My Tag Answers for My 2024 Tolkien Blog Party

My twelfth Tolkien Blog Party is winding down.  But it's not over -- you can still enter the giveaway through midnight (EDT) tonight, and still play the games!  And still take a few minutes to fill out the tag, like I'm doing.

1. The Shire: What place in Middle-earth do you think you would feel the most like home for you? 

Probably the Shire, actually.  I spent my childhood in the rural Midwest, in farming country, and then spent my teen years in western North Carolina (which, yes, is experiencing a lot of distress right now -- pray for the flooding to ease up!).  I think the Shire is the closest place in Middle-earth to both of those.

2. Bree: If you could create a Middle-earth-themed restaurant, what would you serve there? 

Oooooooh, lots of yummy things!  Rabbit stew and roasted vegetables and hearty meat-and-potato dishes.  Fruit pies and tea cakes and delicate little pastries that look like they were created by elves.  And lembas, but only on the to-go menu.  I actually have several Middle-earth-inspired cookbooks, and made several things from them last weekend!

(Mine from my Instagram)

3. Rivendell: Where in Middle-earth would you like to hang out with your friends for a week or so? 

Rivendell.  I'd love to visit there, peruse the library, listen to the songs and stories, enjoy the food... but I think once I was well-rested, I would get bored and want to go elsewhere again.

4. Moria: Have you ever delved into the history of Middle-earth (or the history of Tolkien's creative process)? If so, did you learn anything cool you'd like to share? 

I have, somewhat!  I have learned that Tolkien was absolutely a pantser -- he did not plan out his plots.  When he was writing the first draft of The Lord of the Rings, he had no idea who Strider really was when he showed up in a dark corner of the Prancing Pony.  I find that funny, relatable, and awesome.

5. Lothlorien: Would you like to sleep in a tree? 

Yes, if the elves were there to ensure I wouldn't roll over and fall out while asleep.  I do enjoy climbing trees.

6. Edoras: Do you like horses? 

I love them :-)

7. Minas Tirith: Have you ever dressed as a Tolkien character, whether for a convention or Halloween or anything else? (Bonus fake internet points if you share a photo!) 

I dressed as Goldberry for Halloween last year, and my husband dressed as Tom Bombadil!

8. Erebor: Do you have any Middle-earth merchandise you particularly treasure? 

I have a copy of The Lord of the Rings all in one volume that I bought in a bookstore a week or so after the first movie came out in 2021.  I'm reading that copy for the tenth time right now, and my husband has also read it multiple times, as well as one of my kids.  It has a host of memories for me, and I have used a different color of pen to make notes in it each time I read it, so it's really fun to see what I was particularly noticing during different reads!

(Also mine from my Instagram)

I also love my Boromir mug that Carrie at A Fine Quotation designed especially with me in mind a few years ago.

(Also mine from my Instagram)

9. Mordor: Have you ever read anything by Tolkien that wasn't about Middle-earth? 

Yes!  I've read Mr. Bliss, Roverandom, and Letters from Father Christmas.  All are charming, but that last one is my favorite.

10. The Grey Havens: How long has it been since you last ventured into Middle-earth via book or film?

About seven hours?  I'm reading The Return of the King right now, and was deeply involved in it while my daughter was at her physical therapy session this morning.  In fact, I was crying because Sam woke up and saw Gandalf was alive, and I was wishing I had brought in some tissues, and also hoping everyone there assumed it was just the day's high pollen count making me sniffle...

My Middle-earth Quilt

I did it!  I finished my Middle-earth quilt throw blanket thing!  And on Hobbit Day, no less :-D

I've been working on this throw blanket since the end of July.  I bought a set of twelve beautiful fabric panels from Sweet Sequels that were printed with Haleigh DeRocher's lovely Impressionistic Tolkien artwork, first of all.  

Then I bought a fluffy faux fur fabric for the background and two contrasting green fabrics for the front, both from Hobby Lobby.

