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• It’s that time 🎄 😊. Lallyornaments!!! -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 10 2022, 14:11:21
  It’s time to start planning your Lally Ornament for 2022.
  I don’t have the rule page ready but all of a sudden it hit me that we usually get the notice in August.
  
  It’s so much fun to get that package right after Thanksgiving and be able to open a box of Outlander treasures. The ornaments range from beautifully simple to amazingly crafted.
  
  I haven’t been able to load the last two year’s pictures but go to:
  
  http://lallyornaments.blogspot.com
  
  And you can see a whole bunch of ornaments from past years.
  The only basic rule is that it has to have something to do with anything Outlander and we make 10 each to share.
  
  More info to follow.
  

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  • I'm not at all crafty so I've never done this. You'd all get glitter covered pinecones. :) (NT) -- kgp, Thu, August 11 2022, 5:51:21
    • Jump in and you'll surprise yourself with an Outlander inspired ornament. There are so many images from the Books - birds, insects, pigs and people, snakes in the outhouse! Use cross stitch, quilting, paint or paper, clay or craft items assembled, knitted or crocheted, and more! Make a practice one and see where it leads you. I randomly opened the Books and read about a kingfisher and then learned a new technique of felting to create the baby kingfisher. It was fun! (NT) -- TeriB waving from the monsoon desert of Nevada, Thu, August 11 2022, 6:33:06
      • You're very kind but I am seriously craft impaired. Performance arts I can do. I can sing carols on your lawn. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, August 11 2022, 9:53:32
      • Teri is amazing! She tries something different every year and they’re all wonderful. I wanted to try felting but my hands won’t take it so I love my little kingfisher, Teri! Joining Lallyornaments was as scary as doing QOTD for me. I watched for years before jumping in and now I’m the “organizer” and I use the term loosely because I’m not super organized. I can’t explain the joy when that box arrives each year. And the smiles as I do my Lallybroch Tree and reopen each ornament during the holidays. I do love singing though too! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 11 2022, 12:07:20
    • There are woods in EVERY book and I love glitter 😊. I’ve done some that were pretty complicated for me but one year I just bought little hedgehogs, put a plaid bow on and quoted the “How do hedgehogs make love?” quote because my husband was in the hospital for weeks but I didn’t want to miss a year. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 11 2022, 12:01:34
      • So how does this work? I'll give it a go. I have an idea. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 15 2022, 19:02:21
  • I'm planning on participating again this year. (NT) -- Colly, Thu, August 25 2022, 19:48:30
  • Where are we at with this? I haven't heard any more. (NT) -- Colly, Sat, October 01 2022, 13:53:53
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, September 30, 2022 -- Janet, Fri, September 30 2022, 11:00:03
  The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 40, The Venom of the North Wind. Copywrite 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  Brianna retrieved her spade and Jamie's shirt from the creekbank, and caught the boys up on the trail to the Big House. A breeze had begun to breathe through the trees, chilly in the damp cloth of her shift, but the heat of walking was enough to keep her from being cold.
  Germain was singing softly to himself, still hand in hand with his grandfather, his small blond head tilting back and forth like a metronome.
  Jemmy sighed in exhausted bliss, legs wrapped round Jamie's middle, arms about his neck, and leaned his sun-reddened check against the scarred back. Then he thought of something, for he raised his head and kissed his grandfather with a loud smacking noise, between the shoulder blades.
  Her father jerked, nearly dropping Jem, and made a high-pitched noise that made her laugh.
  "Is that make it better?" Jim inquired seriously, pulling himself up and trying to look over Jamie's shoulder into his face.
  "Oh. Aye, lad," his grandfather assured him, face twitching. "Much better."
  

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  • I love this. So sweet of Jemmy. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, September 30 2022, 13:37:17
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, September 29, 2022 -- Janet, Thu, September 29 2022, 11:03:20
  The following quote is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 6, Ambush, Copywrite 2005 by Diana Gabaldon, All rights reserved
  
  (Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays are late days for me.)
  
  "Jem!" Brianna made to go after him but was hampered by an oncoming crowd headed for the table.
  
  "Ah, dinna fash yourself about him," Lizzie assured her. "Everyone kens who he is, he'll come to nay harm."
  
  She might still have gone after him, save that she saw a small blond head pop up beside Jem's. Germain, Jem's bosom friend. Germain was two years older, and had a great deal more worldly knowledge that the average five-year-old, thanks in great part to his father's tutelage. She did hope he wasn't picking pockets in the crowd, and made a mental note to frisk him for contraband, later.
  
  
  I love how Diana can get so much description in such a few words!
  

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  • I love how QOTD recalls them for me. I’ve been busy and late checking in, but really enjoy these “moments” pulled from the books. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 29 2022, 18:37:43
  • Great quote - I can picture ruddy haired Jem and his buddy Germaine eeling through the crowd together. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 30 2022, 9:55:21
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, September 28, 2022 -- Janet, Wed, September 28 2022, 4:17:49
  The following quote is from Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Chapter 146, And You Know That. Copywrite 2014 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  Love this quote which shows enduring love....even if it isn't "humping"!
  
  "A good wife is prized above rubies," he said, smiling. "Come to me, mo nighean dunn." He reached out a long arm and drew me in, holding me close against him. I put my arms around him and felt the quiver of his muscles, exhausted, and the sheer hard strength still in him, that would hold him up, no matter how tired he might be. We stood quite still for some time, my check against his chest and his face against my hair, drawing strength from each other for whatever might come. Being married.
  

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  • So lovely, "drawing strength from each other for whatever may come." My DH and I haven't endured 20 year separation or wars, but to have each other through the large and small trials of life is certainly a blessing. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, September 29 2022, 10:34:15
    • It sure is, Diana! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 29 2022, 18:33:10
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 26, 2022 -- Janet, Mon, September 26 2022, 4:41:45
  The following quote is from Written in My Own Heart's Blood, Chapter 132, Will-O'-The Wisp by Diana Gabaldon, Copywrite 2014, all rights reserved.
  
  I love how Diana can paint a beautiful picture with her words so so that you think you are there, then coat it with suspense.
  
  Beyond the laundresses, the ground was choppy, the boggy spots interspersed with the higher bits of ground, these crowned with stunted trees and low bushes---and quite obviously providing a footing, so to speak, for the whores to ply their own trade.
  
  He gave these a somewhat wider berth and consequently found himself squelching through something that was not quite a bog, but not far off, either. It was remarkably beautiful, though, in a chiaroscuro sort of way; the fading light somehow made each barren twig stand out in stark contrast to the air, the swollen buds still sleeping but rounded, balanced on the edge between winter's death and the life of spring. He wished for a moment that he could draw, or paint, or write poetry, but as it was, he could only pause for a few seconds to admire it.
  
  As he did so, though, he felt a permanence form in his heart, a quiet sense that even though he had only these few seconds, he would have them forever, could come back to this place, this time, in his mind.
  
  He was right, though not entirely for the reasons he supposed.
  

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  • Those brief moments of unexpected grace ... (NT) -- kgp, Mon, September 26 2022, 14:41:37
  • Janet, I really, really agree with you about how Diana can paint emotions and experiences with words. And name things like “unexpected moments of grace.” I recognize and appreciate them now. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 27 2022, 12:22:55
    • Kathy in PA, I do as well. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 28 2022, 7:52:40
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 25, 2022 -- Janet, Sun, September 25 2022, 10:12:22
  The following quote is from Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 19, Hearth Blessing, Copyright 1997, all rights reserved.
  
  Just opened a book to a random page....jumping in to provide a quote.
  
  We had virtually nothing with us in the way of tools or supplies, save a felling ax, a couple of knives, a camp kettle and girdle, and my smaller medicine box. What is something happened, if Ian or Jamie fell ill or was hurt in an accident? If we starved or froze? And while Jamie was sure that our Indian acquaintances had no objection to our intent, I wasn't so sanguine about any others who might happen along.
  
  Yes, I bloody well would be afraid. On the other hand, I'd lived long enough to realize that fear wasn't usually fatal--or at least not by itself. Add in the odd bear or savage, and I wasn't saying, mind.
  

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  • I would bloody well be afraid also!! Anything could happen! Thank you for the quote. I'm on next week. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, September 25 2022, 14:19:35
  • "Fear wasn't usually fatal," good point. However, with so few supplies to hand, and so many things that could happen, is certainly NOT for the faint of heart! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 28 2022, 7:51:08
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, September 27, 2022 -- Janet, Tue, September 27 2022, 4:49:17
  The following quote is from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 11, Transverse Lie. Copywrite 2009 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.
  
  I felt weirdly disembodied, caught between past and future, nothing visible save the whirling white silence that surrounded me. And yet I felt calmer than I had in many days. I felt the weight of Jamie's hand on my head with its whispered blessing. "O blessed Michael of the Red Domain..."
  
  It was a blessing given to a warrior going out to battle. I had given it to him, more than once. He'd never done such a thing before, and I had no idea what made him do it now---but the words glowed in my heart, a small shield against the dangers ahead.
  

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  • The title reminds me of “Call The Midwife” because they’ve dealt with this. But I don’t remember exactly what’s happening here. Was this when Claire was shot? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 27 2022, 12:29:42
    • Claire gets shot in MOBY. I think this is when they've been waiting for Lizzy to have a baby so they can leave the Ridge for Scotland. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, September 27 2022, 12:59:31
    • Yes, Jo just called for Claire to come because Lizzy was in labor with her second baby. (NT) -- Janet, Wed, September 28 2022, 4:19:23
  
  

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• QOTD -- Betsy Barefoodspinner, Tue, September 20 2022, 14:31:59
  I have returned to Earth for a bit. I can do QOTD.
  

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  • Welcome back, BBS! <3 (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 21 2022, 7:21:58
    • Thank you, Betsy!! (NT) -- kgp, Thu, September 22 2022, 16:23:23
  • Yay! Love your blatherings ❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 23 2022, 13:36:41
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, September 17, 2022 -- CindyG, Fri, September 16 2022, 20:22:13
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 18, “Taking Flight.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘You are willing to marry dis man?’ he asked. ‘I see he is rich, but maybe better to take a poor man who will treat you well.’
  ‘Ze is zes maanden zwanger, idioot,’ said the minister’s wife. ‘She’s six months gone with child.’ ‘Is dit die schurk die je zwanger heeft gemaakt?’ She removed the pipe from the corner of her mouth and gestured from the door to Minnie’s belly: ‘He’s the no-good who got you pregnant?’ A hefty kick from the occupant made Minnie grunt and double over.
  ‘Ja, is die schurk,’ she assured the woman, glancing over her shoulder to the door, where Hal’s shadow in the window was visible, a larger shadow that must be Harry behind him.”
  

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  • Sometimes I forget how important Harry is. Hal can’t help but always see John as the little brother it seems. Harry is more Hal’s wingman than his own brother. I always wonder if Hall knows John is gay (I think he does) and that makes him not quite be able to totally rely on him. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, September 17 2022, 18:06:21
  • Thank you, CindyG - I've been scarce for a couple of weeks. I appreciate you <3 (NT) -- kgp, Thu, September 22 2022, 16:25:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, September 16, 2022 -- CindyG, Thu, September 15 2022, 20:43:25
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 15, “Burglary and Other Diversions.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Three seconds later he was alarmingly hot and terrifyingly immediate and—
  ‘Jesus Christ!’ he said, and froze, looking down at her, his eyes huge with shock.
  It hurt shockingly and she froze as well, taking shallow breaths. She felt his weight shift, knew he was about to leave her, and gripped his bottom to stop him. It was tight and solid and warm, an anchor against pain and terror.
  ‘I said I’d prove it,’ she whispered, and pulled him in with all her strength, arching her back. She let out a stifled shriek as he came the rest of the way, and he grabbed her and held her, keeping her from moving.
  They lay face-to-face, staring at each other and gulping air like a pair of stranded fish. His heart was hammering so hard that she could feel it under the hand she had on his back.
  He swallowed.
  ‘You’ve proved it,’ he said at last. ‘Whatever it…What was it you wanted to prove again?’
  Between the tightness of her stays and his weight, she hadn’t enough breath to laugh, but she managed a small smile. “
  ‘That I didn’t want to hurt you.’”
  

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  • This was such a surprise to see Hal so taken aback. I pictured him as the consummate British soldier, stiff upper lip and all that. I looked at him differently when he showed such passion. And what a match for him Minnie turned out to be! Looking forward to seeing her some more. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 16 2022, 3:06:49
  • Ironically, she didn't want to hurt him, and, of course, he hurts her by taking her virginity. (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 16 2022, 7:34:22
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, September 15, 2022 -- CindyG, Wed, September 14 2022, 20:28:05
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 14, “Notorious Bores.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Of course you must go,’ Lady Buford said, having downed half a glassful at one gulp.
  ‘Really?’ Minnie was experiencing that sudden visceral emptiness that attends excitement, anticipation, and panic.
  ‘Yes,’ Lady Buford said, with determination, and downed the rest, setting her glass down with a thump. ‘Almost all of your choicest prospects will be there, and there is nothing like competition to make a gentleman declare himself.’
  Now the sensation was one of unalloyed panic. What with one thing and another, Minnie had quite forgotten that she was meant to be husband-hunting. Just last week, she’d had two proposals, though luckily from fairly undistinguished suitors, and Lady Buford hadn’t objected to her refusing them.
  She finished her own Madeira and poured another for them both.
  ‘All right,’ she said, feeling a slight spinning sensation. ‘What do you think I should wear?’
  ‘Your very best, my dear.’ Lady Buford raised her refilled glass in a sort of toast. ‘Lord Fairbairn is a widower.’”
  

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  • It’s so gross to remember how woman were “sold off” to a good catch. I work in a cemetery and you wouldn’t believe how many old records just list the woman as Mrs. So and So. Her first name isn’t even there. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 16 2022, 3:09:25
    • Is it any wonder that so many now choose to keep their maiden names instead of taking their husband's? (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 16 2022, 7:32:28
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, September 14, 2022 -- CindyG, Tue, September 13 2022, 20:17:14
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 10, “Down to Business.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “She was pleased, therefore, to be able to combine Colonel Quarry’s commission with Lady Buford’s husband-hunting. Rather to Minnie’s surprise, the latter involved a great deal of socializing with females.
  ‘To be desirable, it is necessary to be talked about, my dear,’ Lady Buford told her over a glass of iced negus at Largier’s tea shop (Madame Largier was French and thought tea itself a distinctly second-class beverage). ‘But you must be talked about in the right way. You must not suggest any hint of scandal, and—just as important—you must not cause jealousy. Be sweet and unassuming, always admire your companions’ frocks and dismiss your own, and do not bat your eyes at their sons or brothers, should such be present.’
  ‘I’ve never batted my eyes at anyone in my life!’ Minnie said indignantly.
  ‘It isn’t a difficult technique to master,’ Lady Buford said dryly. ‘But I trust you take my point.’
  Minnie did, and as she had no intention whatever of attracting a potential husband, she was extremely popular with the young women of society. Which turned out to be an unexpectedly good thing, because most young women had no discretion whatever, very little judgment, and would tell you the most unspeakable things without batting a single one of their own eyes.”
  

