Tarot - I Can't Find My Decks, So Here's a LOTR Deck For You to Drool Over

It's finally Saturday, and after three days off work (two scheduled days off and a day off because of our computer issues), I'm heading back into the shop today. It's probably just as well. DH awakened at 4:15 am with sinus issues, so he's seated at his desk behind me, working/playing on his computer, earphones plugged into the TV while he listens to the news channel. He knows I don't want to listen to Ukraine at 4:45 am, so wisely made it silent. 

While doing a quick search for existing LOTR 
tarot cards, I came across these. I'm giving you 
information about the artist and several images 
in today's post, because they're stunning. I 
always enjoy sharing good art. 

Here, Gandalf is "The Hermit" and I think 
he makes a stunning one. I could also have 
seen Radagast in the role, but there are 
only so many slots available for our 
favorite wizard. 

I was going to start an on-line exploration of the Tarot this morning - a mindfulness course I've been looking forward to, but of course I'm not able to put my hands on any of my more than eight decks of Tarot cards. Argh! It's going to take some hunting to find them, so I switched to a different course for the time being while I track them down. 

I love that "The Fool" is Merry and Pippin. Those 
two irrepressible Hobbits are perfect for the 
role. "The Fool" is no fool. But the fool does
tend to walk in where angels fear to tread. 

Thinking about where I could have my Tarot cards stashed made me think about decks I'd love to use and Lord of the Rings came to mind. I visualized how I would construct it in my mind. Frodo would be "The Fool", I can't think of a better image for that. The major arcana would represent the four races - Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits. Swords for the men, trees for the elves, pickaxes for the dwarves and pints of brew for the hobbits, could work well for the minor arcana. This might be something I'd be interested in working on down the line, although there are already several very nice ones available. 

Frodo gets his moment in the Major 
Arcana during one of his darkest hours - 
trapped in the silken webs of Shelob. 
"The Hanged Man" is a powerful card, and 
having Frodo on it is highly appropriate. 

The deck I like the best is by a Russian artist. I'm not sure if it was ever actually published, and if it was, it's probably not very available any more. I've put a few of her Major Arcana pictures throughout this post just to allow you to see her work. Her name is Sceith Ailm on Deviant Art (Sceith-A) and she's well worth a look. 

Having Gollum for the "Wheel of 
Fortune" is brilliant. With Gollum, you 
never really knew whether you would 
have Gollum or Smeagol. The red/black 
of the wheel comes through beautifully 
in his character. 

There are other LOTR Tarot decks out there, and I know I won't have time to develop a deck of my own, so I may break down and find one to buy (not that I need yet another Tarot deck). Or not. I might just take a serious hunt for my own decks. I miss them - the feel of the cards, and that sense I get when working with them. It's been a few years since I've worked with them, I think it might be time again. Have an excellent weekend, I'll be back on Monday. Peace! Slava Ukraini. 

The Final Two Medals for the LOTR Conqueror Challenge and Spring Snow!

I'm sure you noticed that I didn't show the final two medals for the LOTR Conqueror Challenge. Partially that was because my brain wasn't awake at 3:30 am, but the other part was that I wanted to actually get enrolled into the Quest sequence before posting Mordor and Mt Doom. Still, since the servers were overwhelmed for the LOTR Challenge (not really a surprise - LOL), I'm posting the eye candy today and hopefully, I can actually get my enrollment handled today also. (As an aside, I was able to get registered this morning at 3:45 am.) 

The medal for the 4th stage takes us to the Black 
Gates of Mordor. You see the black gates framing 
the Eye of Sauron on the front, and a rounded 
"Palantir" on the reverse with shadow figures. 
It's a pretty cool medal. 

So, the fourth stage of the LOTR Challenger Quest brings Frodo, Sam and Gollum from the separation of the Fellowship to the Black Gates. The medal features the Black Gates on the front and a Palantir representation the back, and the primary focus is, of course, the Eye of Sauron. It's a bit frightening, and that's what it's meant to be - foreboding, evil, and dark. 

The final stage of the LOTR Conqueror Challenge 
takes us through Mordor to the slopes of Mount 
Doom. Here you see the lava pouring down the 
slopes of the volcano. The back side has an image 
of Shelob - not like we'll ever forget her! Do you 
see that round element above "Mordor" on the 
medal? The entire mountainside slides down, 
allowing you to place The Ring on that round 
element, thus consigning the Ring to the fire. 
You can see the thin gold band around it in the 
photo above. So kewl! 

