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.....Recording my sonnet to mark the 2021 fourteenth wedding anniversary with TBT. Life with someone you love really does get better and better over time. The blending of personalities and lives, the growing closer in thoughts, opinions, and feelings. The understanding of each other gained over time. My only regret is that we didn't get married years earlier. :-)

I sing in joy at what the heaven's brought
A verse of love in vibrant waves of sound
Their colors madly wave in forces wrought
To embrace me with their arms tight around

I turn and reach with bounty bold in hand
A gift is made of words I carried far
Bright gems and treasures gathered over land
And deeds from journies under sun and star

Her beauty my soul does drink magic deep
And leaps in wonder to a man once lost
The love she gives brings tears my eyes do weep
I watch in wonder righteous stars are crossed

My world is shaped in glory gowing bright
Her love my pilot through life full of light.

.....Aaron / Arontius.

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.....The 'Sonnet Muse' has been quite the whispering companion lately. Usually, weeks, or even months, go by between those times I feel compelled to write some sonnetry. But over the past couple of weeks, that Muse keeps invading my thoughts and day dreams with ideas, and word combinations that hit me in the right spot where I feel compelled to write them down.

.....Earlier this week I was reading a Post from Countess Elizabeth (Lisa Mohr) when the Muse hit me from behind with a thought. So I wrote it down. Then a few more showed up a day or two later. Also in relation to Countess Elizabeth. So I wrote them down as well. Then spent a little time stitching things together. As usual, I see quirks and angles that should be smoothed out. But, overall, I will keep it. :-)

.....I have known Countess Elizabeth for a number of years. But it has only been the past year and a half or so when I really had the chance to get to know her. Part of it was our shared trip to England in 2019. But as much of it has been as a recipient of her bountiful generosity and good will. She is one of those people who would rather be that good person more than talk about being a good person. Her kindnesses to me have really accumulated and I have learned to truly appreciate the wonderful person she is.

.....Liz, this writing is meant in appreciation and it is my hope that you receive at least a little smile from it. :-)

.....Much Love, Aaron / Arontius.

On brow a crown rests slightly tipped.
Proclamation of wisdom firmly held.
With knowledge gained in close companionship.
The ignorant in battles fierce are felled.

With piercing eyes she scans all before her.
A defender to all of those she loves.
Their dis'tress causing then her heart to stir.
A strength fiercely quiet in softest gloves.

For those who fall under her mantle warm
Generosity is her joyous friend.
She gives her all to save them from the storm.
In silence always for no debt to tend.

This lady fair who stands so bright and tall.
Gives abundent love so admired by all.
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.....Continuing to add to the 'Story Sonnet' series for Aelianora. Here is the new addition:

She strokes the wind in grace on soaring flight.
With intense will she scours lands beneath her.
A piercing gaze soon spies a massive might.
An army profoundly vast that eyes blur.
The precisely laid stones run straight and true.
An ageless mark of those who tamed these lands.
Her delight showed in wondrous smile that grew.
Bright Britannia named in joy by these hands.
With gentle thought her heart will rise in song.
To embrace lands most precious to her soul.
A passion strong for history held long.
These deeds she writes on her endless scroll.
This place so flowing green her heart is home.
She loves these peoples such long ways from Rome.

.....and here is it tucked in amidst the remainder:

When her clear sweet call rings out through the air,
A drumbeat rolls across the grassy field.
As goats greet mistress fair with milk so rare,
White gold great treasure from all her friends yield.
Soft silken nectar made warm in the flame.
Ambrosia will condense in many curds.
Withdrawn are waters motion quick to tame.
Wild drink as once was now in gathered herds.
The cloth of gold now wraps the wheel with love.
That is enshrined in her home of deep rest.
Long sleep is watched, signs of hope from above.
Brought forth in celebration when age crest.
From Capra sisters joyful gifts they give.
The nourishment a luscious way to live.

She tames a land of chaos in grasp tight,
Wild nature green with healthy teaming life.
A growth she nurtures with Law gleaming bright.
Her victory a harvest snatched from strife.
The ordered rows of vines and bushy leaves,
Thrum vibrantly in the warm summer heat.
Their chorus in time to a song she weaves.
The words she teaches with fresh water meet.
High notes are taken by goats prancing near.
Low notes are felt in waves from Mother Earth.
A gathering that sustains through the year.
A world she rules to capture Life's birth.
She holds a magic protecting from harm.
All who do thrive on her life-giving farm.

The intricate fiber paths will hold fast.
They find the choices made in cloth tills.
Our seamstress grips the intuitions cast.
And guides blades to arrange life as she wills.
Before her lies the scattered complex shapes.
The geomancy she will read for all.
And pieces rise to cover as she drapes.
To be assembled for the needful call.
A metal sliver holds thread fiber dear.
Cloth of great work is given flame of life.
Two lives are led as finer thread draws near.
Embellishing all cloth with beauty rife.
The endless tapestry dense with its law.
She tames with skill and needles steel which gnaw.

She strokes the wind in grace on soaring flight.
With intense will she scours lands beneath her.
A piercing gaze soon spies a massive might.
An army profoundly vast that eyes blur.
The precisely laid stones run straight and true.
An ageless mark of those who tamed these lands.
Her delight showed in wondrous smile that grew.
Bright Britannia named in joy by these hands.
With gentle thought her heart will rise in song.
To embrace lands most precious to her soul.
A passion strong for history held long.
These deeds she writes on her endless scroll.
This place so flowing green her heart is home.
She loves these peoples such long ways from Rome.

