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• POTD for 01/04/2024 -- Janet, Thu, January 04 2024, 10:57:12
  QOTD for 01/03/24
  The Following quote is from Go Tell the Bees I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 8 Visitations. Copywrite 2021, All rights reserved
  
  “Aye, I thought of that.” Jamie waved a hand, dismissing it. “The difficulty’s more of what they think of……germs.” He pronounced the word very carefully and glanced quickly at Roger under his brows, as if to see if he said it right, or as if he wasn’t sure it was a real word to start with.
  
  “Oh. Hadn’t thought of that. You mean the sick folk who come—they might leave…” He waved his own hand toward the hole.
  
  “Aye. You should have seen the carry-on when Claire insisted on scalding Amy’s privy wi’ boiling water and lye soap and pouring turpentine into it after the Crombie lad left.” His shoulders rose toward his ears at the memory. “If she was to do that every time we had sick folk in our privy, we’d all be shitting in the woods, too.”
  
  My grandparents had a two holer that was used until 1968, when they got running water. Many memories of that privy!
  

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  • I've used outhouses while camping, and some of the horse farms and shows I've been at only have Porta-pottys for toilets. It sure makes me appreciate "proper" facilities, especially on cold days like today in SE Massachusetts! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, January 05 2024, 10:19:26
    • Sitting on the cold outhouse seat in the middle of winter is not for the faint of heart! (NT) -- Janet, Fri, January 05 2024, 10:47:52
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, 01/15/2024 -- Janet, Fri, January 05 2024, 10:44:32
  QOTD for Friday 01/05/24
  
  The Following quote is from Go Tell the Bees I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 10, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Copyright 2021, All rights reserved.
  
  This quote is describing Roger, Bree, and the kids returning to Frazer’s Ridge
  
  “We almost didn’t make it,” Roger said quietly. He looked at the children asleep on the settle. Mandy had fallen over and was sprawled on her face, limp as Esmeralda. “It was Mandy who got us through---and you,” he added raising his eyes to Jamie, with a slight smile.
  
  “Me?”
  
  “You wrote a book,” Bree said softly looking at him. “A Grandfather’s Tales. And you thought to put a copy in the box with your letters.”
  . . . . . .
  
  Jamie made a small sound in his throat---the only inarticulate Scottish noise I’d ever heard from him. I looked away and saw that Jem was awake; he hadn’t moved but his eyes were open. He sat up slowly and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
  
  “It’s okay Grandda,” he said, his voice froggy and deep. “Don’t cry. Ye got us here safe.”
  
  This is maybe a bit too long, but I just love this whole passage…..
  

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• QOTD For January 3, 2024 -- Janet, Wed, January 03 2024, 4:14:28
  The Following quote is from Go Tell the Bees I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 5, Meditations on a Hyoid. Copywrite 2021, All rights reserved
  
  “No, dat.” Mandy poked a wet, chubby finger at the heel of my hand. “Issa letter!” She twisted her head halfway around to look closer, black curls tickling across my arm. “Letter ‘J’!” she announced triumphantly. “’J’ is for Jemmy. I hate Jemmy,” she added frowning.
  
  “Er…..” I said completely nonplused. It was the letter “J”. The scar had faded to a thin white line but was still clear if the light struck it right. The scar Jamie had given me, when I left him at Culloden. Left him to die, hurling myself through the stones to save his unborn, unknown child. Our child. And if I hadn’t?
  
  I looked at Mandy, sherry eyed and black curled and perfect as a tiny spring apple. Heard Jem outside, now giggling with his father. It had cost us 20 years apart---years of heartbreak, pain and danger. It had been worth it.
  
  
  Not the normal Hump Day quote, but definately exemplifies love.
  

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  • Great quote, Janet. "Perfect as a tiny spring apple," who else but DG would aptly describe a child this way?? (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, January 03 2024, 10:10:09
    • I love going through the books and finding these little quotes.... DG takes normal, everyday life and describes them in an extraordinary way! (NT) -- Janet, Wed, January 03 2024, 10:59:06
  
  

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• QOTD for January 2, 2004 -- Janet, Tue, January 02 2024, 4:38:59
  The Following quote is from Go Tell the Bees I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 4, The Women will Ha’ a Fit. Copywrite 2021, All rights reserved.
  
  “I’m really glad to meet you,” she said to Rachel. “I couldn’t imagine what sort of girl would marry Ian---I’m sorry, that sounds wrong…”
  
  “No, thee is quite right,” Rachel assured her. “I couldn’t have imagined marrying a man like him, either, but there he is in my bed each morning, nonetheless. They do say the Lord moves in mysterious ways. Come into the house,” she added, shifting Oggy into a new position. “I know where the wine is.”
  
  I love Rachel’s dry sense of humor and her practical nature.
  

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  • Rachel is absolutely a favorite character of mine! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, January 02 2024, 12:02:10
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, January 1, 2024 -- Janet, Mon, January 01 2024, 4:18:54
  The Following quote is from Go Tell the Bees I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 3, Rustic, Rural, and Very Romantic. Copywrite 2021, All rights reserved.
  
  The sun was barely up, but Jamie was long gone. I’d awakened briefly when he kissed my forehead, whispered that he was going hunting with Brianna, and vanished into the chilly dark. I woke again two hours later in the warm nest of old quilts—these donated by the Crombies and the Lindsays—that served us as a bed and sat up , cross-legged in my shift, combing leaves and grass heads out of my hair with my fingers, and enjoying the rare feeling of waking slowly, rather than the oft-experienced sensation of having been shot from a cannon.
  
  I just love the pictures Diana paints with her words…can’t you just see the old quilts, shift, and leaves in the hair???
  

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  • Janet, yes, I can! I often think in my daily life how much harder, more uncomfortable ordinary tasks were. While I loved camping, now that I am of a "certain age," I appreciate a cozy bed, and warm, comfortable clothes while doing barn chores. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, January 02 2024, 11:49:33
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, 12/31/23 -- Janet, Sun, December 31 2023, 10:22:04
  Quote of the Day for Sunday, 12/31/23
  Taken from Go Tell the Bees I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 1, The MacKenzies are Here. Copywrite 2021, all rights reserved.
  
  There was a stone under my right buttock, but I didn't want to move. The tiny heartbeat under my fingers was soft and stubborn, the fleeting jolts life. The space between them was infinity, my connection to the dark sky and the rising flame.
  
  It seems appropriate on the last day of the old year to talk about new beginnings, and this passage shows the start of new adventures.
  
  Quotes this week are random. I have enjoyed QOTD for many years, and am kind of sad we're not seeing more quotes/quoters. Hopefully more will participate with the New Year. May you all be Happy, Healthy, and Safe!
  

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• Merry Christmas to all. Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year -- Margaret, Fri, December 22 2023, 8:30:58
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• QOTD for Saturday, December 16, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, December 15 2023, 19:40:23
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘For a long time,’ he said at last, ‘when I was small, I pretended to myself that I was the bastard of some great man. All orphans do this, I think,’ he added dispassionately. ‘It makes life easier to bear, to pretend that it will not always be as it is, that someone will come and restore you to your rightful place in the world.’
  He shrugged.
  ‘Then I grew older, and knew this was not true. No one would come to rescue me. But then—‘ He turned his head and gave Jamie a smile of surpassing sweetness.
  ‘Then I grew older still, and discovered that, after all, it was true. I am the son of a great man.’
  The hook touched Jamie’s hand, hard and capable.
  ‘I wish for nothing more.’”
  

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  • I LOVED this statement of Fergus's! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, December 21 2023, 9:40:54
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, December 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, December 14 2023, 20:50:23
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Jamie’s own brain was more than occupied. Baron Amandine. He knew the name, but had no face to go with it, nor did he recall the context in which he knew it. Only that he had encountered it at some point, in Paris. But when? When he had attended the université there … or later, when he and Claire—yes. That was it; he’d heard the name at court. But no matter how he cudgeled his brain, it would give up no further information.”
  

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  • Jamie is good at reading into the nuances of people and their motives. It has to be frustrating to not come up with the Baron in his "mental Rolodex." (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, December 15 2023, 7:16:29
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, December 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, December 14 2023, 10:08:19
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘But … we dinna ken what his purpose is, but it may be something of great advantage to ye, aye? How likely is it that someone in France would go to the trouble and expense of sending someone like him to do ye harm, when they could be content just to leave ye be in America?’ He hesitated. ‘Perhaps … the Baron Amandine is some relation to ye?’
  The notion seemed the stuff of romances, and likely the sheerest moonshine. But at the same time, Jamie was at a loss to think of some sensible reason for a French nobleman to be hunting a brothel-born bastard across two continents.”
  
  
  Sorry, I wasn’t feeling well and forgot to post last night.
  

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  • CindyG, I hope you're feeling better today. Thanks for giving us our "daily dose" even though you were under the weather. I really should do a re-read of FC. While I remember this, I also "don't" remember all of the twists and turns. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, December 14 2023, 10:52:10
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, December 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, December 12 2023, 19:53:18
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘D’ye want me to speak to this Beauchamp?’ Jamie asked abruptly. ‘I could perhaps find out what he means toward you.’
  Fergus’s mouth drew in a bit, then relaxed as he shook his head.
  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I said I had heard this man had made inquiries concerning me in Edenton?’
  ‘Ye’re sure it is you?’ Not that the ground in North Carolina crawled with Claudels, but still …
  “I think so, yes.’ Fergus spoke very softly, with an eye on Germain, who had started emitting soft croaks, evidently conversing with the frogs in his shirt. ‘The person who told me of this said that man had not only a name, but a small information, of sorts. That the Claudel Fraser he sought had been taken from Paris by a tall red-haired Scotsman. Named James Fraser. So I think you cannot speak to him, no.’”
  

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  • That made me lol. Fergus’ dry humor - yes, I think Jamie might stand out - just a tad. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, December 13 2023, 3:57:09
  • The odd thing is he wasn't Fergus Claudel Fraser until he married Marsali and Jamie gave him his last name. So how would Percy know Claudel Fraser was taken from Paris by a tall red-haired Scotsman? (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, December 13 2023, 9:08:02
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, December 12, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, December 11 2023, 19:28:03
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘What did the Frenchman say to ye, then?’
  Germain looked up, wide-eyed and interested.
  ‘Oh, he’s not a Frenchman, Grandpère.’
  A brief pulse of astonishment went through him.
  ‘He’s not? Ye’re sure?’
  ‘Oh, aye. He cursed most blasphemous when Simon landed on his shoe—but not the way Papa does.’ Germain aimed a bland look at his father, who looked disposed to cuff him again, but desisted at Jamie’s gesture. ‘He is an Englishman. I’m sure.’
  ‘He cursed in English?’ Jamie asked. It was true; Frenchmen often invoked vegetables when cursing, not infrequently mingled with sacred references. English cursing generally had nothing to do with saints, sacraments, or cucumbers, but dealt with God, whores, or excrement.
  ‘He did. But I cannot say what he said, or Papa will be offended. He has very pure ears, Papa,’ Germain added, with a smirk at his father.”
  

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  • Such a cheeky boy, our Germaine! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, December 12 2023, 10:47:36
    • I just love that Fergus and Jamie are so sure he’s French and Germaine ferrets out the truth. (NT) -- CindyG, Tue, December 12 2023, 19:48:31
  • I love Germain. Can't wait to see what he gets up to in the next book. He's about 13 or 14 by the end of Bees. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, December 12 2023, 14:46:13
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, December 10, 2023 -- CindyG, Sat, December 09 2023, 20:01:28
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “He looked like a Frenchman, Jamie thought. Which was to say, thoroughly out of place in New Bern. Beauchamp had just come out of Thorogood Northrup’s warehouse and stood in casual conversation with Northrup himself, the breeze off the water fluttering the silk ribbon that tied back his dark hair. Elegant, Claire had described him as, and he was that: not—not quite—foppish, but dressed with taste and expense. A good deal of expense, he thought.
  ‘He looks like a Frenchman,’ Fergus observed, echoing his thoughts.”
  

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  • I think Percy has learned how to be a chameleon. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, December 12 2023, 14:51:34
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, December 11, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, December 10 2023, 18:35:03
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, “Pulling Teeth.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Is that his ship?’ Fergus asked, a frown creasing his brow as he nodded toward the very trim black-and-yellow sloop that rocked gently at anchor, some distance out.
  ‘It’s the ship he travels in. Couldna say whether he owns it. Ye dinna ken his face, though?’
  Fergus leaned into the window, nearly flattening his own face against the wavery panes in an attempt to get a better look at Monsieur Beauchamp.
  Jamie, beer in hand, studied Fergus’s face in turn. Despite having lived in Scotland since the age of ten, and in America for the last ten years or more, Fergus himself still looked French, he thought. It was something more than a matter of feature; something in the bone itself, perhaps.”
  

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  • I haven’t been around and actual French person, but it seems like everyone knows they have a certain “je ne sais quoi.” Percy certainly wove his way around a complicated life. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 11 2023, 4:30:06
    • Percy has found ways to survive, that's for certain. I sort of liked him at first. I've met Pat of the French Hosers once when she came to the US with her family. There's definitely a style and a way of carrying oneself, if she's the example to go by. Certainly more elegant than me in my lab clothes for work. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, December 12 2023, 14:50:35
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, December 9, 2023 -- kgp, Fri, December 08 2023, 16:46:49
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2003 all rights reserved Chapter 6 A Visit To The Convent
  
  
  “We met Bob Harte when I was nay more than five,” she said, putting a fist to her mouth to stifle a belch. “He waited until I was eleven - when I began to bleed - and then . . . “ She paused, blinking, as though searching for inspiration.
  
  “And then your mother, bent upon protecting your virtue, slew him him in order to preserve you,” Grey suggested. “She was taken up and hanged, of course, whereupon you found yourself obliged by necessity to embrace the fate which she had sacrificed herself to prevent?” He lifted his glass to her in ironic toast, leaning back in his seat.
  
  Rather to his surprise, she burst out laughing.
  

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  • Was this the red headed “whore”, I hate to use that word for her because she was such a good friend to John and he to her. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 11 2023, 4:32:06
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, December 8, 2023 -- kgp, Fri, December 08 2023, 6:11:17
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2003 all rights reserved Chapter 5 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
  
  
  “Have you eaten, Johnny?” she asked, flipping the fan open again.
  
  “No,” he said, suddenly recalling that he was starving. “I hadn’t the chance.”
  
  “Well, then,” The Countess waved one of the footmen over, selected a small pie from his tray, and handed it to her son. “Yes, I saw you talking to Lady Mumford. Kind of you; the dear old thing dotes upon you.”
  
  Dear old thing. Lady Mumford was possibly the Countess’s senior by a year. Grey mumbled a response, impeded by pie. It was steak with mushrooms, delectable in flaky pastry.
  
  “Whatever were you talking to Joseph Trevelyan so intently about, though?” the Countess asked, raising her fan in farewell to the Misses Humber. She turned to look at her son,and lifted one brow, then laughed. “Why, you’ve gone quite red in the face, John - one might think Mr. Trevelyan had made you some indecent proposal!”
  
  “Ha ha,” Grey said, thickly, and put the rest of the pie into his mouth.
  

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  • Well Mom, you see, Joey has a sore on his.... Isn't THAT be an interesting conversation to have with the Duchess??? (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, December 08 2023, 9:45:30
    • Oh yeah! lol. As forward thinking as she was, the thought still made him blush. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, December 08 2023, 13:30:00
    • Some day I want Benedicta to be a QOTD study. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, December 08 2023, 16:48:14
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, December 7, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, December 06 2023, 17:15:30
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2003 all rights reserved Chapter 4 A Valet Calls
  
  
  “Now, we can’t be knowing for certain as a sinner’s soul has gone to hell,” the priest objected, suddenly seeing the prospects of a fee for burying O’Connell receding. “God’s ways are beyond the ken of us poor men, and for all any of us knows, poor Tim O’Connell repented of his wickedness at the last, made a perfect Act of Contrition, and was taken straight up to paradise in the arms of the angels!”
  
  “Excellent.” Grey leapt on this incautious speculation like a leopard on its prey. “If he is in paradise, he is still less in need of earthly intervention. So - “ he bowed punctiliously to the Scanlons and their priest - “according to you, the deceased may be either damned or saved, but is surely in one of those two conditions. Whereas you” - he turned to Miss Stokes - “are of the opinion that Tim O’Connell is perhaps in some intermediate state where intercessory actions might be efficacious?”
  
  Miss Sokes regarded him for a moment, her mouth hanging slightly open.
  

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  • I really appreciate the theological discussions Diana sprinkles into the stories. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, December 06 2023, 17:37:24
    • Me too, but I’m like Miss Sokes until I reread a couple times. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, December 07 2023, 3:37:30
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, Dec 5, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, December 03 2023, 19:32:28
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon Copyright 2003 all rights reserved. Chapter 1 When First We Practice to Deceive.
  
  It was the sort of thing one hopes momentarily that one has not really seen - because life would be so much more convenient if one hadn't.
  
  The thing was scarcely shocking in itself; Lord John Grey had seen worse, could see worse now, merely by stepping out of the Beefsteak into the street. The flower girl who'd doll him a bunch of violets on his way into the club had had a half-healed gash on the back of her hand, crusted and oozing. The doorman, a veteran of the Americas, had a livid tomahawk scar that ran from hairline to jaw, bisected the socket of a blinded eye. By contrast, the sore on the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan's privy member was quite small. Almost discreet.
  