The final medal is Mount Doom with lava pouring from it. The back side of the medal features Shelob. The fun thing about this medal is the destruction of the Ring. Remember when I told you about holding onto the Ring from the Shire Quest because it is needed in Mordor? Well, on this medal, the entire bottom half slips down to allow Frodo (or you, as the participant) to place the ring around a knob in the lava flows of Mount Doom. It's clever and so much fun. 

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Of course, I wanted to sign up for the five quests, but apparently everyone else did too. I didn't even try until after dinner last night, so more than 8 hours after the Challenge released, but their servers are unable to process orders. I figured this might be the problem since I had a feeling this Quest arc would be incredibly popular. But, I'm still working on the Great Wall, and have quite a few miles yet to walk on that, so I'm not in a super big rush to join the crowd. I'll try again in the morning (which was successful). Spring seems like an appropriate time to start walking to Mordor - LOL. 

We actually had some snow yesterday morning while I was at the gym, and we're supposed to get more snow today - oh joy. This is "spring" in the Frozen Northlands, we can never predict what will happen from one day to another. On Saturday we're supposed to get up to 50 F (30 C), but today we're solidly in the 30's (1.11 C) with a wicked wind which is pushing the air temperature down and allowing the rain/drizzle to turn into snow. I can hardly wait to drive to the gym in a half-hour - ick! Have an excellent day and I'll be back on Friday. 

Here's Hoping the LOTR Challenger Event Isn't an April Fool's Joke on Us All

The Lord of the Rings virtual Challenger event launches in less than four hours. There's a lot of buzz about this one. It's five virtual walks that move only in order, so they can't be done concurrently. Also, prepurchased codes won't work for this challenge, so I can use the single pre-purchase I have left for a different challenge. I'm going to buy my LOTR Walk today sometime, but it's not urgent for me to be the first in line. I suspect there will be a LOT of us registering for this challenge - the buzz on the Facebook group is intense. At least one person has purchased the entire set of audio books to listen to while they are walking the Ring to Mordor and Mount Doom. I've owned the audio books since the early 2000's, but I'd rather continue listening to my Drizzt Do'Urden books right now. 

The Conqueror LOTR map looks like this. It doesn't seem 
like a long distance from the Shire to Mordor, but I expect 
it will take the better part of a year to get there at my usual 
pace. Although I try for 5 miles a day, there are a lot of 
times when I'm closer to three. My swimming is only one 
mile a day, but it's an intensive one mile, and I'm NOT 
giving that up for anything. My treadmill days start 
with 1-1/2 miles on the treadmill. I've found that's a 
distance that works very well for me. 

I'll buy my LOTR walk sometime today (provided their system doesn't crash from all of the people wanting to sign up immediately). I want to finish my current walk before starting LOTR, though. I'm currently traveling across The Great Wall in China, and it's been a lovely journey so far. The Great Wall is a total of 161 miles. I allocated 70 days for the challenge and I've completed 17% of it. I know the distances in LOTR are large - I've done the Eowyn challenge a couple of times. I expect when I begin walking to Mordor, it will take me the better part of a year to get there. It's a good thing I can stack challenges because this one will be very time consuming. 

Today is April Fool's Day, so be careful out there. Of 
course, with Challenger launching LOTR today, there's 
this little hamster in the back of my head telling me that 
it's all a big April Fool's Day joke. I really hope my 
hamster is mistaken and that it's a real walking challenge. 

But the longer challenges are rather fun too and there are some long ones I want to do. The longest five challenges they have are: (5) The Ring Road around Scotland - 828 miles/1,332 km, (4) The Length of the UK - 1084 miles, 1,743 km, (3) Appalachian Trail from the Eastern USA - 1,968 miles/3,167 km, (2) Route 66 across the USA - 2,280 miles/3,669 km, and (1) Pacific Crest Trail, again in the USA - 2,485 miles/4,000 km. Those are some serious distances. I'm not really sure where LOTR will fit into this in terms of mileage, but I do know that I want to walk it. So I'll be starting the LOTR challenge when I finish my Great Wall of China. 

There are always pictures to accompany any Challenger 
quest, and LOTR is no exception. The pictures they 
will be using are taken from the film trilogy, so they'll 
be very familiar to a lot of us. It's going to be fun to 
immerse myself in LOTR once again (after I'm done 
with my Great Wall challenge). 

