Palio, Dogs, Kids, and the SCA

Me and Shaggydog at Harper's Retreat in Stonemarche

The Palio di Stonemarche was this weekend.  It was filled with silly fun and nonsense as well as wonderful, welcoming people, all of my favorite merchants, and a dayboard to rival some feasts.  Yes, Palio is an event that I will go to again and encourage others to join me.  But while I have great memories of the day, and great pictures besides, what I really want to talk about today is Dogs and the SCA.

You see, there was one black mark on the day.  The site was dog friendly and while there were maybe half a dozen dogs in attendance, there was an altercation between a larger dog and a small service dog.

Now, I am not entirely clear of the details.  What I do know is the smaller dog was punctured in four places, went to the vet today, and should make a full recovery.  This is good news, but it does lead to the discussion of whether dogs belong at SCA events or not.

As a dog owner, I'm well aware that this sort of incident is not exclusive to the SCA.  Dog owners need to be accountable for the actions of their pets no matter the setting.   There is certainly a lot of blame placed on the owner in this instance.  There has also been blame placed on the breed of dog, and strong opinions offered on now irresponsible some SCA parents are with their kids and dogs.  I think as dog owners (or parents, if you prefer), we should take a lesson from the SCA horse folks.

Horses, the other period "pet".

Dogs, like horses, should be part of the SCA.  Both animals have been with us a long time and I think they add to the ambiance of an event.  Dogs, like horses, have their own personalities as well as likes and dislikes.  Watching the experienced horsewomen and men at Palio, they paid close attention to what made the horses uncomfortable.  They made sure to not put the horses in situations that might become dangerous to the spectators, the horses, or themselves.  I think they tend to regard their horses as their babies, just as we dog owners do, but they also remember that they are in control of a huge and powerful animal, and neither the horse nor the rider can forget who's boss.

If horses are at an event, it's usually because there is some horsey activity going on.  If dogs are at an event, it's usually because their owners didn't want to leave them or didn't have anywhere else to leave them for the weekend.  Perhaps this is another area where we can take a tip from the horse folk.  Maybe dogs need activities too.  Naturally, bringing them onto the battlefield is out.  Likewise for hunting live game, but we could set up flag coursing tracks, such as the ones in Caid.  We could have a tracking event or hunt-themed obstacle course.  There are activities that we could figure out how to host that would give dogs something to do.   No, it's not a cure for irresponsible owners, but it is an option that could give us a better connection to our dogs in relationship to our favorite hobby.

Dogs are not People Covered In Fur.

I think it's easy for dog owners to forget that their pet is an animal of instinct, not rational thinking.  My own dog is a loveable goof who I like to think of as extremely well behaved with kids and small dogs.  He is a talker who makes all manner of ridiculous noises to get the attention of people. His good nature has won over more than a few folks who don't like dogs and we get many compliments on his behavior.  For the most part, he's a good boy.  As a responsible dog owner, however, I have to look at Shaggy through the eyes of someone who doesn't like dogs.  In that light, he's a loud, slobbery mutt who likes to jump up on people.  His vocal nature sounds like growling.  He's very tall and when his hair is grown out, he looks huge.  In short, he's a cynophobes nightmare.  In this light, I can't let my own love of my pet override my common sense and responsibility.  

It's the fault (or not) of the breed.

Blaming the breed of dog is also a common occurrence and with that comes the equally vocal defenders-of-all-breeds who call for breed blindness. Yes, the onus of dog behavior falls to the owner to train their dog and to make sure the dog knows who's boss, but the whole reason we have dog breeds because humans desired certain traits over others.  Greyhounds were built for speed.  Labs have that retrieving instinct.  Border collies will herd anything that moves.  Huskies want to pull.  Dobermans were breed as guard dogs.  My mother-in-law's Cairn terrier will wait still as stone by a hole for hours if she thinks a small critter might pop out of it.  Of course there will always be exceptions to this, but we do a disservice not only to dogs but to the ability of dog owners to bring our pets to public venues if we foolishly choose to ignore what we've engineered a breed of dog to do.

Dogs and kids and childish parents, oh my.

Dogs and children are often brought up together when discussions of "what's wrong with the SCA" happen.  I'm not going to argue that there aren't people who are blind to the faults of their kids and dogs. We all know that there are people who show up at an event with pets and kids in tow and then turn them loose for the community at large to look after.  That is a recipe for disaster.  As dog owners and parents of children, it's not other people's job to police what is our responsibility.   We need to be able to hear when someone criticizes our "perfect angels" and not take it as a personal attack, but as a request for us to tighten the reigns.  If, heaven forbid, your dog is aggressive with another dog or, worse, a person, saying "She's never done anything like that before" isn't going to make the situation better.  We are responsible for any bills, vet or otherwise, caused by kids and our dogs.  Appologize, exchange information, and accept the bill (and perhaps the request that you remove the dog from the event) with grace.  

