Greeting Ginevra,

My name is Katrine la Escolpiera and I live within the Kingdom of Ansteorra. Here it seems that there are a few households but many old timers seem to be against the whole notion of a household.

I do not feel the same way. I believe a household is a good thing most of the time. That is if it is a productive group and working to enhance the dream for each of its members and those that are not part of the household. 

For example. My husband and I would like to someday have a household that is strictly an SCA household as opposed to one that is intertwined with the mundane. We would like it to be a household that works together to create a period encampment at events that is as close to actual period as we can get it. This would incorporate everyone in the house doing research and maintaining that goal together as a whole outside of events. This type of situation encourages people to learn how to do research, learn how to do documentation, and learn how to work together as a team. All three of these are something that is somewhat lacking these days.

Granted, we cannot be completely 100% period all the time. That is where the magic of mirrors, painted canvas and other amazing slight of hand actions come to play.

Another reason for this type of household would be to enhance other peoples' dream. I remember going to an event once and stumbling onto Dutches Willow de Wisp's encampment. It was as if I was taken back into time. It helped me to believe in the dream. I want to give that to other people. I believe as a household this could be accomplished much easier than with just a husband and wife team. The more the merrier I say!

There are other households that have the mundane deeply intertwined with the events and SCA as a whole. We have friends that have three to six people at their house on a daily basis eating together, doing laundry for each other, and helping to raise each other's children. Then they go to an event and they are still just as cohesive. They don't all live together, but they live life together. It works well, but it has it's draw backs.

When people discuss one of the members, they are all lumped into the same category and assumed to be working on the same thing without any changes. I do know, however, they all do their own thing and do it all rather well. It is hard, though, to get out of this type labeling. 

Households can be a very beneficial thing if, as I said before, it is all for enhancing peoples' dreams, helping to teach something worthwhile, and making people better than when they started. Households that do not do these things are nothing but a distraction from what the SCA is about. 

Anyway... I have rambled on too much I fear. I get on a soapbox and forget to come down! These are just my views and I do not want to force then on anyone. So if I am out of line, please say so... I usually try to listen...

Thank you for your attention,
Lady Katrine la Escolpiera