This
has been an odd year for me. I've had a tragedies and triumphs, but then so have many. I've noticed a bit of apathy in my court. Don’t know if it’s a
result of losing my oldest brother or wrecking my shoulder or numerous battles I've had to wage over the past few years, but I seem to have lost my give a damn somewhere. I've kind of shut down the castle, pulled up the drawbridge, closed
the main gate and pulled down the portcullis. I have retreated to the Keep. And
though you may not see them there are armed guards in place to protect my
privacy and person.
I’m
somewhat reclusive to begin with but even more so now. That’s not to say that
the Great Hall hasn't had feasting now and then because it has. My creativity seems to be focused on refurbishing the inner castle. You know, defenses, new
tapestries and wall sconces, improving the kitchens, redoing of the sleeping
chambers. Inside the curtain walls of the castle the gardens thrive the
orchards, well, not so much but there are replacement trees, which will bear
fruit in a couple of years. Some of the livestock have been reduced and areas
planned for other types for the larder.
The
bringing in of coin to the castle, at least on my part, is done from inside the castle on a daily basis. This is both good and bad because there is no need to
leave the Keep or inner Castle walls to accomplish that. Good because when the
winter winds blow and the snow piles up coin will still come in. There has been
a lot of extra training to concentrate on to accomplish that and it takes up a
lot of
In my office I have numerous scrolls of legends
and tall tales but I've had no desire to open them or contribute anything to
them at the present, which is odd. At least for me. I will admit to some
stirrings of interest in that direction but not quite ready to actively take
them up. That may change as those cold winds blow and the snow falls and the
characters left behind become more insistent. Or the new ones demand life. For
now I’m comfortable pursuing the writings of others.
Seasons
come and go. Life moves forward. No doubt things will change and I won’t feel
the need to hunker down behind the walls. I do know it’s not good to keep the
castle closed up indefinitely either for the Laird or the castle folk. And it’s
not that I’m unhappy or overly blue or sad. I’m content, at least for now. I am aware of a subscript, out of sight, running inside my brain. We'll see what conclusions it produces.
In the spring perhaps I'll let down the drawbridge and lift the portcullis.
Who knows?
