An encounter at Lake Ontario

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Current Mood: hopeful

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Wherein Dorian Complicates an Already Complicated Day...

So, last Saturday, we gathered at my house to leave for War Camp in Carillion, where unbeknowst to my Apprentice, she was going to be given a writ for the Laurel. The van was packed, and Squire, the Viking, Apprentice and I were ready to go. I just had to check that all three cats were in the house and not locked on the porch.

Nope, Dorian was under the couch on the porch. So we tried to shoo her into the house. She is a skittish cat, and nervous with too many people shooing her, she ran this way and that and then up a porch support post and through a tiny gap and AGH! now she was in the eaves of the porch, precariously weighing down the flimsy bottom to the eave, poking her head against the nails coming through the roof.

I immediately became an irrational raving Crazy Cat Lady, worried about my cat. I just couldn't leave her there while we went to the event, even though I knew rationally she'd probably come down on her own once things were quiet. We tried to coax her down, we tried to force her down, we tried to grab her. The Viking scratched his arm but good trying to get at her through the narrow gap. Nothing worked.

Squire and Apprentice, not knowing about the Writ, started saying, "hey, we can just forget about the event, it's OK," which caused The Viking and I to share panicked looks. Eventually I was able to hiss an aside to Squire that Apprentice was supposed to get her Writ! At! This! Event! so he re-joined the mission of getting us to the event.

At one point, one of the other cats managed to get out on the porch, and two of us got her back in the house while Squire commented that we were, in actuality, herding cats. ;)

In the end, The Viking stayed home while Squire drove us to the event, Dorian came down out of the eave mid-afternoon, Apprentice received her Writ and was completely surprised, and all was well. But it was not an Auspicious Beginning to the day!

Current Mood: relieved

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Goals....
So, apparently that last list of goals for last Monday was more suitable for oh, say, four days.  ;)  But they were achieved - more or less!

1. Design new harp programs - listed possible songs for 6 new harp programs, researched & arranged *some*
2. Mountain of laundry - 8 loads washed, dried, folded, away - except one last load, and the laundry I've generated *since* then ;/
3. Clean kitchen and dining room
4. Swap winter and summer clothes out - now I can wear cute summer Tees!
5. Plan the week's dinners - use food in freezer!
6. Grocery shop if needed
7. Think positive and look forward!  Mostly successful

Since I seemingly plan too large for single days, here's my goals for the week:

1. Finish arranging music for one complete new harp program - and practice daily!
2. Re-arrange dining room in anticipation of getting new table & chairs
3. Pick up new table and chairs
4. Clean bathrooms, tidy LR
5. Grocery shop for weekend
6. Use electric trimmer on hellacious clover plants in herb garden
7. Think positive and look forward!


Current Mood: cheerful

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Today's Goals
Today's Goals - inspired by Zaduzbina

1. Design new harp programs
2. Mountain of laundry
3. Clean kitchen and dining room
4. Swap winter and summer clothes out
5. Plan the week's dinners - use food in freezer!
6. Grocery shop if needed
7. Think positive and look forward!

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Well this is a bummer!
We've had so much rain in the region that there is a LOT of flooding....many roads in the area are impassable now and in some areas, they're saying the rivers and creeks will crest TOMORROW NIGHT so things will only get worse.   Some counties and towns have declared States of Emergency.

So, we're cancelling Wulfgar's Chivalry Challenge which we were supposed to hold this weekend.  It's just not right to encourage people to travel at this point. 

We're going to try to postpone the event until September 24th, if we can get enough Chivalry and unbelted fighters and other folks to say they would come then.

It especially sucks because all indicators were that the event would do well - we had lots of reservations, good numbers of people planned to attend, lots of fighters, merchants, etc.  Obviously a postponed event will not do as well. 

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Typical.....
Sigh...a call to the Kingdom list for recounting of good memorable moments gets three or four responses, then is derailed by one of the, um, difficult posters. 

Then, someone posts asking essentially for people to gripe about other folks' garb.  This receives many responses.

Attempts by others to turn the conversation to a positive slant get only mild return.

If I wasn't my shire's link to the Kingdom list, I would unsubscribe.  The negativity is dragging me down.

