Tuesday, April 30

Donkeys vs. Elephants

I sometimes wonder what Abraham Lincoln would have to say about the two major political parties today.

"The old gray elephant, it ain't what it used to be"?

The shifting of allegiance between political parties was much more common during the 19th century than it is today. It took several years for political parties as we know them today to coalesce after the founding of the United States, and many parties formed and fell apart rapidly.

The Democratic Party (1828) is the oldest political party in the United States and one of the oldest grass-roots parties in the world. The Democratic party was a proponent for farmers across the country, urban workers, and new immigrants. It advocated westward expansion, greater equality among all white men, and opposition to a national bank.

The Republican Party emerged in 1854 from the former Whig Party to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act, which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous modernization of the economy.

The Republican Party was based on northern white Protestants, businessmen, small business owners, professionals, factory workers, farmers, and African-Americans. It was pro-business, supporting banks, the gold standard, railroads, and tariffs to protect industrial workers and industry. 

The shift in parties began in the second half of the 20th century - the southern states from Democratic to Republican, and New England and the West Coast states from Republican to Democratic.
 

African Americans, who had traditionally given strong support to the Republican Party since its inception as the "anti-slavery party," shifted to the Democratic Party, largely due to the economic opportunities offered by the New Deal relief programs in 1933-1938, and the advocacy of and support for civil rights by such prominent Democrats as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Which makes me think this quote:

"I meant what I said and I said what I meant.
An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent!"

― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg

Hmm, maybe I need to go time traveling with Horton....



Sunday, April 28

This Week in the Civil War: April 28, 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville, wounding of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Warmer weather after the winter brings renewed fighting at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia 150 years ago this week in the Civil War. Union generals attempt to crumple in Confederate lines near the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers close to Fredericksburg. Ultimately the Union forces line up against Confederate rivals near Chancellorsville, Va., on April 30, 1863. Union forces advance and fighting opens May 2, 1863, with a Confederate attack organized by its supreme general, Robert E. Lee. In the fierce combat that ensues, the Southern rebels smash through the Union line for a Confederate victory. Thought Lee gained a major victory, one of his greatest fighters, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, was wounded by friendly fire in the din and confusion of battle May 2. Jackson died several days later on May 10, 1863. His remains were taken to Richmond, seat of the Confederacy, for a final tribute before burial. For the Confederacy, the loss of Jackson was a stinging blow.

 

Friday, April 26

Let's do the twist

Pippaloo
Happy National Pretzel Day!

(I almost forgot, but a post at Doll Diaries reminded me.)

Most accounts agree that pretzels have Christian backgrounds and were invented by monks, with references dating back to 610 A.D.
 

German and Swiss German immigrants (who became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch) introduced the pretzel to North America in the 19th century.

Soft pretzels became extremely popular in other regions of the United States in the 20th century, and cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York became renowned for their soft pretzels.

They particularly became iconic with Philadelphia and was established as a cuisine of Philadelphia for snacking at school, work, or home, and considered by most to be a quick meal.

The average Philadelphian today consumes about 12 times as many pretzels as the national average - and the average American consumes about 1.5 pounds of pretzels per year!

In fact, Philadelphia opened a soft pretzel museum in 1993, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared April 26, 2003 National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

Yikes! As a proud Philadelphian, I better order more pretzels from Pippaloo!



Happy Birthday, Kid. Love, Addie

Happy 80th birthday, Carol Burnett!
 

Born in 1933, Burnett is an American actress, comedienne, singer, and writer. She is best known for her long-running TV variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, for CBS.

A true variety show, The Carol Burnett Show parodied films, television, commercials, and more. Musical numbers were also a frequent feature.

My personal favorite? The "Went With the Wind" parody of Gone With the Wind.

Classic.

 

Thursday, April 25

The "It" girl

I got tagged ...  again, thanks to Our AG Adventures!

Apparently this is a Fashion Tag, so I shall put on my haute couture before I answer these questions.

