Grey Wonderer
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 19: What I Did This Summer...
Letters from Pippin. Those were so cute and so in character. At one point I suspected that it must have been harder on Pip's family to keep him entertained than it was on Pip to be punished. Sometimes a grounding is hard on the entire family isn't it? LOL
Author's reply
Yes. And imagine how much harder it must have been in those days without television, canned music, and video games, LOL!
But thank goodness for Auntie Peridot and Cousin Ferdinand. Still, can you imagine the early days of someone just learning to play bagpipes?
GamgeeFest
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 19: What I Did This Summer...
Yay, my fic of Pippin letters! Squee! I love it! And who is Pippin trying to kid, he would too be bouncing off the walls, lol. Cute. I love how Pippin reassured Frodo that he loves him too when he only wrote to Merry. But what was "you know what" about? Hm, molasses and crickets. Those crazy hobbits. :)
Author's reply
Yes, I guess I should have given you credit! I had, for some time the idea that Pippin had used that time when he was grounded to learn to play the bagpipes and the lap harp, but I wasn't sure quite how to tell it. Thanks for the idea.
I'm sure Pippin never wants to admit to a sugar high when he has such a sweet tooth.
He was trying to worm out from Merry what Frodo was giving him on The Birthday.
But Merry-wheedling doesn't work quite as well long distance, with no green eyes to back it up, LOL!
SharonB
· 2 February 2005
· Chapter 19: What I Did This Summer...
Oh how funny and oh how it sounds so like Pippin. And heavens what did Merry do with the molasses that got on Frodo's shirt? Come to thnk of what was it that child did in the first place that got him grounded for the summer? How sweet taht he learned The Road Goes Ever On just for Frodo.
Author's reply
The story of what he did to get grounded for the rest of the summer was in "The Dare", which was rather a serious/angsty young Pip story. But I thought that all that time on his hands--well, five years later in "Life of a Bard" he plays not only the fiddle, which he learned from Esmeralda, but also the lap harp and the bagpipes--so that would have been a good time for him to start learning to play the other instruments. I had been looking for a way to tell that story, and everyone seems to like Pippin's letters, so...
As for Merry and the molasses, I'm waiting for that bunny to nibble...
Hai Took
· 2 February 2005
· Chapter 19: What I Did This Summer...
That was so neat the way you wrote it all in letters! So Pippin's never been much of a letter writer has he? They were all rather short. I liked that Pippin wrote only to Merry and then to Frodo as well because he didn't want Frodo to be upset. It was nice to see why Pippin learned to play all those instruments! Thanks for the fun!
Author's reply
I thought it would be a fun way to show it. My Pippin's letters are always short. Some of these were actually quite long by his standards.
Pippin wouldn't want to hurt Frodo's feelings, you know. (Not that I don't think Frodo already knew that anyway, *grin*)
Yes, with that amount of time on his hands, he'd need to find something better to do than putting crickets in the sugar bowl, or he never would have gotten to come out of his room, LOL!
Elf Friend
· 2 February 2005
· Chapter 14: Rest
That was so cute!! *squeaks and hugs the hobbits* I love them. ^^
Author's reply
No, please don't squeeze the hobbits! *grin* Only look!
They are cute when they are sleeping aren't they, LOL!
Elf Friend
· 2 February 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
This is such a nice idea. Poor Frodo really needs a break from the Ring, which he never really gets during his Quest (except when Sam took the Ring, of course). I'm glad you wrote about him finding some rest. *hugs Frodo* :)
Author's reply
I like to give poor Frodo a break whenever I can, he deserves it if anybody does.
I love Sam. ^^ This was a good story--quite enjoyable. :) I really liked how the Gaffer knew what had happened without being told--Sam needs to use the right tool for the job. ^^
Author's reply
Yes, well, Sam is still young and learning in this story. He learned this lesson the hard way, but at least it got him a lot of TLC. *grin*
Saoirse
· 28 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
What a sweet story... ^_^ And mmmmmm that pie sounds so delicious! You've gone and made me hungry now! (I think now to stem my grumbling belly perhaps I'll have to try that recipe...how convenient)Thank you for the wonderful story, and pie! hehe
Author's reply
Glad you liked the story, and hope you'll let me know how the pie turns out for you if you try it. I *love* recipe fics!
SharonB
· 28 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
Yes Bodkin, thank you for the recipe. I was telling Dreamflower I may have to make one up on my own. I'll try this out although caraway seeds are not my favorites. If not, I can fall back on making one up myself.
pipinheart
· 27 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
Nice..Pippin learns to cook... He learned from the best of course, Sam... Not a bad mushroom pie by the description.
