Chapter 11
A Businesswoman
1642 - Summer in Dunnedin
As the weeks went on, Starrling’s confidence grew, not by leaps and bounds, but definitely by tip-toes and hops. She took stock of her wares, her goods that could come to supplement her living.
Her land, although small, was rich in soil and she used the space wisely. She grew and harvested rich grains, vegetables and a bit of fruit. These she used to further her stock, in addition to providing food on her own table, meager as it was.
Her sheep dined on the rich green grass that flourished. The wool from these sheep was gathered and spun to make the fibers that she died in beautiful colors using all of nature around her: berries, evergreens, blossoms, herbs, vegetables and yes, even onion peels, producing wondrous shades and hues. Her only true secret was what she used to make the special deep blue that she’d learned back in her village. This was something that she vowed would never be disclosed. From the fibers she dyed, she used her weaving skills to produce warm, attractive and quite useful blankets. Blankets were always a shortage in these cooler areas.
Her hens, being pampered and spoiled with the finest grains, produced large and perfectly shaped brown eggs. Certainly, there were merchants and even individuals that might purchase these eggs. And her ever reliable cockerel kept all the hens in line and occasionally assisted in providing a few new chicks now and then.
Her milk cow, also being indulged on the rich vegetation, provided the source for butter, cream and milk. Perhaps her egg buyers might also desire a bit of butter now and then. And soon, Besaig would be producing a newborn calf. Starrling wondered if she would be able to part with it or if it would just become more of her family.
Ceiteag the goat provided more goat milk than Starrling knew what to do with, but she ended up using it for her own purposes, knowing that few people would be interested.
Of course, there were also the herbs she grew and dried for later use. This was an area where she must indeed be very careful, for a woman who is known to have the knowledge of herbs is usually a cause for suspicion. However, she do so hoped she could interest some of the ladies of the village and surrounding vicinity in some of her wonderful fragrant waters, sachets, soaps and teas that she produced from these herbs. She would simply not mention any medicinal values or spiritual virtues that accompanied them.
Other beasts on her property she merely considered family, animals she’d rescued or healed; cats, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and small birds. In addition, there were several deer that wandered by occasionally. But all her animal friends were free to come and go as they pleased. Of course Mistletoe and Dragonbreath were two of the cats that never left, for a warm hearth was hard to come by.
Despite her large family of animals, she felt one area terribly lacking: she wanted a horse. As soon as she had enough money, she would indeed have one. She’d grown up with horses and was not about to deny herself that pleasure at this stage in her life.
And so it was on a fine Monday morning that Starrling set out for Dunnedin. She stopped and negotiated with various merchants regarding the sale of her goods. On that first day, she was unsuccessful. She was not yet discouraged and developed a better plan of attack on her way home that evening.
On Tuesday, she set out once again, this time with a basket of samples and some fresh bread, biscuits and muffins that she’d baked, staying up very late the night before.
Each time she approached a possible future customer, she allowed them to sample a bit of her wares, and always left them with some treats. By the end of the day, she had twelve customers. She could hardly contain her excitement and stopped by the Tavern to have a personal celebration of sorts. Again, she was so pleased with the friendliness of the people there and found herself almost brave enough to chat. That day would come soon.
Chapter 12
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