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  • There's what is expected, and then there's what is actually done! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 14 2022, 9:33:42
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, September 13, 2022 -- CindyG, Mon, September 12 2022, 20:03:45
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 5, “Strategy and Tactics.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Half an hour, two pots of China tea, and a dozen tea cakes (with cream) later, she made her way out into the street, a scribbled list of engagements in her hand and her head spinning with tippets, panniers, mantuas, swags, fans—she had a nice fan, luckily—and other items necessary to the pursuit and bagging of a wealthy and influential husband.
  ‘A gun would be simpler,’ she muttered, thrusting the list into her pocket. ‘And certainly less expensive.’
  ‘What kind of gun?’said Mick O’Higgins with interest, appearing out of a nearby doorway.
  ‘Never mind,’ she said. ‘We’re going to a milliner’s.’
  ‘Oh, a milliner’s, is it?’ He bowed and offered her his arm. ‘Nay bother, then. Sure, the bird’ll be dead before they put it on your hat.’”
  

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  • I really liked the O'Higgins brothers! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, September 13 2022, 7:18:30
    • I wonder if their enlistment in the 42nd was a way to watch over Minnie through Hal. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, September 13 2022, 18:00:05
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 12, 2022 -- CindyG, Sun, September 11 2022, 19:37:27
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 5, “Strategy and Tactics.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “If he actually meant it…the cynical part of her mind put in. But he likely did. It would be just like him. He’d see it as killing two birds with one stone: getting her access to likely sources of salable information and simultaneously marrying her off to one of them, with Lady Buford as his unwitting accomplice.
  And he had, to be fair, told her that he wanted an Englishman for her. She just hadn’t thought he’d meant now. Really, she had to admire her father’s twisted genius; who but a marriage procuress would know more—and have less hesitation in revealing what she knew—about the intimate familial and financial details of wealthy men?”
  

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  • Minnie's father's machinations are clever indeed! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, September 12 2022, 10:04:42
    • I know! All of it is so convoluted to me, I would be a horrible spy/temptress/whatever. lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 12 2022, 18:17:48
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 11, 2022 -- CindyG, Sat, September 10 2022, 20:11:42
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Fugitive Green,” chapter 1, “Survival.” Copyright 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Don’t you think of it, my girl.’ Her father was watching her over his own glass, not unkindly. ‘After you’re married, you do what you like. But you need to keep your virginity until we’ve got you settled. The English are notorious bores about virginity, and I have my heart set on an Englishman for you.’”
  

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  • How strange to hear a father speak so frankly to his daughter. He is so………imperious? Not sure of the right word. But Minnie sure favors her paternal line. Smart, shrewd, strong, self confident and very perceptive. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, September 11 2022, 8:01:12
    • He seemed singularly unusual. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, September 12 2022, 15:31:40
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, September 9, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, September 09 2022, 6:48:19
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 88 A Whiff Of Roquefort
  
  
  “If that’s the case,” I said, “then presumably he’ll come back, once he’s either found them or given up looking for them. Wouldn’t he? Would he go AWOL over them - er . . . absent without leave, I mean?”
  
  “He wouldn’t have to risk that,” Hal said. “He’s been relieved of duty.”
  
  “What?” John exclaimed, rounding on his brother. “WHat the devil for?”
  
  Hal sighed, exasperated. “Leaving camp when he was ordered to stay there in the middle of a battle, what else? Getting into a fight with another officer, ending up in the bottom of a ravine with a dent in his skull through being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and in general being a bloody nuisance.”
  
  “You’re right, he is your son,” I said to Jamie, amused. He snorted, but didn’t look altogether displeased.
  

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  • I love the last lines of this quote, especially Jamie not looking "altogether displeased!" (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 09 2022, 11:34:40
    • Remember when Jamie didn’t want them to put the girdle on William so he’d grow strong? This reminds me of it - that snort at the end is great, Diana! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, September 09 2022, 15:28:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, September 8, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, September 07 2022, 18:23:59
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 87 Moonrise
  
  
  Perhaps this was purgatory, he thought, and gave a wan smile at memory of himself, waking on Culloden Moor so many years ago, his eyelids sealed with blood, thinking himself dead and grateful for it, even if his immediate prospect was a spell in purgatory - that being a vague, unknown circumstance, probably unpleasant but not one he feared.
  
  He feared the one that might be imminent.
  
  He had come to the conclusion that he couldn’t kill himself, even if she died. Even could he bring himself to commit a sin of that magnitude, there were people who needed him, and to abandon them would be a greater sin even than the willful destruction of God’s gift of life. But to live without her - he watched her breathe, obsessively, counting ten breaths before he would believe she hadn’t stopped - that would certainly be his purgatory.
  

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  • This whole heart wrenching section had me reading as fast as possible. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, September 08 2022, 10:17:04
    • I think I went pages and pages before I blinked. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, September 09 2022, 11:02:12
  
  

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• A very late QOTD for Wednesday, September 7, 2022. I got involved in a project and forgot about this. -- kgp, Wed, September 07 2022, 12:20:35
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 86 In Which Rosy-Fingered Dawn Shows Up Mob Handed
  
  
  “Did you actually tell me that Ben is dead?” he blurted at once. Hal’s face contracted a bit, but his jaw was set.
  
  “No,” Hal said evenly. “I told you that I’d had news of Ben, and they said he was dead. I don’t believe it.” He gave John a stare defying him to contradict this belief.
  
  “Oh. Good,” Grey said mildly. “Then I don’t believe it either. Who told you, though?”
  
  “That’s why I don’t believe it,” Hal replied, turning to lift the tent flap and peer out - evidently to be sure of not being overheard, and the thought made Grey’s belly flutter a little. “It was Ezekiel Richardson who brought me the news, and I wouldn’t trust that fellow if he told me I had a hole in the seat of my breeches, let alone something like that.”
  
  The flutter in Grey’s belly became a full-blown beating of wings.
  
  “Your instincts haven’t led you amiss there,” he said. “Sit down and have a piece of toast. I have a few things to tell you.”
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 -- kgp, Tue, September 06 2022, 4:49:15
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 85 Long Road Home
  
  
  He could still hear the sound when the tomahawk caved in the Abenaki’s skull. He could still feel it, too, in the bones of his arms, in the bursting pain of his wound.
  
  Dimly, he realized that his feet were no longer keeping to the road; he was stumbling over clumps of grass, stubbing his moccasin-clad toes on rocks. He looked back to find his path - he saw it, plain, a wavering line of black . . . Why was it wavering?
  
  He didn’t want silence, after all. He wanted Rachel’s voice, no matter what she might say to him.
  

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  • I love young Ian too. He and Rachel are the couple that will make Jamie and/or Claire gone bearable. He is SO earthy and strong in all the right ways. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, September 06 2022, 9:47:30
  • I think that much like Jamie and Claire, Rachel will be "home" for Ian, no matter where they are. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 07 2022, 7:45:28
    • That’s a great way of putting it. No matter where they are or what he has to do. Remember the quote about her knowing he us a wolf but that he will come and sleep at her side each night - or something like that - too lazy to get book. I really like Rachel’s quiet courage. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, September 07 2022, 8:50:21
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, September 5, 2022 -- kgp, Mon, September 05 2022, 8:02:58
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 84 Nightfall
  
  
  “If you and I have things to say to each other, Willie - and of course we do - let it wait until tomorrow. Please. I’m not , , , “ He made a vague, wavering gesturing gesture that ended nowhere.
  
  The lump in William’s throat was sudden and painful. He nodded, hands clenched tight on the bedding. His father nodded, too, drew a deep breath and turned toward the tent flap - where, William saw, Uncle Hal was hovering, eyes fixed on his brother and brows drawn in worry.
  
  William’s heart seized, in a lump more painful than the one in his throat.
  
  “Papa!” His father stopped abruptly, turning to look over his shoulder.
  
  “I’m glad you’re not dead,” William blurted.
  
  A smile blossomed slowly on his father’s battered face.
  
  “Me, too,” he said.
  

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  • I just love Lord John. He never asks for a break, he must have been totally done to ask William to wait until tomorrow. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, September 05 2022, 12:33:08
    • I do, too. I would love another book for him. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, September 05 2022, 15:38:23
  • "I'm glad you're not dead." And of course, we end Bees with Willie ready to ride to his Papa's rescue. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 07 2022, 7:35:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, September 3, 2022 -- kgp, Sat, September 03 2022, 5:13:57
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 82 Even People Who Want To Go TO Heaven Don’t Want To Die To Get There
  
  
  Voices . . . I heard words, disjointed, coming out of the fog like bullets, striking randomly.
  
  “ . . . find Denzell Hunter!”
  
  “General - “
  
  “No!”
  
  “ - but you’re needed at - “
  
  “No!”
  
  “ - orders - “
  
  “NO!”
  
  And another voice, this one stiff with fear.
  
  “ . . . could be shot for treason and desertion, sir!”
  
  That focused my wandering attention and I heard the reply, clearly.
  
  “Then they’ll shoot me where I stand, sir, for I will not leave her side!”
  
  Good, I thought, and, comforted, lapsed into the spinning void again.
  

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  • This was really bad. I’m praying Come on, Claire - you’re strong, hang on!!! Then, Diana please don’t let her die! Thank goodness, prayers were answered. 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, September 03 2022, 11:06:53
  • I couldn't read this part fast enough to make sure Claire didn't die! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, September 07 2022, 7:12:52
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, September 4, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, September 04 2022, 7:15:50
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 83 Sundown
  
  
  “Better now, a nighean?” he whispered,and I nodded - or thought I did. Mrs. Macken murmured some question to Dottie, received an answer, and went out. The pain was still there but distant now, a small, flickering fire that I could shut out by closing my eyes. The thud of my heartbeat was more immediate, and I was beginning to experience . . . not hallucinations, quite.
  Disconnected images, though - the faces of strangers that faded in and out behind my eyes. Some were looking at me, others seemed oblivious; they smiled and sneered and grimaced but had nothing, really, to do with me.
  
  “Again, Sassenach,” Jamie whispered, lifting my head and putting the spoon to my lips, sticky with sherry and the bitter taste of opium. “One more.” I swallowed and lay back. If I died, would I see my mother again? I wondered, and experienced an urgent longing for her, shocking in its intensity.
  

  Last edited by author: Mon, September 05 2022, 8:03:27   Edited 1 time.
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• QOTD for Friday, September 2, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, September 02 2022, 7:49:15
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 81 Among The Tombstones
  
  
  Only a few men had loaded weapons, but sometimes it took only one. A shot rang out from behind him, and the British officer who was shouting stopped shouting and staggered. He clutched himself, curling up and falling to his knees, and someone shot him again. He jerked backward, then fell over sideways.
  
  There was a roar from the British line, which dissolved at once into a rush, some men pausing long enough to fix their bayonets, others wielding their guns like clubs. The Americans met them, mindless and shrieking, with guns and fists.One militiaman reached the fallen officer, seized him by the legs, and began to drag him away toward the church, perhaps with the notion to take him prisoner, perhaps to get him help . . .
  
  A British soldier threw himself upon the American, who stumbled backward and fell, loosing his hold on the officer. Jamie was running, shouting, trying to gather the men, but it was no use; they’d lost their wits altogether in the madness of fighting, and whatever their original intent in seizing the officer, they’d lost that, too.
  
  Leaderless, so had the British soldiers, some of whom were now engaged in a grotesque tug-of-war with two Americans, each grasping the limbs of the dead - for surely he must be now, if he hadn’t been killed outright - British officer.
  

  Last edited by author: Fri, September 02 2022, 9:42:28   Edited 1 time.
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  • The confusion and madness of battle. I'm so grateful I've never been exposed to this in my lifetime. So far anyway... (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, September 02 2022, 9:52:59
    • I'm glad Diana is so talented at rendering the chaos and that she doesn't gloss over or glorify the battle scenes. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, September 02 2022, 15:11:00
  
  

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• QOTD for September 1, 2022 rabbit rabbit -- kgp, Thu, September 01 2022, 9:26:42
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 80 Pater Noster
  
  
  
  “You want me to . . . sing?” he managed.
  
  “Well, perhaps not right this minute,” the duke said. He sat back on his stool and began to whistle a tune. “Recognize that, do you?” he asked, breaking off.
  
  “ ‘Lillibulero,’ “ William said, beginning to feel rather cross. “Why, for God’s sake?”
  
  “Knew a chap once who was hit on the head with an ax and lost his ability to make out music. Couldn’t tell one note from another.” Hal leaned forward, holding up two fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
  
  “Two. Stick them up your nose,” William advised him. “Go away, will you? I’m going to be sick.”
  
  “Told you not to drink too fast.” But his uncle had a basin under his face and a strong hand on his head, bracing him while he heaved and coughed and shot water out of his nose.
  

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  • Knew a chap, indeed! That would be your father, William. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, September 01 2022, 11:06:55
    • It still riles me when Hal talks casually about Jamie. He treated him so horribly after Culloden and actually felt he was somehow “honorable” and paid Jamie back for not killing John?!? I do like Hal after “A Fugitive Green” though. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 01 2022, 18:20:04
      • Their relationship gets better after Scottish Prisoner. Jamie really sets Hal straight on a few things. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, September 02 2022, 6:20:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 31, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, August 31 2022, 14:00:10
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 79 High Noon
  
  “Are ye bad hurt, a bhalaich?” Jamie asked, stepping back and looking for blood. There was some, but nothing dreadful. The lad wasn’t clutching himself as though wounded in the vitals . . .
  
  “No. No, it’s - “ Ian worked his mouth, trying to get up the spit to make words, and Jamie thrust his canteen into Ian’s hand. There was pitifully little water left in it, but some, enough, and Ian gulped it.
  
  “William,” Ian gasped, lowering the empty canteen. “Your - “
  
  “What about him?” Jamie interrupted. There were more men coming down the road, some of them half-running looking back. ”What?” he repeated, grasping Ian’s arm.
  

