Gathering the Linen (13 April)

With a soft sigh, tala stretched her long limbs, clasping her fingers together over her head, arching her back and moaning in pleasure as she stretched away the stiffiness of the night. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she glanced down at her chain sister as she lay curled next to her - soft, silken limbs tangled with their Jarl's. Slipping from the bed she tugged the furs over them both, lightly settling it over them and then reached for her leather work kirtle and tugged it over her hips. Fighting back another yawn, she tugged and tied at the laces of the bodice and then pulled on her boots, making her way to the kitchen to stoke the fire and prepare her Jarl's morning blackwine.

She crouched down before the glowing embers and used the small shovel to scoop out the used ashes and bits of charred wood, pushing the hot coals into a pile and adding fresh kindling and dried grass. Lifting her hand to hold back the heavy silver-blonde hair, she blowed softly on the coals, watching as they glowed brighter and eagerly consumed the fresh fuel. Carefully laying two more logs onto the new flames, she waited to make sure the fire was strong and then went through the morning routine of preparing the blackwine, crushing the beans to just the right consistancy before adding them to boiling water. As the blackwine steeped, she cleaned her workspace and tidied up the kitchen, washing the few utensils that she had used and gathering up any dirty linen that she could find to do the laundry today.

She laid the basket of dirty clothes and linen by the door and then finished the blackwine, moving the kettle from the flames and settling it over the hot coals to stay hot. She knew here sister chy would prepare Him a cup when they both woke up, but if He woke first and came to the bakery, there would be another fresh kettle there as well for all the free to enjoy with the morning sun.  With a last look around the tidy cabin she picked up the basket of laundry and slipped quietly out the door.

She hummed quietly to herself as she walked through the damp grass to the bakery, balancing the basket of laundry on her hip. The sounds of the village joined in her song, the deep bellows of the bosk as they called impatiently to be milked, the vulo scratching and squawking as they battled over nesting rights and searched for lost grains of feed. Eager trills and chirps of birds blended into the melody to create a harmony of life; and as the last notes of her spontaneous song drifted away, she pushed open the doors of the bakery with her hip and moved to where the baskets of laundry were gathered in a cluster behind the kitchen wall, waiting to be cleaned.

She picked up each basket  and carried it outside, walking around to the back of building where the hand wagon was kept. She was grateful her Jarl was so creative and had built the wooden wagon for the bonds to pull the laundry to the river, rather than have to carry the baskets by hand in several trips.  After all the laundry was loaded she added the rest of the supplies - the jar of shaved soap flakes and the various scrub brushes that varied in size and courseness.  Nodding in satisfaction she left the wagon ready to be moved and made her way back into the bakery to prepare the morning meal and drinks. Selecting four kettles she filled each one with water and settled it over the fire to heat, one for blackwine, one for bazi tea, one for fresh dish water, and one more for scrubbing the floors.

She weaved her way through the kitchen selecting the supplies she would need for the morning meal - four, sugar, and salt, fresh eggs milk, butter and honey, and neatly laid them on one of the work tables. She made her way to the back of the kitchen where the meat was stored and selected a haunch of tarsk meat and another of tabuk and carried them back to her work area, settling them on a special table with an extra layer of wood on it that could be added or removed to prevent cuts as the meat was sliced.  She prepared the blackwine bean packet and added it to the now boiling water, and then ladled boiling water into the kettle with the bazi tea leaves, settling the bazi tea over the hearth where it would stay hot and ready for any that were in need of it.  Her quick mind keeping an eye on the brewing blackwine, she used a rep cloth to grasp the handle of another kettle of boiling water and carried it over to the sink, pouring it in carefully so that it did not splash and burn her creamy skin.

She tossed in a handful of soap flakes and added cold water, just enough to make the temperature tolerable. Scrubbing her hands well she dried them on a clean cloth which she then tucked into the leather cord she always kept snuggly around her waist. Moving once more to the fire, she removed the last kettle of boiling water and added another handful of soap flakes and poured it into a sturdy wooden bucket which she set to the side for later when she scrubbed the floors. As she went through the familiar routine of  preparing the day's supply of fresh sa-tarna bread she let her mind wander to images of her Jarl, strong and handsome as rose to greet His Great Spirit and seek blessings for the day.

She moved back to the brewing blackwine and stirred it well, making sure that it did not scorch and fished out the packet of beans, letting it drain over the kettle to catch every last, delicious drop. Tossing the used beans into the refuse bucket she moved the kettle from the flames and set it next to the bazi tea to remain hot.

She shaped the kneaded dough into the familiar round loaves and pushed them into the oven to bake and then used the chained kitchen knife to slice the tarsk into strips and the tabuk into thin steaks.  Pulling out two large skillets, she added meat and settled it over the grate to cook. Crouching down she rifled through the large variety of different bowls, and pulled out a medium sized one, and skillfully cracked two dozen vulo eggs into the bowl. Adding a dash of fresh milk, she used a wisk to whip the eggs into a creamy, frothy mixture and then pulled out a smaller frying pan. Adding a liberal amount of fresh bosk butter to the pan, she coated it well and then poured in the eggs, stirring them constantly so they cooked evenly and did not stick to the pan. Once they were cooked she removed them from the fire and poured them into a serving dish, covering them with a cloth to keep out any contaminants.

She flipped the meat over and watched as it sizzled in the pan and then lifted each piece one by one, letting the juices drain back into the pan. She laid them neatly on another platter and covered them as well, setting them next to the eggs so that the girls could serve the free as needed.  She cleaned the kitchen and then swept the floors, removing all traces of dust and dirt and then scrubbed the floors  working her way out the door and then tossing out the old water behind the buildings and setting the bucket against the wall.