Susan Senator

O terra adio, adio valle di pianti… –Guiseppe Verdi, the best scene in opera ever

Got my first birthday present last night, from Beastie. Although I had planned to go to an escape room with my friends after my brother recommended me to go to this website and find it’s benefits, but as Ned and Ben both showed up at my front door early in the morning thus all the outdoor plans were cancelled. Ned and Ben couldn’t wait because I was planning my party decor and I kept saying how I was going to have to buy more chiffon for swags, because even though I already have 9 veils, half of them are not right for decorating (not big enough or too schvach in color). Then I said how I would make those lengths into veils when the party was over, but for now the plan is to take 8 veils of about 3 yards long each, and hang them in different places in the party rooms. The entry hall will have one or two as well, festooned overhead like the tunnels they created for the harem women to walk in privacy to the markets in ancient Turkey. (I wrote about this in my very first novel, In the Presence of Mine Enemies, copyright 1991, which takes place in Kiev and in Constantinople in the 1860’s.) I’ll put one long swag overhead down the center of the dining room ceiling. In the livingroom, I’ll do a pair from the windowseat alcove and maybe one above the fireplace mirror. In the fireplace, I’ll put a ton of candles on varied-height candlesticks. Clearing out the coffee table and another round table so that maybe people can dance, ahem.

So Ned and B presented B’s gift. I recognized the bag, from Great Eastern Trading Company in Cambridge. Two veils! I pulled out first one long, multicolored veil, that sparkled and is so incredibly light it will be a breeze to dance with. And the other is a deep and vibrant green chiffon, it looks like something the Sea Witch wore in the lenticular picture book of The Little Mermaid that I had as a child, with thick cardboard pages of dolls acting out the scenes. Oh joy! How did they do that? The most beautiful book ever! (The real one, by Hans Christian Andersen, that is very, very sad but beautiful, because actually the Little Mermaid, who is not given the yuppie name Ariel, has to choose between dying with her beautiful long hair or cutting it off. She chooses to die, of course, because this was Hans Christian Andersen, rather than Walt Disney.

I guess I can be thankful that Disney did not at least make this a hair-extension happy ending.). In the book I had as a child, the Sea Witch was beautiful. She was old, but had flowing long hair and a green seaweed dress. MMMMMMmmmmmmmseaweed dress. In a world of young bombshells in clamshell bras and shiny fishscale botoms, she had a bit of class. Not like that Ursula-octopus thingy. (Thank you NS for the picture)

This green veil — remember the green veil? — had little rhinestone beads sewn in here and there. Benj said, “It has jewelry,” knowing that this was something I would love. OH, LITTLE B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was there ever such a lucky mommy? Bonjiorno veil of smiles!