More reasons I love my mother: a recent list

1) We were having a discussion about the wonders of Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers, and she recited the last line. By memory. With feeling.

"and no hand plucked his velvet sleeve."

2) When writing a note to a friend, she used the word insouciant. I only know this because it became quite the stir at church, causing everyone to run for their dictionaries. I guess insouciant isn't a very common word, but it is marvelous.

insouciance: lighthearted unconcern: nonchalance

3) Roasted beets with orange peel were her idea. Yumola.

4) She became a Wendell Berry fan last month. She loved that Nathan Coulter begins with one word: Dark. I love that she loves that.