Current Mood: cranky

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Some interesting data....
Relating to some the discussion on a certain list, here's a rough count of the number of the different Orders of Peers (Pelican, Laurel, Chivalry) in the East Kingdom.

Years	Pelican	Laurel	Chivalry
1970-79	11	20	31
1980-89	41	61	76
1990-99	95	119	60
2000-05	78	72	27
2006-11	52	44	21

I think these numbers are pretty instructive.

The number of Pelicans and Laurels made has risen, probably as the populace of the East Kingdom has risen.  The number of Chivalry made has gone down, significantly, despite a probable increase in the number of people fighting.

The number of Laurels made in the last ten years is twice or even three times the number of Chivalry made.

When added together, the number of Pelicans and Laurels made in the last ten years is actually around 5 times the number of Chivalry.  So, even if there *are* "5 non-fighters for every fighter" (which I'm not certain of) the numbers work out.

I guess I'm more het up about this than I should be, spending an hour counting statistics.

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Getting steamed....
I can not beLIEVE what a certain person is saying on a certain list!  I don't want to get embroiled in a new email brouhaha but it's mighty perturbing.....

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Big Boy Pics
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RIP Big Boy
The Viking and I came home from shire meeting at 9:30.  Usually Big Boy is antsing to go outside once darkness falls, but he wasn't interested.  He was sprawled out on the couch.  The Viking went to pet him and he started meowing loudly, unusual for him.  I became concerned and got out wet food to entice him up.  Nope.  When I came back down to the sofa, Big Boy had changed position but was still lying down.  So I tried to stand him up and he just flopped over.  He had no use of his hind legs.  They were cold. 

We took him to the emergency vet where they confirmed that he probably had a blood clot to the blood vessel that fed his hind legs.  He had absolutely no blood flow.  Prognosis is abysmally poor and even if he could survive the next few days, he'd be in awful pain unless he was severely sedated.

So we did what we had to do.  They sedated him to make him more comfortable and we spent some time with him.  We took a couple of pictures since we had never gotten around to doing that before.  We cried.  And then I held him while we let him go.

He was an older cat, with a hard life as a stray.  We knew we wouldn't necessarily have him in our lives for very long.  But we thought we'd have more time than this.

Current Mood: indescribable

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A question...
Why is it I can watch TV dramas about murder and violence with (relative) equanimity, but when I hear about a momma cat who rescued her 5 newborn kittens from a burning building, only to die while trying to save the last one, I can hardly keep from turning into a blubbering mess?

And a better question is, why can't I learn not to watch Animal Planet?

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NOT HAPPY
The FDA may have recalled the drug that I am now using to survive my gastroparesis.  As in, sometime in the next few months, pharmacies won't be able to sell it anymore.  It's the only drug that has had much effect for GP.   I don't know what the hell I am going to do.

Current Mood: distressed

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Cramming for Beowulf piece...
With only five days left until I leave for the event, I need to just stop tinkering with the harp arrangement.  I'm just so unsure of what I'm doing, it's so far out of my comfort zone.

I am completely off-book for the words of the piece, and mostly off-book for the harp.  I need to work on getting it all memorized, smoother, and to practice improvising smoothly when I don't remember exactly what comes next.

And I need to start practicing in the dark, because the performance area will be dark, with some sort of firelight (real or faux).  Harpstrings are hard to see in dim light. 

This will be interesting.

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Eep!
I'm one of a number of performers who will be reciting the entirety of Beowulf at Beowulf: the Event.  www.eastkingdom.org/EventDetails.html 

The tentative program/plot summary for it is now posted.  The list of performers is looking really impressive.  And I'm feeling totally intimidated.  I mean totally.

I haven't quite memorized all of my section, though that shouldn't be too much of an issue, I can get the last bits today and tomorrow.  But I'm still feeling very uncertain of how to handle the harp with the tale.  This is something I've never done - played harp while reciting poetry - and I just don't know how much to play, what to play, etc.  I had wanted to play an Anglo-Saxon lyre, but didn't have immediately access to one, and decided that it would probably be better to use my regular harp, un-Saxon though it is, because it will be more familiar to me.  I had wanted to see what Benjamin Bagby did with my section, but it's not clear if he ever did it.  I can still use ideas from his performance of other sections, but ack!  it's hard trying to figure out where to apply what.  And I don't have any of it "in my fingers" yet.