I laid out the panels in a design I liked, and then interspersed them with the green fabric, which I had cut into pieces the same size as the artwork panels.

Then I sewed all those pieces together by hand, first sewing them into strips of seven blocks each, then sewing those strips together.  

I just worked on that every now and then, usually in the evening while watching a TV show episode to relax or something.  I finished sewing all the blocks together in mid-August.

Then it was time to cut down the faux fur backing fabric to fit, which was the hardest part, really.  I ended up laying it all out on the floor in my library to cut it.  Once I was done cutting, I was left with a pretty disgusting pile of fluff.

Then I pinned the wrong sides of front and back together and sewed all the way around the edge, except for about an 8-inch gap on one side.  Pulled the whole thing through the gap so it was now inside-in, sewed the gap shut, and then sewed all the way around the edge again so it would lie flat.  Tacked it down in four places in the middle so the back and front don't shift around a lot, and ta-da!  I'm done!

It suits our library couch so well!  I can't wait to snuggle up under this while reading this fall and winter.  That backing fabric is soooooo soft and warm.

The whole project cost me $60-$70, and took about two months of very occasional working.  I loved making it!  And... I have a lot of the backing left, plus some of the contrasting fabric, so I actually ordered another set of the fabric panels from Sweet Sequels this month, and I plan to make at least one throw pillow to match this and go with it on the couch.  I might also make some book sleeves.  I might even offer one as a prize for the giveaway next year for my annual Tolkien Blog Party.  We shall see!

Speaking of the blog party, today is the LAST DAY you can enter this year's giveaway!  If you haven't entered yet, go here and do so before 11:59pm EST!  And, if you haven't checked out the party at all yet, here's the kick-off post with links to all the others.

My Tag Answers for the 2023 Tolkien Blog Party Tag

Why, yes, it's that time of year again!  It's Hobbit Week, which means I'm hosting my annual Tolkien Blog Party over on my book blog, The Edge of the Precipice.  You can find the kick-off post here, with links to all the other posts, like two games I've got going, my giveaway, and other people's lovely Tolkien-related party posts.

Today, I'm sharing my own answers for this year's tag.  About time, since the party will be ending tomorrow!

A Tolkien Blog Party Tag for 2023 

Which of each pair do you prefer, and why? 

1. Rohan or Gondor? 

Rohan.  Always Rohan.  I love horses, I love wide-open spaces, and what I know about the culture of the Rohirrim really appeals to me.  If I could pick a place to live in Middle-earth, I would choose Rohan.  (You'd think it would be Gondor, since my favorite LOTR character is Boromir, but it's just not for me.)

2. Rivendell or Lothlorien? 

Rivendell!  In fact, it's my favorite place in Middle-earth.

Now, you may be saying, "Hang on there a minute -- didn't you just say you want to live in Rohan?"  Yes, I did.  I want to live in Rohan, but I want to vacation in Rivendell.  I just can't see myself living a daily life in Rivendell, not for years on end.  But for a few weeks at a time?  Absolutely!  I would gladly trade a horse to Lord Elrond in exchange for being allowed to just live in his library for a couple of weeks, every few years.

3. Erebor or Moria? 

Moria, if it was cleared of goblins and cave trolls.  But I don't really fancy either of them.

4. Bilbo or Frodo? 

I don't like this question.  Why did I ask it?  Foolish me.

Um.  Probably Bilbo because I identify with him just a little more, being not so adventurous myself, yet often enjoying adventures once I get swept off into them.  Whereas Frodo seems a bit more into wishing for adventure, if that makes sense?

5. Merry or Pippin? 

Merry :-)  Pippin is lots of fun, but I would probably get tired of hanging out with him pretty quickly.  Don't think I'd get tired of hanging out with Merry.

6. Galadriel or Elrond? 

Elrond, no question.  He's been a particular favorite of mine for as long as I've been a LOTR fan.

7. Eomer or Faramir? 

Eomer.  Yes, Faramir is awesome.  But I love Eomer more.

