Yay! We are connected to the rest of the world again.

We've been without an internet connection at home since Sunday. Our DSL modem died. The new one should arrive today or tomorrow, hopefully. I'm currently at a Panera's downtown catching up on e-mails. I didn't realize how much I've come to rely on the internet for international news (no cable tv), communicating with friends, researching things and buying stuff. If I haven't responded to you for some reason that's why. If you need me for something, call me. My number is in the Acorn and on the Isenfir website.

A sense of accomplishment from yesterday. The rec-room wall that backs to the mudroom and laundry room is drywalled. A bunch of wiring has been moved and re-configured and all the walls in the mudroom are now drywalled and I can finish taping and mudding.

I have 16 tons of gravel on my driveway and the area in front of the garage! Yay to the dump truck driver who knows how to use his truck to spread it so I don't have to move it all myself. The last guy didn't know how to use his shiny new truck yet and dumped most of it in a pile in an impractical spot.

Tomorrow I will have over 30 Free Scholars and Provosts at my house for a couple of meetings, and more importantly, lots of fighting. It should be fun.

Sunday we'll have our monthly open house for fight practices, archery and thrown weapons practice, cooking, sewing and whatever projects people want to work on.

On Monday I will have a quiet day and a quick trip to Richmond for a fitting of the amazing knit pluderhose that Caemfind is making. They really are incredible.

I'm ready for a nap.

Corby will not be fighting in the upcoming Crown Tourney. In weighing the pros versus the cons, the why nots list was longer with the top reasons being 1.) The house renovation - we'll be gutting the whole kitchen and putting a big hole in the wall to the dining room this summer. That'll be enough work and stress at one time. 2.) Corby's not being able to train much because of injuries. Maybe we'll try in the fall.


We get a tax refund this year - yay!.


I spent 2-1/2 days playing cat herder to my brother, 2 nieces and parents after 2-1/2 days of dealing with subcontractors and trying to get the house and renovation area cleaned up for the family visit. I'm done with people who ask questions and want directions from me and then don't like my answers or suggestions (no, I'm not going to go get you s'mores fixin's and ice cream sandwiches at 9 pm when the grocery store is 10 miles away - we have other things for dessert right here) - at least for a couple days.


My 15 year old niece and my 75 year old father sure have a lot in common - moody, self centered, rude and unaccommodating.


My back is much much better. I should be set to fight at the WS/FS get-together in about two weeks. I can't wait.


The garage is almost entirely enclosed. The first of the storage shelves are already in place and are being used. Now all of the armored and rapier equipment can live in one place instead of being scattered between three rooms and two vehicles.

The other day I cleaned most of the windows in the house - inside and out. Today, simultaneously, there was a male cardinal tapping at his reflection outside the rec-room window and a downy woodpecker tapping at his reflection outside the kitchen window. If only I'd had the good camera. I was inside but less than 5 feet from the cardinal.

Sometimes you're just having one of those days ....
Fail Dogs

My back is slowly getting better. This weekend was fun and busy and I overdid it a bit but I'm being good now - taking it easy and putting ice on it. I get a cortisone shot for it on Friday.

I have everything I need for my costume for the party this weekend except the fishnet stockings which I'll get tomorrow.

My brother and nieces are coming to visit in two weeks and I had hoped to have a couple of the house renovation projects done by then, or at least farther along than they are. Oh well. I just have to be resigned to getting done what I can. The first part of next week I'll be at my parent's house helping my mom finish a couple of projects so their house is ready for the family visit.

Posting for the sake of posting.

The back is slowly getting better. Had another appointment with the chiropractor today followed by a massage. Very nice. I may have undone some of that though by spending the afternoon vacuuming and cleaning the house. Looking forward to Defending the Gate tomorrow even though I won't be able to fight. If I'm up for it I'll marshal. Isenfir should have a good turn out - possibly as many as 5 rapier fighters. Not bad for our lil' ol' shire. :-)

Also looking forward to good company and fun houseguests this weekend. soucyn and lady_guenievre as well as Shecky and Bess.

Posting for the sake of posting. The back is slowly getting better. Had another appointment with the chiropractor today followed by a massage. Very nice. I may have undone some of that though by spending the afternoon vacuuming and cleaning the house - after getting groceries. Looking forward to Defending the Gate tomorrow even though I won't be able to fight. If I'm up for it I'll marshal. Isenfir should have a good turn out - possibly as many as 5 rapier fighters. Not bad for our lil' ol' shire. :-)

Also looking forward to good company and fun houseguests this weekend. soucyn and

Yay for pain meds!! I finally feel human and happy (yes the pain meds do make me a bit giddy). Now to remember that even though I'm not in agonizing pain it doesn't mean that my back has actually healed so I still need to take it easy - no lifting or bending and lots of time lying on the sofa with an ice pack.