Laundry at the River (27 April)

 Zee she enters the infirmary ad take the linen from the exam tables and places them into the laundry backet
[07:19]  Zee she them move to the shelve to replace the linen she just removed from the exam tables, then she step lightly to the first bed and proceeds to make up each table just as they were before
[07:22]  Zee she come to the last table and makes it up and grab a repcloth and does a bit of light dusting
[07:23]  Zee: .me she them picks the linen she just took from the beds and walks to the back hips swaying side to side

[07:24]  Zee: she puts the linen in the basket with the rest and takes it in hand and head to the door to take it to the stream
[07:33]  Zee she sit the basket on the rock and kneels dowm near the stream and take the a linen in hand and dips it in the stream taking the wash board in the other hand she place the wet linen to the wash board and begins to scrub it clean
[07:34]  Zee she does it again with another linen
[07:36]  Zee she begins to hum a soft tune to herself as she washes the lanundry
[07:56]  Tala Moonwing joines her sister and sets down the heavy metal tub of supplies, scrub brushes, soap flakes and rope and pins to hang the laundry to dry
[07:58]  Tala Moonwing grins and looks to the basket of linene that needs to be washed for the infermery and grins "well lets get this done shall we sis? four hands are better than two i would think
[07:58]  Zee she place the washed linen in to another basket and pick up another and begins to wash it
[07:58]  Zee yes sister
[08:00]  Zee she scrubs each linen vigorously agains the wash board
[08:00]  Tala Moonwing stifles another yawn and tugs off her kirtle, folding it neatly to the side. The bright white feathers were a favorite and she didnt wish them to get grass stained
[08:00]  Zee: dipin them in the stream to rinse them
[08:01]  Zee layng each in the second basket
[08:01]  Zee mmmmmmmm yuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy sissyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
[08:01]  Tala Moonwing flops on the soft grass next to her sister and reaches in for more sheets, pulling out a scrub brush and dipping it in the soap flakes. She then leans forward and starts scrubbing away at a sheet "the village it is nearly bursting at the seems sister, tis good we are getting a bigger place"
[08:01]  Tala Moonwing blinks and bursts out laughing "well i always do laundry nakie sissy.. makes less clothes to wash"
[08:02]  Tala Moonwing chuckles
[08:02]  Zee yes sister i agree we definately need the move
[08:02]  Zee: /m giggles
[08:04]  Zee she begins to hang the laundry that has layed in the second basket to dry
[08:04]  Tala Moonwing peers over the river at the larma tree, nearly bursting with ripe fruit and her mouth begins to water. "Mm i will have to pick a handful to take back for some fresh fruit.. gruel is starting to lose its appeal of late. Must be the nice spring weather"
[08:05]  Zee yes sister
[08:05]  Tala Moonwing wrings out the last of the laundry and rises to her feet, dirt and grass clinging to her full bottom. She impatiently brushes it off, anxious for her morning bath after the chores were through and helped her sister hang the last of the clothes so the soft winds would dry them and make them smell as fresh as the morning woods
[08:07]  Tala Moonwing looks to a few of the older sheets as they flutter and dance in the wind, "some of these we will be able to rip up for bandages as they seem to be getting a wee bit threadbare"
[08:08]  Zee aye sister once they be dry i will surly do it i think we be running low in the infirmary at this point i have not really checked in a day or two sister
[08:09]  Tala Moonwing nods "aye with many warriors, i suspect training is going to start soon and there will be nicks and cuts to bandage up when they sparring"
[08:12]  Zee truer word were never spoken sister, it seems when the men are sparring the Mistress Nightsong Voir gets many visit setting broken bone and dressing wound inflicted by blades
[08:13]  Tala Moonwing nods and shudders "i am glad to have the warriors sis, they were needed badly, but our work will be doubled. or tripled by now. We have an amazing group of sisters though.. i think we can take them"
[08:13]  Tala Moonwing winks to her as she pins up the last of the laundry and then plops down next to her on the soft grass.
[08:27 AM]  nadie(dab.snowfield): laundry done??
[08:27 AM]  Zee(zabeeka) heilsa sister she says as she see the girl come running to them
[08:27 AM]  nadie(dab.snowfield): greetings sister
[08:28 AM]  Tala Moonwing: yup finishing up the notecard now hehe.. want to grab some fresh larma's to take back? i got a few but cant carry that many i didnt bring a basket
[08:28 AM]  nadie(dab.snowfield) nods 'aye i can sissy

Cleaning the Latrines (22 April)

[09:06 PM]  Tala Moonwing shudders with horror at the chore she is about to undertake and lifts her chin in determination, knowing it was necessary for the comfort, and cleanliness of their village. Stripping off her favorite kirtle, she tucked it carefully away dug up her oldest and most worn out work camisk.

