encounter with Randall, I had not at all appreciated the desperate courage it had taken for him to come into the fort after me.
He turned away suddenly, shoulders slumping.
"You're right," he said quietly. "Aye, you're quite right." Suddenly the rage was gone from his voice, replaced by a tone I had never heard in him before, even in the extremities of physical pain.
"My pride is hurt. And my pride is about all I've got left to me." He leaned his forearms against a rough barked pine and let his head drop onto them, exhausted. His voice was so low I could barely hear him.
"You're tearin' my guts out, Claire."
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Replies:
- Waahhhhh 😫. So much sorrow and anguish, and Jamie feeling defeated - Claire’s realization. I hate BJR. And once again the title is so full of this bad, bad feeling. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, January 19 2022, 5:37:59
- JudithONH, I'm loving these many sides of Jamie and Claire. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, January 19 2022, 7:00:57
- AS I"m reading this I'm thinking about how much each has changed over the years. Jamie is not so much concerned with pride as with honor. Claire has become much lass impulsive. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, January 20 2022, 4:48:21
- QOTD for Tuesday 18 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Mon, January 17 2022, 19:12:02
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 15, “Revelations of the Bridal Chamber.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~
"Nay, but ye will, ye auld bugger, if ye dinna clapper yer face," came Jamie's spiked tones in broad Scots reply. Howls of delight greeted this sally, and the raillery continued, following Jamie down the hall to the kitchen and back up the stairs.
I pushed open the door a crack to admit Jamie, face red as the fire below and hands piled high with food and drink. He choked it off with a decisive slam of the door, and shot the bolt to.
"I brought enough we'll no need to go out atain for a tbit," Jamie said, laying out dishes on the table, carefully not looking at me. "Will ye have a bite?"
I reached past him for the bottle of wine, "Not just yet. What I need is a drink."
~*~*~*
Claire is my girl..."What I need is a drink!" Love it!
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- QOTD for Monday 17 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Sun, January 16 2022, 18:54:36
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 10, “The Oath-taking.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
~*~*~
This same process was repeated over and over, from vow to ceremonial drink. Viewing the number of men in the line, I was impressed anew at Colum's capacity. I was trying to work out how many pints of spirit he would have consumed by the end of the evening, given one swallow per oath taker, when I saw Jamie approach the head of the line.
Dougal, his own oath completed, had taken up a station to Colum's rear. He saw Jamie before Colum, who was occupied with another man, and I saw his sudden start of surprise. He stepped close to his brother and muttered something. Colum kept his eyes fixed on the man before him, but I saw him stiffen slightly. He was surprised, too, and, I thought, not altogether pleased.
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- And Jamie manages to pull off his expression of kinship and support to the MacKenzie, without swearing fealty to him. Clever lad! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, January 17 2022, 9:55:09
- Muttered something. Makes me want to put a match to the back of Dougal's kilt. Jamie, of course, is one step ahead of him, though. In his usual way, he stated exactly the right thing. Dougal is such a sleazy character. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Tue, January 18 2022, 7:21:18
- QOTD for Sunday 16 January 2022 -- JudithONH, Sat, January 15 2022, 20:14:09
I'm one of those who likes to post the night before, since I am never really up early and like to give all time zones a chance at seeing the quote if they like to when they have breakfast...Cheers! JudithONH
~*~*~*~*~
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 4, “I Come to the Castle.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
"What exactly is obstruction?" I asked casually. "I must say it doesn't sound a major crime."
He took a deep breath, fixing his eyes resolutely on the carved bedpost as I swabbed deeper.
"Ah. Well, I suppose it's whatever the English say it is. In my case, it meant defending my family and my property, and getting myself half killed in the process." He pressed his lips together, as if to say no more, but after a moment went on, as though seeking to focus his attention on anything other than his shoulder.
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- QOTD for Saturday, January 15, 2022 -- CindyG, Fri, January 14 2022, 21:38:55
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Introduction: Chronology of the Outlander Series.” Copyright© 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Voyager (novel)—This won an award from EW magazine for “Best Opening Line.” (To save you having to find a copy just to read the opening, it was: He was dead. However, his nose throbbed painfully, which he thought odd in the circumstances.)”
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- QOTD for Friday, January 14, 2022 -- CindyG, Thu, January 13 2022, 22:06:05
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “A New Beginning.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“It wasn’t a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance.”
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- QOTD for Thursday, January 13, 2022 -- CindyG, Wed, January 12 2022, 21:01:07
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green.” Copyright© 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“ Minnie Rennie had secrets. Some were for sale and some were strictly her own.”
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- QOTD for Wednesday, January 12, 2022 -- CindyG, Tue, January 11 2022, 21:52:12
The following quote is from The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “April Fool.” Copyright © 2011 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“It was so cold out, he thought his cock might break off in his hand—if he could find it.”
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- I love this book. Jamie, John, and Tom Byrd. I hope this gets a tv movie. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, January 12 2022, 5:32:17
- That sounds like the temps here on PA. (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Wed, January 12 2022, 5:45:02
- I love this book too! My funny story about it is that my MIL knew I loved Outlander. She saw this book by the same author and decided to get it for me but when she opened it and read this first sentence she was kind of “ahem” when she gave it to me. Since has become a rabid fan and we laugh about it. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, January 12 2022, 6:37:52
- This is at least the 2nd time he lost that. (NT) -- JamesG, Fri, January 14 2022, 11:19:41
- QOTD for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 -- CindyG, Mon, January 10 2022, 21:15:28
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows.” Copyright© 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“It was two weeks yet to Hallowe’en, but the gremlins were already at work.”
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- QOTD for Monday, January 10, 2022 -- CindyG, Sun, January 09 2022, 22:30:53
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Plague of Zombies.” Copyright© 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“There was a snake on the drawing-room table. A small snake, but still. Lord John Grey wondered whether to say anything about it.“
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- QOTD for Sunday, January 9, 2022 -- CindyG, Sat, January 08 2022, 22:39:53
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Custom of the Army.” Copyright© 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“All things considered, it was probably the fault of the electric eel. John Grey could—and for a time, did—blame the Honorable Caroline Woodford, as well. And the surgeon. And certainly that blasted poet. Still…no, it was the eel’s fault.”
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- Horrifying Realization Number 4 - we have no quoters for the weeks of January 16 and 23!!!! -- kgp, Sat, January 08 2022, 13:46:12
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- QOTD for Saturday, January 8, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, January 07 2022, 18:09:44
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 26 A Step Into The Dark
Horrifying Realization Number 1: Jem hadn’t gone into the past, after all. While by itself this was undeniably a good thing, it made Horrifying Realization Number 2 that much worse: Roger and William Buccleigh had undoubtedly gone through the stones, searching for Jemmy. She hoped they were in fact in the past and not dead - traveling through whatever sort of thing the stones were was a bloody dangerous proposition - but, if so, that brought her back to Horrifying Realization Number 1: Jem wasn’t in the past. And if he wasn’t there, Roger wasn’t going to find him. And since Roger would never give up looking . . .
She pushed Horrifying Realization Number 3 aside with great force, and Mandy blinked, startled.
“Why you making faces, Mummy?”
“Practicing for Halloween.”
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- QOTD for Friday, January 7, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, January 07 2022, 4:10:33
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 26 A Step Into The Dark
“Where’s my son?”
“He’s okay.”
She stood up suddenly, and he jerked a little in reflex. His face flushed and he hardened his expression.
“He’d bloody well better be okay,” she snapped. “I said, where is he?”
“Oh, no, hen,” he said, rocking back on his heels, affecting nonchalance. “That’s no how we’re playing it. Not tonight.”
God, why didn’t Roger keep a hammer or a chisel or something useful in his desk drawer? Did he expect her to staple this jerk? She braced herself, both hands flat on the desk, to keep from leaping over it and going for his throat.
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- QOTD for Thursday, January 6, 2022 -- kgp, Thu, January 06 2022, 4:11:37
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 25 Give Me Liberty
And as the sun set on the third day since he had left his home, Lord John William Bertram Armstrong Grey found himself once more a free man, with a full belly, a swimming head, a badly mended musket, and severely chafed wrists, standing before the Reverend Peleg Woodsworth, right hand uplifted. Reciting as prompted:
“I, Bertram Armstrong, swear to be true to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies and opposers whatsoever, and to observe and obey the orders of the Continental Congress and the orders of the generals and officers set over me by them.”
Bloody hell, he thought. What next?
Last edited by author: Thu, January 06 2022, 4:14:09
Edited 1 time.
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- QOTD for Wednesday, January 5, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, January 05 2022, 3:57:31
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 24 Welcome Coolness in the Heat, Comfort in the Midst of Woe
“Ask me to your bed,” he said, breathless, hands on my arms. “I shall come to ye. For that matter - I shall come, whether ye ask it or no. But remember, Sassenach - I am your man; I serve ye as I will.”
“Do,” I said. ”Please do. Jamie, I want you so!”
He seized my arse in both hands, hard enough to leave bruises, and I arched up into him, grasping, hands sliding on his sweat-slick skin.
“God, Claire, I need ye!”
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- This quote could have come from almost any romance novel unless you know the context around it. Then it is pure Jamie & Claire. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, January 05 2022, 7:01:23
- I get that this is how they find their way back to each other, but, and this is not a popular opinion, it bugs me that he'll come if she asks or not and will serve her as he wills. Granted, Claire doesn't seem to mind, but this echoes the "master mmphmm" in the first book where he basically batters her with his penis to prove he is her master. I posted it today because it ends this scene but also because it disturbs me. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, January 05 2022, 10:53:34
- QOTD for Tuesday, January 4, 2022 -- kgp, Mon, January 03 2022, 18:08:04
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 24 Welcome Coolness in the Heat, Comfort in the Midst of Woe
“Well, I dinna like it,” he said, not quite between clenched teeth. “But I understand it.”
“You do?”
“I do,” he said, eyeing me. “Ye both thought I was dead. And I ken what ye’re like when you’re drunk, Sassenach.”
I slapped him, so fast and so hard that he hadn’t time to duck and lurched back from the impact.
“You - you-” I said, unable to articulate anything bad enough to suit the violence of my feelings. “How bloody dare you!”
Last edited by author: Mon, January 03 2022, 18:08:44
Edited 1 time.
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- QUOTERS NEEDED for the weeks of January 16, 23, and 30. Let me know which week you would like. -- kgp, Sun, January 02 2022, 18:31:54
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- QOTD for Monday, January 3, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, January 02 2022, 18:29:15
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 24 Welcome Coolness in the Heat, Comfort in the Midst of Woe
“You said he desired you to kill him,” I said slowly. “You . . . didn’t, did you?”
He held my eyes, his own as steady as a rifle barrel.
“Would ye mind if I did?” he asked softly.
“Yes, I bloody well would,” I said, with what spirit I could summon up amongst the growing confusion of my feelings. “But you didn’t - I know you didn’t.”
“No,” he said, even more softly. “Ye don’t know that.”
Despite my conviction that he was bluffing, a small chill prickled the hairs on my forearms.
“I should have been within my rights,” he said.
“You would not,” I said, chill fading into crossness. “You didn’t have any rights. You were bloody dead.”
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- QOTD for Sunday, January 2, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, January 02 2022, 6:16:37
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 23 In Which Mrs. Figg Takes a Hand
”Your wife,” Mrs. Figg repeated, and the barrel swiveled toward him. “Well, now. I’m thinking that perhaps you ought to just sit down and wait until his lordship comes and we’ll see what he has to say about all this.”
“Dinna be daft, Jerusha,” said Jenny, rather impatiently. “Ye ken Claire’s my brother’s wife; she told ye that herself.”
“Claire?” exclaimed Pardloe, standing up again. He had been drinking from the decanter and still held it carelessly in one hand. ”My brother’s wife?”
“She’s no such thing,” Jamie said crossly. “She’s mine, and I’ll thank someone to tell me where the devil she is.”
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- QOTD for Sat, Jan 1st, 2022 -- JamesG, Sat, January 01 2022, 3:43:59
The following is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "A Marriage Takes Place" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
I turned to Jamie in sudden panic. "I can't marry you! I don't even know your last name!"
He looked down at me and cocked a ruddy eyebrow. "Oh. It's Fraser. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser." He pronounced it formally, each name slow and distinct.
Completely flustered, I said "Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp," and stuck out my hand idiotically. Apparently taking this as a plea for support, he took the hand and tucked it firmly into the crook of his elbow. Thus inescapably pinioned, I squelched up the path to my wedding.
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- QOTD for Fri, Dec 31st 2021 -- JamesG, Fri, December 31 2021, 2:16:38
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "Colum's Hall" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"What is it?" I muttered to Mrs. Fitz. My patient was looking much better than when last seen, though still a bit white-faced, I thought. He'd found a clean shirt somewhere; the empty right sleeve had been folded and tucked into the waist of his kilt.
Mrs. Fitz was watching the proceedings with great interest.
"The lad's offering to take the girl's punishment for her," she said absently, peeking around a spectator in front of us.
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- QOTD for Thurs, Dec 30th, 2021 -- JamesG, Thu, December 30 2021, 2:19:34
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "The Gathering" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
I thought it best to stop this line of conversation before things got out of hand. "I haven't introduced myself," I said, extending a hand to help her up from the log. "My name is Claire. Claire Beauchamp.
The hand that took mine was slender, with long, tapering white fingers, though I noticed the tips were stained, probably with the juices of the plants and berries resting alongside the mallow roots in her basket.
"I know who you are," she said. "The village has been humming with talk of ye, since ye came to the castle. My name is Geillis, Geillis Duncan." She peered into my basket. "If it's balgan-buachrach you're looking for, I can show you where they grow best."
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- END OF YEAR ROLL CALL -- JamesG, Wed, December 29 2021, 14:47:58
If your reading this how about checking in. This see how many lads and lass' we have out there.
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- Here! (NT) -- Susannah, Thu, December 30 2021, 3:59:11
- Me too! And I want to add a thanks for the cards that are coming in, from all over. Could you also put where you’re from? I LOVE that we’re a world wide group. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, December 30 2021, 4:16:51
- I'm here in Southeastern Massachusetts! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, December 30 2021, 7:55:03
- I’m here in Sonoma County California! (NT) -- CindyG, Thu, December 30 2021, 10:22:00
- I finally found a way I can read the boards on my phone without it being all wobbldy so I should be around more now! (NT) -- Stephanie Jane, Thu, December 30 2021, 11:16:54
- I come and go, don’t post a lot unless I think I have something worth adding, (NT) -- jayn, Fri, December 31 2021, 5:19:51
- CarolSR from eastern Pennsylvania (NT) -- CarolSR, Fri, December 31 2021, 10:18:39
- MacPudel from Boston ringing in! (NT) -- MacPudel, Sun, January 02 2022, 13:07:23
- Checking in -- LynnB, Wed, January 12 2022, 18:52:04
- hi (NT) -- Astrina-Brenna, Sat, January 15 2022, 10:44:55
- QOTD for Wed, Dec 29th, 2021 -- JamesG, Wed, December 29 2021, 2:29:12
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "The Mackenzie" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"I welcome ye mistress," he said, with a slight bow. "My name is Colum ban Campbell MacKenzie, laird of this castle. I understand from my brother that he, er, encountered you some distance from here."
"He kidnapped me, if you want to know," I said. I would have liked to keep the conversation cordial, but I wanted even more to get away from this castle and back to the hill with the standing stone circle. Whatever had happened to me, the answer lay there---if anywhere.
The laird's thick brows rose slightly, and a smile curved the fine-cut lips.
"Well, perhaps," he agreed. "Dougal is sometimes a wee bit...impetuous"
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- JamesG, I'm enjoying all of these "makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up" scenes that take us back to where it all began. Great week! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, December 29 2021, 7:46:59
- A bit-- impetuous? That's a trifle understated. Colum has always made me very wary from the start. I suppose, given the times and the political situation, as the Laird of the Clan, Colum had to be ruthless and manipulative to keep the clan safe. There were other Lairds who were much less "civilized." I shudder to think of how it would have been if Clair had run into Simon, Lord Lovat? Colum is bad enough. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, December 29 2021, 9:06:33
- QOTD for Tues, Dec 28th, 2021 -- JamesG, Tue, December 28 2021, 0:43:16
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "The Man In The Wood" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
I shook my head free of the restraint over my mouth.
"Frank!" I burst out. "What in heaven's name are you playing at?" I was torn between relief at finding him here and irritation at the horseplay. Unsettled as I was by my experience among the stones, I was in no mood for rough games.
The hands released me, but even as I turned to him, I sensed something wrong. It was not only the unfamiliar cologne, but something more subtle. I stood stock-still, feeling the hair prickle on my neck.
"You aren't Frank," I whispered.
"I am not," he agreed, surveying me with considerable interest. "Though I've a cousin of that name. I doubt, though, that it's he you have confused me with, madam. We do not resemble one another greatly."
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- Hello, Mr McCreepypants. BJR seemed almost normal with Roger years earlier. Now 4 years later he's instantly unlikable. I loved Tobias Menzies in this role. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, December 28 2021, 5:52:39
- I can't imagine how disturbing it must have been for Claire to see BJR, who looked so much like Frank, but wasn't. Very different men. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, December 28 2021, 8:01:34
- This certainly is an immediate gut-punch. Although I don't correlate the series with the Books, I agree, kgp. Tobias Mendes was brilliant. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, December 29 2021, 9:11:46
- QOTD for Mon, Dec 27th, 2021 -- JamesG, Sun, December 26 2021, 22:45:55
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "Standing Stones" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
We stopped for a packed luncheon near the base of a curious flat-topped hill. Green as most of its neighbors, with the same rocky juts and crags, it had something different: a well-worn path leading up one side and disappearing abruptly behind a granite outcrop.
"What's up there?" I asked, gesturing with a ham sandwich. "It seems a difficult place for picnicking."
"Ah." Mr. Crook glanced at the hill. "That's Craigh na Dun, lass. I'd meant to show ye after our meal."
"Really? Is there something special about it?"
"Oh, aye," he answered, but refused to elaborate further, merely saying that I'd see when I saw.
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- QOTD for Sun, Dec 26th, 2021 -- JamesG, Sun, December 26 2021, 5:50:03
The following quote is from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon "A New Beginning" copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"Sounds a bit rude, but not very ghostly," I observed, draining my glass. "What did he look like?"
"Big chap," said Frank, frowning in recollection. "And a Scot, in complete Highland rig-out, complete to sporran and the most beautiful running-stag brooch on his plaid. I wanted to ask where he'd got it from, but he was off before I could."
I went to the bureau and poured another drink "Well, not so unusual an appearance for these parts, surely? I've seen men dressed like that in the village now and then."
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- Opps!!!! Give me 45 mins. Sorry. -- JamesG, Sun, December 26 2021, 5:05:16
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- QOTD for Saturday,December 25, 2021 -- Betsy BFS, Fri, December 24 2021, 21:45:51
Whatever our spiritual leanings, what ever our concept is of the passing or time, the grinding of the Earth on it's axis, where we came from and what we are all marching toward, how we view the vastness of time and space with all the possibilities of our own truths, there is one truth that people can agree upon: We are, each one of us, existing in this moment, here and now.
Here's to the Joy of being in this specific moment in time. Just one breath, and the world is a different place, because we, each of us, are here in this one moment in time. Merry Christmas, Lallybroch!
