Mountainous Carolina Brush

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you've gotten to chapter 84 in The Fiery Cross.

So Roger is alive and well. Well OK maybe not "well" per se... but he's alive, damnit. And once again - Jamie sent him off into the wilderness to go and do something he is relatively equipped to do: survey land. Because, you know, most British historians know how to trudge around their newly acquired 5,000 acres of mountainous Carolina brush and survey it. So off he goes... and that's pretty much when all hell breaks loose; again. Jamie and Claire decide to go help some Cherokee hunt and kill a white ghost bear, which they're not even sure exists... and of course Bree has to come because of her excellent marksmanship. And alas - she has to bring Jemmy - because it seems he'll be nursed until high school or the equivalent in the aforementioned mountainous Carolina brush. But of course, as usual, Jemmy is on the Pay No Mind list and is handed over to any number of Cherokee children to play with while his mother is off showing the rest of the tribe how to shoot.

What I found interesting about this stage of the book is that Claire stayed "home" with the Cherokee women and partook in needlework - or some such 18th century project given to the womenfolk - whilst the men were off being manly. Now... does that sound like Claire to you? Me, either. But in any regard, she got her honey traded for some lye soap - or something that will make soap smell better - it escapes my brain at the moment. And then comes the fire. LORD here COME the fire! In trying to smoke the bear out of his cave, they lit the entire forest on fire. And out of the brush gallops Bree and Jamie... and Jamie and Claire ride off into the forest, not really sure where Bree and Jemmy are; somewhere in front of them, they assume. But they know Bree is like a walking Britannica and will surely find her way home (blindfolded with one hand tied behind her back and the other hand offering a breast to Jemmy because that's all that poor child seems to do.) OK - SO - back to the meat of the story... Claire and Jamie get caught in this terrible rainstorm... and I was literally scared out of my damn mind. That's how Diana is - she knows how to tell a good story - and I was truly feeling the rain and the thunder. And the lightning, which they both happened to get slightly singed by... and which killed poor Gideon. Or was it Judas? Rats - there goes the old brain again...

So at the same time they're feeling the effects of this storm, Roger is fighting it as well, as he's still surveying and muttering to himself about what he's going to do with 5,000 acres of - you got it - mountainous Carolina brush. He ends up getting hit by lightning - getting saved by some escaped slaves who happen to be with - wait for it - MRS. BEARDSLEY! I'd know that broken-toothed lisp anywhere! So Roger has to work some serious Camp David-caliber negotiations with her and her ex-slave baby daddy - who then blindfold him and take him to safety. And Roger tells them about the  baby and that it was a girl who will inherit all of that FREAK Beardsley's land.

Now - let me ask y'all a question... because it has been driving me nuts. Why on EARTH didn't that woman sit tight on her land after Jamie buried Mr. Beardsley?? She could have delivered in a warm bed - had her ex slave baby daddy live there with her (under the pretense of being her slave, maybe)  and she could have said the baby was his with his dead wife or something...and that she had adopted her. And she'd have had plenty of shelter, food, etc. She could have had all the ex-slaves helping to work the land and living there with her and her ex-slave baby daddy - and life would be infinitely better for them than hiding in that ramshackle woods cabin that's falling down around them. And she could have kept her baby! I just don't get it. I suppose brainpower didn't really flourish back in 18th century mountainous Carolina brush. Must have been all the bannocks. One needs a little protein once in a while, do they not?

New Video from My Outlander Purgatory

So as I mentioned... Jenn, Shannon and I went to Tracey's for a little lunch and Outlander discussion yesterday. We had a great time and made this video for you to watch and feel like you're discussing along with us. Tracey was starting A Breath of Snow and Ashes... and the rest of us are still on The Fiery Cross. We have a little theorizing about how the series will end... but no major spoilers are given as none of us has gotten past book 6 yet!  Enjoy! And we'd love to hear your (spoiler-free) comments!

PS - After our video is the way cool SIMS video made by Akashana on youtube that we mention in our video. Check it out!

January Book Club Meeting: OUTLANDER

Hi All! I'm back! PLEASE forgive me for not blogging in days. Life has been nothing short of hectic since Wednesday.


Hosted my book club meeting on Thursday... and we had a great time!!