I'm really feeling some pressure here.  There are other performers who I know are going to be FABULOUS.  There's even at least one other section where probably a harp will accompany the recitation, done by some goddesses of bardery I know.  I just want to acquit myself well, not be a low point in the day. 

I guess I should try channelling all this Angst!  and   Woe!  into my performance, eh?

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LOLCat OK
A long time ago I posted a picture of OK at LOLCats and captioned it:

<a href='http://cheezburger.com/View/416669952'><img class='event-item-lol-image' src='http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/3/22/dontneedcheez128506906567031250.jpg' id='_r_a_416669952' title="Don&#39;t need cheezburgr....  I can has CATNIP!!" alt="Don&#39;t need cheezburgr....  I can has CATNIP!!" /></a>

Going through my bookmarks, I found it, and clicking it, found that two other people had also captioned it:

<a href='http://cheezburger.com/View/422476544'><img class='event-item-lol-image' src='http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/3/24/basketkittay128508591060625000.jpg' id='_r_a_422476544' title="BASKET KITTAY.......  IZ CONFY" alt="BASKET KITTAY.......  IZ CONFY" /></a>

And my favorite:

<a href='http://cheezburger.com/deddeddie/lolz/View/417123584'><img class='event-item-lol-image' src='http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/3/22/iminureaster128506999566562500.jpg' id='_r_a_417123584' title="im in ur easter baskit  eatin ur cadbury eggs" alt="im in ur easter baskit  eatin ur cadbury eggs" /></a>

Current Mood: amused

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Expanded Fighter Practice April 30th, 2011
As some of you may have noticed, Owlsherst is not holding our East Kingdom Southern Region Spring War Practice in 2011.  This is due to a very unfortunate event scheduling clash with the Southern Region War Camp to be held on the same date in April.

For those in the western reaches of the Kingdom who cannot travel to Carillion, Master Wulfgar o' the Wood will be holding an Expanded Fighter Practice on Saturday, April 30th, either at our home or at a nearby farm so we can add archery to the activities, in Etters, PA (near Harrisburg).  Several notable soldiers have promised to make the trek out so it should be an excellent practice!

We can have space for combat, singles and melees, youth combat, archery, and other activities if so desired.  We'll also have an "SCA Flea Market" where folks can bring a table or a blanket, set out their no-longer-used clothes, gear, books, etc., and trade or sell with like-minded folk.

We'll have shelter and access to restrooms and a port-a-potty.  Food will be pot-luck, with at least one hearty stew provided by the hosts.  Alcohol is allowed.  There will be room to set up tents for those who want to spend the night, and a camp-fire for a great bardic circle.

More details will be posted later, with directions.  If you intend to come and stay for dinner, please contact me at linette (you know what goes here) winterwood.me to let us know so we cook enough stew for everyone.

We hope to see some of you there!

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RIP Whiskey
Whiskey's been losing weight, but her belly's been getting bigger.  Her belly was always large because of adhesions from severe abuse in her past, but last night we realized her belly's just huge, and the rest of her is skin and bones.  So we took her to the vet.  The diagnosis was lymphoma.  The vet said it was just bad luck, that she would have two such serious problems, the heart thing and now this.

The vet felt the lymphoma was pretty advanced and she recommended we let her go today.  I was a wreck, and on my own since The Viking was at a client's, but I wanted to do the right thing for Whiskey.  I stayed with her.  She put her chin down on my hand and rubbed and scritched as hard as she could, right before the vet came in to do it.  And then we let her go.

I know all the logical things to think and say - that we rescued her from a bad situation and she had years of a good life with us.  But it hurts to say goodbye.