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  • I had a hard time with this book at first - it seemed so different than Outlander and I didn’t love Lord John yet. But I learned a lot. The horror of venereal diseases back then was made very clear to me. They really were a death sentence. The callousness of Trevelyan, I love Diana’s sarcastic “Honorable.” And how in a few sentences she shows how different live was just on the other side of a door. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 04 2023, 19:15:50
    • I read it a couple of times - like I do with all of The Books - before I caught the rhythm of it. It's different than the main books but it reflects John's life in London, more complicated and hurried. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, December 06 2023, 17:36:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, December 6, 2023 -- kgp, Tue, December 05 2023, 18:28:58
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2003 all rights reserved Chapter 2 Widow’s Walk
  
  
  The room above was cramped and dingy, but sunlight shone through a pair of windows onto a battered table and stool - and an even more battered woman, open-mouthed with surprise as she froze in the act of setting down a dish of bread and cheese.
  
  “Mrs. O’Connell?” She turned her head toward him, and Grey froze. Her open mouth was swollen, lips split, a dark-red gap showing in the gum where a lower tooth had been knocked out. Both eyes were puffed into slits, and she peered through a mask of yellowing bruises. By some miracle, her nose had not been broken; the slender bridge and fine nostrils protruded from the wreck, pale skinned and freakish by contrast.
  
  She lifted a hand to her face, turning away from the light as though ashamed of her appearance.
  
  “I . . . yes. I’m Francine O’Connell,’ she murmured, through the fan of her fingers.
  
  “Mrs, O’Connell!” Stubbs took a stride toward her, then stopped, uncertain whether to touch her, “Who - who has done this to you?”
  
  “Her husband. And may his soul rot in hell.”
  

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  • May it rot, indeed! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, December 06 2023, 13:46:29
    • Oh, yes!!! Reading this makes me shaky. Diana describes her body and I can feel it. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, December 06 2023, 14:16:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, December 5, 2023 -- kgp, Mon, December 04 2023, 17:47:46
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2003 all rights reserved Chapter 1 When First We Practice To Deceive
  
  
  “I . . . happened to retire for a moment, earlier” - he nodded toward the Chinese screen - “and came upon Trevelyan, unexpectedly. I . . . ah . . . caught sight - “ Christ, he was blushing like a girl; Quarry was grinning at his discomfiture.
  
  “. . . think it is pox,” he finished, his voice barely a murmur.
  
  The grin vanished abruptly from Quarry’s face, and he glanced at the Chinese screen, from behind which Lord Dewhurst and a friend were presently emerging, deep in conversation. Catching Quarry’s gaze upon him, Dewhurst glanced down automatically, to be sure his flies were buttoned, Finding them secure, he glowered at Quarry and turned away toward his table.
  
  “Pox.” Quarry pitched his own voice low, but still a good deal louder that Grey would have liked. “You mean the syphilis?”
  
  “I do.”
  

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  • Quarry was a great “brother from another mother” to John. I think he knew John was gay and couldn’t understand it but still loved him. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, December 04 2023, 19:18:13
  
  

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• Happy Thanksgiving to US hosers! Wishing you all many blessings. -- kgp, Wed, November 22 2023, 19:46:19
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  • Yes, Happy Thanksgiving from the US. And for our non US hosers, I hope you find joy in the coming Holiday season. (NT) -- Janet, Thu, November 23 2023, 10:30:44
    • Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a great time with family and friends. Just Gobble ‘til you wobble! (NT) -- Margaret, Sat, November 25 2023, 12:32:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, November 18, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, November 17 2023, 18:07:00
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 97, “Conditions of the Blood.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “The doctor had looked up, glancing from me to Frank and back, his face twisted with embarrassment—and his eyes filled with a kind of cold speculation as he looked at me. I might as well have worn a scarlet ‘A’ embroidered on my bosom, I thought—or in this case, a scarlet ‘B.’
  Frank, bless him, had seen the look, and said easily, ‘My wife was a widow; I adopted Bree as a baby.’ The doctor’s face had thawed at once into apologetic reassurance, and Frank had gripped my hand, hard, behind the folds of my skirt. My hand tightened in remembered acknowledgment, squeezing back.”
  

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  • Frank -- Kirsten, Sat, November 18 2023, 3:00:08
    • Chapter 97 I forget this particular scene and why they are at the doctor. Was Bree injured? (NT) -- kgp, Sat, November 18 2023, 4:39:15
      • I really remember the scene because Frank handled it so well. I can’t remember what the accident with Bri was, but I think Claire was working and Frank took her to the Dr. Which was very bad in those days. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, November 18 2023, 13:32:26
      • Bree had her tonsils removed (NT) -- CindyG, Sat, November 18 2023, 14:58:18
        • Thanks, Cindy! And thanks for the Frank week. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 19 2023, 2:38:41
  • Wonderful Frank week, CindyG. Thank you! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, November 20 2023, 14:06:18
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, November 17, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, November 16 2023, 18:56:05
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 60, “Council of War.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Frank, urged to look at some wonder of nature whilst preoccupied with a problem, would have paused just long enough not to seem discourteous, said, ‘Oh, yes, lovely, isn’t it?’ and returned at once to the maze of his thoughts. Jamie lifted his face to the glowing glory of the heavens and stood still.
  What is the matter with you? I thought to myself. Can’t you let Frank Randall rest in peace?”
  

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  • I do appreciate how DG weaves Frank back into the story in various ways. He was too important in Claire's & Bree's lives (and for that matter, Jamie's) to be no longer mentioned. She keeps his existence significant when merited. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, November 17 2023, 10:02:51
    • Another thing that she does so well and often different from other authors; I really do still want to know about Frank. I’m so attached to all of them! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, November 18 2023, 13:35:02
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, November 16, 2023 -- CindyG, Wed, November 15 2023, 18:15:06
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 13, “Beans and Barbecue.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I was pleased that we had managed the christening—in fact, I was surprised to find just how gratified I did feel about it—but I had to admit to a pang of distress over Brianna’s canceled wedding. She hadn’t said much about it, but I knew that both she and Roger had been looking forward very much to the blessing of their union. The firelight winked briefly, accusingly, off the gold ring on my left hand, and I mentally threw up my hands in Frank’s direction.
  And just what do you expect me to do about it? I demanded silently.”
  

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  • I really appreciate that Diana shows that love didn’t turn to hate, that Frank still stayed on Claire’s mind, that love for Jamie erased all feeling for Frank. I think that’s a very real portrayal of emotion that’s woven throughout the stories. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, November 16 2023, 2:21:24
    • They did love each other as best as they could after her return, and he really did love Brianna even though she was Jamie's child. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, November 16 2023, 4:26:48
      • And before she met Jamie, when we first met them, they seemed like a happy, sexy couple. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, November 16 2023, 11:13:24
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, November 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, November 14 2023, 19:16:22
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “Happy the Bride the Sun Shines On.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I touched the gold ring on my left hand, restored to me the night before, and still unfamiliar after its long absence. Perhaps it was his ring that had summoned Frank to my dreams. Perhaps tonight at the wedding ceremony, I would touch it again, deliberately, and hope that he could see his daughter’s happiness somehow through my eyes. For now, though, he was gone, and I was glad.”
  

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  • Any former Brownies out there? I always think of “Make new friends; it keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” whenever Claire muses on her rings. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, November 15 2023, 11:36:01
    • We used to sing that as a round. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, November 15 2023, 15:04:47
  
  

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• Woohoo! The login works again!! Thank you, Judie! -- kgp, Wed, November 15 2023, 13:52:31
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• QOTD for Tuesday, November 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, November 13 2023, 17:37:03
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “Happy the Bride the Sun Shines On.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I wondered what Frank might have thought of Brianna’s husband. He likely would have approved; Roger was a historian—or once had been—like Frank himself. He was intelligent and humorous, a talented musician and a gentle man, thoroughly devoted to Brianna and little Jemmy.
  Which is very admirable indeed, I thought in the direction of the mist, under the circumstances.
  You admit that, do you?
  The words formed in my inner ear as though he had spoken them, ironic, mocking both himself and me. . . .
  You know I do, I said silently. I always did, and you know it, so just bugger off, will you?!“
  

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  • I never picked up on the last two sentences before. That’s the problem, Frank IS a good guy and Claire knows and knew it. But he’s not Jamie. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, November 14 2023, 12:21:32
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, November 12, 2023 -- CindyG, Sat, November 11 2023, 18:36:29
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “Happy the Bride the Sun Shines On.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I woke to the patter of rain on canvas, with the feel of my first husband’s kiss on my lips. I blinked, disoriented, and by reflex put my fingers to my mouth. To keep the feeling, or to hide it? I wondered, even as I did so.”
  

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  • Frank does keep showing up, doesn’t he? Lol. Poor guy, it’s nice that Diana didn’t desert him but I sure am glad Claire chose Jamie. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 12 2023, 3:20:01
    • I was glad the TV series showed Frank desperately searching for Claire. I always feel bad for him. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, November 13 2023, 5:31:11
      • Me too, as I matured. lol. Was blinded by Jamie at first but did come over to the “like Frank” club. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, November 14 2023, 6:50:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, November 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, November 12 2023, 17:54:38
  The following quote is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “Happy the Bride the Sun Shines On.” Copyright©️ 2001 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Go away, Frank, I thought sternly. . . .
  Shouldn’t I come to see her married?
  I couldn’t tell whether the words had formed themselves in my thoughts, or whether they—and that kiss—were merely the product of my own subconscious. I had fallen asleep with my mind still busy with wedding preparations; little wonder that I should wake from dreams of weddings. And wedding nights.”
  

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  • Does anyone else think she’s referring to her wedding night with Frank? It’s weird how dreams are - sometimes so real - and other times over the moon. I’ve had dreams so real about past bad things that I’m almost giddy with relief when I wake up. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, November 13 2023, 10:59:53
    • She may have. Her wedding night with Frank must have been so different. In the series they went to a chapel on a whim almost. There has never been a mention of Frank's family except as perhaps a reason he was so into his genealogy. Neither of them had family to attend a wedding, was Uncle Lamb still alive? Sad to think about but so many people lose their whole families during war time. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, November 13 2023, 16:21:45
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, November 11, 2023 -- kgp - late, sorry. We have company., Sat, November 11 2023, 11:03:27
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 110 . . . Confused Noise And Garments Rolled In Blood . . .
  
  
  “They will have gone to - to my house.” Elspeth spoke softly. “The wounded Loyalists who didn’t come here. I’ll - I’ll need to go and tend them.” She was holding her son’s hand, though, fingers laced tightly with his, and her face was full of anguish when she looked at him.
  
  I nodded, my throat tight in sympathy. I didn’t need to see the thoughts racing across her face to know what they were: love and fear warring with duty. And I knew the deeper fear that was beginning to bloom within her. Her eyes were fixed on his bare feet, willing them to move.
  

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  • Diana has made the Revolutionary War so much more deeply understood to me. That it wasn’t as easy as “once you’re in America, of course you’re a rebel!” Reading about loved ones (Lord John) and their thoughts really gave me a different attitude. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 12 2023, 3:17:43
    • We never really learned about Loyalists in school. In New England we learned about the doings in Boston, tea party, bunker Hill, massacre, and the battles at Lexington and Concord. Not much about how long and drawn out it was. Suddenly George Washington shows up and it's over? (NT) -- kgp, Mon, November 13 2023, 5:28:56
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, November 10, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, November 09 2023, 17:17:24
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 110 . . . Confused Noise And Garments Rolled In Blood . . .
  
  
  I was at the door with no memory of getting there, fumbling with the mortise bolt - I hadn’t barred the door when Elspeth came. I yanked the heavy door as though it weighed nothing, and in the dark and flickering candlelight I saw Jamie, among a many-headed mass of black confusion, a head taller than his companions and his eyes searching for me.
  
  “Help me, Sassenach,” he said, and stumbled into the hall, lurching to one side and striking the wall. He didn’t fall, but I saw the blood on his wet shirt, soaked and spreading.
  
  “Where?” I said urgently, seizing his arm and looking for the source of the blood. It was running down his arm beneath the sleeve of his jacket; his hand was wet with it. “Where are you hurt?”
  
  “Not me,” he said, chest heaving with the effort to breathe. He jerked his head backward. “Him.”
  

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  • I really have to reread. I can’t remember who’s bloody but I’m glad it’s not Jamie. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, November 10 2023, 14:33:14
    • He's bloody, too - a cutlass slash across his chest. Again. This is Captain Cunningham who's in trouble now. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, November 11 2023, 11:04:59
  
  

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• QOTD for November 9, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, November 09 2023, 6:35:30
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 109 De Profundis
  
  
  If the captain believed his son’s word - and very plainly he did - then he must conclude that he was essentially immortal for the intervening years. Five years now.
  
  “Holy Lord,” I said, finding a more acceptable interjection. There was an inch of buttermilk left in my cup, and I tossed it back as though it were bad whisky.
  
  “That - I mean . . . it doesn't mean that he will kill your husband,” Elspeth said, leaning forward anxiously. “Only that your husband will not kill him.”
  
  “That must be a great comfort to you.”
  
  She flushed, embarrassed. Of course it was. She cleared her throat and tried to offer comfort, saying that Charles didn’t mean to kill Jamie, ony to take him prisoner, and . . .
  
  “And take him off to Patrick Ferguson to be hanged,” I finished, nastily. “For the sake of his own bloody advancement!”
  

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• QOTD for November 8, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, November 08 2023, 7:06:19
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 109 De Profundis
  
  
  Then Cunningham emerged into the fall of light from the open door, saw Jamie, and bowed to him.
  
  “Worshipful Master,” he said.
  
  “Captain,” Jamie replied, and his heart thumped hard in his ears as he bowed, because Cunningham was no card player and the truth was written in the narrowing of his eyes and the hardness of his mouth.
  
  A formal occasion, then, is it? He had a sudden mental picture of them squaring up to fight a duel, in kilt, cocked hat, and their Masonic aprons. What would be the weapons? He wondered. Cutlasses?
  
  ”Dèan ullachadh, mo charaidean,” he said casually to the men who stood with him. Stand ready.
  
  The meeting went well enough - outwardly.
  
  The ritual, the words of brotherhood, fellowship, idealism. But he thought the words rang hollow, with a sense of ice among the men, covering their hearts. Separating one from another, leaving all in the cold.
  

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  • It’s sad how one strong (bad) leader can poison a group. I could never stand up to these machinations and keep cool. Once again I’ll throw in my pitch for women leading the whole world for 5 years and see how things are. Mrs Cunningham and Claire are totally at odds but are working it out. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, November 08 2023, 8:07:37
    • The two-faced duplicity makes me so angry - not just Cunningham, but the residents of the Ridge who Jamie helped settle and gave a chance to make it in the mountains. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, November 08 2023, 12:25:24
      • AMEN!!!! The self righteousness they use to defend their actions, no problem accepting hospitality - but once settled, gathering against their benefactor. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, November 09 2023, 3:02:59
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, November 6, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, November 05 2023, 16:20:51
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 63 The Third Floor
  
  
  “It’s been a long time since I heard language like that,” Fanny said, her lips twitching.
  
  “If you have to do with sailors, young woman, you acquire both their virtues and their vices.” Elspeth’s face was still white and shone like polished bone under a layer of sweat, but her voice was steady and her breath was coming back. “And where, might I ask, did you hear language like that?”
  
  Fanny glanced at me, but I nodded and she said simply, “I lived in a brothel for some time, ma’am.”
  
  “Indeed.” Mrs. Cunningham drew her wrist out of my grasp and sat up, rather shaky, but bracing herself with her good hand on the table. “I suppose whores must also have both virtues and vices, then.”
  
  “I don’t know about the virtues,” Fanny said dubiously. “Unless you count being able to milk a man in two minutes by the clock.”
  
  I had taken a nip of the whisky myself, and choked on it.
  
  “I think that would be classed as a skill rather than a virtue,” Mrs. Cunningham told Fanny. “Though a valuable one, I daresay.”
  

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  • Love, love, LOVE this conversation. Diana talks about “onions” - Mrs Cunningham has quite a few layers and her idea of virtue vs skill cracks me up. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, November 06 2023, 2:57:49
    • I agree, Kathy in PA. I was nickering while reading this. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, November 07 2023, 10:37:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, November 7, 2023 -- kgp, Mon, November 06 2023, 17:58:20
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 109 De Profundis
  
  
  I waved Elspeth to one of the two chairs. Without asking, I took down the bottle of JF Special and filled two cups to their rims. Elspeth accepted hers but didn’t drink immediately, though it was clear she needed it. I didn’t hesitate to take my own dose.
  
  “I’d thought I might - pray with you,” she said.
  
  “Fine,” I said, flatly. “There’s nothing else we can do now, is there?”
  
  I drank, hoping against hope that I was right and that she hadn’t come to tell me that her son had killed or captured my husband. But she hadn’t; I could see as much through the firelight that painted her face with the illusion of health. She’d come to me in fear, not pity. Her lean, weathered hands were both wrapped round her cup, and I thought that if she squeezed it much harder, the pewter would bend.
  
  “It hasn’t happened yet?” I asked, and was surprised that I sounded almost casual
  
  “I don’t know.”
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, Noember 5, 2023 -- kgp, Sat, November 04 2023, 16:27:25
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 63 The Third Floor
  
  
  As I leaned out with the shutter hook in my hand, though, I saw a tall black figure hastening toward the house, skirts and cloak flying in the wind.
  