The evil, Ignorance, thrives as foe dark.
Insidious coils smother Learning's flame.
Our warrior of thought with spear will mark.
A guide on human's quest to find his name.
She moves forth with inquisitive mind bright.
Through sources obscure she researches deep.
Dark knowledge made clear by Athena's light.
Announcing to all learning she does reap.
The sharing of skills and fruits of her mind.
She eagerly shows what she can to all.
Her lectures thrill and make more of her kind,
And produce works of mastery most tall.
Her passion is for beauty in all things.
Both of the mind and of the hand all sings.

In high nobility and vigilance
Her evidence of knowledge held on high.
The voice a call of truth in jubilance,
For all to her bright scholar's light draw nigh.
In tall companionship with Laurel peers.
Her fearsome powers of research at hand.
A mentor strong dispelling all their fears.
A strike on ignorance she will demand.
Her Kingdom to protect she'll ever strive,
Defending with all her ability.
In beauty strong from her fingers do thrive,
As from her mind keen credibility.
This lady holds a torch of learning bright.
As she's proclaimed by Crown in Laurel rite.

.....I'll keep practicing. They are becoming easier, so the quality really needs to start coming up as well.

.....Aaron / Arontius.
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.....I went way overboard in Christmas cards this year. To the extent that it has taken me three weeks just to produce twelve cards, and that was starting with cards TBT had already printed for me. :-) Although, to be honest, I'm actually pretty happy with the way they turned out.

.....Staying with the traditional act of recording all my written Sonnetry to Dreamwidth, here is the 2020 Christmas Card Sonnet.

Great Teacher Time in slumber slips
A journey's end to which her feet will tred
At shining star her gaze gratefully sips
A renewing spring from which life if fed.

The gemstone light blinks with promises bold
Of growth and health and wonders abounding
The warmth of spring does bely night's dark cold
As it will lie with earth's love surrounding.

The cares of trials past fade with morning's light
With hope and glory a new year does ring
A gift held profoundly with loves great might
A parade where the angels will then sing.

A dawn of youth greets with cheerful word.
A welcome to new adventures is spurred.

.....2020 was such a harsh year! Looking with hope towards 2021. May it be good for all of us!

.....Aaron / Arontius.


2020 Christmas Sonnet
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.....This one was really out of the muses. I rolled with whatever came to me as opposed to what I typically try to do, which is calculate the weight of every single word. I'm not sure if that method worked better, worse, or no differently than usual. But the end result was a sincere wish to honor TBT on her birthday, as is 'traditional'. :-)

Emerging from the Sun's coronal rings
She strides with purpose and with passion strong
This paragon of beauty in all things
Brings love and life to all who hear her song.

She halts to turn and gaze about
The warmth of Summer's sun coalescing bright
Light gathering to worship most devout
As it whirls joyously within her sight.

She lifts her arm and sweeps across the sky
The stars of heaven's vault fly from her hand
They swiftly spread, yet gentle as a sigh
A blanket nurturing needs of the land.

A Seraph leading with celestial love
With beauty skillfully wrought from above.

With Much Birthday Love to TBT, Aaron.
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.....Over the past month or so I've been practicing to re-learn some of my forgotten calligraphy skills. To do that I've been writing letters to people I like and admire around the SCA. I pull out a couple of pages of Bristol, pencil-line it for lettering, and then pick a hand to practice. Then write a letter using that hand. This week as a letter to Mistress Achaxe. This time though I penciled out a sonnet. As usual it could use some polish, as do the vast majority of what I write. But it came from the heart, which is my minimum standard. :-)

.....Saving it here; again, as I do with all my sonnetry. :-)

Those sultry eyes rose to shine through my soul
Long lashes captured me in sacred bliss
Her enigmatic smile did fill a hole
A healing I had not known was amiss.

I witnessed beauty which surrounded her
It flowed from crystal clear deep springs within
And cleansed with smudging of bright scented fir
A hero new to quell chaotic din.

Love's presence I then felt which also flowed
Compassion wrapped me in warm embrace
To help this poor fool carrying a load
Protective bonds of shielding giving grace.

She freely gives love's bounty to us all.
Our gift from heaven to help us stand tall.

.....With lots of love to Achaxe, Arontius. :-)
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.....I wrote a second Sonnet for Tsuruko, as a note to send to her to help cheer her up in any way I could. This one is not as good as the first one, but I'll send it anyway and maybe work on it later when the muse hits me over the head just right. :-)

In darkness thunder caused my blood to course
A rhythm timing with my beating heart.
A fierce crescendo of quick pulsing force
To eagerly chas-se in joyous start.

A brilliance blinded me with Heaven's light,
God's messenger upon a glowing steed.
A woman with intent and steadfast sight.
Her aura streaming a banner to heed.

Earth showered me as she abruptly slid.
Time co'alescing in a whirling pool.
She smiled upon me with a welcome bid.
With love and laughter comforting this fool.

This angel charges forth with fear as foe.
With joy she heralds bright love forth to know.

.....With Love to Tsuruko, Aaron / Arontius.
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.....Saving my sonnetry to Dreamwidth:

Happy Anniversary, Tammie Dupuis!

On this day thirteen years ago I was given a monumental gift. The Beloved Tamm (TBT) officially declared she would share her life with mine and allow me to accompany her on her journey forward into time and destiny. I bless that day, and thank whatever divinity allowed it to be. Tamm has been the solid Earth at my feet, supporting me in all my struggles and accomplishments. She has been the shining, glittering stars above, guiding me forward; providing wisdom; always blinking at me in crytal visions which make me smile in wonder. I look forward to the years ahead together with eagerness and joy!

.....and the obligatory sonnet to celebrate the occasion!

In time's tempestuous swift flowing streams
We navigate this boat together strong.
To weave through hazards far beyond our dreams
No fear is felt as trust protects from wrong.