Current Mood: sad

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phew....
Just spent more than an hour searching the house for Dorian.  The Viking and I had done several moving-furniture-around and even opening-dropped-ceiling sort of things earlier today, and at some point this afternoon I realized that I hadn't seen or heard from Dorian for quite a while.  I didn't think too much of it, but went looking in all her hidey-holes.  No Dorian.  Shook the kitty treats can.  No Dorian (all other cats very interested, and rewarded well for their coming when called).  Went looking in all her hidey-holes again.  Took a flashlight and shone the light in every nook and cranny, no matter how impossible.  Tried to search the dropped ceiling, but I'm too short to see in and the insulation wouldn't let me lift the tiles far.  No Dorian.  I was getting more and more concerned, knowing that in all likelihood she was just fine in some spot I couldn't see.  But my irrational neurotic brain couldn't just set the concern aside and do something else, anticipating she'd come out at some point.  I broke out the big gun: cutting up super sharp Cheddar cheese.  She ALWAYS comes running and crying as soon as she smells or hears the cheese.  Still no Dorian.  I searched the house top to bottom AGAIN, and then AGAIN, imagining her stuck in the dropped ceiling, pressed by the insulation, unable to breathe, or stuck behind furniture, or outside in strange territory (neurotic crazed imaginings, I know).  Ran around like a whackadoo.  Shone the flashlight under the futon for the umpteenth time and there she is, looking at me as if to say, "What?"  I literally dropped my head to the ground, weak-kneed with relief.  I SWEAR she had not been there five minutes before.

Obviously she's got a primo hidey-hole that hasn't been discovered yet.  Also clearly obviously, I am an irrational whackadoo when it comes to my cats.  Some please tell me I'm not the only one.  ;)

Current Mood: relieved

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So back when we took Big Boy to the vet to have him checked out, we had noticed a slight swelling on his left cheek the night before, but by the time we were at the vet, it was gone.  The vet wasn't concerned.

The intervening time has been very busy as I'm helping my parents move back to Massachusetts.  A very stressful time as this really isn't a good idea, but it's happening regardless. 

Big Boy has been adjusting to coming in and out and mostly staying in at night. 

Two nights ago, we realized his cheek was swollen again.  And not just a little.  A lot.  We took him to the vet yesterday.  He palpated the area and said it was just "old granulation" with edema and of no real concern.  I asked repeatedly about abcesses or other problems and the vet brushed me off.  He gave Big Boy a shot of antibiotics and a steroid, gave us antibiotic to give him at home as well as ear meds for earmites. 

The Viking was concerned since I was supposed to drive up to Mass with my parents today (the moving truck arrives Monday).  How would he give liquid medicine to Big Boy all by himself?  I've been able to do so to other cats, but Big Boy really is big and the Viking is a little less experienced in the cat-wrangling department.  But I really feel I must help my parents so I packed etc.

This morning the Viking headed off to 100 Minutes while I did my final packing.  We gave Big Boy his medicine successfully and let him outside.  Then, an hour after the Viking had left, while I was getting stuff out of my car, Big Boy came up to me.  His cheek is covered in blood, it might even be coming out his ear.  Instead of being swollen up, his cheek looks deflated.

So it's probably an abcess.  I washed away the blood as best I could and shut Big Boy up in a room so he doesn't go outside while we're loading my stuff in my parent's van.  The Viking knows what happening and probably won't linger at the event much, though he still won't be home until after dark.  I just have to hope that the shots the vet gave and the medicine he got this morning will help Big Boy start to fight the infection.  I'll keep him locked up in the house rather than letting him outside.

My mom says I should just stay home but I won't feel right leaving my elderly parents to handle a big move all by themselves.  No matter what I do right now, I am letting down someone (something) I love, who I feel duty, obligation and responsibility for.  I can't win.  

Stress doesn't really begin to describe how I'm feeling right now.  Gah.
 

Current Mood: stressed

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Unreal!
It seems a Scadian author has been the victim of copyright infringement by a regional magazine.  The editor was unreceptive and arrogant and asserted in an email that the Internet is public domain.  Now there's a firestorm of comments on the magazine's Facebook page, the situation has been reported on blogs all over, including Gawker and the Washington Post, Neil Gaiman (!) has tweeted about it, and fired-up web savvy folks riding tall horses righteously have combed through other issues of the offending magazine and found myriad other instances of outright theft of articles (not recipes, articles) from such big names as Foodtv, Paula Deen, Giada di Laurentis, NPR, Sunset, WebMD, maybe even Martha Stewart.  Who knows how big this will get.

Google "Cook's Source" and "plagiarism" and see what happens! 

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