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The following quote is taken from 'Outlander,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 41, "From the Womb of the Earth." Copyright © 1991, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
The moon above was a Christmas moon, so large as almost to fill the empty window. It seemed no wonder that the tides of sea and woman should be subject to the pull of that stately orb, so close and so commanding.
But my own tides moved no longer to that chaste and sterile summons, and the knowledge of my freedom raced like danger through my blood.
"I have a gift for you, too," I said suddenly to Jamie. He turned toward me and his hand slid, large and sure, over the plane of my still-flat stomach.
"Have ye, now?" he said.
And the world was all around us, new with possibility.
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- Merry Christmas Lallybroch! Thank you, BBFS for your quotes and stories this week 💜 (NT) -- kgp, Sun, December 26 2021, 3:59:23
- Herself's first lines and last lines are magnificent. This one, as a young mother, always struck me! Thanks for the QOTDs and sharing your bits of daily life with us, BBS. You are a treasure. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, December 27 2021, 9:26:51
- QOTD for Friday, 12/24/21 -- The Late Betsy BFS, Fri, December 24 2021, 7:00:56
Sorry about being late. Family says they trump QOTD and dragged me to my SIL's for Game Night. And it was actually fun. There have been other times, it has not been so. But last night held a lot of laughter, a lot of snackish food, and we even poked fun at our opposite political leanings. Really, they're not leanings. They're fully entrenched, clinging to the wall-paper views. Political conversation is banned, per me, for the sake of family survival. Last night, though, we made silly answers that poked fun of each other, and it was okay. Because we laughed.
One of my mottos is Laughter is the best medicine. I have found that for me, (and my family because I ..... well, I guess I practiced it and wouldn't waver, even when they were all teenagers at once. Hard to do, but possible.) Fresh air, sunlight, good water, and laughter. Sometimes laughter is No. 1 on the list. It heals many gashes for me.
May we all have the ability to laugh, when we can, and decide to appreciate the humor all around us. It's sometimes a long time before I can get to the laughter stage, but if I share my ridiculous situation and poke fun at myself and my foibles, which are bountiful, my heartache and shame lessen.
Thank you All for allowing me to share some of my life here. It's, for me, totally therapeutic. You are All healers for me. Just like Claire, without the burning at the stake thing.
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The following quote is taken from 'Voyager,' by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright © 1994, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
When I was small, I never wanted to step in puddles. Not because of any fear of drowned worms or wet stockings; I was by and large a grubby child, with a blissful disregard for filth of any kind.
It was because I couldn't bring myself to believe that that perfect smooth expanse was no more than a thin film of water over solid earth. I believed it was an opening to some fathomless space. Sometimes, seeing the tiny ripples caused by my approached, I thought the puddle impossibly deep, a bottomless sea in which the lazy coil of tentacle and gleam of scale lay hidden, with the threat of huge bodies and sharp teeth adrift and silent in the far-down depths.
And then, looking down into reflection, I would see my own round face and frizzled hair against a featureless blue sweep, and think again that the puddle was an entrance to another sky. If I stepped in there, I would drop at once , and keep on falling, on and on, into blue space.
The only time I would dare to walk through a puddle was at twilight, when the evening stars came out. If I looked in the water and saw one pinprick there, I could splash through unafraid -- for if I should fall into the puddle and on into space, I could grab hold of the star as I passed, and be safe.
Even now, when I see a puddle in my path, my mind half-halts-- though my feet do not-- then hurries on, with only the echo of the thought left behind.
What if, this time, you fall?
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- Diana's Holiday Gifts -- JudyL, Thu, December 23 2021, 14:44:16
Well, we done good! Thanks to the generosity of the Ladies of LallybrochTM, a donation has been made in Diana's honor to The Bee Conservancy. We collected a total of $835! That's gonna buy a lot of bee food :)
The email was sent to Diana from the Conservancy with the name of our group and the following message:
Dear Diana, the Ladies of LallybrochTM are wishing you a lovely Christmas 2021, New Year, and birthday. In your honor, and to honor all bees far and wide, we've donated to The Bee Conservancy to thank you for "Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone."
Susan, Herself's Elf, is letting Diana know to look for the email since she gets thousands.
You can check out their programs and their efforts for The Bees on their website.
https://thebeeconservancy.org/
Nice tie-in with the new book -- thanks to Judie Rousselle (LOL Boss) for the idea!
Thanks to those who donated on behalf of other Hosers, for the generosity, and for the lightning speed that the donations came in this year.
Happiest of Holidays and best wishes for a good 2022. At least we have a new book to read!
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- Does this ever make me smile!?!? Don’t you love LOL and all the cool stuff we do ❤️ Merry Christmas to everyone! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, December 24 2021, 11:16:59
- I am so pleased to be a part of this. I nearly wasn't but thanks to Judie I made it. It's a great idea and I hope she loves it (NT) -- Gwen, Sun, December 26 2021, 5:19:26
- Thanks to JUDY for having a bee idea and then I just jumped in with a thought. :D She did all the logistical work, so thank you Judy. And thank you to everyone who joined in. :) (NT) -- Judie, Thu, January 06 2022, 16:15:58
- QOTD for Thursday, 12/23/21 -- Betsy, who has escaped the rooms with window bars and drugs., Wed, December 22 2021, 22:33:09
It's been an odd day. I keep reflecting on emotional and spiritual ideas...one thought, mixed with ten others dancing in my brain; different songs and poems running through my head. Most of the thoughts and songs rattling around are things I cling to when life gets overwhelming. They give me focus and comfort. Lots of Rumi, lots of hymns from my youth, pieces of songs from later in my life. All pretty spiritual. Except for one piece of a poem that
keeps drowning all else out. Edna St. Vincent Millay, "We were jolly, We were merry, We were riding on the ferry." That's all I know of that heady poem. We were jolly, We were merry.... why does that one ridiculous line keep running through my brain when I am contemplating the comparison of Shaker principals to Buddism? Relating Pagan rituals and beliefs and how they were morphed into what we now call Christmas. Trying to research the Hitterites, which I never got to because I was on that darned ferry, being jolly and merry.
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The following post is from 'Dragonfly in Amber,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 49, "Blessed Are Those." Copyright © 1992. All rights reserved.
The fire, the body, the night itself, disappeared abruptly in a shriek of blinding noise. Roger found himself face down in the grass, clutching at the earth in a frantic search of a familiar sensation to which to anchor his sanity. The search was vain; none of his senses seemed to function-- even the touch of the ground was insubstantial, amorphous as though he lay on quicksand, not granite.
Blinded by whiteness, deafened by the scream of rending stone, he groped, flailing wildly, out of touch with his own extremities, conscious only of an immense pull and the need to resist it.
There was no sense of time passing; it felt as though he had been struggling in emptiness forever, when he at last became aware of something outside himself. Hands that gripped his arms with desperate strength, and the smothering softness of breasts thrust against his face.
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- QOTD for Wednesday, 12/22/22 -- Betsy BFS, Tue, December 21 2021, 22:33:09
I hate shopping. Absolutely hate it. I try to avoid going into stores at all, unless I know they're still requiring masks. In no way is that a statement of any kind about masking. My choice. David's, too. Anyway, yesterday I had an appointment and took the (short) time to retrieve a pair of earrings I had managed to leave behind when I had work done on my neck yesterday. Then I made a mad dash into our small local grocery store to check the pricing on a couple of things. Bacon was on sale (we don't eat bacon much, but it WAS on sale.....) and a steak (don't eat that much red meat at all, but it was reduced a whole lot, so....) I grabbed that, too.
Then home I went. aAcouple of hours later, one of our girls called David about something Christmasy and he told her to call Mom. She does the Yule/Christmas thing. She had already tried my phone several times and got no response. Our daughter and Davis figured I couldn't find my phone, or it was silenced, or both. Not for the first time. It's an almost daily occurrence.
So I set out trying to find where I had put my phone down. The living room, the bathroom, our bedroom, the kitchen. My phone was hiding somewhere else. I checked the car, twice. Nope. At this point my Sherlock got involved. He looked all the same places, three times, decided I had dropped it in the snow in the driveway and it had been run over at least twice. His blood pressure looks fairly elevated. I'm usually pretty easy-going when I can't find something. I know the harder I look, the worse it gets. If I just let it go, it turns up, usually in a very easy place to see. But not my Sherlock. He searches, day and night, until he's either found what's hiding, or he falls over, twitching, on the floor. He also, as he looks determinedly, takes over like Mrs. Barnett, my sixth grade English teacher who would rap her fingernails on the top of your head if you didn't parse your sentences correctly. She terrified me, but I learned correct grammar before I went into the next grade. She sort of looked like Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz. Talked like her, too. She had the unique ability to make any and every body feel like they were in kindergarten and shrunk us into balls of fear, wrapped into defensive balls so she didn't notice us. Welllll, Sherlock is sort of like that. Except I am now an adult and don't take well to a Mrs.Barnett wanna-be.
For the tenth time, I retraced every move I had made since I had left the house. The last time I can remember having it was walking into the house from the car, listening to an obnoxious message. Came inside, took off my coat, et al, deposited my purse and put away the two packages I had bought. Yes, I had checked the refrigerator. Yes, I went upstairs and unpacked all 32 boxes of packing material to see if I had dropped my phone inadvertently into one of them as I carried them up the stairs. Yes, I looked into every potted plant (we have a ton of those, too) and in, under, and inside of all the furniture. I had done it three times, Sherlock had done it three times, and no, the phone wasn't there. So he asked me to go out to the garage and physically trace every step I had made, with him regally following me, right behind me, close enough that I COULD have smashed my head back and broken his nose, which I did not do. Karma, you know? We walked like that from the garage, across the driveway, and into the house, taking my coat off and putting my hat and mittens down the arm of said coat, hung it up, and kept going, step by step, with this man attached like a lamprey to my back. I gave up, announced I didn't care if I got the darn thing back, I hated it anyway, and went to the bathroom to play loud music and read a book. When I had calmed down and crawled out of the bathroom, there he was. Standing there. Sherlock/Margaret Hamilton/Mrs. Barnett. All looking at me with that LOOK. And with my phone. Cocking my head, trying to look nonchalant, I asked "Where?" Between the bacon and the steak in the refrigerator.
He was gracious enough not to gloat and I was quite good at ignoring the whole three-hour tromp into every one-inch space of our home. I have also sworn off meat for the rest of my life.
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The following quote is from 'Dragonfly In Amber,' by Diana Gabaldon. copyright©1992, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
I woke three times in the predawn. First in sorrow, then in joy, and at the last, in solitude. The tears of a bone-deep loss woke me slowly, bathing my face like the comforting touch of a damp cloth in soothing hands. I turned my face to the wet pillow and sailed a salty river into the caverns of greif remembered, into the subterranean depths of sleep.
I came awake then in fierce joy, body arched bowlike in the throes of physical joining, the touch of him fresh on my skin, dying along the paths of my nerves as the ripples of consummation spread from my center. I repelled consciousness, turning again, seeking the sharp, warm smell of a man's satisfied desire, in the reassuring arms of my lover, sleep.
The third time I woke alone, beyond the touch of love or grief. The sight of the stones was fresh in my mind. A small circle, standing stones on the crest of a steep green hill. Craig na Dun; the fairies' hill. Some say the hill is enchanted, others say it's cursed. Both are right. But no one knows the functions or the purpose of the stones.
Except me.
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- I use my phone a lot. I have my recorded fiddle lessons and the music I use for teaching Scottish Country Dance. I make a list to go with my lesson plan and use a Bluetooth speaker for class. Last night at class I couldn't find my phone. Thought for certain I had it with me but couldn't find it. Dragged out the back up CD player and disks, we enjoyed class anyway. While I was clearing up after class my phone was sitting on top of the trunk where we keep the cd player. Faeries. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, December 22 2021, 6:25:40
- Betsy, you write THE BEST descriptions (OK, second to DG Herself) of everyday life! Thanks for the laughs (stuck like a lamprey to my back!!) and the QOTDs. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, December 22 2021, 10:13:16
- Betsy, you are hilarious. Such great stories you tell. Hahahahahahahaha. (NT) -- Judie, Wed, December 22 2021, 12:15:25
- It’s so good to laugh with you! And relate- OMG 😂. About the QOTD, this one always makes me cry. I didn’t realize until I read the first page and Claire was back for 20 years just what it was all about. I had just left them happy in the monk’s grotto. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, December 22 2021, 14:50:23
- QOTD for Tuesday, Dec. 21/21 (Happy Solstice to everyone. Welcome the growing light.) -- Betsy BFS, Mon, December 20 2021, 20:46:40
We used to have 10-12 foot Christmas trees, but now that our kids are grown, I get a 4-5 foot tree and put it on a table. There's about eight inches on the top I can't reach. I've been doind all sorts of things to try to reach the top of the tree...like standing on the very top of a step ladder, putting a stool in the middle of the table (that proved not to be one of my brighter idea,) using a set of long tongs, using a ski pole, and using the grabber-thingy I had when I had my knee replaced. Nothing did anything more than make the tree sway a bit and get me dizzy. I worked on all my schemes for four days. This afternoon, I finally asked David if he could put the top on the tree. He did, then asked if he should put a few other ornaments up there in the bare space that I couldn't reach. So he and I picked out the ornaments that were light enough to be supported by the weaker branches but added bright light to the top of the tree. We worked for about twenty minutes, actually. After he got off the step stool, he said, "Oh Good Lord. I've been hanging Christmas decorations with you." I replied, "Yup. I saw that, but I wasn't going to point it out while you were swinging from the rafters. You would have fallen and knocked the whole tree down." "I think you manipulated me." "No, I didn't. I just didn't give you a full disclosure of the job." "Don't you think that was pretty weak?" "It worked, didn't it?"
I think the world really has turned upside down.
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The following quote is from 'Outlander,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 2, "Standing Stones." Copyright © 1991, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
The tallest stone of the circle was cleft, with a vertical split between the two massive pieces. Oddly, the two pieces had been drawn apart by some means. Though you could see that the facing surfaces matched, they were separated by a gap of two or three feet.
There was a deep humming noise coming from somewhere near at hand. I thought that there must be a beehive lodged in some crevice of the rock,and placed a hand on the stone in order to lean into the cleft.
The stone screamed.
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- Have any of you who have visited Scotland and seen standing stones felt or heard anything? (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Mon, December 20 2021, 20:50:04
- So glad I popped in to read your stories...I shall try and do the same tomorrow. ;-) (NT) -- JeanClaire*, Tue, December 21 2021, 3:57:02
- You made me smile with the end of the decorating story. I didn’t feel anything physical when we were in Scotland, but they are awe inspiring and feel sooooo old. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, December 21 2021, 10:10:50
- ❤️ (NT) -- Judie, Wed, December 22 2021, 12:16:40
- QOTD for Monday, 12/20/21 -- Betsy Barely There but definitely barefoot, Sun, December 19 2021, 22:51:44
I live with Scrooge. Probably the biggest Scrooge in the world. I love my Yule/Christmas decorations. I have a lot of them. I mean a WHOLE LOT of them. Here is the conversation that transpires every single Christmastide: Two boxes in, "Isn't that enough?" "Nope." " I think that's plenty." "Nope." Two more boxes out of storage. "I can't believe it. Look at this. There's boxes everywhere.!" That's after four boxes. I have 32. There really ARE boxes everywhere, but I'm storing them until I take everything down. After box 8, David is catatonic. Foaming at the mouth, but catatonic. Every time he begins to say anything, when he tumbles out of his catatonic state, I lug another 2 boxes out.
We don't speak much for about a week. All will be well after I remove all the empty boxes from the entire living space. Two at a time.
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The following quote is taken from 'Outlander,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter two, "Standing Stones." Copyright © 1991, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
Some of the standing stones were brindled, striped with dim colors. Others were speckled with flakes of mica that caught the morning sun with a cheerful shimmer. All of them were remarkably different from the clumps of native stone that thrust out of the bracken all around. Whoever built the stone circles, and for whatever purpose, thought it important enough to have quarried, shaped, and transported special stone blocks for the erection of their testimonial. Shaped --how? Transported--how, and from what unimaginable distance?
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- The Standing Stone Circles are so impressive, even at Clava Cairns where they are much smaller than Stennes or Brodgar. Are they older there and eroded? Were they smaller to begin with? It's obviously a burial site while other rings seem to be more ceremonial. Different clans/tribes, different emphasis of purpose, different feeling of something about the chosen site? The land around them has changed so much over the centuries that it's difficult to feel the same thing the ancients might have felt. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, December 20 2021, 4:47:49
- Really? 32 boxes? Please tell me they’re not as big as bins. I’d have to go with Dave on this one😳 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 20 2021, 11:48:09
- No, they're not as big as bins. I am very sentimental about my Yule/Christmas decorations and I have 40+ years of gifts, and all the ornaments my kids made as children, and even some I made when I was young. I have quite a few of my mother's and grandmother's, too. Many have been gifts and I've gotten a few myself. It adds up over the years. Also, most of the boxes don't have as many items as it looks like because I wrap everything well enough that they could get run over by a mac truck and be ok. David just enjoys pushing my buttons about all my stuff. I'm sure he would appreciate your standing in his corner in this, Kathy, but I'm not going to tell him he has an ally. (NT) -- Betsy the mini-horder, Mon, December 20 2021, 20:02:01
- 😂😂😂 (NT) -- Judie, Wed, December 22 2021, 12:17:47
- QOTD for Sunday and Monday 12/19//21 and 12/20/21 -- Betsy Barefootspinner, Sun, December 19 2021, 22:16:02
When I told kgp I'd take this week, I hadn't put it all together in my head. I forgot I wasn't going to be home until Sunday night. Kgp, I apologize. I am home now, and notice that you put yourself down for this week. I can still do this week....unless you're wildly excited about doing it yourself.
Often, I write about my life, poking fun at myself and my wacky, but usually fabulous family. This year has been just horrid in our home and it's been difficult to write much that isn't Boo Hiss about life. Today was a wonderful day, though. It was the culmination of some tense family stuff, and we ended it on a high. Well, except messing up the QOTD. For the last few years, minus last year when everything was cancelled, our daughter Hannah, my brother, David and I have been going to The Magic of Christmas in Portland. It's performed by the Portland Symphony Orchestra and the Portland City Chorus. We meet at a little corner cafe, have coffee and pastry and walk to Merrill Auditorium together. The concert is fabulous, and aside from me singing along to the Hallelujah Chorus rather loudly, per my daughter, it was a day of great coffee, good company, laughter, music, and a general feeling of what I wish every day would be. Or at least a few of them. I honestly thought I was quietly humming along under my mask but aparently I got carried away in the moment. Oops.
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The following quote is taken from 'Outlander,' by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright © 1991, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
People disappear all the time. Ask any policeman. Disappearances are bread-and-butter to journalists.
Young girls run away from home. Young children stray from their parents and are never seen again. Housewives reach the end of their tether and take the grocery money and a taxi to the station. International financiers change their names and vanish into the smoke of imported cigars.
Many of the lost will be found, eventually, either dead or alive. Disappearances, after all, have explanations.
Usually.
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- Just interesting video of early 1800s NC farmstead -- TheresaS, Sun, December 19 2021, 14:46:29
I couldn’t picture how a spring house would look … here ya go
https://youtu.be/v65Zc1wwOVU
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- QOTD for Sunday, December 19, 2021 -- kgp, Sun, December 19 2021, 9:32:04
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved. Chapter20. A Crackling of Thorns
Henri-Christian, dizzy from smoke, had fallen against the doorframe and was clinging to it. He was too frightened to move; I could see him shaking his head as Germain pulled at him.