1. How would you describe your style? Steampunk, of course, which is Victorian (or whatever catches my eye) with a twist.

2. What are your wardrobe staples? My shell necklace, top hat, corset and Unusually Stout parasol.


3. Most expensive clothing item you own? I take the Fifth ... but I'm worth it.


4. Most wanted item? Saige's Hot Air Balloon Set!


5. Favorite designer? So many to choose from, but probably Cher from Sew Fun Doll Clothes.


6. How much do you spend on clothing? Again, I take the Fifth, but I'm still worth it.


7. Favorite places to shop? Etsy and American Girl


8. Favorite Fragrance? Absinthe


9. Favorite way to do your hair?
In a snood!


10. Most prized possession? My Vinyl American family and friends.


Five Blogs to Tag: 
  1. Angry Words from Angry Jess (mature dolls only)
  2. Bean Stalk's Blog
  3. The Doll Diaries
  4. Kirsten's Adventures
  5. Super Inky! 

Wednesday, April 24

Addie get your gun

Clementine isn't quite as adventurous as me, but she did want to go meet her heroine, Annie Oakley.
 

Oakley was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter whose amazing talent led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

Hired by Nate Salsbury on April, 24, 1885, she became one of the first American female superstars.

Oakley's most famous trick was splitting a playing card, edge-on, and putting several more holes in it before it could touch the ground, while using a .22 caliber rifle, at 90 feet.


Boy howdy, Clementine and I better practice!


Tuesday, April 23

Tag! You're it!

Dollygirl's Treasures created a virtual game of Dolly Tag! Carrot and Clair tagged me, so now I get to answer the 15 questions and tag 10 (!) blogs.

1. If you could create any American Girl doll, what would she look like, and what would her name be?

Why make another when perfection has already been achieved with either me or my doppelgänger Addy.

2. What American Girl dolls do you have?

Me? I "have" Clementine. Momma and my Big Sister have many more. Too many.

3. Do you have any non-AG 18 inch dolls?

I don't, Momma doesn't, but my Big Sister does.

4. What is your absolute favorite brand of dolls?

Hmm, old-fashioned Frozen Charlottes.

5. What is the next doll (AG or non-AG) that you want to get?

Tonner's steampunked Scarecrow: Not Afraid of Anything.

6. What is your favorite thing to do with your dolls?

Go on adventures!

7. Do you have a place for your dolls, like a corner of a room? Where's their beds and stuff?

Our stuff is here, there, and everywhere - including the æther.

8. Would you rather use the computer/watch TV/play on your phone of electronical device/play video games or play with your dolls?

Pshaw, play with my Vinyl American friends, of course.

9. If your parents told you that you could only have one doll, what would you do?

Evict all the others, of course!

10. Have you ever found an American Girl brand item (can be anything) at a second-hand store?

Momma found my dear friend Molly at Goodwill. She's also Pleasant Company.

11. Do your friends share your love for dolls?

Only the friends who matter.

12. What is your favorite non-AG doll brand?

Didn't I answer this in questions 4 and 5?

13. Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere!

14. Does anyone in your family share your love for dolls?

Momma and my Big Sister and her cousins!

15. Where did you get the idea to start a blog?

People liked me and my stories so much I thought I'd better put them somewhere safe for everyone to enjoy.

Tag 10 blogs:


  1. Angry Words from Angry Jess (mature dolls only)
  2. Bean Stalk's Blog
  3. Black Doll Collecting  
  4. Confessions of a Doll Collector's Daughter 
  5. The Doll Diaries
  6. Dolls Behaving Badly
  7. Kirsten's Adventures
  8. Pippaloo for Dolls
  9. Super Inky!
  10. The Tonner Blog

 

Red shirt in mourning


Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

I am now, officially, Star Trek Addie - complete with red uniform!

Throughout Star Trek: TOS (1966–69), male officers on the USS Enterprise wore a colored shirt (green/gold, red, or blue shirts with black collars and undershirts) with a delta-shaped insignia on the left breast, dark gray pants (which appeared black on camera), and black boots.

