Tea at Trianon: Down in the Pecan Grove

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Down in the Pecan Grove

From Southern Lady:

As fall begins to settle over the family farm, it brings along with it previews of crisp air and signature colors at the start of pecan season. Turn this annual time into a true harvest celebration. Young ones especially will enjoy collecting the fallen treasures into baskets and crates, and at day’s end, all can give thanks over a delicious meal centered on the grove’s rewards. Farmhouse polish is the idea behind this easygoing setting that blends earthy pottery, bold floral linens, and sweet vintage details. Underscore the country-side atmosphere with a simple bouquet that feels as if it were plucked from field and garden. Certainly pecans become part of the scene, scattered about the table and piled into hurricanes holding tapers. And they shine in every course from salad to dessert, where instead of peanut butter, pecan butter forms the base of a chess pie made all the more decadent with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream. (Read more.)