I realize that “fun” and “war” do not go together in the mundane world, but they do in the SCA. I arrived back home a couple of hours ago from Great Western War (GWW) and had a wonderful time. It was COLD and I was not quite ready for it. Mind you I live in a cold winter climate but you know, when it’s in the low 40s and you are in a tent and you don’t have enough bed covers, then it’s just cold. Thank you very much. Next time…

As always, I keep a list of things to do and things to do better next war, which for me will be Estrella. This was the first time out for my new-to-me tent and I forgot one of the poles. Oops. My ever-creative household members rigged a center pole for me out of a dining fly pole. Thank heavens that I had the fly poles with me! I didn’t get to put the dining fly up, but having the tent up was a blessing. So I’ll hunt down the missing pole, which I suspect got lumped in with the bed slats that I decided not to take. Next time! Also, NO MORE AIR MATTRESSES FOR ME. My air mattress developed a leak mid-way through the night. Grumbling, I got up to put batteries into my battery-powered air mattress pump — which promptly died. Put in fresh batteries. The darned thing was still dead as a doornail. Ack!! So I spent a rather hard night. My son was cold too so the next change is to bring our tent heater with us to Estrella. (Yes, it’s rated for indoor tents. I’ve used it mundanely, it’s a wonderful thing.) And don’t leave the sleeping bags at home next time… stuff like that.

Otherwise, it’s all a matter of decoration. The wooden bed and my son’s twin cot will be lovely with matching spreads, something period or period-oid. And tassels, and small banners, and hanging lamps, and iron hooks for shelves… not all at once, but gradually.

Also, at last Highland War (in Caid) someone had put potted plants and small trees outside their tent door. They looked great! I wouldn’t trust anything except evergreens to Atenveldt cold snaps, but what a pretty idea for a warmer war.

The rest of the war was just fun thanks to my household, my terrific 12-year-old, my Shire, and several old friends whom I don’t see nearly often enough. I really wasn’t that busy, but the days literally flew by (Thursday to Sunday). I could have used an extra day or two.

My thanks to GWW’s incredible war staff and volunteers! And as always, thanks to my household Cliar cu Buidhe and its friends.