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  • Cue “The Flight of the Valkyrie’s” and Ian to the rescue - again. Without even meaning to, in my opinion, Ian keeps coming out the better man in encounters with William. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 01 2022, 2:51:49
    • He's a bit older and vastly more experienced. William was 12 when John brought him to the Ridge, Ian was 16 or 17? Had been kidnapped, molested, rescued, sprayed by skunk, traveled with whatshisname and the slave woman to the Indian village, farmed, hunted, and been coached by Jamie and Claire. Shoot! names are escaping me. Tall mountain man with a mended hernia and a very round slave woman accused of aborting a fetus. (NT) -- kgp, Thu, September 01 2022, 9:33:30
      • John Quincy Meyers? Yes, Ian has led quite a life for such a young man! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, September 01 2022, 11:05:43
        • It’s true, William was much more sheltered than Ian. I just wonder what will make William accept and be glad that he has Fraser blood like Ian. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, September 01 2022, 18:22:13
  
  

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• QOTD for August 30, 2022 -- kgp, Tue, August 30 2022, 10:25:17
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 78 In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time
  
  
  
  Suddenly two more were there, between him and the bridge. Was ist hier los?” he demanded sharply. Was macht Ihr da?” What is this? What are you doing?
  
  A burly fellow pulled an apologetic face.
  
  Verzeihung. Ihr seid hier falsch.”
  
  I’m in the wrong place? Before William could say anything more, they closed on him. He elbowed, punched, kicked, and butted wildly, but it didn’t last more than a few seconds. Hands pulled his arms behind him, and the burly fellow said once more, “Verzeihung,” and, still looking apologetic, bashed him in the head with a rock.
  
  He didn’t lose consciousness altogether until he hit the bottom of the ravine.
  

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  • I had to look up verzeihung and it said, “Excuse me” to get attention or “Forgive me.” It says “looking apologetic” but then why did they try to kill him? Because it was war time? I couldn’t believe William would survive this. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 30 2022, 18:24:46
    • I don't know if the Hessian wanted to kill him or just knock him out so they could defect. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 31 2022, 15:30:53
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, August 18, 2022 -- CindyG, Wed, August 17 2022, 22:54:01
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 20, “I Bet You Think This Song is About You. . .” Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Jamie was in his study, enjoying his own solitude. I’d passed by, carrying my big basin of peanuts outside, and seen him leaning back in his chair, spectacles on his nose, deeply absorbed in Green Eggs and Ham.
  I smiled at the thought, and pulled off the ribbon to loosen my hair so the cool breeze could blow through it.
  We’d lost nearly all of our books in the fire that consumed the Big House, but were beginning to build up our tiny library again. Brianna’s contributions had nearly doubled it. Aside from the books she’d brought—and thought of my precious Merck Manual still gave me a small thrill of possession—we had Jamie’s small green Bible, a Latin grammar, The Complete Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (lacking a cover, but retaining most of its vivid illustrations), and Jonathan Swift’s Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, plus the odd novel in French or English.”
  

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  • Is your theme books? It’s certainly made me think about how fortunate I am to live catty corner to a Library. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 21 2022, 15:28:10
  • CindyG, you chose a great theme - the books within The Books. I love looking at my own bookshelves and seeing my collections residing there. It would be difficult to live in a time where books were not readily available, but they'd certainly be all the more treasured. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 22 2022, 13:26:48
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, August 20, 2022 -- CindyG, Fri, August 19 2022, 20:30:35
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 20, “I Bet You Think This Song is About You. . .” Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘He’s—it’s—‘ He shook his head, looking for words. ‘He’s talking to me,’ he repeated doggedly. ‘He kens who I am—who I am,’ he said with emphasis and looked at me, his eyes dark blue. ‘He kens it’s the Scotsman that took his wife from him and he’s talkin’ directly to me. I can feel him, as if he stood behind me, whispering in my ear.’ I flinched, violently, and he blinked, startled.
  ‘That sounds…unpleasant,’ I said. The tiny hairs prickled along my jaw.
  The corner of his mouth turned up. He stopped what he was doing and took my hand, and I felt better.
  ‘Well, it’s a mite unsettling, Sassenach. I dinna mind it, exactly—I mean, surely to God he has the right to say things to me if he likes. It’s only…why?’”
  

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  • To get the last word? To say I’m not an idiot, I know what happened. To commiserate over loving Claire? 🤣 Jamie thought that! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 21 2022, 15:26:19
    • Frank can't have known that Bree would bring the book to the past. Or if he somehow did, did he mean to warn Jamie so he'd be forewarned and survive to continue to be able to care for Claire and Bree? (NT) -- kgp, Sun, August 21 2022, 19:01:27
      • That’s what I’m wondering. It certainly adds a lot to the Frank is the tragic hero camp. We do think he knew Bri went back because he trained her for it so maybe he thought she just might go back and forth? He warned her about the funny buggers. It seems like Diana gives us little tidbits into Frank that make me question his motives. But I went from hating him when I first read DIA, to liking and sympathizing with him. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 21 2022, 19:42:39
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 17, 2022 -- CindyG, Tue, August 16 2022, 19:55:05
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 17, Reading by Firelight. Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “It wasn’t only the writer that disturbed him. Hearing bits of what was to come from Claire and Bree and Roger Mac frequently alarmed him, but their physical presence was reassuring; whatever horrible events were to happen, many folk had survived them. Still, he kent well enough that while none of his family would ever lie to him, they did often temper what they said to him. Frank Randall was another thing: an historian, whose account of what was going to happen in the next few years would be…
  Well, he didn’t ken exactly what it might be. Frightening, perhaps. Upsetting, maybe. Maybe reassuring…in spots.
  Frank Randall wasn’t smiling, but he looked pleasant enough. Lines in his face that cut deep. Well, the man had been through a war.
  ‘To say nothing of bein’ married to Claire,’ he said aloud, and was surprised at the sound of his voice. He picked up his wineglass and took a mouthful, holding it for a moment, but then swallowed and turned the book over.
  ‘Well, I dinna ken if I forgive ye or not, Englishman,’ he murmured, opening the cover and taking a cleansing breath of cedar. ‘Or you me, but let’s see what ye have to say to me, then.’”
  

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  • I wonder if Frank was intentionally writing with Jamie in mind. I'm sure he never completely got over him, not with Brianna to look at, but by this time Frank was seriously involved with another woman and about to ask for divorce. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 17 2022, 11:42:32
    • This is where I get mixed up. I thought he specifically mentioned Jamie dying at some battle that’s coming up. I did read the book, LOL, but for the life of me can’t remember how this part played out. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 17 2022, 17:26:00
      • He wrote that a Jamie Fraser died at Kings Mountain, a turning point in the southern prosecution of the revolution. I wonder if that were fact, or if Frank were satisfying a personal wish that Jamie be killed. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, August 21 2022, 18:58:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, August 19, 2022 -- CindyG, Thu, August 18 2022, 20:32:11
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 20, “I Bet You Think This Song is About You. . .” Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘You’ve read the book, then?’ I asked after a moment, and he nodded, not looking at me. ‘What do you think of it?’
  He made another Scottish noise, shook the last of the peanuts clinking into the bowl, and sat down on the grass beside me.
  ‘I think the bastard wrote it for me, is what I think,’ he said bluntly.
  I was startled. ‘For you?’
  ‘Aye. He’s talking to me.’ He raised one shoulder, self-conscious. ‘Or at least I think he is. Between the lines. I mean…it might only be as I’m losin’ my mind. That’s maybe more likely. But…’
  ‘Talking to you…as in, the, um, text seems personally relevant?’ I asked carefully. ‘It couldn’t help but be, could it? Given where and when we are just now, I mean.’”
  

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  • This was such an interesting twist. Talk about keeping conflict of characters going for 200 years! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 19 2022, 2:41:45
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, August 16, 2022 -- CindyG, Mon, August 15 2022, 20:53:36
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 17, Reading by Firelight. Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Nay doubt it was the thought of reluctant forgiveness that made him pick up the book Brianna had brought for herself—Frank Randall’s book. The Soul of a Rebel.
  ‘Mmphm,’ he said, and drew it out of the stack, turning it over in his hands. It felt strange; a good weight and size, sound binding, but the paper cover was printed with a very peculiar tartan background in pink and green, on which there was a square of pale green with a decent wee painting of the basket hilt of a Scottish broadsword and a bit of the blade. Below the square, the subtitle, The Scottish Roots of the American Revolution. What made it feel odd, though, was the fact that it was wrapped in a transparent sheet of something that wasn’t paper, slick under his touch. Plastic, Brianna had told him when he asked. He kent the word, all right, but not with this meaning. He turned the book over to look at the photograph—he was becoming halfway accustomed to photographs, but it still took him back a bit to see the man looking out at him like that.
  He pressed his thumb firmly over Frank Randall’s nose, then lifted it. He tilted the book from side to side, letting light from the fire play over the plastic covering. He’d made a very faint smudge, not visible if you were looking straight at it.
  Suddenly ashamed of this childishness, he erased the mark with his shirtsleeve and set the book on his knee. The photograph looked calmly up at him through dark-rimmed spectacles.”
  

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  • This was so enjoyable to read! I didn’t remember it. Jamie gets the meaning of plastic that I find hard to grasp and what a hoot to kind of “thumb his nose” at Frank 🤣. Typical Jamie, he can’t be that petty and, after all, he got both girls. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 16 2022, 12:18:12
  • That is such a normal reaction! Usually Jamie is 'the bigger man', it's fun to see that Frank brings out the petty. (NT) -- kgp, Tue, August 16 2022, 18:14:36
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, August 15, 2022 -- CindyG, Sun, August 14 2022, 20:10:37
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 17, Reading by Firelight. Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “The house’s entire library stood in two modest piles on the table beside his wineglass. A small Bible bound in green cloth, very much the worse for wear. He touched it gently, as he did every time he saw it; it was an old companion—a friend that had seen him through many bad times. A coverless copy of Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress…he’d best take that one up to the bedroom; Jem hadn’t shown any interest in it yet, but the lad could certainly read well enough to make out what it was about if he did.
  A not-bad copy of Mr. Pope’s translation of The Odyssey—maybe he’d read a bit of that with Jem; he’d likely find the ships and monsters interesting, and it would be an excuse to cram a bit of Latin into the lad’s head while they were about it. Joseph Andrews…a waste of paper, that one; he’d maybe trade it to Hugh Grant, who liked silliness. Manon Lescaut, in French and a fine morocco binding. He frowned briefly at that one; he’d not opened it. John Grey had sent it to him, before…”
  

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  • I knew nothing of Manon Lescaut before Googling it just now. It sounds like quite a story that both John and Jamie would like to read. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 15 2022, 12:08:29
    • Yes, I need another reading list 🤣 I have a large basket full of tbr. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 15 2022, 19:20:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, August 14, 2022 -- CindyG, Sat, August 13 2022, 20:03:07
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 9, Animal Nursery Tales. Copyright 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Concerning Hobbits. This book is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from its pages a reader may discover much of their character and a little of their history.’
  ‘That’s just the Prologue,’ I assured him. ‘You could skip that, if you like.’
  He shook his head, eyes fixed on the page, smiling.
  ‘If the author thought it was worth his writing it down, then it’s worth my reading it. I dinna mean to miss a single word.’
  A sharp pang struck me then, seeing the reverential way in which he handled the book, turning over pages with a delicate forefinger. A book—any book—had a meaning well beyond its contents for a man who’d lived years at a time with little or no access to the printed word, and only the memory of stories to provide him and his companions escape from desperate circumstances.”
  

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  • I always skipped over the prologues of books - thought they were just like a Cliff note start out. Until Outlander. Now I savor and dissect every word with you and Outlandish Voices. I am embarrassed to admit how I abuse books when I read how Jamie cherishes them. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, August 14 2022, 13:16:56
  • I usually read prologues because it's usually back story. In the Tolkien books I used to skip over the poetry and songs, Yada Yada Yada get on with the story. But now I read them. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, August 14 2022, 17:06:19
  • I usually always read the prologues, feeling much as Jamie does, that it may be important to the story. I imagine that with books being a rare treat, one would read every bit. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 15 2022, 12:10:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, August 12, 2022 - sorry, I overslept -- kgp, Fri, August 12 2022, 7:01:49
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 76 The Dangers of Surrender
  
  Where’s William most likely to be? Unarmed and unable to fight, chances are that he was with Clinton. That’s where he should be. But he knew his son.
  
  “Unfortunately,” he muttered. He would, without hesitation, lay down both life and honor for William. That didn’t mean he was pleased at the prospect of having to do so.
  
  Granted, the current circumstance was not William’s fault. Head to admit - reluctantly - that it was at least in part his own. He’d allowed William to undertake intelligence work for Ezekiel Richardson. He should have looked much more closely into Richardson.
  
  The thought of having been gulled by the man was almost as upsetting as what Percy had told him.
  

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  • This espionage with Richardson and ___ Randall Issacs still has me confused. William is very lucky to have his two fathers watching over him. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 12 2022, 14:24:22
    • Right - we know Richardson's a bad 'un, but what is the deal with Randall-Isaacs? (NT) -- kgp, Fri, August 12 2022, 17:24:36
    • Being Jamie's son, let's hope TWO fathers are enough to keep him out of hot water! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 15 2022, 11:48:38
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, August 13, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, August 12 2022, 17:33:43
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 77 The Price of Burnt Sienna
  
  
  
  “Why didn’t you kill them?” he asked Grey abruptly, and jerked his head at the Craddocks. “If you got past them, you could have made it.”
  
  One fair brow arched above the handkerchief binding Grey’s eye.
  
  “You’d forgive me for Claire - but not for killing your . . . men.” He glanced at the two Craddocks, spotty as a pair of raisin puddings and - Grey’s look implied - likely no brighter.
  
  For a split second, the urge to punch him again surged up from Jamie’s bowels, and for the same split second, the knowledge of it showed on John’s Grey’s face. He didn’t flinch, and his good eye widened in a pale-blue stare. This time, he’d fight back.
  

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  • Man can she make my emotions go for a ride. One minute I’m laughing at “spotty as a pair of raisin puddings - and likely no brighter.” And the next moment my stomach clenches first at the thought of Jamie’s punch and then at John’s stare. “This time. . . . . “ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 13 2022, 19:22:20
  • Oh and one last thought, Burnt Sienna was one kid my favorite Crayola colors. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 13 2022, 19:23:50
    • Mine, too (NT) -- kgp, Sun, August 14 2022, 17:07:02
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, August 11, 2022 -- kgp, Thu, August 11 2022, 5:49:39
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 75 The Cider Orchard
  
  
  “Shouldn’t we . . . bury Mr. Craddock?” a timid voice suggested behind him.
  
  “He’s not dead, lackbrain!”
  
  Jamie glanced down. He wasn’t - but it wouldn’t be more than a few seconds longer.
  
  “Go with God, man,” he said quietly. Craddock didn’t blink; his eyes were fixed on the sky, not yet dull but sightless.
  