Conqueror Challenges are not all long, though. Angkor Wat, the English Channel, Marathon to Athens, the Inca Trail, Berlin Wall, Amalfi Coast, Easter Island, Mt Everest, Trek to Petra, Flower Route (the Netherlands), Mount Fuji, and the Giza Pyramids, are all under 50 miles. I've done four of these, just trying to get used to tracking my progress every day and enjoying that sense of accomplishment when a medal arrives in the mail. I'm not sure if there's any intermediate medal for LOTR (probably not), and I know the distances will be rather vast, so I expect it'll take me a good long time to walk to Mordor. 

My running/walking shoes are actually in really 
good shape (when compared to these), but eventually 
I'll have to get a new pair. I really hate shopping for 
new exercise shoes - they have to fit right, and I'm 
picky. There's nothing worse than having shoes pinch 
or wiggle when I'm on the treadmill. 

It's going to be fun! Have an excellent Friday, I'll be doing my usual today - shopping, some cooking, and trying to get my next category up on Etsy. It's as clear as mud - LOL, but I will persevere. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Sleepless in St Paul and A Day of Icy Roads and a LOTR Walking Challenge - Yippee

We're right at the point of freezing - within a degree or two. With the wet rain/snow we had yesterday (shoveling wasn't fun) and the overnight temps possibly actually going below freezing, the roads might be a skating rink today. I'll have to be very careful on my drive over to the YMCA today, as well as getting to work and my work parking lot. 

Petra was the first challenge I did. I found out 
that I really loved doing a virtual challenge like 
this. I track my mileage through swimming and 
on the treadmill anyway, I figured I might as well 
"see" new parts of the world while doing it. The 
medals are spectacular. I'll be signing up for the 
"Lord of the Rings 5-quest bundle" today. Guaranteed. 

When I returned to working out at the Y, I also changed the location where I park. I remembered days like today, parked next to Rosemary in the South lot. There's a slight slope from the building down to that lot, and there were times when I walked it in fear of falling the whole way. So, when I returned to the gym after Covid, I decided to change my parking spot to the West lot. It's actually closer to the entry, has most of the handicapped parking spaces, and is a straight shot to the doors, so no slopes to deal with. I'm very happy with my new location. Jack usually parks directly behind me, and Sherry parks in the handicapped lot, so of the four early birds, three of us park on this level. 

The second quest I walked was the Giza Plateau. Anyone 
who knows me at all well knows Egypt is where it's 
at for me. The medal is spectacular, and mirrors my 
head tattoo. My photo of my tattoo and medal garnered 
more than 1200 likes on the Challenger facebook 
community. 

I'm going to be glad for that parking spot today. I might even put cleats on my shoes. I have a set that would work well, and I'm sure the parking lot at work will also be a challenge. I'll probably have to sprinkle salt on my part of the sidewalk at work, just to keep people safe. 

The Inca Trail was one of my shorter challenges, but 
walking to Machu Picchu sounded like something 
that would be beautiful and a lot of fun. It was all 
of that. 

On a different note, have you heard of the Conqueror Challenge? I've been doing these challenges since the year started and having a great time. I've got my medals for Petra, the Giza Plateau, the Inca Trail, Easter Island and Yellowstone, and I'm currently working on the Great Wall of China (only nine towers, not the full length). I also just finished one where all monies raised went to Ukraine - we didn't get medals for that one, but that was just fine. Why mention Conqueror? Their newest ones which officially launch today ... a Lord of the Rings 5-challenge bundle. 

I purchased a 5-pack of quests after those first three,
and got Easter Island for free as a bonus.
It was a fascinating walk with some great
photos. I was quite happy with the walk as
well as the medal at the end. 

I've walked the Eowyn challenge before, but this will be a huge difference. Since it's new, I don't have a lot of information yet, but I guarantee I'll be signing up for this challenge. No question. I'll let you know when I have more details. I decided to feature my Conqueror Challenge medals in today's post. They're a special treat when you finish a challenge, and they're quite fabulous. 

Yellowstone is the latest challenge I've completed (except 
for the Ukrainian challenge which was totally for raising 
funds to help Ukraine - no medal awarded for it). The 
Yellowstone medal has a lever that will cause Old 
Faithful to erupt. Quite fun. BTW - On the Ukrainian 
challenge, we raised more than $500,000 for Ukrainian 
relief in the five days sign-up was open. Conqueror is
a generous community of walkers, bikers and runners. 

