Anachronist Sighting
Tonight I took my kids to the park after a failed attempt to take them to piano practice, and who should we meet there but a band of unlikely knights!?
Yes, my little Arkansas shire has an anachronistic society that is (apparently) live and active (see sca.org and Gulf Wars on YouTube.com). In fact, much to my surprise, it turns out that these would-be knights in shining armor (and duct tape) face broken ribs and knee injuries yearly in their quest for a more realistic reenactment. They come from all walks of life, from engineers and biologists to mechanics, but one thing unites them - the lust to whack each other to pieces and remember why it is a good thing that we now have orthopedic medicine and bullets.
They are an extremely friendly bunch - the Girl Scouts also took the opportunity to take their picture with them- and they let us play with their weapons (mostly homemade). They had long swords (surprisingly light, considering their six foot length, and dull as a stick), battle axes, "daggers" (didn't look a thing alike, but you don't want to get truly hurt, right?), spears, etc. They also had helmets, gauntlets and wide girdle-like belts (cracked ribs and broken hands are common injuries). They were kind enough to regale me with battle strategies that may come in useful for my novel (which is on chapter 16, and still enjoyable b.t.w.).
It's hard not to want to pick up a sword and wield it myself after seeing their excitement for the sport, notwithstanding the fact that my center of gravity is dangerously low and I would end up on my cushy backside. Nevertheless, I am glad that my husband isn't into any rib-cracking sports. Cycling seems somewhat safer.
I also wrote another couple of articles recently for 501Life, about oatmeal and cleaning solutions (really, it is better than it sounds), and have been waking up early to work on my novel (yay me!). I re-enrolled my children (all four this time) in their online school for next year, and am working on getting them finished up early since my husband has developed a noise sensitivity and we may be moving (this earth is not my home- praise God!). Fortunately, I managed to clean out the children's closets and remove six bags of give-away stuff over spring break. Yes, we are blessed and, hopefully, none of it will be missed.
Yes, my little Arkansas shire has an anachronistic society that is (apparently) live and active (see sca.org and Gulf Wars on YouTube.com). In fact, much to my surprise, it turns out that these would-be knights in shining armor (and duct tape) face broken ribs and knee injuries yearly in their quest for a more realistic reenactment. They come from all walks of life, from engineers and biologists to mechanics, but one thing unites them - the lust to whack each other to pieces and remember why it is a good thing that we now have orthopedic medicine and bullets.
They are an extremely friendly bunch - the Girl Scouts also took the opportunity to take their picture with them- and they let us play with their weapons (mostly homemade). They had long swords (surprisingly light, considering their six foot length, and dull as a stick), battle axes, "daggers" (didn't look a thing alike, but you don't want to get truly hurt, right?), spears, etc. They also had helmets, gauntlets and wide girdle-like belts (cracked ribs and broken hands are common injuries). They were kind enough to regale me with battle strategies that may come in useful for my novel (which is on chapter 16, and still enjoyable b.t.w.).
It's hard not to want to pick up a sword and wield it myself after seeing their excitement for the sport, notwithstanding the fact that my center of gravity is dangerously low and I would end up on my cushy backside. Nevertheless, I am glad that my husband isn't into any rib-cracking sports. Cycling seems somewhat safer.
I also wrote another couple of articles recently for 501Life, about oatmeal and cleaning solutions (really, it is better than it sounds), and have been waking up early to work on my novel (yay me!). I re-enrolled my children (all four this time) in their online school for next year, and am working on getting them finished up early since my husband has developed a noise sensitivity and we may be moving (this earth is not my home- praise God!). Fortunately, I managed to clean out the children's closets and remove six bags of give-away stuff over spring break. Yes, we are blessed and, hopefully, none of it will be missed.
B.T.W, at first my kids thought they were fighting over a princess - one of the moms nearby!
ReplyDeleteHow weird is that?! I've never heard of it before, but it sounds pretty exciting. :)
ReplyDeleteYou've been productive, girl! I know what a feat it is to clean out that many closets. I have to do that myself really soon...
Yeah, their enthusiasm was contagious. I may just have to haunt their medieval feast this spring and check out the art classes, etc. I think my family would get a kick out of it - especially Gabriel, since they do archery together. A friend of mine says that they have several homeschool families involved, and that they do fundraisers for Christian charities pretty often.
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