The Power Of Stories

 It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. 
 

Full of darkness and danger, they were. 

And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. 

Because how could the end be happy? 

How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? 

But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. 

A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. 

Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.  

But I think I do understand. I know now. 

Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't.

 They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. 
 

There's some good in this world... and it's worth fighting for. 

Blesings,
Reyna

GUEST POST: Garden Preparation

My dear friend, Reyna, asked if I would do a quest post for her, and I was only too glad to comply! So without further ado....



'Tis the season to be planning for your spring garden! 

Here is a short list of things to help you prepare your garden for spring planting:

  

• Clean last year's harvest from your garden.

•  Hoe up your beds, and add compost/mulch if needed.

•  Plant a cover crop.

 

•  Start building your compost pile, using all the dead grass, weeds, and vines from your garden. It will make lovely compost.

•  Now's the time to start pouring over seed catalogs and decide what plants you want to grow this year.

•  Stock up on any supplies that you need. Example: seed trays, seed labels, a new hoe to replace your broken one, etc. Order that now and have it here for when you need it.

• Did you take notes from last year's garden, on what worked and what didn't? Apply what you learned to this year's crop(s).

• Organize your gardening tools and equipment.

Thanks again Reyna darling! I enjoyed doing this post tremendously!  

Blessings -

~ Aspen 

Thank you so much Aspen for doing this guest post! I'm just going to add a linky to her blog here because y'all should check it out: Texas Rebel Girl
  

Blogger Recognition Award

         Miss Jane Bennet from Classic Ramblings tagged me for this sweet award! Thank you so much! Yes, I know I've been doing a lot of tags lately, hush. I like them, okay? I promise I will get the life update post up sooner or later. 

         I like the idea of this tag because it makes it less awkward to let someone know how much you appreciate their blog than other ways one might go about it. ;) And I really appreciated being tagged myself - I'm glad someone enjoys reading what I write, LOL. 

RULES AND REGULATIONS:  

Attach the award.

Thank the person who nominated you.
Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night.

Give a brief story of how your blog got started and a piece or two of advice for new bloggers.  

Select 15 blogs to nominate.

Comment on each nominee's blog and let them know that you've nominated them.

        All righty. ;) A brief story of how my blog got started... Well, I first really discovered the internet in January of 2012. Wow, it's been that long since I had a life? We had just gotten a new computer, one that didn't take forty-five minutes to start up and then fifteen every time you wanted to load a new page, so it was all pretty new to me. I was looking at stuff from the Les Mis movie, and I came across (from Google), this lovely blog. Ah, I'm so glad I did. I found more, and stalked around them too, but Formidable Courage was the one that 'taught' me that it's okay to write about goats and fangirling on the same website. :) So I started a blog. Funny thing is, it turned out to be far different than I ever envisioned it would be. But I love it, and I've met so many wonderful people, so it's all good.

        A piece or two of advice for new bloggers. Firstly, BE FRIENDLY AND OUTGOING. I am a very shy person myself, you know, the one who's sitting awkwardly in a corner by herself?  (I do go completely crazy with friends, though). This does not work online. You have to start conversations. Leave comments. Everyone loves them, and there's no better way of initiating friendships than leaving a nice comment and giving your opinion on something. Or just popping in to tell someone you like their blog. Now, I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I never get a comment and just publish it and ignore it. I read it a few times, feel perfectly tickled that someone wanted to tell me something, and then proceed to their profile page/blog. If they don't have a blog it's kind of disappointing, actually. If you receive a blog award (the first time is always so fun!), don't be afraid to nominate people with more popular blogs. Most of the time, they really appreciate it, and *whispers* they also link back to you which helps you get out there in the blogging world. Don't be obnoxious and rude or anything, of course, but leaving a few comments isn't going to hurt. It's much better than 'I was hiding under your porch because I love you', if you know what I mean. 

        Okay, let's see if I can conjure up 15 blogs. It's doubtful, but I'll try. *searches frantically* Okay, I got twelve. My sincere apologies to the author of this tag, but I'm bending the rules. 

Naomi at Wonderland Creek

Laura at Gazing Wonders

Arwen at Meanwhile, In Rivendell

Sarah at Spiritually Healthy

Beth at Adventures Of An Elven Princess

Abbie at Yarns And Tales

Emma Jane at A Lantern In Her Hand

Heidi at Along The Brandywine

Kayla at Butterflies After Midnight

Eowyn at Captured By The Word

Elizabeth Grace Foley at The Second Sentence

Aspen at Texas Rebel Girl

        I hope y'all enjoy this tag, but don't feel pressured to do it if you don't want to. I know I've been tagging people a lot lately!