  “You and your little dog, too” I murmured, and risked a glance at the forest, in case of flying monkeys. A blast of cold air rushed past me into the surgery, rattling glassware and flipping the pages of the Merck Manual that I had left open on the counter. Luckily I’d taken the precaution of removing the copyright page . . .
  
  “What did you say?” Fanny had followed me and stood now in the surgery door, Bluebell yawning behind her.
  
  “Mrs. Cunningham’s coming,” I said, leaving the shutters open and closing the window.
  

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  • She was an interesting character with a very strong sense of what she thought was “right.” . I love when Diana makes modern references casually. I immediately pictured Mrs Cunningham as the movie wicked witch. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, November 05 2023, 3:29:11
  
  

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• Blessings Be -- Margaret, Sat, October 21 2023, 13:26:06
  Dear Lord,
  Every single evening
  As I’m lying here in bed,
  This tiny little Prayer
  Keeps running through my head.
  
  Good bless all my family
  Wherever they may be,
  Keep them warm and safe from harm
  For they’re so close to me.
  
  And God, there is one more thin
  I wish that you could do
  Hope you don’t mind me asking
  Please bless my computer too.
  
  Now I know that it’s unusual
  To Bless a motherboard,
  But listen just a second
  While I explain it to you, Lord.
  
  You see that little metal box
  Holds more than odds and ends
  Inside those small compartments
  Rest so may of my friends.
  
  I know so much about them
  By the kindness that they give
  And this little scrap of metal
  Takes me in to where they live
  By faith is how I know them
  
  Much the same as you
  We share in what life brings us
  And from that our friendships grew.
  
  Please take an extra minute
  From your duties up above,
  To bless those in my address book
  That’s filled with so much love
  
  Wherever else this prayer may reach
  To each and every friend,
  Bless each e-mail inbox
  And each person who hits send
  
  When you update your Heavenly list on your own CD-Rom,
  Bless everyone who says this prayer
  Sent up to GOD.com
  

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  • Thank you ❤ that's lovely. I met so many beloved friends through this site in particular. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, October 21 2023, 15:09:45
    • Me too! Thank you, Margaret. Love my Lallypals 😊❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, October 22 2023, 13:21:05
  • Lallyfriends are priceless. <3 (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, October 23 2023, 14:12:34
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, October 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, October 13 2023, 18:15:36
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Plague of Zombies.” Copyright©️ 2017, 2011 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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  • I don’t really get zombies. I didn’t watch the Walking Dead, but this sure seems believable and horrifying. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, October 16 2023, 18:10:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, October 3, 2023 -- kgp, Tue, October 03 2023, 11:16:33
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 52 Conflagration
  
  
  “Well, he would be, wouldn’t he? Is that the last of the bad news?”
  
  He shook his head.
  
  “Nay. The deserters said Burgoyne’s army is short of supplies. The dragoons are on foot, because they canna get fresh horses. Though I dinna ken whether they’ve eaten them or not.”
  
  It was a hit, muggy night, but a shiver raised the hair on my arms. I touched Jamie’s wrist and found the hairs there bristling, as well. He’ll dream of Culloden tonight, I thought abruptly. I dismissed that for the moment, though.
  
  “I should think that would be good news. Why isn’t it?”
  
  His wrist turned and his hand took mine, lacing our fingers tight together.
  
  “Because they havena supplies enough to mount a siege. They’ll need to overrun us and take us by force. And they verra likely can.”
  

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  • Buy LSD -- Derickmax65, Fri, October 13 2023, 22:41:33
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, October 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, October 12 2023, 19:49:00
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Space Between.” Copyright©️ 2017, 2013 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Joan stood stock-still, amazed. Michael’s arm was still around her, but she scarcely noticed.
  ‘He is!’ she whispered. ‘He truly is! They both are!’
  ‘Are what?’ Michael gaped at her.
  ‘Auld Folk! Faeries!’
  He looked wildly back at the scene before them. The two men stood face-to-face, hands locked together, their mouths moving in animated conversation—in total silence. It was like watching mimes but even less interesting.
  ‘I dinna care what they are. Loons, criminals, demons, angels…Come on!’ He dropped his arm and seized her hand, but she was planted solid as an oak sapling, her eyes growing wide and wider.
  She gripped his hand hard enough to grind the bones and shrieked at the top of her lungs, ‘Don’t do it!!’
  He whirled round just in time to see them vanish.”
  

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  • I loved this story. I'm hoping we see more of Joan & Michael in the future. Future books, that is, not time! (One can never be sure with DG!) (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, October 13 2023, 9:37:44
    • Lol!! Yes, when Michael put his arm around her waist, supposedly just to steady her…….. but the way Diana wrote it - my antenna went up. And they’re both so sad, it would be nice to see them get happy together. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, October 13 2023, 14:36:56
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, October 12, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, October 12 2023, 7:35:18
  Sorry I’m a bit late—my WiFi was out yesterday!
  
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Besieged.” Copyright©️ 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Consumed by curiosity, Grey got up and opened the secretaire. Sure enough, there was a small stack of written pages, neatly bound with blue tape. The page on top was a title page—evidently she did mean it to be a book. It said, simply, My Life.
  ‘A memoir?’
  Tom shrugged.
  ‘Dunno, me lord. None of the servants can read English, so they don’t know.’
  Grey was torn between amusement, curiosity, and a certain unease. To the best of his knowledge, his mother had led a rather adventurous life—and he was well aware that his knowledge of that life was limited, by unspoken mutual consent. There were a lot of things he didn’t want her to know about his own life; he could respect her secrets. Though, if she was writing them down…
  He touched the manuscript lightly, then closed the lid of the secretaire.”
  

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  • I won’t keep a very personal journal because once it’s written down you’ll never know who might read it. Not everyone is as honorable as John. I love his Mom and Minnie too, Diana! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, October 12 2023, 13:17:57
  • We are blessed with journals from ancestors. Nothing really personal, just a few lines every day or so about who came to visit, a remork on world events, day to day harvest and shopping. I never wanted a diary sort of thing. I agree that things written down can cause pain if not curated. Yet several family members journal as part of therapy and self awareness. Reading my grandfather's excitement over the end of the war or my mother's engagement was pretty special. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, October 13 2023, 7:30:07
  • While cleaning out a closet before painting, I found a box of my "memorabilia," including old autograph books, a couple of diaries/journals, etc. I was a decidedly boring tween/teen! :-) (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, October 13 2023, 9:36:17
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, October 11, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, October 10 2023, 18:52:40
  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.
  
  “‘Who the blood helly are you, and what do you mean by following me?’ Minnie demanded, glaring at him. Then she saw his eyes lift, noticing something over her shoulder, and the words “two bodyguards” dropped into her mind like pebbles dropped in water. Merde!
  ‘Two,’ she said flatly, and lowered the hatpin. ‘Mister O’Higgins, I presume? And…Mr. O’Higgins, as well?’ she added, turning toward the other young man, who had come up behind her. He grinned at her and bowed extravagantly, sweeping off his cap.
  ‘Raphael Thomas O’Higgins, me lady,’ he said. ‘Blood helly? Would that be a French expression, at all?’
  ‘If you like,’ she said, still annoyed. ‘And you?’ She swung back to face the first pursuer, who was also grinning from ear to ear.
  ‘Michael Seamas O’Higgins, miss,’ he said, with a bob of the head. ‘Mick, to me friends, and me brother there is Rafe. Ye were expecting us, I see?’”
  

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  • I love Minnie! I hope we meet her again in the next book. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, October 11 2023, 11:41:14
  • The O'Higgins Brothers show up several times in BOTB. Quite the opportunistic pair, yet they do seem rather devoted to John as well as Minnie. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, October 11 2023, 13:11:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, October 10, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, October 09 2023, 18:55:32
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Virgins.” Copyright©️ 2017, 2013 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Queue?’ he said with a raised brow. ‘That what ye call it in these parts, is it?’
  Big Georges managed a crooked smile.
  ‘And what do you call it? In your tongue?’
  ‘Bot,’ Ian said, shrugging. There were other words, but he wasn’t about to try one like clipeachd on them.
  ‘Mostly just cock,’ Jamie said, shrugging, too.
  ‘Or penis, if ye want to be all English about it,’ Ian chimed in.
  Several of the men were listening now, willing to join in any sort of conversation to get away from the echo of the last scream, still hanging in the air like fog.
  ‘Ha,’ Jamie said. ‘Penis isna even an English word, ye wee ignoramus. It’s Latin. And even in Latin, it doesna mean a man’s closest companion—it means “tail.”’
  Ian gave him a long, slow look.
  ‘Tail, is it? So ye canna even tell the difference between your cock and your arse, and ye’re preachin’ to me about Latin?’”
  

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  • Since the beginning of time I think men have been naming their “nasty appendages” as Claire called them once. Lol. Ian wrapped that up with his usual dry humor! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, October 10 2023, 3:42:22
    • An English friend of mine once told a visitor in her motor home that she didn't want to see any dangly parts. I love that description! (NT) -- Janet, Tue, October 10 2023, 10:35:51
    • Some comedian remarked that he'd like to know when the "Family Jewels" became a man's "Junk!" LOL! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, October 10 2023, 14:14:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, October 6, 2023 -- kgp, Fri, October 06 2023, 11:36:26
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 63 Separated Forever From My Friends And Kin
  
  
  Lieutenant Lord Ellesmere had finally killed a rebel. Several, he thought, though he could not be sure of those he’d shot at; some of them fell but might be only wounded. He was sure of the man who had attacked one of the British cannon, with a party of other rebels. He’d hacked that man half through the body with a cavalry saber, and he felt a strange numbness in his sword arm for several days after, this making him flex his left hand every few minutes to be sure he could still use it.
  
  The numbness was not limited to his arm.
  
  The days after the battle in the British camp were spent partially in the orderly retrieval of the wounded, the burial of the dead, and in regathering their forces. What forced remained to be gathered. Desertion was rife; there was a constant small stream of furtive departures - one day a whole company of Brunswickers defected.
  
  He oversaw more than one burial detail, watching with set face as men - and boys - he knew were consigned to the earth. On the first couple of days, they hadn’t buried the bodies deep enough, and were obliged to listen all night to the howling and snarling of wolves fighting over the carcasses they had dragged from shallow graves. They reburied what was left the next day, deeper.
  

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  • Oh man, all the books strike a deep chord over and over. But when I take them in small bites during QOTD, some really, really tear at my heart. What a paragraph about the senselessness of war. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 07 2023, 2:32:25
    • To bury men and boys you knew, only to have to re-bury what was left by the wolves the next day is particularly horrifying to me. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, October 10 2023, 14:10:25
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, October 9, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, October 08 2023, 19:17:51
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows.” Copyright©️ 2017, 2010 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘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.
  He caught the other man’s voice from the darkness, irritated, half-amused. He spoke differently from the dark man, a much thicker accent, but Jerry understood him without difficulty.
  ‘Why did ye tell him a daft thing like that?’
  And the dark one’s reply, soft-spoken, in a tone that terrified him more than anything had so far.
  ‘Because he isn’t going to make it back. It’s the only chance I’ll ever have. Come on.’”
  

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  • I forgot that Jerry heard Buck and Roger. So sad. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, October 09 2023, 2:37:40
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, October 8, 2023 -- CindyG, Sat, October 07 2023, 19:37:47
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Custom of the Army.” Copyright©️ 2017, 2010 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Me lord?’
  The voice at his elbow nearly made him swallow his tongue. He turned with an attempt at calmness, ready to reproach Tom for venturing out into the chaos, but before he could summon words, his young valet stooped at his feet, holding something.
  ‘I’ve brought your breeches, me lord,’ Tom said, voice trembling. ‘Thought you might need ’em, if there was fighting.’
  ‘Very thoughtful of you, Tom,’ he assured his valet, fighting an urge to laugh. He stepped into the breeches and pulled them up, tucking in his shirt.”
  

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  • Tom is one of my favorite characters. He's brave and devoted to John (NT) -- kgp, Sun, October 08 2023, 17:45:29
    • Me too! He is SO sincere in his devotion and even love, I think, for John. And I think John realizes and appreciates more than most of his class would in those days. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, October 09 2023, 2:30:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, October 7, 2023 -- kgp, Fri, October 06 2023, 19:50:18
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 72 The Feast Of All Saints
  
  
  “Anyway, aye, I was literally on fire. My shirt was in flames. Here - “ He unzipped his wind-cheater and fumbled with the buttons of Roger’s blue cambric shirt, pulling the edges apart to show her the sprawling reddish mark of a healing burn on his chest. He would have buttoned it again at once, but she motioned him not to and bent to look closer. It seemed to be centered on his heart. Was that significant? She wondered.
  
  “Thank you,” she said, straightening up. “What - what were you thinking about when you went through?”
  
  He stared at her.
  
  “I was thinking I wanted to get back, what else?”
  
  “Yes, of course. But were you thinking of someone in particular? Of Morag, I mean, or your Jem?”
  
  The most extraordinary expression - shame? embarrassment? - crossed his face, and he looked away.
  
  “I was,” he said briefly, and she knew he lied but couldn’t think why.
  

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  • And I can’t remember why he lied or what he was thinking of? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, October 07 2023, 2:35:15
    • I'm someone else knows. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, October 07 2023, 12:09:17
      • Hoping someone else knows. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, October 07 2023, 16:31:39
        • I believe he was thinking of his mother, Gellis (NT) -- Margaret, Mon, October 09 2023, 2:06:50
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, October 5, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, October 05 2023, 10:43:29
  
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 21 The Minister’s Cat
  
  I don’t really have a theme this week - just things that struck me as I leafed through. This caught my ear last night as I was falling asleep.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  More silence. And the shade of Jerry MacKenzie, RAF, came and sat down by the fire in his fleece-lined leather flight jacket, watching the play of light in his granddaughter’s ink-black hair.
  
  “So you - “ He could hear the little pop as her tongue parted from her dry mouth. “You’re going to look? See if you can find out where your father went? Where he might . . . be?”
  
  Where he might be. Here, there, then, now? His heart gave a sudden convulsive lurch, thinking of the tramp who’d stayed in the broch. God . . . no. It couldn’t be. No reason to think it, none. Only wanting.
  

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  • It got so confusing when Roger did meet Jerry. Am I right in thinking he was one that was lost in the void? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, October 06 2023, 9:39:32
    • Roger was always told that Jerry was shot down over the channel but never found. They found the plane near a stone circle though, according to Claire who heard the story from Frank. Jerry ended up getting thrown back in time coming out close to Hadrian's wall. What struck me here was that Jerry's shade entered and sat down. That's just eerie. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, October 06 2023, 11:40:22
  
  

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• Happy Thanksgiving -- Margaret, Thu, October 05 2023, 9:01:06
  This has been a bit of a trying year for this old world. I sincerely hope everyone can find a little something to be thankful for. God Bless!
  

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  • For sure! Where are you, Margaret? Happy Thanksgiving to you!! 😊👍Thanksgiving in US isn’t until Nov 23 this year. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, October 05 2023, 9:41:59
    • Calgary, Alberta, Canada - When the visitors came to Surrey they were pleased to get sale priced thanksgiving decorations! Enjoy the weekend with friends and family and an order in meal. (NT) -- Margaret, Thu, October 05 2023, 9:54:55
  • Happy Thanksgiving!! (NT) -- kgp, Thu, October 05 2023, 10:44:34
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, October 4, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, October 04 2023, 10:38:49
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 52 Conflagration
  
  
  All of this - the packing, the loading, the slaughtering and livestock driving, the destruction - must be accomplished clandestinely, under the very noses of the British. For if they saw a retreat was imminent, they would fall on us like wolves, destroying the garrison as they left the safety of the fort.
  
  Tremendous thunderheads boiled up over the lake in the afternoons, towering black things that rose miles high and full of lightning. Sometimes they broke after nightfall, pounding the lake, the mounts, the picket lines, and the fort with water that fell as though dumped from a bottomless bucket. Sometimes they only drifted past, grumbling and ominous.
  

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  • She’s so descriptive. I can feel the fear and tension. It’s awful when bad storms come in the middle of the night - the darkness seems to make it worse. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, October 04 2023, 16:15:27
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, October 2, 2023 -- kgp, Mon, October 02 2023, 8:31:19
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 11 Transverse Lie
  
  Half an hour of saying the rosary convinced him that he had done as much in that direction as was necessary or desirable for the sake of Lizzie and her impending child. Saying the rosary for penance - aye, he saw the point of that, particularly if you had to say it on your knees. Or to quiet one’s mind, fortify the soul, or seek the insight of meditation on sacred topics, eye, that, too. But not for petition. If he were God, or even the Blessed Virgin, who was renowned for patience, he thought he would find it tedious to listen to more than a decade or so of someone saying please about something over and over, and surely there was no point to boring a person whose aid you sought?
  

