Beltaine

The West had Beltaine at the Pitt Ranch in Arbuckle this weekend. It was very windy, and hot. And it IS a ranch, so that meant flying dung and dried grass, allergies, etc. All in all, the topography of the site was good. Parking was far enough away and close enough both. Because of the WEATHER, I think a lot of people are judging the site harshly. Personally, I'd rather keep this site and toss the sheep ranch site with the rattlesnakes and the "No Dogs" rule. We didn't camp, because there really wasn't any reason to and we need to save our impositions on the neighbors (to feed and lock up our animals) for those times when we really must camp.
It was a relatively unpleasant, hot and windy day followed by a very pleasant, temperate and calm evening.
Court was highly entertaining.

I think I'm getting to the point in my relationship with the SCA community where much of the magic has worn thin. I don't like to sew, my garb always seems lacking and I truly have no desire to spend any amount of time on it, and yet I know that people judge me on that and it gives me less credibility. I'm tired of being a Chirurgeon, even though it isn't difficult. My arthritis prevents me from walking great distances over uneven ground without a lot of pain, sometimes for days, so again I don't have the credibility that the former Principality Chirurgeon had, and currently has as Kingdom Chirurgeon. I admire her a great deal, the fighters are all very familiar with her and trust her because she is always out there, and at events at which I am the CiC I tend to stay at Point. There are things I love, such as brewing and bread-making and fermenting vegetables. There are things I truly WANT to learn, such as harping and tablet-weaving beyond my basic skill set. But it seems to me that a basic part of the SCA is trying to maintain an acceptable appearance, which is too expensive to do unless you do it yourself, and I truly do not like machine sewing and don't have the time to hand sew all our garb unless I spend every spare moment doing that and nothing else.

This has lately become an issue with me because I'm shrinking and I don't know what to do to cover all the stages between old body and new body. Miach's fighting this year has been really good. He came very close to winning a Coronet two or three years ago, and I think he's feeling that he has to try to win it this year because he's not getting any younger. So I'm worrying much more than I usually do about garb. I also worry that I'm not presenting the best in reflection of him, and I know that the Knights are looking at him and he has enough hurdles to cross already without my garb being one of them. One of our friends was recently asked to join the Chivalry, and I truly believe that a large part of that invitation was that his Lady maintains a very nice period encampment and she dresses the both of them in attractive garb.

I'm also grouchy today because the Shire, which I once loved, has become fractured and nearly dysfunctional. Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the people that are currently thorns in our side, but again: I don't have the energy or ability to host events due largely to my arthritis, which I am beginning to acknowledge is much more of a disability than I have been willing to admit prior to this. I used to be able to take a pill twice a day and move fairly comfortably, but due to my surgery, I can't take those pills any longer. And I absolutely do not want to use narcotic pain meds, even if my doc would prescribe them. I've seen first-hand what they do to people over time, and it's not pretty and it's not healthy.

And this is where my head is at currently.