Good Samaritans

After awakening in my car this morning and while I wrote the blog about yesterday I opened the window of the car to take some pictures of squabbling birds.  Much to my dismay while capturing the pictures the lights on the dashboard started to flash.  I quickly turned the key and the car refused to start.  There was nothing that I can tell that got left on, but the battery was dead.  Eventually a nice man stopped by and offered to jump start the car.  Funny thing though with new cars... the battery is hidden, things just aren't the same.  Someone else drove by and he asked them to help me.  This young man had a truck, with a battery, and was quickly able to jump start the car.  So very thankful!  I made it home without incident after that.

My happy things for today:

• Watching the birds
• The Good Samaritans  💜💜
• My kids are on the way here from Texas!!  😄
• Gideon asking me if anything special happened at the event yesterday... that kid can keep a secret!
• Lunch out with Z, Gideon, and Z's parents.
• This may be a Millennial thing coming from a Baby Boomer, but I LOVE that I can make one post on Facebook and be able to thank so many people at a time.
• Making new friends on Facebook.
• Sleep... I slept in the car for at least five hours and when I got home at least another two.  Then I had a nap in the middle of the day.   😴

Queen's Order of Courtesy

Trying to make some artsy photos 

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The Tournament- Long Post

It is Sunday morning after an event and I find myself waking up in the car.  I stopped for a power nap, expecting to not sleep for very long.   I was wrong.  What a difference having a pillow can make!  So before I resume my drive I will write my Blog from Saturday.

There were power naps on the way to the event.  I didn't sleep well and got up very early to avoid traffic that I imagined would be getting onto the Cape.   There was some rain on the drive that didn't quite go away until late morning.   It didn't seem to take away from the event.   

During morning court Their Majesties said goodbye to the Baronage that have been serving for the last three years and said hello to a new Baron and Baroness.  As I think back on seeing these two, briefly,  prior to their stepping up, they seemed calm?  Maybe not calm, but I remember feeling anxiety and I thought I showed it, they didn't show it, at least not that I could tell.

After the investiture, the fighter's were called forth to speak with Their Majesties.  At the end of the tournament today the victor would be the Heavy List Champion for the King.  The Queen gets to choose her champion from the fighters though.   Because of this, she watches the tournament and both Majesties speak to the fighters prior.  The tournament lasted a few hours and the champions were announced at evening court.

There were a few fighters from Stonemarche who fought well but none won the day.  There was also a Rose Tournament where the loser of the bout got a rose from the Queen to present to a person of the winner's choice.  I was presented two, each from a different fighter.  This was an honor for me.  I did not keep the roses however.   During the day two ladies helped me by retaining and, more importantly,  making the long walk to my car for things I had forgotten.  For this service they each got a Rose.  The Stonemarche fighters were each given a token by me for entering the tournament and being part of the Barony.

At evening court I was surprised by being called up and awarded with the Queen's Order of Courtesy.  Again, I have recieved something that I don't feel worthy of.  The award is an embroidered glove.  It was beautifully embroidered by a friend.  Her Majesty made sure to pass on that this glove is not a piece of clothing and I am not Dobby the House-elf from Harry Potter and am not now free.

There was a feast to be enjoyed with friends to close out the evening.  Now for my list of happy things for Saturday:

• The site was beautiful.
• Friendly faces.
• A six year old's view of fireflies.
• Spending time with friends.
• Watching a two year old shovel kale soup into her mouth.  And oh, that same child's eyes!
• Getting to know new friends.
• The Queen's Order of Courtesy.
• Watching people help other people.
• The phone call I recieved after the event that my daughter and son are on their way back from Texas!!

And a couple pictures from the event....

This was taken during feast.

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Fried Friday

Life intervened with my plans for an early start today.  They intervened so hard that I am waiting until tomorrow to go to the event I was going to camp at today.  Gideon has had an allergic reaction to something that has caused his eyelid to swell.  He will be fine.  Enough of my day was spent taking care of him and the other finishing touches to be ready for this weekend that I was too tired and hot to make the drive.  Gideon will not be able to go to the event now.  He will recover faster if he isn't in a different place with new allergens and possibly less clean water.    

Any how, my happy things for today:

• Gideon only has allergies and not something more serious.
• People in my Barony are super awesome.
• Exercise routines.
• Cherries.
• It appears that my daughter's car is fixed and she will no longer be stranded (well, she is with family) in Texas!

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Short-Just a Happy

As most days lately, today didn't go as planned. That is alright though, it was still a good day.  Somethings got done later than I hoped or not at all and other things happened that I hadn't planned, but it is all good.  One thing that I hadn't expected was finding some things for a gift basket I need for this weekend.  With K away, I wasn't able to put my hands on some things but some friends came through and now the basket will be filled.  I am sure when she gets back she will find the things right away, but I couldn't.  My happy is people coming together to help out at the last minute.  I live in a wonderful Barony!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

☮

                                                                                                                                                                             

Three Miles

Gideon and I were invited out by friends to go for a walk this morning.  It was three times around a pond (three miles) and Gideon did great!  He started to tire a little the last mile, but was able to play at the park's playground after.  He wants to say that it would be like going around the playground at school A BUNCH of times.  Before bed we went out for a short walk to play Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, so he still had energy.