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  • I can sure relate to this. I’m not Catholic so I don’t say the rosary, but have the same feeling about “petitioning God.” Gratitude prayers are easy, confessing prayers are squirmy and petitions are rare. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, October 03 2023, 3:27:59
  • I'm pretty certain this is Jamie, who while a man of strong faith, is imminently practical as well. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, October 03 2023, 10:21:29
    • Didn't he once refer to Hiram Crombie's group as God-naggers? (NT) -- kgp, Tue, October 03 2023, 11:43:20
  
  

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• If it's possible to go forward 200+ years as Buck did, would we know if someone from 1820 appeared now? Would we think them delusional and homeless? What reception would someone in 2226 make to someone from now showing up suddenly? -- kgp, Sun, October 01 2023, 20:12:29
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  • Definitely delusional. - Is that where all our homeless, must be on drugs, are coming from :) ? (NT) -- Margaret, Mon, October 02 2023, 7:57:25
    • I might resort to drugs or drink if I ended up 203 years in the future. Or perhaps their the ones who have come back from the future and are just gobsmacked at how primitive we are. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, October 02 2023, 8:32:54
      • *they're (NT) -- kgp, Mon, October 02 2023, 8:34:03
  • What an interesting question! I immediately thought if they were quick thinking as Claire, they might manage. But I do agree with you, Margaret, they could easily be dismissed, depending on where and among who, they landed. “Homeless are all on drugs” or “they want to be” infuriates me. I think about how easily it could happen to ANYONE who doesn’t have support in bad times. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, October 03 2023, 3:24:17
    • Most of us are closer to homeless than we want to think about. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, October 03 2023, 5:11:57
  
  

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• I haven't checked in for a couple of weeks. Thank you for keeping it going 💜 I've cleared the SPAM posts. I know I'll be busy and exhausted next week also but will try to check in. Love ya!! -- kgp, Sun, September 24 2023, 14:35:22
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  • Right back at you! And Cindy! Thank you both for continuing monthly. 😊❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 25 2023, 3:31:09
  • Thanks, kgp! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, September 25 2023, 13:51:54
  
  

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• QOTD from “Voyager” by Diana Gabaldon. Published 1994 (the books were coming a lot closer then!!) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 22 2023, 5:45:31
  
  
  
  PROLOGUE
  
  When I was small, I never wanted to step in puddles. Not because of any fear of drowned worms or wet stocking; I was by and large a grubby child, with a blissful disregard for filth of any kind. (Talk about foreshadowing!)
  
  It was because I couldn’t bring myself to believe that the perfect smooth expanse was no more than a thin film of water over solid earth. I believed it was an opening into some fathomless space. Sometimes, seeing the tiny ripples caused by my approach, I thought the puddle impossibly deep, a bottomless sea in which the lazy coil of tentacles 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 instead that the puddle was the 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 come out. If I looked in the water and saw one lighted 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—even 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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  • I think this is how my horse views puddles, ROFL!!! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 22 2023, 10:24:14
    • Won’t step in puddles? They does paint a funny picture. It’s so wonderful that you have a horse! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 22 2023, 16:33:07
      • Land Rover doesn't like to get his feet wet, especially if it's muddy! I've finally convinced him to step in clear water, but it has to be super clean with good sand on the bottom. He's a joy, though! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, September 25 2023, 13:50:16
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday September 23, 2023 from “Dragonfly In Amber” by Diana Gabaldon published 1992. -- Kathy in PA, Sat, September 23 2023, 4:53:12
  
  Prologue (This one wasn’t all caps)
  
  I woke three times in the dark 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 grief 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 remaining 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 in the crest of a steep green hill. The name of the hill is Craigh na Dun; the fairies’ hill. Some say the hill is enchanted, others say it is cursed. Both are right. But no one knows the function or the purpose of the stones.
  
  Except me. (So faaaarrr………)
  
  
  
  We’re getting the edge of Ophelia so we’ve gone from beautiful fall days to dreary, rainy, cold Saturday. So I thought I’d end with a little heat. Lol
  
  This is a teeny glimpse of why Diana was put in the “bodice ripper” genre by some.
  

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• QOTD for Thursday. September 21, 2023 from “ The Fiery Cross” by Diana Gabaldon. Published 2001 -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 21 2023, 5:10:15
  
  
  
  Prologue (I never noticed before, but so far FC and Outlander don’t have the word prologue on the prologue page. So far the others I used did and it was all caps)
  
  
  
  I have lived through war, and lost much. I know what’s worth the fight, and what is not.
  
  Honor and courage are matters of the bone, and what a man will kill for, he will sometimes die for, too.
  
  And that, O kinsman, is why a woman has broad hips; that bony basin will harbor a man and his child alike. A man’s life springs from his woman’s bones, and in her blood is his honor christened.
  
  For the sake of love alone, would I walk through fire again.
  
  
  
  
  Again, wow!! I got goosebumps as I typed this. How about the foreshadowing of “bones?!” As I read them again after reading all the books they’re ALL dark. I do remember them but haven’t read them recently so it’s good surprises for me each morning.
  Like you, Diana, I need rereads from Ashes on. The first five I think I can quote whole paragraphs. Lol. But the last four still aren’t so firmly planted.
  

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• AOTD from “Go Tell The Bees That I’m Gone” by Diana Gabaldon published in 2021 -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 19 2023, 5:07:42
  
  
  
  PROLOGUE
  
  YOU KNOW THAT SOMETHING is coming. Something—a specific, dire, and awful something—WILL happen. You envision it, you push it away. It rolls slowly, inexorably, back into your mind.
  
  You make what preparation you can. Or you think you do, though your bones know the truth—there isn’t any way to sidestep, accommodate, lessen the impact. It WILL come, and you will be helpless before it.
  
  You know these things.
  
  And yet, somehow, you never think it will be today.
  
  
  
  Wow! I had forgotten that one. I chose Bees today because I hadn’t ever heard of the custom before the book and since, I’ve encountered telling the bees at least three times. I like learning about the natural way of things that have stood over the years. I just found a wee wooly bear caterpillar yesterday and he had a huge orange stripe. Bad winter maybe?
  
  I also chose it because I live close to a lot of the places in this book and it was easy to follow along and picture the adventures.
  
  But as I typed the prologue this morning it just made me kind of identify how I’m feeling about the natural disasters we’re having. Claire knows she’s facing war; I’m not exactly what sure I’m facing but I work on living in the present with gratitude for this beautiful fall day and spreading what good will I can instead of “henny - penny” ing it over the state of the world.
  

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  • QOTD for Tuesday, September 19, 2033. A bit of “A G E” showing. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 19 2023, 5:11:02
  • I've only read "Bees" once so far, so I didn't remember the prologue. This is so powerful. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 20 2023, 7:42:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 18, 2023. From “Outlander” written by Diana Gabaldon and published in 1991 -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 18 2023, 5:01:32
  
  
  
  Prologue
  
  People disappear all the time. Ask any policeman. Better yet, ask a journalist. 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, dead or alive. Disappearances, after all, have explanations.
  
  Usually.
  
  
  
  
  And so it all began 32 years ago!!! I was 36 and sure read that prologue with a different mindset than I have today. It’s so dark.
  
  I almost passed on Outlander after seeing it on a list of “Books That Changed Your Life.” When I asked for it at the library the librarian said, “Oh, you mean that time travel one?” I don’t read sci fi but thank goodness for old fashioned cover art because that kilt, sword, and especially the old fashioned broken clock, grabbed me.
  

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  • I picked up and returned Outlander to the shelf in the bookstore several times before I took a chance on it. Couldn't wrap my mind around the time travel aspect....Best book decision I ever made! (NT) -- Janet, Mon, September 18 2023, 10:39:15
    • Agreed!! How about trying to tell someone how great is but just tumbling over words and story because it’s so different. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 19 2023, 14:18:37
  • It's funny; many years ago my Mom loaned me Outlander. It sat in a To Be Read pile for quite a long time because the cover didn't appeal to me. (It was the one with the broken clock.) When I finally started it, of course I raced through it and the next three! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 20 2023, 7:39:39
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday September 20, 2023 from “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon published 2005. -- Kathy in PA, Wed, September 20 2023, 4:25:03
  
  
  PROLOGUE
  
  TIME IS A LOT OF THE THINGS people say that God is.
  
  There’s the always preexisting, and having no end. There’s the notion of being all powerful—because nothing can stand against time, can it? Not mountains, not armies.
  
  And time is, of course, all healing. Give anything enough (in italics) time, and everything is taken care of: all pain encompassed, all hardship erased, all loss subsumed.
  
  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Remember, man, that thou art dust: and unto dust thou shalt return.
  
  And if Time is anything akin to God, I suppose that Memory must be the Devil.
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 17, 2023. From “Written In My Own Heart’s Blood” by Diana Gabaldon. Published 2014 - Can you believe it?! -- Kathy in PA, Sun, September 17 2023, 8:44:16
  PROLOGUE
  
  In the light of eternity, time casts no shadow.
  
  “Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” (Should be in italics)
  But what is it that the old women see?
  We see necessity, and we do the things that must be done.
  
  Young women don’t see - they ARE, and the spring of life runs through them.
  
  Ours is the guarding of the spring, ours the shielding of the light we have lit, the flame that we are.
  
  What have I seen? You are the vision of my youth, the constant dream of all my ages.
  
  Here I stand on the brink of war again, a citizen of no place, no time, no country but my own…….. and that a land lapped by no sea but blood, bordered only by the outlines of a face long-loved.
  
  
  
  The prologues always make me cry. There’s so much wrapped up in them and I confess I usually never bothered to read prologues before. Now they get their own “time” as each new book comes out.
  
  This is Claire to Bri, basically, right? But how many old and young women can relate to this? To either or both?
  

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  • I see myself and my daughter in this. <3 (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, September 18 2023, 12:32:48
    • Me too ❤️. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 19 2023, 14:15:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, September 16, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, September 15 2023, 19:01:28
  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.
  
  “‘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.
  Jamie nodded. ‘Nay doubt,’ he said quietly, and went into the forest. Once out of sight of the road, he leaned against a tree, feeling sweat stream down his face. His back felt cast in cement. His whole body was trembling, but he hoped that William had been too distrait to notice.
  God, should it have come to blows, I couldna take him.”
  

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  • That eternal conflict between son and father. Even in the best and most loving relationships it seems this moment of reckoning comes. I’m really looking forward to William getting over being a “bastard” and realizing what a fabulous family he can now be part of. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, September 16 2023, 4:09:55
    • Especially since he's developing a relationship with Bree, and seemed fond of "Mother Claire." (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, September 18 2023, 12:30:50
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, September 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, September 14 2023, 19:31:33
  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.
  
  “‘You!’ William blurted, wrenching loose. ‘What the devil are you doing here? And where is my—what have you—‘ He made a convulsive gesture of dismissal. ‘What are you doing here?’
  ‘Talking to you, if ye’ll close your mouth for a moment,’ Jamie said coldly. ‘Listen to me, lad, because I’m telling ye what you’re going to do.’
  ‘You’re not telling me anything,’ William began furiously, and cocked a fist. Jamie grabbed him by the upper arm again, and this time dug his fingers hard into the spot Claire had shown him, on the underside of the bone. William let out a strangled ‘Agh!’ and started to pant, his eyes bulging.
  ‘You’re going to catch up the men ye sent Ian with and tell them to set him free,’ Jamie said evenly. ‘If ye don’t, I go down under a flag of truce to the camp where they’re taking him, introduce myself, tell the commander who you are, and explain the reason for the fight. Ye’ll be right there beside me. Do I make myself clear?’ he asked, increasing the pressure of his fingers.
  ‘Yes!’ The word came out in a hiss, and Jamie let go suddenly, folding his fingers into a fist to hide the fact that they were trembling and twitching from the effort.”
  

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  • I’d like to know that exact spot! The last sentence lets me know, in spite of NOT wanting it to happen, Jamie is getting older…….. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, September 16 2023, 4:06:40
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, September 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Wed, September 13 2023, 20:39:04
  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 minute we’re alone. Does thee not wish to tell me thyself? I think perhaps thee might not trust Ian to say it aright.’ Her eye rested on Ian’s lip, and her own mouth twitched. Ian might have taken offense at this, save that William’s distress was so apparent.
  ‘It isna 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 start 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.’”
  

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  • I love Rachel. “Oh, that”. Lol. I’m sorry for William’s angst but it’s definitely worse when you realize everyone else already knows 😳 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 14 2023, 3:15:28
    • Everyone else knows, and nobody else thinks it's a big deal except you! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, September 14 2023, 10:06:18
      • Yes!! It’s hard to be indignant when it’s a yawn to everyone else. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 14 2023, 16:33:26
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, September 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, September 12 2023, 19:28:17
  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.
  
  “William looked sharply at Ian, catching the tone of his voice, then back at Rachel, whose hand he was still holding.
  ‘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.”
  

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  • Sorry bud, but yay!!!! Ian and Rachel are such a unique couple and love each other fiercely, like J and C. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 14 2023, 3:13:00
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, September 12, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, September 11 2023, 20:27:32
  The following quote is 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.
  
  “Matters thereafter were unsettled but largely pleasant, though at one point he found himself 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 recollection of the moments just past. ‘Why did you make me break my word?’”
  

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  • I was glad he had this time with Jane. It reminds me of Ian needing comfort and release after the fire and Jamie knew it. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 14 2023, 3:11:09
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 11, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, September 10 2023, 21:02:44
  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.
  
  “‘Have you been set upon and robbed?’ one of the others demanded. ‘God! This filthy place!’
  He felt at once comforted by their company—and hideously embarrassed by it. He was not one of them, not any longer.
  ‘Was it? Was it robbery?’ another said, glaring round eagerly. ‘We’ll find the bastards who did it, ’pon my honor we will! We’ll get your property back and teach whoever did it a lesson!’
  Blood was running down the back of his throat, harsh and iron-tasting, and he coughed but did his best to nod and shrug simultaneously. He had been robbed. But no one was ever going to give him back what he’d lost today.”
  

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  • William is learning humility and humanity. I’m still trying to like him because he’s Jamie’s son, but……… (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 11 2023, 12:02:53
    • He is a very difficult character to like, but I think that’s what makes him so interesting. (NT) -- CindyG, Mon, September 11 2023, 20:21:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 10, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, September 10 2023, 7:57:53
  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.
  
  “‘I’m partial to bastards myself,’ she said, and touched him lightly on the arm. ‘What kind of 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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  • Oh Jane. She sure is a tragic woman. Frances will carry on her legacy of gumption and pride. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, September 10 2023, 15:49:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, September 9, 2023 -- kgp, Sat, September 09 2023, 13:01:45
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter31 A Guided Tour Through the Chambers of the Heart
  
  
  Captain Hickman’s high nasal voice came piercingly from the deck. I couldn’t hear what he said, but the response was immediate; feet thumped to and fro on the deck, and the ship shifted suddenly, turning as her sails were adjusted. The chime and grunt of shot being lifted and the rumble of gun carriages echoed through the ship. Apparently, the weather gauge was still ours.
  
  I could see a fierce excitement light Ian’s face and rejoiced to see it, but couldn’t help voicing a qualm or two.
  
  “You haven’t any hesitation about this?” I said to Jamie. “I mean - after all, he is a dog.”
  
  He gave me an eye and a moody shrug.
  
  “Aye, well. I’ve known battles fought for worse reasons. And since this time yesterday, I’ve committed piracy, mutiny, and murder. I may as well add treason and make a day of it.”
  
  “Besides, Auntie,” Ian said reprovingly, “he’s a good dog.”
  

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  • A good dog is worth his or her weight in gold. I sobbed when Rollo died. The only thing that made it bearable was that Ian had Rachel. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, September 10 2023, 15:47:35
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, September 8, 2023 - Sorry I missed yesterday, massive heat headache. -- kgp, Fri, September 08 2023, 9:16:35
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter31 A Guided Tour Through the Chambers of the Heart
  
  
  “Is the lady summat recovered?” a young boy asked politely. “Cap’n says if she’s dead, you’re no longer needed here, and he desires you to come above and speak to him prompt, sir.”
  
  “And if I’m not dead?” I inquired, trying to straighten out my petticoats, which were wet round the hems, damp through, and hopelessly rumpled. Drat. Now I had left my gold-weighted skirt and pocket aboard the Pitt. At this rate, I’d be lucky to arrive on dry land in my chemise and stays.
  
  The boy - at second glance, he was likely twelve or so, he looked much younger - smiled at this.
  
  “In that case, he offered to come and drop you overboard himself, ma’am, in hopes of concentrating your husband’s mind. Cap’n Hickman’s a bit hasty in his speech,” he added, with an apologetic grimace. “He doesn’t mean much by it. Usually.”
  

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  • Sorry about your headache and hope you feel better today. The weather has been brutal. This whole boat episode was crazy. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 08 2023, 18:09:13
  • Fcf (NT) -- kgp, Fri, September 08 2023, 19:33:57
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, September 5, 2023 -- kgp, Tue, September 05 2023, 9:34:30
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter30 Ships That Pass In The Night
  
  
  I seized the rail and more or less rolled over it, skirts flying. I hung by my hands for a terrifying instant, feeling my fingers slide across the wet wood, groping with my toes for the rope ladder the cutter’s crew had thrown over the rail. A roll of the ship threw me hard against the side, I lost my grip, plunged several feet, and caught the ladder, just above the cutter’s deck.
  
  The rope had burned through my right hand, and it felt as though I’d lost all the skin off my palm, but there was no time to trouble about that now. Any minute, one of the cutter’s crew would see me, and -
  
  Timing my jump to the next heave of the cutter’s deck, I let go and landed like a bag of rocks. A sharp pain shot up the middle of my right knee, but I staggered to my feet, lurching to and fro with the roll of the deck, and lunged toward the companionway.
  