Blessings,

Reyna

Little Miss Fashion Model

        Wynnie is a gorgeous goat - there's no doubt about that. But I think all the compliments have gone to her head!

         I swear she's posing. One does not simply look this gorgeous without trying.

         Oh, and did I mention she preens her 'feathers'? *sigh* Goats are so vain.

        Wynnie, do you need me to tell you one more time how pretty you are?

Blessings,

Reyna

Tookish Tag!

        I've been nominated by dear Arwen from Meanwhile, In Rivendell for a Tookish tag! Now, most of you probably know that I will jump on any Tolkien-related tag (or any tag, for that matter), so here goes!

Tag rules:

~ Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

~ Answer questions.

~ Tag some of your own fellow Tolkienights!

Her are the questions, and my answers:

1.  How were you first introduced to LOTR/TH and was it love at first sight/read? Now, I've answered this question many times before, so I won't bore you all by relating the tale again. You can read about my introduction to the books and movies, and my skepticism-turned-obsession in this post, for one. ;)

2.  If you could meet the actors who portray the characters in the movies, would you? Yes, that would be awesome! But I still am of the mind that the less I know about their private lives the better, since I don't want to like anyone's performance in a movie less after I learn something I don't like about the actor. I would love to meet most of them (and chat about the movies), especially Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Dean O'Gorman, and yeah, everyone else. I think I want to meet Richard most, since he is such a Tolkien nerd and we could talk about the Silmarillion or something.

3.  What is your favorite credit song from LOTR/TH? The Last Goodbye, without a doubt. It is so fitting for the end of the Middle Earth cinematic journey, and FEELS. (Yes, I know I said I would do a whole post on it and I haven't yet. Life is busy). The only credit song I do not like is The Song of the Lonely Mountain. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I hate that song. We're all entitled to our own opinion, remember. They took The Misty Mountains song from the movie - which was AMAZING *faints* - and made something else that I dislike immensely. I See Fire is probably my second favorite, with the credit songs from LOTR next. Does that make it sound like I don't like them? I do! I love them! Just, not quite as much as the others.

        And yes, I am aware that not all of the lyrics are there.  I spent a very long time hunting for all of those and cropping them and everything, but I'm missing the one that says, "I turn at last to paths that lead home". Oh well.

4.  The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit - which is your favorite?  *evil laugh*  (And no, you don't actually have to decide.  I'm merciful like that. *magnanimous smile*) Okay, thank you for not making me choose. I'm guessing you still want an explanation, though, right? We're both so understanding. ;) I LOVE THEM BOTH! I love the LOTR movies the best, for sure, but that might have something to do with the fact that I've watched the, six or seven times each. I've seen AUJ four times, DOS three, and BOTFA once, which doesn't add up quite evenly. I feel like I love the actual stories the same (okay, I love LOTR a bit more), but I am more attached to all the LOTR characters than the ones in the Hobbit. Like, I love the whole Fellowship and Faramir and Eowyn and all those characters, while in the Hobbit I only really have affection like that for four or five. Sure, Thranduil has his fabulous moments and great character development, but I only LOVE a few.

5.  Who is your favorite all-around character? Ugh. I love Aragorn because he has such an amazing story, but I don't know that he is my favorite favorite. At this point I have to say Thorin. Because I'm still crying.

6.  What is your opinion on Boromir? I'll admit I used to think he was a slimeball. But boy, was I wrong! As I saw more and more of myself in him, and loved his love for and protection of his brother, his struggle with the ring, and his ultimate redemption, I realized how wrong I was to think of him that way. Boromir is a good character; realistically flawed, and FEELS ARE TAKING OVER.

7.  How many times have you watched the movies/read the books? Well, I answered the part of this question about the movies above, but I've probably read the books, uhhh... My estimation for the Hobbit is about eight, and each of the LOTR books about six.

8.  What book is your favorite? Nope. I can't. *Gilbert voice* I'm soary.

9.  Who is your favorite female character (other than your answer to question #5)? This is a harder question than I initially thought (after five minutes staring at the computer screen). I love Arwen for her loyalty and grace, and her utter devotion and love to Aragorn, but I also love Eowyn because she's just so awesome. And Farawyn!!!!!! *FANGIRLS FOREVER*

10.  Who is your favorite male character (other than your answer to question #5)? Other than Aragorn and Thorin, I like Sam the best. He's just so... Sam. I love Sam.