Likewise, folks having a problem with kids and dogs shouldn't let it get to the point of anger before they speak up.  Most of the time, a quiet word to parents or owners will bring a situation back under control, but for folks uncomfortable with that or who haven't found a resolution to the problem, that's part of what your Event Steward is there for.  Autocrats should be very clear what the dog policy is for the site and what the penalties are for failing to abide by those guidelines.  If everyone knows going into an event that they will be asked to leave if their dog is ever off leash or they don't pick up after it, there are no surprises.  As dog owners, we should play by those rules or leave our buddies at home.

How we can do it better.

Every event should have a pet policy.  If dogs are allowed at an event site, what are the rules?  Can dogs be off leash?  Can they be on a long line?  Are there specific areas of the site that they aren't allowed?  What happens if dog owners don't abide by the rules?  Will owners receive warnings before they're asked to leave or is there a zero tolerance policy?  Make sure everyone knows what the rules are so that we're all playing the same game.

Owners need to be sensible about their surroundings.  Events can be small and low-key or crowded and busy.  Folks with dogs should give other encampments space, if they can.  If you're unable to find a spot away from the crowds, dogs should be kept on a short 5' leash, not a 20' leash.  Talk with your neighbors and find out how they feel about dogs.  If you have a neighbor that doesn't like dogs, it might be worth the headache to consider moving to a more dog friendly location.  Consider bringing a covered crate so your dog has a space of their own that they can retreat to.  Make sure they have fresh water available at all times.  Dehydration makes both dogs and people cranky.

Event stewards at larger camping events might want to create a "dog friendly" area or a "no dogs allowed" area so that people can camp in their comfort zones.

Attendees without dogs need to speak up if they are uncomfortable around dogs or if dogs are being a nuisance.  Owners need to respect the feelings and wishes of the other attendees.  Dogs at events is a privilege, not a right.  Have a realistic plan in the event that it's just not working out with your dog at an event.  Please don't make that plan "I'm going to leave him in the car until it's time to go."   It seems condescendingly obvious, but you know there are people out there who would do just that.

If you plan to drink to excess or make the rounds to all the best parties, leave your dog at home.  That way you still get to have the good time you want, and you don't have to worry about your buddy.

Take a realistic assessment of your dog and set your expectations accordingly.  Some dogs are startled by loud noises and crowds (both of which are not uncommon at an SCA event) and a skittish dog is a hazard.  Every dog has the potential to be a biting dog.  Even if your dog plays wonderfully with every other dog they've ever met, today may be the day they meet the dog (or the kid, or the adult) they don't like, or the dog that doesn't like them. 

Don't let children walk dogs unattended and if you have to leave your dog with someone while you run to the bathroom, make sure that person knows not to let folks pet him or her until you get back.  Dogs in unfamiliar surroundings may behave totally different when you are out of sight.  

While the bark of a dog amidst the calls of Vivat! adds a charming note to the chorus, the dog that won't shut up will not make you a welcome attendant.  Have a plan for what you're going to do if you have a barker.

Finally, give your dog something to do every once in a while.  If the event isn't hosting a dog activity, consider running one.  At the very least, take her for a walk that's more than just a trip to the bathroom.  Happy dogs make for happy events.

Thus endeth my time on the soapbox.

Panteria - Panther Vale

Pretzel making class at Panteria XVIII  -  Laura Hamilton photo

First of all, let me be clear.  The disappointing parts of Panteria had nothing at all to do with the good and kind folks of Panther Vale.  The weather gods just wouldn't have any mercy upon us.  Memorial Day is supposed to be full of sunshine and barbecue weather, right?  Clearly, them what's in charge of things that fall from the sky didn't get the memo.

The Panteria organizers did an excellent job of rolling with the punches and making room in some of the indoor venues for activities that would have otherwise happened outside.  The kitchen staff all deserve metals of honor for keeping everyone fed  and supplied with hot beverages.  For those strong of heart and constitution, staying through until Monday seemed to pay off.  The best was made of the rain and snow (I hear there was a snowball fight) and it seems that there were classes and competitions that happened regardless of the weather.  I wish we could have stayed for them.