A sudden wave casts us in fearsome pace
A reaching hand seeks safety's precious hold.
I grasp and pull her in to my embrace
A bolt of memories then strikes me cold.

A beauteous keen mind of thought and wit.
A soul of grace built from compassion deep.
A strength of will in war with lamp she lit.
A woman divine of whom men weep.

Forever the companion by my side.
We will together overcome the tide.

All my love! For ever and ever! Aaron.
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.....I wrote a sonnet for Tsuruko Sensei (MKA Deborah Strub), who is going through some tough health issues at the moment. I wanted to make it extra-special, so I practiced my calligraphy with it as well. From a critical perspective it is not great. But it all came from the heart as I am hoping the best for Tsuruko during these tough times.

Mists swirling as the demon rose grew dark
Fear stalking in the frantic parting wake.
As wing'ed hope fled quickly with evening lark,
To leave deep sadness for this life to take.

In hopeless lands an angel then did stride.
With lighted beacon held before her might.
A sword of justice swung with purpose wide.
To smite the foes who held these lands in night.

With love she smiled in friendship fast she gave.
A generous gold heart for all to see.
Her hand strove forth to lift up those to save.
A warmth that healed to cause the dark to flee.

This woman journeys long paths feared by men.
With hope and laughter life she will then mend.

.....All my thoughts and hopes and healing hugs to you, Tsuruko!

.....Aaron / Arontius.

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A spreading light flows from the horizon
New life the body fills and warmth the soul
The excitement grows as the past lies in
A golden burst of light leaps like a foal.

My arms rise overcome in emotion
As much as they rise in supplication
The joy and beauty require devotion
By me is given in salvation.

My eyes adjust to messenger divine
As tears then stream in response to the smile
A gift of love she freely gives as mine
A present cherished as it does beguile.

This day of celebration is held dear.
My greatest fortune with me one more year.

Happy Birthday, Tammie Dupuis. As always, you are my Northern Star, my Southern Cross, my worshipful heart's truest desire. Always. There is no need for me to wish anything special for your birthday, as anything you need, want, or desire is yours for the asking whether it is your birthday or not.

All my love, Aaron.
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.....Sometimes, an inspiration will just appear seemingly out of nowhere. Sort of like a dream sequence. I don't actually remember my dreams very often, and still worse forget them rapidly when I do wake up with them. Much to my regret. Although the below is awkward, and still needs a lot of help in rhyme, meter, and sequencing, I'm scribbling it down here in Live Journal so I remember it. The vision was especially vivid, even if the words recorded are not expressively so.

.....Language is an absolutely amazing thing. It is magical. And it takes skill, and practice, to use with any sort of artistic output. I will master this some day. :-)

A constant companion besides me strides
The figure brooding with encroaching night
His silence ponderous as Earthly tides
That extol passage with sonorous plight

His siblings often in greeting will shout
Their own devices in prominent view
One holds a glass, sand flowing with no doubt
And one holds threads strong, bright shining with dew

I ran on pathways filled always with fear
For I would not speak nor their purpose seek
If I let go, allowing Courage near
New friends would not allow me to be weak.

Let go of fear and embrace your real life
The journey is love removing all strife

.....The sonnet is such a tight medium. It is difficult to distill an expansive thought to such a short verse. But well worth the exercise. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.
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.....On this date, a decade ago, Tammie Dupuis and I stood in the Living Room of her beloved South Seattle home and said our wedding vows. Every year since just gets better and better. My only regret? Not having married her ten years before that. smile emoticon:-)

.....You are my sun, my moon, my glitter, guiding northern star that brightens my very soul. Love you forever! Happy Tenth Wedding Anniversary!

.....With obligatory wedding anniversary sonnet ... :-)

My early journies lacked a purpose clear
An aimless wandering through many lands.
Then Love took pity and leaned close to hear
My cries to fill the space my heart demands.

Glass wings a window to another world
A prism freeing light in many hues.
Seen in exstatic light as she is hurled
In sudden motion to release her muse.

This dragonfly forever draws me near
A guide whose beauty in a spell binds me.
Her flights of passion drive away all fear
New wonders revealed she leads me to see.

Love's wisdom sent me a soul searing fate
Forever to be with this perfect mate.

.....All My Love, Aaron.
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.....So, I was asked to write a sonnet for someone whom I admire. I was flattered at the request. But as usual I am never happy with my own results. There is a huge and gaping depth of nothingness between my visions and dreams, and what goes on to the paper I try to translate those vision on to. Some day I'll find that Rainbow bridge. Hopefully, within my lifetime. :-)

The arms reach wide from Sol's departing bows,
His warm embrace remindful of day's gifts.
A blinding brilliance of his gloried vows,
Humility seen as the soul it lifts.

This land's protector stands in service tall.
A victory to all within his cares.
His courage bulwark from chill Evil's call.
His chivalry a mantle bright he wears.

A beacon guiding to a chalice gold.
He holds his lamp of goodness high above.
And gathers those about in shepherds hold.
A calm protector who will lead with love.

His duty sacred held he did not fail.
Has proven worthy of this holy Grail.

.....I may do some more editing, but I should get some personalized input first.

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....A Poet from the East Kingdom of the SCA posted a learning challenge about two weeks ago now. He wanted to lead a process of development for Sestinas, and asked for volunteers willing to learn a new poetry style. I read up a little on what a Sestina was and thought it sounded interesting.

.....The base definition of a Sestina is thus: A poem of fixed verse consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, which is then followed up by a three-line conclusion, or 'envoi'. The words that end each line of the first stanza are used as line endings in each of the following stanzas, rotated in a set pattern.

.....Sestina lines are not always fixed, but I've already found that I prefer them to be set in Iambic Pentameter (go figure :-)). Although even from the invention of the Sestina in the Twelfth Century this has not always been the case. The overarching control of the Sestina is the rotating pattern of end words, as well as the length of the poem in its entirety.