Went to Cameron's in Brick, NJ on Thursday to pick up Scotch Pies, Sausage Rolls and a huge flag with the Lion Rampant on it for my book club meeting.

I also made bannocks and served them with jam (and a spoon that was clearly way too large to make a good presentation, but whatever. No one cared about the spoon. They RAVED about the bannocks and now Shannon wants to make and market them!)


I basically had a ton of meats and cheeses, trying to be as in keeping with 18th century Scotland as possible (while serving foods that were as easy to make/buy as possible.)

 My dear friend, Teresa made a SPECTACULARLY GORGEOUS carrot cake that I found on one of my favorite Scottish sites: A Wee Bit of Cooking. Wow. I mean... WOW. Look at it! Stunning! (Those are cranberries and pistachios on it!) And it was tremendous, too. Teresa actually used to live in Scotland. She lived in Dunoon (I've been there - adorable town. Loved it) when she was a wee lass... and she happens to be the best cook I know. So when I sent her a link to the website with a photo of the cake, she offered to make it. Who was I to say "no"???

All in all, the book club meeting was a lot of fun. People were in different stages of reading the book - so many did not partcipate in the discussion as they have not finished yet and didn't want spoilers. It just about killed me to keep my mouth shut all night long about Outlander, let alone the rest of the series. But somehow I muddled through. Someone innocently threw a bit of a spoiler out there about Echo in the Bone after reading a few sample pages at the end of Outlander (why do they DO THAT?? They should only give a sample of Dragonfly in Amber, darnit!)...but nothing bad at all. And one person gave a last page spoiler to Teresa... but she put her fingers in her ears and said "lalalala" with a huge amount of dignity. LOL

OK....next up... a blog about our meeting at Tracey's house today. More to come!

Roger, Roger. Over, Over.

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read until you have reached Chapter 80 in The Fiery Cross.

So there I was... reading along merrily.... kindof shaky subject matter, what with Jamie, Claire and Bree waiting for the order to "charge" to come down.. but not really all that worried. I mean, let's face it, Lassies, there are 2 more books after this one.. and Diana is writing #8 as I type (I hope.)

So imagine my surprise when Roger suddenly finds himself HANGING FROM A MOTHERFARGIN TREE for the love of all that's holy in this world.

I was nothing short of verklempt. Tears. OH there were tears. LORDDDDD there were TEARS!! I'm lying in bed on Saturday morning... just reading and reading with my cup of joe that my hubby brought me (he's a good egg).. and then I get to that part and flip the HELL out. I sit up - and I'm going "No. NOOOOO!!!! He CAN'T be dead!!! Nooooo!!!" I then email my Outlander mentor/sister, Tracey (because it was 8:30 and I figured she wouldn't be up yet)... and entitle the email: "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG". The email said the following:

IS ROGER DEAD????? 

I had to stop reading at the hanging. But he voided and saw the white light and heard the cries of an "orphan"  in the distance - assuming that's his own Jemmy. WTF??? And was Morag standing there watching?????  And not HELPING????

But I don't see how you wouldn't have called me and said something huge happened if he was really dead.

But he MUST be dead????  Ugh. I'm going to read on the treadmill. I am already in tears. Damn that DG. If Roger is dead, I might not even read this anymore...

Yes. That's what I wrote. I actually contemplated not reading any more of the Outlander series. (Oh who am I kidding, that would have lasted all of 10 minutes.) And that is precisely the moment that I realized I truly love Roger and would be devastated if he were dead.

So at that point, I found the will to read again (much like Edward found the will to stop. But that's another book series.) And what did I read?

Morag brings Jamie and the gang to where the hangings have taken place. And Jamie - sadistic %$#@ that he is (kidding) actually makes BREE cut him loose. And they get Roger down... and he moans. He WHAT?!? HE MOANS!!!  And what did I hear in my head at that point?

HE SAYS HE'S NOT DEAD!!!!

And then Claire starts working on him like a FREAK and cuts open his throat and shoves a PIPE in there for god's sake - in all her MacGyver glory - and Roger starts breathing! And at this point I'm on my treadmill and I've got my fist in the air and what do I think to myself but:

"FUCKING CLAIRE!!!!!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!!"