“Throw him, Germain! Throw your brother!” Fergus was shouting as loudly as he could, his voice cracking with the strain, and several other voices joined in. “Throw him!”
I saw Germain’s jaw set hard, and he yanked Henri-Christian loose, picked him up, and clutched him with one arm, wrapping the rope around the other.
“No!” Jamie bellowed, seeing it. “Germain, don’t!”
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- QOTD for Saturday, December 18, 2021 -- CindyG, Fri, December 17 2021, 21:07:17
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Besieged.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘You can’t, me lord!’ Tom stared at him, aghast.
‘I’m very much afraid you’re right, Tom,’ he said, striving for calm. ‘But I don’t see that I have any choice but to try.’
He thought Tom was going to be sick; the young valet’s face was pale as the morning mist that blanketed the tiny garden where they’d gone for a bit of privacy. Grey was himself just as pleased that he hadn’t had a chance to eat breakfast; he recalled Jamie Fraser telling him once, in inimitable Scottish fashion, that his “wame was clenched like a fist,” a phrase that described his own present sensation to a T.
He’d have given a lot to have Fraser beside him on this occasion.
He’d have given almost as much to have Tom.
As it was, he was apparently going into battle supported by a stuttering ex-zombie, an African woman of unpredictable temper and known homicidal tendencies, and Malcolm Stubbs’s concubine.”
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- QOTD for Friday, December 17, 2021 -- CindyG, Thu, December 16 2021, 22:08:44
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Three seconds later he was alarmingly hot and terrifyingly immediate and—
‘Jesus Christ!’ he said, and froze, looking down at her, his eyes huge with shock.
It hurt shockingly and she froze as well, taking shallow breaths. She felt his weight shift, knew he was about to leave her, and gripped his bottom to stop him. It was tight and solid and warm, an anchor against pain and terror.
‘I said I’d prove it,’ she whispered, and pulled him in with all her strength, arching her back. She let out a stifled shriek as he came the rest of the way, and he grabbed her and held her, keeping her from moving.
They lay face-to-face, staring at each other and gulping air like a pair of stranded fish. His heart was hammering so hard that she could feel it under the hand she had on his back.
He swallowed.
‘You’ve proved it,’ he said at last. ‘Whatever it…What was it you wanted to prove again?’
Between the tightness of her stays and his weight, she hadn’t enough breath to laugh, but she managed a small smile.
‘That I didn’t want to hurt you.’”
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- Love the line "gulping air like a pair of stranded fish." (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, December 17 2021, 8:26:09
- And with the stroke of her pen, Diana made Hal sexy🥰 Immediately I think of Frank, but I know there are other characters that I started hating, but changed my mind as I learned more about them. She really, really gets me invested in all their lives. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, December 17 2021, 11:24:57
- QOTD for Thursday, December 16, 2021 -- CindyG, Wed, December 15 2021, 21:20:17
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Virgins.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘Mmphm.’ Naked demons versus the chance of damnation or not, Jamie thought Ian had had well the best of it this evening. A thought occurred to him. ‘Why did ye ask if being circumcised hurts? Ye werena thinking of doing it, were ye? For her, I mean?’
‘I wouldna say the thought hadna occurred to me,’ Ian admitted. ‘I mean…I thought I should maybe marry her, under the circumstances. But I suppose I couldna become a Jew, even if I got up the nerve to be circumcised—my mam would tear my heid off if I did.’
‘No, ye’re right,’ Jamie agreed. ‘She would. And ye’d go to hell.’”
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- Well I pulled a Lord John. Jamie (that is what I'm calling the nail) hit me in the eye. Hit me side on I think. Cornea laceration with Iris prolapse. Was in OR last night. Went well. Just had 1st follow up. Some improvement. (Lots ... Could not see anything. Now I can see my hand but blurred) Doc says I can drive tomorrow. Pray for me and my cats. 😺😺😺 Oh and I was pulling the nails out with a hammer. Dumb luck. Got go back Fri. And I will be giving you all some great QOTDs the 26th to 1st -- JamesG, Wed, December 15 2021, 11:52:47
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- Yikes!! No safety glasses?! I hope all goes well and heals quickly. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, December 15 2021, 18:51:56
- Oh no! Shall we send you some honey to lubricate your eye so it heals well? Good luck with the follow up, JamesG. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, December 16 2021, 7:06:14
- Good grief Gussie! My husband wears glasses and was just doing a little work under my truck. Glasses on but no safety glasses. He got a piece of metal embedded in his eye that jumped around the side of his glasses. This was years and years ago, he still has scar tissue covering part of his vision. Let's hear it for safety glasses! (NT) -- Janet, Thu, December 16 2021, 10:56:18
- I'm glad it wasn't worse! Heal well and quickly. (NT) -- Betsy Barefoorspinner, Thu, December 16 2021, 11:41:44
- All I could think of was Claire treating Jocasta’s glaucoma. Thank God you didn’t lose your eye. Maternal tsking here too. How are you doing? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, December 17 2021, 4:29:25
- QOTD for Wednesday, December 15, 2021 -- CindyG, Tue, December 14 2021, 21:50:14
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“He closed his eyes again, breathing hard, and leaned against the stone for support. The static in his ears was getting worse, accompanied by a sort of whine. Had he burst an eardrum? He forced himself to open his eyes, and was rewarded with the sight of a large, dark irregular shape, well beyond the remains of the stone circle. Dolly!
The plane was barely visible, fading into the swirling dark, but that’s what it had to be. Mostly intact, it looked like, though very much nose-down with her tail in the air—she must have ploughed into the earth. He staggered on the rock-strewn ground, feeling the vertigo set in again, with a vengeance. He waved his arms, trying to keep his balance, but his head spun, and Christ, the bloody noise in his head…He couldn’t think, oh, Jesus, he felt as if his bones were dissolv—“
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- Poor Jerry. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, December 15 2021, 8:04:45
- Plenty of eerie, unusual circumstances in this week's quotes, CindyG. I haven't started "Bees" as DH is gifting it to me for Christmas, but I'm interested to see the tie-ins! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, December 15 2021, 8:56:32
- I've told DH he should read the Lord John stories while he waits for me to finish Bees. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, December 17 2021, 11:37:36
- QOTD for Tuesday, December 14, 2021 -- CindyG, Mon, December 13 2021, 21:38:45
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Plague of Zombies.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘Anda!’ said a voice from inside. Walk, it meant, in Spanish. Grey’s numbed mind had barely registered this when the darkness inside the hut changed and a form appeared at the door.
It was Rodrigo. But then again—it wasn’t. The glowing skin had gone pale and muddy, almost waxen. The firm, soft mouth hung loose, and the eyes—oh, God, the eyes! They were sunken, glassy, and showed no comprehension, no movement, not the least sense of awareness. They were a dead man’s eyes. And yet…he walked.
This was the worst of all. Gone was every trace of Rodrigo’s springy grace, his elegance. This creature moved stiffly, shambling, feet dragging, almost lurching from foot to foot. Its clothing hung upon its bones like a scarecrow’s rags, smeared with clay and stained with dreadful liquids. The odour of putrefaction reached Grey’s nostrils, and he gagged.”
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- QOTD for Monday, December 13, 2021 -- CindyG, Sun, December 12 2021, 21:33:42
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Space Between.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“She often wondered whether it was because of her name. She’d been proud of her name when she was small; it was a heroic name, a saint’s name, but also a warrior’s name. Her mother’d told her that, often and often. She didn’t think her mother had considered that the name might also be haunted.
Surely it didn’t happen to everyone named Joan, though, did it? She wished she knew another Joan to ask. Because if it did happen to them all, the others would be keeping it quiet, just as she did.
You didn’t go round telling people that you heard voices that weren’t there. Still less that you saw things that weren’t there, either. You just didn’t.”
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- QOTD for Sunday, December 12, 2021 -- CindyG, Sat, December 11 2021, 21:24:02
The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Custom of the Army.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“In the split second when he grasped the slimy thing, he expected something like the snap one got from touching a Leyden jar and making it spark. Then he was flung violently backward, every muscle in his body contorted, and he found himself on the floor, thrashing like a landed fish, gasping in a vain attempt to recall how to breathe.
The surgeon, Mr. Hunter, squatted next to him, observing him with bright-eyed interest.
‘How do you feel?’ he inquired. ‘Dizzy at all?’
Grey shook his head, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish’s, and with some effort thumped his chest. Thus invited, Mr. Hunter leaned down at once, unbuttoned Grey’s waistcoat, and pressed an ear to his shirtfront. Whatever he heard—or didn’t—seemed to alarm him, for he jerked up, clenched both fists together, and brought them down on Grey’s chest with a thud that reverberated to his backbone.
This blow had the salutary effect of forcing breath out of his lungs; they filled again by reflex, and suddenly he remembered how to breathe. His heart also seemed to have been recalled to a sense of its duty, and began beating again. He sat up, fending off another blow from Mr. Hunter, and sat blinking at the carnage round him.”
Having finished Bees, I realized as I was pondering what to use this week that there is a reference from all seven of these stories in the new book. Don’t panic, I’m not going to use any quotes that might give something away, Although most of the references are in passing, I think some are important. So, if you haven’t read these stories yet, you might want to! Of course, they’re all wonderful reads anyway.
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- QOTD for Saturday, December 11, 2021 -- kgp, Sat, December 11 2021, 5:34:31
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 22 The Gathering Storm
The more I saw of how things worked, the less I knew. Roger worried a lot about it, I knew: the why of it. Why were a few people able to do this? What effect - conscious or unconscious - did travelers have? And what ought they to do about it if they - we - did?
Knowing what would happen to Charles Stuart and the Rising hadn’t stopped him, and it hadn’t stopped our being dragged into the tragedy, either. But it had - maybe - saved the lives of a number of men whom Jamie had led from Culloden before the battle. It had saved Frank’s life, or so I thought. Would I have told Jamie, though, if I’d known what the cost would be to him and me? And if I hadn’t told him, would we have been dragged into it anyway?
Well, there weren’t any bloody answers, no more that there had been the hundreds of other times I’d asked those bloody questions, and I heaved a sigh of relief as the gate to Bartram’s Garden came in sight. An hour in the midst of acres of cool greenery was just what I needed.
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- QOTD for Friday, December 10, 2021 -- kgp, Fri, December 10 2021, 7:51:45
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 21 Bloody Men
“We are betrothed, William - Ian and I,” she said, gently pulling her hand out of his and putting it on Ian’s.
William’s face changed abruptly, losing its look of happiness altogether. He eyed Ian with something remarkably close to dislike.
“Are you,” he said flatly. “I suppose I must wish you every happiness, then. Good day.” He turned on his heel, and Ian, surprised, reached out to pull him back.
“Wait - “ he said, and then William turned and hit him in the mouth.
He was lying on his back in the leaves, blinking in disbelief, as Rollo hurtled over him and sank his teeth into some soft part of William, judging by the yelp and brief cry of startlement from Rachel.
“Rollo! Bad dog - and thee is a bad dog, too, William Ransom! What the devil does thee mean by this?”
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- Oh boy. She IS upset. She used his first AND last name. I wonder if she would have used all of his names (and titles) if she knew them. 😂😂 (NT) -- JamesG, Fri, December 10 2021, 9:19:15
- Like father, like son! Yes, JamesG, I agree. Rather like Mom used to do when we were in trouble, first and middle names. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, December 10 2021, 10:00:57
- I do love Rachel, she's a good fit for the Fraser Clan (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Fri, December 10 2021, 13:48:46
- QOTD for Thursday, December 9, 2021 -- kgp, Thu, December 09 2021, 5:25:57
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 20 Of Cabbages and Kings
Grey woke abruptly to full daylight and a musket barrel jabbed into his belly.
“Come out of there with your hands up,” said a cold voice. He got his good eye sufficiently open as to see his interlocutor wore a tattered Continental officer’s coat over homespun breeches and an open-collared shirt, topped by a slouch hat turned up with a turkey feather through the brim. Rebel militia. Heart in his throat, he crawled stiffly out of his refuge and rose, hands in the air.
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- QOTD for Wednesday, December 8, 2021 -- kgp, Wed, December 08 2021, 5:03:05
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 19 Desperate Measures
“Put the wean beside me,” he suggested. “I can mind her for a bit.”
Silvia did so without hesitation, which pleased him, and he lay face-to-face with wee Chastity, amusing them both by making faces at her. She giggled - and so did Prudence, as the pestle scraped and the hot smell of ground mustard thickened the air. He stuck out his tongue and waggled it; Chastity shook like a small jelly and put out a tiny pink tongue tip in turn, which made him laugh.
“What are you all laughing at?” Patience demanded, opening the door. She frowned censoriously from one sister to the other, making them all laugh harder. When Mrs. Hardman came in a few moments later with a large grubby root in her hand, they had reached the point of laughing at absolutely nothing, and she blinked in bewilderment, but then shook her head and smiled.
“Well, they do say laughter is good medicine,” she remarked, when the hilarity had run its course, leaving the girls pink-faced and Jamie feeling slightly better - to his surprise.
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- 80 years ago today. May it never happen again. -- JamesG, Tue, December 07 2021, 11:32:55
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- QOTD for Tuesday, Decemebr 7, 2021 -- kgp, Tue, December 07 2021, 5:00:20
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 18 Nameless, Homeless, Destitute, and Very Drunk Indeed
She didn’t reply to this but stretched up a long white arm, cupped her hand round the back of his head, and pulled him down again.
“That’s why.” He came gradually to himself, aware that he was talking and evidently had been for some time, in spite of his head being cradled in the curve of her shoulder, his senses aswim in her musk (like a sweating flower, he thought dreamily), and her nipple a dark sweet thing an inch or two from his nose. “The only honor I have left is my word. Have to keep it.” Then tears came suddenly to his eyes, with recollection of the moments just past. “Why did you make me break my word?”
She didn’t answer for a while, and he would have thought she’d fallen asleep, save for the hand that roved over his bare back, gentle as a whisper.
“Ever think that maybe a whore has a sense of honor, too?” she said at last.
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- Kgp, so far I'm loving this week of strong, singularly individual women. DG writes such wonderful characters! An orphan Quaker, a noblewoman, and a whore walk into a book... sounds like the unlikely start of a joke, but these ladies are anything but. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, December 07 2021, 7:26:05
- Diana, that’s a good one! We just have to think of the next line. This is a great week of strong women, but what struck me too is that their men appreciate it and aren’t bothered by it. Umm Doug and Diana ya think?❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, December 07 2021, 11:44:15
- QOTD for Monday, December 6, 2021 -- kgp, Mon, December 06 2021, 3:42:53
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 17 Freedom!
Toward the evening, the tent’s door was darkened by a slender female form, though, and Grey raised himself to a sitting position, careful of his tender head, because his heart had begun to beat strongly again and it made his eye throb.
His niece Dottie was in sober Quaker garb, but the soft blue of much-laundered indigo was surprisingly flattering to her English-rose coloring - and she was in amazing fine looks. She nodded to Colonel Smith and set down her tray upon his desk, before glancing over his shoulder at the prisoner. Her blue eyes widened in shock, and Grey grinned at her, but he supposed he must look a literal fright, with a grotesquely swollen face and a fixed and glaring crimson eye.
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- QOTD for December 5, 2021 -- kgp, Sun, December 05 2021, 4:57:15
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 16 Room For Secrets
“Nay, I was thinking of my mam - that I should ha’ liked to show her places like this.” He gestured toward the little clearing in which they stood, a tiny spring of an improbably deep blue welling up from the rock under their feet, overhung by a yellow wild-rose brier, humming with summer bees. “She had a big yellow rode brier growin’ up the wall at Lallybroch; my grandmother planted it.” He swallowed a small lump in his throat. “But then I thought, may be as she’s happier in heaven with my da than she would be here without him.”
Rachel’s hand squeezed his, hard.
“She would be with him always, in life or in death,” she whispered, and stood a-tiptoe to kiss him back. “And thee will take me someday to see thy grandmother’s rose in Scotland.”
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- Just a reminder - December 10 is the target deadline for donations for the gift for DG -- JudyL, Sat, December 04 2021, 5:37:13
If you need the details sent again, let Judy or Judie know. Thanks to everyone who sent PayPal or cash or checks, see the list in the first reply to find your confirmation. LOL rocks.
Last edited by author: Mon, December 06 2021, 4:56:11
Edited 1 time.
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- Look in here for your name >>>> -- JudyL, Mon, December 06 2021, 4:56:55
- 64 of us 🥰. Reading this list makes me smile. I’ve “known” some of you for over 20 years, I’m realizing. I found Outlander in 1999 and the rest has been a wonderful history. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 06 2021, 7:39:49
- This is so exciting! Thanks everyone. And there are still a couple of days left if anyone is interested. :) (NT) -- Judie, Wed, December 08 2021, 12:42:35
- QOTD for Saturday, December 4, 2021 -- kgp, Sat, December 04 2021, 5:24:02
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 15 An Army On The Move
“Will you be safe in the streets? I asked, unfolding her cloak and holding it up for her to put on.
“Oh, I expect so,” she said briskly. “No one much thinks to look at an auld woman. But I suppose I’d best put away my wee bawbee.” The bawbee in question was a small silver chiming watch, with a delicately filigreed cover, which she wore pinned to the bosom of her dress.
“Jamie bought it for me in Brest,” she explained, seeing me looking at it as she unpinned it. “I told him it was foolery; I didna need such a thing to ken the time, nay more than he did himself. But he said, no, I must have it, that knowing what o’clock it is gives ye the illusion that ye have some control over you circumstances. Ye ken how he is,” she added, putting the watch carefully away in her pocket, “always explaining ye to yourself. Though I will say as he’s no often wrong.”
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- I don’t like when people “explain ye to yourself” especially when they’re not wrong 🙄 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, December 05 2021, 4:33:58
- When I read this, I always thought that it was Jamie's way of giving Jenny a gift at the start of the next chapter of her life, something practical, yet pretty, even if Jenny felt it unnecessary. Jamie's explanation helped to rationalize it. Though certainly others sometimes see us more clearly than we see ourselves, even if we don't like to admit it! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, December 06 2021, 9:25:02
- QOTD for Friday, December 3, 2021 -- kgp, Fri, December 03 2021, 4:45:49
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 14 Incipient Thunder
He hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself, but he’d been looking through the crowd all day, scanning the faces in search of his fa- yes, dammit, his father! John Grey was as much his father as he’d ever been. Goddamned liar or not. And William was growing worried about him. Colenso had reported that morning that Lord John had not returned to his house - and Lord John should have returned by now. And if he had, he would have come to find William, he was sure of that. Unless Fraser had killed him.
He swallowed bile at the thought.
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- Secret Santa Board is open -- Judie, Thu, December 02 2021, 6:48:49
.
.
If any of the Secret Santa people are lurking about, the Secret Santa board is now open.
The link is up above if you forget it, but here it is again.
http://www.voy.com/53216/
Have fun!