Female officers wore a uniform minidress, black tights, and boots, although they occasionally wore the "male" uniform. 

The red uniforms, or redshirts, were worn by operations, engineering, and security personnel.

A "redshirt" has become a stock fictional character who dies soon after being introduced. The term originated from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security personnel who frequently died during episodes. Redshirt deaths were often used to dramatize the potential peril that the main characters faced.


Analysis of the original Star Trek episodes shows that of the 59 crew members killed in the series, 43 (73 percent) were wearing red shirts!

Somehow that reminds me of the rhyme of the ancient mariners:

"Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.
Red sky in morning, sailors take warning."

However, just because I wear a red uniform doesn't mean I will go down without a fight.

I'd like to see anyone kill me! 

I shall live long and prosper.

 

Monday, April 22

The white elephants

Breaking the color line in 1874!
Did you know that on Saturday, April 22, 1876, the Philadelphia Athletics played in the first game in the history of Major League Baseball, losing to the Boston Red Caps: 6–5.

What? You haven't heard of the Philadelphia Athletics?


Well, the team did have its share of ups and downs and moved around a bit. You might know them now as the Oakland Athletics, or the Oakland A's. (Think of the apostrophe as a contraction, not a possessive.)

The evolution of baseball is difficult to trace. (The story that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1839 has been debunked by sports historians.)

 A 1344 French manuscript contains an illustration of clerics playing a game similar to baseball. The first known American reference to baseball appears in a 1791 Pittsfield, Mass., town bylaw prohibiting the playing of the game near the town's new meeting house.

By the early 1830s, there were reports of a variety of bat-and-ball games recognizable as early forms of baseball being played around North America.
 

Philadelphia had amateur base ball teams since at least the early 1830s. In 1860 an amateur club was formed in Philadelphia, simply named "Athletic Base Ball Club."

From there it morphed*:

  • 1860-1871: Athletic Base Ball Club/Philadelphia Athletics (it became professional in the late 1860s)
  • 1871-1875: Philadelphia Athletics (National Association of Professional Base Ball Players)
  • 1876-1876: Philadelphia Athletics (National League)
  • 1882-1890: Philadelphia Athletics (American Association)
  • 1890–1891: Philadelphia Quakers/Athletics (Players League/American Association)
  • 1901-1954: Philadelphia Athletics (American League)
  • 1955-1968: Kansas City Athletics (American League)
  • 1968-: Oakland Athletics (American League)

Good grief, you need a score sheet just for that!

Oh, and the Boston Red Caps?

The Red Caps became the Beaneaters (snicker) in 1883, and the Braves in 1912. They moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and finally, Atlanta, in 1966.


*All mistakes are Momma's, not my own.

 

Sunday, April 21

Flower power


Aww. Once again I have been the recipient of a Major Award, this time by Doll Express News.

Doll Express News received it from Dollville, so now it's my turn to pay it forward.

Blog Award Rules:
  • Put a link to who gave you the award.
  • Post the award to your blog.
  • Answer the questions.
  • Choose five blogs to receive the award.
  • Let them know you've awarded them.

Blog Award Questions:

1. If you could have a "flower pen name" like we have here on our blog, Violets and Daisies, what would it be? The Brass Rose, of course!

2. What is your favorite ever Bible verse and why? "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

 
3. What are the blogs which inspire you most?
 

  • Plus several others that might not appreciate question 5. (You know who you are.)

4. If you and your friends could visit any country in the world, where would you go? China! Momma's been to Taiwan, but not mainland China.

5. If you have one, feel free to share your testimony as to how you became a Christian. Momma's been a Christian for decades, and so am I.

If you were one of the blogs I awarded, answer the above questions on your blog, and award five other blogs, and let them know.


Congratulations!