(sorry about that but it was a very emotional moment and some shamefully crass language got the better of me. C'mon... even Diana/Claire throws the f-biscuit around SOMEtimes!!!)

OK I have to stop typing because this is getting dangerously long... but yes. Roger lives. With little to no voice... and a geese-shooting, horseback-riding, portrait-painting, land-surveying, baby-nursing wife who could not give a shit that he's losing his dignity with every passing breath. Nope. Girlfriend doesn't give a rat's ASS. All she cares about is the fact that she has to remember eating dolmades alone, because Roger is too sad to remember it with her. POOR HER (said like Tony Soprano's mom.)

More to come lassies... more to come...

I Willna Eat Green Eggs and Ham

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 63 in The Fiery Cross. 

OK - so Claire and Jamie and the militia are waiting for the word to come down from Governor Tryon about when/if they'll fight. Jamie's pretty sure they will - so in a last ditch effort, he sends Roger (who gets hotter by the day in my book) to see Hermon Husband and ask him to come back to camp with him and meet with Tryon. To this day I'm scratching my head as to WHY Jamie sent Roger - but we'll get to that in a bit, mmmkay?

So out of the clear blue sky, who shows up oh horseback but Gaelic-speaking, quail-shooting, portrait-painting, land-surveying (I'll get to this later) super-daughter-of-the-apocalypse, Bree... much to Jamie's chagrin (although I don't know why as she could most likely fight off the regulators single-handedly.) And of course they have a little spat back and forth in full Gaelic - most of which Claire can't even understand. But Jamie realizes Bree does what Bree wants - and therefore, she's staying.

They then get word that the battle will begin in about an hour... because Tryon could not, would not deal with a mob (aka the Regulators). And it is at this point that Bree and Claire have a private little exchange.... and I find it to be so amusing and endearing at the same time. We'll call it Cat-in-the-Hat Battle Speak:

Claire to Bree: "Could you, would you, in a box? Could you would you, with a fox?"
Bree to Claire: "He could not, would not, with a mob. Could not, would not... do the job?"

And they're both giggling under their breath - because they're essentially shitting their pants about what is coming down the pike. I can relate to this like nothing other in this series. Just ask my mentor sister, Tracey. We come from a family of laughter. Laughter when something is funny - laughter when something is sad - laughter when something is downright terrifying. That's what happens when your parents are children of the Great Depression who were never taught how to properly convey their feelings. They find solace in laughter; and so do I.  So I'm reading that - and Claire and Bree are giggling nervously - and I'm thinking "Wow this would so be Tracey and me"... and I understand.

But I started wondering... "Where the hell is Roger"?

Scottish Recipes

OK guys - I need your help! I am hosting my book club's monthly meeting at my house this Thursday... and of course I picked "Outlander" for the book. (This has spurned on two other friends to suggest it for their January meetings. What can I say? I am a "Disciple of Diana"; a spreader of Outlander love.)

Sooooo....I'm serving Scottish foods. Not a sit-down dinner or anything... just a taste of Scotland. Scotch Pies, Sausage Rolls, Bannocks.... but I'd love your input! Do you have an easy recipe for a Scottish appetizer? Let's hear it!

TRACEY TRIES THE HAGGIS!

Thought you might all want to have a looksee at my sister/Outlander mentor, Tracey enjoying some Haggis for the first time (and last?) with her husband and friends.

TO THE HAGGIS!

So last night my sister/mentor, Tracey went to the Argyle restaurant in Kearny, NJ (Scottish capital of NJ) for their annual "Address to a Haggis" celebration of Robert Burns' birthday. She took video so y'all could partake in this interesting ritual.  Enjoy!

Robert Burns' Address to a Haggis

Na na na na na na... you say it's your birthday...

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 59 in THE FIERY CROSS.

OK - so no sooner are Jamie and Claire back at the Ridge than they're heading out to go fight the Regulators with the Militia... and Roger Mac is going with them. (I LOVE that name. It makes Roger seem a little more mysterious and manly.) Because, you know, Roger has soooo much experience with guns and the like. He is ridiculously lucky that Jamie doesn't tell him to stay home with the weans and tend to Claire's garden.