.....In English, it never held the popularity of poetry styles like the Sonnet. I tend to think because of its length. The English (and I include us Americans in this) have always tended to be on the lazier side in our approach to grammar, so I could see why the Sestina would not be a popular choice in the zenith of English poetry of the Sixteenth through Eighteenth Centuries. :-)

.....So, here is my first stanza. I'm going to groom a little bit from here as after this point I am stuck with the six words. So I need to make sure I can live with them. :-)

With joyous curves branches in glory reach.
They stretch to Spring's warm Sun, new sap runs strong.
The past is written deep on their dark skin.
It speaks of memory that guides them forth.
A map that tells a profound story of years.
As heady liquor beating through their veins burns.

.....My six words would be: A. reach; B. strong; C. skin; D. forth; E. years; F. burns.

.....There are two verbs and one adjective amongst that listing. I'm thinking critically if that will be enough to sustain the completion. So I'm going to ponder on this a little bit before moving on with Stanza 2.

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....I was doodling today at the Conference during a section of the discussion that seemed to mainly be a proverbial dog chasing its tail. I resisted checking my cell phone for e-mail and Facebook and just started putting words together. A couple of lines that came together suggested a crossover sonnet for the Aelianora Sonnet Story that has been hanging out there for a while.

.....You can definitely tell that it was not done at the same time as the other four sonnets. It is much more 'airy' than the other sonnets. It has some words that don't quite fit. But I'll take it as it was interesting how it just sort of 'put itself together' without a whole lot of conscious beating by me, which is my usual process.

.....I'll keep it and see if I can smooth it out some at some later date like what happened with the fourth sonnet. :-)

.....The new fifth sonnet:

She tames a land of chaos in grasp tight,
Wild nature green with healthy teaming life.
A growth she nurtures with Law gleaming bright.
Her victory a harvest snatched from strife.

The ordered rows of vines and bushy leaves,
Thrum vibrantly in the warm summer heat.
Their chorus in time to a song she weaves.
The words she teaches with fresh water meet.

High notes are taken by goats prancing near.
Low notes are felt in waves from Mother Earth.
A gathering that sustains through the year.
A world she rules to capture Life's birth.

She holds a magic protecting from harm.
All who do thrive on her life-giving farm.

.....Which fits into the fabric of the story as follows:

When her clear sweet call rings out through the air,
A drumbeat rolls across the grassy field.
As goats greet mistress fair with milk so rare,
White gold great treasure from all her friends yield.

Soft silken nectar made warm in the flame.
Ambrosia will condense in many curds.
Withdrawn are waters motion quick to tame.
Wild drink as once was now in gathered herds.

The cloth of gold now wraps the wheel with love.
That is enshrined in her home of deep rest.
Long sleep is watched, signs of hope from above.
Brought forth in celebration when age crest.

From Capra sisters joyful gifts they give.
The nourishment a luscious way to live.

She tames a land of chaos in grasp tight,
Wild nature green with healthy teaming life.
A growth she nurtures with Law gleaming bright.
Her victory a harvest snatched from strife.

The ordered rows of vines and bushy leaves,
Thrum vibrantly in the warm summer heat.
Their chorus in time to a song she weaves.
The words she teaches with fresh water meet.

High notes are taken by goats prancing near.
Low notes are felt in waves from Mother Earth.
A gathering that sustains through the year.
A world she rules to capture Life's birth.

She holds a magic protecting from harm.
All who do thrive on her life-giving farm.

The intricate fiber paths will hold fast.
They find the choices made in cloth tills.
Our seamstress grips the intuitions cast.
And guides blades to arrange life as she wills.

Before her lies the scattered complex shapes.
The geomancy she will read for all.
And pieces rise to cover as she drapes.
To be assembled for the needful call.

A metal sliver holds thread fiber dear.
Cloth of great work is given flame of life.
Two lives are led as finer thread draws near.
Embellishing all cloth with beauty rife.

The endless tapestry dense with its law.
She tames with skill and needles steel which gnaw.

The evil, Ignorance, thrives as foe dark.
Insidious coils smother Learning's flame.
Our warrior of thought with spear will mark.
A guide on human's quest to find his name.

She moves forth with inquisitive mind bright.
Through sources obscure she researches deep.
Dark knowledge made clear by Athena's light.
Announcing to all learning she does reap.

The sharing of skills and fruits of her mind.
She eagerly shows what she can to all.
Her lectures thrill and make more of her kind,
And produce works of mastery most tall.

Her passion is for beauty in all things.
Both of the mind and of the hand all sings.

She stands in support with stern vigilance.
Her evidence of knowledge held on high.
Her voice a call of truth in jubilance,
For all to her bright scholar's light draw nigh.

In tall companionship with Laurel peers.
Her fearsome powers of research at hand.
A mentor strong dispelling all their fears.
A strike on ignorance she will demand.

Her Kingdom to protect she'll ever strive,
Defending with all her ability.
In beauty strong from her fingers do thrive,
As from her mind keen credibility.

This lady holds a torch of learning bright.
As she's proclaimed by Crown in Laurel rite.

.....Five is a good round number, but I'm getting the feeling I'm not quite done with this story just yet. The ending looks pretty good to me. But the beginning transitions still need some work. So at least one more is coming, if not two, at some point. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....With my travels to Illinois I picked up a cold that is giving me a little trouble today. Not particular bad, mainly a sore throat, sniffles, and a feeling of lethargy and tiredness I can't seem to shake.

.....It has also put me into something of an introspective mode, which seems to be when the sonnetry comes out the most. I'm putting it here for safe-keeping.