We stayed home most of the rest of the day.  I got laundry done and some organizing in my room and the Make Room.  The Make Room has begun to be more of a storage room instead of a place to do crafts.  I have ideas of how I would like to change it up, but that will have to wait until K gets back from Texas.  The car that they arranged to buy while down there has been in the shop most of the time since she picked it up.  Hopefully it will get her back here and C as well real soon.

My happy for today is this mornings walk.  It was great to get that morning exercise and visit with friends too. 

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Family

It has been an hour since I sat down here to write tonight.  Sleep keeps getting ahold of me instead and doesn't want to let go.  Now I am trying to write before sleep takes over completely.

There was an impromptu family gathering today.  Generally these happen for sad reasons but today's was to visit with some family members before they returned to New York, so a happy reason.   As one who does a very poor job of keeping contact I try to get to these things when I can.  Gideon and I went and he was great.  Not that I expected otherwise, but he has wanted to have stay at home days and this was quite a bit of driving around and then a family lunch that he ended up being the only child at.  My aunt, cousin (from NY) and I went for a short drive to the cemeteries.  We visited where my grandparents are buried as well as my parents and other family members first.  It was raining lightly so we didn't stay long.  We also went to the cemetery where my cousin's mom is.  He was put up for adoption as a baby and only found the rest of us after she had passed away. 

Well, really, my tired brain is making this all seem rather sad when it was a good day and filled with family stories and love.  My happy for today is that unconditional family love and feeling of belonging. 

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Short

It was another hot summer day.  The temperatures haven't quite been intolerably hot, just the upper 80's.  Too hot for me to be walking around the city much.  I did a little walking and playing games on the phone after a doctor appointment today and took a nap in the afternoon.  Gideon, Z and I have been enjoying the new Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game.  We got to battle mythical beasts together in the cool of the evening.

My happy today is that nap.  I must have really needed it though because I had some energy later and did the dishes.  It will be a long summer if the upper 80 degree temperatures keep zapping my energy.  Time to remember all my keep cool strategies!

Gideon's wild hair and glasses made me think of a cross between

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.  😄

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SCA Day

It all started with the bylaws meeting.  We had to move the location because our original spot no longer opens at 10 AM.  This time I will admit to being a little distracted by the three week old baby that I was able to hold while she slept.

After I walked home from that meeting I went to a thrown weapons practice.  Unfortunately I was the only person who showed up today.  Well, perhaps fortunately, it meant I was able to get some one on one instruction.  😊  I hadn't been to that particular practice before and I hope to make it there again soon.

My last SCA thing for the day was dinner out with the heads heads of staff to talk about retaining schedules for the next few events.  I admit that I was feeling rather tired by the time that last meeting happened.  Thankfully they are good friends and we were still able to be productive and understanding as we were all tired.

Now that I have written this summary of my day I must say that I feel like things got accomplished, probably more than I thought, today.  This learning period of becoming a Baroness is taking its time.  All aspects of my day had happy things.   The happiest of all was holding the baby.

Baby Hand!

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Saturday

This is only the first week,  not even full week, since school ended for the summer and I am already losing track of what day of the week it is.  Saturday,  it was Saturday and there were things to do all day.  After showers,  Gideon and I did a quick stroll through the Market Days event in town.   He got snacks and lunch and we both walked by merchants and played a little of the newest game from Niantic,  Wizards Unite.  This is based off the Harry Potter series.

The big thing for Gideon today was the afternoon trip for a birthday party.  He got to play with some SCA friends and I got to chat with their parents.  As the only grandparent there I felt a little old but it was a lot of fun watching all the little ones play,

In the evening,a few people who have done Pennsic often, met to discuss some of the ways in which we want things this year in camp. 

My happy for this Saturday is watching as three to five of the seven kids in attendance at the birthday party climbed up onto the backs of two of the moms there. The moms were laying on the ground.

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Happy Summer Solstice

Today was a day off.  Originally I was going to go climb Mount Major with a friend but the weather didn't cooperate.  Then I was going to go to the storage unit but I ended up instead in the Pennsic planning rabbit hole.  I think all my T's are crossed and I's dotted until tomorrow.  There will be a new list of things to do tomorrow.

My happy for today is going to craft night and visiting with people and seeing all the cool stuff they are working on. 

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What a day!