So once they get where they're going, Jamie sends Roger's arse out into the wood to go find Hermon Husband and ask him to please come and talk to the governor. Jamie probably figured this was an easy enough task for Roger who is lacking in um, shall we say battle skills.

But a few days before Roger's departure, Jamie and Claire wake up in their tent on Jamie's birthday. And Jamie is holding up his right hand (and we all know what THAT hand looks like... damn you Jack Randall. Damn you to hell!) and examining it for changes, now that he has turned 50. HOLY SHIT JAMIE IS 50, Y'ALL! (Fifty and fine... say it with me!) And Carol melts a little further into her chair, beaming with pride over a fictional character and his journey through hell and back again - lucky to be with his one true love at the half-century mark of his life. And Jamie and Claire have a very moving and poignant conversation about outliving their parents... which made me shed a little tear for both of them.

And then the journal entries start. LORDDDD the journal entries. Journal entries made by Governor Tryon. And then the skimming starts. Because it was late and Carol was tired (why else would she be talking about herself in the third person?) and she kindof loathes Tryon and doesna really care what he's up to. All I cared about was this: Are we fighting or what???

The Gold Rush

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you've finished Book 5 in The Fiery Cross. (Shannon - that means you. Go 'way and read something further down the page, Lass!)

OK forgive me if I rush this but there is so much happening in book 6 (or am I on book 7??) now that I have to get to it PRONTO. But the following must be mentioned, so let's get to it.

So here's Claire - all happy after some good stable lovin' with Jamie... where she got a new lesson in Jamie Nethers Aesthetics, if you will. And next thing we know, Betty is no longer drunk in the slaves quarters. No... Betty is now dead in the slaves quarters. How do I know? Because the poor woman is spitting up blood and just keeled over right in front of Claire's face - and in front of "the good doctor's" face - who is now a fan of Claire because she made him feel better after he lost one of his patients. I was proud of Claire for putting away her condescending attitude toward ignorant 19th century doctors for a minute or two, to make him feel better. Go Team Claire.

So Claire - feeling in her gut that Betty was murdered - and in her infinite need to find the culprit (a la Fred from Scooby Doo) -  decides she's going to give poor, ol' Betty an autopsy, right there in the shed where she's laid out, awaiting burial. And why is she awaiting burial? Because Jocasta isn't about to bother herself or her guests with the nasty business of burying a slave woman - heaven forbid. Because, you know, she's just  a HUMAN BEING and all. (I plan to do a whole post at some point about how the slave storylines are tearing my heart right out of my chest.) So Jamie accompanies Claire to the shed to help hold the lantern steady while she slices Betty into pieces, without asking her next of kin or anything (um, that would be Phaedre, a character I absolutely adore and could read an entire series about, I'm sure.)

So yada yada yada - cut cut cut, "Jamie hold the lantern steady"... and who should come flying in the door but Philip Wylie - followed closely by STEPHEN BONNET. Um, hello? WTF??? Where'd HIS RANK DIRTY IRISH ASS come from???? I was like "Um - did I skim something??" but alas - no - because there he was, all ready to steal some gold from the shed, until JAMES ALEXANDER MALCOLM MACKENZIE FRASER saw him and chased his ass down like a panther chases an antelope in one of those Animal Kingdom shows my dad is obsessed with. It ruled. But unforch - Jamie lost him. And in the skirmish, the shed went up in flames - and poor Phaedre is turning into a mental patient after all this hubbub with her poor mom, Betty. And THEN we find out Bonnet had tied up Jocasta and Duncan, after messing up Duncan pretty dang good... because he's looking for gold she's had hidden in the house since her late husband was alive. (Remember Dougal's gold? Yeah - it's the same gold. Enough said.) And Bonnet had an accomplice who Jocasta knows - because he didn't speak while he was in the room with her, Bonnet and Duncan - so she is assuming he didn't want her to hear his voice.

Anywho.... after all of that... Claire and the gang had a big, ol' powwow in Jocasta's room - and again at breakfast the next morning (god I salivate when the talk about their breads and all those jams) and they all tried to come up with theories about who the mystery tier-upper was.... but to no avail. I'm sure that will come back in another book. But for now... it's just back to life on the Ridge!