We sat in circle whole with shining eyes,
Smiles given as rich gifts of memory.
Our laughter rose to heaven with loud cries,
As souls did link with love in victory.

We parted ways towards sacred journey roads.
Familiar trails now lit with visions new.
With keen awareness we walk with light loads,
A future filled with love in wide-eyed view.

Forever our foundation will be firm.
No matter what the length our travels be.
For love bound us together for a term.
A mighty silver strand we forever see.

I travel through this life of wonders bright.
Strength given by friends met in desert rite.

.....I wish I had a little more discipline to do this more often than I do. I'm still looking for a poetry Laurel who'd take me under their wing and push me a little bit. But in the meantime I should work on pushing myself a little more.

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....A good sonnet seeks to take a concept, a vision, an idea, and make it something the reader can see viscerally and emotionally when they read the sonnet. Most of my sonnets, including the below, are mediocre mainly because they do not cross the boundary connecting emotion to a concept and making it real. The below was born of a vision I could see in my head, but could not accurately translate into a sonnet. But I'm at least recognizing the difference, which is a step forward. I can also say that I've written at least a few that did successfully make that leap, so I know that it is possible.

.....Practice, practice, practice. The other secret. A completed sonnet always makes me happy as well. No matter how bad I may think it is upon later reflection. :-)

My soul is in a circle drawn on Earth.
The dying sun showed the Four's shadowed length.
To guard and guide breath nourishing through birth,
Their ring of soldiers stood in silent strength.

Earth's circle is mirrored by the heaven's sphere.
An angel's face in silvered halo light.
A presence bringing comfort from all fear,
Who leads on journeys through the early night.

The orb bids farewell as time streams ahead.
The light within will guide me on this path.
The dark without does leave me for the dead.
As stars still shout and chase away the wrath.

The circle does surround as warm embrace.
Forever a life that will echo grace.

.....It starts off rocky, but I start liking where it is headed during the last quatrain.

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....TBT was born on this day, a day to be celebrated above that of any other birthday! :-)

.....I don't have a whole lot to offer, but I did put together a small sonnet as a sign that she is the most important thing in my life.

.....Happy Birthday, Tamm. :-)

The cresting waves command awareness keen,
As heralds proclaim with resounding crash.
My Amphitrite guides harness serene,
Of fearsome beasts that roll beneath her lash.

Gyrations wild in sparkling patterns blaze.
Twined dancers in endless complex swirl.
She leads the music in time with her gaze,
The melodies are crafted thoughts that whirl.

Her raven beauteous dramatic mane,
That frames her face in gloried prominence.
The sea sprays from her form in laughing rain,
My senses heightened from her eminence.

Forever on her wave will I exalt.
My upward cries of faithful love will vault.

.....With Love, Always, Aaron.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....I finally made the decision this morning to not attend Sport of Kings. I'm bummed in that I wanted to spend time seeing people at the event, spend time with TBT, and work out with Renart in the kitchen. But at the same time, it is a whole day that I can have at home to get caught up on a few things. I'm feeling really behind at the moment and would very much like to get to a point where I am actually learning and performing as the Kingdom Exchequer, rather than simply reacting to whatever new situation happens to hit my computer on any particular day. Oy!

.....I did get to help at least a little tiny bit Sport of Kings (or SpOrK, as some call it :-)). On Tuesday I pulled out my 12x12 and awning, with all its associated parts, and delivered to Renart at the Tuesday Social for use at Sport of Kings. A group flew in from Avacal and needed shelter that they couldn't bring with them.

.....There is a little corner of my mind that rather wishes I had not accepted the work of putting together a bunch of circlets for Their Majesties. Mainly because it has taken much more time than I had anticipated. On the other hand, I'm hearing good reports coming in from people who are really appreciating the receiving of them. Plus, it is a paycheck of a sort. So I don't have a whole lot of room to complain, so I should stop now. :-)

.....Tomorrow morning TBT will hit the road at 6AM for her trip to Sport of Kings. I plan to hit the workbench shortly thereafter and get started on the next batch. We're still at the point of having twenty-five cut and drilled and ready to go. I have five more to drill and then I can start the edging and facing process. I've budgeted four hours to make that happen tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it isn't going to be quite as easy as it sounds to get started. I've spent the past several weeks filling the garage with empty plastic storage bins and the remains of July Coronation. I'm going to have to spend the first hour or so clearing out enough space to get to the workbench and out the garage door. I need to do that anyway to get started on packing for September Crown. The packing of which will start next weekend. If I go ahead and get the pavilion and accessories pulled out of the garage and staged in Lord Flasheart, I'll feel much more in control of September Crown preparations.

.....Tomorrow morning on circlets, with a break for lunch. In the afternoon, the plan is to move the remaining items from the Heated Storage Unit to the Large Storage Unit. It is not very much at all. Some portable closet pieces, some bins of craft supplies, and some odds-and-ends. The most difficult item will be the shelving unit and the filing cabinet. I'll leave them for last and if they are heavier than I want to deal with, I'll wait until sometime next week and get some help. The Large Storage Unit has some space for the loose bins on the back shelving unit. I need to organize some of the garden hoses, but that will not take long. Than everything will go neatly on a shelf. There is still a lot of clean-up to do in there, but I need it to happen on a weekend where I have some help. This isn't going to happen until sometime this Fall. It would be nice to have it happen BEFORE Yule Feast, but I'm not confident on that at this time. September, October and November all look full of commitments already.

.....I'm budgeting three to four hours for that move. After that I should be able to plan for a turnover of the smaller unit to the complex before the following weekend and the Barony will have one less bill to pay.