[09:11 PM]  Tala Moonwing finds some wooden sticks that had been widdled into blunt points and sticks them into her long blond hair, carefully pinning up the silvery locks to keep them from tumbling over creamy shoulders. She rummaged through the basket of utensils in the kitchen until she found what she seeked, one of the pins that was used to hang the clothes up to dry and grinned with relief. She clipped it to her nose tightly, uncaring how it made her look or how much it pinched the delicate skin.

[09:13 PM]  Tala Moonwing carefully fills a bucket with boiling water, and adds cold water to it as well, stirring in a handful of strong cleansing soap that the girls made anually, enough to last them many sesasons if carefully crated. Tossing in a large scrubrush and tucking a number of old rags into her rope belt, she made her way to the nearest Latrine with a brave face, though rather silly -looking face.

[09:19 PM]  Tala Moonwing: She approached the latrine next to the bond kennel and with a deep breath of fresh air, she tugged open the door and peered around the wooden frame, biting back a groan of dusgust as the wave of fumes greetged her, flies swarmed around her body, eagerly landing on her fresh, young skin, that seemed to want to crawl inside itself as if to escape the chore that awaited her.

[09:26 PM]  Tala Moonwing lifts her chin and marches in setting the bucket of hot, soapy water down and plunging her hand into the water, not allowing the water to even drain from the brush she slapped it with gusto on the seat, scrubbing for all she was worth.

[09:31 PM]  Tala Moonwing: Her musical voice rose to full throttle as she srubbed away, moving around to the base and along the wooden shelf that the seat rested on, as if the beauty of song could banish the distate of this particular chore. She was optimisic by nature however, and despite the smell that brought tears to her bright, emerald eyes, she knew that her sisters would smile in relief when they stumbled out in the morning to a clean outhouse.

[09:34 PM]  Tala Moonwing winced slightly as she peered into the gaping hole, and gauged how full it was and swalled quickly as the smell rose to greet her. The seat, the shelf and the floor and walls now scrubbed clean she backed her way out quickly and took in great gulps of fresh air, setting the filthy water down for a moment while she drank in the sweet smell of wind and soil and the surrounding fir trees.

[09:36 PM]  Tala Moonwing quickly makes her way to the edge of the village, climbing the hill that led to the outcropping of trees and tossed the water into the forest's edge, to be consumed by the plants that would benefit from the .. ripe.. watering.

[09:40 PM]  Tala Moonwing hurried back to her Jarl's cabin for more supplies, praying to His Great Spirit that none would see her in her present state, and scampered inside to retrieve a large shovel and wooden tub, along with two more wooden pails. Dragging the supplies back to the now almost clean latrine, she made her way to the back to complete the last, and worst part of her task.

[09:46 PM]  Tala Moonwing crouched before the small wooden door at the back, and unclasped it with dread, shuddering as the deep metal pan was exposed. The door was not high up enough that any could see to invade the privacy of the user, should they be so inclined to mischief, it was only big enough to allow the pan to be removed and emptied, and cleaned. She pulled it out carefully, so that none of the feces or urine would splash on her body and with a grimace she poured the foul mixture into one of the wooden pails, filling it nearly full and then pouring the rest into the other pail. Dropping the dirty pan on the ground behind the latrine she slowly carried each pail, one in each hand to the trees once more, offering them even more fresh fertilizer.

[09:47 PM]  Tala Moonwing made her way back to the latrine and fetched the dirty pan, tossing it into one of the buckets and heading to the river to rinse them all out. She vowed she would bathe as soon as this was over with for she could not bare to be seen looking and smelling as she did.

[09:49 PM]  Tala Moonwing reached the edge of the river, far aways down where the water rolled, and twisted, churning and chattering over smooth-polished stones that gleamed in the setting sun. She crouched before the water and plunged the pails and the pan into the cold water, letting the river scrub them clean with sediment and stone, and rinsing them well.

[09:51 PM]  Tala Moonwing rose to her feet, holding the now clean supplies in the only clean part of her body, her hands, and hurried back to the latrine to replace the now shining odor-free pan. With a twist to the iron hook she closed it tightly and made her way to her Jarl's cabin to clean find a fresh kirtle to take back to the river for her own bath. Once more her voice rose in song, a tribute to the home and family that she loved, the new sisters she had been blessed with, the Free that she has been priviledged to serve and with a light heart and a happy smile she scampered eagerly back to the river for her bath.

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.