 

This week in the Civil War: April 21, 1863

Confederate fighters conduct a raid 150 years ago this week in the Civil War, aiming to destroy a vital section of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in what is current-day West Virginia. The raid led by two Confederate generals - William Jones and John Imboden - was one of many by the South seeking to block Union attempts to deliver troops, weapons and supplies to their forces in the war theater. Confederate raids continued nearly uninterrupted during the second half of the war, disrupting the Union supply effort while prolonging the conflict. The B&O Railroad was a choice target as one of the nation's oldest railroad links. Confederate raiders in April and May 1863 were successfully in destroying numerous rail bridges while seizing thousands of horses, heads of cattle and destroying ample Union supplies. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported on April 24, 1863, that the Confederates were attempting to dismantle the sunken federal ironclad USS Keokuk at Charleston, S.C. The Keokuk was hit by Confederate shelling and disabled during an ill-fated Union attack in early April 1863 on Fort Sumter, site of the first shots of the Civil War in 1861. AP reported that "while some parties of rebels ... were endeavoring to dismantle" the Keokuk, "they were driven away by the fire of the gunboat" of a Union party." The report said some 14 federal gunboats and ironclads lingered off South Carolina's coast in the days after the attack on Fort Sumter.


Saturday, April 20

Good enough to eat

Pippaloo
Momma asked my favorite food stylist, Pippaloo, if she could make me some Hot Cross Buns and Angel Food cake.

Pippaloo just sent Momma this photo of the Hot Cross Buns. Aren't they scrumptious?!

(Talk about a Pavlovian reaction!)

Pippaloo's going to attempt the Angel Food cake next, but is uncertain if she can capture its light, airy texture.

Angel Food cake is a type of North American sponge cake that first became popular in the United States in the late 19th Century. Its airy lightness was said to be the "food of the angels."

Pippaloo asked Momma if Angel Food cake is my favorite.

Silly Pippaloo. Devil's Food cake is my favorite!

(Devil's Food cake is a moist, airy, rich chocolate layer cake considered to be a counterpart to Angel Food cake.)

Mwa ha ha!

 

Friday, April 19

United we stand, divided we fall

It's funny how stories can change over time.

As previously mentioned, Momma's great-grandfather was a printer.

A.E. Huls was born in 1866 in Millville (later Rockbridge), Ohio. He became a teacher by the age of 16 and taught at the Millville one-room schoolhouse. It was in Millville that he started his printing shop in 1883 as a second source of income.

He was offered a teaching job in nearby Murray City with better pay - but he'd have to do his own janitorial work.

He took it.

There's where the story gets murky. Family lore said that he was offered the printing job for the formation of the United Mine Workers on Nov. 3, 1894.

However, the United Mine Workers formed in Columbus, Ohio in Jan. 22, 1890.

Oops.

We're wondering now if the 1894 meeting was for the formation of the UMW in Hocking County, Ohio.

The discovery of immense quantities of coal led to the flourishing mining industry in Hocking County. Towns appeared and vanished as quickly as mines opened and closed. The Panic of 1893 hit the coal mining industry particularly hard. Wage cuts in the industry began immediately, and wages were slashed again in early 1894. 

By the late spring of 1894, the UMW called a general strike in the coal mining industry. The demand was for wages to return to the level they were at on May 1, 1893.

Initially, the strike was a major success. However, as the depression deepened, the miners were unable to hold out. By late June, almost all the miners had returned to work. 

The strike shattered the UMW and it almost ceased to exist. It would be 25 years before it became a successful union again.

It's a good thing the family has me to investigate!


Thursday, April 18

A smile and a Stout Parasol

Just in case any of you doubt the validity of my Unusually Stout Parasol, I was reading today about a woman who taught self defence classes in 1908 using a parasol or umbrella.


Although the woman known as "Miss Sanderson" was a prominent fencer and self defence instructor in Edwardian London, regrettably little is known of her life – including her first name. At some point in the early 1900s she married Pierre Vigny, who had begun his own career in London as the chief instructor at the Bartitsu Club.

One of the more unusual things about the Bartitsu club was that  women were allowed from the beginning; they were encouraged to take part in almost all the activities the men undertook, only the boxing aspect seems to have been discouraged for the ladies. Women were encouraged to train in jujitsu and the stick work as a form of self defence and a healthy form of physical culture and exercise. 