Have an excellent Thursday. I'll be a bit tired - I didn't sleep well last night, although I was exhausted. Oh well, those days are rare, and I'll catch up on some sleep tonight. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

"The Wanderer" - An Influence on JRR Tolkien and His Masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings"

I'm not sure how many of you were linked to a post made on Haldir's Lover by "elisian fields", but it's well worth sharing for my fellow lovers of Tolkien. I loved so many parts of this, and every little bit carried more of the "Why" in "Why do I love Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" so much?". Maybe you'll also have resonance with it. I recommend it and here's the link. 

"The Wanderer" is an old Anglo-Saxon 
poem that Tolkien researched extensively. 
You'll find echoes of it in The Two 
Towers when Aragorn is in Rohan. 

I've been a Tolkien lover since the paperback books of "The Lord of the Rings" were published by Ballantine Books in 1965-1973. These had the covers many of you automatically recognize as "original" paperbacks, and this is when I purchased my first set (the first of many). Of course, there was a small, unauthorized publication of "The Lord of the Rings" in three books in 1965 by Ace, but there was a court battle and Ballantine won the rights for the official and authorized publication. 

Did you own an original paperback of 
"The Lord of the Rings"? If your cover 
of "The Return of the King" looked like 
this, you had the Ace publication which 
was an unauthorized edition. The 
Ballantine Edition was much better 
known, and was authorized, so they 
won the bidding wars. 

Reading The Trilogy opened a deep hole in front of me that I jumped into and that I have never wanted to climb out of. Tolkien Fan-girl? Guilty as charged without apology. I have years when I delve into it deeply, and others when I skim the surface, but there's not a year that passes when I don't have my nose in Tolkien in one way or another. 

I had a poster of the three covers blended 
together into a single montage in my room 
during my High School years. The paperbacks 
were originally published and available 
in my area in the middle-later 1960's and 
I purchased each volume as they became 
available. I read them to death - my original 
volumes are creased and torn. Well loved. 

There have been numerous editions since those first two, and I, ever curious, found this website where they are all pictured. Want to know when your edition was published? Check it out and see what your cover art tells you. I still have at least one full set of the original 1965 Ballantine books, and one where I'm missing one volume (I know who took it, but have no chance for recovery). I also have several sets of hardcover sets and a lot of the supplementary books including the entire "History of Middle Earth". Although I don't have the Trilogy next to my computer, I do have my well-worn copy of "The Silmarillion" and my "The History of Middle-Earth Index" within easy reach. Marks of addiction, I suppose. LOL

I have a full set of "The History of Middle Earth". I read 
through them too. (Sometimes it was a bit dry, but it 
was interesting as a whole.) These were never destined to 
be best-sellers, but I'm happy I have a set. 

Have an excellent day. We're cold for a few days, but then will finally (maybe) have a nice weekend for a change. A girl can hope - LOL. Be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Black Dirt Leads My Thoughts to Construction - Real and Imagined

Yesterday morning Fra-Dor delivered a 1/2 ton of black fill dirt to my front yard. DH snapped a picture and sent it to me, and I'm sharing with you. If you never knew what 1/2 ton of dirt looked like, now you do - LOL. It took him more than 25 wheelbarrow loads to get it moved from the front yard to the backyard where it's now all happy under tarps to protect it from the rain we should be getting tonight. He's already using it, of course. The first thing he did was start working on that stone drainage which now has been extended and given extra height to avoid spillovers. 

A half-ton of black dirt doesn't look like much in the yard, but it
actually is a LARGE pile of dirt and took DH more than two
hours to get moved from the front yard down to the back, one
wheelbarrow full at a time. 

When dealing with large piles of dirt and many man-hours of shoveling and moving dirt, it makes me have great admiration for the construction of places in our past. Mankind has lofty ideas when it comes to architecture, and some of the most amazing structures were made long before the equipment we have today. No machinery, just sweat and brawn. 

Gobekli Tepe in Turkey is widely considered to be the world's first
temple and predates Stonehenge by more than 6000 years. It's
an amazing place and would be awesome to actually visit, although
I doubt I'll ever get the opportunity. 

Just think of it - the great Pyramids of Egypt, the vast cities of the Mayan people, Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, Petra in Jordan, and several mountains that are really tombs in China. All of these places built by human beings (unless you subscribe to the "Ancient Aliens" school of thought), one shovel at a time, one rock at a time. It's one of the reasons why I became an archaeologist those many years ago. I was in awe when confronted by the achievements of our distant ancestors. I still am. 