Judie
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- QUOTER NEEDED for the week of December 19th -- kgp, Thu, December 02 2021, 4:22:52
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- QOTD for Thursday, December 2, 2021 -- kgp, Thu, December 02 2021, 4:18:43
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 13 Morning Air Awash With Angels
Number 17 Chestnut Street
His Grace woke up in the morning red-eyed as a ferret and in roughly the same temper as a rabid badger. Had I a tranquilizing dart, I would have shot him with it without an instant’s hesitation. As it was, I prescribed a large slug of brandy to be added to his breakfast coffee and - after a brief struggle with my Hippocratic conscience - added a very small amount of laudanum to it.
I couldn’t give him too much; it depressed the respiration, among other things. Still, I reasoned, counting the aromatic reddish-brown drops as they plinked into the brandy, it was a more humane way of dealing with him that crowning him with the chamber pot or calling Mrs. Figg to sit on him whilst I tied him to the bedstead and gagged him.
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Holiday Cards! I received my first 2!! Thank you! <3 -- Astrina-Brenna, Wed, December 01 2021, 10:29:24
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- I received mine from you Astrinna. Very ummm, nice to look at. Hahaha. (NT) -- Marcie, Wed, December 01 2021, 11:51:25
- It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas 😊🎄 Marcie, yours was my first card too and another beautiful work of art it is! Astrina, yours was second and it’s great that besides the absolutely lovely picture, it’s heavy enough to be used as a fan 🔥. The Lallyornaments are on their way today and I’ll bet the Secret Santa elves are very busy. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, December 02 2021, 3:49:08
- Astrina - yours has to be seen to appreciate. I can see it from the breakfast table. Thank you!! I've had a few others as well - thank you!! I'll get moving on mine over the weekend. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, December 02 2021, 4:20:21
- I love my "man" cards from Astrinna and the handmade card from Marcie. Love them all! (NT) -- CarolSR, Wed, December 08 2021, 15:33:18
- QOTD for Wednesday, December 1, 2021 -- kgp, Wed, December 01 2021, 7:02:41
The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 12 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
At Smith’s insistence, he took the cot and did lie down with a slight groan of relief. His temples throbbed with each heartbeat,and so did the entire left side of his face, which was now radiating small jolts down into his upper teeth, very unpleasant. The pain in his side had dulled to a deep ache, almost negligible by comparison. Luckily, he was so tired that sleep swamped all discomfort, and he fell into it with a sense of profound gratitude.
He woke in the full dark sometime later, slicked with sweat, heart hammering from some desperate dream. He raised a hand to push the soaked hair off his face and felt the heavy, chafing weight of the fetters, which he’d forgotten about. The clanked, and the dark figure of a sentry silhouetted in the fire glow at the entrance of the tent turned sharply toward him, but then relaxed as he turned over on the cot, clanking further.
Bugger, he thought, still groggy with sleep. Couldn’t even masturbate if I wanted to. The thought made him laugh, though fortunately it came out as a mere breath of sound.
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- QOTD for Tues, Nov 30th, 2021 -- JamesG, Tue, November 30 2021, 2:21:34
The following quote is from "Written In My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon "Part One Nexus...11: Remember Paoli!" copyright © 2014 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
He belched softly and blinked, eyes still fixed on Gray.
"You asked me what I meant to do with you."
"No, I didn't."
Smith ignored this, leveling a long, knobby finger at him.
"I'm sending you to General Wayne, who, believe me, has 'Paoli' carved upon his heart."
"How very painful for him," Gray said politely, and drained his cup.
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- Donations received for DG holiday 2021 - list of names -- JudyL, Mon, November 29 2021, 9:46:50
Look inside the first reply to confirm your donation was received. Deadline is December 10. Thanks!
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- QOTD for Mon, Nov 29th, 2021 -- JamesG, Mon, November 29 2021, 8:16:56
The following quote is from "Written In My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon "Part One Nexus...4: Don't Ask Questions You Don't Want To Hear The Answers To" copyright © 2014 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
The hands wrapped themselves in his shirt and jerked him to his feet. He managed to stand, and a wisp of air seeped into his lungs. Fraser's face was an inch from his. Fraser was in fact so close that Gray couldn't see the man's expression---only a close-up view of two bloodshot blue eyes, both of them berserk. That was enough. He felt quite calm now. It wouldn't take long.
"You tell me exactly what happened, ye filthy wee pervert," Fraser whispered, his breath hot on Gray's face and smelling of ale. He shook Gray slightly. "Every word. Every motion. EVERYTHING."
Gray got just enough breath to answer.
"No," he said defiantly. "Go ahead and kill me."
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- QOTD for Sun, Nov 28th, 2021 -- JamesG, Sun, November 28 2021, 9:04:27
The following quote is from "Written In My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon "Part One Nexus...10: The Descent Of The Holy Ghost Upon A Reluctant Disciple" copyright © 2014 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"Is thee going to stay to supper?" She asked, in a high, precise voice. She gave him an appraising frown. "Thee looks like thee would eat a lot."
He revised his estimate of the girl's age to eight or nine and smiled at her. He was still sweating with the pain, but it was easing a bit.
"I'll not take your food, a nighean," he assured her. "In fact, there's a good loaf and some jerked meat in yon bag; it's yours." Her eyes went round as pennies, and he amended, "Your family's, I mean."
She glanced eagerly at the bag, swallowing painfully as her mouth watered; he could hear the tiny gulp and it wrung his heart.
"Pru!" She whispered, turning urgently toward the table. "Food!"
Another small girl crawled out and stood beside her sister. They were both plain as fence posts, though they otherwise didn't resemble each other much.
"I heard," the newcomer told her sister, and turned a solemn gaze on Jamie.
"Don't let Mam give thee rhubarb syrup," she advised him. "It makes thee shit like the blazes, and if thee can't git to the privy, it---"
"Prudence!"
Prudence obligingly shut her mouth, though she continued to look Jamie over with interest. Her sister knelt and rummaged under the bed, emerging with the family utensil, this a homely object of brown earthenware, which she presented gravely for his inspection.
"We'll turn our backs, sir, if thee should need to---"
"Patience!"
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- No one has volunteered to do QOTD next week. Any takers? -- kgp, Sat, November 27 2021, 14:20:32
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- QOTD for Sat, Nov 27th, 2021 -- JamesG, Sat, November 27 2021, 0:14:30
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #2)" by Diana Gabaldon "Part Five 💮 History And Historical Fiction: Organizing The Past... Myth And Mountain Birthdays" copyright © 2015 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
My birthday was always the coldest day of the year. If not literally true, it was family legend, and everyone knows that a myth is much stronger than meteorology, even in the north country, where the snow lies deep on the mountaintops, and houses are built to keep the heat in, not out.
This particular legend had its origin---reasonably enough---on the date of my birth, January 11, 1952. My family lived in Flagstaff, but the family doctor had been having a difference of opinion with the hospital board, and had moved his practice to the Williams Hospital. So, when my mother went into labor early in the morning, my twenty-one-year-old parents were obliged to drive thirty miles over a two-lane ice-slick road, through the teeth of a driving blizzard, in order to get to the doctor.
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- QOTD for Fri, Nov 26th, 2021 -- JamesG, Fri, November 26 2021, 0:03:16
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #2)" by Diana Gabaldon "Part Seven 💮 Writing, And Other Games You Play By Yourself...One Word Speaks Volumes (Themes Of The Novels)" copyright © 2015 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
Books don't write themselves, as anyone who's ever tried to write one can tell you. And if there is a secret to writing anything---fiction, nonfiction, TV scripts, greeting cards, poetry, or epitaphs---it's this: the only way to write is one word at a time. This is either reassuring or Absolutely Horrifying, depending on how you look at it, but it's the truth.
But, as anyone who writes books can also tell you, books do have a mind and a voice of their own. And a successful book is one that talks to the reader.
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- QOTD for Thurs, Nov 25th, 2021 -- JamesG, Thu, November 25 2021, 3:02:46
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #2)" by Diana Gabaldon "Part Seven 💮 Writing, And Other Games You Play By Yourself...Mind Games" copyright © 2015 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
The greatest thing about writing is that it's just you and the page. The most horrifying thing about writing is that it's just you and the page. Contemplation of this dichotomy is enough to stop most people in their tracks.
Success in writing---and by that I mean gitting the contents of your head out onto the page in a form that other people can relate to---is largely a matter of playing mind games with yourself. In order to git anywhere, you need to figure out how your own mind works---and believe me, people are not all wired up the same way.
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- Running late today. Sorry. And I can't blame it on Thanksgiving. And Happy Thanksgiving to all.🦃🦃🦃🥧🥧🥧 (NT) -- JamesG, Thu, November 25 2021, 3:10:57
- Happy Thanksgiving to all the American Lallypals, and to all Lallypals, too. Have a day filled with gratitude. (NT) -- Janet, Thu, November 25 2021, 10:32:01
- All the eating and cleanup is done and I’m trying to convince myself there is still room for a piece of apple pie 🙄. Happy Thanksgiving to all and a special thanks to James for taking a holiday week AND a BOOK RELEASE week. A true Laddie of Lallybroch. A million people can relate to what Diana puts down on paper so I would say she’s a rousing success. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, November 25 2021, 14:10:04
- Just dropping in to say Happy American Thinksgiving to all! (Haven't been here in so long, I do not even think you could call me a lurker. Oh well!) (NT) -- Lady Naiad, Thu, November 25 2021, 15:41:57
- QOTD for Wed, Nov 24th, 2021 -- JamesG, Wed, November 24 2021, 1:23:06
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #1)" by Diana Gabaldon "Part Eight Frequently Asked Questions... Answers" copyright © 1999 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
Q. Is the story of the Dunbonnet and the laird who hid in for seven years true?
A. Leap o' the cask is real---so is the story of the laird who hid in the cave for seven years, whose tenants called him the Dunbonnet, and his servant, who brought the ale to him in hiding. The Laird's name? Ah... James Fraser. Really.
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- Guess what just arrived today!!!! Now if my holliday guests will let me read for 3 or 4 days..... -- Kel, Tue, November 23 2021, 15:24:36
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- QOTD for Tues, Nov 23rd, 2021 -- JamesG, Tue, November 23 2021, 1:55:50
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #1)" by Diana Gabaldon "Researching Historical Fiction: Hot Dogs And Beans... Research Assistant--Or Not" Copyright © 1999 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
Given the necessity for so much background material, factual trivia, etc., many writers of historical fiction use research assistants---and in fact, I'm often asked how MANY research assistants I use! Actually I don't use assistants at all. It's not that I don't think they'd be helpful; it's just that I couldn't possibly tell them what to look for.
It's rather like gitting groceries for dinner. You CAN send someone to the store with a list---say, hot dogs and beans---and sure enough, they'll come back with hot dogs and beans, and you"ll have a fine dinner. Or at least you"ll eat.
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- Thanks for the quotes from the Companion, James. Getting the tidbits makes me enjoy them more and think about the thought instead of a long read. Last night’s talk with Diana was amazing and part of it was about her research method. Now I am like a kid waiting for the ice cream truck, but it’s the postman today! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, November 23 2021, 5:28:47
- Love seeing you do the QOTD. Waiting for Bees but I won't be able to read it for a bit, eye appt today and they dilated my eyes (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Tue, November 23 2021, 8:01:29
- I often think about this quote when I'm grocery shopping. Or making hot dogs and beans!!! Keep 'em coming, JamesG! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, November 23 2021, 10:30:49
- Just read Diana's announcement e-mail of Bees...everything she writes is lyrical, even an announcement or info on how she researches for facts! I don't think I've ever seen the word sinuous in a book announcement, before... (NT) -- Janet, Tue, November 23 2021, 10:56:10
- QOTD for Mon, Nov 22nd, 2021 -- JamesG, Sun, November 21 2021, 22:21:36
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Vol #1)" by Diana Gabaldon "Botanical Medicine: Don't Try This At Home...Of Gophers And Gardens" copyright © 1999 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
The only means I found of peaceful coexistence with the gophers was bribery. If I made a peanut-butter-and-molasses sandwich (on whole-wheat bread; God forbid the gophers should suffer from a lack of dietary fiber) every night, and went and hurled this into the middle of the garden, my plants remained largely untouched. If I forgot the nightly sandwich... Whoops! There goes another pelargonium.
Fortunately, my husband (dear man) built me a gopherproof garden enclosure as a birthday present a few years ago, so the gophers have been reduced to gnawing on the plastic fittings of the irrigation system for their dietary fiber. Now all I have to worry about is dogs with a lust for ripe tomatoes, ants with a passion for my ruby-pearl grapes, and snakes looking for a shady spot to sleep.
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- Donations received for DG holiday 2021 - list of names -- JudyL, Sun, November 21 2021, 9:24:56
The list of names of people whose donations have been received is inside the first reply. If you've sent money to JudyL or Judie R, the Boss, and your name isn't on the list please post a reply here or send an email to either of us using the addresses in the notice that JudieR sent out. There's still time to participate but try to get it done by December 10. Thanks!
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- Alphabetized by first name; sorry I don't have board names for everybody. -- JudyL, Sun, November 21 2021, 9:26:24
- Hi Everybody! 👋👋👋. Please come back to chat a little while after Bees comes out. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 21 2021, 10:31:39
- Yes, indeed. The NEW RELEASES board link is up above and it's ready to go. Password protected if you want to post, but not if you just want to read. PW is you know who's name. Caps, small letters, with a @ instead of "a", or whatever. Our hero. :) (NT) -- Judie, Sun, November 21 2021, 12:40:52
- I am planning on reading but at a VERY slow pace. It will most likely take me a year to finish especially because I didn't do a reread. This means I will be in my Little Room referencing previous books while reading Bees (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Mon, November 22 2021, 9:40:07
- Nice to see so many names of us “old farts”. (NT) -- Colleen LeHoser, Sun, November 21 2021, 13:51:47
- Done! (NT) -- Piper Mom, Sun, November 21 2021, 14:30:14
- List is updated a few times each day. Check for your name! (NT) -- JudyL, Tue, November 23 2021, 6:14:39
- QOTD for Sun, Nov 21st, 2021 -- JamesG, Sat, November 20 2021, 21:16:52
OK. I'm going to try a little something to change things up since the next BIG Book is coming out. If this is not approved or no one likes it let me know and I will switch back.
The following quote is from "The Outlandish Companion (Voy #1)" by Diana Gabaldon "Prologue" Copyright © 1999 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved.
Well it was all an accident, is what it was. I wasn't trying to be published; I wasn't even going to "show" it to anyone. I just wanted to write a book---any kind of book.
Not actually "any" kind of book. Fiction. See, I'm a storyteller. I can't take any particular credit for this---I was born that way. When my sister and I were very young and shared a bedroom, we stayed up far into the night, nearly every night, telling enormous, convoluted, continuing stories, with casts of thousands (like I said, I was born with this).
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- QOTD for Saturday, November 20, 2021 -- CindyG, Fri, November 19 2021, 21:17:02
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 99, “Old Master.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Jem was hanging round, too, bored and poking his fingers into everything. He was singing to himself, half under his breath; she paid no attention, until she happened to catch a few words.
‘What did you say?’ she asked, rounding on him incredulously. He couldn’t have been singing “Folsom Prison Blues”—could he?
He blinked at her, lowered his chin to his chest, and said—in the deepest voice he could produce—‘Hello. I’m Johnny Cash.’
She narrowly stopped herself laughing out loud, feeling her cheeks go pink with the effort of containment.
‘Where did you get that?’ she asked, though she knew perfectly well. There was only one place he could have gotten it, and her heart rose up at the thought.
‘Daddy,’ he said logically.
‘Has Daddy been singing?’ she asked, trying to sound casual. He had to have been. And, just as obviously, had to have been trying Claire’s advice, to shift the register of his voice so as to loosen his frozen vocal cords.
‘Uh-huh. Daddy sings a lot. He teached me the song about Sunday morning, and the one about Tom Dooley, and … and lots,’ he ended, rather at a loss.”
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- QOTD for Friday, November 19, 2021 -- CindyG, Thu, November 18 2021, 21:48:03
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 64, “I Am The Resurrection, Part 2.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘That must have been impressive.’
‘It impressed me, to be sure,’ Jamie said, still grinning. ‘I’d no notion Roger Mac had it in him to preach hellfire and damnation like that. The lad’s a great roar to him, cracked voice and all. He’d have a good audience, did he do it for a Gathering, aye?’
‘Well, that explains what happened to his voice,’ I said. ‘I wondered.’”
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- Reminded me of Dougal using Jamie for the crowds, but Jamie is so much more humane. Dougal cared more about the cause than the person. And it’s good to see Jamie respectful of Roger’s value. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, November 19 2021, 4:27:44
- CindyG you got the one line quiz right. 🥇💵💵💵💵 (NT) -- JamesG, Fri, November 19 2021, 7:07:29
- Imagine Roger preaching with a full voice. I hope after his adventures in 1739 he is much improved. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, November 19 2021, 7:15:23
- Yes! His encounter with Dr. McEwen (if I remember his name). Things will be very different and hopefully a lot better for Roger. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, November 19 2021, 9:17:02
- I hope so - but there's a lot of story and a lot of the Revolution to come. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, November 19 2021, 10:55:27
- I'm also wondering if after Roger tells what happened for the healing, Claire is able to do more to help as well. (NT) -- Kel, Fri, November 19 2021, 14:10:08
- That’s what I’m hoping as well. Kinda inspired this week’s quotes. (NT) -- CindyG, Fri, November 19 2021, 18:41:45
- QUOTERS NEEDED!!!! No one has signed up for the next two weeks. -- kgp, Thu, November 18 2021, 7:45:13
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- QOTD for Thursday, November 18, 2021 -- CindyG, Wed, November 17 2021, 21:57:57
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 58, “Love One Another.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘Trying to think what on earth I might have said that Mr. MacNeill could possibly have thought was Latin, let alone a Catholic reference,’ he replied, companionably making room for her.
‘You didn’t start singing ‘Ave Maria’ or anything,’she assured him. ‘I would have noticed.’
‘Mm,’ he said, and coughed. ‘Don’t mention the singing, aye?’
‘It’ll get better,’ she said firmly, and turned, pushing and squirming, to make a nest for herself. The mattress was stuffed with wool, much more comfortable—and a hell of a lot quieter—than corn shucks, but very prone to lumps and odd hollows.
‘Aye, maybe,’ he said, though thinking, Maybe. But it will never be what it was. No point in thinking of that, though; he’d grieved as much as he meant to. It was time to make the best of things and get on.”
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- QOTD for Wednesday, November 17, 2021 -- CindyG, Tue, November 16 2021, 21:39:43
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 58, “Love One Another.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Roger took the deepest breath he could, and shouted as loudly as he could. Which was not very damn loud. Again. And again.
It hurt. It was aggravating, too; the feeble, choked sound of it made him want to shut up and never open his mouth again. He breathed, shut his eyes, and screamed with all his might, or tried to. A searing flash of pain shot down inside his throat on the right, and he broke off, gasping. All right. He breathed gingerly for a moment, swallowing, then did it again. Jesus, that hurt. . . .
He stopped, relieved, and coughed, surprised not to be bringing up blood; his throat felt like raw meat. But he essayed a quick hum, then, cautiously, a rising arpeggio. An octave. Just barely, and it was a strain that sent shooting pains through his larynx—but a full octave. The first time he’d managed that much of a range in pitch since the injury.”