  “Go wi’ your fellows,” he said to the two lingerers, then saw that they were Craddock’s two sons, maybe thirteen and fourteen, white-faced and staring as sheep. “Say farewell to him,” he said abruptly. “He’ll still hear ye. Then . . . go.” He thought for a moment to send them to La Fayette, but they’d be no safer there. “Run!”
  

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  • As I look at my 15 year old grandson and thank God he’ll, hopefully, never have to deal with anything like this. Jamie seems to be able to help people man up because he expects it of them. He gives them confidence they didn’t know they had. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 11 2022, 12:10:40
  
  

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• Quote of the Day, Saturday, 8/06/2022. Voyager, Chapter 48, Moment of Grace. Copyright 1994, All rights reserved. -- Janet, Sat, August 06 2022, 3:43:50
  
  It had happened many times before, but it always took me by surprise. Always in the midst of great stress, wading waist-deep in trouble and sorrow, as doctors do, I would glance out a window, open a door, look into a face, and there it would be, unexpected and unmistakable. A moment of peace.
  
  The light spread from the sky to the ship, and the great horizon was no longer a blank threat of emptiness, but the habitation of joy. For a moment, I lived in the center of the sun, warmed and cleansed, and the smell and sight of sickness fell away; the bitterness lifted from my heart.
  
  I never looked for it, gave it no name; yet I knew it always when the gift of peace came. I stood quite still for the moment that lasted, thinking it strange and not strange that grace should find me here, too.
  

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  • This was the first time in "the books" that I was aware of these moments; when I did a re-read before Bees, I noticed them throughout, especially in Fiery Cross. These quotes were chose because, if we strive and are open, we, too, can find these moments of peace, no matter how fraught our lives are. (NT) -- Janet, Sat, August 06 2022, 3:47:15
  • It's supposed to be chosen! (NT) -- Janet, Sat, August 06 2022, 3:48:15
    • We know! I always read it right and don’t notice until the author points it out. I have loved your week, Janet. I haven’t been broadcasting it but you are my friends for the last 15 years of isolation so I’m finally ready to say after 6 months, that I left an abusive relationship after 47 years of marriage. FINALLY realized nothing I could do would fix it. Still have panic attacks and cry (as I’m doing now) but only when I look back. My days now are so full of moments of grace I feel glowing. I talk to people, I go to my church of 67 years, I’m a cemetery caretaker again, I’m happy. Still a lot to work through, but I have my wonderful daughter and her family’s full, loving support. So thank you all for being more of a friend than you realize. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 06 2022, 12:02:52
      • My gosh, Kathy! What a relief to be out of an abusive marriage. I'm excited for you to get your life back. I wish you many moments of peace, grace, and joy! (NT) -- kgp, Sat, August 06 2022, 15:13:32
        • Thank you. It is. ❤️ (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 06 2022, 18:48:22
      • Lallybroch has been an amazing source of friends for me. So many lovely and generous women and a few men. Not only friends to me, but to my family. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, August 06 2022, 20:00:05
      • Kathy in PA, sending you love and support for this courageous action. I wish you joy, contentment, and peace. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 08 2022, 10:57:49
        • Thank you, Diana. I feel like you’re my LOL sister, we agree so often 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, August 08 2022, 13:37:25
      • Kathy, so glad we talked, sending you healing light as you find a new way to happiness, everyday joy, that moment of recognizable peace. (NT) -- TeriB, Thu, August 11 2022, 6:48:20
  • Janet, thank you for a lovely set of quotes. I wasn't able to be here every day last week, but have certainly enjoyed catching up today. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 08 2022, 10:59:32
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, August 8, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, August 07 2022, 17:48:15
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 72 Morasses and Imbroglios
  
  
  Ian felt them before he saw them. The sense of a hunting animal, lying concealed in the wood, waiting for prey to come down to drink. He turned his horse sharply and rode along the creek bank, watching the trees on the other side.
  
  Movement, a horse’s head tossing against flies. A glimpse of a face - faces - painted, like his own.
  
  A thrill of alarm shot up his spine and instinct flattened him against the horse’s neck, as the arrow whizzed over his head. It stuck, quivering, in a nearby sycamore.
  
  He straightened, his own bow in his hand, nocked an arrow in the same movement, and sent it back, aiming blind for the spot where he’d seen them. The arrow shredded leaves as it went but struck nothing - he hadn’t expected it to.
  
  “Mohawk!” came a derisory shout from the other side, and a few words in a language he didn’t understand but whose intended meaning was clear enough. He made a very Scottish gesture, whose meaning was also clear, and left them laughing.
  

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  • Ian is just so cool! Any idea what the Scottish gesture is? Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 09 2022, 13:49:52
    • Probably the victory sign only turned around (NT) -- Margaret, Tue, August 09 2022, 15:22:45
      • Is that like our middle finger up? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 10 2022, 3:17:18
        • Yes. Very rude. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 10 2022, 17:10:31
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, August 9, 2022 -- kgp, Tue, August 09 2022, 6:47:50
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 73 Peculiar Behavior Of A Tent
  
  
  Suddenly he grasped Percy’s arm, squeezing hard.
  
  “And where do you come into this?” he said, voice level and cold. “Why are you telling me all this?”
  
  Percy drew breath, but didn’t jerk away. He returned Grey’s stare, brown eyes clear and direct.
  
  “Where I come into it doesn’t matter,” he said. “And there isn’t time. You need to find your son quickly. As to why I tell you . . . “
  
  John saw it coming and didn’t pull away. Percy smelled of bergamot and petitgrain and the red wine on his breath. John’s grip on Percy’s arm loosened.
  
  ”Pour vos beaux yeux,” Percy had whispered against his lips - and laughed, damn him.
  

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  • Is it “for your beautiful eyes” if I remember my high school French? So sad, Percy is one character that I have sympathy for their childhood twisting them. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 09 2022, 13:52:50
    • Percy - I had high hopes for him at first. He and John seemed to get on so well. But he's weak and petty in ways. His betrayal of their relationship in Germany was trashy. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 10 2022, 6:16:13
      • Yes. That’s what I think of when I think of Percy - a weak man. Although he did come through for John a bit here. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 10 2022, 14:13:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, August 10, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, August 10 2022, 6:14:36
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 74 The Sort of Thing That Will Make a Man Sweat and Tremble
  
  
  In fact, almost everyone in this time had a very matter-of-fact acceptance of mortality; death was a constant presence at everyone’s elbow, though they regarded that presence in a variety of ways. “But they - those men - what they do is something different, I think. It’s more an acceptance of what they think God made them.”
  
  “Really?” He seemed slightly startled by that, and his brows drew together in consideration. “What does thee mean by that? That they believe God has created them deliberately to - “
  
  “To be responsible for other people,” I said. “I couldn’t say whether it’s the notion of noblesse oblige - Jamie was a laird, you know, in Scotland - or just the idea that , , , that’s what a man does,” I ended, rather lamely. Because “that” was plainly not what Denzell Hunter thought a man should do. Though I did wonder a bit. Plainly the question troubled him a little.
  
  As well it might, given his position. I could see that the prospect of battle excited him and the fact that it did troubled him a great deal.
  

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  • There was another time when Claire was describing what a “man” is but I can’t remember exactly where - I think she was talking to Bri? I like getting the Quaker view of things through Denny and Rachel, I’m learning things while enjoying reading - nit sitting in a classroom. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 10 2022, 13:56:58
    • Or in someone’s hair! Lol. Not. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 10 2022, 13:57:57
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, August 7, 2022 -- kgp, Sat, August 06 2022, 17:23:47
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 701 Folie A Trois
  
  
  
  But Germain, out of what might have been either loyalty to John or fear of finding himself alone with Jamie - who had rather plainly meant what he said regarding the future of Germain’s arse - wanted to stay in the tent.
  
  “I’ll be fine,” John assured him. “Go with your father.” He was still pale and sweating, but his jaw and hands had relaxed; he wasn’t in severe pain.
  
  “Yes, he will be fine,” I said to Germain, but nodded to Fergus, who went out without further comment. “Fetch me some fresh lint, will you? Then you can come and help me while his lordship rests. As for you - “ I turned to John. “You lie flat, keep your eye closed, and bloody stay out of trouble, if such a thing is possible.”
  
  He swiveled his good eye in my direction, wincing slightly as the movement pulled on the bad one.
  
  “Are you accusing me of causing the imbroglio that resulted in my injury, madam? Because I distinctly recall your playing some minor role in its origins.” He sounded rather cross.
  
  “I had nothing whatever with your ending up here,” I said firmly, though I could feel my cheeks flush.
  

  Last edited by author: Sun, August 07 2022, 7:35:51   Edited 1 time.
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  • And with 6 perfect words, Diana let us know Claire is remembering a certain night 💥 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, August 06 2022, 18:51:14
  • "Minor role" indeed. I wouldn't mind such a role. It's been over long . . . (NT) -- kgp, Sat, August 06 2022, 19:25:53
  • Oh my, a minor role for sure, but John, WHAT were you thinking when you confessed that to Jamie in such a manor??? (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 08 2022, 11:01:31
    • Could someone be too honorable? Or is it like a kid that will act up because any attention is good attention? Got me. But obviously it meant something to Claire. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, August 08 2022, 12:59:21
  
  

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• Bird spam is gone. Geez, look away for a couple of days . . . -- kgp, Fri, August 05 2022, 13:47:05
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• Quote of the Day, Friday, 08/05/2022. The Fiery Cross, Chapter 62, Strangers and other suspected persons, Copyright 2001, all rights reserved -- Janet, Fri, August 05 2022, 6:56:39
  
  Late today...Life!
  
  Nothing happened. The voices still called outside, but they seemed of no more importance now than the calling of birds. the air in the room was still, but cool and lively, as though a draft played somewhere in the cornors, not touching them where they stood in the center of the floor. Roger felt his own breath ease, his heart slow its beat still more.
  
  ....
  
  Roger stood without moving, wondering at the beauty of what he saw. The notion of Husband as a stocky man of middle age and indeterminate feature had no meaning; what he saw now was a heartbreaking singularity, a thing unique and wonderful; irreplaceable.
  

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  • I think it was a very spiritual man recognizing another one. I hadn’t heard of Herman Husband before Outlander but his bravery was amazing. To hold fast to your beliefs against a mob - I don’t know that I could. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, August 05 2022, 13:20:55
  • I really like Roger's spiritual journey. I think this encounter clicked something for him. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, August 05 2022, 13:46:17
  
  

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• Wednesday, 08/03/2022 Quote of the Day, Chapter 41, From the Womb of the Earth, Outlander, Copywrite 2004, all rights reserved -- Janet, Wed, August 03 2022, 5:07:45
  The walls of the cave were of smooth, dark volcanic rock, almost like black glass, slick with the moisture of the spring. The whole chamber looked like a gigantic bubble, half-filled with that curiously alive but sterile water. I felt as though we were cradled in the womblike center of the earth, and that if I pressed my ear to the rock, I would hear the infinitely slow beat of a great heart nearby.
  
  We were quiet for a long time then, half-floating, half-dreaming, brushing now and then against each other as we drifted in the unseen currents of the cave.
  

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  • And I see the parrots are back....... (NT) -- Janet, Wed, August 03 2022, 5:08:47
    • Yes! You had to show an interest! Lol. I love this ending but then was so traumatized when DIA opened with Claire and grown up Brianna. I thought we’d go forward from there and never see Jamie, Murtaugh, Rupert, Ned Gowan or any of them again. Diana must have had good pregnancies because she describes the parts that are indescribable until you experience them so well. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, August 03 2022, 13:38:48
    • I might like a parrot if I did not have three cats (NT) -- kgp, Wed, August 03 2022, 19:19:38
      • Your three cats might like a parrot! Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 04 2022, 18:15:25
  
  

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• Quote of the Day, Thursday, 08/04/2022. The Fiery Cross, Chapter 35, Hogmanay/ Copyright 2001, All rights reserved -- Janet, Thu, August 04 2022, 3:29:24
  
  I could feel the whole house in movement, throbbing around me, and light flowed under the door from the hall. Just here, though, it was quiet. In the silence I felt the weight of the little idol in my pocket and pressed it, hard and lumpy against my leg.
  
  There is nothing special about January the first, save the meaning we give to it. The ancients celebrated the new year at Imbolc, at the beginning of February, when the winter slackens and the light begins to come back---or the date of the spring equinox, when the world lies in balance between the powers of dark and light. And yet, I stood there in the dark, listening to the sound of the cat chewing and slobbering in the cuupboard and felt the power of the earth shift and stir beneath my feet as the year---or something---prepared to change. There was noise and the sense of a crowd nearby, and yet I stood alone, while the feeling rose through me, hummed in my blood.
  

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  • I really like QOTD. It gives me time to savor a Diana moment. Her writing is so descriptive and I feel what she’s writing. I tend to kind of speed read along so it’s nice to slow down and think about what I’m reading. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, August 04 2022, 14:54:41
  
  

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• QOTD Tuesday, 8/02/2022 The Fiery Cross, Copyright 2001, Chapter 18 No Place Like Home -- Janet, Tue, August 02 2022, 4:20:37
  He felt a peace come over him at the sight, breathed deep, his body relzxing.
  
  Gideon relaxed, too, all the feistiness draining slowly out of him like water from a leaky bucket. Slowly, Jamie let his hands drop lightly on the horse's neck, and the horse stayed still, ears forward. Ah, he thought, and the realization stole over him that this was a Place.
  
  He thought of such places in a way that had no words, only recognizing one when he came to it. He might have called it holy, save that the feel of such a place had nothing to do with church or saint. It was simply a place he belonged to be, and that was sufficient, though he preferred to be alone when he found one. He let the reins go slack across the horse's neck. Not even a thrawn minded creature like Gideon would give trouble here, he thought.
  

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  • I love your picks! I never really put a name to this feeling, but Diana did. Now when they happen I recognize and savor them so much more because of this quote. It’s very true that animals pick up on your feelings. My daughter has a pit bull that loves to walk and so do I but early on we were walking and someone was coming the other way and I got nervous we’d meet at a tight spot and she felt it. That was the only time Sadie ever even looked at a person or dog that walks by. She gives me great confidence to walk in the evening and it seems I give it back. Now we never walk that at least 3 people say she’s a happy, gorgeous dog! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, August 02 2022, 6:17:29
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 30, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, July 29 2022, 18:37:04
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Chapter 31, A Guided Tour Through The Chambers Of The Heart. Copyright 2009. All rights Reserved. "
  
  'Revenge, then, is it?' Stebbings asked after a bit. His restless feet stilled. His dirty stockings drooped and his voice was tired.
  
  
  Jamie's shoulders moved, slowly, as he sighed, and his own voice was nearly as tired as Stebbing's.'No,' he said, very softly. 'Call it payment of a debt.'
  
