Chapter 9: Act 1: Chapter 5

Sixteenth day, Twelfth Moon, 228 AC

Damn, it was cold! And I was an idiot. I had forgotten to take into consideration what I would do to keep clean in the winter. During the warmer years I could just bathe in the river. But now that winter was here, and the river was covered in ice I was left wanting. Currently, Nyra and myself were just using a bucket and a cloth to wipe ourselves down. The frequency of even that surprised Nyra though. Coming from a modern American household, bathing everyday was standard practice, especially after sweaty and stinky farm work.

Nyra thought my obsession strange but humored my all the same. Originally, she was worried I would get sick from such frequent bathing, especially in the winter. I could see where she was coming from, since many people in earlier centuries thought the same. I had to explain to her though that it wasn't the bathing that was the issue, it was being wet and cold that was. Well that, and dirty water.

I had decided to go with a sauna, for the solution to my problems. I had visited one once, and I had seen them on TV, so I understood the basic concept. We'll see how good it'll be. So far, I had the wall set and I was just finishing the roof. Soon as the roof was done I was going to rig up a fireplace and try and have a metal tray type thing on the roof of the fireplace to hold rocks and water. I was nervous, but the more I built it; the more I could see it completed in my mind.

This whole sauna mess was just a result of having no paper or parchment. Parchment was way too expensive, and I couldn't quite remember how to make paper. I remember you mash things and add water, then press it. Rags maybe? Or was it wood? Just another thing to add to my list.

A list I wasn't actually able to write down. Perfect.

Still, I was learning and Nyra was a huge help. There were a lot of little things I was doing wrong, but I was getting better. Last week, one day had dropped in temperature something fierce. It hurt to be out there, but unfortunately, I had to since I needed to feed the animals. Nyra told me it was common practice to leave additional feed inside the livestock area for days like that to make it easier.

Eventually Nyra called from the house that it was time to eat dinner. It was already pretty dark out, with just enough light left to see, so I put my tools back into the barn and locked it up before heading in. Trudging through the snow wasn't too bad, though it wasn't very high yet. It wasn't perpetually snowy as I had first feared when coming North, and there was usually quite some time in between snowfalls so that I could do some shoveling to clear the main paths.

When I entered the house, I could smell the stew and bread, though it was tinged with a unique smell. As I kissed Nyra and sat I asked her, "Finished making more of the drystone?"

She nodded and replied, "I noticed that the one in the cellar was nearly used up. I'll take the used one to the pigs tomorrow."

The drystone was an interesting creation. Definitely unique to Westeros, it was a mixture of a plant, simply called uhrplant (which apparently was Old Tongue for dry), limestone, milk, and ash. It helped keep stores fresh and unspoiled. I had yet to figure out exactly what it did, but it seemed to suck up moisture like a sponge and then spread something through the air? It was very interesting, especially since once it was fully used the pigs would eat it. Waste not, want not after all.

After we had finished eating, we both cleaned up, before settling down in front of the fire. I started carving a spindle for my rocking chairs. I was trying to build two rocking chairs for Nyra and myself, but it was pretty slow work. I had never built one before, but I had watched The Patriot, so I knew they were tough. I just hoped that was a somewhat accurate depiction. My wife loved the concept when I described it to her.

Nyra meanwhile was hand spinning some wool while she sat. For a while we just worked without saying anything, with just the cracks of the wood burning to break the silence.

Eventually, Nyra broke the silence. "I've been thinking about what you are always saying. About doing things better. I've got an idea about this wool. I was thinking something like the sawmill maybe, to make things easier?"

I looked over at her and saw she was a bit nervous about voicing this. I gave her a reassuring smile, "Hmm, that could work but maybe something smaller? The sawmill's wheel will move a lot of weight." I knew the rough outline of a spinning wheel for cloth, but not the specifics. I was curious as to what she would think up.

She became thoughtful, "I would still want it to be spun the same size, so smaller would work I think."

"Well, take your time and think it through. Think of the motions you do now to spin the wool, and what other kinds of motions might work, and how to do it best. We are almost out of wool anyways, so maybe save some to work on?"

She smiled at me, "I will. Will we have more sheep next summer?"

"Yes, I've planned to expand the fields by more than half next summer, so we will be able to have more sheep."

She looked impressed, "You said you wanted more land, but half?"

I continued to whittle my spindle while I responded, "Well, I've had a good piece of the other pasture for 3 years now, and the soil looks about ready to be planted. Remember me and your father talking about the crop rotation?" She nodded so I continued, "Well the soil can also be used by the trees differently than crops. So, I've been planting feed for the animals that helps make the soil a bit better."

As she started to put away the spun wool she replied, "Ah, so will you expand the other pasture next summer then as well?" I nodded. "So, we will have a lot more food than we need?"

I nodded my assent, "We will. We can start our family soon enough, and this will give us some coin too. I always want to try and give my children a better than I had."

She looked at me from across the room, "Children eh? I know you want to try and wait until spring, so how about you come over here and we try and practice a bit?"

My heart beat a little faster, "You don't want to hear the rest of the Han Solo story?"

She gave me the look. Ah. Well, practice makes perfect right?