An historical recreation household centered on the Central Oregon Coast (households are not official groups of the Society for Creative Anachronism and do not represent the views or policies of SCA, Inc. )
It’s been pretty quiet without the classes and Project Days. Not having the feast this year hurt, too, since that’s always my big thing of the year. Despite that, some things are still being planned. The House is going to have a display at the Greenwood Faire in Toledo at the end of June.
Anja is planning to be at the Lane County Fair in July and also Shrewsbury in September.
September 10-11, 2023
The gardens at Castle Pundergasp are doing well, and a few SCA things are happening. We’re making more of the bone needles, and Anja always has her embroidery. We’re also working on some clay reproduction toys and dolls for demos, plus more balls and dolls for prizes.
In ministerio autem Somnium, Anna Javornica (aka, Anja Snihova’)
Well, friends, House Capuchin has had a good long run. It’s just about 10 years since we started this whole thing. It grew to be quite a big thing for awhile, but things change, and membership and participation has been dropping steadily. I’ve finally hit a point where what I can do isn’t enough and I don’t have enough oomph or help to keep going.
My health hasn’t gotten better since I got COVID for the 2nd time and it turned into long-covid. I’m spending energy that I don’t have to spare to keep this up.
Part of the problem is that I don’t drive, any longer, which means that a lot lands on Loren. He ends up doubling the time out and back and with the driving that he does for his job, I can’t do that to him any longer. He’s also lost interest in House activities and has stopped participating.
Part is financial, as well. Things are tight enough that I probably can’t afford to get to the events, in any case. Also, I went through the figures for the feast and there’s just not enough in our budget to put it on. Business was bad for the shop this year and there’s no extra.
I’m going to leave the website and the Facebook group up. I’ll probably be online on Sundays, but I’m not going make the event pages anymore and I’ll stop doing the reports as regularly, since most of that has been my efforts for quite awhile.
I’ve enjoyed a lot of the things that the House has done over the years, and the friendship of all of you, but it’s time for my major participation to come to an end.
In ministerio autem Somnium, Anna Javornica (aka Anja Snihova’)
Busy months sometimes seem awfully quiet. THis past month has been just that. Busy and quiet, both.
We started this month working on sauerkraut and cordials. The former got taste-tested this month and seems to have done well. We’ve just got it put by for the February feast. The cordials have been tended since being put together and are almost ready for bottling to age a bit.
Emergency Candles, still cooling (or they would have lids and lighters)
Herbs finished up our unit on candles and we’re starting some fun things for the holidays, gifts and such. We have been working on wax-related things all month, from de-waxing tools and supplies to making wood butter. Also the plants have been (mostly) winterized and it looks like the harvest is pretty well done. All that’s left is the
Parsley
seeds of the parsley and carrot which have bags stapled around them, at the moment.
Loren’s been working on smoothing a bunch of rounds for amulets and pendants all month. Anja’s been working on that large embroidery project, also all month, plus she got a bunch of small things done for the largesse competition at 11th Night, that aren’t going to actually make it there.
We had a good potluck on the 17th of November and ended up making a lot of care packages that went out to the members who couldn’t make it and requested those. We found a delicious leek soup recipe that’s going to get
Flipped and lemon zest and juice added.
used for the feast, some documentation for the onion pies and it looks like we have a good recipe for the lemon chicken, now, and the marzipan shortbread. We even made hippocras this month! The Thanksgiving meal took up a lot of time, too. Oh, and we found an actual recipe for the almond cheese!
…and as always there are lots of links, music, interesting pictures and funnies in the weekly reports.
This coming month contains 11th Night, a potluck on the 15th, plus the mundane holidays and getting ready for 12th Night!
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 12/15, 1/19/20
Winter Feast Date is 2/23/20 Theme is German Renaissance
…and this coming week’s (live by Monday) Activities through 12-8-19 – https://wp.me/p8ngGY-2Qk (Not yet out….)