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- This is so sad, but then so hopeful. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, November 17 2021, 3:58:05
- Can't imagine how much this hurt. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, November 17 2021, 4:45:44
- It seemed so unfair that the one real talent of value that Roger brought to the past was his singing voice, and that was torn away from him. But then again, life ISN'T fair, and one learns to cope and go on. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, November 17 2021, 7:59:57
- ONE LINE QUIZ. Who said it to who?? Why?? And in which book?? 🤔🤔 "It's only in Scotland that they bugger sheep. And maybe part of Yorkshire. Northumbria, too, maybe." 🤔🤔 -- JamesG, Tue, November 16 2021, 14:17:54
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- Good one - this will take some thinking. I don't think it's from the Big Books but I could be wrong (NT) -- kgp, Tue, November 16 2021, 18:12:23
- William speaking to Jane in MOBY, atfter he saves her from Harkness (NT) -- CindyG, Tue, November 16 2021, 21:44:16
- Oh geez, James, you made me laugh this morning. There is a small mountain community not far from us, the biggest event is the annual Rattlesnake Roundup, definitely had/have moonshiners, etc……. And the saying used to be “-blank town- Where the men are men and the sheep are scared!” and the biggest lie told in town is “I was just helping my sheep over that fence.” (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, November 17 2021, 4:02:43
- QOTD for Tuesday, November 16, 2021 -- CindyG, Mon, November 15 2021, 21:19:35
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 39, “I Am The Resurrection.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘D’ye want a dram in your coffee, Roger Mac?’ he said, nodding at Roger’s cup, as though it were the most natural thing in the world to offer whisky with breakfast.
In fact, the notion sounded really appealing, given the immediate prospects, but Roger shook his head.
‘No, thanks; I’ll do.’
‘Are you sure?’ Brianna transferred the sharp look to him. ‘Maybe you should. For your throat.’
‘It’ll be fine,’ he said shortly. He was worried about his voice himself; he didn’t need solicitude from the redheaded contingent, all three of whom were giving him thoughtful looks that he interpreted as casting extreme doubt upon his speaking abilities. Whisky might help his throat, but he doubted it would do much for his preaching—and the last thing he wanted was to show up at a funeral reeking of strong drink in front of a lot of strict teetotalers.”
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- A dram a day keeps the minister drunk. 🤪🤪🤪 (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, November 16 2021, 3:58:19
- The red headed contingent! Certainly a force I wouldn’t want to face 😲. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, November 16 2021, 4:49:35
- It's rather nice at the end of the day. Wouldn't start with it though.. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, November 16 2021, 5:09:56
- CindyG, I'm sensing a whisky week for us. This ought to ease us all into the cooler weather and the holidays ahead quite nicely. For myself, I'm more like Bree; I think it tastes like "ant spray!" Give me a good red ale or IPA instead. :-) (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, November 16 2021, 8:11:39
- Just opened a 12 yr old Glenlevit- omg, delicious. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, November 16 2021, 13:29:40
- QOTD for Monday, November 15, 2021 -- CindyG, Sun, November 14 2021, 21:55:18
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 15, “Stakit to Droon.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘How is it, then, a charaid?’ Duncan greeted him genially, gesturing toward one of the basketwork chairs. ‘Ye’ll take a dram, perhaps?’
‘I will, and thanks.’
He sank gratefully into the chair, which creaked amiably beneath his weight. He accepted the glass Duncan handed him, and tossed it back with a brief ‘Slàinte.’
The whisky burned through the strictures that bound his throat, making him cough, but seeming suddenly to open things, so that the constant faint sense of choking began to leave him. He sipped, grateful.”
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- The NEW RELEASES board is ready for business starting Tuesday -- Judie, Sun, November 14 2021, 13:40:06
.
.
If you don't know, the new book will be released Tuesday.
I know people want to discuss it so please go there and do so.
https://www.voy.com/9481/
It has a password because of all the spam but you KNOW who the hero is and his name is the password. Give it a go and see if you can get it to work. :)
Judie
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- QOTD for Sunday, November 14, 2021 -- CindyG, Sat, November 13 2021, 22:53:49
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 6, “Ambush.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Some were in the house, more in the barn; she could hear the sound of a guitar from somewhere behind the house, and a single voice, singing something slow and wistful. It made her yearn suddenly for the sound of Roger’s voice as it had been, rich and tender.
Thinking of that, though, she realized something; his voice had been much better when he came back from consoling Ronnie. Still husky and with only a shadow of its former resonance—but it had come easily, without that choked note in it. Perhaps alcohol relaxed the vocal cords?
More likely, she thought, it simply relaxed Roger; removed some of his inhibitions about the way he sounded. That was worth knowing.”
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- Quoters needed on the Social Board for the weeks of 11/21, 11/28, 12/19, and 12/26. I know we'll all be busily reading after 11/23 but we'll have time to peek at the Social Board. Bring a smile to a fellow Hoser! -- kgp, Sat, November 13 2021, 6:19:08
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- QOTD for Saturday, November 13, 2021 -- kgp, Sat, November 13 2021, 4:41:56
The following quotation is from Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 11 Remember Paoli!
“I wondered if you were familiar with the concept of a scapegoat” Smith rocked back a little on his stool, gazing at Grey with his lovely deep-set eyes, which seemed to hold a certain sympathy - though perhaps it was just the applejack. “Because I’m afraid that is where your chief value lies, Colonel. It is no secret that the Continental army is in poor condition, lacking money, disillusion and desertion rife. Nothing would hearten and unify the troops more - or send a more potent message to General Clinton - than the trial and very public execution of a high-ranking British officer, a convicted spy and close relation to the infamous ‘No Flints’ Grey.”
He belched softly and blinked, eyes still fixed on Grey.
“You asked what I meant to do with you.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Smith ignored this, leveling a long, knobby finger at him.
“I’m sending you to General Wayne, who, believe me, has ‘Paoli” carved upon his heart.”
“How very painful for him,” Grey said politely, and drained his cup.
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- QOTD for November 12, 2021 -- kgp, Fri, November 12 2021, 4:51:45
The following quotation is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. Chapter 111 January Twenty-First
Dinner passed without incident, but in midafternoon, a knock came on the door. Amy screamed, and Brianna dropped the shirt she was mending into the fire. Ian leaped to his feet and jerked the door open, and Rollo, jerked out of a doze, charged past him, roaring.
Jamie and Roger struck the doorway - and each other - simultaneously, stuck for an instant, and fell through. All the little boys shrieked and ran to their respective mothers, who were frantically beating at the smoldering shirt as though it were a live snake.
I had leaped to my feet, but was pressed against the wall, unable to get past Bree and Amy. Adso, startled by the racket and by my popping up beside him, hissed and took a swipe at me, narrowly missing my eye.
A number of oaths in a mixture of languages were coming from the dooryard, accompanied by a series of sharp barks from Rollo. Everyone sounded thoroughly annoyed, but there were no sounds of conflict. I edged my way delicately past the knot of mothers and sons, and peered out.
Major MacDonald, wet to the eyebrows and covered in clumps of snow and dirty slush, was gesticulating with some energy at Jamie, while Ian rebuked Rollo, and Roger - from the look on his face - was trying very hard not to burst out laughing.
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- QOTD for Thursday, November 11, 2021 -- kgp, Thu, November 11 2021, 4:19:24
The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 29 Conversation with a Headmaster
“I share your concern, Mr. MacKenzie,” Menzies said, looking up and meeting his eyes in a way that made it seem as though he truly did. “I’ve had a wee word with Miss Glendenning, and i think it won’t happen again.”
Roger held his gaze for a moment, wanting to say all sorts of things but realizing the Menzies was not responsible for most of them.
“If it does,” he said evenly, “I won’t come back with a shotgun - but I will come back with the sheriff. And a newspaper photographer, to document Miss Glendenning being taken off in handcuffs.”
Menzies blinked once and put his spectacles back on.
“You’re sure ye wouldn’t rather send our wife round with the family shotgun?” he asked wistfully, and Roger laughed, despite himself.
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- QOTD for Wednesday, November 10,2021 -- kgp, Wed, November 10 2021, 5:16:19
The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 44 Friends
“Him captain says her does for Joe,” he said calmly. “Her does.”
Stactoe’s mouth fell open in outrage at this gross insult to his rank, and he lunged at Dick, grabbing for the blade. Dick, with reflexes honed by tribal warfare and years of British seamanship, swung the blade at Stactoe with the obvious intent of removing his head. He would likely have succeeded, save for Denzell Hunter’s equally good reflexes, which sent him leaping for Dick’s arm. He missed but succeeded in knocking the big Guineman into Stactoe. They clutched each other - Dick dropping the knife - and staggered to and fro before both overbalances and crashed into Ormiston’s cot, sending patient, rum bottle, hot water, Denzell Hunter, and the rest of the instruments sprawling across the stone floor with a clatter that stopped every conversation in the building.
“Oooh!” said Mrs. Raven, deliciously shocked. This was turning out even better than expected.
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- QOTD for Tuesday, November 9, 2021 -- kgp, Tue, November 09 2021, 5:50:57
The following quotation is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. Chapter 38 A De’il in the Milk
So it was with a certain sense of forewarning that he leaned forward and gingerly lifted the cloth. Even so, he let out a yelp and jerked back, the weighted cloth flying sideways to clack against the wall.
The malevolent green eyes that glared at him from the middle of the bucket disappeared and the milk went gollup!, a spray of creamy drops erupting from the bucket like a miniature volcano.
“Shit!” he said. Mrs. McCallum had backed away as far as she could get and was staring at the bucket in terror, both hands clapped across her mouth. Aidan had one hand pressed over his own mouth, and was similarly wide-eyed - but a slight fizzing sound was audible from his direction.
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- I wish I was a kid again. I would find me a 🐸 and a bucket of milk. (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, November 09 2021, 8:21:16
- Love this section! :-D (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, November 09 2021, 8:51:42
- The unexpected bits of humor in The Books are always a joy! :-) (NT) -- JudithONH, Tue, November 09 2021, 17:17:02
- It was nice to see Aiden being a little boy and enjoying fun instead of a sickly lost soul. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, November 10 2021, 3:32:07
- QOTD for Monday, November 8, 2021 -- kgp, Mon, November 08 2021, 13:51:14
Sorry this is late. Life got in the way today. All good.
I love the suggestion of a theme. I'll work on that unless someone else does it first. This week is a salmagundi of quotes that I like.
The following quotation is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. Chapter 67 The Last Laugh
“This is Hiram Crombie,” Jamie said to Bird, in Tsalagi, indicating Mr. Crombie, who had stood by him, white-faced with nerves, throughout the preliminary talk, the presentation of the muskets, the summoning of the braves, and the general rejoicing over the guns. “He has come to offer his friendship, and to tell you stories of the Christ.”
“Oh, your Christ? The one who went to the lower world and came back? I always wondered, did he meet Sky-woman there, or Mole? I am fond of Mole; I would like to know what he said.” Bird touched the stone pendant at his neck, a small red carving of Mole, the guide to the underworld.
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- Jocasta and Laoghaire! -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 07 2021, 9:07:31
I’ve been binging Call the Midwife and just saw season 4 episode 7 with Laoghaire as a new mother and Jocasta as her pregnant middle aged Aunt who are part of a band of Travelers going through Poplar.
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- QOTD for Sunday, November 7, 2021 -- kgp, Sat, November 06 2021, 20:48:10
The following quotation is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 45. If It Quacks . . .
“Mrs. Fraser!” Dr. Fentiman glared at me in irritation, his wig fallen half askew over one ear. “Do you go, please, and cease interfering! I am greatly occupied, and have no time to indulge your fancies. You, sir – remove her!” He waved a hand at Ulysses and turned back to the bed, shoving his wig into place as he did so.
“Why, you little –” I choked off the intended epithet, seeing Ulysses take an uncertain step toward me. He clearly hesitated to remove me bodily, but it was just as clear that he would obey the Doctor’s orders in preference to mine.
Trembling with fury, I swept around and left the room.
Jamie was waiting for me at the foot of the stair. Seeing my face as I descended, he took my arm at once and led me out into the yard.
“That – that –” Words failed me.
“Officious worm?” he supplied helpfully. “Unsonsie sharg?”
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- Wee bittie eejit, I would say... (NT) -- JudithONH, Sat, November 06 2021, 21:30:26
- Ooooh 😉 Maybe a week of gloriously colorful Scottish insults? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 07 2021, 9:04:05
- I LOVE the Scots insults, so much more colorful than swearing! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, November 08 2021, 9:27:09
- QOTD for Saturday 6 November 2021, PART TWO -- JudithONH, Sat, November 06 2021, 17:03:40
CRUD! How did this happen? I couldn't leave it hanging without the resolution - I miscounted my excerpts ... so I give you the finale...I know my quotes have been long, but I couldn't figure how to make them shorter, and still be cohesive. Bonus quote this time. Re-read the story, it's well worth it all!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Sit up, Mr. MacKenzie, do.” The anxious voice was still there, and hands – yes, it was hands – tugging at his arm. He shook his head, screwed his eyes shut hard, then opened them again, and the round thing became the houndlike face of old Mr. Wardlaw, who kept the corner shop. …
“Where?” he gasped. “Where are they?”
“Why – your missus took the little boy and went to stay with her mother, sometime after you left. I don’t recall quite where she said…” Mr. Wardlaw turned, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the river. “Camberwell, was it?”
“Bethnal Green.” Jerry’s mind had come back, though it felt still as though it was a pebble rolling round the rim of some bottomless abyss, its balance uncertain. He tried to dust himself off, but his hands were shaking. “She lives in Bethnal Green. You’re sure – you’re sure, man?”
“Yes, yes.” The grocer was altogether relieved, smiling and nodding so hard that his jowls trembled. …
They're alive. So am I. ...
Dolly. She's cut her hair, he thought. It was short and curly, black as soot – black as the hair of the little boy she held in her arms, close against her, sheltering him. Her face was set, jaw clenched. And then she turned a bit, and saw him.
He face went blank for an instant and then flared like a lit match, with a radiant joy that struck him in the heart and flamed through his being. ...
He saw what she was doing and was already leaning, pushing forward, straining to reach… The boy struck him high in the chest like a lump of concrete, little head smashing painfully into Jerry’s face, knocking his head back. He had one arm round the child, falling back on the people behind him, struggling to find his footing, get a firmer hold – and then something gave way in the crowd around him, he staggered into an open space, and then his knee gave way and he plunged over the lip of the track. ...
He didn’t hear the crack of his head against the rail or the screams of the people above; it was all lost in a roar like the end of the world as the roof over the stair fell in.
“Here,take the little chap. I’ll see if the bloke’s got any identification.”
“Come on, big man, yeah, that’s it, that’s it, come with me. Hush, now, it’s all right, it’s all right … is that your daddy then?”
“No tags, no service book. Funny that. He’s RAF, though, isn’t he? AWOL, d’ye think?”
He could hear Dolly laughing at that, felt her hand stroke his hair. He smiled and turned his head to see her smiling back, the radian joy spreading round her like rings in shining water…
“Rafe! The rest of it’s going! Run! Run
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- QOTD for Saturday 6 November 2021 -- JudithONH, Fri, November 05 2021, 17:44:33
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Right,” said the dark man, coming to an abrupt halt. “This is where we leave you.”
“Ye do?” Jerry panted. “But – but you –“
“When ye came…through. Did ye have anything on you? A gemstone, any jewellery?”
“Aye,” Jerry said, bewildered. “I had a raw sapphire in my pocket. But it’s gone. It’s like it –”
“Like it burnt up,” the blond man finished for him, grim-voiced. “Aye. Well, so?” …
“Take this; it’s a good one. When ye go through,” the dark man was speaking urgently to him, “think about your wife, about Marjorie. Think hard; see her in your mind’s eye, and walk straight through. Whatever the hell ye do, though, don’t think about your son. Just your wife.” …
Jerry wallowed, his hand closing tight around the stone.
“Aye. Aye…right. Thanks, then.” He added awkwardly, and heard the breath of a rueful laugh from the dark man.
“Nay bother, mate,” he said. And with that, they were both off, making their way across the stubbled meadow, two lumbering shapes in the moonlight. …
“Dolly,” he whispered, trying to summon up a vision of his wife. “Dolly, Dolly, help me!”
He took a hesitant step toward the stones. Another. One more. Then nearly bit his tongue off as a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He whirled, fist up, but the dark man’s other hand seized his wrist.
“I love you,” the dark man said, his voice fierce. Then he was gone again, with the shoof-shoof sounds of boots in dry grass, leaving Jerry with his mouth agape.
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- It’s so sad that somehow, because they both knew they were out of their own time, that Roger couldn’t call him Da. I guess maybe that would have kept Jerry from thinking of Dolly though and Roger didn’t want to take the chance of him getting lost in time. Does anybody know if Roger was older than Jerry at this point? The way Jerry refers to him as the dark man makes it seem that way to me. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, November 06 2021, 5:32:24
- I think at this point Roger is in his 30s and Jerry in his early 20s so age-wise Roger is older than Jerry. Not totally sure about Roger's age, but he was definitely older than Bree when they met and at this point in the story it's about ten years or so from that time. (NT) -- TheresaB., Sat, November 06 2021, 6:03:23
- Roger was born around 1936 or '38 (in 46 he was 8 or 10. Thinking 8 so call it 38) it was what 80/81 when R and J went back?? So Roger was 42/43 or so. Jerry would had been early/mid 20s. No more than early 30s. As for Roger's exact age we would have to CK the exact amount of time he spent in the past. But that's close enough. 🤔🤔🤪🤪 (NT) -- JamesG, Sat, November 06 2021, 8:41:55
- Is there anyone doing a online (detailed) timeline of the books. I would love to do something like that but I'm not tech savvy enough to do it (NT) -- JamesG, Sat, November 06 2021, 8:47:06
- James, I don't think there is a timeline online, although I didn't look at DG's website. There may be one on another Lallybroch group, but not sure. I looked in the Outlandish Companion and there isn't one there, in either volume. I think way back someone on LOL tried to put one together, but there were some inconsistencies. And I think DG intervened with a comment (MAYBE) that since she doesn't write in a linear fashion, that sometimes dates are slightly off, but not enough to affect the story. IIRC, there were some folks who were a bit upset about this, and again, IIRC, the subject was dropped. That doesn't mean that someone hasn't compiled a timeline, but if so, it is probably a tangled mess of spaghetti and computer cords - LOL! Again, this is just my faulty memory speaking. Someone else may know better. (NT) -- JudithONH, Sat, November 06 2021, 11:39:12
- Actually, I just googled "Outlander Series Timeline" and several things popped up. I didn't look at them all, but they are out there if you want to put on your "Hector the Dectector" hat...LOL! (NT) -- JudithONH, Sat, November 06 2021, 11:43:10
- I agree with you, Kathy, but as you said, Roger knew if he messed with Jerry's mind, he might not get back. I also find it interesting that the next part of the conversation is overheard by Jerry, that "he isn't going to make it back." How chilling for him to hear that! (NT) -- JudithONH, Sat, November 06 2021, 11:33:50
- QOTD for Friday 5 November 2021 -- JudithONH, Thu, November 04 2021, 19:59:35
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Help! Help me!” he shouted, pounding on the door. “Help!”
