Tolkien Blog Party 2024 || My Tag Answers

Squeaking in under the wire, but very happy to answer Rachel's lovely tag questions for her (12th!!!!) annual Tolkien blog party. (Which great party you can find here.)

~ Tolkien Blog Party Tag ~

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

The Shire is, of course, very much the homiest thing ever, but, other than that, Ithilien. I'm very much an Ithilien girl. ;)

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

Oh boy... so many choices. Well, while hosting (and helping with) some largish events in this last week (we're in the midst of a crazy 10 days or so here -- it's all been absolutely lovely, but just one thing after the next)... Anyway, in the midst of all that, I realized I literally feel like I can identify very closely with Barliman Butterbur and his inn at Bree. XD 

But that doesn't narrow down cuisine, so putting that aside, hmmm....

Cranberry-orange cider for our event last Saturday --
definitely very Shire-ish

Home atmosphere wise, I do want to create a combination of Shire hospitality and Rivendell, but also.... Tom Bombadil's house has always -- always -- intrigued me. And I love the menu -- the bread and cheese and honeycomb and berries... and the clear water, heady as wine. Not sure exactly how you would encapsulate all that in a restaurant, but it kind of reminds me of what I've heard regarding (simple) French cuisine. So maybe some basics like the above (bread, wine, cheese, honey, cream, and berries), and maybe some light soups, changing with the seasons + pastries or something? I do like baking (and eating) pastries.

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

Rohan, with its wide spreading land bounded by mountains. And either when it's green and rippling with thick fresh grass, or when the snow flies and that same grass is all crunchy with frost underfoot.

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 delved into various things over the years. It's been awhile, but I do remember doing a deep-ish dive and finding out some interesting things re his women characters. I wasn't able to encapsulate everything, but I did write down a bunch of subsequent thoughts here. (Don't take it all as my final opinion on the subject, but I do still find everything I touched on in there fascinating. And again, not that Tolkien did any of it on purpose. I just think one could make an argument that his imagination was saturated with certain imagery.)

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

The idea sounds marvelous, but in reality I probably wouldn't get a great night's sleep. 😅

6. Edoras: Do you like horses?

Yes. I am worried they make me sneeze (though also hoping that's just the hay 😂). But yes, I love horses. <3

One of the gorgeous animals at our local draft horse show

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!)

No, haven't done that.

Tempting display of succulents at our local greenhouse
-- something about it just made me think of LOTR

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

I have quite a few wooden wall hangings with quotes. One favorite is our "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure" one. We've created a family tradition of pulling it out and hanging it on the doorknob on days we're planning to do something new and exciting. We don't remember to pull it out all the time, but it's a lot of fun.

The actual sign and door

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

Yes! Farmer Giles of Ham (multiple times) and, it's not quite the same, but I'm also a fan of his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, etc.

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

Far too long. I have the aforementioned wall hangings up around the house, but since I actually delved into LOTR properly... I think it's been a couple years actually.

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Thanks again so much for the tag, Rachel -- they were great questions and most enjoyable to fill out! :)