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
We’re definitely gearing up for the Feast Season. Anja is going to teach a couple of classes at 12th Night and at AnTir/West War, plus she is putting together a Bardic Championship for Corvaria, plus a trial of her Simpling and Herbwifery class happened at a mundane event. Winter projects are going from liqueurs to sewing to getting ready for our Feast.
Glass shelves
We started the month with setting up a bunch of glass shelves and sorting out the plants that the Herb Bunch has been working on over the summer. Plus, we finished our unit on incense and started candles. …and there’s always harvesting, drying, storing, etc…. plus the batch of mushrooms that got dried for later use. …and thread waxers. 🙂
After doing a lot of tool tending, which was mostly
Repro Coins by JAmes Coffman – Italy, 1378 to 1407 – Big one is the Grosso of 5 Soldi, the Middle one is the Quarteroli, the little guy is the Piccolini.
sanding and wood-buttering handles, Loren started working on a batch of antler pieces for a rune set and then started with some wooden ones. Anja finished another spoon and has been working on a piece of rowan wood for a wand. This week we made a “pounding stick” for the sauerkraut and then made use of it. …and some coins came in.
All 6 jars. The first two are the leftmost, then the Friday ones in the center. You can see a color change… and a texture change with the one in the front with the turnip. On the right is the tvarog and behind it is the brine used for topping up the jars. If you look *really* carefully, you can see liquid from the “spitting” that the jars do as they ferment.
We’re getting feedback on the feast foods and some of the trial runs, like seedcakes and the apple/ginger compote, turned out even better than we had hoped. We’re almost ready to put together a menu and the cookbook is well underway. Plus we had a yummy potluck on 10/20 and care packages went out to the folks who couldn’t make it. We did lose a batch of sauerkraut that spat out too much liquid and molded, but then put together *4* 1/2 gallon batches that are perking away on the table, right now. Several batches of cheese and pickles got done and went to various purposes. We also tried it and discovered that doing the cooking of the tvarog in a crockpot makes it come out to a beautiful, creamy cheese!
Tissue cover, that last unfinished bit has run off the end
…and embroidery and sewing and all the little bits.
…and always there are lots of pictures and jokes and links in the newsletters. Too many to count!
This coming month we’re really going to be working on Winter Feast stuff, and starting the cookie baking. Loren swears that he’s going to get some sundials made and get Anja’s puppet pieces cut. We have our potluck on 11/17.
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 11/17, 12/15
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 Date will probably change because of the conflict with Summits A&S&B. Theme is German Renaissance
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
We started off this month of activities working on tools, cleaning blades and sanding handles and even creating a few (point turners….) Bone needles and lacing fids got made, even a tiny piece for a pendant, and working continues on the antler pieces, making rune pendants and a few carvings.
The Herb Bunch has been working almost exclusively on incense although harvest and
Cardoons
tending are moving right along. We’re drying at lot of herbs right now and the sweet grass and angelica smell wonderful. The herb garden had to get moved, so a lot of things are living out in front of the shop at the moment that really can’t stay there, although we have a shelf that’s going to go up inside for a lot of the indoor plants, which means that the ones for sale will be in front, rather than ones we intend to keep. The tumbler with the bamboo pieces got opened during the month, and it *is* working on the bamboo pieces, albeit slowly.
After the learning process on the schnitzel last month, this month’s experiment was with onion
More onion pies
pies. The ones we’re doing are rather like a quiche and they’ve turned out to be pretty darned good. The recipe is definitely a keeper. More sauerkraut is going and a bunch of pickles got done, (beans, mixed veg, eggs) mostly for taking to Shrewsbury, plus some tvarog and another scalded milk cheese.
Embroidery focused on getting a sewing kit of related patterns finished. It ended up being the
Sewing Kit
main pouch with an emery, pincushion and scissor bob, snips with a sheath, a spool holder, bone sewing needle, njalbinden needle and lacing fid, and several needlecases of various materials and colors. As always some other pieces got done, like a pouch with an embroidered insert and more of the little bobs.