Miss Sanderson, who continued to use what was presumably her maiden name for professional purposes, became Vigny's assistant instructor when he opened his own school in Berner's Street during 1903. By 1908 she was teaching her own unique system of women’s self defence, based on Vigny's method but concentrating on the use of the umbrella and parasol.

As reported in "All-round Self-defence," by Captain H. Webb, Health and Strength, Dec. 1903, 433-434:

The Professor and his lady pupil are set upon by three Hooligans, whose number is afterwards increased. But so ably does the lady wield her umbrella and the Professor his walking-stick, that their assailants are defeated in their fell purpose.

Told you so.


Mme Vigny taught walking stick and parasol defence to ladies including Miss Baden-Powell, sister to Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement and advocate that "a smile and a stout stick will carry one through any difficulty."


Now I'm off to practice wielding my Unusually Stout Parasol.



Monday, April 15

Nothing is what it seems

I finally got to see Oz The Great and Powerful where I fell in love with what some might call a minor character.

China Girl is from the village of China Town, where everything, including the inhabitants, is made of China. When destruction befalls her land, the brave, resilient, China Girl encounters Oz and they strike up an unlikely friendship.


When Oz finds her, poor China Girl is broken. While he puts her together again, she also puts him together.
 
Sadly, we came home afterward to hear about the tragic events in Boston. All I could think of is how fragile we all are.

Take care of each other.

Please.



Sunday, April 14

Mirror, Mirror

Phoebe fangirling as Uhura/EofA
After considerable debate, I have decided how I shall dress when I go to Phoenix Comicon 13 in May with Momma and my Dear Friend, Phoebe.

Phoebe will be fangirling as Lt. Nyota Uhura, so I have decided to do my own steampunkish version of Uhura in the classic 1967 Star Trek episode, Mirror, Mirror.

Beamed up during an ion storm, the landing party find themselves in a mirror universe aboard an Enterprise run by ruthless barbarians.

Enchanted Designer/Etsy
Momma ordered me my very own Star Trek uniform, to which I shall add my own special touches once it arrives.

(I do, however, refuse to bare my tummy!)

Stay tuned!

 

This week in the Civil War: April 14, 1863

Union gunboats run past Vicksburg

Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had for months sought in the winter of 1862-63 to find a way to clear Confederate forces defending Vicksburg on the seemingly indomitable bluffs lining the Mississippi River there. Clearing Vicksburg would be a key prize for the Union if it could seize control of that city and gain supremacy over the inland waterway, splitting the Confederacy in half. On the night of April 16, 1863, Union gunboats ran downriver past the batteries at Vicksburg, outwitting artillery fire from the heights as they moved below that city. Grant planned to have his armada meet up with thousands of troops marching overland. His audacious plan: to send his troops trekking down the river's west bank where they could be ferried by flee across to the Vicksburg side to mount an eventual attack. For now, Vicksburg bristled with heavy gun batteries along its riverfront and along the swamps and bayous on other sides. All of its approaches by land were guarded by gun batteries. In the coming month, Grant, however, would open a 47-day siege of Vicksburg that would gain the Union a much-needed victory and further burnish Grant's star as a general who fights to win - and one Lincoln would tap to lead the overall war effort.



Saturday, April 13

The signature pop culture experience of the Southwest

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Momma has been granted a media pass for the upcoming Phoenix Comicon 13!

That means that I, Steampunk Addie, shall be there in an official capacity!

Not only that, but my arch nemesis, Evil Wil Wheaton, will be there again - his sixth year appearing at Phoenix Comicon.


I am sooo excited.

I simply cannot wait for Phoebe to get here. We are going to have so much fun!

Now where did I put my Li'l Wil....


When worlds collide

I am a huge fan of mashups and the latest I have heard of is The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles.

Dorothy (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and Alice (Peter Pan) have grown up and gone to college. They're now roommates - plus Wendy Darling (Peter Pan) and Susan Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia).