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  • This whole situation could make me roll my eyes if Diana hadn’t written it. Like TT I accept it totally wholeheartedly when she describes it. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 05 2023, 17:02:49
    • I had to read this through several times to sort out what ship they were on, which captain was who, and what the heck happened to Claire's skirt. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, September 06 2023, 7:45:14
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, September 6, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, September 06 2023, 7:42:48
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter31 A Guided Tour Through the Chambers of the Heart
  
  
  If one were in the mood to count blessings - and, oddly enough, I seemed to be - here was another one. I had seen dawnings in warm seas that came like the bloom of some tremendous flower, a great, slow unfurling of heat and light. This was a northern sunrise, like the slow opening of a bivalve’s shell - cold and delicate, the sky shimmering nacre over a soft gray sea. There was something intimate about it, I thought, as though it presaged a day of secrets.
  
  Just as I was getting well stuck into the poetic thoughts. They were interrupted by a shout of “Sail, ho!” from directly above me, Captain Stebbing’s violet painted china cup shattered on the deck, and I whirled to see the tip of a white triangle on the horizon behind us, growing larger by the second.
  
  The next few moments were filled with low comedy, as I rushed into the captain’s cabin so flustered and out of breath that I was unable to do more than gasp, “Ho! . . . s’l . . . Ho!” like a demented Santa Claus.
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 4, 2023 -- kgp, Mon, September 04 2023, 9:06:13
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter30 Ships That Pass In The Night
  
  
  Roberts gave the terse order to heave to,and the sails loosened, the ship slowing. I could see seamen at the guns and rail of the cutter; glancing side-ways at Jamie, I saw that he was counting them and glanced back.
  
  “I make it sixteen,” Ian said, low-voiced.
  
  “Undermanned, God damn it,” said the captain. He looked at Ian, estimating his size, and shook his head. “They’ll likely mean to press what they can out of us. Sorry, lad.”
  
  The rather formless alarm I’d felt at the cutter’s approach sharpened abruptly at this - and sharpened still further as I saw Roberts glance appraisingly at Jamie.
  
  “You don’t think they - “ I began.
  
  “Shame you shaved this morning, Mr. Fraser,” Roberts observed to Jamie, ignoring me. “Takes twenty years off your age. And you look a damned sight healthier than men half your age.”
  

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  • Ohhhhh. Noooooo. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 05 2023, 17:00:53
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 3, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, September 03 2023, 12:42:38
  QOTD for September 2023
  
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diane Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 25 The Bosom Of The Deep
  
  
  May 15, 1777
  
  
  My dears,
  
  I hate boats. I despise them with the utmost fiber of my being. And yet I find myself once more launched upon the dreadful Bosom of the Sea, aboard a craft known as the Tranquil Teal, from which Absurdity you may deduce the grim Whimsy of her Captain. This Gentleman is a smuggler of mixed Race, evil Countenance, and low Humor, who tells me, straight-faced, that his name is Trustworthy Roberts.
  
  
  Poor Jamie - I sympathize with his motion sickness. Car rides are iffy, whale watches definitely call for Dramamine.
  

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  • Me too! Car rides - only by a window, NO READING. Was stupid enough to go on a deep sea fishing trip - threw up for four hours. Every time I read about his nausea I feel it to my core. 🤢 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 04 2023, 3:52:25
    • I'm okay if I'm driving but not if my husband is. Our annual trip to New Hampshire, up and down the White Mountains, is totally a challange. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, September 04 2023, 9:08:09
  
  

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• Thinking of Betsy Barefoot Spinner -- Janet, Wed, August 30 2023, 11:04:38
  Has anyone heard from Betsy? If anyone is communicating with her, please let her know her LallyPals and thinking of her and sending her love. Thanks!
  

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  • Every day I visit here I think of Betsy, though not only then, sending healing vibes, love and hugs. (NT) -- Margaret, Thu, August 31 2023, 8:25:18
  • This is the first time I have been on the social board since before my summer began, and the first thing I read is your message, Janet! It's been a difficult summer, to say the least. In the middle of all the craziness, I got Covid. Not my finest hour. Every day is different, and whenever I think I am making progress emotionally, I fall apart again. When people ask me, "How are you doing?" which is a strange thing to ask someone going through trauma, my answer has become, "I'm appropriately a wreck." This is true...this morning, I realized that one of my coping mechanisms is writing, particularly writing about my life, making it humorous. The Social Board is my safe-haven. I can pour my guts out, make it silly, even ridiculous, and it helps me put myself into perspective. No matter how irreverently I write, no one bats an eye. If they do, I don't see it, so all is well. Janet, thank you for caring. I am here, in whatever state I happen to be in at the moment. (NT) -- Betsy BFS, Thu, August 31 2023, 12:30:13
    • Betsy, so good to hear from you. Everyone grieves in their own way and time. do what's best for you. Just know we are here as a virtual shoulder to lean or cry on. You have many friends on the Boards who care about you and who love your "blatherings". Keep well! (NT) -- Janet, Fri, September 01 2023, 10:27:07
      • Exactly what Janet and Margaret said. Betsy, you say your writing is therapeutic - PLEASE use us for therapy! I don’t think you realize how much we shake our heads in agreement when you share a story. Sending tons of Lally Love and Lally hugs. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 04 2023, 3:49:15
  
  

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• Our intrepid Diana was spot on once again! Check out this facial reconstruction of Bonnie Prince Charlie based on his death mask. Quite uncanny, based on her descriptions. And, if it's your thing, the actor portraying him in the Starz series is eerily similar looking. -- ErinR, Sat, August 19 2023, 9:47:53
  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/18/death-masks-recreate-face-of-bonnie-prince-charlie
  

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  • It’s wild, isn’t it!?! I definitely think she channels Claire 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 20 2023, 12:00:56
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, August 19, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, August 18 2023, 19:01:36
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 3, “The Man in the Wood.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘This is the worst part,’ I warned the patient. I cupped the elbow, ready to whip it upward and in.
  His mouth twitched, not quite a smile. ‘It canna hurt much worse than it does. Get on wi’ it.’ Sweat was popping out on my own face by now. Resetting a shoulder joint is hard work at the best of times. Done on a large man who had gone hours since the dislocation, his muscles now swollen and pulling on the joint, the job was taking all the strength I had. The fire was dangerously close; I hoped we wouldn’t both topple in, if the joint went back with a jerk.
  Suddenly the shoulder gave a soft crunching pop! and the joint was back in place. The patient looked amazed. He put an unbelieving hand up to explore.
  ‘It doesna hurt anymore!’ A broad grin of delighted relief spread across his face, and the men broke out in exclamations and applause.”
  

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• QOTD for Friday, August 18, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, August 17 2023, 17:50:06
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 3, “The Man in the Wood.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Don’t you dare to do that!’ All thought of escape submerged in professional outrage, I started forward, oblivious to the startled looks of the men around me.
  ‘What do you mean?’ snapped the bald man, clearly irritated by my intrusion.
  ‘I mean that you’ll break his arm if you do it like that,’ I snapped back. ‘Stand out of the way, please.’ I elbowed Rupert back and took hold of the patient’s wrist myself. The patient looked as surprised as the rest, but didn’t resist. His skin was very warm, but not feverish, I judged.
  ‘You have to get the bone of the upper arm at the proper angle before it will slip back into its joint,’ I said, grunting as I pulled the wrist up and the elbow in. The young man was sizable; his arm was heavy as lead.”
  

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  • I love learning things by accident in the books. It’s fascinating that you can pop a dislocated shoulder back in like that and LOVED that Claire just pushed her way in and did it! I wish I had more of her b@ll$ 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 18 2023, 9:10:31
  • Many kids dislocate their elbows by pulling away from an adult holding their hand. At one of my worksites I learned how to relocate the elbow. You go from kiddo screaming their head off with tears and snot flying everywhere to a startled and quiet child in about 10 seconds. It's very rewarding being able to relieve pain. We taught the parents to do it if the child was a "repeater". (NT) -- Janet, Fri, August 18 2023, 10:49:57
    • My son did it on Christmas Day when he was 4, fell off the kitchen counter trying to get a cookie. We were friends with our doctor so i called him and he walked me through it over the phone and saved us a 20 mile trip to the ER! (NT) -- CindyG, Fri, August 18 2023, 13:44:29
      • Janet and Cindy I’m impressed by you and feel bad for your kids! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 18 2023, 15:55:23
        • I was scared to death! And my son was fine. Like Janet said, he went from screaming in pain to being fine in an instant. He’ll be 43 on Sunday! (NT) -- CindyG, Fri, August 18 2023, 18:57:02
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, August 17, 2023 -- CindyG, Wed, August 16 2023, 19:35:30
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 3, “The Man in the Wood.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I thought I had not been out for long; I showed no symptoms of concussion or other ill effects from the blow, save a sore patch on the base of my skull. My captor, a man of few words, had responded to my questions, demands and acerbic remarks alike with the all-purpose Scottish noise which can best be rendered phonetically as ‘Mmmmphm.’ Had I been in any doubt as to his nationality, that sound alone would have been sufficient to remove it.”
  

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  • Oh, Murtaugh ❤️. Everyone should be so blessed to have a Murtaugh. I LOVED when I found out where the boar’s tusk bracelets came from. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 17 2023, 3:28:53
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 16, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, August 15 2023, 17:44:57
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 2, “Standing Stones.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I cannot really say I lost consciousness, but I was certainly not aware of myself for some time. I ‘woke,’ if that’s the word, when I stumbled on a rock near the bottom of the hill. I half slid the remaining few feet and fetched up on the thick tufted grass at the foot.
  I felt sick and dizzy. I crawled toward a stand of oak saplings and leaned against one to steady myself. There was a confused noise of shouting nearby, which reminded me of the sounds I had heard, and felt, in the stone circle. The ring of inhuman violence was lacking, though; this was the normal sound of human conflict, and I turned toward it.”
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, August 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, August 14 2023, 18:58:03
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 2, “Standing Stones.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “I had never heard such a sound from anything living. There is no way to describe it, except to say that it was the sort of scream you might expect from a stone. It was horrible.
  The other stones began to shout. There was a noise of battle, and the cries of dying men and shattered horses. I shook my head violently to clear it, but the noise went on. I stumbled to my feet and staggered toward the edge of the circle. The sounds were all around me, making my teeth ache and my head spin. My vision began to blur.”
  

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  • It seems like the stones are harder on Claire than others. The sound of buzzing bees is mentioned often, but Claire hears screams. I’m not a sci fi reader but Diana made this all seem SO possible, I couldn’t put it down and am still rereading all these years later. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 15 2023, 3:44:53
    • Totally believable and heart stopping. The stones really did try to stop Buck's, and gave Bri atrial fibrillation. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, August 15 2023, 11:11:01
      • I never connected her AF with the stones! Or Buck’s. I thought he had a heart condition made worse by the stress of traveling. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 15 2023, 16:14:39
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, August 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, August 13 2023, 18:44:58
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 2, “Standing Stones.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “There were no signs of burial in the miniature henge atop the hill. By ‘miniature,’ I mean only that the circle of standing stones was smaller than Stonehenge; each stone was still twice my own height, and massive in proportion.
  I had heard from another tour-guide at Stonehenge that these stone circles occur all over Britain and Europe—some in better repair than others, some differing slightly in orientation or form, all of purpose and origin unknown.”
  

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  • We've been to a few stone circles, some are more impressive than others but still interesting. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 14 2023, 14:53:07
    • I pictured them all like Stonehenge - but some just look like an abandoned fire pit circle. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 15 2023, 3:46:23
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, August 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Sat, August 12 2023, 20:50:12
  The following quote is from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, “A New Beginning.” Copyright ©️1991 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘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.’”
  

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  • And just like that ……….. thousands of Ladies of Lallybroch get goose bumps! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 13 2023, 3:04:49
    • LOL!! (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 14 2023, 14:47:31
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, August 12, 2023 -- kgp, Sat, August 12 2023, 8:33:33
  The following quotation is from Written In My Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 69 Sparrow Fart
  
  
  “Don’t be troubled, my dear,” John said gently. “You know it will all come right - provided we all live long enough.”
  
  I gave him a marked look and nodded toward the tent flap, where the clatter and clash of a military camp on the verge of movement was escalating.
  
  “Well, you’ll likely survive,” I said. “Unless you say the wrong thing to Jamie before we leave and he really does break your neck this time.”
  
  He glanced - as briefly as possible - toward the pale shaft of dust-filled light, and grimaced.
  
  “You’ve never had to do it, have you?” I said, seeing his face. “Sit and wait through a battle, wondering if someone you care for will come back.”
  
  “Not with regard to anyone other than myself, no,” he replied, but I could see that the remark had gone home. He hadn’t thought of that, and he didn’t like the thought one bit. ”Welcome to the club, I thought sardonically.
  

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  • It’s interesting to me that he hasn’t had that thought. In reference to Hal especially - John wasn’t always fighting with him. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 13 2023, 3:02:29
    • I had that thought also, but as the Colonel of the Regiment maybe Hal was far enough behind the lines, not with the troops like John. Or, maybe he just assumes Hal is immortal and can't imagine him being harmed. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 14 2023, 14:46:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, August 11, 2023 -- kgp, Fri, August 11 2023, 7:20:19
  The following quotation is from Written In My Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 69 Sparrow Fart
  
  
  John would likely assume that Jamie had hit him purely from revulsion at something overtly sexual from John - or from jealousy over me. It was perhaps not quite fair to let him think that but fairness didn’t come into it.
  
  Still, I regretted the trouble between them. Beyond whatever personal awkwardness I found in the present situation, I knew how much John’s friendship had meant to Jamie and vice versa. And while I was more than relieved not to be married to John anymore, I did care for him.
  
  And - while the noise and movement all around urged me to forget everything else but the urgency of departure - I couldn’t forget that this might be the last time I ever saw John, too.
  

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  • This threesome was weird. Not the first time I read it, but reading it now and hearing Claire’s thoughts, bugs me. What did she think he hit him for?!?! She seems cavalier about something that just about shattered a very fragile, but very deep, friendship. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 11 2023, 13:47:03
    • I don't think Claire knows about the stable conversation between John and Jamie. John knows that one of the blows was from that conversation. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, August 11 2023, 15:36:25
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 9, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, August 09 2023, 8:15:01
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 One Ewe Lamb Returns To The Fold
  
  
  “Here,” she said, rising at once and reaching for the tray. “Let me have that.”
  
  He did, covertly glancing between the two young people. Sure enough, Willie looked odd, too. Why? He wondered. They had been excited, thrilled, exuberantly affectionate with each other a few moments before. Now she was pale but trembling with an inner excitement that made the cups rattle in their saucers as she began to pour out tea. He was flushed where she was pale, but not - Grey was almost sure - with any sort of sexual excitement. He had the look of a man who . . . well, no. It was sexual excitement, he thought, intrigued - he had, after all, seen it often and was a keen observer of it in men - but it wasn’t focused on Dottie. Not at all.
  
  What the devil are they up to?
  

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  • I forget what William was excited about but I know it was Denzel for Dottie. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 11 2023, 13:42:36
    • He wants to see Rachel again. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, August 11 2023, 15:00:54
      • Too bad …….. that ship has already sailed 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 11 2023, 15:36:21
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, August 10, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, August 10 2023, 10:31:39
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 One Ewe Lamb Returns To The Fold
  
  He affected to ignore their distraction, though, and sat down to drink tea and hear Willie’s experiences.
  
  The telling calmed William a little. Grey watched William’s face change as he talked, sometimes haltingly, and felt a deep pang at seeing it. Pride, yes, great pride; William was a man now, a soldier, and a good one. But Grey had also a lurking regret for the disappearance of the last traces of Willie’s innocence; the briefest look at his eyes proved that had gone.
  

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  • Yes, talk about bittersweet. The first time you see your child as an adult. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 11 2023, 13:43:44
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, August 8, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, August 09 2023, 8:06:50
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 One Ewe Lamb Returns To The Fold
  
  
  Disregarding questions of filth and lice, William swept her up in his arms, and she dropped the toast on the carpet and squeezed him round the body, laughing and crying, until he protested that she had cracked all his ribs and he should never breathe easy again.
  
  Grey stood watching this with the utmost benevolence, even though they had quite trampled the buttered toast into the rented carpet. They really did appear to love each other, he reflected. Maybe he’d been wrong. He coughed politely, which did not disentangle them but did at least make Dottie look blankly over her shoulder at him.
  

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  • Yes, but not that kind of love. I like Dottie a lot ……. And Minnie. I think all their good parts are like Diana. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 11 2023, 13:40:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, August 7, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, August 06 2023, 18:03:17
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 One Ewe Lamb Returns To The Fold
  
  
  So he was bound for Howe’s headquarters, to beg assistance. He couldn’t wait any longer; Henry had held his own and even seemed to gain a bit of strength with the cooling of the weather. Better it was done now, to give him a chance to heal a little before the winter came with its chill and the fetid squalor of closed houses.
  
  Ready, he buckled on his sword and stepped out into the street. There was a soldier, half bowed under a heavy rucksack, walking slowly along the street toward him, looking at the houses. He barely glanced at the man as he came down the steps - but a glance was enough. He looked again, incredulous, and then ran down the street, heedless of hat, gold lace, sword, or dignity, and seized the tall young soldier in his arms.
  
  “Willie!”
  
  “Papa!”
  
  His heart overflowed in a most remarkable way; he could seldom remember being so happy but did his best to contain it, not wanting to embarrass Willie with unmanly excesses of emotion. He didn’t let go of his son but stood back a little, looking him up and down.
  