There were a lot of links this month, some funny stories and a few other bits, like some commentary about how our work doesn’t all have to be perfect.
Strive Academy students at Anja’s display (photo by Helen Gaskins)
Of course Crown and Coronet were held this month, so Heirs to the Lion Throne and the Gryffin Coronets have been chosen. All Hail Christian and Helene! All Hail Kenric and Dagmar!
Anja went to Shrewsbury with blackwork and toys and spoons. It was a pretty good event, even if we came home soggy from the Sunday rain. Antonia was displaying her paints and painting, Alys was in the A&S tent and there were a bunch of fighters. Even Claire was in the royal court!
Our various members all reported in this month. Nothing much is new except the Estella is going to be a grandmother! Huzzah!
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 10/20, 11/17, 12/15, 1/19
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 (date will probably change to Theme is German Renaissance
…and this coming week’s (live by Monday) – Activities through 9-29-19 – https://wp.me/p8ngGY-2FO
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
We missed a month because your scribe was up to her eyeballs in summer tourists! We’ve still got at least a month of them, too, but I’ve gotten far enough ahead to at least get this out.
1987-1991 at some point. This is more the way I remember Dublin.
…and the news about Dublin came through the morning after the most recent potluck. We’re setting up info on our In Memoriam page and there is stuff in last week’s and this weeks reports.
At AWW
Susanne and Anja got to AnTir/West for one day so that Anja could teach her blackwork classes. They picked up the debris from the Queen’s Tea foods that the House provided before they left. They also managed to hand off Gudrun’s box to the A&S person from Wyewood. (photos in 7/7)
Anja and the samplers
Anja also got to the Lane County Fair demo and stayed with Alys and had a great time! There are some good photos in the 7/28 report.
Herbs – re-potting and starts happened in early July. Tending and harvest and watering has taken a lot of time with the other herbs. We added mustard greens and tomatoes to the herbs that we had earlier, and started harvesting a lot of lettuce. We put a new lemon balm in the window since snails *ate* the other, right down to the ground. Progress has happened on clearing the drying racks preparing for harvest. Our little alder tree has been adopted and left for a new home. We acquired a new grinder, so started in on various incense techniques after processing onionskins for dye.
Lots of liddle bits from the last two weeks.
Embroideryand Sewing – A sewing kit went out as part of a gift exchange. Also finished a bib, the birth sampler, several snip sheathes, a bath set, a set of chicken-scratch (totally not period!) and lots of small pincushions/bobs. We also have some donations for our students from Antonia of various fabrics and a scroll frame.
Top, yes, that golden
Sundials and such – A lot of tool-cleaning got done back in early July and then Loren started in on a batch of antler blanks for runes and buttons and such, mostly sanding. He also worked on a bone needle, a myrtlewood bowl, and cleaned a batch of beeswax, which has been put by to age for a year.
Two finished cheeses wrapped in rum-soaked fig leaves, left peeled back to show the cheese
Cookery has all been pointed at feast things although we sent a batch of foods to the Queen’s Tea at AnTir/West. We’ve done several cheeses of the scalded milk and tvarog varieties for eating, a couple of which got wrapped in fig leaves to help keep them. We set up several jars of sugar-preserving for straw, rasp and blueberries. The latter two are experiements, as was the dried melon. A batch of mushroom catsup got made and then the spice from the dried stuff.
Cooked schnitzel with the veal on the left and chicken in the center. Yes the veal lost its coating!
We had two really good potlucks and tried several of the foods that we’ll use in the Winter Feast including the schnitzel and a couple of tarts. One of the other things was a sauerkraut that got made at the July potluck and then tasted after fermenting for 10 days and fridged at the August potluck. It’s good! We have a set of burpers to do it in, so started another batch this week. We also discovered that spaetzle is best formed in a potato ricer.