  A debt? I thought. To whom? To the Lord Melton who had declined to kill him, out of honor, who had instead sent him home from Culloden, hidden in a wagon filled with hay? To his sister, who had refused to let him die, who had dragged him back to life by sheer strength of will? Or to those who had died
  

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  • I remember this has to do with a ship but couldn’t place it. Got out my copy of Echo to reference and this is a long chapter so I’ll probably be back later. This quote sure ends with mixed emotions for Jamie when he’s reflecting on the past. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 30 2022, 9:19:18
    • I don't remember this either. Could you fill in the blanks for me when you find it? (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 01 2022, 10:35:45
      • It's after one of the three ships they were on was attacked by the other. This part was so confusing I had to read it several times to figure out who was who and which ship was whose. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 01 2022, 17:55:56
  • Thanks for a great week, kgp! (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 01 2022, 10:36:17
  
  

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• Monday, 8/1/2022, The Fiery Cross, Copyright 2001, Chapter 1, Happy the Bride the Sun Shines On (jumping in, my first post) -- Janet, Mon, August 01 2022, 10:58:07
  The wood around us was still, in the way of woods. No bird, no beast, just the sough of leaves above and the rush of water underfoot. Constant movement, constant sound---and at the center of it all, perfect peace. There were a good many people on the mountain, and most of them not far away---yet just here, just now, we might have been alone on Jupiter.
  

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  • Yay, Janet!!! Thank you 😘. I remember the first time I took a week - I studied for it like it was the worst test. Lol. Now I jump in because I love it here and love to chat. The way Diana writes about nature is a lot of the reason I relate to the story so much. She really describes all the senses and how they feel. And I always love Claire and Jamie playing in the woods. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, August 01 2022, 15:16:05
  • Woohoo!! I love new quoters. Everyone has a different take on what stands out to them. I love the quiet moments and it's lovely to see them have a bit of peace. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, August 01 2022, 17:53:54
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 29, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, July 29 2022, 15:19:45
  The following quotation is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 45. If It Quacks . . .
  
  
  
  “Mrs. Fraser!” Dr. Fentiman glared at me in irritation, his wig fallen half askew over one ear. “Do you go, please, and cease interfering! I am greatly occupied, and have no time to indulge your fancies. You, sir – remove her!” He waved a hand at Ulysses and turned back to the bed, shoving his wig into place as he did so.
  
  
  
  “Why, you little –” I choked off the intended epithet, seeing Ulysses take an uncertain step toward me. He clearly hesitated to remove me bodily, but it was just as clear that he would obey the Doctor’s orders in preference to mine.
  
  
  
  Trembling with fury, I swept around and left the room.
  
  
  
  Jamie was waiting for me at the foot of the stair. Seeing my face as I descended, he took my arm at once and led me out into the yard.
  
  
  
  “That – that –” Words failed me.
  
  
  
  “Officious worm?” he supplied helpfully. “Unsonsie sharg?”
  

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  • He really manages to curse creatively without using any actual curse words. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 30 2022, 8:32:29
    • He really does! I wish I was half as creative. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, August 01 2022, 10:34:20
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 28, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, July 27 2022, 16:16:48
  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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  • I really thought it was going to be OK, that Germaine would pull a Tarzan-like move, and he and HC would make it down. Then - heartbreak. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, July 28 2022, 9:17:17
    • Me too. And it was SO much heartache for so many people right there to see it. And way too much for Germaine to bear. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 29 2022, 8:47:48
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 27, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, July 27 2022, 6:15:39
  The following quotation is from An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 19 Ae Fond Kiss
  
  
  
  
  
  “Listen to me,” he said, low and fierce. “I have loved three women. One was a witch and a whore, the second only a whore. Ye may well be a witch yourself, but it makes nay whit o’ difference. The love of you has led to my salvation, and to what I thought was my peace, once I thought ye dead,”
  
  
  
  He stared at me and shook his head slowly, his mouth going tight for a moment in the seam of his beard.
  
  
  
  “And here you are.”
  
  
  
  “Er … yes.” I felt once more as though I should apologize for not being dead, but didn’t.
  
  
  
  He drew a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.
  
  
  
  “I shall have no peace while ye live, woman.”
  

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  • I do not like Tom. It’s kind of an insult to be “loved” by him. What does he even know of love? I shouldn’t judge - it’s like BJR’s love of his brother for me though - no excuse for horrible behavior. When I think of it, I really don’t like any of the Christies. Give me more Beardsleys any day 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 27 2022, 7:59:39
    • I am not a Tom Christie fan either, but I do find him complex and interesting. He's certainly not the man I'd want carrying a torch for me. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 27 2022, 8:52:56
  • Also not a Christie fan. I feel like something happened at Ardsmuir that we haven't found out about, Jamie's reaction to find him on The Ridge hinted at more drama..... (NT) -- Janet, Wed, July 27 2022, 11:50:55
    • That’s an interesting point. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 27 2022, 14:57:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 23, 2022 -- kgp, Sat, July 23 2022, 18:44:56
  The following quotation is from The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2001. All rights reserved. Chapter 89. The Moons of Jupiter
  
  
  
  Experience had been a hard teacher, but the urgings of the flesh were louder than the voice of reason. He put out a stealthy hand and gently grasped the buttock nearest. It was cool and smooth and round as a gourd.
  
  
  
  She made a small noise deep in her throat and stretched luxuriously. She arched her back, pushing he backside up in a way that convinced Roger that the course of wisdom was to fling back the quilt, roll on top of her, and achieve his goal in the ten seconds flat it was likely to take.
  
  
  
  He got as far as flinging back the quilt. As he raised his head from the pillow, a round, pale object rose slowly into view over the rim of the cradle, like one of the moons of Jupiter. A pair of blue eyes regarded him with clinical dispassion.
  

  Last edited by author: Sat, July 23 2022, 23:19:49   Edited 1 time.
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  • I love this one!!! I have a 42 1/2 year old picture of my daughter doing exactly that. Lol. We had made a cradle out of pine boards so you didn’t really see her until that sweet, bald head with the big, blue, wise eyes slowly rose over the edge. It makes me laugh every time I read this. Back to Outlander, Roger and Bri struggle with so many things, I’m glad we’re to the point where they “get” each other better and actually have some fun. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 24 2022, 9:32:41
  • This happened to DH and me when our DS was little. We were staying in a nice B&B for a weekend and had a lovely 4 poster bed. We set up DS's porta-crib at the foot. Early the first morning, DH and I thought we might have a quick and silent "mmph" before the little guy woke up. But before things got interesting, a little blonde head popped up, blue eyes peering over the footboard. He then ducked down, grabbed his bear, and grinning, waved it happily, as if to say, "Look, Snuggle, Mom and Dad are RIGHT THERE! How great is THIS???" Of course, boy and bear joined us in the big comfy bed, no shenanigans for us. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 27 2022, 8:39:42
    • So sweet!! Happy memories. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 27 2022, 14:56:07
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 26, 2022 -- kgp, Mon, July 25 2022, 19:39:12
  The following quotation is from A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 114 Amanda
  
  
  “What’s P-H-A-L-L-U-S?” Jemmy was asking his father.
  
  
  “Another word for prick,” Roger said briefly. “Don’t bloody use it. Listen - can ye hear anything when ye listen to that stone?” He indicated Jamie’s ring lying on the table. Jem’s face lighted at the sight of it.
  
  
  “Sure,” he said.
  
  
  “What, from here?” Brianna said, incredulous. Jem looked around the circle of parents and grandparents, surprised at their interest. “Sure,” he repeated. “It sings.”
  
  
  “Do ye think wee Mandy can hear it sing, too?” Jamie asked carefully. His heart was beating heavily, afraid to know, either way.
  
  
  Jemmy picked up the ring and leaned over Mandy’s basket, holding it directly over her face. She kicked energetically and made noises - but whether because of the ring, or merely at the sight of her brother . . .
  
  
  “She can hear it,” Jem said, smiling into his sister’s face.
  
  
  “How do you know?” Claire asked, curious. Jem looked up at her, surprised.
  
  
  “She says so.”
  

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  • The bond between these two is amazing! And if were all of the adults I'd be dumbstruck. (NT) -- Cait, Tue, July 26 2022, 15:21:58
  • It reminds of twins bond. I’ve always been fascinated by that and like how Mandy and Jem can communicate like this, even before she can talk! He is so protective of her already, just like he’s seen the men in his life with their women. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 27 2022, 7:55:54
  • Their bond is amazing! This section kind of gave me goosebumps, but in the fascinated way, not creepy. I hope we see more and more of the kids' abilities as they age. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 27 2022, 8:50:21
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 25, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, July 24 2022, 17:16:49
  The following quotation is from Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 21 –Cowardice
  
  
  
  “It was the woman,” he said, resigned to complete humiliation. “He threatened her. And I – idiot that I was – spoke, in order to save her.”
  
  
  
  “Well, what else could you do?” Percy said, his tone so reasonable that Grey opened his eyes and stared at him. Percy smiled a little.
  
  
  
  “Of course you would protect that woman,” he said. “You protect everyone, John – I don’t suppose you can help it.”
  
  
  
  Astonished, Grey opened his mouth to contest this absurd statement, but was forestalled when Percy leaned forward and kissed him softly.
  

  Last edited by author: Sun, July 24 2022, 17:18:19   Edited 1 time.
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  Replies:

  • This is bittersweet. It’s really true, John does protect everybody - I start thinking of characters - and he’s helped them all. It’s too bad that Percy is broken. I think he and John cared deeply for each other and definitely had chemistry, but Percy is weak. Wasn’t it a horrible way for John to find out? But also terrifying to watch it all play out. They killed that soldier without a second thought. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 25 2022, 11:48:25
  • The Grey brothers are so honorable. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 27 2022, 8:46:36
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 23, 2022 from “Drums of Autumn” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 23 2022, 9:30:35
  
  
  Chapter 1
  A Hanging in Eden
  
  Charleston, June 1767
  
  
  It was a hot day, even for Charleston in June. The best places were on the sea wall, where the air moved; here below, it was like being toasted alive. My shift was soaked through, and the cotton-bodice clung between my breasts. I wiped my face for the tenth time in as many minutes and lifted the heavy coil of my hair, hoping vainly for a cooling breeze upon my neck.
  
  
  
  Whenever we get weather like we’re having now, I think of this passage - and thank God all I have to wear is underpants, shorts, a sleeveless top and crocs.
  😊 ☀️
  

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  • It's ridiculously hot for CT even in July and tomorrow we might exceed 100 F. We've been hanging out in the mall for relief. Imagine this heat, all those unwashed bodies, and the stink of chamber pots and outhouses. 🤢🥵 (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 23 2022, 9:57:13
    • I was only thinking of sweaty bodies in sweat soaked clothes, but OMG the smell, you’re right!! Just thinking about it makes me shudder. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 23 2022, 11:17:02
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 21, 2022. From “A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 21 2022, 10:13:37
  
  
  Chapter 110
  
  THE SMELL OF LIGHT
  October 2, 1775
  
  
  It was not thinkable to return Phaedra to River Run, even though she technically remained the property of Duncan Cameron. We had discussed the matter at some length, and finally decided not to tell Jocasta that her slave had been recovered, though we did send a brief word with Ian, when he went to collect Jemmy, telling of. Rihanna’s safe return and regretting the loss of Joshua — omitting a good bit of detail regarding the whole affair.
  
  “Should we tell them about Neil Forbes?” I’d asked, but Jamie had shaken his head.
  
  “Forbes willna trouble any member of my family again,” he said definitely.
  
  
  
  Ya think? I did love this justice and made me love Ian more!
  

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  • Oh, and I forgot to ask; I never noticed before - or didn’t remember more likely - did Duncan take Jocasta’s last name? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 21 2022, 10:15:12
    • No, She is Mrs. Duncan Innes. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, July 22 2022, 6:09:18
      • Who is Duncan Cameron in the quote? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 22 2022, 12:12:23
        • It must be our Duncan but that's an oddity. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, July 22 2022, 17:53:41
        • I checked my copies. The hardcover has Duncan Cameron. It's corrected to Duncan Innes in the paperback. (NT) -- kgp, Fri, July 22 2022, 17:58:16
          • I never noticed that before. Thanks for the explanation! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 22 2022, 19:03:28
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 22, 2022 from “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 22 2022, 3:25:07
  
  
  Chapter 56
  TAR AND FEATHERS
  
  
  He was, however, thrilled with my gift — a gouged-out eyeball, which Young Ian had thoughtfully picked up for me following a fight in Yancyville, hastily preserved in spirits of wine. Having heard something of Doctor Fentimen’s tastes, I thought he might appreciate it. He did, and went on saying “Splendid!” at some length.
  
  
  
  A mushroom character who provides some laughs. When ever Dr. Fentimen pops up I think of the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, I’ve never been there yet but apparently it would be heaven for Dr. F!
  

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  • Dr. Fentiman is a character. Doesn't he also have Bonnet's testicle? (NT) -- kgp, Fri, July 22 2022, 6:12:47
    • Well, he has a testicle with a bullet hole in it, I think we're supposed to infer it used to belong to Bonnet.... (NT) -- Janet, Fri, July 22 2022, 10:33:55
      • That’s what I thought. I don’t think that particular shot is very common. Lol. Go Brianna!!!! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 22 2022, 12:10:56
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 20, 2022 from “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 20 2022, 11:38:39
  
  
  Chapter 120
  IF ONLY FOR MYSELF
  
  
  We had made our farewells — we had been saying farewell, I thought, since the day I pressed the stethoscope to Mandy’s heart. But Brianna turned and flung herself - baby and all - at Jamie, who pressed her so tight against his heart, I thought one of them must break.
  
  Then she was flying at me, a cloud of cloak and loosened hair, and her face was cold against mine, her tears and mine mingling on my skin.
  
  “I love you, Mama! I love you!”
  
  
  
  Waaahhhhh. Claire and Brianna separated again. I was one who could not understand Claire leaving her when she was 20.
  

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  • I'm with you, Kathy in PA. This parting, while heart rending, I could understand - Mandy's life was at stake and could only be cured in the future. But Claire's earlier leaving had me in tears. I just could NOT imagine CHOOSING to leave my daughter. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, July 21 2022, 10:22:49
    • Nope (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 21 2022, 17:40:54
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 19, 2022. From “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 19 2022, 3:23:24
  
  
  
  Prologue
  
  TIME IS A LOT OF 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 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 Memory must be the Devil.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I always love the prologues. They always make me cry. I’m not sure if it’s the realization that the anticipation is over or if it’s just Diana’s words are so powerful. I read the whole story into the prologues and wonder about each word and where it came from and what it’s referring to.
  
  Never noticed that Diana capitalized the first seven words. Why? The word “enough” is supposed to be italicized but I didn’t take time to see how to do it.
  Why that word?
  