There are two things that I've taken away from Panteria - children's activities and camping in the cold and wet.  I had a delightful and inspiring conversation with Lady Albreda Aylese of Carolingia about making sure that the events planned for kids closely parallel adult activities.  There were A&S activities, but there were also events like the pretzel making where the kids learned things like, the first thing you do when entering the kitchen is wash your hands.  They were taken on a tour of the kitchen to see what was going on there and then they all got to salt their own pretzel.  Several of the youth martial activities took a hit, but some, like the youth fencing, went on as scheduled.  Of course, it's ultimately up to parents to make sure their kids aren't bored to tears at events, but those of us with an interest in organizing events can help out by making sure that kids learn what sort of roles they can play even if there is no specific "children's activity" planned.  Hopefully, I can use some of this inspiration to help with youth events at GNE.

Camping is tricky enough when it rains or when it's cold, but put the two together and it's a recipe for a rough weekend.  There are several things I know now that experienced campers probably take for granted:

1. Have Extra Tarps.  We don't have a nice period pavilion yet, and, in a way, I'm sort of glad for that.  In prepping for this weekend, we bought three new tarps.  One, of course went under the tent for ground cover.  One went over our tent and the extra layer kept us dry through a night of heavy rain.  I probably wouldn't have done that if it was our first time in a period pavilion.  Tarps. They may be ugly and distracting, but don't go camping without them. 

2. Layers of Clothing. Wool Clothing.  As I noted last week, there was a LOT of sewing in preparation for this event.  Five of the people in our household had no period garb whatsoever and The Husband had no warm garb.  I made sure that everyone had at least three layers to put on, but despite this, cotton and linen are no match for rain and cold.  When we do early and late season events in the future, I will be sure that my immediate family at least has a full wool layer to pull on, plus mittens and hoods for the kidlet and myself. 

One of the recommendations I saw was that we have a set of warm clothes to change into for sleeping.  Husband protested having to get out of his clothes, but in the end, I think he's glad he did.  It kept the bed dry and we were all able to snuggle and warm up in short order.  Thick dry socks made for comfortable feet in bed and the only thing we were missing was caps to keep our heads warm.  For the future, I'll make some simple caps of fleece that we can wear when we sleep.

3. Quick Kitchen Set Up and FIRE! NOW! When it's cold, the first thing the kids are going to complain about is, you guessed it, that they're cold.  Now, admittedly, most of the kids in our group aren't used to having to wear layers to keep warm and it was a fight to get them to do it.  Even after they did, however, it was so damp that the chill seeped into our bones.  Enter the fire pit.  In hindsight, I think I would have started the fire sooner, so that the kids could park themselves around it to warm up.  One of the first things I'll have them do at the next event is to go in search of stones to create a "DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE" ring around the fire. Despite our best warnings, the kids had to be repeatedly told to back away from the fire.  Once the ring was set up around the firepit, that was no longer an issue.  Then there was the matter of cooking. 

Now, personally, I love the idea of going to an SCA event and spending the whole weekend cooking over the campfire, but there are some practicalities that need to be worked out.  Like if it's raining, your fire will go out.  We had a camp stove with us and that has worked out great for us in the past, but it was having issues this time around so cooking had to happen on the hot coals.  Trouble was, the fire was surrounded by cold children and menfolk.  My future setup will have a fire ring for sitting around and then a separate fire bowl for cooking.  A little one-burner camp stove will be a useful backup for dampened campfires or for keeping a put of water hot.

Finally, while a camp kitchen setup may seem like a luxury,  the ability to open a box and go would have been really useful.  Kids were hungry.  It was getting dark.  Everyone was cold.  All of our kitchen gear was safely stowed in a plastic tote, which kept it dry but made it impractical to get at anything.  A camp kitchen is on my short list for future camping gear.

Side note:  The Girl Ccout camp that hosts Panteria had these lovely little shelters scattered about and each one had a handful of picnic tables and (insert choir of angels here) a fireplace.  If it's going to rain or looks like it might rain, and a roofed shelter with fireplace is available for use, take it. 

4. Have a Backup Plan.  Weather in New England is a tricky business.  It rarely does what anyone thinks it will.  However, when the weather people agree that it's going to be rainy and cold all weekend, and they agree on Monday, and again on Wednesday, and again on Friday before you leave for the event, take the hint.  Seriously consider if you have the gear to deal with rain and cold.  Consider the site you're going to.  Are all the activities you're interested in guaranteed to happen, rain or shine?  Are there heated indoor venues for activities to be held in?  Are you going to be able to feed yourself and your family if it's pouring?  Are you going to be able to stay warm and dry?  If you answered no to any of these questions, it may be time to disappoint people and cancel the trip or compromise and go for a day.