Pear and fig tart
There’s more…. coins, rommelpots, Gudrun in Wyewood, Classes through the Honorable Clover Homes-sic, a batch of ink ingredientsfor Arlys… …and as always there were lots of pictures and links to play with, and music, and funnies, a few stories about the SCA, even a few weirdies.
Next month Anja is doing the Shrewsbury demo and we have another potluck…
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 9/15, 10/20, 11/17, 12/15
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 Theme is German Renaissance
…and this coming week’s (live by Monday, usually Activities through 8-25-19 – https://wp.me/p8ngGY-2zW
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
It would really help if I could remember to hit “publish”!!!!
We’ve had a good month, with a lot getting accomplished on various projects from feast research to embroidery to the various carving techniques that we’ve been doing. The herb garden is flourishing and providing lots of flavor for various foods. We even got some cheeses made this month!
Forming up
We started with making “care packages” for the House folks that couldn’t make it to the potluck and then finishing up and packing the foods for the vigils at Egil’s, plus the cordials that Anja made for the competition, and getting those delivered to Eugene on the Wednesday before the event. Next up was packing things that had been promised for other stuff, like the volunteer raffle. On Sunday, Anja and Susanne got to the event in time to see Vesta’s Elevation and then spent the day enjoying the event, especially the A&S displays, although Anja got roped into teaching a class, unexpectedly.
That’s between 11 and 14 feet….
That was also the “bamboo week” and that got processed over the course of the month, first cutting the large pieces into shorter lengths, then cleaning those up and finding the small pieces that will become needlecases, etc, then finally cutting up pieces for small beads, and eventually getting the unneeded bits to compost. All of that is drying and being processed.
The two pancakes, the one on the right was definitely overdone.
We got some good feedback on the various foods for potluck, vigils and gifts. More feast food experiments happened during the early part of the month.
Work is continuing on Anja’s birth sampler and she’s got other projects going as well, mostly for largesse. Amy has a new book on njalbinden and is keeping trying on that.
Cleaned up.
Puppets, coins, needlecases and small toys occupied the middle of the month. …and we got a large batch of beeswax to process that has been going on since that time. The potluck went well and the care packages from that were well received.
Other things in this month’s reports are funnies (of course) and a couple of stories, lots of links and some good music)
The beeswax needs to be washed, or melted in hot water, several times, to get the sugars, dirt and misc. bee bits out of it. Starting the process on Sunday.
o, this month we have more food experiments to go and other projects are progressing. We’re hoping to have the wax fully cleaned this week, and Anja is going to teach her blackwork class at AnTir/West war. She and Susanne are just going for the one day. Potluck is mid-month, as usual.
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 7/21, 8/18, 9/15, 10/20, 11/17, 12/15
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 Theme is German Renaissance
…and this coming week’s (live by Monday) – Activities through 6-23-19 – https://wp.me/p8ngGY-2o3
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
Everyone in the House has had a busy month with the push to get ready for Egil’s Tourney at the very end of it.
Back in April the focus was on herbs and plantings. After a “field trip” and planting, we’ve already started harvesting from things like the watercress and sorrel.
Cleavers
A few plants didn’t make it, but most of them pulled through and we’re seeing new growth on things like the raspberries and lavendar.
There are a lot of recipes in this month’s reports, since we’re starting the research for next year’s German Renn-themed Winter Feast. A couple of dishes got made for the potluck one of which suffered the “Attack of the Killer Cinnamon”. 🙂 A couple of cordials happened that are being entered at Egil’s in the infused cordials category.
The exploded chicken and one piece in a bowl
Also Anja and Loren managed to re-create a dish called, “palacinky” that comes from Anja’s Czech background. Mushroom catsup and spice got done in the middle of the month and we’re starting a project to make packets of spice mixes to put in sets for largesse.
