Not much has been going on in my little corner of the world since I last updated my page…other than being elevated to Laurel almost two weeks ago; doing a Knighting scroll in under two weeks; a scroll or two; and some cut work scrolls for HRM Elizabeth. Oh, and I stepped down as the Baron of Twin Moons Signet (didn’t even know I was as the Signet, did you?).

So, to put things in order…

I briefly stepped up as the Signet for the Barony of Twin Moons. The old Signet had some health issues, and there were no other available volunteers, so I took the job. I cannot say it was fun while it lasted, since it did add unnecessary stress to my life. There was a lot of calligraphy and a few scrolls to do, and it just made my personal life a bit overwhelming, so I decided it was time to step down.

Just when life was slowing down again, my wife and I were requested to do a Knighting scroll. Originally, it was just going to be me, but with a short deadline and a lot of things to do, my wife stepped in on the creative side and designed most of the scroll and helped with some of the painting. It was a collaborative effort that kept us up past midnight for two weeks; painting was finished with just 2 days to spare. The calligraphy, in its entirety, was finished the night before the elevation (about 5 hours from start to finish).

I also had a scroll that I had sitting around for someone with a specific persona in mind. That opportunity presented itself, and I was able to find a Cyrillic-to-English font approximation that was exactly what I was looking for.

And then there were the Queen’s Cyphers that I was tasked to do. Given that my preferred style of scrolls is cutwork, and I had recently found evidence of 14th-century cutwork scrolls, I had the perfect opportunity to do a little paper cutting (19 scrolls in total, including calligraphy).

And finally, I was recognized as a Laurel at the Kingdom of Atenveldt’s Meet the Masters A&S event on Saturday, April 19, 2025. TRM Morgan and Elizabeth asked the question, and since I had previously indicated that any more peerage offerings did not require a vigil, I was given a shotgun ceremony. It is a good feeling when they call for the Laurels, and everyone cheers with excitement. What amazes me more is that I always figured my wife, Tinka, would be aware of my elevation; she was not until a slip of the tongue about a week out from my elevation. By then, it was too late, and my friends had come together to make sure I had the accoutrements of the rank (cowl, medallion, and Laurel wreath). It makes me a little teary when I think about my friends coming together to do this for me.

Here is a link to the Facebook page with my elevation: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1NYwoYGNPv/

So all in all, despite all the crap going on in the world, in my little corner I am having a pretty good time. I have achieved the 2 things I have set out to do in the SCA; anything else will be icing on the cake. I will not become a dissa-“peer”…I have too much artwork to create and too many memorable battles to be won.

Cheers!