Dear Reader,
I’m so glad you’ve chosen to join me on this adventure to bring the worlds of fantasy and reality together. For me, this adventure begins with my favorite people, one of whom you know well, Sanswinda. As a big sister, she’s amazing and has always been fascinated by all things imaginative and whimsical. Together, we turned our bunkbeds into forts, transformed the sofa into a covered wagon, and dining room chairs into the grandest of steeds. As we grew older, we spent less time in imaginative play and more time becoming adults. In college, Sanswinda took an English literature class, and through her, I was introduced to Tolkien’s writings, specifically The Lord of the Rings.
The hobbits and the Shire caught my attention immediately. In my mind’s eye, I could see the rolling hills, cottage gardens, and peaceful countryside, because I have seen the American version of these same sights. My grandparents raise sheep, and we would spend hours watching the sheep, playing in the creek, and listening to nature. There’s something so special about the idea of a peaceful existence full of good food, good friends, and lovely flowers.
In The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), my favorite characters to play are hobbits. There’s so much joy in how they were animated as they move and interact with other characters and the environment, and it brings the same spark of joy and wonder into my own life. Last year, I started to wonder if it would be possible to bring that sense of comfort and whimsy into the reality of my day-to-day life.
It just so happens that I live in an area where agriculture is truly a science, and the soil is fertile. After dabbling in canning and preserving last summer, I’ve chosen to convert a section of my backyard into a garden. And so, I’ve compiled a list of the foods used in the LOTRO cook recipes. My garden currently has raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry bushes in the ground. Inside the house, I have starts for tomatoes, red onions, scarlet runner beans, lemongrass, peppermint, and thyme, as well as seeds for lavender, petunias, watermelon, pumpkins, peas, beans, nasturtiums, and many others.
I hope to share a snippet of my gardening, cooking/baking, and crafting journey with you each week. Enclosed, please find some pictures of my lovely little plant starts. Until next time.
Sincerely,
Cyndars
