Picture Hat + Goodbye Lie Excerpt

Large, wide-brimmed garden hats, later called picture hats because they framed the face, were very popular in the  late 1800s and into the new century. Decorated with silk flowers, ribbon, lace, tulle, etc, their detail was appreciated by both men and woman, and, I dare say, they were sometimes the subject of talk, kind and unkind.  

 

Excerpt from The Goodbye Lie: 

      ... "Breelan, answer me! I said open this door!"

     Trip shook her and mumbled callously, "Tell him you're fine. Tell him, or the next time you'll get more than a little slap from me. Tell him!"

     Coming around, Breelan knew Waite would break the door down if she couldn't convince him of Trip's lie. She didn't want to involve him any deeper in her misery. "Yes, yes," she said breathlessly. "I'm fine, Captain... Leave us. Please." 

     Unconvinced, he called again, "Bree?" 

    He has to believe me for both our sake. Trip is capable of much cruelty, and I fear for Waite even more than for myself. "We'll be with you in a moment. We're both very hungry. They are still serving breakfast, aren't they? It isn't too late, is it?" The more she spoke, the more composed she commanded her voice to become. "See you in the dining salon soon."

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     "If you're not on deck in fifteen minutes, I'm coming back!  Understood?"

     "Yes, sir!" she said, forcing a jovial lilt to her tone.

     Trip smiled at her. "Very good. Very good," he whispered through gritted teeth. "I'll remember how readily you lie. I'll remember, too, just how trustworthy you are. And you remember, Breelan, I'll be watching you!" His malice filled the beautiful room and turned it ugly. 

     "Dress at once. We wouldn't want your friend, the captain, bothering us again when we're so in love."

     A heavy dusting of powder and a wide-brimmed hat tied with blue tulle hid the light lavender bruise rising on Breelan's right cheek. The white silk gardenias on her chapeau cascaded around the edge of the brim, so she cocked her headpiece to conceal and distract...

Make Your Own Picture Hat:

Although much less pain-painstakingly created than the original hats, it is easy and fun to make your own hat for a costume or play.  Find a large beach hat you have or go to the thrift store and, as I did in the photo, twist and tie ribbon and tulle around the base of the crown.  Stick in flowers and a bow, fluff, and you're done, no glue or stitching needed.  Quickly remove and you have your original hat back and ready for the beach, gardening or vacation.  If you want the decorations to stay permanently, use hot glue (keeping a glass of water close to dip in your fingers in the event you accidentally touch the glue) or baste with thread.

Apple Butter Recipe w/ Goodbye Lie Excerpt

I was raised to love apple butter, and I still do. Miss Ella Dunnigan is the mother of four in my historical Goodbye Lie Trilogy. With Fall coming, I thought making her apple butter recipe would be perfect.  Her version is easy and your whole house will be a delight with all those wonderful apple cinnamon smells.

Excerpt from Goodbye Lie concerning Apple Butter:      Turning to leave the barn Miss Ella asked, "How did you happen to come home so early today? It's just now five o'clock. Are things going well in the world of architecture?" Michael knows supper is always served at six, she thought, unless there's a potluck meal at church or some other social event. Then again, it could be his already bulging belly demands an earlier feeding.       "What's the use of being the boss, if I can't play a little hooky with my baby here?" His tone was short. This was certainly one of his hungry moods coming on.         "I'll see if I can't hurry up your dinner, Michael."      "What? You mean it'll be a while?"    "Yes, darling," she responded in as sarcastic a voice as his question deserved. "If you'd listen to your wife occasionally, you'd hear her say she has a few things to do besides following the timetable of her husband's stomach."      He reacted with a snort.      "Today, as substitute choir mistress, I was called upon to make last minute changes in this Sunday's schedule of hymns because Miss Bayer is out of town visiting her grandfather and Mrs. Lingenfelter is having her baby."      Her husband grumbled in disgust. Unable to stay cross with him for long, she offered, "If you'll give me ten minutes, I'll pull some cornbread from the oven and slather it with apple butter for you to nibble on. That should tide you over for a bit until I'm sure the soup is done."      "You know how I hate it if the beans are the least bit hard," he cautioned.      "We only hate the devil," Marie announced.     "Yes, baby girl. That's right. See there, Michael. It's true what they say about little pitchers having big ears and our little pitcher hears everything. Don't think she doesn't."      Michael replaced his grimace with a smile and kissed his youngest child on the cheek. MISS ELLA      Miss Ella shook her head at her sometimes moody, but very wonderful husband, thinking how lucky she was to have him. Back inside the aromatic kitchen, she checked the steeping jelly kettle of peaches, stirred the pot of salt pork and bean soup, and cleared a spot for the hot cornbread among the fresh radishes and onions. It had been such a peaceful afternoon. Too peaceful, she realized.       Where was Jack Patrick? Her only son, age eight, was usually so noisy she knew his whereabouts every minute. She left the kitchen, went down the long hall past the stairs, and entered the front parlor to find her mother, Hettie Eckert, known to all as Grammy. Grammy was swaying in her rocker, intently working on a braided rag rug, and there was Jack Patrick, sneaking up from behind, scissors in hand, about to cut the soft wild-hair wispies from his sainted grandmother's head!       "Jack Patrick!" yelped his mother.       Calmly placing the shears back in the sewing basket, he stated, "Mama, I hope lightning flies through the window and kills the cat. I'm innocent!"       She knew exactly how innocent he was. She allowed the boy to dash out the front door before he caught her laughing.

Apple Butter

You'll need:

• 4 cups unsweetened applesauce (made from cored apples that have been slowly cooked to reduce them to pulp or purchased applesauce)

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• Nutmeg to taste (use sparingly)

• Cloves to taste (use sparingly)                                                   

Combine the ingredients and bring them to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  

Spice to taste.

Serve on warm cornbread, muffies or bread.

Makes five cups.

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