All of May went into making foods that House
Utopenci, pickled sausage with onion and mustard, capers and allspice.
Capuchin is supplying to a couple of the vigils at Egil’s and to some gifties for those who are being elevated.
Sabrina is weaving. Amy is doing lucet cord and working on najbinding. Sash has been pecking away at the toys project. Estella is recovering from surgery. Anja has been doing a lot of embroidery and a little sewing, along with writing up the stories she did for the Corvaria Championship. Loren is mostly doing bone carving.
The back
There are also a lot of links on a wide variety of topics. Lots of interesting info! Go to the individual reports for these.
Anja is going with a friend to Egil’s on Sunday for Vesta’s elevation and to wander around a bit. Everyone else has been working as we’re going into the summer season. There will be pictures, this coming week, of some of the foods and goodies that went to Egil’s.
Powder Fort
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 6/16, 7/21, 8/18
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 Theme is German Renaissance
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
This month was pretty quiet again and not too productive as far as projects go. Anja and Loren got to All Fool’s in Corvaria, but no one managed to make it to other events, even Coronet and Birthday Bash. We finished up with a good potluck, though!
There was a lot of news during the month about jobs and personal stuff, but the biggest thing is that we’ve settled on a theme for next year’s Winter
Clkwse from bot left – Cardoons, Angelica, Cilantro, Flat-leaf parsley, fennel, curly parsley, watercress, English thyme, chives, sweet ciceley. In the center l, lemon thyme, r, wooly horehound
Feast. We’ll be doing German Renn and Louisa and Anja are hard at work on finding recipes and starting the test cooking.
Nothing on sundials, puppets or wood carving this month, but the tic-tac-toe boards are coming along, and Loren is working on a Rithmachia set, and managed some bone needles again. More embroidery has happened and some pouches for largesse got drawstrings. It’s spring, so the Herbs Workshop is busy. We took a field trip this past Saturday and bought a bunch of plants!
The biggest event this month was that Anja won the bardic competition for Corvaria with her stories, “The Dream of the Silver Veil” and ”
Horn
Headless Gingerbread”.
For most of this coming month, work will all be at the regular meetings. Of course, Herbs is crazy and Anja is going to be starting to make vigil foods down toward the end of this time before the next potluck.
This month (these are standard meeting times)
Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine is an occasional meeting. Watch our Facebook group for notices!
Potluck is usually 3rd Sunday of the month. In garb (if you can) and bring a dish to share! Next on 5/19, 6/16, 7/21, 8/18
Winter Feast Date is 2/16/20 (assuming that there is one….)
Here are the direct Portfolio links which have all the past Project Day reports and all the various projects, just whomp through pictures until what you see appeals to you, mouse-hover on the pic and then hit “view” when that shows.
Busy months sometimes seem awfully quiet. THis past month has been just that. Busy and quiet, both.
We’re definitely gearing up for the Feast Season. Anja is going to teach a couple of classes at 12th Night and at AnTir/West War, plus she is putting together a Bardic Championship for Corvaria, plus a trial of her Simpling and Herbwifery class happened at a mundane event. Winter projects are going from liqueurs to sewing to getting ready for our Feast.
We started off this month of activities working on tools, cleaning blades and sanding handles and even creating a few (point turners….) Bone needles and lacing fids got made, even a tiny piece for a pendant, and working continues on the antler pieces, making rune pendants and a few carvings.
We’ve had a good month, with a lot getting accomplished on various projects from feast research to embroidery to the various carving techniques that we’ve been doing. The herb garden is flourishing and providing lots of flavor for various foods. We even got some cheeses made this month!
Everyone in the House has had a busy month with the push to get ready for Egil’s Tourney at the very end of it.
This month was pretty quiet again and not too productive as far as projects go. Anja and Loren got to All Fool’s in Corvaria, but no one managed to make it to other events, even Coronet and Birthday Bash. We finished up with a good potluck, though!
House Capuchin 3 