I must apologize for the lack of content mainly because there is no content to post. This year has been the best of times and the worst of times. I, as posted earlier, was Knighted in the SCA. Three days after my knighting ceremony, both my wife and I came down with COVID. After that, we both got what we think was the flu (but both having our flu vaccines, we think we were spared the worst of it). After that, my health started to slowly take a nose dive. Sometime in April I started feeling tired and lacked the energy to do most art things. It slowly progressed to breathing issues and at the beginning of May, I was diagnosed with pneumonia. And this is where the fun kicked into high gear.

I went to the VA ER and was admitted into the hospital for what they thought might be a case of Tuberculosis (Tb). The doctors indicated that I had an atypical case of pneumonia and performed a CAT scan to get a better idea of what was going on in my lungs. They found an abscess/hole in my upper left lung. The only good thing so far was they stuck me in a private isolation room and was thus able to finish the first volume of the Elric saga. As the days progressed I was poked and prodded several times a day until they thought I might have Valley Fever (look it up, it’s a fun one). They started me on an antifungal medication but within a week, had to take me off of it because I had a bad reaction to it. The Saturday before they released me, they determined that I had, for certain, Valley Fever but had not yet ruled out Tb. The following Monday I was released with one Tb test showing negative (you need three negative tests to be Tb negative).

If you looked up what Valley Fever is, I have a bad case of it. I have all of the symptoms as well as some that are only hinted at…specifically some memory/thought issues. Since I cannot take an antifungal, I have to wait for my body to do its thing and start combating it. Meanwhile, I have rashes on my legs and torso. One cool(?) effect is that I can take my fingernail and write “Help Me” anywhere on my skin and a hive will pop up with what I wrote. It looks like it was straight out of a horror movie and that I am possessed by a demon. I have also lost some body mass and I am tired and out of breath most of the time. My knees, down to my toes hurt and I cannot walk very much. My calves, ankles, and feet are swelling up and it feels like I have rolls of quarters under my toes when I do walk around. I am also on “cough watch”…anytime I have cough-up mucus, I have to inspect it to ensure there is no blood (which is a very bad thing if that happens).

At the time of writing this, I have been feeling better however, my energy levels are still very low and my endurance is low as well. Most of the itching has gone. The cough is almost gone. The swelling in my legs, down to my toes, is down but I still cannot make out where my ankle bone is at. The rashes are mostly gone. I am still having memory/thought issues and talking tires me out. But I think I am doing better.

One good thing is that they are building a gym down the street from me and it should be ready to open right around the time I am expected to have a clean bill of health (another few months). Once they are open, I am going to get a membership so I can work on building my strength and endurance beyond where they were before I started this whole journey. I am thankful that I was knighted when I was because this could be a SCA fighting career ender…but I am in good spirits that I will return to the fighting field as well as get back into making scrolls and medieval lighting.

Cheers,

Seved

We attended War of the Phoenix this year. At first we were a little apprehensive about going since it was a new site, but both my wife and I were glad we went. Our stay with the Landsknecht was fun, the night life was fun, seeing old friends was great, and fighting was great. I even did a few tournaments too boot. But the most memorable moment was when the His Majesty, King Craven, put me on vigil to contemplate the Order of the Chivalry. To say the least, I was caught off guard and so was my wife considering she had to run out of camp in pants and her camp woobie (sans undergarments). It still makes me tear up when I think back about hearing the applause of the assembled group…and it will probably make me tear up for years to come.

My vigil will take place Friday night on March 3rd at Catalina State park, just north of Tucson and I will give my answer on the morning of March 4th. It is funny that those that messaged me were to congratulate me, but those that messaged my wife asked her what they could do to help her help me prepare for the big day. My wife has taken charge and is getting everything ready for me. If it were not for her, I would show up in a paper bag with no other preparations.

I also was able to sell the first batch of medieval lanterns, that I made, while at war. It is my intention to continue to sell those lanterns in both candle powered and solar powered models…along with a few small modification options. Soon, I will also have some later period lanterns as well as some Roman oil lamps to sell as well. Bees wax candles will also be available.

From the first image above you can see some of my lanterns completed and partially completed. They are currently illuminated by tea light candles. I am working on a few design modifications and upgrades. The next batch I will work on will be the solar powered lanterns as soon as I find a light source (flame) that I am happy with. I am also looking at an interchangeable candle/solar powered lantern model.

A closer shot of my lanterns as well as my messy work space.

And here is a shot with the shop lights turned off. Once the storms pass and the wind dies down, I will provide some outdoor pictures.

If you are interested in purchasing a lantern, my prices are as follows:

Qty 1 regular sized lantern, unmodified – $30.00

Qty 2 regular sized lantern, unmodified – $50.00

The solar powered lanterns, once I have them back in stock, should be $40.00 per lantern.

Please contact me using the CONTACT button above or emailing me at E_NoodenAThotmail.com (change the AT to a @) if you wish to place an order. I hope to have an online form soon.

As always, Yours In Service To The Dream,

Thegn Seved

I have been looking for this whiskey for a few years now and have found a bottle here and there but I don’t want to pay $275-350 for a bottle that sells for $100.00. I always try to do “try before I buy” because I have had some bad purchases in the past. As it turns out, I was at the Wardruna concert a few weeks ago and decided to go across the street to one of my favorite whiskey bar after the show.

Sitting down at the bar with my daughter, I got my usual Smoked Old Fashion (with Buffalo Trace). Looking up to admire the selection I spied this bottle with a single pour left. There were several other worth while selections (Weller, Pappy, and Stago) but Midwinters Night Dram is sort of a unicorn for me at this time. Now the price I paid for a shot ($27) equals what I would pay if I found a bottle…but it is better to know if it is worth it. I also don’t like to encourage 3rd party sellers to continue to sell at exorbitant prices.

Did I like it? Yes. Can I tell you what flavors and smells I detected? No. I have learned over the years of drinking wine, beer and liquor that your taste dictates and nothing else. I do enjoy reading reviews about what others tasted/smelled but I guess I do not have a sensitive pallet and can only base it on was it good enough to drink again?

Cheers!

Taking a brake from playing World of Tanks, improving my skills making Birka Type 6 chains, working on a Seax and attending the Atenveldt Arts & Science Competition (I did not enter because I did not have enough time to complete my secret project), I whipped out the paper cutting scroll for the Queen’s Prize this past weekend.

Not truly a medieval scroll, but a scroll none the least and in tune with Halloween. I did not have time to snap the completed scroll (the wording), but this is the finished product for paper cutting. Much to my horror, the recipient is one of Atenveldt’s apex scribes, and I was always worried about her receiving one of my scrolls. To go off on a tangent for a moment…I have never charged nor requested service in return, and my payment is to watch the joy my scroll brings them at that moment. I watched her as she received my scroll, and she seemed to “squee” a bit when she got it. People have seemed delighted to receive one of my scrolls and typically say to me that they finally got a “Seved.” I wonder if she hopped to get one of my scrolls eventually, much like I would like to be the recipient of one of her scrolls eventually. Some day maybe. Here is where the description can be found: https://armyeric67.com/queens-prize-paper-cutting/