Sometime in the middle of my deep, Benadryl sleep last night I felt that my arm was swelling up.  Well, it was already swollen around the site where something bit me on Monday but this was like the rings on my fingers suddenly seemed too small and I pulled them off and left them on the bed beside me.  This morning I could only find one of the two rings I took off.  There has yet to be an extensive search because of the doctor appointment this morning and other things that had to be done.  Somewhere in my room there is the ring my aunt/godmother gave me for my sixteenth birthday.  Hopefully I will find it tomorrow, when I have a little more time, and before it gets stepped on or squished into a drawer.  The arm is seeming a bit better today, wish the itching would end though.

After my doctor appointment-where she thought waiting one more day to see if my body will take care of the bite itself before prescribing meds-I met up with some work friends for a birthday celebration.  Hopefully I will find some time to get together with them again over the summer.

I was able to take a nap before heading out to fighter practice tonight.  This proved to be a good thing because there were people there to talk to and I had to do more than sit and watch.  A former Baron and his wife were there and toward the end of practice a local reporter came by to see about writing a story for the local paper.  This was a big reminder that I should get myself some business cards. 

It was a good day visiting with friends and meeting new people.  Happy things for today include:

• Seeing some improvement on my arm where something bit me on Monday.
• Good food.
• Great company.
• Plans coming together (some anyways).
• Naps.

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Shower

Monday at work something bit me.  At this point the spot is way larger than it should be and I am going in to see my doctor in the morning.  I will spare the readers and not post the pictures I have been taking. 

In other news there will be a new shower at the two week long event this summer.  It seems to be coming along quite well and I am in awe as to the amount of work that goes into constructing this well.  A few of us got together and got it partially assembled today.  It is so pretty. 

There was also a retirement party for someone at work today.  I have known her since I was a teenager and she is the reason that I am a para-educator now. 

My happy things are:

• The shower and getting to visit with some SCA friends.
• Going to the retirement party and visiting with work friends. 
• Pushing little kids on a swing (at the party).  
• Ice on my bite.

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Improv--short post

Yesterday while outside at work something bit me.  Since then that spot just keeps getting larger and more red.  If the miscellaneous treatments I have used today and tonight don't show improvement in the morning, it will be doctor visit time.  It has been a distraction for me most of the day.

My happy for today though involves rehearsal.  We went through the scenario, made some adjustments and have things we need to work on.  All the players were there tonight and it went well.  There is always laughter at rehearsal.  :)  It may because I wore the garb that is my costume tonight, but I finally felt like I was finding my character.

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Mary, Mary

After the penultimate day of the school year my friend and I went out and did some more weeding and planting in her garden.  I am reminded about a part from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett where Mary requests a piece of earth.  Gardening has never been a huge thing for me.  I like them but seldom have been able to keep up with the weeding and such.  My preferred plants were always the ones that come up again every year.  That would be the flowers I used to have in my yard (narcissus, lily of the valley, bleeding hearts, tulips) and also the edible strawberries and rhubarb.  We have planted some herbs and now cucumbers.  The rose bush has been uncovered, but there was no new growth yet.  Hopefully it will pull through now that the grass around it has been pulled.  It was a rough autumn around here and it didn't take long for things to grow that didn't belong.  So now in the home I sometimes stay at we are sharing a piece of earth and may have some fresh vegetables in the fall.  More plants need to be purchased, soon for a nice small fall harvest.

Gardening is my happy for today.

This bee was polite enough to pose for my picture taking. 

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Happy? Father's Day.

Apologies, in advance, for a not very happy post.

This is the 19th Father's Day since my father passed away.  It has been a rather melancholy day for me.  I believe, for the majority of humans, we always miss our parents.  There have been and still are family members in my life that I consider mother figures after my mom passed, but no family members that stepped into the father figure roll for me.  This is not to say that I don't have some awesome older cousins and uncles that I am sure would step into that roll if I had asked, it just never happened.  Thankfully, the SCA is full of parental as well as brother and sister types.  As time goes on, I have lost some of those as well.  That is part of getting older, mourning those that go before us.  Today we are asked to celebrate the Fathers in our lives; I hope that those reading this had a splendid day and were able to be with family.  K is visiting her father in Texas and Z is with his dad too. 

My happy today is all the love we have for our family, friends and chosen family.

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Just a Happy

For today I bring a list of happy things:

• Yesterday and today I have been doing a skin test to see if I can use a particular shampoo and I my skin is fine.
• I remembered to figure out what I need to do to fix my gown, now I just need to do it.
• Today is the halfway point of the 30 day exercise challenge, so far, so good.
• Per my request the bacon for my lunch at Subway was burned and it was perfect.
• In Minecraft I 'trained' two wolves last night and this morning I dyed their collars different colors, named them Shuttle and Warped and accidentally bred them and got a puppy, yet to be named.
• Went for a walk and got my step count in.
• Sang a song with K making Gideon laugh hilariously.
• Quite possibly convinced, or at least answered many questions for someone still fairly new to the SCA, to go to Pennsic.
• The moon is beautiful tonight.

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