If, like us, you throw caution to the wind and go anyway, it helps to be sure to have something else to do.  Games are greatly appreciated by all and are a lovely way to meet people.  Panteria had people spinning and painting and playing music in the main feast hall all day on Saturday.  I brought some blocks and my pick-up-sticks and the kids and I had a good time building things and seeing who had the steadiest hand.  It wasn't archery or watching the horses do their thing, but it kept them from whining about being bored.

For more valuable info about camping and the SCA and some great lists to inspire your own, check out these links:

SCA Camping 101
CT's SCA Camping Page
DragonBear's Pennsic Packing List
You Forgot The What?  A Packing List

Tourney O' Love - Endewearde

With an old Unitarian church as the backdrop for this event, I have to say that it's come a long way from the Tournament De L'Amore  from my youth.  Not only do people competing for the time-honored pink baldric have to win at both heavy list and rapier combat, they must now also submit an Arts and Sciences entry - and Endewearde is not fooling around with the A&S. 

I had a small entry which was really more for dessert than to take home any prizes.  Some of the items put out on display were just amazing.

My contribution to the event was this scroll, based upon this 15th century Rosary with Virgo Lactans that really caught my eye.  The latin text is from a work by Thomas a Kempis, a late 14th/early 15th century German copyist and writer.  The translation reads: Love flies, runs, and leaps for joy; it is free and unrestrained. Love gives all for all. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength; love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. Love therefore does great things; it is strange and effective; while he who lacks love faints and fails.

This year's Champeen O'Love was Master Julien de la Pointe.

Unfortunately, the weather took a nasty turn and we had to leave before we were snowed in for good.  We missed out on what was sure to be a delicious feast.  Hopefully my cream puff swans were well received.

Yule - Stonemarche

We had a wonderful visit with our neighbors to the west for a Yule event in Stonemarche.  It was a very family oriented event, with lots of activites for the kids.  It was also a pot luck affair, so I put three meat pies together and brought those to contribute.

The event itself was quite small.  There was no A&S or martial activities, but there was a station where kids could cover pine cones with peanut butter and then roll them in birdseed to make rustic bird feeders and a station where they could decorate their own cookies.  Guess which activity the kidlet wanted to do? 

Lady Sine Ruadh Friseal organized a wonderful light event.  There was even a St. Nicholas to give presents to all of the children and who later turned into Krampus to steal the children and sell them back to their families for cookies.  Stonemarche really is full of some wonderful people.

My only regret for this event was that we didn't get our act together and give our customary house gift to Lady Sine for her fine work at this event.  Being so close to Christmas, there wasn't enough time to get it done. With luck, we'll get a chance to see her sometime in the new year and remedy this.

Crown Tourney of King Edward II and Queen Thyra I - Endewearde

Having never been to a crown tourney, this was a wonderful time.  There was pageantry and suspense and everything one hopes for when going to SCA events. 

I submitted my two pieces to the scribal largess.  My second scroll won the intermediate category of the competition, as well as the people's choice award.  The first scroll that is a mishmash of periods and styles was chosen to be the January Pikestaff cover.  Not bad for a beginner.  We even got to meet Queen Thyra who is as lovely and personable as she is graceful.  She humored us with pictures and presented my scroll with a token of her approval.  I was quite honored.

The tournament ended with a series of battles between Eorl Kenric of Warwick and Duke Gregor von Heisler, with Duke Gregor emerging victorious.  Meanwhile, the cooks of Endewearde worked feverishly to ready the hall for feast.  And what a feast it was.

1st Remove
Salad with vinegar and oil dressing
Bread
Butters
Dizony Por z Pasternak i Gier served on... (Stew of Parsnips, Leeks and Alexanders)
Kluski z Bryndza (cheese dumplings)

2nd Remove
Kurczak Pieczony z Suszonymi Sliwkami (Chicken Baked with Prunes)
served with
Zielony Sos z Musztarda (Green mustard sauce)
Kugiel z Rzepki  (Turnip Kurdel, sort of like a turnip casserole)
Komposjtum z Kapusty, Cwikly, Kopru i Grzybow (Compositum of Cabbage, Chard, Dill and Mushroom)
 Zupa Piwna z Bryndza, lub Caseata (Beer Soup with cheese and eggs)

3rd Remove
Zrazy po Cyprjsku (Hashmeat in the Cypriot Style meat loaf of ham and beef)
Soczewica i Kruczmorka z Boczkiem  (Lentils and Skirrets with Bacon) 
Surowka z bialej kapusty  (Polish Cole Slaw)

Pieczone Owoce o Krolewsku  (Court dish of baked fruit, kind of like a cakey bread with apples, pears, raisins, almonds inside)

Of these dishes, all of which were quite good, my favorite was the first soup.  I asked Lady Leofwenn of Wytleseie for the recipe and she happily obliged.  