Many of you are familiar with Tikal and other Mayan ceremonial
centers, but were you aware of what LIDAR is now showing us about
Mayan civilization? Take a look.

LIDAR reading over the jungles show vast cities of the Mayan
civilization still uncovered and waiting to be explored.
Sometimes modern technology can be so amazing! 

So I'm peppering this post with a few posts of the more famous places I mentioned above, and admit that I also think of the huge effort put forth by the Dwarves in the halls and mines of Moria. I know Moria is fictional, but what an incredible place. It took the Fellowship three days to walk from back door to front chasm and bridge through hallways, passages and vaulted rooms of immense size, all excavated by hand. 

Getting through the Mines of Moria isn't easy, but of the many
areas of Middle Earth I've wandered through in my 13 years of
playing Lord of the Rings Online, Moria is my favorite. I'm
always a bit sad when I leave it behind, even though I miss the
open skies and the fresh breezes. 

Have a great Friday and be kind to one another. I'll be back tomorrow. Be well, stay safe, and please, wear a mask. 

What To Say? How About More Meme Questions?

It's 5:30 am and I'm in a time crunch. Yeah ... I know that's a bit ridiculous. How can I be in a time crunch when it isn't even 6:00 am yet, and when I usually don't leave for work until at least 7:00 am? Well, after what seemed like a billion emails in my in-box this morning, I'm brain dead already. The morning has just started and I'm brain dead. This doesn't bode well for my day. But it does open the door to another bout with the 366-Day-Meme. So, I'm going to grab another 10 from January - walking slowly through the multitude = LOL. 

I grew up in the days of rotary phones similar to this one. When
digital phones and cell phones became available, and when
our cell phones became computers in their own rights, I was
hooked. I love my cellphone - can't imagine life without it. 

11 Have you ever been asked for your telephone number and you didn't want to give it? What did you do?

My usual on this one is to give a really old number, or just invent something - after all, how hard can spinning seven (or ten) numbers really be? I've had a lot of phone numbers in my life before finally settling on a great cell phone number which I've kept for more than a decade. 


12 Have you ever had a “crush” on a fictional character?

Of course. Although not a "romantic" crush as much as an "I need this person in my life" crush. Gandalf - of course - because he was the father I always wanted, the friend I never realized I had missed, and the companion with a quirky sense of humor that I realized I needed. 




13 What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Cheese - lots of cheese, and I love the standards - pepperoni, Italian sausage and lots of peppers of all kinds. I also love olives. In some cases, I'll also go with the pineapple and ham version of pizza, but just if I'm ordering a personal pizza for myself since that flavor combo isn't shared by my significant other. 


14 Who was your very first best friend? Are you still in contact or communication with them?

My very first very best friend was actually my cousin - Missy. We grew up across the street from each other. Our mothers were "Sisters From Different Mothers" the way good friends can be, and we were practically joined at the hip from the time we were babies. She moved back to Colorado a few years ago. If I ever get back to the state for a visit, I'll absolutely be visiting her and her horses while I'm there. And yes, we're absolutely still in touch with each other. 

How could anyone not want a Gandalf in
their lives. Sage, if obscure advice, a sharp
sword when needed, and a wicked sense of
humor. Drop the pipe smoking, and you've
got a perfect companion. 

15 If you could pick a new first name, what would you choose?

I always wanted the slightly fancier version of my name - Alexandra instead of Sandra. Still, I'm grateful for my mother's common sense in my name - Dad's choice of name was abandoned when I entered Middle School, never to appear again. No - I won't tell you what it was. 

16 What is your favorite board game?

I despise board games, but if I had to play one, it would probably be "Monopoly". I really don't do games, unless they're on-line ones. 

This ancient photo is my cousin Missy, her older brother
David, and me. I'm quite sure I wasn't much older than
six years old at this point, which would make David
seven or so, and Missy five. 

17 What self-care things do you find helpful to ground yourself or “talk yourself down from the ledge” when you’re overwhelmed by your feelings or by stress?

I'm always semi-overwhelmed by stress, but music and my computer (and e-books - always e-books) are lifelines for me. My on-line friends have lived through depressive episodes with me before, but I usually bounce back relatively quickly - sometimes with new cracks in my armor, but also new plates and rivets to re-enter the battlefield. 