.....After that it'll be on to excavation of the Computer Room. Last week, the wall of boxes in the Living Room was completed. There is still an enormous stack of them in the Dining Room, but all of them are filled with items to be sold on E-Bay or equivalent. Sometime over the next month or so, either TBT or myself will make arrangements to have 'someone' take possession of them and go through the effort of photographing them all and listing them. TBT is thinking of someone out of Tacoma. I'm still hopeful I can find someone local who'll take care of them for us. It'll mean less transportation, and it would be nice for the commission to go to someone we know and like personally. But we'll see. It will take some time and effort to make the sales operation happen, and the commission we have in mind may not be worth it for someone who does not really do this sort of thing for a living. And really? I just want the bins gone!

.....There are still a few piles of loose things left to go through in the Living Room. There is one huge pile of bags, briefcases, computer cases, etc. I need to go through that pile and segregate between 'keep' and 'Goodwill'. There are some nice, padded, computer bags in there. I just don't know if they would work with anything we currently have. There is also a pile of loose beading and embroidery supplies. There is a nice organizer for all this stuff ready to accept all the materials. I just have to sit down, sort through it all and make it happen. After that point I'll clean out the Living Room and we'll be ready for the upcoming Christmas Season. :-)

.....So, what does one do with all the 'stuff' that is too useful or 'cool' to go to Goodwill? Well, one puts it in the Computer Room for future sorting. That may not have been my smartest move. It was already a very crowded place. It's much worse now. There is one path between the door and the desk chair, complete with an obstacle course of stuff to trip you up just in the getting there! Then HUGE mounds of stuff from the floor to the second or third shelf of the bookcases in there. I've managed to knock over the piles several times now while entering and exiting the room. It was bad enough to where I spent at least an hour on Wednesday, and again on Thursday, to try and reclaim some control of this space. I did manage to do some re-organization, and threw out a couple of piles of paper products. It is marginally better now. But a good couple of solid hours is needed to tame this beast to any degree. I'm looking at the East side bookcase and thinking that it is time for a selection of books located there to go away. They are titles I know I'll never read again and are just taking up valuable real estate. I think at least a third to a half of this bookcase can conceivably go to Goodwill. After that point, I can move a metric butt-tonnage of files to the shelving. I'm salivating at the thought. I never imagined a time where empty floor space would actually be sexy. :-)

.....Wherever I end up on Saturday though, Sunday will have to be about excavating the Bedroom. It became the secondary repository of stuff recovered from bins in the Living Room. Mainly in the form of linens and empty stacking boxes. TBT wants to take some time to go through the closet and get rid of a bunch of stuff. But I find it difficult to believe that we'll get to that point before December. The clothes themselves will be fairly easy. It is everything else stored in the closet that will not. I know I have a huge pile of artwork and pictures in there that I have no clue what should happen. There are a number of framed awards. Several large wooden carvings from Maryn Grey. At least one or two painting from people I have known personally and like. None of these things are things I can just casually toss in the trash pile. TBT will probably want to package them up for storage in the garage, but even that is problematic and a large portion of this still will not fit nicely in a storage box! Sigh. I need to start thinking of a solution. Depending on how much the awards and the artwork mean to me personally, I might just opt to make them go away. Hmmm...

.....Still no word from Society on NMS clarification. This could be taken as good news on some levels. Tir Righ had a Level 2 event last weekend that was not advertised in The Crier and that they had geared towards not having to charge for NMS. However, under the newly 'clarified' rules, events that advertise in local newsletters or on local web-site or now liable to collect for NMS. This event of Seagirt's was advertised locally, mainly as a demonstration event to try and recruit new members. We officially asked for an exemption specifically for this event as the 'clarification' came via e-mail approximately a week before the event itself. We did not get a reply, but are running with that at the moment as acceptance of the exemption. We have put out the word though and have warned as many as possible in An Tir that the rules are changing and to get prepared.

.....Actually, I think the part of this 'clarification' that makes people the most nervous is whether or not the Society will declare even Fight Practices that ask for funds from those attending to defray the cost of the site use will have to pay NMS. I've already been warned that this will cause quite a commotion and possibly open rebellion. Although, to be honest, I don't blame them for the warning. I'm personally of the same opinion. But I'll have to obey the rules handed to me. If this is a move towards 'Pay to Play', I would have implemented things differently. But maybe this uber-gradual approach is for the best?

.....With September Crown quickly approaching, I'm starting to get a little nervous in regards to preparations on behalf of Exchequer duties. We're starting to get organized on the Signature Card transfer on the Friday before Crown, but still have to come to a final solution on where and what time. As well as making sure everyone involved can actually be there. I still need to finish my agenda for the Exchequer's Meeting on Saturday of September Crown and send out an e-mail to the e-list to see if there are any other burning topics that Exchequer Corps would like answered. Then I have to pull together all the documentation I need to support the Financial Committee Meeting of Monday morning. Etiennette has promised me that I'll see her Priority List / Check List this weekend sometime. With that list I should have a good game plan of what I need to put together over the next two weeks.

.....Society put out a call for audit material yesterday. The State of California requested a number of items from the SCA that involves all of us. We're required in this round to provide copies of the last bank statement of 2014 and a listing of 'donations' processed through An Tir over the course of 2014. With the Doomsday Reports in hand, this should be fairly straight-forward. Not necessarily easy, but fairly straight-forward. Etiennette is running with this at the moment as she knows exactly where to go and how to pull it all together. I have a pretty good idea of how this is going to work, but Etiennette has promised me that we'll sit down sometime in the next couple of weeks and go through her process for gathering all this information. Then we'll see how close my thought of the process and how it works in reality match.

.....The July Coronation Kingdom Profit Check arrived yesterday. I still have to get with Attia and Nadezdha on reviewing the final report for An Tir / West War so I can write the check of profit and get it deposited. Between the two we should see an increase for a change instead of the loss we've been seeing most of this year.