Merry was sneaky by the naming of the baby,but got the name he wanted either way.
Pippin bored to death,not a good thing...great story...
Author's reply
Well, he knew how to cook, but he definitely needed pie-crust lessons. That's a tricky thing to do well, and you are right--Sam's the best.
The mushroom pie is a favorite on our table. Trust me, it's pretty good.
Sneaky Merry is right. Our clever Brandybuck lad does know how to get his own way!
Bored Pippin=not good! But he's grown up a bit, and learned that he can't get into certain kinds of mischief anymore, and no fun anyway without Merry. Still, it's probably just as well Merry and Estella came home when they did...
Bodkin
· 27 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
I love the picture of Pippin and Sam testing out their pies on Rosie. And that's real forethought from Pippin - getting pie-making training so he can treat his friends. He must really be looking forward to getting them back. I can't imagine he has enjoyed the silence that much. (Great Smials and Brandy Hall are so big and rambling that solitude must be almost impossible - even when a hobbit is on his own, there would always be someone just round the corner.)
Seedcake - here is a recipe. I haven't tried it. Unlike Pippin.
Molly Bloom Seedcake
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Grated rind of one orange
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon caraway seed
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir in orange rind. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in orange juice. Mix until smooth.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Add the flour to the butter mixture gradually, beating well after each addition. Fold in the caraway seeds.
Scrape into a 9x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a 350° F oven, until top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in dish 5 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Author's reply
OOooh, thanks for the lovely recipe! I will definitely have to give it a try, sounds yummy!
You are quite right about the Great Smials and Brandy Hall. Even hobbits like my Pearl (who is widowed and childless) would be surrounded by folk except when she was in her own rooms, and even then, she'd know someone was just across the tunnel, or on the other side of the walls. Solitude such as Frodo and Bilbo had at Bag End was an aberration, as even JRRT acknowledged. (Which is why I've often wondered about the Ring's influence.) Even they did not necessarily endure it well. After all, Bilbo did adopt Frodo, and after Bilbo left, Frodo had visitors as often as he could get them.
As for Pippin, this was a wholly new experience for him, and not one he cared for much. Imagine if he'd tried spending the whole time at Crickhollow alone, poor lad.
lovethosehobbits
· 26 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
What a cute story and thanks for the recipe, I'll have to give it a go. tree
Author's reply
I'm glad you liked the story. And let me know how it comes out if you do try it.
Hai Took
· 25 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
Oh, how nice! Very sweet of Pippin to make lunch! I had to laugh when I read the bit about Merry wanting to name his daughter after Eowyn and then the strange flower name he picked so he got his way with her being called Eowyn and then it being shortend even futher! Thanks for the fun!
Author's reply
Our Pippin is a sweet lad, and he would be so glad to have his cousins back home after bumping around the house alone for a month, that lunch would be a good way to celebrate.
It seems to be a fanon thing that Merry would name a daughter after Eowyn--and it seems in keeping with Merry as we know him. But Marigold once pointed out to me (and I checked it for myself as well) that *all* the *born* females on the Brandybuck family tree had flower names. If this was a Brandybuck family tradition, I could see them giving Merry fits for wanting to break it.
His solution of using a "foreign" flower that no one knew quite how to pronounce, so that he could get her called what he wanted seemed fairly Merry-like to me.
SharonB
· 25 January 2005
· Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
Ah, yes. I need Sam or Rosie to give me some pastry lessons too. Actually I've been thinking of trying to come up with a seed cake recipe. They are mentioned so much. This is another we shall have to try though and I won't have to wait for company, mushrooms and cheese would mkae a nice vegetarian dish. ;-)
I can imagine with Pip liking to converse so much he would go a bit daft with no one else around the house. And clever Merry, getting the name he wants one way or the other, LOL.
PS - Now I need to go to the links you sent me to read some on Menelcar. Time just has not been what has been needed to sit and read for a few days.
Author's reply
Ah, yes! Seed cake...hmmm...don't think I've seen a recipe for that yet.
This is definitely a nice vegetarian dish, and it's quite good. Let me know how you like it, if you try it.
It's true, Pip loves to talk, and loves company. He is simply not the sort that solitude agrees with.
I'm plugging away at that bunny chase, but I don't have even enough for one real chapter to post here yet.
Bodkin
· 23 January 2005
· Chapter 17: The Steward and the King
Ahhh!
I'm glad Eomer is being accepting of Eowyn's choice.