18 What is the most extreme weather you have ever experienced?

I remember a torrential rainstorm that hit Denver when I was a child. Dad and I were at the local library and when we left, we were driving through streets that were roaring rivers. I was terrified. 

I am a trained Pipe Carrier for the Lakota Oyate and I do take
that responsibility seriously. I worked underneath the tutelage
of my brother for more than a decade. Once the responsibility
is accepted, it cannot be set aside. 

19 Do you operate out of any particular faith system that informs your actions? Do you intentionally NOT have a faith system, and if so, what beliefs or ideas inform your actions?

My faith system is very much an individual thing, honed through years of fine-tuning and teachings from Spiritual Leaders of various faiths. I suppose, if I entitle it, it would be more Native American Red Road than anything else, but it's tempered with so much else that it doesn't walk that straight Red Road at all. I can still do what's needed in Circle, though, and I'm still a Pipe Carrier - I won't abrogate that responsibility. 


20 When you go to a fancy coffee shop, what’s your go-to order?

I'm afraid I'm rather boring - my favorite is a Cafe Americano with one or two packs of artificial sweetener. I like the fancier drinks, but I think the prices are ridiculous, and I'd rather spend the money on more books. So, I drink tea at home, brewed coffee at restaurants, and spend the fancy coffee money on reading materials. 


So - there we have it - the next 20 prompts for January. There are LOTS of prompts left in the 366, so another day, another set. In the meantime, have a wonderful and happy Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Treat for Tolkien and Lord of the Rings Fans

I know I share the internet and my daily interactions with a lot of JRR Tolkien fans - fans of the movies, fans of the books and fans of the more esoteric books and research tomes. My dear long-time friend Seth passed a YouTube link on to me that I am now passing on to you. It's outstanding, it's wonderful, it had me in tears and also laughing out loud. I recommend it to all of my Tolkien mates out there. Set aside some time - it's almost an hour, but it's SO worth it. Here's the link. Come and reunite with friends and near-family from the Shire, Edoras, and New Zealand. (The intermittent ads are annoying, but can be clicked on and eliminated fairly quickly. Be sure to watch until the very last frame - it's worth waiting for.) 

Like many of you, I have a complete set of "The History of Middle
Earth". I really wish I could get a set on e-book. The books are
heavy, ponderous and difficult to just carry along with me for a
quick reference/review. Still, I'm glad I have the set in my
Tolkien library section of my house. 

DH and I had a lovely Sunday off - perfect weather, no rain, low humidity, and temps that ranged in the 70's to mid-80's. After a couple of hours working on improving the drainage from the upper yard to the lower, we settled down with drinks on the patio and topped the evening off with steaks on the grill. Our weekends aren't usually quite this perfect, so I felt quite lucky, all in all. 

I made this screenshot larger than my usual format, and there were
still a few others who joined into the reunion, but do you recognize
these long-time friends? From upper left, after the host of the
reunion, we have Sam, Gandalf, Frodo, Merry, Legolas, Pippin,
director Peter Jackson, Aragorn, Gollum, Boromir, Eomer,
Eowyn, Gimli and Arwen. What a joy to see all of them together
once again. 

Of course, since I watched the Lord of the Rings virtual get-together a second time this morning, the extra time I had earlier has evaporated like a puff of smoke from Gandalf's pipe in the halls of Durin. Oh well, it was SO worth it. I'm going to be watching the video grouping again and again. 

On that note, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Go - watch - enjoy and share. I'll be back tomorrow and I hope you have a uniquely wonderful day ahead of you. 

BINGO IS OVER, LIFE CAN RETURN TO "NORMAL"

I didn't check into my email at all yesterday, spending my day wrapping up things that were pending and finishing this year's B2MeM. Not opening my emails was a mistake. I have a LOT of unread emails that I have to run through. I'll be finishing those up tonight because I'm already running late today. 

I decided to block out my time for a month and participate in
Back to Middle-earth Month 2019. 

Welcome to April. A little more than a month ago I made a commitment. Maybe I should capitalize the word. I made a COMMITMENT. There, that's better. I had several old friends from the Tolkien community who read my daily blog and had been pushing me to at least entertain the idea of joining B2MeM once again. It was the Bingo format - a format that I adore. A week or so before it started, I reviewed the cards, narrowed them down to approx 30+ that I really liked (there originally were 205 cards available, so it was a good first cull), and finally, after a lot of work, had a collection of the ten cards I was allowed to claim, plus one more I tacked on because I couldn't resist a card featuring Not Safe For Work & Kink. 