.....Many, many irons in the fire at the moment with the Exchequerate. A KAS / KBC bid hit my e-mail yesterday. From Glymm Mere. I'm actually happy to see it, probably almost as happy as Julia. :-) At initial glance it looks pretty good. The hotel gave a pretty good price for the space. The bid is missing a few items that have been included in the budgets of the past couple of KAS / KBC events, but I don't think any of the items are Earth-shattering. I am going to do some quick comparisons this weekend and probably give my thumbs up before Monday.

.....At some point on Sunday I need to take some time to sit down and organize my 'to-do' list for the Exchequer Office. If you aren't paying attention you could drown in the details very, very quickly. That's going to be my biggest challenge over the next six months I think. I should have taken this on with much less distraction so that I could concentrate on learning the processes. I think my error was in comparing my thought of what it would be with what moving into the Office of the Chronicler was like. There is a large amount of detail in managing a publication that is actually printed (as it was in my tenure), but in comparison to the detail level involved in managing the Exchequer's Office, it is not much of a comparison.

.....Today, being the 18th birthday of The Rhys Monster, we were talking about going out to dinner or something. I was given no details, but that is not unusual. :-) I am thinking dinner would be a good thing now and should go find out.

.....And here starts the weekend. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.
arontius: (Justin's Device)
.....It's just about time to head off to the August Business Meeting at the VFW Hall. I'm dragging my feet a little as I'd rather stay at home and catch up on chores that have been accumulating. Or maybe I'm just a little bit peopled out at the moment. Or maybe it is because TBT is headed out for the first meeting of the new Laurel Regional Meeting in Tacoma. I'll be by myself at the Business Meeting. It may actually be a noticeably smaller Business Meeting with all the Laurel in absentia.

.....If nothing else I have to go and get a couple of signatures from Ralg to finish off a few An Tir / West War checks. Envelopes are made out, checks and Request Forms are complete. Once Ralg signs them off they will go into the mail tonight. Which means that I will be able to finalize the reports and journal for An Tir / West War this weekend and put it away for the next year and a half or so. Nothing came in for printing from Baron Finn, so I'm going to call that one a wash for the moment. We may end up with a little bit of refund from the Biffy and / or Trash People. But that is pretty standard. I'll also get a good handle on exactly how much profit the event made though and it'll be on the agenda at September Crown to discuss how much of it to move over to the Kingdom Coffers.

.....I need to start pestering Etiennette for the agenda for the September Crown Financial Committee Meeting. I'm not entirely sure if it'll be myself or her running the show. Etiennette has the knowledge base at the moment and knows what is happening with the accounts and the Kingdom. She is also coordinating the completion of the second quarter branch reports. So she may end up chairing the meeting whether she likes it or not. :-) I should probably warn her, I suppose.

.....After a couple of weeks of relative peace, issues started popping up this week in rapid succession. A number of check requisitions to be processed were near the top of the list. Review of the updated Kingdom Financial Policy is gaining priority rapidly. However, the biggest surprise dropped in from Society. In preparation for PayPal, Society is pushing at a clean-up of the accounts across all the Kingdoms accounts. This includes clearing out all the NMS back-log. Every Kingdom has a listing of events Society feels should have paid NMS, but for some reason did not. An Tir has its own list. Elonda has been working diligently to whittle our list down to nothing. To be honest, I've been incredibly impressed with her diligence and tenacity at dealing with the branches who owe forms, funds, or both. She's managed to do it all professionally, and with no snarkiness or condescending attitude at all.

.....The biggest test of this came in the form of an e-mail from the Society Treasurer. Using extreme 'Corporate Speak' with a great deal of bombastic language, a note arrived in my e-mail describing how the Kingdom was in arrears and needed to 'take action and not sit on a dire situation'. This was in regards to the NMS funds that the Society Offices feel haven't been paid by An Tir to them that should have been. The implications ran deep to the affect that An Tir was deliberately avoiding payment of something owed to Corporate and that we had until early October to make good 'or else'.

.....I understand completely that when dealing with legalities and money we want to get away from the 'club' and treat the administrivia as a 'Business'. You have to do that in today's Corporate and litigious environment. I'm not opposed to that at all. It's when you end up treating your own membership like a tenant you feel is trying to cheat you out of a payment that I object. We're all here for the same thing, to support the concept of the SCA. Treat me professionally and like an adult. Don't treat me like a bad debt. You don't even know me or know all the details. Sigh.

.....After a little back-and-forth, and some excellent communication from Elonda, the SCA Treasurer stepped back a little from the Corporate mindset and started treating us a little better. The tension dropped rapidly after that and we're getting things answered and solved quickly. Right now we're trying to come to consensus as to what exactly defines NMS in terms of an event, which will determine just what events in An Tir owe funds to Corporate. I suspect that An Tir will end up owing money to the Corporate Entity. Exactly how much we shall see.

.....My 'to-do' list for the Exchequer's Office is growing rapidly! It is its own list already as a matter of fact. I need to get hopping to get a group of Deputies on board and working. We have a possible / probable replacement for Elonda when she starts working the Corporate Job full-time. Etiennette is working to get her Transfers Deputy on board and working. I'm hoping to get Deputies lined up to support Bank Accounts (monitoring and set-up); Reporting; and Federal I.D. Number Verification (in preparation for the setup of State Subsidiaries). I'd also like to get a Training Deputy set-up on rolling, but still hoping I can sit down and persuade Etiennette to take on that particular tasking.

.....As soon as I'm starting to feel comfortable in my position, the push and focus will be to put together a comprehensive training program and get it implemented. I would like the branch exchequers to start building internal networks to help each other locally to review their own records and reporting and help each other learn and grow. There is too much learning by trial-and-error. Too much isolation as well. I would very much like the exchequerate to network much more than they are. It is a goal of mine.