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  • That overwhelming parental love. Diana just filled my chest with the feeling, she’s so descriptive; I feel like I’m there. I still haven’t really warmed to William, but how much Lord John loves him sways me a little bit. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, August 07 2023, 13:33:34
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, August 6, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, August 06 2023, 7:40:47
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 One Ewe Lamb Returns To The Fold
  
  
  He brushed his own uniform, grimly considering. He wore it daily now, as protection for Dottie and Henry. He had not been an actively serving officer for years but, unlike most men in that position, had not resigned his lieutenant-colonel’s commission, either. He wasn’t sure what Hal would have done had he tried to resign, but since it was a commission in Hal’s own regiment and Grey didn’t need to sell it, the point was moot.
  
  One of the buttons was loose. He took the hussif out of his kit, threaded a needle without squinting, and whipped the button tightly to the coat. The action gave him a small feeling of satisfaction, though acknowledging it made him admit just how little he felt he could control these days - so little that sewing on a button should seem cause for satisfaction.
  

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  • Sometimes a small victory can get me through the day….. I can’t thread a needle anymore without squinting and a LOT of light. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 06 2023, 14:48:38
    • Me, either. I identify with John though. Little victories. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, August 06 2023, 17:37:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, August 5th 2023 -- Cait, Fri, August 04 2023, 20:26:53
  I decided to end my week with a cute little squabble, I love these little scenes. I hope the quotes didn't stink *g*, I really need to do a reread of the later books and find more current quotes, I'll work on it! Thank you for a great week!
  
  
  The following quotation is taken from A Breath Of Snow And Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved. Epilogue I, Lallybroch:
  
  "MAMA!" Jem, in tattling mode.
  
  "WHAT?" She roared in answer. "I'm BUSY!"
  
  "But Mama! Mandy hit me!" came an indignant report from the top of the stairs. Looking up, she could see the top of his head, the light from the window glowing on his hair.
  
  "She did? Well--"
  
  "With a stick !"
  
  "What sort of --"
  
  "On purpose !"
  
  "Well, I don't think--"
  
  "AND..." --a pause before the damning denouncement-- "SHE DIDN'T SAY SHE WAS SORRY!"
  
  The builder and his helot had given up looking for woodworm, in favor of following this gripping narrative, and now both of them looked at Brianna, doubtless in expectation of some Solomonic decree.
  
  Brianna close her eyes momentarily.
  
  "MANDY," she bellowed. "Say you're sorry!"
  
  "Non't!" came a high-pitched refusal from above.
  
  "Aye, ye will!" came Jem's voice, followed by scuffling. Brianna headed for the stair, blood in her eye. Just as she set her foot on the tread, Jem uttered a piercing squeal.
  
  "She BIT me!"
  
  "Jeremiah MacKenzie, don't you dare bite her back!" she shouted, "both of you stop it this instant!"
  
  Jem thrust a disheveled head through the banister, hair sticking up on end. He was wearing bright blue eye shadow, and someone had applied pink lipstick in a crude mouth-shape from one ear to the other.
  
  "She's a feisty wee baggage," he ferociously informed the fascinated spectators below. "My grandda said so."
  
  Brianna wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or utter a loud shriek, but with a hasty wave at the builder and his assistant, she ran up the stairs to sort them out.
  
  The sorting took rather more time than expected, since she discovered in the process that Fiona's three little girls, so notably quiet during the latest squabble, had been quiet because --having decorated Jem, Mandy, and themselves-- they were busily engaged in painting faces on the bathroom walls with Brianna's new makeup.
  

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  • Posted early since I plan on sleeping in tomorrow if possible :) I hope everyone has a great weekend! (NT) -- Cait, Fri, August 04 2023, 20:28:37
    • It’s been a great week, Cait! I’m one of five so a lot of these scenes brought back my memories. I love this quote and always remember the “feisty wee baggage” part but forgot the makeup “fun!” Lol. Diana describes the kid’s emotions and Bri’s exasperation/high comedy reaction so well. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 05 2023, 3:40:50
  • Loved your posts! I'm in need of a re-read, too! I buy the hardcovers as soon as they come out....some of the older ones are falling apart! (NT) -- Janet, Sat, August 05 2023, 10:52:51
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, August 4th 2023 -- Cait, Fri, August 04 2023, 4:41:12
  The following quotation is taken from Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1994. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 32, The Prodigal's Return:
  
  "You're getting covered wi' dog hairs, Ian," said a clear, high voice, in tones of marked disapproval. Looking up from the dog, I saw a tall, slim girl of seventeen or so, rising from her seat by the side of the road.
  
  "Well, you're covered wi' foxtails, so there!" Young Ian retarded, swinging about to address the speaker.
  
  The girl tossed a head full of dark brown curls and bent to brush at her skirt, which did indeed sport a number of the bushy grass heads, stuck to the homespun fabric.
  
  "Da says ye dinna deserve to have a dog," she remarked. "Running off and leaving him like ye did."
  
  Young Ian's face tightened defensively. "I did think o' taking him," he said, voice cracking slightly. "But I didna think he'd be safe in the city." He hugged the dog tighter, chin resting between the furry ears. "He's grown a bit; I suppose he's been eating all right?"
  
  "Come to greet us, have ye, wee Janet? That's kind." Jamie's voice spoke pleasantly from behind me, but with a cynical note that made the girl glance up sharply and blush at the side of him.
  
  "Uncle Jamie! Oh, and..." Her gay is shifted to me, and she ducked her head, blushing more furiously.
  

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  • Whoops! Thought I did a good edit check but I messed up that last little bit and can't edit it, forgive me! (NT) -- Cait, Fri, August 04 2023, 4:42:39
    • All good! How old would she have been when Ian left? I forget about all his brothers and sisters. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 04 2023, 15:14:22
      • I think it says somewhere after this that she's maybe 17? I can't remember. (NT) -- Cait, Sat, August 05 2023, 7:02:48
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, August 3rd 2023 -- Cait, Thu, August 03 2023, 4:03:44
  The following quotation is taken from Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1994. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 32, The Prodigal's Return:
  
  " D'ye ken where the money comes from, Jenny, that keeps you and your bairns and everyone here in food, and the roof from fallin' in over your head? It's not from me printing up copies o' the Psalms in Edinburgh!"
  
  "And did I think it was?" She flared at him. " Did I ask ye what ye did?"
  
  "No, ye didn't," he flashed back. "I think ye'd rather not know -- but ye do know, don't you?"
  
  "And will ye blame me for what ye do? It's my fault that I've children, and that they must eat?" She didn't flush red like Jamie did; when Jenny lost her temper, she went dead white with fury.
  
  I could see him struggling to keep his own temper. "Blame ye? No, of course I dinna blame ye--but is it right for you to blame me, that Ian and I canna keep ye all just working the land?"
  
  Jenny too was making an effort to subdue her rising temper. "No," she said. "Ye do what ye must, Jamie. Ye ken verra well I didna mean you when I said 'criminals', but--"
  
  "So ye mean the men who work for me? I do the same things, Jenny. If they're criminals, what am I, then?" He glared at her, eyes hot with resentment.
  
  "You're my brother," she said shortly, "little pleased as I am to say so, sometimes. Damn your eyes, Jamie Fraser! Ye ken quite well I dinna mean to quarrel wi' whatever ye see fit to do! If ye robbed folk on the highway, or kept a whorehouse in Edinburgh, 'twould because there was no help for it. That doesna mean I want ye takin' my son to be part of it!"
  

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  • This is such a tough one - those gray areas, especially when it’s loved ones. Where do I draw the line? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 04 2023, 6:14:26
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 2nd 2023 -- Cait, Wed, August 02 2023, 5:22:40
  The following quotation is taken from Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1994 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 5, To Us A Child Is Given:
  
  "Mmphmm." He sat down to continue his work which brought her belly close to his eye level. The contents, awake and active, was shifting to and fro in a restless manner, making her apron twitch and bulge as she stirred. He couldn't resist reaching out to put a light hand against the monstrous curve, to feel the surprising strong thrust and kicks of the inhabitant, impatient of its cramped confinement.
  
  "Send Fergus for me when it's time," he said again.
  
  She looked down at him in exasperation and batted at his hand away with the spoon. "Have I no just been telling ye, I dinna need ye? For God's sake, man, have I not enough to worry me, wi' the house full of people, and scarce enough to feed them, Ian in gaol in Inverness, and Redcoats crawling in at the windows every time I look round? Should I have to worry that ye'll be taken up, as well?"
  
  "Ye needna be worrit for me; I'll take care." He didn't look at her, but focused his attention on the forejoint he was slicing through.
  
  "Well, then, have a care and stay put on the hill." She looked down her long, straight nose, peering at him over the rim of the bowl. "I've had six bairns already, aye? Ye dinna think I can manage by now?"
  
  "No arguing wi' you, is there?" he demanded.
  
  "No," she said promptly. "So you'll stay."
  
  "I'll come."
  
  Jenny narrowed her eyes and gave him a long, level look.
  
  "Ye're maybe the most stubborn gomerel between here and Aberdeen, no?"
  
  A smile spread across her brother's face as he looked up at her.
  
  "Maybe so," he said. He reached across and patted her heaving belly. "And maybe know. But I'm coming. Send Fergus when it's time."
  

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  • Definitely stubborn. If he'd have listened the Redcoats wouldn't have shown up. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 02 2023, 12:32:47
    • Ohhhhh……. Good point. But no drama. Lol. This has always stayed a breath holding scene for me. I mean when the redcoats came. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 02 2023, 17:19:06
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, August 1st, 2023 -- Cait, Tue, August 01 2023, 4:57:59
  The following quotation is taken from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 81, Purgatory II:
  
  They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the wind move through the pines on the hillside opposite. Then Jamie reached into his sporran and brought out the tiny white-wrapped package. It was a bit grubby from being in his sporran but had been tightly preserved and tightly wrapped.
  
  Ian I the little bundle in his palm.
  
  "What's this?"
  
  "My finger," Jamie said. "I--well... I wondered whether ye'd maybe not mind to have it buried with ye."
  
  And looked at him for a moment. Then his shoulder started to shake.
  
  "God, don't laugh!" Jamie said, alarmed. "I didna mean to make you laugh! Christ, Jenny will kill me if ye cough up a lung and die out here!"
  
  Ian was coughing, fits of it interspersed with long-drawn-out wheezes of laughter. Tears of mirth stood in his eyes, and he pressed both fists into his chest struggling to breathe. At last, though, he left off and straightened slowly up, making a sound like a bellows. He sniffed deep and casually spat a glob of horrifying scarlet into the rocks.
  "Is rather die out here laughin' at you than in my bed wi' six priests sayin' prayers," he said. "Doubt I'll get the chance, though." He put out a hand, palm up. "Aye, give it here."
  
  Jamie laid the little white-wrapped cylinder in his hand, and Ian tucked the finger casually into his own sporran.
  
  "I'll keep it safe 'til you catch me up."
  

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  • A good solution, I'm glad they had time to laugh together. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 02 2023, 12:30:48
    • I agree. Diana lets me know simply how bad things were before modern medicine with one cough from Ian. I was SO glad they had this time together. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 02 2023, 17:16:54
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday July 31st, 2023 -- Cait, Mon, July 31 2023, 6:45:58
  This quote isn't a sibling fight really, but an important one, an illustration of everything we do for our siblings, even when it goes against everything we are.
  
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 45, Damn All Randalls.
  
  “Alex,” he said quietly. He laid a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, as though to quiet the cough. “Don’t trouble your mind, Alex. You know you needn’t ask; I’ll do whatever you wish. Is it the—the girl?” He glanced in Mary’s direction, but couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her. Alex nodded, still coughing.
  
  “It’s all right,” John said. He put both hands on Alex’s shoulders, trying to ease him back on the pillow. “I won’t let her want for anything. Put your mind at rest.”
  
  Jamie looked down at me, eyes wide. I shook my head slowly, feeling the hair prickle from my neck to the base of my spine. Everything made sense now; the bloom on Mary’s cheeks, despite her distress, and her apparent willingness to wed the wealthy Jew of London.
  
  “It isn’t money,” I said. “She’s with child. He wants …” I stopped, clearing my throat, “I think he wants you to marry her.”
  
  Alex nodded, eyes still closed. He breathed heavily for a moment, then opened them, bright pools of hazel, fixed on his brother’s stunned and uncomprehending face.
  
  “Yes,” he said. “John … Johnny, I need you to take care of her for me. I want … my child to have the Randall name. You can … give them some position in the world—so much more than I could.” He reached out a hand, groping, and Mary seized it, clutching it to her bosom as though it were a life preserver. He smiled tenderly at her, and stretched up a hand to touch the shiny, dark ringlets that fell by her cheek, hiding her face.
  

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  • So, was anyone else really glad to learn that Frank really wasn't a direct descendent of Black Jack??? (NT) -- Janet, Mon, July 31 2023, 10:49:54
    • Very relieved. Especially after learning what BJR was. Granted, a lot of genetic dilution can take place over 6 or 7 generations, but Frank was so gentle. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 31 2023, 12:39:20
    • Absolutely! (NT) -- Cait, Mon, July 31 2023, 13:51:11
  • Yes!! So glad!! It’s interesting that the child comes back to the story - another orphan whose future was changed by fate. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 01 2023, 1:54:59
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 30th 3023 -- Cait, Sun, July 30 2023, 5:42:39
  I thought I'd take a leaf from our dear Betsy's book and share a quick story before my quote today. I went with the suggested theme of sibling fights, and it suits my life right now *g*. My father's siblings and spouses are all in town this weekend, we've been gathering all the relatives from multiple sides at different events and my brothers have joined at times. It's been interesting, all these different sibling dynamics *G*. Jenny and Jamie remind me a lot of my younger brother and I's relationship (not my youngest brother, he's borderline a saint and I'm pretty sure the universe blessed us with him to keep us other heathens in line), we make each other so mad we've almost killed each other a few times just flying into a rage, no one on Earth can make me as angry as he can but no one else loves me quite so fiercely as well. He's been worried about my health issues recently, just my ears again, another surgery on the horizon and I was very touched when he calls me sounding like a little boy, scared and telling me he's afraid (my mother is super dramatic and scared him talking about my surgery -insert eye roll here-) so I reassured him that I've been through this before to which he gives me such comforts as "yes but you were younger and healthier then". Thanks kid, thanks *G*. I'm not worried, and just told him if I'm not worried he shouldn't worry because that's my job, his is to live his life and be a good husband and father, which he seems to be great at. I'm very proud of him, he's still learning but aren't we all? Have a happy Sunday everyone!
  
  
  The following quotation is taken from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1991 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 26, The Laird's Return.
  
  "All right," he said. "But I want to know, Jenny; did ye know when ye went with him that he'd not harm you?"
  
  She was silent for a moment, but her gaze was steady on her brother's face, and at last she shook her head, a slight smile on her lips.
  
  She put out a hand to stop Jamie's protest, and the gull-winged brows rose in a graceful arc of inquiry. "And if your life is a suitable exchange for my honor, tell me why my honor is not a suitable exchange for your life?" The brows drew together in a scowl, the twin of the one adorning her brother's face. "Or are you telling me that I may not love you as much as you love me? Because if ye are, Jamie frazier, I'll tell you right now, it's not true!"
  
  Opening his mouth to reply before she was finished, Jamie was taking suddenly at a loss by this conclusion. He closed his mouth abruptly as his sister pressed her advantage.
  
  "Because I do love ye, for all you're a thick-headed, slack-witted, black brained gomerel. And I'll no have ye dead in the road at my feet just because you're too stubborn to keep your mouth shut for the once in your life!"
  
  Blue eyes glared into blue eyes, shooting sparks in all directions. Swallowing the insults with difficulty, Jamie struggled for a rational reply. He seemed to be making his mind up to something. Finally he squared his shoulders, resigned to it.
  
  "All right, then, I'm sorry," he said. "I was wrong, and I'll beg your pardon."
  
  He and his sister sat staring at each other for a long moment, but whatever pardon he was expecting from her was not forthcoming. She examined him closely, biting her lip, but said nothing. Finally he grew impatient.
  
  "I've said I'm sorry! What more d'ye want of me?" he demanded. "Do ye want me to go on my knees to ye? I'll do it if I must, but tell me!"
  
  She shook her head slowly, lip still caught between her teeth.
  
  "No," she said at last, "I'll not have ye on your knees in your own house. Stand up, though."
  
  Jamie said, and she said the child down on the love seat and crossed the room to stand in front of him.
  
  "Take off your shirt," she ordered.
  
  "I'll not!"
  
  She jerked the shirt tail out of his kilt and reach for the buttons. Short of forcible resistance, clearly he was going to obey or submit to being undressed. Retaining as much dignity as he could he backed away from her, and tight-lipped, remove the disputed garment.
  
  She circled behind him and surveyed his back, her face displaying the same carefully blank expression I had seen Jamie adopt when concealing some strong emotion. She nodded, as though confirming something long suspected.
  
  "Weel, and if you've been a fool, Jamie, it seems you've paid for it." She laid her hand gently on his back, covering the worst of the scars.
  
  "It looks as though it hurt."
  
  "It did."
  
  "Did you cry?"
  
  His fist clenched involuntarily at his sides. "Yes!"
  
  Jenny walked back around to him, pointed chin lifted and slanted eyes wide and bright. "So did I," she said softly. "Everyday since they took ye away."
  