  Skimming the opening pages in the acknowledgments Diana thanks Doug for the opening lines in the prologue. We all know the closing lines he gave her. Once again, she gently weaves her faith into her writing reminding us of “ashes to ashes.”
  
  Capitalizing Time, God and the Devil at the end…………..why?
  
  Hope everyone has a way to stay cool today! A nice long book and a wee dram or large dram! 😊
  

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  • Kathy in PA, I, too, love the prologues, reading them at the start of each book, anticipating what clues they might hold to the story within the covers. MOBY's prologue is my favorite. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 20 2022, 9:05:43
    • I relate to that one more than any other, Diana. It gives me goosebumps every time I read it, (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 20 2022, 11:39:32
      • Me too, perhaps because I am older (59), and my daughter is 27. She IS the Now, the Spring of Life, and smart, while I have seen much more, have the experience of more time. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, July 21 2022, 9:39:21
        • Totally agree. I’m 67 and my dear daughter is 43. I love seeing her be the Spring and I love being a crone. We’re very close, she’s my in person Outlander buddy and I couldn’t have left her, even for Jamie. 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 21 2022, 17:39:59
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 18, 2022. From “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 18 2022, 3:13:05
  
  
  
  Chapter 29
  PERFECTLY FINE
  
  
  He glanced back, unable not to. She bent over the water, studying her face. Her hair hung wet and tangled down her back, and she skimmed it back with the palm of a hand, holding it out of the way as she surveyed her battered features with dispassionate intentness.
  
  She prodded gently here and there, opening and closing her jaw as her fingertips explored the contours of her face. Testing, he supposed, for loose teeth and broken bones. She closed her eyes and traced the line of brow and nose, jaw and lip, hands as sure and delicate as a painter’s. Then she seized the end of her nose with determination and pulled hard.
  
  Roger cringed in reflex, as blood and tears poured down her face, but she made no sound. His stomach was already knotted into a small painful ball; it rose up into his throat, pressing against the rope scar.
  

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  • I'm with Roger on this - Claire setting her own broken nose curdled my wame. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, July 18 2022, 8:58:52
    • I set my own nose once, by accident....I'd fallen and thought it was broken, reached up to feel and pushed a little to see if it hurt when snick....back into place. Had it checked by a dr. later and he said I did a good job. But this was immediately after the break, with no swelling or bruising (that came later!) (NT) -- Janet, Mon, July 18 2022, 10:31:30
  • Major cringe!! Oooohh, noooo! (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 18 2022, 10:28:06
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 17, 2022. From “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” by Diana Gabaldon -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 17 2022, 9:03:56
  CHAPTER 20
  
  Dangerous Gifts
  
  Propelled by Major MacDonald’s news, Jamie and Ian departed two days later for a quick visit with Bird-who-sings-in-the-morning, and the Major went off on his further mysterious errands, leaving me with Bobby Higgins for assistance.
  
  I was dying to dig into the crates Bobby brought, it with one thing and another —.the white pig’s demented attempt to eat Adso, a goat with infected teats, a strange green mold that had got into the last batch of cheese, the completion of a much-needed summer kitchen, and a stern conversation with the Beardsleys regarding the treatment of guests, among other things — it was more than a week before I found the leisure to unpack Lord John’s present and read his letter.
  
  
  
  
  I’m doing the open the book quotes. This one started and I was like Ugh, army stuff. But then a bunch of favorite characters were mentioned. Bobby Higgins is on the ridge, the white pig-always 😂, just love the Beardsleys and hope they do it well on the show, and finally - could you really believe Claire could wait more than a week!?! Honestly!?!! And even though it’s army stuff I do like laughing when Adso takes the Major’s wig.
  

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  • With Jamie and Ian gone much of the home maintenance would fall to Claire and I can sympathize with wanting sufficient leisure to enjoy the unpacking and reading. I'm very glad the white sow didn't get Adso!!! (NT) -- kgp, Sun, July 17 2022, 14:01:35
  • The white sow is such a great character. And the antics the Major inspires (I believe the sow chased him into Brianna’s kiln).. Diana is wonderful at these little touches. (NT) -- CindyG, Sun, July 17 2022, 17:01:00
    • Yes! Even though he’s British I can’t help but like him because he makes me laugh. He really tries hard to maintain his decorum and stiff upper lip, but it’s pretty difficult on the ridge. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 18 2022, 5:20:05
  
  

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• Any volunteers for quotes next week?? -- kgp, Sat, July 16 2022, 15:43:26
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  Replies:
  • I will 😊. But I’ll have to get it later, I have nothing right now. Thank you and Cindy for the steady rotation! I’m not sure where LOL is on Facebook, but my other group, Outlandish Voices, has fallen apart there. No discussion, hardly any posts. I love to come here and talk about the books. I’m so glad we’re still doing QOTD. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 17 2022, 5:21:52
    • Thank you, Kathy in PA. I love to see what other people pick out, what strikes them as important in that scene or on that page. And many thanks to CindyG for her quotes. I haven't read those stories as extensively and it's good to be poked into action. 😆 (NT) -- kgp, Sun, July 17 2022, 13:58:12
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 16, 2022 -- CindyG, Fri, July 15 2022, 20:40:33
  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.
  
  “Half an hour, two pots of China tea, and a dozen tea cakes (with cream) later, she made her way out into the street, a scribbled list of engagements in her hand and her head spinning with tippets, panniers, mantuas, swags, fans—she had a nice fan, luckily—and other items necessary to the pursuit and bagging of a wealthy and influential husband.
  ‘A gun would be simpler,’ she muttered, thrusting the list into her pocket. ‘And certainly less expensive.’
  ‘What kind of gun?’ said Mick O’Higgins with interest, appearing out of a nearby doorway.
  ‘Never mind,’ she said. ‘We’re going to a milliner’s.’
  ‘Oh, a milliner’s, is it?’ He bowed and offered her his arm. ‘Nay bother, then. Sure, the bird’ll be dead before they put it on your hat.’”
  

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  • I liked the back story in general but the O'Higgins Brothers seemed a bit too contrived. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 16 2022, 15:42:53
  • What’s is a tea cake? Did she eat a dozen? With cream? I’d be stuffed before I started my mission. Aren’t the O’ Higgins’ brothers somewhere else? With one of the Jamie/Lord John stories? I get a kick out of them because they’re not put off by Minnie’s “unladylike” ways. For a price - they’ll join right in and help her do it! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 17 2022, 5:18:21
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 14, 2022 -- CindyG, Wed, July 13 2022, 20:35:47
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Space Between.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Rum’s a demon. But whisky’s a virtuous dram,’ Jared said, pausing by a rack of small blackened casks. ‘So long as it’s a good make, it’ll never turn on ye. Speakin’ of which’—he tapped the end of one cask, which gave off the resonant deep thunk of a full barrel—‘what’s this? It came up from the docks this morning.’
  ‘Oh, aye.’ Michael stifled a belch and smiled painfully. ‘That, cousin, is the Ian Alastair Robert MacLeod Murray memorial uisge baugh. My da and Uncle Jamie made it during the winter. They thought ye might like a wee cask for your personal use.’
  Jared’s brows rose and he gave Michael a swift sideways glance. Then he turned back to examine the cask, bending close to sniff at the seam between the lid and staves.
  ‘I’ve tasted it,’ Michael assured him. ‘I dinna think it will poison ye. But ye should maybe let it age a few years.’”
  

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  • “uisge baugh”. such a neat sounding word. Does it mean water of life? Some of the whiskey Jamie makes sounds like it tastes like kerosene. 😵‍💫 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, July 14 2022, 17:59:52
    • Yes, water of life. I've had some bad whisky, really bad raw alcohol that tastes like RAID bug spray smells. So bad. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 16 2022, 18:05:37
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 15, 2022. -- CindyG, Thu, July 14 2022, 21:02:10
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Virgins.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Know what to do with a sword?’
  ‘I do. And a bow, forbye.’ Jamie glanced at the unstrung bow by his feet and the short-handled ax beside it. ‘Havena had much to do wi’ an ax before, save chopping wood.’
  ‘That’s good,’ one of the other men put in, in French. ‘That’s what you’ll use it for.’ Several of the others laughed, indicating that they at least understood English, whether they chose to speak it or not.
  ‘Did I join a troop of soldiers, then, or charcoal-burners?’ Jamie asked, raising one brow. He said that in French—very good French, with a faint Parisian accent—and a number of eyes widened. Ian bent his head to hide a smile, in spite of his anxiety. The wean might be about to fall face-first into the fire, but nobody—save maybe Ian—was going to know it, if it killed him.”
  

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  • It’s funny to hear Ian refer to Jamie as the wean. Jamie always seems to be the alpha male. Being able to carry that confidence is a gift, I believe. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 15 2022, 14:20:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 13, 2022 -- CindyG, Tue, July 12 2022, 20:40:25
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “Besieged.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘I see…’ said John, in a tone indicating quite the opposite. Mr. Rimes noticed this and smiled reassuringly.
  ‘So, I’ll bring you in under colors—they won’t shell a cutter, I don’t think, not until they see what’s what—and deliver you as an official visitor of some sort. The general thought perhaps you might be bringing some message to the English consul there, but of course you’ll know best about that.’
  ‘Oh, indeed.’ It couldn’t be patricide, could it? he thought. Strangling a stepfather, particularly under the circumstances…
  ‘It’s all right, me lord,’ Tom put in helpfully. ‘I’ve brought your full-dress uniform. Just in case you might need it.’”
  

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  • Bless Tom for always being ready to take care of John, no matter the circumstances. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 13 2022, 7:09:29
    • Isn’t it awful when someone thinks they’re doing you a favor and you REALLY don’t want it . . . . . . Especially if it’s an elderly, respected relative. I just love Tom. Get his Lordship properly done up and all will be well! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 13 2022, 14:01:46
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 12, 2022 -- CindyG, Mon, July 11 2022, 20:26:07
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “The Custom of the Army.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Someone has to keep order, John. Soldiers fight for all kinds of reasons, most of them ignoble. You and your brother, though—‘ He broke off, shaking his head. Grey saw that his hair was streaked with gray, though he knew Carruthers was no older than himself.
  ‘The world is chaos and death and destruction. But people like you—you don’t stand for that. If there is any order in the world, any peace—it’s because of you, John, and those very few like you.’”
  

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  • We need that now. If you don’t mind I’ll get on my soapbox for a minute. Modern electronics have basically erased any privacy. I don’t think there is anyone alive who hasn’t done SOMETHING they regret. Someone running for office today knows the scrutiny their family will suffer and chooses not to bring that on. How many good leaders are we missing? Until recently John wouldn’t have been allowed to use that gift today. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 12 2022, 3:24:34
    • You make excellent points, Kathy in PA. And this quote very much sums up the Grey men. They have honor and feel duty bound to take action for the greater good, not for self interest or gain. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, July 12 2022, 9:21:26
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 11, 2022 -- CindyG, Sun, July 10 2022, 23:06:38
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘Brave,’ she repeated. ‘They’re all brave, aren’t they? Every single one. Even you—or are you?’
  She heard her mother’s gasp, but went on anyway, reckless.
  ‘You all have to be brave and noble and—and—perfect, don’t you? Because if you were weak, if there were any cracks, if anyone looked like being not quite the thing, you know—well, it might all fall apart, mightn’t it? So none of you will, will you? Or if somebody did, the rest of you would cover it up. You won’t ever not do something, no matter what it is, because you can’t not do it; all the other chaps would think the worse of you, wouldn’t they, and we can’t have that, oh, no, we can’t have that!’”
  

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  • Quite the statement on social pressure, especially on men at the time. (NT) -- kgp, Mon, July 11 2022, 10:55:00
    • For sure. Peer pressure has a lot of different forms. Who is this speaking? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 11 2022, 12:05:14
      • Brianna. Who else?? 😂😂😂 (NT) -- JamesG, Mon, July 11 2022, 19:37:30
      • It’s Roger’s mother, when Frank comes to visit. (NT) -- CindyG, Mon, July 11 2022, 20:23:14
        • I couldn’t place it but I should have known from the story you’re using. I love hearing the little bits about Roger’s mom. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 12 2022, 3:18:07
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday, July 10, 2022 -- CindyG, Sat, July 09 2022, 20:46:26
  The following quote is from Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, “A Plague of Zombies.” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “Command had its prices, and one of those was a nearly complete loss of solitude. He therefore seized it when he found it, knowing it wouldn’t last for more than a few moments, but valuing it all the more for that. Sure enough, it didn’t last more than two minutes this time.”
  

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  • So true. I try to not be in charge of things but I usually end up chairing committees anyway. (NT) -- kgp, Sun, July 10 2022, 6:37:20
  • I feel this, definitely. I can literally feel it. (NT) -- Cait, Sun, July 10 2022, 9:19:27
  • That’s why I say I’m the best helper, not the best leader. And I put tools away. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 10 2022, 12:23:18
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, July 9, 2022 -- kgp, Sat, July 09 2022, 6:45:20
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 70 A Single Louse
  
  
  “Like picking one louse out of a Frenchie’s wig,” he murmured, and patted Goth’s neck. The horse was fresh and frisky, couldn’t wait to reach the open road and break into a gallop. Clinton’s division was holding the rear guard at Middletown - enough distance to take the edge off Goth’s bounciness. First, though, they’d have to get through the spreading mass of camp followers, struggling out of sleep into a desperate haste. He kept Goth on a short rein, lest he trample a child - there were dozens of the little buggers, swarming over the ground like locusts.
  
  Glancing up from the ground, he caught sight of a familiar form, standing in line for bread, and his heart gave a small leap of pleasure. Anne Endicott, dressed for the day but without her cap, dark hair in a thick plait down her back. The sight of it gave him a frisson of intimacy, and he barely stopped himself calling out to her. Time enough, after the fight.
  

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  • This is one of those instances when I have to remind myself of how young William is, early 20's. I do hope we see Anne Endicott again. He wanted to save Jane but had thoughts of courting Anne. Very aware of his position in society even though he knows he's Jamie's son. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 09 2022, 6:49:06
    • And Anne is very taken with him too. Maybe that will be part of his growing up - the British realizing “stature” isn’t as easily born in the new country. You earn it. But also, you’re not as shamed by your birth if it isn’t “right.” (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 09 2022, 7:49:03
  
  

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• QOTD for Friday, July 8, 2022 -- kgp, Fri, July 08 2022, 6:14:02
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 69 Sparrow-Fart
  
  
  When I’d lost him the first time, before Culloden, I’d remembered. Every moment of our last night together. Tiny things would come back to me through the years: the taste of salt on his temple and the curve of his skull as I cupped his head; the soft fine hair at the base of his neck, thick and damp in my fingers . . . the sudden, magical well of his blood in the dawning light when I’d cut his hand and marked him forever as my own. Those things had kept him by me.
  