.....Another surprise has been the Kingdom Records themselves. I found out recently that starting with Elonda, the Kingdom Financial Records had to be re-built almost from scratch. She could not get her predecessor to give them up. I'm hearing various stories as to why that is. The most widely used one being that he wanted to get them organized before turning them over. But apparently when Etiennette tried to get to these files to look for information in regards to a couple of past issues, she could not actually get to the files themselves and had to go to other sources to get her information. This will become a priority on my list of things to get done. These files are located in Tacoma. Not that far away. I need to start sending out the e-mails and phone calls and see if I can convince him to let me have the files sooner rather than later. Although, enough time has now passed to where these files may not be of much use.

.....Need to get an Exchequer's Meeting on the docket for September Crown. Which means I should probably check in with Julia and make sure I have use of the Seneschale's pavilion during the time frame I want on Saturday of the weekend. The agenda is already being built, with NMS and reporting being at the top of that list. Networking and communications following closely behind.

.....His Excellency let me know on Tuesday that I was one of the people on the June Faire Advisory Panel. Since then I've learned that Madrun and Diomedes are also members. That's three of us. We'll probably learn who the other six are at the Business Meeting tonight. Hopefully we'll learn also when we will meet and the exact purpose of the Panel. Does His Excellency want something specific for June Faire? Or is this first year going to be a concentration of finding out what will work best for the Barony and then working towards some tenable compromise. I have no idea really what to expect. From that standpoint alone I find the concept to be interesting. The clock is ticking though. A June Faire Board is generally put together by September and starts on the tasking list by November. Whatever plan we implement has to move along fairly quickly. I'm hoping that we're not going to be expected to run June Faire 2016? I would have to bow out at that point. But with nine people on the panel I don't think that is the direction we're headed.

.....Gwen posted a note to a group of us speaking to the Artisans Holiday Craft Faire she wants to do again this year. She wants to hit the SCA hard with advertising, which is why she thinks my circlets might be a draw for sales. I'm not so sure, but I thought it would be interesting to be part of the group. So I told Gwen that I was 'in' and would pay whatever share was needed from me for space rental and advertising costs.

.....I have a number of raw designs in the garage and could probably put together twenty or thirty for a sale at the VFW Hall, depending upon which date is agreed upon. It was sounding like October, but TBT and I kept thinking it was a November sale. Like the weekend after Thanksgiving. I would prefer that weekend actually as it would give me a little more time to put together some merchandise. I'll have to dig up the display stand and all the other accoutrements that go along with circlet sales. I haven't actually done a booth in a number of years, but I never did get rid of the gear. Just have to find it all and pull it together.

.....I was putting together a list of everything I would need to support a booth and was reminded of the stash of pendants I have in storage as well. At least 60 - 80 pendants with Ingasbo designs on them. After the years they've been in storage I'm sure they'll need some polishing and clean-up. But other than that they could be ready to go fairly quickly. I think the only problem at that point is what to charge for them. Which has always been a problem with Ingasbo 'stuff'. A lot of hours go into making a circlet or etched design. More than most are willing to pay, especially in a world where China can mass produce this stuff for pennies on the item. I have a suspicion that people are not going to want to pay for circlets and pendants that pay me even minimum wage! But I suppose that I do not need the funds to make a living, so I do not want to give this stuff away either. And, I suppose I could be surprised. We may get all set up and find out that people really will pay decent prices.

.....The water was removed from the nettle bath the other day and the nettle stalks are now drying. Countess Elisabeth took a look at them and thought them not worth the effort. She thinks that I waited too long to pull the stalks last year and am ending up with more woody debris rather than workable fiber. Which means that when these stalks finish drying out and I take a hammer to them I'll end up with a pile of dust rather than some woody dust and a bundle of fiber. I'm not quite ready to give up though, so I'm going to let this stack of nettle stalks finish drying out and see what happens. Even if I end up with just a little bit of usable fiber it will have made the experimentation worth the effort we went through over the past year.

.....I'm also going to make plans to start nettle harvesting in June next year though. The Spring rush should be done, but the nettle will not have started flowering and going to seed yet. I think that is where my basic mistake originates. When I went out harvesting this last time, I should have concentrated on nettle that did not yet have flowers on it. It would have taken some more time, but I might have ended up with a higher quality crop. Hopefully, a 'lesson learned' for next year.

.....When the Recorder Guild went on temporary hiatus this last Spring, a small part of my mind thought it was a dead thing again until I had the time and energy to drive it forward. But I was surprised this last week when I was suddenly included on an e-mail chain from RedBow essentially organizing a Recorder Guild to play locally. It invited both SCA members and members from other local Early Music groups, and wasn't just limited to recorders. She actually gained some interest from a couple of people who play as part of the Early Music group in Seattle. They might play at SCA events, but were already talking about concerts in other venues and situations. Their music selection also went beyond the Renaissance and firmly into the Baroque, with some rather nice pieces as part of their regular repertoire.

.....I asked RedBow if she accidently put my name on the e-mail traffic and she said no and that she was hoping that once things had settled out a little bit for me that I might want to come and play with them. RedBow had heard about Mom and sent her condolences as well. The whole conversation, while a little strange coming from RedBow, was very pleasant and thoughtful on her part. I'm really digging their music selection as well. So I'm thinking that maybe I'll see about whether I can block out the time to attend their practices. I think it would be fun.

.....Just have to be careful about over-commitment. I can feel myself playing that game and would rather avoid it. So I need to practice being thoughtful with what I do with my time over the next year. Practice! Practice! Practice!

.....We'll see how it goes.

.....Aaron / Arontius.

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