11.  Which of the movies, in your opinion, has the best ending? The Return of the King. No doubt. It's just so perfect and amazing!

        Thanks again Arwen for this tag! It was so fun! 

My nominees:

Aspen Shannon at Texas Rebel Girl 

Kayla Alexander at Butterflies After Midnight 

1.  How were you first introduced to LotR/TH and was it love at first sight/read?

2.  If you could meet the actors who portray the characters in the movies, would you?

3.  What is your favorite credit song from LotR/TH?

4.  The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit - which is your favorite?  *evil laugh*  (And no, you don't actually have to decide.  I'm merciful like that. *magnanimous smile*)

5.  Who is your favorite all-around character?

6.  What is your opinion on Boromir?

7.  How many times have you watched the movies/read the books?

8.  What book is your favorite?

9.  Who is your favorite female character (other than your answer to question #5)?

10.  Who is your favorite male character (other than your answer to question #5)?

11.  Which of the movies, in your opinion, has the best ending?

Blessings,

Reyna

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Tag

        I was tagged by my dear friend Kili over at The Heirs of Durin for a BOTFA q&a! I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time, but I have been busy and stressed (I'll do a life update post sometime soon). If you don't want spoilers, umm, don't read this post. I can't help myself. Here are the rules:

1. You must be tagged in order to take the q&a.

2. You must tag(notify)at least three other bloggers (or whatever they are on)for this q&a.

3. You must answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

4. You must have seen The Battle of the Five Armies to be tagged/take the quiz.

        And the questions themselves:

1. Tell the story of how you came to see the movie(s) or got 'into' Tolkien in the first place. I'm sure I've told this story before, but I'll do it again. It's all part of the journey and now is a fitting time to go over it once more. I first read the Hobbit when I was, I don't know, maybe eight or so? It was 'for school', but I loved it and it was certainly one of my favorite books. I read the Lord of the Rings a year or so later, and didn't go crazy over them yet, but still really liked them. I'm a sucker for good literature. One day, when I had a bad earache, my mom suggested we put the movies on since I had read the books, and surprisingly, I didn't like them one bit. I don't know if it was because I was just too young (I was probably about eleven at the time) or if I was in too much pain to even think about what I was watching, but I don't think I even finished the first disk. A year or so later, after reading the books a few more times, my brother decided he wanted to see the movies since he had just read the books for school. (Notice how I didn't put that in quotations? He doesn't read novels unless he has to, LOL.) I sat down to watch Fellowship with him, a bit grudgingly; I didn't even plan on giving it another chance. I fell in love. With the Shire, the rolling hills, lush trees and shining ponds, and the peaceful farming life. With hobbit holes and the lovely wooden architecture of Bree. I was enchanted by the natural magic and beauty of the elves, held in suspense by the mysterious danger of the ring and the wraiths, and utterly enraptured by the whole thing. Needless to say, we watched the whole trilogy through. I was IN LOVE, people. I'm pretty sure we ended up watching it all again at least once also. We saw the first Hobbit movie in 2012, but I didn't remember much about it after; that was before I got better at watching movies in the theaters. Soon after, I met someone who quickly became a very close friend because of Tolkien, and I watched it with her. All the BTS, all the obscure trivia, we knew it all. In the year of 2013, I watched all three movies five times. No joke. And then when DOS came out, it was madness. My obsession rose to another level and continued from there to where it is now. You know how crazy I am over BOTFA. I still choke up whenever I have to talk about it to someone. And that's my story.

2. Who are your three favorite characters in the Hobbit Trilogy? Ugh. I like so many characters! Can I just say Bilbo, Thorin, Gandalf, Thranduil (because cold cruel selfish fabulousness turning to kind and understanding fabulousness, obviously), and of course, Fili and Kili? I'm sorry, I can't do three.

3. Did you cry in the Battle of the Five Armies, and if so, which scene(s) and what type (sniffling, sobbing, choke-crying)?  Haha, I've been asked this question so many times! Only usually someone asks "Were you crying whe-" and before they finish I just say yes because I was crying the whole time. I was sobbing, choke-crying, gasping, everything. I feel awful for everyone else in the theater.

4. Were any deaths compelling to you, and if so, whose? Thorin's death was probably the saddest for me. I was sobbing already, but when he said that quote from the book I completely lost it. I was pretty much wailing. 

