Clumsily narrated, but a good story, skillfully interweaving the nation's political and military battles into a civilian family's life. Hunt mentioned the family's homestead's "dooryard" all through the book, and I should have realized the allusion she was building up to before Appomattox, when she first mentioned the shrubs that grew there.
I was doing a mailing at work, and it was a pretty empty day, so I could listen to speakers instead of headphones. And tear up on my own and the family's behalf, after the 14th of April, 1865.
When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd,
And the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night,
I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.
Just shopping.
I went into an accessories store because my hairclips are all either bent or broken. I was looking specifically for a French twist comb. I found a smaller hairclaw and a larger, a pair of curved hair sticks and a something or other that will work (as do the sticks) for a French twist. The only comb they sold had too many teeth and was clear plastic with rhinestones, and I am not going to prom any time soon.
A French twist is the only way I know to put up my hair that's not in a ponytail or with a claw; a ponytail requires me to skin the hair back too harshly and a claw looks sloppy and doesn't hold as securely as a twist. It's not a true French twist: it's too short still or too layered, the fold goes diagonally instead of vertically, and the ends of the hair peek out, but that's the principle.
Janelle does a lot of undercutting, or something, "for movement," and maybe the hair swings better but it doesn't braid yet, as long as it is. At least it's calmer now, a day and a half later. This is my dilemma. I love a French braid, but I'm letting her cut it for down instead of for a braid. Layers and undercutting are the only reasons I can think of for shoulder-length hair not braiding.
I also bought myself a summer-weight bathrobe with some birthday money, which, ha! puts me ahead in the superior bathrobe category. If it warms up--it might snow tomorrow--RDC's will be too heavy, all summer long. It's white and looks, I hope, not too much like a doctor's smocky coat. I am reminded of the Glamour Shots leather jacket and how much that looked like a bathrobe.
And I finally brought the stupid wine bottle thingies to Bombay Company. They were gifts (with the price tag still on) and they're not my type of thing at all, nor RDC's, who would decide, being the one who drinks wine. He said he saw in the Louvre, in the collection of royal household objects near the remnants of the Crown Jewels, something like these bottle necklaces, but I am fairly confident I would not use such things even if they came in gold and diamonds like the Bourbons' set. I can't bring up the Bombay Company, but that's no loss. I have store credit that maybe I could use nearer Yule, for a tree ornament.
What can I say, I think decorating trees is fun and decorating bottles is ridiculous. Chacun á son gout.