Dizony Por z Pasternak i Gier (Stew of parsnips, leeks, and alexanders)
4 pounds leek greens (use the leafy part that is normally discarded)
3 pounds small parsnips, trimmed, pared, and sliced on a slant to resemble thick potato chips
2 cups sliced leek, white part only
2 cups white cabbage, shredded as for sauerkraut
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
6 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup coarsely chopped alexanders (leaves and small stems only) or celery, if alexanders cannot be found

Boil the leek greens in 1 gallon of water until soft and until the stock is reduced by one-fourth (about 1 hour). Strain and reserve the liquid, discarding the leek greens. Put the stock in a stewing pot with the parsnips, sliced leeks, cabbage, onion and garlic. Cover and stew 45 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender, then add the honey, saffron, cinnamon, salt, and vinegar. Stew 15 minutes, then add the alexanders. Let the alexanders cook for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately over pieces of stale manchet bread or cheese dumplings.

NOTE:  Alexanders and celery are similar in appearance and flavor.  As alexanders are only available in the spring, celery is a  reasonable substitute.

Kluski z Bryndza (Cheese dumplings)
 1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup barley flour
1 teaspoon mace
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 pounds farmers or feta cheese
8 egg yolks

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt the butter and mix into the flour and crumb thoroughly until its a loose mixture. Grate the cheese and combine with the crumb mix. Beat the egg yolks until frothy. Add to mix and work with hands into a soft paste. Form dumplings and place on a baking sheet or plate to dry for 20 minutes. While the dumplings are drying bring 1 gallon of water to a rolling boil in a large kettle. Turn the heat down to a medium low so the water is barely quivering. Add the dumplings. When they rise to the surface in about 15 minutes they are done. Or you can bake them like we did at 350 to 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Harper's Retreat - A lovely end to summer

Our first camping event with the SCA was this weekend's Harper's Retreat in Stonemarch.  If you're able to come to this wonderful event next year, I can't recommend it enough.

We arrived Friday afternoon to a quaint summer camp in central New Hampshire and picked out a spot for the House.  Everything was set up by the time it got dark, and dinner was a peppersteak cooked on the camp stove.  It quickly became clear that I need more than the one gown.

Our campfire never really got beyond the smoking phase and I'll have to practice making a fire at home before we go camping again.  Also, a note to folks camping with small children for the first time:  No matter what they say, make your kids try to go to the bathroom before bed.  The kidlet had an accident on Friday night because she didn't know where the bathroom was.  By the time she woke us up and B got her outside to squat in the bushes, it was too late.

John Fowler showed up Saturday morning and pitched his tent on the other side of the cooking canopy and everyone had a marvelous day attending workshops, swimming in the pond and trying out a little archery.  The archery course was great fun and had a supernatural theme of shooting monsters and zombies and even a moving ghost target.  The old bow raised some eyebrows, but got passed and I was fortunate enough to get a refresher course from Dana the Unredy, a marvelous gentleman from Stonemarche who not only improved my shooting in about 15 minutes, but who also gave me my first archer's abacus.

The feast was a wonderful mix of food and music.  And the bardic circles afterward were worth the price of admission.  Can't wait for the next one!

Orchard War IV - Hadchester

When most SCA folks have gone south to participate in Pennsic, the "bandits" conduct raids on the Royal orchards in the Shire of Hadchester.  The people there have sent forth a cry to rally and help defend the lands and the people while the bulk of the armies gather to the south.

Orchard War is held up in Union, ME and was an awful lot of fun.  We only went up for a day trip, as dogs were not welcome on site, but it was a camping trip for some folks.  The event was small and it was Brenden's first.  He thought having a Chinese persona might be interesting.  I didn't quite have time to finish his garb, but he made do with a safety orange robe in a 14th century Han style. 

Archery was a big theme of this event and they had a great range that included smaller and closer targets for kids.   A wonderful gentleman named Eric loaned Abby a bow and she and Brenden shot a few arrows at a bunny target.

They did a marvelous job of having activities for kids. There were crafting projects and a hobbyhorse race and all sorts of things.  We even got some dancing in at the end of the day. 

There was an embroidery competition as well.  Basically they gave us a small hoop a square of fabric, a needle, and a couple threads of embroidery floss.  The theme was campfires and I did a quick piece that was basically an apple with a campfire where the reflection should be.  It wasn't really enough thread to do anything super complex, and I thought the design was alright but it turns out that it took the gilded apple for best embroidery!  My first prize!

Of course, we left before they handed those things out, but it was nice to know that I won.  Yipee!