         Of course, Fili's and Kili's deaths were also almost just as bad. Fili died all alone, brutally stabbed in the back by Azog, and although I DO NOT SHIP KILIEL, Kili's death defending Tauriel was heartbreaking as well. And he was crying and ASDFGHJKL FEELS. 

5. Over all, were you satisfied with the movie itself? Yes! It has to be taken separately from the book as it is NOT a direct adaptation in the least, but it is amazing. For my in-depth opinion, read my review. 

6. Describe the movie in one word. Gah, just one? I don't know if I can do that. It's a toss-up between 'heartbreaking' and 'epic'.

         Thank you Kili dear for tagging me! You made me cry again. :( Oh, and for those of you who don't know, Kili is Aspen from Texas Rebel Girl. She's awesome. I'm only going to nominate one person because everyone else I would nominate has already been nominated (how many times can I say that word?). Note (1/14/15): I am now nominating one more person.

Miss Jane Bennet at Classic Ramblings
Arwen Undomiel at Meanwhile, In Rivendell

Rules:

1. You must be tagged in order to take the q&a.

2. You must tag(notify)at least three other bloggers (or whatever they are on)for this q&a.

3. You must answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

4. You must have seen The Battle of the Five Armies to be tagged/take the quiz.

Questions: 

1. Tell the story of how you came to see the movie(s) or got 'into' Tolkien in the first place.  

2. Who are your three favorite characters in the Hobbit Trilogy? 

3. Did you cry in the Battle of the Five Armies, and if so, which scene(s) and what type (sniffling, sobbing, choke-crying)?  

4. Were any deaths compelling to you, and if so, whose?  

5. Over all, were you satisfied with the movie itself? 

6. Describe the movie in one word. 

Blessings,

Reyna  

Alpacas!!!

        A few weeks ago, we bought two Suri alpacas. Surprise! It was all rather sudden, but I had been wanting them for a while now for spinning, and my mom wanted them for guarding other animals. They had been on my 'animals-I'm-going-to-have-on-my-homestead-in-the-future' list, but when an opportunity to get them now arose, we jumped on it. It was all done in a rush, getting the pasture fence in and building a shelter and then actually going and getting the beasts, but everything fell into place and I'm so thankful we considered this venture in the first place.

        In early December, we took a trip to Tractor Supply (love that place so much!) to purchase fencing materials. My mom had done a lot of research on what kind of pasture fencing and posts to get, and the next day we started putting them in. The ground was, I suppose, reasonably soft in most places, but I found that the perimeter of half an acre is longer than it appears. Heh heh. So I pounded stakes for a couple of days, and then we started stretching the welded wire fencing across them. This is also harder than it looks, since the bale of fencing probably weighs more than my mom and I combined. Nevertheless, we got it all done, as well as the wire strips along the top. Thankfully, alpacas don't test fences like goats do, so we didn't have to make it perfect. I'm sure we'll do better next time when we need to. :)

        This is the type of fence we put in:

        We even took the goats out a few times so they could explore and eat yummy grass. I put Eponine on a tether and then the babies stayed pretty close by. There are a lot of coyotes in the area so we have to be careful with these small animals. I'm convinced Wynnie was posing in this picture. She's a kick - whenever I go out to see them in our backyard she's draped over the old turkey coop like a fashion model. I'll have to get a picture of it sometime because it's pretty hilarious.

        Now I'm sure y'all are wondering just what the animals look like! Your curiosity will be satisfied shortly. But first, a random picture of pretty moss and mushrooms. Just 'cause.

        Okay, here they are.

         The girl is mine. She is about five years old and will be having a baby in May. I'm having issues thinking up a name for her - it's been more than two weeks and she's still just 'the girl' or 'the beast'. Shameful, I know. But not as bad as my mom calling her the easter bunny. If you think of a name for her (you know I like to name my animals after book and movie characters), let me know.

        They're all wet in these pictures, but she really does look like a bunny when she's white and fluffy. ;)

        This is Sebastian (my mom bought him). He's really funny. When he gets nervous about something he starts humming. I hum back at him and he gets really confused *evil laugh*

        Look at this lovely, luscious fiber. I can't wait for shearing!

        We have a lot to learn about these animals; there is a certain way you train them and all. They're so fun to have, and I think they're enjoying their new home. Here's their shelter/food storage shed.

        We also got some guineas to hopefully keep the bugs down, but I don't have pictures of them yet. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures!

Blessings,

Reyna