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  • I hope your ear issues are resolved soon. I've never warmed to Jenny. That she was ready to humiliate Jamie to make a point, never mind grabbing his bullocks, never sat well with me. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 31 2023, 16:05:54
  • Good luck with your surgery. Cait. I hope your reunion was wonderful with a lot of love and only a few “Jenny - Jamie’s.” Lol. How wonderful to have such a deep, fierce relationship with your brother. I’m sure this quote was very relatable. Jenny kind of raised Jamie and I think it’s very hard to change family dynamics when that’s how it’s always been. Although American Jenny seems to have mellowed a bit (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 01 2023, 1:44:51
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 22, 2023 -- kgp, Sat, July 22 2023, 9:09:15
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  He wondered whether there was a Gaelic charm or prayer to cover the disposal of the body of someone ye’d murdered, but if there was, he didn’t know it. The Mohawk had prayers, all right, but they didn’t bother much wi’ the dead.
  “I'll ask Uncle Jamie later,” he said to Fredericks, under his breath. “And if there is one, I’ll say it for ye. For now, though, ye’re on your own.”
  
  He felt his way over the cold, hard face, located the empty eye socket, and drove the sharp end of his branch into it as hard as he could. The scrape of bark and wood on bone and then the sudden yielding raised the hairs across his shoulders and down his arms.
  
  Then he dragged the body to the edge of the raving and pushed it over. For a moment he feared it wouldn’t move, but it slid on the pine needles and, after a long moment, rolled almost lazily, once, twice, and disappeared into the brush at the bottom with a muffled crunch that was scarcely to be heard above the rising wind.
  

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  • I don’t remember why he stabbed the stick through his eye? He was already dead, right? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 23 2023, 17:33:46
    • Ian wanted it to appear as though it had been an accident or had happened in the wood where he tossed him over the edge. The original stick was from a fruit tree, which might have been traced to Sylvia's place. He took that with him to burn the evidence. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 31 2023, 16:02:11
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 29, 2023 -- Janet, Sat, July 29 2023, 3:12:45
  The following Quote of the Day is taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 103, The Hour of the Wolf, by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved
  
  Rachel sighed and gave him a direct look under dark, level brows.
  
  “Ian, thee is thinking something painful, and I would much prefer thee tells me what it is. Has something happened?”
  
  A great many things had happened, and were happening all around them, would continue to happen. How could he tell her…? And yet he couldn’t not.
  
  “The world is turning upside down,” he blurted. “And you are the only constant thing. The only thing I---that binds me to the earth.”
  
  Her eyes softened.
  
  “Am I?”
  
  ‘”Ye ken verra well that you are,” he said gruffly. He looked away, his heart pounding. Too late, he thought, with a mixture of dismay and elation. He’d begun to speak; he couldn’t stop now, no matter what might come of it.
  
  “I know what I am,” he said, awkward but determined. I would turn Quaker for your sake, Rachel, but I ken I’m not one in my heart; I think I never could be. And I think ye wouldna want me to say words I dinna mean or pretend to be something I canna be.”
  
  “No,” she said softly. “I would not want that.”
  
  Sorry this quote ran long, but.. I really didn’t mean to get into this relationship when I started the week, but the quotes led me where they wanted me to go. Hope you enjoyed this peek at Ian and Rachel
  

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  • I did! I did! I forget the exact words but this all leads to the quote where he might be a wolf but will always return to sleep at her feet. Sigh ❤️❤️❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 29 2023, 6:10:26
    • Yes, a few lines later.....Those words end the book. There was so much to share in this section, it was hard to pick just the one. (NT) -- Janet, Sat, July 29 2023, 10:13:04
      • Well I’ve loved it. Thanks!! 😉👍❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 29 2023, 15:51:12
  • Janet, thank you for filling in this week. Great choices! (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 31 2023, 5:55:06
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 28, 2023 -- Janet, Fri, July 28 2023, 10:00:43
  The Following Quote of the Day is taken from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 68, Despoiler. Copyright 2009, All Rights Reseved.
  
  “Rachel Hunter?” Jamie said, loud enough for me to hear. I jerked upright, startled.
  
  “Rachel Hunter?” I echoed. “You’re in love with Rachel?”
  
  Ian looked at me, startled by my jack-in-the-box appearance.
  
  ‘Oh there ye are, Auntie. I wondered where ye’d got to,” he said mildly.
  
  “Rachel Hunter?” I repeated, not intending to let him elude the question.
  
  “Well…aye. At least, I…well aye. I am.” The admission made the blood rise in his cheeks; I could see it even by firelight.
  
  I love seeing the Ian the boy is till present, after all Ian has been through and done.
  

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  • Agree again, Janet. Now the horizon seems brighter for him. His heart can heal. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 29 2023, 3:09:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 27, 2023 -- Janet, Thu, July 27 2023, 10:56:18
  The following Quote of the Day is taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 67 Greasier than Grease by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved.
  
  Rachel stood stock still for a minute, listening to the pounding of her heart. Another regular sound began to intrude, a soft lapping noise, and she looked down, blinking, to see Rollo had tidily polished off the last of the goose grease for the tin she had dropped and was now licking the empty tin.
  
  “Oh, Lord,” she said, and put a hand over her mouth, afraid that if she laughed, it would erupt into hysterics. The dog looked up at her, his eyes yellow in the candlelight. He licked his lips, long tail wagging.
  
  “What am I to do?” she asked him. “Well enough for thee; thee can chase aabout after him all day, and share his bed at night, and not a word said.”
  
  Her realization that she is in love with Ian and all that entails is both funny and moving.
  

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  • Yes. In my mind sometimes I think, what would Rachel do? She’s so kind but fierce and sees the good in everyone. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 29 2023, 3:07:34
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 26, 2023 -- Janet, Wed, July 26 2023, 4:40:59
  Quote of the Day for Wednesday, July 26, 2023 taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 61, No Better Companion than the Rifle. By Diana Gabaldon, copyright 2009, all rights reserved.
  
  Not a hump day quote, but a foreshadowing of events to come….
  
  “I see,” William said calmly. “When you see her again [Talking about Rachel Hunter], will you give her my kindest regards, then. And her brother, too, of course.”
  
  Oh…aye,” Ian said, thinking, Like that, is it? Well ye’re no going to see her yourself, and she’d have nothing to do wi’ a soldier anyway, so think again! “Certainly,” he added, belatedly aware that his only value to William at this point lay in his supposed role as messenger to Rachel Hunter, and wondering just how much that was worth.
  
  “Thank you,” William’s face had lost that look of iron, he was examining Ian carefully, and at last nodded.
  
  “A life for a life, Mr. Murray, he said quietly. “We’re quits. Don’t let me see you next time. I may not have a choice.”
  

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  • Your quotes are matching what’s happening on the show. I don’t think I could follow if I hadn’t read the books. They are mashing things together but doing it well. The William - Ian - Rachel thing is happening right now. And the “life for a life” between the two. I am SO team Ian, though. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 26 2023, 18:37:20
    • that's really odd.....I have not watched the series at all. I have my mental images, and, while the characters look great, they are not "mine" . Case in point, a red headed, solid Ian is not the Dark haired, sinewy Ian in my mind! But that's just me! (NT) -- Janet, Thu, July 27 2023, 10:54:13
      • Me too Janet! Ian was the worst “not mine” so far so my mind goes back and forth between the books and show. My Ian looks exactly like yours. Rachel’s not quite what I expected either and these two are becoming my favorite couple so it’s weird that they don’t look right to me. But that’s where I suspend my obsession and just “go with the show.” Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 29 2023, 3:05:00
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 25, 2023 -- Janet, Tue, July 25 2023, 4:23:08
  Quote of the Day for Tuesday, July 25, 2023 taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 60, Deserter Game Round II by Diana Gabaldon, Copyright 2009, All rights reserved.
  
  “Who are you and what are you—Good God, where did you come from?” William the soldier stared into Ian’s face, and Ian thanked God briefly for the fact that his other wrist was immobilized by Denny’s chain, for otherwise William would be already dead. And he didn’t want to have to tell Uncle Jamie that.
  
  “He has come to help me escape, Friend William, “Denny Hunter said mildly from the shadows on the ground behind Ian. “I would take it kindly if thee did not hinder him, though I will understand if they duty compels thee.”
  
  William’s head jerked, looking wildly round, then down. Had the circumstances been less dire, Ian would have laughed at the expressions—for there were a great number of them run through in the course of a heartbeat—on it. William closed his eyes for an instant, then opened them again.
  
  
  Ian the hero!
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 24, 2023 -- Janet, Mon, July 24 2023, 4:19:40
  Quote of the Day for Monday, July 24, 2023 is taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 35, Ticonderoga, by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.
  
  Continuing from yesterday's quote....
  
  "And if that's so," I finished, "then you shouldn't have that problem with another woman---Most European women are Rh-positive, though not all."
  
  He stared at me for so long that I wondered whether he had understood what I'd said.
  
  "Call it fate," I said gently, "or call it bad luck. But it wasn't your fault. Or hers." Nor mine. Nor Jamie's.
  
  He nodded slowly, and leaning forward, laid his head on my shoulder for a moment.
  
  "Thank ye, Auntie," he whispered, and lifting his head, kissed my cheek.
  
  The next day, he was gone.
  

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  • Forgot to mention, I love how Auntie Claire can heal Ian's troubled mind, too! (NT) -- Janet, Mon, July 24 2023, 10:46:40
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 23, 2023 -- Janet, Sun, July 23 2023, 10:14:35
  Quote of the Day for Sunday, July 23, 2023. Taken from An Echo in the Bone, Chapter 55, Ticonderoga, by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved.
  
  Jumping in. If no one else is doing this week I'll fill in. I love Young Ian, he is the best of Jenny and Auld Ian, with a good dose of Jamie mixed in. These are just some random quotes.....
  
  ........"Was she...deformed in any way?"
  
  "No," he said at last, and there was both pain and relief in his voice. "No, I asked. Emily didna want to talk about her, about Iseabail---that's what I would ha named her, Iseabail---" he explained, "but I asked and wouldna stop until she told me what the baby looked like."
  
  "She was perfect," he said softly, looking down at the bridge, where a chain of lanterns glowed, reflected in the water. "Perfect."
  
  So had Faith been. Perfect.
  
  
  There is so much in this snippet, so many "Echoes" from Jamie and Claire's life. Powerful.
  

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  • Thank you, Janet! I love Ian too. The further we go into the books, it is great to see these echoes. The older I get them more I see these young people in Outlander as so deep and wise beyond their years. And it’s because they’ve suffered. It’s heart breaking. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 23 2023, 17:36:33
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 21, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, July 20 2023, 16:57:52
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  Patience clutched the pommel like grim death and he could feel her shivering against him, despite the several layers of flimsy garments she wore.
  
  “Have ye ever been on a horse before, lass?”
  
  She nodded, breathless.
  
  “Daddy would put me and Pru up on his nag now and then. But we never did more than walk round the yard.”
  
  “Well, that’s something. Ehm . . . your father’s dead, I take it?”
  
  “Maybe,” she said sadly. “Mummy thinks the militia shot him because they thought he was a Loyalist. Me and Pru think maybe the Indians took him. But he’s been gone since before Chastity was born, so he’s likely dead. Otherwise, don’t you think he would have got free and come back to us?”
  
  “I do,” Ian assured her. “But ken, Indians can be good folk. I’m a Mohawk myself.”
  
  “Thee is?” She turned round in the saddle to stare at him, with a combination of interest and horror.
  

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  • These girls are so much older than their years. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 21 2023, 3:47:37
  • This family always interested me. I was glad to have them back in Bees. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, July 21 2023, 8:57:07
    • I wonder how they'll get along on the Ridge. I agree that Patience and Prudence are older than their years. They have much in common with Frances. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, July 21 2023, 10:07:18
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 18, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, July 19 2023, 17:19:27
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  “Wait a moment. Thee should take this, I think.” Sylvia reached down and picked up a leather valise from the ground. It wasn’t new but had clearly been a piece of some quality in its prime. It smelled of apples.
  
  “Och,” he said, realizing. He glanced at the Justice’s horse, which wasn’t at all happy with its burden, but not disposed to create a ruckus - not yet, anyway. “It’s his?”
  
  “Yes - He - brought us food. Every time he came.”
  
  Her eye lingered on the awkward shape, but her face was unreadable.
  
  “That’s no a bad epitaph,” he told her, taking the valise. “When my time comes, I hope mine is as good. Mount up. I’ll take care of this.”
  

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  • Keep it simple, aye Ian! He’s right; hopefully we’ve all got something good to be said about us when the time comes. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 21 2023, 3:46:49
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 19, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, July 19 2023, 9:07:56
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  “I think we canna just bury him,” Ian said. “If anyone should come here looking for him, a fresh grave wouldna be that hard to find. Can ye get him dressed, d’ye think?”
  
  Her eyes went round, and she glanced at the body, then back at Ian. Her mouth opened, then closed.
  
  “I can,” she said, sounding breathless.
  
  “Do that then,” he said. He looked up at the sky; it was the color of tarnished pewter and still spitting a few random snowflakes. He could feel more coming, though; there was a sense of the North Wind on the back of his neck.
  
  “I’ll be back before evening comes,” he said, turning toward his horse. “Pack what ye can. That horse is his, I expect?” There was a fine-looking bay gelding twitching his ears under the sparse shelter of a leafless tulip tree; clearly it didn’t belong to the Hardman household.
  
  “Yes.”
  
  “I’ll need that one to move the body. But I’ll bring another to help carry you and your bairns.”
  
  Sylvia blinked and pushed a lank strand of hair behind her ear.
  
  “Where are we going?”
  
  He grinned at her - reassuringly, he hoped.
  
  “I’m takin’ ye to meet my mother.”
  

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  • The ever practical Ian! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 19 2023, 10:17:02
    • He's certainly changed a lot over the years and through a lot of adventure. Remember him at 15? (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 19 2023, 11:49:23
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 -- kgp, Mon, July 17 2023, 16:58:39
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  Fredericks snapped the belt so fast that Ian scarcely saw it; only felt the blow that knocked the gun from his hand. He didn’t bother trying to pick it up, but grabbed the end of the belt as it rose for another blow and jerked Fredericks toward him, butting him in the face as he stumbled. Ian missed the nose, though, and Frederick’s jawbone slammed into his forehead, making his eyes water.
  
  He tripped Fredericks, but the man had his arms around Ian’s body and the both went down, landing with a thud among the dead leaves. Ian grabbed a handful and smashed them into the man’s face, grinding them into his eyes, and got his own leg up in time to avoid being kneed in the balls.
  
  There was a lot of screaming going on. Ian got hold of Frederick’s ear and did his best to twist it off while kicking and squirming. He heaved and rolled and got on top then, and got his hands round Frederick’s throat, but it was a fat throat, slippery with sweat, and he couldn’t get a good grasp, not with the man hammering his ribs with a fist like a rock. Enough of this foolishness, said the Mohawk part of him, and he took his hand off Frederick’s throat, grabbed a sturdy stick from the litter on the ground, and drove it straight into the man’s eye.
  

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  • Once again, by pulling out a section so I read it slowly, I’m blown away by the rage and desperation described in this scene. Though it’s rough, and I couldn’t do it, I applaud Ian’s cold blooded realistic solution. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 19 2023, 3:22:20
  
  

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• Betsy Barefootspinner - Sad News -- Judie, Sun, July 16 2023, 18:14:36
  .
  .
  Hi, QOTD fans.
  
  I thought I'd mention this here for anyone who is NOT on Facebook and may not be aware...
  
  Betsy's husband passed away on Wednesday. From what I understand, they were on their way to visit their daughter, at the airport, and he suddenly passed away. I can't imagine what Betsy went through with the shock of it and being at the airport, nowhere close to family etc.
  
  Anyway, if you would like to send Betsy a card, please send me a message (Contact Forum Admin - link above) and I'll send you her address. Don't forget to include your email address.
  
  Thanks.
  Judie
  

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  • Thank you, Judy. It's quite a shock. Her family is around her. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, July 16 2023, 18:30:04
  • Although we never met “in person” I feel like I know and love her all these years from her heartfelt, most often hilarious, posts. Thank you for letting us know so we can reach out to her. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 17 2023, 3:23:24
    • Kathy in PA, exactly as you've written it. Betsy is a friend that I've not yet met in person. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, July 18 2023, 14:21:04
  • Very sorry to hear this. I, too, loved her posts. I know she and her husband had a unique and loving relationship. Hopefully her family can be close at this difficult time. (NT) -- Janet, Mon, July 17 2023, 11:08:47
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, July 14 2023, 17:51:44
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 67, “Greasier Than Grease.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Rachel stood stock-still for a moment, listening to the pounding of her heart. Another regular sound began to intrude, a soft lapping noise, and she looked down, blinking, to see that Rollo had tidily polished off the last of the goose grease from the tin she had dropped and was now licking the empty tin.
  ‘Oh, Lord,’ she said, and put a hand over her mouth, afraid that if she laughed, it would erupt into hysterics. The dog looked up at her, his eyes yellow in the candlelight. He licked his lips, long tail waving gently.
  ‘What am I to do?’ she asked him. ‘Well enough for thee; thee can chase about after him all day, and share his bed at night, and not a word said.’”
  

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  • Loved this whole story line...you can feel the passion jump off the page! (NT) -- Janet, Sat, July 15 2023, 11:19:28
    • I agree, Janet. Times were so different. Both of them holding and anticipating their passion and love for each other. Even though their “worldly” aspects are totally different, they’re soul mates. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 16 2023, 2:30:41
  • CindyG, I wasn't able to visit "The Broch" last week, so I'm just catching up now. These quotes are wonderful! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, July 18 2023, 14:18:47
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 17, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, July 16 2023, 18:27:32
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  While he havered, though, Chastity took things into her own hands, screaming like a catamount and apparently kicking Prudence in the shins, for Prudence shrieked, too.
  