“Will ye for God’s sake hush your noise?” said a low, annoyed voice on the other side of the door. “Ye want to have them all down on us? Here, then, bring the light closer.” …
There was a scraping noise as the bolt was drawn, and a faint grunt of effort, then a thunk! as the bolt was set down against the wall. The door swung open, and Jerry blinked in a sudden shaft of light as the slide of a lantern grated open. …
“What’s your name, mate?” said the dark chap, softly. Jerry felt the nip of wariness at his nape, even as he felt a thrill in the pit of his stomach. It was regular speech, perfectly understandable. A Scots accent, but -- …
“MacKenzie, J.W.,” he said, straightening up to attention. “Lieutenant, Royal Air Force. Service number –”
An indescribable expression flitted across the dark bloke’s face. An urge to laugh, of all bloody things, and a flare of excitement in his eyes – really striking eyes, a vivid green that flashed suddenly in the light. None of that mattered to Jerry; what was important was that the man plainly knew. He knew. …
“How – how did ye find me?” He could hardly breathe, such a pace they kept up, but he had to know. …
“I met an auld wifie wearing your dog tags. Very proud of them, she was.”
“Ye’ve got them?” Jerry gasped.
“Nay, she wouldna give them up.” It was the fair man, sounding definitely amused. “Told us where she got them, though, and we followed your trail backward. Hey!” He caught Jerry’s elbow, just as his foot twisted out from under him. The sound of a barking dog broke the night – some way away, but distinct. The fair man’s hand clenched tight on his arm. “Come on, then – hurry!”
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- QOTD for Thursday 4 November 2021 -- JudithONH, Thu, November 04 2021, 9:51:30
This is me, forgetting to post last night and just remembering. Doh! I had my book out on the desk and all and just got lost in a glass of wine...Apologies!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“He licked his lips at the smell. Hot pastry, steaming, juicy meat. …
It was the first house he’d seen in two days. …
Once he’d got a grip on himself to think clearly, it became obvious that he needed to go back to the standing stones. Whatever had happened to him had happened there, and if he really was somewhere in the past – as hard as he’d tried to find some alternative explanation, none was forthcoming – then his only chance of getting back where he belonged seemed to lie there, too. …
He circled the house at a cautious distance, checking for dogs. No dog. Aye, fine, then. …
As it happened, the farmstead did boast a dog, which had been attending its absent master in the barn. Both these worthies returning unexpectedly at this point, the dog at once spotted what it assumed to be jiggery-pokery taking place, and gave tongue in an altogether proper manner. Alerted in turn to felonious activity on his premises, the householder instantly joined the affray, armed with a wooden spade, with which he batted Jerry over the head. …
It was a well-built byre, the stones fitted carefully and mortared. He wore himself out with shouting and kicking at the door until his gammy leg gave way and he collapsed onto the earthen floor.
“Now bloody what?” he muttered.
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- Getting lost is a glass of wine is a great adventure...you're forgiven! (NT) -- Janet, Thu, November 04 2021, 12:08:19
- Jerry and Claire didn’t know at first what had happened. But they both tried to stay calm, realized something was very wrong and tried to rationally figure out what they should do. I don’t think I could do that. Do you think their military training helped? I also think inborn common sense is a gift that not everyone has and that can go a very long way in sticky situations. Brianna and Roger chose it - what a difference. The description of the pastry reminded me of the bridies Brianna enjoyed on the docks and inspires me to make some pasties now that it’s getting colder. We had our first ice on the birdbath yesterday. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, November 04 2021, 15:07:28
- I don't know that I'd even CONSIDER that I might have somehow gone back in time if I found myself so totally out of my element. Of course, after being immersed in The Books for so many years, I MIGHT consider that it could have happened. If it does, I'm praying I find Jamie, Claire, and the rest of the Frasers/MacKenzies, and not BJR or Steven Bonnet! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, November 05 2021, 9:42:42
- Also, it's coming up on lunchtime, and I would LOVE a bridie/pastie just now. I may have to try my hand at making some. As Kathy in PA mentioned, it's definitely the weather for it. Here in SE Massachusetts, we've had frost the last two nights, enough to have blasted my annuals and have us blanketing the horses at night. I did make a big batch of chili and one of broccoli cheddar soup to share with the barn crew for an event tomorrow. Yay for soup season! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, November 05 2021, 9:47:47
- STANDING STONE WANT ADS -- JamesG, Wed, November 03 2021, 14:51:37
WHITE🐷SOW
SECURITY
SYSTEMS
For All Your Home
Defense Needs
Call 1-800-EATEMUP
"we don't call the cops;
We just have supper"
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- QOTD for Wednesday 3 November 2021 -- JudithONH, Tue, November 02 2021, 19:20:06
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
He staggered on the rock-strewn ground, feeling the vertigo set in again, with a vengeance. He waved his arms, trying to keep his balance, but his head spun, and Christ, the bloody noise in his head … He couldn’t think, oh, Jesus, he felt as if his bones were dissolv—
It was full dark when he came to himself, but the clouds had broken and a three-quarter moon shone in the deep black of a country sky. He moved, and groaned. Every bone in his body hurt – but none was broken. …
Oh, wait. Radio. Yes, he’d forgotten. If Dolly’s radio were intact, he could…
He stared blankly at the open ground before him. He’d have sworn it was – but he must have got turned round in the dark and fog – no. …
Not only was the plane gone, it didn’t seem ever to have been there.”
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- What a horrible feeling of "Now you see it; now you don't." this must have been for Jerry. Not only is his plane GONE, but no sign that it had even been there. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, November 03 2021, 8:21:33
- That's because it "HAD" not been there. Not YET. Not for another 200 yrs. 🤯😲😦🤔 (NT) -- JamesG, Wed, November 03 2021, 14:38:30
- JamesG, at first I thought, well, yes, it was - that's how Jerry got back in time. But then I remembered he didn't go back in the plane. He crashed in the standing stones in HIS time, was out of the plane, and then TOUCHED the stones, and was plummeted back in time...without the plane. Thanks for making me think about this! (NT) -- JudithONH, Thu, November 04 2021, 9:54:36
- QOTD for Tuesday 2 November 2021 -- JudithONH, Mon, November 01 2021, 19:37:13
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“He glanced at the altimeter, but what it told him was of limited use, because he didn’t know what the ground under him was like: crags, flat meadow, water? He hoped and prayed for a road, a grassy flat spot, anything short of – God, he was at five hundred feet and still in a cloud! …
His first conscious thought was that he should have radioed base when the engine went. …
It was nearly dark, and rising mist surrounded him. He breathed deep, sniffing the dank, cold air. It smelt of rot and old mangelwurzels – but what it didn’t smell of was petrol and burning fuselage.
Right. Maybe she hadn’t caught fire when she crashed, then. If not, and if her radio was still working …
There was nothing but mist to his left and behind him, but to his right, he made out two or three large, bulky shapes, standing upright. …
Only three of the big stones were still standing, but he could see a few more, fallen or pushed over, lying like bodies in the darkening fog. He paused to vomit, holding on to one of the stones. Christ, his head was like to split! And he had a terrible buzzing in his ears…He pawed vaguely at his ear, thinking somehow he’d left his headset on, but felt nothing but a cold, wet ear. …
He forced himself to open his eyes, and was rewarded with the sight of a large, dark irregular shape, well beyond the remains of the stone circle. Dolly!”
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- QOTD for Monday 1 November 2022 -- JudithONH, Sun, October 31 2021, 17:06:57
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“He swallowed, still restless, dry-mouthed by proxy, and went to fetch a cup of tea from the canteen. That was a mistake; he heard the gremlins laughing as soon as he walked in and saw Sailor Malan.
Malan was Group Captain and a decent bloke overall. …
“Lieutenant!” Malan rose from his seat, smiling. “The very man I had in mind!”
The Devil he had, Jerry thought, arranging his face into a look of respectful expectancy. …
“Randall’s come over from Ops at Ealing,” Sailor was saying over his shoulder. He hadn’t waited for them to exchange polite chat, but was already leading them out across the tarmac, heading for the Flight Command offices. …
Ops at Ealing, my Aunt Fanny, he thought. He wasn’t even surprised, as Sailor waved Randall through the door, to hear the Group Captain lean close and murmur in his ear, “Careful – he’s a funny bugger.”
Jerry nodded, stomach tightening. Malan didn’t mean Captain Randall was either humorous or a Freemason. “Funny bugger” in this context meant only one thing. MI6.”
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- QOTD for Sunday 31 October 2021 -- JudithONH, Sat, October 30 2021, 19:30:40
Hi, For this week, I post the evening before the day. I can't depend on myself to post early in the morning, and this way, friends in different areas should have the quote when they wake up.
The following quote is from “Seven Stones to Stand or Fall” by Diana Gabaldon, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, copyright 2018 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Her hands wrapped his, small and hard and smelling of medicine.
“I don’t know what happened to your father,” she said. “But it wasn’t what they told you […]
“Of course things happen,” she said, as though able to read his thoughts. “Accounts get garbled, too, over time and distance. Whoever told your mother might have been mistaken; she might have said something that the reverend misconstrued. All those things are possible. But during the War, I had letters from Frank – he wrote as often as he could, up until they recruited him into M16. After that, I often wouldn’t hear anything for months. But just before that, he wrote to me, and mentioned – just as casual chat, you know – that he’d run into something strange in the reports he was handling. A Spitfire had gone down, crashed – not shot down; they thought it must have been an engine failure – in Northumbria, and while it hadn’t burned, for a wonder, there was no sign of the pilot. None. And he did mention the name of the pilot, because he thought Jeremiah rather an appropriately doomed sort of name.”
“Jerry,” Roger said, his lips feeling numb. “My mother always called him Jerry.”
“Yes,” she said softly. “And there are circles of standing stones scattered all over Northumbria.”
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- This is another quote that always gives me goosebumps. And then think about Jerry being a traveler because he’s part of the McKenzie line back to Geillis and Dougal, right? I like how Claire is the one to tell Roger. She seems more concerned with his feelings than anyone else. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, October 31 2021, 16:50:01
- Great quote for Samhein, Halloween! I wonder how long Claire thought about whether to tell Roger or not, and if so, how and when. I'm pretty sure I would tell Roger, but it would take me some time to decide if telling really IS the best idea. I would hesitate because "false hope" is dreadful. Claire is quite amazing in how she approaches it all. (NT) -- Betsy BS, Sun, October 31 2021, 18:16:32
- EVERYONE STAY AWAY FROM THE STANDING STONES!!!!! 👽👻👹👺☠️🤖🤡🤠👀💀🧚🦸🦹🧟🎅💂🤴👷👮👩🚒💃 -- JamesG, Sat, October 30 2021, 17:16:34
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- QOTD for Sat, Oct 30th, 2021 -- JamesG, Fri, October 29 2021, 23:58:46
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon "Prologue" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
The body is amazingly plastic. The spirit, even more so. But there are some things you don't come back from.
Say ye so, "a nighean?" True, the body's easily maimed, and the spirit can be crippled---yet there's that in a man that is never destroyed.
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- Sorry, I know "a nighean" is supposed to be in italics, but I could not git it to work. Or actually I could not get it to STOP working. It would not "close" the italics. But I'm sure everyone just automatically reads that in italics anyway. 😉😉 (NT) -- JamesG, Sat, October 30 2021, 0:08:52
- I don’t know how to do special effects yet either, James, but you’re right, we do read it that way. I’ve struggled with this prologue because I don’t think of plastic as flexible. It seems brittle and breakable to me and not something that would bounce back after trauma. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 30 2021, 9:17:02
- This quote also reminds me a bit of the first law of thermodynamics - energy cannot be created or destroyed. So is true is the case of a person's essence. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, November 01 2021, 8:06:34
- LallyCard Exchange -- LisaW, Fri, October 29 2021, 17:20:25
November is almost here! Another year is speeding by us!!!
How about some Lally Fun exchanging Holiday Cheer?!
Don't be a Cotton-Headed Ninny Muggins! Join in! Sign up fpr the LallyCard Exchange!
Email me your snail mail info to; lallycards @ gmail.com(remove spaces).
Send your info by November 14th and I will get you on the list!!
Slainte!
LisaW
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- QOTD for Fri, Oct 29th, 2021 -- JamesG, Fri, October 29 2021, 0:55:30
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 44 "Friends" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
Much to my surprise, I found Captain Stebbings sitting up. White-faced, bathed in sweat, and swaying like a pendulum--but upright. Mr. Dick hovered over him, clucking with the tender anxiety of a hen with one chick.
"I see you're feeling better, Captain," I said, smiling at him. Have you on your feet any day now, won't we?"
"Been...on my feet," he wheezed. "Think I might die."
"What?"
"Him be WALKING!" Mr. Dick assured me, torn between pride and dismay. "On my arm, but him walk, sure!"
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- Quoters needed for November 21 and 28 weeks. -- kgp, Thu, October 28 2021, 12:30:17
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- LAST CALL!! for Secret Santa. You can sign up at the link below. I plan on drawing names on or around November 3. -- Colly, Thu, October 28 2021, 7:40:54
https://sneakysanta.com/invite.aspx?i=7a8702c1
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- QOTD for Thurs, Oct 28th, 2021 -- JamesG, Wed, October 27 2021, 23:35:51
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 37 "Purgatory" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"You don't---do you suppose they might come back?"
"No," the man said, casually indifferent. "I told them to be gone."
William stared at him.
"And why do you think they'll do as you say?"
"Because they're Mingo," the man replied patiently, "and I'm Kahnyen'kehaka---a Mohawk. They're afraid of me."
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- I'm really enjoying your "Echo" quotes this week, JamesG. I haven't re-read this book as often as the first 4, so these are a treat. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, October 28 2021, 7:26:00
- Was this Ian? When he rescued William in the great dismal? I’m enjoying the catch up with quotes too! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, October 28 2021, 10:44:12
- Was this Ian? When he rescued William in the great dismal? I’m enjoying the catch up with quotes too! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, October 28 2021, 12:11:34
- Young Ian is such a complex character compared to his 15 year old self in Voyager. I hope nothing horrible happens to him in the new Book. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, October 28 2021, 12:26:37
- QOTD for Wed, Oct 27th, 2021 -- JamesG, Wed, October 27 2021, 1:18:51
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 17 "Wee Demons" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
They followed the Indian girl to the door of the room, sparing him not a glance. At the door, though, Hermione turned, and hitching up her baggy-seated breeches, fixed him with a glare and pointed a long, skinny finger of accusation at him.
"If we turns out to be whores after all, you fucker, I'm gonna hunt you down, cut your balls off, and stuff 'em up your arse."
He took his leave with what dignity he could, the peals of Mrs. Sylvie's laughter ringing in his ears.
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- QOTD for Tues, Oct 26, 2021 -- JamesG, Tue, October 26 2021, 1:34:45
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 11 "Transverse lie" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
The door creaked gently, and I looked round to see one of the Beardsleys peering in, his face showing a mixture of fear and hope.
"Is it hear?" he whispered hoarsely.
"NO!" bellowed Lizzie, sitting bolt upright. "Get your neb out of my sight, or I'll twist your wee bollocks off! All four o' them!"
The door promptly closed, and Lizzie subsided, puffing.
"I hate them" she said through clenched teeth. "I want them to die!"
"Mmm-hmm," I said sympathetically. "Well, I'm sure they're suffering, at least."
"Good." She went from fury to pathos in a split second, tears welling in her eyes. "Am I going to die?"
"No," I said, as reassuringly as possible.
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- The DG thing.... -- Judie, Mon, October 25 2021, 22:03:39
.
.
If you haven't been on Facebook and you want to join in, please email me with your email address so we can make a mailing list and send everyone the details.
It will definitely be something to do to help the bee population - a nice tie-in with the upcoming new release - whenever it's ready. :)
Click on "contact forum admin" above and send me your name and address. Thanks!
Judie
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- QOTD for Mon, Oct 25th, 2021 -- JamesG, Mon, October 25 2021, 0:11:53
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 40 "The blessing of Bride and Michael" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
For the next twelve days he walked, the dog by his side, and spoke to no one
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- I know it's short, but that's a complete passage. And it makes you think. (NT) -- JamesG, Mon, October 25 2021, 0:16:58
- I felt so sorry for him. He needed this. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, October 25 2021, 4:14:15
- The connection between Ian and Rollo is so strong and well written. I was just listening to the weddings and when the congregation doesn’t immediately react well to Ian’s vows, when he cuts off Emily’s armband, and Rollo just gives a low, barely audible growl. He is so protective of Ian and probably wouldn’t still be alive if Ian hadn’t rescued him from the docks. This quote certainly does make me pause and picture it. Was it after Ian made the cairns for Jenny and Jamie? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, October 25 2021, 4:24:14
- It's that time of year again..... -- Judie, Sun, October 24 2021, 16:07:46
.
.
... when we do the "DG thing".
Read this article to get a clue:
https://daily.jstor.org/telling-the-bees/
I'll post more info here and on Facebook. And if you are a FB member, please do not repost this to any of the LOL groups because some have hundreds of people who are not the core LOL members of longstanding. For one thing, Judy and I couldn't handle the masses, and secondly, this is our traditional thing we've been doing for 20+ years, so it's for the people we know personally in one way or another. Thanks.
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- QOTD for Sun Oct 24th 2021 -- JamesG, Sun, October 24 2021, 0:10:46
The following quote is from "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon Ch 29 "Conversation with a headmaster" copyright © 2009 by Diana Gabaldon all rights reserved
"I share your concern, Mr. MacKenzie," Menzies said, looking up and meeting his eyes in a way that made it seem as though he truly did. "I've had a wee word with Miss Glendenning, and I think it won't happen again."
Roger held his gaze for moment, wanting to say all sorts of things but realizing that Menzies was not responsible for most of them.
"If it does," he said evenly, "I won't come back with a shotgun--but I will come back with the sheriff. And a newspaper photographer, to document Miss Glendenning being taken off in handcuffs."
Menzies blink once and put his spectacles back on.
"You're sure ye wouldn't rather send your wife round with the family shotgun?" He asked wistfully, and Roger laughed, despite himself.
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Replies:
- Want to guess the ref. to the shotgun?? (NT) -- JamesG, Sun, October 24 2021, 0:16:46
- Drat!! I made one booboo. Find it and I will give you two Standing Stones TT tickets. Same for the one that looks like a mistake but is not. (Look close. You may have to look it up to find the "not mistake") 🤔🤔 (NT) -- JamesG, Sun, October 24 2021, 0:28:50
- Ha! Bree is a much better shot, so maybe don't send her around with the gun... (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, October 25 2021, 10:41:47
- QOTD Saturday 10/23/21 -- Betsy BFS, Fri, October 22 2021, 22:42:42
The Following quote is from 'Written In My Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 21, "Bloody Men."
"God damn you, sir," William whispered, and his eyes were black with violence. "God damn you to hell." , His arm hung limp and must have hurt, but he wouldn't rub it, not with Jamie watching.
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- I’ve been rereading WIMOHB in anticipation of Bees. So many of the quotes this week I wouldn’t have had a clue…. It’s been too long,lol. (NT) -- jayn, Sat, October 23 2021, 8:29:37
- “Bloody Men” and their pride, indeed. NEVER show weakness - I think it must be a hard way to live. No matter how much he loves him, Jamie’s not going to accept disrespect from William, he’s still Da. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 23 2021, 10:42:50
- One line quiz hint -- JamesG, Fri, October 22 2021, 16:27:25
KGP 😉😉
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- Mailing overseas -- jayn, Fri, October 22 2021, 4:27:44
I noticed on the secret Santa post below that the US isn’t shipping to certain countries - Covid I guess.
