Thursday morning: Return of Liam-style

1. Please join me in welcoming  weerdgrrl, emilyrose88, luscious_purple, esprix and mrmanx, some or all of whom have not been welcomed to the insanity that is the Liamverse yet. I think I have already greeted haflagirl, franksdottir and harpnfiddle! No new friends from Pennsic yet.

2. I promise I will write something about Pennsic soon. Yes, I completed my quest. My king is a wise man.

3. Gorgeous day up here on the edge of the Adirondacks., though I have been up since 5:20 a.m. from a "trapped under the ice" dream. In a good mood now after three cups of coffee.

4. It would be really cool if this story was true:

Once upon a time, deep in the mists of History (some thirty-years-or-so ago), there lived in the fair Kingdom of Ansteorra, a Master of Arms, named Ivar Battleskald. Now remember, good gentles, that MoA's are accorded to have the skill, prowess and duties of Knighthood, save that they do not
swear fealty to the Crown (originally for religious restrictions; but sometimes, and now more commonly, for personal reasons.)

One fine day, at an Inter-kingdom War, Master Ivar came upon a group of out-of-Kingdom Knights (...decorum prohibits me from saying which Kingdom); who were discussing the meaning of Fealty. Ivar joined the group, and listened carefully for awhile. At one point, he spoke up, and ventured an opinion. The Knights (to a man) looked down their noses at him, and one said: "What would *you* know of Fealty? You're *just* a Master of Arms!" Ivar nodded, agreed with the Knights, and quietly left the group. He retired to his tent, and proceeded to write "Born On The List Field" in one sitting; which he performed that evening in Court.

No-one ever questioned his understanding of Fealty again.

5. I continue to be astounded by the wondrous things things alethea_eastrid comes up with. The latest was listening to Schooner Fare all the way home from Pennsic, especially listening to "The Mary-Ellen Carter."

And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

A version from Liam Clancy.

6.  One of my guilty pleasures is following high school football. I have four previews to do, and the season opens on Labor Day. One of my favorite things back in the sportswriting days was covering a Friday night game, then a Saturday morning game at Norwich Free Academy or Ledyard, then a 1 p.m. game at New London or Stonington. Alas. no Saturday morning games up here, and both of those schools have added lights, so they don't play in the mornings any more.

By the way, the season has already started in Alaska!

7. Today, alethea_eastrid and I will be going to Saratoga Race Course. She won a drawing at work and gets admission to a luxury box and the afternoon off. I will be slumming it at the rail.

OK, so the Polar Plunge is three months from tomorrow . . .

The sun is out, it's 70 degrees, and the day holds the promise of the warmth of summer.

But my thoughts are about Lake George, NY, in the winter.

Registration is open for the Polar Plunge, Saturday, Nov. 20, at Shepherds Cove.

I would like to invite you to join our team -- Agni Dentati -- and I mean all of you. I would love to have anyone who can get up here join us that weekend. Traditionally, if you raise $250, you get a hotel room the night before, and we will have a Stew Party afterwards.

If you would like to donate, you can do that here.

( Why do I do this? )