8. Fili or Kili? 

I have to say Kili because, if I don't, my daughter will smite me.

9. Bard or Beorn? 

Bard, Bard, Bard, always Bard.  In fact, I'm wearing a Bard the Bowman t-shirt right now!  Even in the book, where he starts out just being "the grim-faced man," he's such a stalwart, resolute, sensible fellow.  

And, in the movies, he's someone I can't help but love for his fierce protectiveness for his family, his sly humor, and his coat.  I really fell in love with his coat first, not gonna lie.  I was super tempted to spend like a thousand dollars on a replica once.  

10. Gandalf the Grey or Gandalf the White?

Gandalf the White because he's so filled with joy and light and hope.  And still so sarcastic.

Well, there are my answers!  Don't forget to check out the blog party yourself, if you haven't already.  Tomorrow is the last day to enter the giveaway :-o

The Fandom Tag

Eva tagged me with this on Coffee, Classics, and Craziness this week.  Thanks, Eva!  I was rather wishing for a good tag to do, as a matter of fact.

RULES:

1.  Include the graphic somewhere in your post!
2.  Answer the questions!
3.  Tag two fellow fandom fanatics!

Okay, that's all fun times, so let's go.

(Source)

What’s the first fandom you remember becoming a part of? 

Does Robin Hood count?  Because I've loved him since I was like three or four.  If he doesn't, then the Lone Ranger, as I've loved him since I was seven or eight.

My first really major fandom, though, was Star Trek.  I got into Star Trek: The Original Series in my very early teens, and it was the first fandom I was into that I could buy merch for, which was such a thrill.  I had Star Trek action figures, t-shirts, model kits to put together, books... and a few favorite episodes on VHS.  It was a lovely way to spend my teen years.

Cut from 1993 to 2016 when I got to attend the 50th anniversary Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas with my bff, which was a dream come true :-)

(I'm on the right here.)

Yes, we had costumes.  Yes, we had a lot of fun doing action shots!  Oh, and our tricorders were actually purses!

(I'm on the left here.)

What’s the newest fandom you’ve come to enjoy? 

The Mandalorian, I think.  Which is technically part of the Star Wars fandom.  Newest one that's entirely new to me?  Hmm.  Haven't picked up any brand-new fandoms lately.  I guess before Mando, it would have been the '90s TV version of The Magnificent Seven, but even there, it's based on a movie I've loved since my teens.

So the newest-to-me fandom that is TOTALLY new to me that I've gotten into recently (by which I mean like 4 years ago) would be Leverage (2008-2012), which is a supremely fun show about a group of criminals who work together to help people who've been hurt by other criminals.  It definitely has a Robin Hood aspect to it, but also that "found family" thing going on that I pretty much always fall for.  And it's got all kinds of con artist stuff going on, which always fascinates me.  Plus, yeah, Christian Kane and Timothy Hutton definitely were what first drew me to the show.

What’s a fandom guaranteed to give you feels? 

Um, if it doesn't give me all the feels, I'm not into it.  For real.  I demand many feels.  No feels?  No fandom for me.

Okay, fine, so one that gives me instant feels, no matter what, and all you have to do is say the show's name for me to be reduced to a puddle of sappy and lovesick nonsense is... Lost.  Which is all his fault:

My darling Sawyer, about whom I have waxed eloquent many times.  So today, instead of talking about how much I love James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway), I'll tell you a little story that will show how well my brother's wife knows me.  We went to visit them once, years and years ago when we both lived somewhere other than where we are now.  And they were big fans of Lost, so they wanted to show us the first few eps to see if we'd like it too.  My s-i-l suggested it to my brother because she thought I'd like the characters a lot.  My brother said, "Yeah, but I just can't see Rachel liking Jack."  My s-i-l said, "No, no, not Jack.  Sawyer."  