Author's reply
I'm glad too, because I think his sister would give him an earful if he wasn't, LOL!
GamgeeFest
· 18 January 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
LOL, someone's been watching too many Lassie reruns. Cute story! ;)
Author's reply
Ttuth is, I haven't watched or even *thought* of Lassie in *years*! I don't know where the heck the plot bunny came from, but you know how persistent the little critters are...
Auntiemeesh
· 18 January 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
I didn't get to read this when you posted it at hobbit_ficathon, sorry about that. It's fabulous! I love the idea of Frodo dreaming that he was Timmy. I laughed the whole way through his dream. And how lovely that he was allowed that moment of peace and ease during dark and difficult time. :)
Author's reply
That's just something I like to do for Frodo whenever I can; he suffers so much that any time I can do something nice for him, I do, even if it's only giving a pleasant dream.
I have *no idea* why that particular plot bunny bit, either. I'm still a bit bumfuzzled by it.
Bodkin
· 18 January 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
Lassie!! Down a well!!!
(It'll be Skippy the bush kangaroo next.)
I like Gandalf's rationale.
Author's reply
I know, I know! When this came up on the challenge and the idea came to me--I shook my head. I hadn't thought of that for years. But you know how persistent plot bunnies can be when they get their teeth into you.LOL!
I think Gandalf was hoping for something a bit more prophetic, but I think he recognized Lorien's hand in the dream--a chance for Frodo to recover a bit more than just a little nap.
Anso the Hobbit
· 18 January 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
At fist I laughed at this, but when Gandalf smiled, and shook his head. “I do not suppose that this one *meant* anything. I think that it was a grace of the Valar, to allow Frodo to spend some time unburdened in another time and place. He was made a part of a loving family for a while, acting as a child, as though he could retrieve a little bit of what he lost when his parents drowned.” I thought it was perfectly explainable and brilliant! And hilarious, in a wistful sort of way. lol. :)
Author's reply
I'm glad you liked it. When this came up on the challenge, I was a little uncertain--and when this particular plot bunny bit, I tried to shake it off (but you know how *that* is).
I just like to give Frodo a little R&R whenever I can; the poor fellow really deserves it. And I could see the Valar, Lorien in particular, overseeing the Quest, and thinking that after the episode with the Watcher he needed more recovery than a brief nap would normally give.
pippinheart
· 18 January 2005
· Chapter 16: A Gift for Frodo
A very charming story...Frodo in his dream was able to have a nice time with Lassie...A hobbitt with a dog... Very nice story...
Author's reply
Thanks. I was a little dubious about this when I wrote it for the challenge, but it seemed to come out okay.
pippinheart
· 5 January 2005
· Chapter 15: An Appeal to Family
Nice...
I like to see it from bilbo's point of view... Drogo at the hall is this how frodo's parents meet... I like the description of Lobellia... She had a voice that could peel paint... As well as with a dragon she may come out with the beter deal...Quiet good...
A good read...It would be good as a continuing story as well...
Author's reply
I'm glad you like my take on Lobelia. Looking at the ages and the timelines in the family tree and in The Hobbit, she would have been fairly young just before Bilbo left. My idea is that she and Otho were newlyweds when they tried to get their hands on Bag End the first time. But I think she probably had a serious crush on Drogo--and the combination of her hurt pride and her lust for Bag End were why she was so nasty to Frodo and Bilbo.
Nina the powerwriter
· 1 January 2005
· Chapter 7: Sam's Mistake
Good ficlet!
Author's reply
Thanks! 8-D
Nina the powerwriter
· 1 January 2005
· Chapter 13: One of the Lads
That was so cute! I love the description of the hobbits interacting with the others of the fellowship. I can't quite remember how close Tolkien described all of them in the first book.
They simply treated them all like large hobbits.
LOL!
Author's reply
Well, really, you know, Merry and Pippin would not know any other way to treat someone. All they've ever known are hobbits.
Nina the powerwriter
· 1 January 2005
· Chapter 12: Circle of Joy
Oooo...lots of dancing! I like trying to picture them in my head.
Author's reply
I love that piece. Ever since I heard it, I could imagine hobbits dancing to it. I'll have to let you hear it sometime.
Nina the powerwriter
· 1 January 2005
· Chapter 10: Yule in Hollin
They are on the quest when Yule is going on. Forgot about that!
Author's reply
Yes. They leave on the twenty-fifth of December, four days before First Yule. They really have not *quite* reached Hollin yet, but they are somewhere near there in the Wilderness.