Apparantly none remembers her childhood adventure, but that's about to change....

Wowzer! Dorothy, Alice, Wendy, and Susan.


Talk about the Fantastic Four!

Friday, April 12

Bird on a wire

As mentioned in my post, Librarian by day, flamingo by night, I love pink lawn flamingos.


And, as you know, I adore all things Disney.

So imagine my delight today to discover the Fantasia Flamingo Yard Art!


I must get one to add to my collection.

Mwa ha ha! 

 

I'm off to see the movie


The powerful movie of Oz.
When Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot, with fame and fortune his for the taking... that is, until he meets the witches Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting.
Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is really evil before it is too late. Putting his "magical" arts to use through illusion, ingenuity, and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

 Have you seen it yet?


Thursday, April 11

Just glue some gears on it

Check out this delightful ditty by Reginald Pikedevant!



As I read the Gazette to catch up on the news,
Some classified adverts I chanced to peruse.
When I saw a category called "Steampunk,"
I turned to it eagerly, but left in a funk.
For I quite enjoy the steampunk aesthetic,
But what I beheld there was rather pathetic!
These intrepid online auctioneers
Had just taken modern objects and stuck on some gears!
It's simply not cricket!
It shouldn't be done!
But it's clear how their thoughts had run:

Just glue some gears on it, and call it steampunk;
That's the trendy fashion nowadays!
A copper-painted chunk of some 1980s junk
Will fetch a pretty penny on eBay!


But it got even worse than that, I'm afraid:
And as I went on, I became more dismayed;
For they often didn't modify the things they wanted me to buy
Heavens to Betsy! They'll end up on Regretsy!
Steampunk is more than a mere mode of dress
or decoration, so it brings me some distress
To see a metal cicada described with that name,
Or a teacup, a mood ring, a silver gilt frame.
Gluing on gears at least takes effort;
This is sloth of the worst sort!

Just glue some gears on it, and call it steampunk;
That's the trendy fashion nowadays!
A copper-painted chunk of some 1980s junk
Will fetch a pretty penny on eBay!


"Steampunk" refers to a type of science fiction
about alternate pasts (not future prediction),
Often set in Victorian Britain,
But the history of technology has been rewritten.
So put a bit of thought into your designs!
Use leather and brass, 19th Century lines!
"Retro-futuristic" is a good explanation;
Blend antique reality with imagination.
But calling things "steampunk" to try to sound "cool'"
Makes you look like a bloody fool!

Just glue some gears on it, and call it steampunk;
That's the trendy fashion nowadays!
A copper-painted chunk of some 1980s junk
Will fetch a pretty penny on eBay!


Gauges and rivets, copper tubing and glass
Lend a steampunk creation a real touch of class
Gears are appropriate to introduce
If they look like they have a legitimate use.
Although Nixie tubes are undeniably splendid,
They date from long after the Age of Steam ended.
(Pity, really; I just love Nixie tubes.)
Anyway, I hope you've comprehended.
So use the word "steampunk" correctly, old chap
And don't use it to refer to crap!

Just glue some gears on it, and call it steampunk;
That's the trendy fashion nowadays!
A copper-painted chunk of some 1980s junk
Will fetch a pretty penny on eBay!



Wednesday, April 10

Tangled to the Maximus

I reported back in January that Momma was working on the newest members of my Steam Team: Rapunzel and Maximus from Disney's Tangled.

Maximus arrived recently after months of patience.

Doesn't Rapunzel look happy to see her equine friend?

Now that Maximus is here, Momma feels she can start serious work on steampunking Rapunzel.

So far Rapunzel has boots (which she may, or may not, wear), goggles, hose clamps, and a hair stick with golden lanterns. 

She also has a purple top hat that Maximus occasionally wears, too.

Next on the agenda is Rapunzel's outfit. Momma has the pattern and fabric - she just needs to get sewing!

Stay tuned!

 

She walks in beauty

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!


Lord Byron, 1814

I was willing to accept it, up until the last line. 

Yeah, right.