  And when I’d lost him this time, to the sea, I’d remembered the sense of him beside me. Warm and solid in my bed, and the rhythm of his breathing. The light across the bones of his face in the moonlight and the flush of his skin in the rising sun. I could hear him breathe when I lay in bed alone in my room at Chestnut Street - slow, regular, never stopping - even though I knew it had stopped. The sound would comfort me, then drive me mad with the knowledge of loss, so I pulled the pillow hard over my head in a futile attempt to shut it out - only to emerge into the night of the room, thick with woodsmoke and candle wax and vanished light, and be comforted to hear it once more.
  

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  • This is so beautiful. The tiny, intimate things - not heaving bosoms and engorged cocks. There are so many books now I forget a lot in the last four. I’m so glad we do QOTD because I can savor these special moments that I didn’t remember. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 08 2022, 12:18:50
    • I love the quiet moments almost more than the big ones. (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 09 2022, 6:46:17
  
  

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• QOTD for Thursday, July 7, 2022 -- kgp, Thu, July 07 2022, 6:28:28
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 68 Go Out In Darkness
  
  
  
  “Oh, there you are, Ellesmere,” André said, pleased. “Hoped you hadn’t gone off yet. I need you to run me a dispatch, quickly. To Colonel Tarleton - with the British Legion, the new Provincials, green chaps - you know him?”
  
  “I do, ye.” William accepted the sealed dispatch, feeling odd. “Certainly, Captain.”
  
  “Good man.” André smiled and squeezed his shoulder, then strode out, ebullient with the promise of imminent action.
  
  William drew a deep breath, carefully folded Sir Henry’s note back into its original shape, and placed it on his cot. Who was to say he hadn’t met André first and, owing to the urgency of his request, left immediately, without reading Sir Henry’s note?
  
  He doubted he’d be missed, in any case.
  

  Last edited by author: Thu, July 07 2022, 9:27:09   Edited 1 time.
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  • I wouldn’t miss him! Ducking and running. I just can’t warm to William yet. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 08 2022, 12:19:52
    • I will see if I can do some Riddles on him just for you. (NT) -- JamesG, Fri, July 08 2022, 14:47:45
      • Ha Ha. 🤨 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sat, July 09 2022, 3:15:48
  
  

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• QOTD for Wednesday, July 6, 2022 -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 5:57:52
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 67 Reaching For Things That Aren’t There
  
  
  “No,” he said, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “No,” he said again, more positively. Every nerve in his body wanted her, and had he been sixteen, it would have been long over by this time. But he wasn’t, and he had just enough self-control to turn her round again. He gripped her by the scruff and buttock to keep her from turning back and held her immobile.
  
  “When we get to New York,” he whispered, bending to speak in her ear, “I’ll think again.”
  
  She stiffened, her buttock rounding hard in his hand, but didn’t pull away or try to bite him. Which he’s half-expected.
  
  “Why?” she said, in a calm voice.
  
  “That’s a long story, too,” he said. “Good night, Jane.” And, releasing her, stalked away into the dark. Nearby, the drums of reveille began.
  

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  • I found this relationship so intriguing. So many What IF's.... (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 06 2022, 8:19:20
  • Yes, Jane was really quite a woman. She and William never did get to make love, did they? You think I’d know that for sure 🙄 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 06 2022, 12:27:15
    • They did once, I think the night he gave his gorget for her. After he cried about his honor and she replied didn't a whore have honor, too. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 12:49:50
      • Well, I’m glad about that. Thanks! (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 06 2022, 13:06:58
        • I can't believe autocorrect butchered my post. I went back and edited. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 18:03:04
          • Well it was a gorgeous gorget! 😉 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 06 2022, 18:30:18
  
  

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• QOTD for Tuesday, July 5, 2022 -- kgp, Tue, July 05 2022, 7:46:04
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 66 War Paint
  
  
  “Nessun Dorma.” None shall sleep. It was a song - and aria, Brianna had called it - from an opera she knew; She’d played a part in it at her university, dressed up in Chinese robes. Ian smiled at the thought of his cousin, taller than most men, striding up and down on a stage, swishing her silk robes about her; he wished he’d seen that.
  
  He’d thought of her from the moment he’d opened the little deerskin bag that held his paints. She was a painter, Bree, and a good one. She ground her own pigments, and she’d made his red ochre for him, and the black andwhite from charcoal and dried clay - and made for him, too, a deep green from ground malachite, and a brilliant yellow from the gall of the buffalo she and her mother had killed; no other man had such deep colors to his paint, and he wished for a moment that Eats Turtles and some of his other Mohawk clan brothers could be with him to admire them.
  
  The noise of the distant camp was like the singing of cicadas in the trees near a river: a buzz too loud to think through, but one that went away as you fot used to it. None shall sleep . . . The women and children, they might sleep - but the whores surely didn’t. Not tonight.
  
  He felt a twitch at the thought, but dismissed it. Thought of Rachel, and dismissed her,too, but reluctantly.
  

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  • I love the relationship between Ian and Bree! (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, July 05 2022, 9:30:51
    • Me too! And I think Bri expects that closeness with William but I don’t think he’ll be able to be as easy with her for a while. Ian grew up with Mom Jenny and basically stepmom Claire. A woman like Bri is fine with him. William’s ideas of women aren’t quite as sophisticated yet. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 05 2022, 13:03:50
      • Lady Dunsany didn't seem to be a push-over, neither is Grandmother Benedicta. But you're right in that the time-traveling modern woman would be a bit much for him, even though he did have Claire as a step-mother for a few months. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 6:06:57
        • Compared to Ian he was stiff with Claire though. Ian welcomed her with open arms and heart once he realized she wasn’t his Da’s “woman on the side.” The way Diana described young Ian in that scene made it hard for me to accept John Bell because he’s so round featured. Book Ian is very different. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 06 2022, 13:10:46
  
  

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• OK, Lallypals, I was thinking about the Books, and the references to various books within them. So post the name of a book (real or invented) that was mentioned in the Books. I'll go first - "The Impetuous Pirate," a bodice ripper in the Doctor's Lounge, recommended by Joe Abernathy. -- DianaH, Tue, July 05 2022, 9:33:52
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  • Merck Manuel, 13th edition. Pamela by Samuel Richardson (NT) -- kgp, Tue, July 05 2022, 9:40:31
  • Green eggs and ham. (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, July 05 2022, 11:34:12
  • Good one! I probably have it wrong but Marcus Aurelius “Art of War”? “The Impetuous Pirate” is my favorite though. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 05 2022, 13:07:28
  • The Bible is mentioned frequently, also Frank's books. Was one titled "The Jacobites" or am I making that up? (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, July 06 2022, 8:16:55
  • Robinson Crusoe. A Christmas Carol. Don Quixote in Spanish. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 12:52:48
  
  

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• Riddle time. .... Hamish gits a new horse. It's name is Cobhar. What does Cobhar mean?? .... Off the top of your head. -- JamesG, Wed, July 06 2022, 10:55:32
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  • Shoot. It's not frog? That was the translation of the mare Claire delivered when at Leoch. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 11:37:43
  • Cob hair - you know the stuff that sticks out of an ear of corn? I think they’d start with a somewhat gentle horse for the heir apparent. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Wed, July 06 2022, 12:24:56
  • I looked it up. I can't play anymore. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, July 06 2022, 12:48:28
  
  

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• QOTD for Monday, July 4, 2022 -- kgp, Sun, July 03 2022, 18:02:06
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 65 Mosquitoes
  
  
  “Are you sure - “ I began dubiously. “Oh!” He was already applying the half-liquid ointment, with more enthusiasm than dexterity, but the fact of his enthusiasm was more arousing than skill might have been. Having a small amount of oil of peppermint vigorously applied to one’s private parts was a rather novel sensation, too.
  
  “Make that noise again,” he said, breathing in my ear. “I like it.”
  
  He was right; it didn’t take long. He lay half on and half off me, panting, his heart beating slow and hard against my breast. I had my legs wrapped round him - I could feel the flutter of tiny insects on my angles and bare feet as they swarmed, avid for his unprotected bare flesh - and didn’t mean to let him go. I squeezed him close, rocking gently, slippery and tingling and . . . I didn’t take long either. My quivering legs relaxed, releasing him.
  
  “Shall I tell you something?” I said, after a bit of mint-scented heavy breathing. “The mosquitoes won’t bite your cock.”
  
  “I dinna mind if they carry me off to their lair to feed to their bairns,” he murmured.
  

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  • It’s so sexy because it’s so real. Anybody watch “Catastrophe?” They remind me of Jamie and Claire. Fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but communicate on the deepest level, find each other irresistibly sexy but still laugh and chat about mosquitoes biting his cock afterward. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, July 04 2022, 6:39:13
  • Steamy! A different kind of July 4th fireworks. (NT) -- DianaH, Tue, July 05 2022, 9:28:45
  
  

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• Some outlandish fun... On YouTube... The why files... The legend of the Immortal: The Count Saint Germain. ..... Have fun. Oh and it's about 15 mins but worth watching. And there is a part two but I have not seen that so don't have the name. And sorry I can't do a link.. -- JamesG, Mon, July 04 2022, 19:08:26
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  • ROTD answers.... KGP gits one and a half. "Mrs Baird" and "I am not" ....I'm afraid "No" is a no no. 😂 (NT) -- JamesG, Mon, July 04 2022, 19:18:14
    • Congrats!! You know your Outlander, kgp. Keep the riddles coming, James - they’re fun 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, July 05 2022, 6:57:26
  
  

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• QOTD for Sunday. July 3, 2022 -- kgp, Sat, July 02 2022, 16:15:34
  The following quotation is from Written In my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 64 Three Hundred and One
  
  
  
  Woodsworth inhaled through his nose and straightened himself, hastily retrieving the words of whatever speech he’d composed. “Yes, sir. I wished to inquire after the - er - disposition made of Bertram Armstrong.”
  
  “Bertram . . . what?”
  
  “The man you took from my - er, from the lines earlier today, with the little boy.”
  
  Jamie didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed. Bertram?
  
  “The man is well enough disposed for the present, sir. My wife’s seen to his eye, and he’s been fed.
  

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  • Love, love, LOVE the interactions between the Frasers and the Greys. And having the Murrays on the side is pretty great too! 😊 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 03 2022, 10:09:56
  
  

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• ROTD Riddle of the day. Without looking and books only. What is the first words we hear BJR speak. (In Outlander) -- JamesG, Sat, July 02 2022, 6:20:12
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  • "No, I am not." (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 02 2022, 16:16:21
  • Hmmm. . . . . . as his gross ratty mind gets a look at Claire - in all her “unclothed” glory? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, July 03 2022, 10:08:18
  
  

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• Riddle of the day ROTD. Without looking who is the first person named in "Outlander" (books only) Don't cheat. -- JamesG, Fri, July 01 2022, 7:04:42
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  • Ummm, maybe "young girls" in the prologue?? (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, July 01 2022, 9:14:34
    • Named by name 😂😂 (NT) -- JamesG, Fri, July 01 2022, 10:37:13
  • Frank? Claire ruminating? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 01 2022, 15:04:14
  • Mrs Baird? (NT) -- kgp, Sat, July 02 2022, 16:16:55
  
  

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• I had the right to remain silent but as a Scottish Girl I don’t have the ability -- Margaret, Thu, June 30 2022, 11:59:26
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  • That’s OK! What’s up? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 30 2022, 15:25:34
  • Same with this Irish Girl most of the time! LOL (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, July 01 2022, 8:50:49
  • My nickname wasn’t Chatty Cathy for nothing. Lol. German and Welsh. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, July 01 2022, 15:03:05
  
  

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• James' Food Truck is open. Today's spacial is Muffins. What kind do wish today and what do you want on it?? Don't forget to order a drink and any add-ins. -- JamesG, Tue, June 28 2022, 10:20:26
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  • I would do a QOTD but I don't have a book handy. (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, June 28 2022, 10:21:50
  • Banana Nut with lots of butter and Coffee, sweet and almost white. (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, June 28 2022, 10:25:19
    • Raspberry & white chocolate, cappuccino. Mmmmmm (NT) -- Margaret, Tue, June 28 2022, 13:30:21
  • Blueberry streusel with a large latte. Mmmmmmm.... (NT) -- Susannah, Wed, June 29 2022, 6:51:07
  • Pumpkin muffin, grilled, with lots of spreadable cream cheese, and a cup of Assam tea, one sugar, and a splash of milk. Thanks so much! (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, June 29 2022, 8:12:24
  • Cranberry orange muffin, warm with butter. Irish breakfast tea with milk and three demerara sugar cubes. Bring it out to me while I sit on the porch facing the ocean, please. (NT) -- kgp, Wed, June 29 2022, 10:58:59
  • Corn muffin, split and lightly buttered to brown under the broiler a bit. More butter, Smucker’s seedless raspberry jam and a glass of white milk with ice. Sitting on the porch. Lovely thoughts, James! Everybody’s choices sound so good 😋 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 30 2022, 15:24:56
    • If that ever let me retire I would git a food truck and make the circuit of hi-land games/fairs and feed you all. (NT) -- JamesG, Thu, June 30 2022, 18:33:41
  
  

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• QOTD For Saturday, June 25th 2022: -- Cait, Sat, June 25 2022, 10:32:04
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 47, Loose Ends:
  
  "There are words in it," she said wonderingly. "I never realized that he'd ... Oh, dear God." Her voice broke, and the ring slipped from her fingers, rattling on the table with a tiny metal chime. Rodger hurriedly scooped it up, but she had turned away, fist held tight against her middle. He knew she didn't want him to see her face; the control she had kept through the long hours of the day and the scene with Brianna had deserted her now.
  
  He stood for a minute, feeling unbearably awkward and out of place. With a terrible feeling that he was violating a privacy that ran deeper than anything he had ever known, but not knowing what else to do, he lifted the tiny metal circle to the light and read the words inside.
  
  " Da mi basia mille... " But it was Claire's voice that spoke the words, not his. Her voice was shaky, and he could tell that she was crying, but it was coming back under her control. She couldn't let go for long; the power of what she held leashed could so easily destroy her.
  