If you really want to send something, I’d be happy to forward it for you. It’s a convoluted and not cheap system, but if it’s REALLY important I’m happy to help.
(When I say not cheap a letter to Australia recently set me back $5 - just a letter).
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- QOTD for Friday, 10/22/21 -- Betsy BFS, Thu, October 21 2021, 20:15:35
Reading well written and well researched books spoils me to everything else. Knowing a lot of history helps, too. When I'm reading and there is some slopp ingly written historic event, I want to pick up a red pen and correct the inaccuracies. If I'm watching a movie, I want to say, "Stop running this scene. It's not even close to the REAL truth." It drives my family nuts because I don't just think these things quietly to myself, I'm a tad smug with my corrections. "Mom! Can you just let it go and enjoy the movie?" No. No, I can't. I love history and when someone mucks it up, and gets paid for it, I go into my Good Literature Snobbery place. My family tells me it is an unattractive Place for me to be, and I get a nudge from my Higher Power (HP) that snobbery of any sort doesn't encourage World Peace. I do think that sort of message from my HP is left over from the 60's. "All we are saaaaying, is Give Peace a Chance." Not sure we got too far with that one, but it's a comfort knowing if I sit down and shut up, I'm promoting World Peace.
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The following quote is from 'Written in my Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 21, "Bloody Men." Copyright © 2014 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
"Don't be silly," Rachel said reasonably. "Of course he'll tell me, the moment we're alone. Does thee not wish to tell me thyself? I think you might not trust Ian to say it aright." Her eye rested on Isn's lip, and her own mouth twitched. Ian might have taken offence at this, save that William's distress was so apparent.
"It isn't really a disgrace --," he began, but then stepped hastily back as William's clenched fist drew back.
"You think not?" William was so furious , his voice was nearly inaudible. "To discover that I am--am-- the... the get of a Scottish criminal? That I am a fucking BASTARD?"
Despite his resolve to be patient, Ian felt his own dander srart to rise.
"Criminal, forbye!" he snapped. "Any man might be proud to be the son of Jamie Fraser!"
"Oh," said Rachel, forestalling William's next heated remark" "That?"
"What?" He glared down at her. "What the devil do you mean, 'that,?"
"We thought it must be the case, Denny and I." She lifted one shoulder, though keeping a close watch on William, who looked as if he were about to go off like a twelve-pound morter. "But we supposed that thee didn't wish the matter talked about. I knew that thee-- how could you not have known?" she asked curiously. "The resemblance --?"
"Fuck the resemblance!"
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Replies:
- I’ve sometimes wondered about all this. William's parentage was cause for some speculation and therefore gossip in the neighbourhood. Did he really, deep down have no clue that his legal father was not his biological father? He must have heard some whispering at some point. Of course, even if he knew for sure, the Scots groom would never occur to him. (NT) -- jayn, Fri, October 22 2021, 4:31:45
- Don’t you love Rachel’s calm, but right to the point, comments? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 23 2021, 10:44:10
- ONE LINE QUIZ. I give you one line of dialogue and you tell me who said it to who. (And why) Ready?? 🤔🤔 "But when an adult gits it -- particularly an adult male -- it's a more serious matter. It tends to settle in the testicles. And unless you WANT to have balls the size of muskmelons --" -- JamesG, Thu, October 21 2021, 9:54:48
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- QOTD for Thursday 10/21/21 -- Betsy Barefootspinner, Wed, October 20 2021, 18:24:17
The following quote is from 'Written In His Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon. chapter 18, "Nameless, Homeless, Destitute, and Very Drunk Indeed," Copyright ©2014, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
She didn't let go but did sit up and regarded him with an air of puzzled impatience, just visible in the lantern light that seeped throughthe shudders,
"If you bother me, I'll tell you to stop; how's that?," she offered.
"No," he repeated. He was concentrating fiercely now; it seemed exceedingly important that she understand. "Honor. It's my honor."
She made a small sound that might have been impatience or amusement .
"Maybe you should have considered your honor before you came to a whorehouse. Or did someone drag you inside against your will?"
"I came with a friend," he said with dignity. She still hadn't let go but couldn't move her hand, not with his clasped tightly around it. "That's ..... not what I mean. I mean..." The words that had come easily a moment before had slipped away again, leaving him blank.
"You could tell me later, after you've had a good think," she suggested, and he was startled to discover she had TWO hands and knew what to do with the other one, too.
"Unhand my..." DAMN, WHAT IS THE BLOODY WORD? "Unhand my testicles if you please, madam."
"Just as you like," she replied crisply, and, doing so, put her head back inside his damp, smelly shirt, seized one nipple between her teeth, and sucked so hard it pulled every last word out of his head.
Matters thereafter were unsettled but largely pleasant, though at one point he found hiself rearing above her, sweat dripping from his face onto her breasts, muttering, "I'm a bastard, I'm a bastard, I'm a BASTARD, don't you understand?"
She didn't reply to this but stretched up a long white arm, cupped her hand round the back of his head, and pulled him down again.
"That's why." He came gradually to himself , aware that he was talking and evidently had been for some time, in spite of his head being cradled in the curve of her shoulder, his senses aswim in her musk (like a sweating flower, he thought dreamily), and her nipple a dark sweet thing an inch or two from his nose. "The only honor I have left is my word. Have to keep it." Then tears came suddenly to his eyes, with recollections of the moments just past. "Why did you make me break my word?"
She didn't answer for awhile, and he'd thought she'd fallen asleep, save for the hand that roved over his bare breasts, gentle as a whisper.
"Ever think that maybe a whore has a sense of honor, too?" she said at last.
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- I know this is a bit longer than usual, but there are so many places that remind me of other characters in the Books. And it's a great quote about William's sense of feeling without roots and how rudderless he feels at the moment.. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, October 20 2021, 18:59:30
- Thank you for the week about Jane. It seems to me that I was so focused on William’s distress that I skimmed over her on my reads. Your quote from Monday just hit me hard that the word I would use to describe her is beguiling, in the best sense of the word. It struck me that such a young woman had no recourse but to sell herself to survive, but more importantly to her, to save her sister. Thank goodness William was raised by John and had Jamie’s blood because he truly had honor. He was so angry and could have easily taken it out on a “whore” but he did see the woman and she broke through his horrible emotions and he let her. I had forgotten that they did actually do the deed, which I do think helped him physically and mental, as Jenny noted. But I remembered she kept offering and he refused as they escaped the city, because I don’t think he saw her as just a whore. I think the main purpose, though, of introducing Jane- is to get Francis to the ridge. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, October 21 2021, 5:41:12
- I hadn't really been thinking of the Jane Story this week, but you're right. Jane is one of those characters who come, make an impact, and then go. One of the things I like about Jane is her willingness to listen to William, with no judgement nor expectations at all. I think she is a respite in a storm. (NT) -- Betsy BS, Thu, October 21 2021, 18:57:29
- QOTD for Wednesday, 10/20/21 -- Betsy BFS, Wed, October 20 2021, 16:28:28
First of all, Thank you, kgp. You are a true Wonder Woman. I had some unplanned and non- rescedulable events that inserted themselves in my well- planned week.I know. I know. It's hard to believe I had a well-planned anything but I have PLANS every day; however, it never goes the way I've commissioned it to. It ends up being a mere suggestion, and an elusive one at that.
There's a drawback to being ADD with a touch of OCD and having a plan. I start out armed and organized, ready to actually accomplish something today. I am charged. I am focused. I am Woman, Hear me roar. That lasts about a minute and a half. I'd love to tell you what happens for the next 12 hours, but truthfully, I don't know. All I know is that at the end of the day, everything looks worse. I swear....there is a gene for cleaning homes and staying tidy. It skipped me. It skipped me altogether. Someone has a perverse sense of humor and enjoys seeing 22 different tasks, started and abandoned all in one day.
To give myself credit, I am thorough to a fault when I actually don't get distracted. I admit, my style is not typical, but it works for me. I start from the inner most corned, throw everything I find into a (Very Large) pile, and commence to begin the clean-out-the-closet job. It takes all day, but while I'm doing it, it honestly looks like I'm out of my mind. If anyone takes anything out of my pile, I become a very territorial dragon. It all ends up, sometimes over two days, in a clean-as-an-OR room and all contents put away, each in their own place, and in alphabetical order.
This success happens about once a year.
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The following quote was meant for Wednesday, Is taken from 'Written In My Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, "Nameless, Homeless, Destitute, And Very Drunk Indeed." Copyright© 2014, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
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Through slitted lids, he saw her observe him closely for a moment, then she leaned over and blew out the candle. Ghostlike in the darkness, she climbed into her bed --the ropes creaked with her weight-- and drew up the quilt. A faint sigh came to him over the sounds of the brothel below.
"Er... Arabella?" He didn't expect thanks, exactly, but he did want SOMETHING from her.
"What," she sounded resigned, obviously expecting him to say that he'd changed his mind about buggery.
"What's your real name?"
There was silence for a minute, as she made up her mind. There was nothing tentative about the young woman, though, and when she did reply, it was without reluctance.
"Jane."
"Oh. Just-- the one thing more. My coat---?"
"I sold it."
"Oh, Er... good night then."
There was a prolonged moment, filled with the unspoken thoughts of two people, then a deep, exasperated sigh.
"Come and get into bed, you idiot."
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- Secret Santa? If you are interested, email me at cmt5556@gmail.com. Please note, shipping times are going to be a mess...and right now the US is not shipping to Australia or New Zealand (at least USPS isn't, not sure about FedEx or UPS). -- Colly, Wed, October 20 2021, 11:31:14
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- The week of the 31st has been spoken for - Thank you, Judith!! Anyone for next week?? -- kgp, Wed, October 20 2021, 6:32:22
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- Placeholder quote -- kgp, Wed, October 20 2021, 6:03:08
The following quotation is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 114 Amanda
“What’s P-H-A-L-L-U-S?” Jemmy was asking his father.
“Another word for prick,” Roger said briefly. “Don’t bloody use it. Listen - can ye hear anything when ye listen to that stone?” He indicated Jamie’s ring lying on the table. Jem’s face lighted at the sight of it.
“Sure,” he said.
“What, from here?” Brianna said, incredulous. Jem looked around the circle of parents and grandparents, surprised at their interest. “Sure,” he repeated. “It sings.”
“Do ye think wee Mandy can hear it sing, too?” Jamie asked carefully. His heart was beating heavily, afraid to know, either way.
Jemmy picked up the ring and leaned over Mandy’s basket, holding it directly over her face. She kicked energetically and made noises - but whether because of the ring, or merely at the sight of her brother . . .
“She can hear it,” Jem said, smiling into his sister’s face.
“How do you know?” Claire asked, curious. Jem looked up at her, surprised.
“She says so
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Replies:
- This connection between Jem & Mandy always fascinates me. Great post! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, October 20 2021, 7:55:33
- Thank you, kgp. I'll get ahold of you privately to fill you in. (NT) -- BetsyBFS, Wed, October 20 2021, 14:43:46
- I love the connection they have too and wonder about the bond between twins. Are there any here? (NT) -- Kathynin PA, Wed, October 20 2021, 16:14:02
- QOTD for Wednesday, 10/20/21 -- Betsy BFS, Tue, October 19 2021, 20:14:30
I'll be posting tomorrow AM. Sorry. Life, eh?
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- Quoters needed!!! Open weeks start on October 24 and 31. -- kgp, Tue, October 19 2021, 17:08:03
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- Quote of the day for Tuesday, 10/19/21 -- Betsy BFS who found out the right date!, Mon, October 18 2021, 20:20:11
After I retired, for a long time I knew what the date was every day. Now, the actual DATE doesn't impact my life, so I don't bother using up brain cells trying to remember. I know what DAY it is, just not the actual date. If there's something important I need to remember, I do (if I write it down and circle it in red)..... like getting a root canal, or my hip replaced. I used to juggle my work schedule, which was wacky, schedules for four kids, and have a handle on David's stuff, too., show up to appointments on time, made sure the kids showed up for THEIR appointments on time, knew what kid was playing what sport and had a game that day.... you know. All the Mama stuff we've all done. I wrapped my brain around all of it at once, no problem.
Now? Not so much. Most of the time, I just don't care because it doesn't impact my life much. I putter around, dig in the dirt when the ground isn't frozen, spin some, crotchet some, knit a little, read until I fall asleep; not just at bedtime. Whenever I sit down. I'm quite the conversationalist.
It doesn't much matter, usually, until I do QOTD. I begin to type and then I realize OH MY GOD! I haven't got a clue what the date is! Now, I know I can get the date from my dinosaur of a computer, but whenever I've tried, whatever I am working on decides to re-locate to somewhere I can't find. I have a calendar, two actually, on the other side of the house and I'm not motivated to get up off my butt, walk across the room, just to figure out what number to write down. I also have a calendar beside my computer but it's from 2019. I'm so on the ball.
Today, I looked at my calendars BEFORE I sat down! Just like a good Girl/Boy Scout, I come prepared! If you look at the Message Subject line, there are real numbers there. I didn't even make them up!
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The following quote is from 'Written In My Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 5, "The Passions of Young Men." Copyright © 2014, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
i shook my head, dismissing the dozen things I could do nothing about. During this minor reverie, Jenny and Mrs. Figg appeared to have been discussing William and his abrupt departure from the scene.
"Where would HE go to, I wonder?" Mrs. Figg looked worriedly toward the wall of the stairwell, pocked with blood-smeared dents left by William's fist.
"Gone to find a bottle, a fight, or a woman," said Jenny, with the authority of a wife, a sister, asnd the mother of sons. "Maybe all three."
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- LOL, Betsy, I know the date because I have a Page-a-Day calendar staring me in the face and a large blotter style one on my desk at work. I LIVE by the blotter - everything from work tasks and deadlines to hay deliveries (tomorrow 8am), birthdays (DD today, DS's was Sunday, not that I would EVER forget THOSE), etc., etc. Without this very visual reminder, my life would be far more chaotic than it is. Whenever we're away on vacation, it's bliss of not knowing/caring what the date is! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, October 19 2021, 9:32:18
- My trusty iPad tells me the date, day of the week, and the time. As well as carrying all my ebooks. Without it, I’d be lost. (NT) -- CindyG, Tue, October 19 2021, 10:02:40
I used to be able to keep everything in my head, too. Complicated work schedule, race weekends, all the birthdays, etc. Then the Franklin Planner came out, and like a good leadership doobee, I got one. Started to rely on it a bit. Then I was in a car crash with a few broken bones and a concussion. And that, my Lallypals, was the end of my remembering pretty much anything except my phone number, my birthday, Christmas, and which wine I like....:>] (NT) -- JANET, Tue, October 19 2021, 12:04:09
- Concussions have been totally taken for granted for, well, forever. They have started to look at concussions, especially in youth, and taking them seriously. I am sorry for the impact your accident has had in your life. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Tue, October 19 2021, 15:24:10
- If you ever forgit which wine you like you can just try them all again. Just not all at the same time. 🤪🤪 (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, October 19 2021, 15:40:56
- Women know men pretty well. Jenny is an expert, and talks so matter-of-factly. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Tue, October 19 2021, 15:26:38
- Ahh, Betsy you write of the life of a retired person as I know it. I can barely remember if it's Sunday or Thursday, much less the date! And I used to juggle dates and days like a pro in my work like, just like you. I guess my brain cells got lazy just like my buns. Hahaha. I do like todays quote. And I'm glad I don't have men in my life of that age or temperament anymore. I am allergy to drama these days. (NT) -- Marcie, Tue, October 19 2021, 19:21:12
- QOTD for Monday, 10/something else/21 -- Betsy BFS, Sun, October 17 2021, 19:35:23
Update on the patient who was, errr, having a party all by himself--- at the suggestion of the nurse (STRONG suggestion, like in "I'll call again in an hour to report how the one tylenol impacts his present activity."..) and after the dr. gave some lame order, he was talked into some haldol, as needed. Better choice. Party wound down rather quickly. Honestly, nurses really DO save your life and cover the doctor's ass, all-the-time.
Do you know how many apples it takes to make 6 cups of cider? I didn't count, but it was an amazing amount. All the apples I had gathered for cider, pie, apple butter, and apple torte. That's how many. It's been a busy day and tomorrow, I'll make lemon pie. The heck with apples.
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The following quote is from 'Written In My Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 2, "Dirty Bastard." Copyright © 2014, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
"Bastard!" he said out loud, and shouted, "Bastard, bastard, BASTARD!" at the top of his lungs, hammering the brick wall next to him with a clenched fist.
"Who's a bastard?" said a curious voice behind him. He swung round to see a young woman looking at him with some interest. Her eyes moved slowly down his frame, taking note of the heaving chest, the bloodstains on the facings of his uniform coat, and the green smears of goose shit on his breeches. Her gaze reached his silver buckled shoes and returned to his face with more interest.
"I am," he said, hoarse and bitter.
"Oh, really?" She left the shelter of the doorway in which she had been lingering and came across the alley to stand right in front of him. She was tall and slim and had a very fine pair of high young breasts -- which were clearly visible under the thin muslin of her shift, because, while she had a silk petticoat, she wore no stays. No cap, either -- her hair fell loose over her shoulders. A whore.
"I'm partial to bastards myself," she said, and touched him lightly on the arm. "What kind of a bastard are you? A wicked one? An evil one?"
"A sorry one," he said, and scowled when she laughed. She saw the scowl but didn't pull back.
Come in," she said, and took his hand. "You look as though you could do with a drink." He saw her glance at his knuckles, burst and bleeding, and she caught her lower lip behind small white teeth. She didn't seem afraid, though, and he found himself drawn, unprotesting, into the shadowed doorway after her.
What did it matter? he thought , with a sudden savage weariness. What did anything matter?
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Replies:
- I do hope William comes to terms with himself. I thought the Jane and Fanny story was interesting but an odd addition. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, October 18 2021, 9:23:48
Betsy, I know what you mean about saving Dr.s butts! I am/was a physical therapist until I retired, and saved several Dr.s, especially residents from making mistakes. My favorite was a resident who prescribed gait training using crutches, bilateral non weight bearing, for a teen with bilateral slipped femoral capitus epiphisus prior to surgery. I asked if he was supposed to balance on his hands on the crutches???? (NT) -- JANET, Mon, October 18 2021, 11:42:34
- I remember this scene but I don't remember why William was upset. And the description of the goose crap stain is much more vivid this time reading it. Geese have come to our neighborhood pond in the last few years and boy do they poop! Usually on my driveway as they saunter down to the pond. Nasty business that stuff. ;-) (NT) -- Marcie, Tue, October 19 2021, 19:30:18
- QOTD for Sunday 10/something/21 -- Betsy BFS, Sat, October 16 2021, 20:56:26
This afternoon, several of the RNs and CNAs that worked nights together in the hospital had a gathering. None of us are employed there anymore, so we got to get down and dirty about the organization we worked for, but mostly we laughed and laughed until our sides hurt. The very best story we reminisced about was a patient who was in the throes of detoxing. His doctor had writted the order to give him no medication AT ALL. By 10PM the patient was combative, yelling at the top of his voice, and hallucinating. His nurse, a very seasoned nurse, called the doc to ask if perhaps he might consider giving us an order for something. Giving him "nothing" wasn't working. "NO!" said the doc and slammed the phone down. 1AM, the nurse (seasoned nurses aren't too intimidated by many doctors, espicially new ones, called the doctor again. 'Your patient is now sitting on the floor in the middle of the nurses' station, incontinent." "SO is that so bad," asked idiot doc. "No. we can deal with that. He's sitting here in the middle of the floor wacking off." "He's WHAT?" "Wacking off, jerking off, masterbating....successfully and repeatedly. Can we have anything to calm him just a bit now? Or maybe some saltpeter??"