  ”Ow! Chastity! Thee bit me!”
  
  Patience jerked, then ran for the shed, calling “Be quiet, be quiet!” in an urgent voice, glancing frantically over her shoulder.
  
  The door of the house jerked open, slamming against the wall within, and a large man wearing nothing but unfastened breeches came out, a leather belt in his hand and fury on his face.
  
  “Goddamn you chits! You come out here! I’m gonna give you all what-for and I mean it!”
  
  “Mr. Fredericks! Please, please - come back! The girls didn’t mean to - “
  
  Without a second’s hesitation, Mr. Fredericks turned and slapped the woman behind him across the face with his belt.
  
  Behind Ian, Patience let out a scream of pure rage and lunged for the porch. Ian caught her with an arm around her waist and put her behind him.
  

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  • I can feel the girl’s rage. I forgot the part where he struck her in the face. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 17 2023, 3:26:59
    • Patience has fire in her for sure! (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 17 2023, 13:36:33
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 16, 2023 -- kgp, Sun, July 16 2023, 10:01:57
  The following quotation is from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Chapter 77 City Of Brotherly Love
  
  
  Ian found the house where Uncle Jamie had told him, at the end of a ragged dirt lane off the main road from Philadelphia. Uncle Jamie had said it was a poor household, and it looked it. It also looked deserted. A few early snowflakes ere falling in a desultory sort of way, but there was no chimney smoke. The yard was overgrown, the roof sagged, half its shingles split or curled, and the door looked as though who-ever lived there was in the habit of entering the house by kicking it in.
  
  He swung down from his horse but paused a moment, considering. His uncle’s instructions were clear enough, but from the things Uncle Jamie hadn’t said, it was also clear the Mrs. Hardman might have occasional male visitors of a possibly dangerous disposition, and Ian wasn’t wanting to walk into anything unexpected.
  

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  • Cue the Ride of the Valkyrie music. Jamie and Ian to the rescue! It’s hard to really think about how tenuous a woman’s position has been through most of history. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 16 2023, 15:33:09
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, July 13 2023, 18:23:28
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 67, “Greasier Than Grease.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘I think ye’d best not touch me, lass,’ he said, still staring intently into her eyes, the color of cress under rushing water. ‘Because if ye do, I’ll take ye, here and now. And then it’s too late for us both, isn’t it?’
  Her hand hung in the air, and while he could see her willing it, she could not draw it back.
  He turned from her then and went out into the night, his skin so hot that the night air turned to steam as it touched him.”
  

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  • To have someone want ye that badly, that a mere touch would drive them to madness - is that ever a real thing? (NT) -- kgp, Sun, July 16 2023, 10:03:38
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Wed, July 12 2023, 20:19:34
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 67, “Greasier Than Grease.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘I—thee—‘ She swallowed and ran the back of her hand across her lips. Not as though to wipe away his kiss, but in astonishment, he thought. ‘Does thee know—‘ She stopped dead, helpless, and stared at him.
  ‘I’m not worried about whether ye love me,’ he said, and knew he spoke the truth. ‘Not now. I’m worried about whether ye might die because ye do.’
  ‘Thee has a cheek! I didn’t say I loved thee.’
  He looked at her then, and something moved in his chest. It might have been laughter. It might not.
  ‘A great deal better ye don’t,’ he said softly. ‘I’m no a fool, and neither are you.’”
  

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  • Not much time or room for coyness back then. When I think of the relationships Ian saw growing up; Jenny & Ian and Jamie & Claire, it’s no wonder he’s open and honest with the woman he loves. I’m so glad Rachel felt the same. ❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 13 2023, 11:56:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 12, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, July 11 2023, 16:51:55
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 67, “Greasier Than Grease.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “He should leave; she was afraid. He knew that. But he knew something else, too. It wasn’t him she was afraid of. Slowly, slowly, he put out a hand to her, the fingers moving without his will, slowly, as though to guddle a trout.
  And by an expected miracle, but miracle nonetheless, her hand stole out toward his, trembling. He touched the tips of her fingers, found them cold. His own were warm, he would warm her.… In his mind, he felt the chill of her flesh against his own, noted the nipples hard against the cloth of her dress and felt the small round weight of her breasts, cold in his hands, the press of her thighs, chill and hard against his heat.
  He was gripping her hand, drawing her back. And she was coming, boneless, helpless, drawn to his heat.
  ‘Thee must not,’ she whispered, barely audible. ‘We must not.’”
  

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  • Oh yes, yes, yes. I love this couple. Diana makes such interesting matches, doesn’t she? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 11 2023, 18:08:47
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 11, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, July 10 2023, 19:04:25
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 67, “Greasier Than Grease.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Without even thinking, he put both hands on her face and bent to her. Saw the flash and darkening of her eyes, and had one heartbeat, two, of perfect warm happiness, as his lips rested on hers, as his heart rested in her hands.
  Then one of those hands cracked against his cheek, and he staggered back like a drunkard startled out of sleep.
  ‘What does thee do?’ she whispered. Her eyes wide as saucers, she had backed away, was pressed against the wall of the tent as though to fall through it. ‘Thee must not!’”
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 10, 2023 -- CindyG, Sun, July 09 2023, 16:53:55
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 63, “Separated Forever from My Friends and Kin.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Ellen, of Leoch?’ cried the man, very excited. ‘Daughter of him they called Jacob Ruaidh?’
  In his excitement, Hamish’s grip had tightened on his friend, and the man gave a yelp. This attracted the attention of the young woman—the one Hamish had greeted as “O, beautiful nut-brown maiden’—and she came hurrying to see the matter.
  She was nut brown, Ian saw; Rachel Hunter, tanned by the sun to the exact soft shade of a hickory nut, what showed of her hair beneath her kerchief the shade of walnut hulls, and he smiled at the thought. She saw him and narrowed her eyes.
  ‘Well, and if thee is able to grin like an ape, thee is not much hurt. Why—‘ She stopped, astonished at the sight of Ian Murray locked in embrace with a kilted Highlander, who was weeping with joy. Ian was not weeping, but was undeniably pleased.
  ‘Ye’ll want to meet my uncle Jamie,’ he said, adroitly disentangling himself. ’Seaumais Ruaidh, I think ye called him.’”
  

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  • Oh yes. Now let’s continue this!! ❤️😊👍 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 09 2023, 17:39:19
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 9, 2023 -- CindyG, Sat, July 08 2023, 17:56:26
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 38, “Plain Speech.” Copyright©️ 2009 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “He wished to continue the conversation—she seldom lingered when she fed him, having much other work to do—and so lifted his newly shorn chin and gestured at the brooch she wore.
  ‘That’s pretty,’ he said. ‘Not too worldly?’
  ‘No,’ she said tartly, putting a hand to the brooch. ‘It’s made of my mother’s hair. She died when I was born.’
  ‘Ah. I’m sorry,’ he said, and with a moment’s hesitation added, ‘So did mine.’
  She stopped then and looked at him, and for a moment, he saw a flicker of something in her eyes that was more than the matter-of-fact attention she would give to a cow in calf or a dog that had eaten something that disagreed with it.
  ‘I’m sorry, too,’ she said softly.”
  

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  • Yuk!! Forget it William. Rachel and Ian are fated. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 09 2023, 17:37:22
  
  

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• Not my best work - sorry -- kgp, Fri, July 07 2023, 18:48:30
  I am so off this week. I can't tell one day from the next. I'll do the week after CindyG as well and get my act together.
  

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  • Hey, we've all been there! I'm retired, and one day folds into the next very easily! (Nursing homes post the day of the week on the patient's white boards....now I know why!) (NT) -- Janet, Sat, July 08 2023, 12:02:57
    • For sure!! I never know what day of the week it is anymore and I’m still working part time 🙄. I love being a crone. I understand why Claire will come into her power when her hair is white. We really pare down the “have to’s” don’t we? 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 08 2023, 15:01:29
  
  

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• QITD for Thursday, July 6, 2023 -- kgp, Thu, July 06 2023, 13:24:12
  The following quotation is from The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 39 The Fog Comes Down
  
  
  He was moving up the slope, Jamie could tell that much. Perhaps William had gone to explore the shepherd’s hut. Wilberforce had joined the women now in calling out but was doing it in counterpoint, rather than in unison with them.
  
  
  Jamie had the feeling that he could not breathe, that the fog was choking him. Pure illusion.
  
  
  ”William!”
  
  
  His shins thumped into the fallen wall of the shepherd’s hut. He could not see more than the faintest outline of the stones but felt his wary inside and crawled quickly along the walls, calling out for the boy. Nothing.
  
  
  Fogs might last an hour, or a day.
  
  
  “Willie - iam-Wil-Willy- iam- WILLIE!”
  
  
  Jamie gritted his teeth. If they didn’t keep quiet now and then, he couldn’t hear Willie shouting back. If the boy was capable of shouting. The footing was treacherous, the grass slippery, the ground rocky. And if he went all the way to the bottom of the slope, the moss . . .
  

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  • I can’t even imagine how hard this was for Jamie. To love your child so much but have to totally stifle it. In a dire situation having to just be “the helpful groom.” (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 06 2023, 17:08:05
    • Exactly so, Kathy in PA! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, July 07 2023, 10:01:25
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday July 5, 2023 -- kgp, Wed, July 05 2023, 6:10:13
  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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  • This section was definitely one of the worst. Poor Germaine (and the rest of the family, of course), but my heart broke for him, trying to save his little brother. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 05 2023, 14:19:02
    • I totally agree with you, Diana. Germaine’s childhood ended here and it broke my heart. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 06 2023, 16:42:14
  
  

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• QOTD for July 2, 2023 -- kgp, Sat, July 01 2023, 19:00:47
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 37 Cognoscote
  
  
  
  The healer was a little way down the road; Roger saw the man’s dark figure kneeling in prayer before a tiny shrine, the ends of his cloak fluttering in the wind. Roger came up to him slowly, hanging back so as not to disturb his devotions - and, on impulse, bowed his own head toward the small statue, so weathered as to be faceless. Take care of them, please, he prayed. Help me get back to them - to Bree. That was all he had time for, before the healer rose to his feet - but that was all he had to say, in any case.
  
  
  The healer hadn’t heard him; he rose and turned, surprised at seeing Roger but recognizing him at once. He smiled, a little wearily, clearly expecting some medical question of a private nature.
  
  
  Heart thumping, Roger reached out and grasped the healer’s hand. The man’s eyes widened with shock.
  
  
  ”Cognosco te,” Roger said, very softly. I know you.
  

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  • It always gives me goosebumps when travelers meet up with unexpected other travelers. And I do like how Diana throws Latin in. Lol. I learned what QED means reading the books. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 02 2023, 11:25:50
  
  

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• Season 7 -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 29 2023, 16:13:44
  What do you think? I’m enjoying it so far but have divided the show from the books in my head. If I hadn’t read the books before I don’t think I’d be able to follow the show’s stories. I love the costumes and scenery but think the big house is (was) too lavish and the stable scene with Mandy was sweet but the stable looked like it was a clone of Helwater. Too too much for the back country. I loved where they quoted the book exactly and felt smug that I could “say it along.”
  

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  • I agree about the house. Far too fancy for a backwoods residence. I haven't seen this season yet, having a 3 episode afternoon with my sister next week.. There certainly is a lot to smush into this season. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 01 2023, 9:28:59
    • And they’re smushing - believe me! That’s why I don’t really think I’d get it if I hadn’t read the books. Enjoy watching with your sister 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 01 2023, 17:18:04
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, June 17, 2023 -- CindyG, Fri, June 16 2023, 18:47:29
  The following quote is from The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 by Diana Gabaldon, Part Five, “Romance and the Written Word,” footnote 46. Copyright ©️2015 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  Regarding the difficulty of classifying Outlander:
  
  “My favorite attempt is by Salon’s reviewer Gavin McNett: ‘the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting Scrooge McDuck comics.’”
  

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  • She likes big books and he likes big sentences. Perfect!! 😊❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, June 17 2023, 6:14:15
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, June 16, 2023 -- CindyG, Thu, June 15 2023, 19:21:09
  The following quote is from The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 by Diana Gabaldon, Part Five, “Romance and the Written Word.” Copyright ©️2015 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “So one day my agent called and said, ‘Well, they’ve finally decided what to do with your book. The hardcover is no problem—it will just go up front with all the other hardcover fiction. But they think they’d like to sell the paperback as romance.’
  ‘As what?’ I said. By this time I’d read quite a lot of romance novels, and while a number of them were well written and a larger number enjoyable, I was pretty sure that wasn’t what I’d written. “‘ have two objections to that: one, I will never be reviewed by The New York Times. I can live with that, but, two, that will cut off the entire male half of my readership. Men see different things in the book than women do, and I don’t want to lose that.’
  ‘Yes, I know,’ said my (male) agent. ‘And we could insist that they publish it as science fiction or fantasy, because of the weird elements. But bear in mind that a bestseller in fantasy is fifty thousand in paperback—a bestseller in romance is five hundred thousand.’
  ‘You have a point,’ I said, after a moment’s pause. ‘Sell it as romance.’
  Because, you see, my beloved editor had told me, ‘These have to be word-of-mouth books, because they’re too weird to describe to anybody.’
  That being so, I reasoned, obviously it was better to expose the book to half a million readers who would all go out and tell their friends—who would, presumably, be able to draw their own conclusions as to what the book was or wasn’t—than to start with a tenth that number.”
  

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  • Like the old shampoo commercial, "And then they'll tell 2 friends, and THEY'll tell 2 friends..." And here we all are! (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, June 16 2023, 9:40:28
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, June 15, 2023 -- CindyG, Wed, June 14 2023, 19:24:19
  The following quote is from The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 by Diana Gabaldon, Part Five, “Romance and the Written Word.” Copyright ©️2015 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “The publication process is a long and torturous one (ask any production person), but it begins with the editor who buys a book going to an editorial meeting, at which all the editors present their “list” of projects, reporting new acquisitions and progress on existing manuscripts, and where preliminary plans are laid for marketing, cover designs, and advertising budgets. Clearly an important occasion for a new book.
  So Jackie, bless her heart, took Cross Stitch to the editorial meeting, where she waxed enthusiastic about how wonderful this book was, how much she adored it, it was the best book she’d ever read, and they must do something Really Special for it.
  ‘Great!’ said the assembled meeting. ‘What kind of book is it?’
  ‘Ahhh…’ said Jackie.
  Without going into the gory details—it took them eighteen months to decide how the heck to sell a book that nobody could describe.”
  

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  • Early on, I found it hard to describe to people when I really wanted to share how great the books are so they would read them. Trying to do a quick summary didn’t work and I’d finally say just read to page 50. One of my sisters and my daughter got it. A few friends are watching the series but haven’t read the books. Your posts from a few days ago, Karen, are SO true. I do have trouble concentrating like I used to and have no patience or time for other authors. Diana’s words are everything. So perfect. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 15 2023, 3:42:22
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, June 14, 2023 -- CindyG, Tue, June 13 2023, 18:55:00
  The following quote is from The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 by Diana Gabaldon, Part Five, “Romance and the Written Word.” Copyright ©️2015 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Now, as I’ve noted elsewhere, I wrote Outlander for practice and chose the broad general category of ‘historical fiction’ on grounds that I was a research professor and knew my way around a library. As I wrote, though, I used any element, literary device, or classical trope that struck my fancy—and I read a lot, I like all kinds of things…and I used ’em all. After all, it didn’t matter what ‘kind’ of book this was—no one was ever going to see it!
  Well, the best-laid plans of mice and men, and all that…Stuff happened, and I put a small bit of the book in the library of the CompuServe Literary Forum in order to win an argument with a man about what it feels like to be pregnant. Everyone who’d been following the argument went to read the piece and came back asking for more. So I’d put up bits and pieces now and then…and people began asking, ‘What sort of book is this?’
  ‘Beats me,’ I’d reply, and go on working.”
  

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  • And thank heavens that she DID keep writing! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, June 14 2023, 10:25:08
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, June 13, 2023 -- CindyG, Mon, June 12 2023, 19:29:40
  The following quote is from The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 by Diana Gabaldon, “Introduction,” footnote 2.
  
  Explaining why Outlander is so difficult to categorize:
  
  “Frankly, it’s flat-out impossible. I mean, try it. You can’t exactly say it’s historical fiction, because of the time travel (though the historical aspects are in fact as accurate as history itself—rather a large caveat, that…). You can’t say it’s fantasy, because people leap instantly to the conclusion that it has elves and dragons (the Loch Ness monster being rather a poor substitute, if you ask me). You can’t say it’s science fiction (even though it is, strictly speaking), because people start thinking of time machines and War of the Worlds and TARDIS, none of which are at all appropriate. And you really can’t call it a romance, because a huge segment of the reading populace is disposed to think that most romance novels are illiterate bodice-rippers (they aren’t, of course, but that’s a common prejudice, ignorant as it is)—and, in fact, the book really isn’t a romance, as it breaks just about every genre constraint there is.”
  

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  • I had to read the first of the Bridgerton series for book club and wanted to scream. Compared to The Books it was so trite and saccharine. The writing is everything. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, June 13 2023, 13:09:15
  
  

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