Two Exits: Berthe Morisot and D.H. Lawrence

“A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it.”–D.H. Lawrence (11 September 1885-2 March 1930), Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Reading (Portrait of Edma Morisot) by Berthe Morisot (1873).

Berthe Morisot (14 January 1841-2 March 1895).

Daily Diversion #446: Emily Dickinson’s Coconut Cake

My momma’s birthday is today! We celebrated it last night with a tasty meal at home. I try to make those I love a special dessert for their special day. Our resources and mobility are limited these days, obviously. Because of this, I needed to make something with ingredients I had at home. I decided that it was finally time to make Emily Dickinson’s coconut cake. It’s been on my radar for at least 12 years. No joke. 

Emily’s handwritten recipe

I used this post as my guide. Like that blogger, I mixed the cake by hand. 

Since this was for my mom’s birthday, I embellished the cake a bit by adding a blueberry glaze* before topping it with walnuts and confectioners’ sugar. 

Birthday cake

The cake itself is moist, flavorful, and not overly sweet. Perfect with a cup of tea. 

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*For the glaze, I added approximately 3/4 cup blueberries and 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar to a blender and mixed it until it was smooth. 

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“Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them.”–Emily Dickinson

Happy birthday, mom! I love you.

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I hope you are all well during these difficult, uncertain times. Have a great weekend.

[Alternative Muses] Writerly Style: Ngaio Marsh

“Elegance is elimination.”–Balenciaga

Ngaio Marsh by Henry Herbert Clifford (1935).

This 85-year-old photograph of New Zealand writer Ngaio Marsh proves that elegance, coziness, and individuality can be as stylish as anything out of the pages of a 21st-century fashion magazine.

Embellishments are minimal: an eccentric shoulder, a few buttons, an indifferently tilted hat, a bit of pattern and texture here or there. 

Clean lines. Confidence. 

She is, more than anything, mysterious.

How appropriate.