I wasn't the nurse taking care of him, I was the night supervisor at the time, but I saw and heard the interaction. We ALL laugh Really Hard every time someone mentions it.
Laughter truly is the best medicine. Friends are better than therapy. A good snort of single malt isn't too bad, either.
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The following quote is from 'Written In My Own Heart's Blood,' by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 80, "Pater Noster." Copyright © 2014, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
"You might have done worse," his uncle observed after a moment. "In the way of sires, I mean."
"Oh, really?" William said coldly.
"Granted, he is a Scot," the duke said judiciously.
"And a traitor."
"And he is a traitor," Hal agreed. "A damned fine swordsman, though. Know's his horses."
"He was a fucking GROOM, for God's sakes Of course he knows horses." Fresh outrage made William jerk upright again, despite the thunder in his temples. "What am I bloody going to do?"
His uncle sighed deeply and put the cork back in the flask.
"Advice? You're too old to be given it and too young to take it." He glanced aside at William, his face very like Papa's. Thinner, older, dark brows beginning to beetle, but with that same rueful humor in the corner of his eyes."Thought of blowing your brains out?"
William blinked, startled.
"No."
"That's good. Anything else is bound to be an improvement, isn't it?"
He rose, stretching, and groaned with the movement. "God, I'm old. Lie down, William, and go to sleep. You're not in any condition to think." He opened the lantern and blew it out, plunging the tent into warm gloom.
A rustling as he raised the tent flap, and the searing light of the sinking sun outlined the duke's slender figure as he turned.
"You ARE still my nephew," he said in a conversational tone. "Doubt that's much comfort to you, but there it is."
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Replies:
- My burning question is, Did she give him anything or did he just wear himself out? 🤣. What a great gathering that sounds like. Reminds me of the dinner table on Call the Midwife. I agree with you that laughter truly is the best medicine and we don’t have enough. The Grey’s dry humor got me early this morning: Hal, “ Knows his horses 🤔”. William, “He was a fucking GROOM…..”. There is SO much material for Bees, so many new/changed/skewed relationships and I’ll be learning more about my Revolutionary War history as a bonus. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, October 17 2021, 3:32:41
- I like Hal more and more over the years. Betsy, we must have a dram together soon. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, October 17 2021, 6:05:46
- Rx for saltpeter. 🤪🤪🤪 As for William, well he will just have to... Well I don't know what he will have to do but it will be interesting. (NT) -- JamesG, Sun, October 17 2021, 11:06:37
- I do LOVE Hal's remarks here. The wry humor is such a Grey characteristic! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, October 18 2021, 8:27:35
- Betsy, my mom was an OR nurse; my aunt (who lived this us for most of our growing up years) was an LPN who worked 11pm - 7am for 25+ years. The stories they told us could be touching, funny, heartbreaking, or sad. We learned a lot about life and medical care around the dinner table. Auntie passed a number of years ago, but Mom still gets together occasionally with some of her OR friends and they laugh for hours. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, October 18 2021, 8:31:44
- My mother in law was an ER nurse for 25 years. Little small town hospital and oh how she loved gossip but had to be discreet enough to leave out the names....but EVERYBODY knew everything anyway. She wouldn't general relate stories to me since I was a newcomer, but she's tell my husband or my sister in laws and then I got to hear. Her most lurid tale was when a grown man who was cheating on his wife came in with his skin tight jeans stuffed to look better endowed after a car wreak. It wouldn't be shocking at all in a big hospital but back then, disco days and all, but she was scandalized. It was more her shock and dismay than that he did that. Hahaha. We all still laugh about it. My sister in law was an ER nurse for 10 years or so at a bigger hospital a few miles away from her mom. Now she had some truly weird stuff to relate. And she always volunteered to inform the families and ask if they wanted the inserted object returned. Yikes! Love the quote. I am a Hal fan too. (NT) -- Marcie, Tue, October 19 2021, 19:54:27
- QOTD for Saturday, October 16, 2021 -- CindyG, Fri, October 15 2021, 20:48:31
The following quote is from Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 145, “And You Know That.” Copyright © 2014 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘Hello, the house!’
I was on my feet, and Jamie stood and grabbed my hand, hard enough to bruise my fingers.
Movement at the door of the cabin, and a small figure that I recognized as Amy Higgins appeared. The tall woman pulled off her hat and waved it, her long red hair streaming out like a banner in the wind.
‘Hello, the house!’ she called, laughing.
Then I was flying down the hill, with Jamie just before me, arms flung wide, the two of us flying together on that same wind.”
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- From Teri B - some exciting news! -- Kathy in PA, Fri, October 15 2021, 9:23:34
I hope this works, Teri forwarded it to me to share 😊
This is an online event with DG live with publisher Random House on Nov 22 at 4pm Pacific time, 7pm Eastern
And it is a FREE ticket! Or you can upgrade to pay for a signed book and other goodies.
View in browser
http://l.e.randomhousebooks.com/rts/go2.aspx?h=50845441&tp=i-1NGB-Q53-dRb-2cBaGh-1o-P7jn-1c-2cBgC7-l6ey6269K6-12A1qv&x=694392998dce397bfa61b9003b960580a0910ed40fd401cd779c5cc03dfa22eb%7c3060C5564C944887E0534FD66B0A20B0
Only a month and a half until the new book is officially on sale (but
who’s counting?!?).
Go Tell the Bees . . . that Outlander is back!
Join Diana Gabaldon on *Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m. ET* for a special
virtual event celebrating all things Outlander and launching the new
novel. At her one and only book event, Diana will discuss /Go Tell the
Bees That I Am Gone/, the Starz TV show, and so much more, in
conversation with Maureen Lee Lenker from /Entertainment Weekly/. The
author will also answer readers’ burning questions—you can submit yours
for review when you register for your ticket.
And in more Outlander news: as you may know, Random House Books is moving right along
through our Outlander series reread in the Official Outlander Facebook
Group
Read along in the Official Outlander Facebook Group
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- QOTD for Friday, October 15, 2021 -- CindyG, Thu, October 14 2021, 21:16:05
The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 124, “Property of the King.” Copyright © 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘Er—where did you say we were going?’
‘To Scotland,’ he said as though this were obvious. ‘To fetch my printing press.’
He was still looking at the house, but his eyes were fixed somewhere beyond the ashes, far beyond the present moment. An owl hooted deep in the distant wood, startled from its sleep. He stood silent for a bit, then shook off his reverie, and smiled at me, snow melting in his hair.
‘And then,’ he said simply, ‘we shall come back to fight.’
He took my hand and turned away from the house, toward the barn where the horses stood waiting, patient in the cold.”
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- QOTD for Thursday, October 14, 2021 -- CindyG, Wed, October 13 2021, 20:59:58
The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 103, “The Hour of the Wolf.” Copyright 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘That dog is a wolf, is he not?’
‘Aye, well, mostly.’
A small flash of hazel told him not to quibble.
‘And yet he is thy boon companion, a creature of rare courage and affection, and altogether a worthy being?’
‘Oh, aye,’ he said with more confidence. ‘He is.’
She gave him an even look.
‘Thee is a wolf, too, and I know it. But thee is my wolf, and best thee know that.’
He’d started to burn when she spoke, an ignition swift and fierce as the lighting of one of his cousin’s matches. He put out his hand, palm forward, to her, still cautious lest she, too, burst into flame.
‘What I said to ye, before … that I kent ye loved me—‘
She stepped forward and pressed her palm to his, her small, cool fingers linking tight.
‘What I say to thee now is that I do love thee. And if thee hunts at night, thee will come home.’
Under the sycamore, the dog yawned and laid his muzzle on his paws.
‘And sleep at thy feet,’ Ian whispered, and gathered her in with his one good arm, both of them blazing bright as day.”
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- Quoters needed!! Betsybfs is on next week but the following two weeks are waiting for a laird or lady to fill. -- kgp, Wed, October 13 2021, 5:28:33
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- QOTD for Wednesday, October 13, 2021 -- CindyG, Tue, October 12 2021, 21:29:32
The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 111, “And Yet Go Out to Meet It.” Copyright © 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“Jamie’s hand still lay on mine. It tightened a little, and I glanced at him, but his eyes were still fixed somewhere past the dooryard; past the mountains, and the distant clouds. His grip tightened further, and I felt the edges of my ring press into my flesh.
‘When the day shall come, that we do part,’ he said softly, and turned to look at me, ‘if my last words are not ‘I love you’—ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.’”
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- This is where I joined the “waiters” who had to wait years between books for the next fix. I had the joy of reading five books in a row, I was in Outlander heaven. Now I’m getting closer to the ladies who ask Diana to speed it up so they are still alive for the end 🤣. But it was a lovely way to end my marathon and the fact that Doug inspired this quote. . . . . . sigh . . . (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, October 13 2021, 4:14:36
- One of the most beautiful lines in the story. It's been 7 years since MOBY? In another 7 years I'll be 70. I hope it's not that long before Book 10 but at the same time I don't want the story to end. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, October 13 2021, 5:26:11
- Well I’ve got three years on you and feel the same. I just wonder how she’ll go into the future - who’s relationships she’ll focus on to become the “main” characters? Roger and Bri, Fergus and Marsali, Lizzie and the boys, Ian and Rachel, Dottie and Denzel, Hal and Minnie, Lord John and ?❤️ Or all of the above for the next generation? But I’d still love to see Brian and Ellen’s story too. Diana is turning 70 in January, good thing she comes from good genes!! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, October 13 2021, 7:06:10
- Just the best line ever written. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, October 13 2021, 6:58:17
- Sigh (NT) -- jayn, Wed, October 13 2021, 18:38:01
- QOTD for Tuesday, October 12, 2021 -- CindyG, Mon, October 11 2021, 21:36:34
The following quote is from Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 71, “Circle’s Close.” Copyright © 1997 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘I see she’s chosen, then,’ Jamie said softly.
Brianna smiled, her eyes on Roger’s face, and leaned to kiss him. Then she stood up, brushing sand from her skirts and bent to pick up a brand from the campfire. She turned and held it out to him, speaking in a voice loud enough to carry to us where we sat across the fire.
‘Go down,’ she said, ‘and tell them the MacKenzies are here.’”
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- QOTD for Monday, October 11, 2021 -- CindyG, Sun, October 10 2021, 21:09:24
The following quote is from Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 49, “Blessed are Those. . .” Copyright © 1992 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘One man, a Fraser of the Master of Lovat’s regiment, escaped.…’ Roger repeated softly. He looked up from the stark page to see her eyes, wide and unseeing as a deer’s fixed in the headlights of an oncoming car.
‘He meant to die on Culloden Field,’ Roger whispered. ‘But he didn’t.’”
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- One Line Quiz "winner" is Kathy in PA. She was spot on with her answer. *Lord John Gray to Brianna about William being Jamie's Son* (I never said there was/was not a winner at that time) The passage is on page 935 of Snow and Ashes (hardback US) and it was in Wilmington NC. (William = Wilmington 🤔🤔) Kathy in PA will receive 2 round trip tickets for a passage through the standing stones of her choice. -- JamesG, Sun, October 10 2021, 8:18:25
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- Sorry I was a little late posting the answer. I got tied up last night. (NT) -- JamesG, Sun, October 10 2021, 8:21:11
- Congratulations, Kathy!! (NT) -- kgp, Sun, October 10 2021, 8:28:24
- Well done Kathy (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Sun, October 10 2021, 8:47:07
- And this one line to Brianna has me so anticipating their reunion. She wanted to know that brother and when she comes back, the secret is out so she can and he’ll want to know her, even if he remembers thinking she was hot. And don’t you just know she’ll make him realize how lucky he is to have Lord John and Jamie as Father and Da? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, October 10 2021, 14:38:20
- Yes, JamesG, please post another one! I hadn't a clue with the first, so I'm hoping to do better. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, October 12 2021, 9:47:58
- QOTD for Sunday, October 10, 2021 -- CindyG, Sat, October 09 2021, 22:00:09
The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 41, “From the Womb of the Earth.” Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
“‘I have a gift for you too,’ I said suddenly to Jamie. He turned toward me and his hand slid, large and sure, over the plane of my still-flat stomach.
‘Have you, now?’ he said.
And the world was all around us, new with possibility.”
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- QOTD for October 9, 2021 -- kgp, Sat, October 09 2021, 5:22:34
The following quotation is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 17 Wee Demons
“She’s fine,” Ian said, after a quick glance. “She’s no but a bit drunk. It’ll pass.”
“Oh.” Reassured, Trudy sat down next to her sister, hugging her knees. “Pap used to get drunk. He hollered and broke things though.”
“Did he?
“Uh-huh. He broke my mam’s nose once.”
“Oh,” Ian said, having no idea how to answer this. “Too bad.”
“You think he’s dead?”
“I hope so.”
“Me, too,” she said, satisfied. She yawned hugely - he could smell her rotting teeth from where he sat - and then curled herself on the ground, cuddling close to Hermione.
Sighing, Ian got up and fetched the blanket, and covered them both, tucking it gently around their small, limp bodies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I especially like Ian's changing attitude toward the wee demons in this chapter.
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- I definitely need a reread (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Sat, October 09 2021, 9:27:29
- I hope I don’t step on anybody’s quote, but remember he takes them to Mrs. Silvie’s, and they become her breakfaces? When they can finally relax with Ian, my heart melts. They’re like two little scrappy, totally loyal puppies, (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 09 2021, 12:28:33
- HINT FOR ONE LINE QUIZ. (See below) 🤔🤔 Roger Mac was present to hear this comment that was in Ref. to a Redcoat. 🤔🤔 Drop down below and try your luck (or retry you luck) I will post the Answer and "winner" late Sat. -- JamesG, Fri, October 08 2021, 13:43:13
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- QOTD for Friday, October 8, 2021 -- kgp, Fri, October 08 2021, 5:45:59
The following quotation is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 17 Wee Demons
“Would that bad old man have killed Hermie?” the little one asked suddenly, as he boosted her onto the mule behind her sister.
“No,” he said with certainty. But as he swung up into his own saddle, he wondered. He had the very uncomfortable feeling that Arch Big understood the nature of guilt much too well. Enough to kill an innocent child, only because her death would make Ian feel guilty for it? And Ian would; Arch knew that.
“No,” he repeated more strongly. Arch Bug was both vengeful and vindictive - and had a right to be, he’d admit that. But Ian had nay grounds to think the man a monster.
Still, he made the little girls ride in front of him, until they made camp that night.
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- GAME TIME: One Line Quiz. I will give you one line of dialogue and the name of the person speaking it. Your job is to put it in context. Ready?? 🤔🤔 Lord John Gray: "Yes, of course he is." 🤔🤔 Post your answer and I will come back in 2 days and see how well you did. Have fun. 😁😁😁 -- JamesG, Thu, October 07 2021, 10:53:58
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- Tough one. No hint? Not even which book? Let's see . . . I don't think it's about Percy. Is it regarding Germain? (NT) -- kgp, Thu, October 07 2021, 11:46:06
- I wish I were better at committing most of the stories to memory. I'm thinking it's LJG speaking about Jamie as a prisoner. (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Thu, October 07 2021, 14:07:50
- It's not about Jamie puking on the way to Ireland. It's not about Tom Byrd. Or Hal, or Harry Quarry. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, October 07 2021, 14:33:16
- At Helwater when someone asks if Jamie is a Scottish bandit? (NT) -- JANET, Fri, October 08 2021, 11:44:17
- QOTD for Thursday, October 7, 2021 -- kgp, Thu, October 07 2021, 4:56:46
The following quotation is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 17 Wee Demons
Ian ran a hand over his face, trying to adjust to this information. Now he looked . . . well, no, they still looked like filthy wee demons rather than little girls, their slitted eyes burning through the greasy, matted underbrush of their hair. They’d have to have their heads shaved, he supposed, and hoped he was nowhere in the neighborhood when it was done.
“Aye,” he said, for lack of anything sensible. “Well, then.”
“You’ve got gold?” said Ermintrude, having stopped her retching. She sat up, wiped a small hand over her mouth, and spat expertly. “Where?”
“If I wouldn’t tell him, why would I tell you? And ye can just forget that notion right now,” he assured her, seeing her eyes dart to the knife in his belt.
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- Lallybroch Ornament Exchange -- Kathy in PA, Wed, October 06 2021, 10:50:04
Since we saw a bunch of Ladies when FB was down, in case you’re still here, just wanted to mention the ornament exchange again.
Go to Lallybrochornaments.blogspot.com to see past treasures.
We make 10 handmade ornaments to share.
If you’re interested please email me kathybarlow1991@gmail.com
And even if you’re not interested in this, please come by the Social Board more often! 🥰
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- Yes, please come and visit here. (NT) -- LadyDuBois, Wed, October 06 2021, 16:38:33
- For several years this has been one of the brightest spots in my Christmas. For a few years it was the only bright spot. (NT) -- jayn, Wed, October 06 2021, 16:45:08
- I have always wanted to do this, but I am totally craft-challenged. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, October 06 2021, 18:14:56
- QOTD for Wednesday, October 6, 2021 -- kgp, Wed, October 06 2021, 6:09:46
The following quotation is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 17 Wee Demons
A scream burst from behind Ian, and Vermin half-ran, half-fell down the last few feet of the trail. Arch Bug looked up, startled, and Ian crouched to rush him but was forestalled by Vermin.
The little boy rushed at Arch Bug and gave him a tremendous kick in the shin, shouting, “You bad old man!! You let her go right now!”
Arch seemed as startled by the speech as the kick, but didn’t let go.
“Her?” he said, and looking down at the child in his grasp, who promptly turned her - her? - head and bit him fiercely in the wrist, Ian, seizing the moment, lunged at him, but was impeded by Vermin, who had now seized Arch by the thigh and was clinging like grim death, trying to punch the old man in the balls with one small clenched fist.
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- I would be laughing but I have 4 younger sisters and this passage is giving me PTSD thinking back on a few times I was ambushed by my sisters. 🤕🤕🤕😆😆😆😆. They liked to fight dirty. (NT) -- JamesG, Wed, October 06 2021, 7:43:26
- You got me laughing, James. My husband has four brothers and one sister and SHE learned to fight dirty. What kind of life must these two have had to know enough to grab his thigh and try to punch him in the balls? Sad, but things are getting better for them just because Ian has such a big heart. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, October 06 2021, 10:42:00
- Mea culpa. I used to be horrid to my younger brother... ruthless. I tortured him on a daily basis. If anyone else touched him, I'd sweep the floor with them, but one on one I was horrid. Our mother used to say, "Someday, he'll be bigger than you." She was right. That's when we became friends. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, October 06 2021, 18:32:53
- Sometimes you feel sorry for even the worst villian, (NT) -- jayn, Wed, October 06 2021, 16:42:58
- Vermin trying to punch Arch in the nuts is too funny. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, October 06 2021, 17:52:06
- I am laughing very hard. I had forgotten this scene. kgp, I always love your quotes. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Wed, October 06 2021, 18:09:10
- This chapter is SO well named - "Wee Demons" indeed! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, October 07 2021, 9:20:50