Um, yeah, she called it.  The first couple of eps, I was like, "Why is he so horrible?" and then when I got to ep 8, "Confidence Man," I just gave up and fell for him.  Very hard, very fast, very deeply.  I've got a weird fondness for con artists anyway, and if you combine that with an authentic Southern accent and a redemption arc, there's no way I won't swoon.

What’s a guilty pleasure fandom of yours?

Ummmmmm... ummmmmmmmmm... I don't have one?  I don't feel guilty about loving any of my fandoms!  If they made me feel guilty, I would not be their fan.

 

What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve heard of/are a part of? 

Yeah, see, but you say 'weird' and I say 'whatever.'  I never know what people will consider weird.  Is it weird that my favorite TV show ever is a 1960s drama about WWII soldiers?  Is it weird that I've written fanfic that crossed that show with one about vampires?  I suppose the Buffy/Angel fandom is my weirdest, or maybe it's Lost instead?  They're both kind of unusual, maybe?

I do deeply love Angel: The Series.  It's my second-favorite TV show ever, and since it's about a vampire who basically becomes a detective and then a crime-fighter and assembles a crew with otherworldly skills to help the hopeless... I guess it counts as weird?

Favorite popular/widely-known fandom? 

Either the MCU or Star Wars -- I don't know which one is bigger, or which one I love most.  Okay, I probably love Star Wars a little more, simply because I've loved Han Solo for a looooooooong time.  And so deeply.  Yes, I think I do love him more than Thor.  Sorry, Thor.  I do love you, honest.  Just... I love Han more.  Can't help it.

Favorite bookish fandom? 

Sherlock Holmes.  No question.  Sherlock Holmes is my "book boyfriend" and I am not sorry.

(Mine from my Instagram account.)

What do you consider your ‘homebase,’ a fandom you can always come back to? 

Combat! (1962-67) always feels like home.  No matter how long it's been since I watched an ep.  I just watched several last month and it was so wonderful to be back with my best WWII buddies.  I've spent so much of my life in that world, writing reams of fanfic and even co-running a fansite for the show called Fruit Salad with my best friend.

No matter how long I've been away, Saunders and the guys will always welcome me back.  I love that.

What’s a fandom you know all about…but aren’t actually into it? 

Why would I know all about it if I wasn't in the fandom?  I don't bother learning all about things if I'm not into them.  Who has that kind of time?

I do know a lot more about The Hunger Games than I want to, so I guess that counts?  It was so unavoidable for so long, but I'm just not into it.  At all.

Which fandom has the best characters?

Probably The Lord of the Rings.  Just no end of fantastically nuanced, deep, rich characters.

 

Name your all-time favorite ship. 

Valancy Stirling and Barney Snaith from The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery.  I have read it over and over, and their story never fails to absolutely delight me.

(Also from my Instagram)

What’s a fandom you’re curious about joining?

Hmm.  Does Errol Flynn count?  Because I'm a little bit flirting with the idea of having a spring fling with him, as evidenced by me buying like four or five of his westerns recently.  But at the same time, I've already seen half a dozen of his movies, so he's not truly new to me either.  I'm considering reading Caraval by Stephanie Garber -- does that count?

That was super fun, and it took me days and days to answer these to my satisfaction :-)  Now I'm supposed to tag two people, so I'm tagging Movie Critic at Movies Meet Their Match and Katherine + Grace at Maidens of Green Gables.  But if you want to do this tag too, go right ahead!  Here are the questions, for your easy copying:

What’s the first fandom you remember becoming a part of? 

What’s the newest fandom you’ve come to enjoy? 

What’s a fandom guaranteed to give you feels? 

What’s a guilty pleasure fandom of yours? 

What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve heard of/are a part of? 

Favorite popular/widely-known fandom? 

Favorite bookish fandom? 

What do you consider your ‘homebase,’ a fandom you can always come back to? 

What’s a fandom you know all about…but aren’t actually into it? 

Which fandom has the best characters? 

Name your all-time favorite ship. 

What’s a fandom you’re curious about joining?