  Last edited by author: Sat, June 25 2022, 10:48:24   Edited 4 times.
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  • So sorry I was late today! I meant to post last night but things got away from me. This book, Dragonfly, holds a special place in my heart; that's why I chose it for my week. I started with this book instead of Outlander, purely by accident, I picked it up off the end table by the door of my mom's old boyfriend's apartment when I was home sick one day and I haven't stopped reading the books since. I really disliked that particular boyfriend so to have to thank him for introducing all of this into my life hurts just a little *g*, but I'm grateful. Thank you for reading my posts this week! Wishing you a great week ahead. (NT) -- Cait, Sat, June 25 2022, 10:36:40
    • Thanks for a great week of quotes - and fighting the parrots. Lol. Dragonfly is one of my favorites too. This is one of so many heart wrenching moments in this book. The beginning and the ending killed me. One time I did a reread while we were on a shore vacation. The whole week was stormy and gloomy and I sat in the wind and read DIA and cried…….. I feel this book too, Cait. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, June 26 2022, 16:24:45
  • Another heart wrenching scene. Thanks for a wonderful DIA week, Cait. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, June 27 2022, 10:07:15
  
  

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• I removed the SPAM posts. This fool is a persistent jackass. Happy Friday. -- kgp, Fri, June 24 2022, 8:38:37
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  • Rats....I wanted to buy a parrot.....NOT! (NT) -- Janet, Fri, June 24 2022, 10:30:53
    • Lol. 😂😂😔 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, June 24 2022, 12:20:23
  • Thanks (NT) -- Judie, Fri, June 24 2022, 12:53:42
    • He heard you, Janet. Look at the selection! 😵‍💫 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, June 24 2022, 14:40:51
      • RATS!!! (NT) -- Janet, Sat, June 25 2022, 10:52:41
  • Thank you!!! (NT) -- Cait, Sat, June 25 2022, 10:38:51
  
  

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• QOTD For Friday, June 24th 2022: -- Cait, Fri, June 24 2022, 3:58:13
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 36, Prestonpans:
  
  "You're looking very well...niece." from the corner of my eye, I saw Charles's mouth drop open.
  
  "You aren't," I said bluntly.
  
  He glanced dispassionately down at the bent and twisted legs. And 100 years time, they would call this disease after it's most famous sufferer -- the Toulouse-Lautrec syndrome.
  
  "No," he said. "But then, it's been two years since you saw me last. Mrs Duncan estimated my survival at less than two years, then."
  
  I took a swallow of the brandy. One of the best. Charles was anxious.
  
  "I shouldn't have thought you'd put much stock in a witch's curse," I said.
  
  A smile twitched the fine cut lips. He had the bold beauty of his brother Dougal, ruined as it was, and when he lifted the veil of detachment from his eyes, the power of the man over shown the wreck of his body.
  

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  • I've always found Collum to be an interesting character. What would have been the MacKenzie clan's course with Collum fully at the helm, instead of Dougal having to be his brother's emissary? Were they of the same mind for a course of action, or did Dougla pay lip service, then do as he chose? (NT) -- DianaH, Fri, June 24 2022, 9:37:12
    • I think Column is a lot smarter and cool headed than Dougal. If he was whole, Dougal might have been shoved aside because of his temper. He’s not a great leader of men, but very proud and egotistical. If they didn’t need him, he wouldn’t be so powerful. Love that Column and Claire stupified Charlie. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Fri, June 24 2022, 12:25:48
      • Colum as a "full" man would have been a force to be reckoned with indeed. I have always wondered if Colum, had he been able, would have pulled a sort of Lord Lovat move and found some way to come out on top no matter which side would have won. Most likely though the clan would still have suffered under the English, one way or another, but maybe Leoch might have been saved at least. Ah well, hindsight and all that eh? (NT) -- Cait, Sat, June 25 2022, 10:46:14
  
  

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• QOTD For Wednesday, June 22nd 2022: -- Cait, Wed, June 22 2022, 5:11:37
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 33, Thy Brother's Keeper:
  
  " "He's only a year older than me. When I was growing, he was always there. Until I was fourteen, there wasna a day went by when I didna see Ian. And even later, after I'd gone to foster wi' Dougal, and to Leoch, and then later still to Paris, to university-when I'd come back, I'd walk around a corner and there he would be, and it would be like I'd never left. He just smile when he saw me, like he always did, and then we'd be walkin' away together, side by side, ower the fields and the streams, talkin' of everything." He sighed deeply, and rubbed a hand through his hair.
  
  "Ian ... He's the part of me that belongs here, that never left," he said, struggling to explain. "I thought ... I must tell him; I didna want to feel ... apart. From Ian. From here." He gestured toward the window, then turn toward me, eyes dark in the dim light. "D'ye see why?"
  
  "I think so," I said again, softly. "Did Ian?" "
  

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  • It's funny, sort of, this quote following yesterday's, as I too have an Ian. My best friend Chelsea, we've been best friends since we were 4, and even when I moved with my mom to Maryland for 8 years I came back here every summer and she was always waiting to catch me up on everything from here. She was the only one I told when I was having my miscarriage, she sat with me at the hospital and then took me home. She is vital to my existence. (NT) -- Cait, Wed, June 22 2022, 5:14:10
    • Cait, friends like yours are a blessing. For me, it's my sister. We have very few secrets from each other, and have often told one another things that we have never shared with anyone else, even our spouses. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago and went thru surgery, chemo & radiation. She fought it and beat it. It reared its ugly head again last year, but all is going well. I can't imagine not having her in my life. God willing, we will be ancient before either of us has to face that. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, June 22 2022, 9:46:05
      • Sisters are a special blessing, my sister was also my best friend, as close to me as the friend mentioned above, but she hit a rough patch in 2017 and she took her own life. I struggle very hard with it, I know I shouldn't think of it as her leaving me on purpose but that's what it feels like. Cherish your sister, and it sounds like you do, as much as you can. (NT) -- Cait, Thu, June 23 2022, 4:00:23
        • Oh, Cait, I'm SO very sorry to hear about your sister. Sending warm Lallyhugs to you. (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, June 23 2022, 8:58:17
          • Thank you (((hugs))) (NT) -- Cait, Fri, June 24 2022, 3:59:39
  
  

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• QOTD For Thursday, June 23rd 2022: -- Cait, Thu, June 23 2022, 4:10:09
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 36, Prestonpans:
  
  "Got 'em bad, have ye, lad?" Ross the smith observed sympathetically.
  
  "Aye," he answered, "the wee buggers are eatin' me alive."
  
  "Bloody hell to get out of your cock hairs," Wallace Fraser observed, scratching himself in sympathy. "Gives me the yeuk just to watch ye, laddie."
  
  "D'ye ken the best way to ride yourself o' the wee bastards?" Sorly McClure asked helpfully, and at Kincaid's negative shake of the head, leaned forward and carefully pulled a flaming stick from the fire.
  
  "Lift your kilt a moment, laddie, and I'll smoke 'em out for ye," he offered, to cat calls and jeers of laughter from the men.
  
  "Bloody farmer," Murtagh grumbled. "And what would ye know about it?"
  

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  • I've only had lice once as a child of 8, and I never ever want to deal with that again! Yuck *G* (NT) -- Cait, Thu, June 23 2022, 4:11:12
  • This was such a funny section with all of the "advice" on how to get rid of the creepy crawlies! (NT) -- DianaH, Thu, June 23 2022, 9:13:09
  • This made me laugh again! I was away for a few days and started getting what I thought were little bug bites - OMG!!! - do I have bedbugs?!?!? It got so bad I went to the Dr who tried to find an allergic reaction reason. I was using too much Epsom salts and not rinsing enough 🙄 (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 23 2022, 15:19:48
    • PS Thank you, Diana, for the answers to my Mother Hildegarde question. They were great reasons. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Thu, June 23 2022, 15:21:49
  • I like Jamie's way best. 😂😂 But I can't find a woman that will do that for me. (NT) -- JamesG, Thu, June 23 2022, 16:32:58
  
  

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• QOTD For Tuesday, June 21st: -- Cait, Tue, June 21 2022, 3:45:58
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 28, The Coming Of The Light:
  
  "Claire," he said once more, with something like despair in his voice, "Claire, do you not see...Claire, you must speak to me! For God's sake, Claire, I don't know even was it a girl or a boy!"
  
  I sat frozen, hands gripping the rough wood of the bench. After a moment, there was a heavy, crunching noise on the ground in front of me. I cracked my eyes open, and saw he had sat down, just as he was, on the wet gravel at my feet. He sat with bowed head, and the rain left spangles in his damp-darkened hair.
  
  "Will ye make me beg?" he said.
  
  "It was a girl," I said after a moment. My voice sounded funny; hoarse and husky. "Mother Hildegarde baptized her. Faith. Faith Fraser. Mother Hildegarde has a very odd sense of humor."
  

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  • Happy Summer Solstice everyone!!! I have been pregnant only once in my life, I was 20 and it was an accident, and I had a miscarriage at 15 weeks. I know I was never meant to be anyone's mother, I have my adopted daughters and their babies, but I was never equipped to raise a human and I'm okay with that, I'm not bitter, but it still doesn't stop me from wondering every once in a while what my baby might have been. (NT) -- Cait, Tue, June 21 2022, 3:50:07
    • Oh Cait, I’m sorry aren’t quite the right words because it did work out, but Lallyhugs to you for all of it. My sister and her husband felt the same way, just didn’t believe they would be good parents. Both because of issues from their childhoods. And for 20 years they were constantly asked When are you going to have kids? Which was awful. I think society is finally accepting not all people want to be parents- and that’s fine. Diana writes these scenes that still make me cry every time. What do you think she meant by Mother Hildegard’s “odd sense of humor?” Thanks for the reminder of the Solstice! Did you see last week’s Strawberry Super Moon? (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Tue, June 21 2022, 4:37:34
      • I did see the super moon, it's wonderful! (NT) -- Cait, Wed, June 22 2022, 5:14:37
      • Kathy in PA, I've always thought that Mother Hildegard's odd sense of humor referred to naming the baby "Faith," even though she didn't live. Also, I think it adds irony that Jamie's faith is very strong, while Claire's is more nebulous. Additionally, Claire has "lost faith" in Jamie, because he broke his word by dueling with BJR, the event that precipitated her miscarriage, even though DG has told us (I think) that Claire may well have lost the baby in any case. We do know that her pregnancy with Bree was fraught. (NT) -- DianaH, Wed, June 22 2022, 9:40:45
  
  

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• QOTD For Monday, June 20th 2022 -- Cait, Mon, June 20 2022, 3:03:32
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 11, Useful Occupations:
  
  "Well, yes, he has been heard to speak of you," Madame de Ramage said, kindly helping me out of my confusion. "I gather that there was some small difficulty in Le Havre?"
  
  "Something of the kind," I said. "All I did was recognize a case of smallpox, but it resulted in the destruction of his ship, and...he wasn't pleased about it," I concluded weakly.
  
  "Ah, so that was it." Madame de Ramage looked pleased. I imagined having the inside story, so to speak, would give her an advantage in the trade of gossip and information that was the commerce of Parisian social life.
  
  "He has been going about telling people that he believes you to be a witch," she said, smiling and waiving at a friend across the room. "A fine story! Oh, no one believes it," she assured me. "Everyone knows that if anyone is mixed up in such matters, it is Monsieur le Comte himself."
  

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  • I keep thinking we’re going to find a bloodline connection between Claire and le Comte. I forgot about this encounter, but he keeps popping up. How about Claire, “resulted in the destruction of his ship” 😂. Wherever she goes, havoc often follows - but always with the BEST intentions. Road to hell and all that. Lol (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Mon, June 20 2022, 5:56:53
    • I have laid many a brick on that road. 😂😂 (NT) -- JamesG, Tue, June 21 2022, 13:30:32
  
  

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• QOTD Sunday June 19th, 2022 -- Cait, Sat, June 18 2022, 20:19:48
  The following quotation is taken from Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright 1992 All Rights Reserved. Chapter 5, Beloved Wife:
  
  " "He liked to hurt people," I said. "He liked it a lot."
  
  "Did he...hurt you?" Roger put the question with some delicacy, after a rather noticeable pause. Bree seemed to be drawing into herself, the skin tightening across her cheekbones.
  
  "Not directly. Or not much, at least." I shook my head. I could feel a cold spot in the pit of my stomach, which the whiskey was doing little to thaw. Jack Randall had hit me there, once. I felt it in memory, like the ache of a long-healed wound.
  
  "He had fairly eclectic tastes. But it was Jamie that he...wanted."
  

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  • I chose to do random quotes from one book, I literally grabbed a section and put my finger on a page! Let's see what I come up with for the week :) (NT) -- Cait, Sat, June 18 2022, 20:20:57
    • That’s always fun to do. It’s amazing how any page in these books can yield an interesting quote. (NT) -- CindyG, Sun, June 19 2022, 9:46:33
      • That’s what gave me the courage to do QOTD. I didn’t have to have a theme! BJR my most detested character - he did enjoy hurting people. (NT) -- Kathy in PA, Sun, June 19 2022, 18:27:15
        • BJR, for sure, Kathy in PA. The small bit of humanity we saw with him and his brother Alex was not enough to change my mind. I AM intrigued, though, as to what shaped him. (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, June 20 2022, 7:06:14
  
  

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• QOTD for Saturday, June 18, 2022 -- CindyG, Fri, June 17 2022, 20:18:29
  The following quote is from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 147, “A Lot of Blood.” Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon, all rights reserved.
  
  “‘I’m…no…afraid,’ he whispered. ‘I’m not.’ A bout of coughing seized him. It was nearly silent, but the violence of it shook his whole body. He wasn’t coughing up blood…
  Why is he coughing? Pneumothorax? Cardiac asthma? His shirt was sodden. If a ball had touched his heart but not penetrated…
  ‘Well, I’m bloody afraid!’ I snapped, and tightened my hold on his thigh, digging my fingers into his unresisting flesh. ‘Do you think I’m just going to sit here and watch you die by inches?’
  ‘Aye.’ His eyes closed, and the word was no more than a whisper. His lips were white.
  He sounded completely certain about it, and the fear that was swarming over my skin burrowed suddenly inward and seized my heart with its claws.
  His blood was spreading slowly, dark and venous. I was kneeling in the blood-soaked mud and there were huge splotches of it on my apron, black-red; it felt warm on my skin, though that must only be the heat of the day.
  ‘You can’t,’ I said, helpless. ‘Jamie—you can’t.’
  His eyes opened and I saw them look past and through me, as though fixed on something far, far away.
  ‘For…give me…’ he said, his voice no more than a thread, and I didn’t know whether he spoke to me or to God.
  ‘Oh, Jesus,’ I said, tasting cold iron on my tongue. ‘Jamie—please. Please don’t go.’
  His eyelids fluttered, and closed.”
  

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  • Oh my goodness the tears reading this, so gut wrenching, Diana is such a splendid writer to evoke such strong emotions (NT) -- Cait, Sat, June 18 2022, 6:25:19
  • Reading this part made me fear that it was Jamie that we would be telling the bees he was gone, but I also thought, "No, DG won't take Jamie from us (and Claire.) Not now. Not like this." (NT) -- DianaH, Mon, June 20 2022, 7:03:34
  
  

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