In Episode 18, Dorothy quarrels with Emmeline, only to regret her sharp words.
If I were to pair up characters from Friendship Album, 1933 in terms of personality, I would put Bess with Florence and Dorothy with Eula. Bess and Florence are both fresh and funny (I’ve noticed as I’ve read through the manuscript that Bess is often making flip remarks at meetings, and Florence often takes Emmeline to task in a saucy sort of way), and Dorothy and Eula are down to earth, almost always privileging kindness over self-satisfaction. While Dorothy and Bess are close, it’s a closeness born of working together, understanding each others rhythms, and having some insights into each others family lives. Dorothy and Eula have similar natures–they interpret things in similar ways, have similar responses to events, etc.
That of course leaves poor Emmeline–you heard me, poor Emmeline!–out in the cold, alone. Yes, she and Florence are both from the same social class, but let us not forget that Emmeline wasn’t born wealthy; she married her money (although I do believe she also married for love–we don’t see Emmeline and Thomas together very often, but when we do, there seems to be a good deal of affection between them). Emmeline is comfortable in high society, but I believe the shadow of her former shop girl self is always on hand. We’ll see this more in the next chapter, but it definitely surfaces in Chapter 29.
It’s safe to say that Emmeline and Dorothy are not close, even as they’ve grown more comfortable with each other over the last few months. I’m not sure Dorothy knows what to do with Emmeline, and maybe she doesn’t know enough about Emmeline’s past to know how to take Emmeline. But in Chapter 29, after an uncharacteristic fit of temper, I think Dorothy starts to see that Emmeline is more vulnerable that she lets on.
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My Crown of Thorns quilt is almost done, and I can’t help but think Dorothy’s would be much nicer than mine–and that her church friends would have done a better job of quilting her quilt than I’ve done. I’m not sure how I ended up with a king-sized quilt, and I’m not sure what sort of lunatic would quilt such a quilt on her home machine, but apparently that’s the kind of lunatic I am! It’s been hard work (even though it’s the most basic straight-line quilting ever), but I’ve learned some good lessons in the process. Biggest lesson? Make smaller quilts! I promise that next one is going to be lap-sized, and I can’t wait!
I titled this photo file “The Happy Quilter.” I was being facetious.
In other news, I’m on a sourdough kick! My first loaves were failures, but I’m getting better. I leave you with a picture of my latest loaf, with which I am well pleased. If you want the recipe, you’ll find it here.
See you next week!