Building a Hobbity Book Nook

Have you heard of book nooks, or bookshelf inserts or bookshelf nooks?  They get called a lot of things, but whatever you call them, I love them.  I have a whole Pinterest board full of them, if you're curious.

Anyway, I decided to build one myself, so over the course of a few weeks, I did!  And now I'm going to tell you all about it because I can :-)

I started out with some odds and ends of wood and chipboard we had leftover from a few years ago when I built a couple of table-top Lego play stations for my kids.

My brother owns a tabletop saw, all motorized and everything.  But I didn't want to bug him just to cut some little boards up for me.  Plus, we don't see them as much right now because of the whole sheltering-in-place thing.  So I attacked my wood with a hand saw.

Toward the end, I really wished I'd taken it all to my brother's place.  But I persevered.  And didn't even get any blisters!

I cut enough wood to make TWO book nooks, but one of them is going to have to wait for later.  One at a time!

So here are my pieces for my first book nook, the bigger one I planned to make.  I have two large pieces of chipboard for sides and then various pieces of wooden edging for the top, bottom, and back (spine).

I just used the random acrylic paints we already have on hand because going to the store for fun stuff like this isn't exactly an option right now.  I also ordered a few miniature things from Hobby Lobby's website, plus some moss ribbon.

Here's the first layer of painting done!  You'll see in the next pictures that I changed my mind about a few things, but this got the general idea down.

For some reason, I didn't save my photos of the second round of painting on my phone, so I had to grab these out of the Instagram story I've saved in my highlights of how this all went together.  That's why these two pictures have words on them.

Here you can see the moss ribbon unrolled.  I glued that and some sandpaper down to make the grassy lawn and little path leading out from my main hobbit hole.  And I glued that round door onto the blank spot I'd left for it.  I found that door on clearance a couple years ago, got it for maybe $2, just thinking I'd use it someday.  And now I have!

Then I didn't do anything at all with this project for a couple of weeks because I got busy.  But yesterday, I had time for it again, so I painted the backs of the boards to look like a book.  They ended up looking kind of like wood, but oh well, they're still a nice brown.

I found an alphabet online that's based on Tolkien's writing he used for a hobbit script, and I painted this one for a title with gold paint.  I'm absurdly pleased with how it turned out because I didn't write it on in pencil first or anything, or even practice the lettering, I just eyeballed the font on my phone and painted this freehand.  Which was reckless, but fun.  (And I could always have painted over it if it'd turned out terribly.)

Today, it was time to assemble all the pieces with my trusty hot glue gun.  Which is actually a warm glue gun, and so much safer for my fingers.

Got both sides glued to the bottom.

Oh, I glued the fence in first so I wouldn't have to fiddle with that once the sides were on.

Then I glued in my props, which probably would have been better to do when there was only one side glued on, oops.  I made it work anyway.

No one will ever see this view again because it's from the back.  But isn't that little broom adorable?  Love it.

I put the top on next.  That made it a lot more stable, as it was rather wobbly.

Then I glued the back on.  I'm afraid I hadn't cut my biggest boards very straightly, so they don't meet perfectly at the back.  But I'm still very pleased with it.

I painted daffodils everywhere because they're my favorite flower.  I don't recall them getting mentioned in any of Tolkien's writings about Middle-earth, but they're native to Wales, so I figure they could possibly be in the Shire too.

Here you can see how my back and top don't quite meet.  Oh well.  It's my first attempt.

I put a few birds in the sky, but they're hard to see now that it's assembled.

And now that it's done, I put it on my Tolkien shelves!  My Gandalf is not quite the right scale to go with it, but that's okay.

I still like how this looks like he's going to step inside this book.

And here's a farther-away shot, showing off more of my Tolkien collection and how it sort of fits in quite naturally here.

I've got the wood cut for another, smaller book nook too.  I'm thinking I'll do an LM Montgomery theme with that, something Anne of Green Gables-related, but I haven't decided what yet.  We'll see!