I committed to 31 days and 31 stories, plus reading and commenting
on the stories of other participants. I can usually write and edit a story
within an hour, but the other reading and commenting did take more time. 

I made a personal promise to myself to not write long stories. I would keep things short. I didn't require a month of drabbles - I've done that before and that's a tough one. I did require short, and one other requirement. All of my prompts for that day's Bingo number had to be handled in a single story. I had two times that I was assigned six prompts for a story, and one time when only one prompt came up, but I had a prompt for every day, and that was pleasing. I also ended up with two separate BINGO's on my "Horror" card, which was also a treat. 

I ended up getting two Bingos, both on the "Horror" card. I guess
the stars were aligned for my dark side. 

I read stories from old friends and some not-so-friends. I enjoyed them all a great deal. I looked at artwork, and was once again amazed at the talent and variety of ways Tolkien fans interpret and embrace his works. All of the Ages of Tolkien's world were covered, and timelines were extended and fleshed out wonderfully. All within the constraints and confines of the Bingo framework. It was a glorious month. 

My thanks goes out to those of my friends who poked me to join and
write within the fandom once again. It was a joy to return to Tolkien's
world once more, and put my own twist on the tales. 

Now I return to a life of a bit more control. I don't have to write a story every day, I don't have to read and review every day either (because I think if you're participating, you have to participate in feedback as well), and I can return to my personal writing and my own projects. That's a good thing because it's April and I have a TON of things to finish within the next eight months. 

So thanks to all of you for being patient with me while I was off writing Bingo. I had a lot of fun. It's going to be nice to settle back to different challenges, however. But yeah - I had fun! Have an excellent Monday, I'll return on Tuesday. 

A Belated Happy Birthday for a Top Ten Author

As I stated in yesterday's post, I'm a reader - a rather voracious one. That said, I do have several authors who rise to the top of my "Best Loved" list, a list that spreads through time and that is always open to change under the right circumstances. Today I'm remembering one of my Top Ten Authors, a name familiar to most of you - J.R.R. Tolkien. 

Reading the works of Tolkien had a huge impact
on my life. I was totally pulled into a world in
a way I had never been before. I couldn't get
enough of Middle Earth. 

Why mention Tolkien? Why now? Well, it's mainly because yesterday was his birthday - a date celebrated by many of my virtual friends and by readers throughout the world. Many of you posted about him yesterday, and his name appeared in other blogs as well. Me? I usually end up a day late for his birthday - not because I don't love and admire him, just because I'm horrible with dates. 

An introduction to an author of J.R.R. Tolkien's stature is really not necessary. It's a fact that his books are still read, enjoyed, being analyzed and written about, and are the basis for tens of thousands of fan-fiction stories. Few authors have had so much of a lasting effect upon their readers. 

I owned the original Ballentine paperbacks of
the "Lord of the Rings". In fact, I ended up
owning several sets because I read them to
death. I still have one of these sets, as well
as several other sets and hardcovers and
illustrated, and ... and ... and. Yeah! Addict! 

I entered the magical world of the "Lord of the Rings" in 1968, when the Ballentine edition paperbacks became available in the US. I had owned "The Hobbit" four years earlier, but was never able to really get into it. The trilogy, however, pulled me in and as the next books were published, I was waiting at the bookshop door. As I recall, they were issued monthly or every six weeks during the winter, into the spring of that year. While the world was going to hell - protests, riots on the street, and the Vietnam war on the television during our dinner hours, I had a quest to follow. I had characters to love. I had a plot of depth and side-characters of merit and prose worthy of celebration. 

Tolkien has been on my Top Ten Books list for
50 years. I don't think any other book on my
list has been there as long, although there is at
least one other that's been there for 40+ years. 

I've never turned away from that love. "The Lord of the Rings" has been in my Top-Ten list since then, and it always will be. At this stage of my life, I suspect I've read it more than 100 times and would absolutely choose it as one of the books I'd carry with me to a deserted island. So, I might be a day late, but my wishes are just as heartfelt. Thank you, Professor, and Happy Belated Birthday. 

Have a great weekend. I'll be back on Monday for a VERY rushed morning. But, I'll still be here because that's the way I am - stubborn. LOL