Happy Hobbit Day

Another month, another update

Dear Friends,

It’s been a month since I last sat down to write to you, and a lot has happened for me since then. As I mentioned in my last, we’ve moved from the west coast of the U.S. to the east.

It’s been by far the most tumultuous move of my life—and that’s including the time we moved to England on my twenty-first birthday and had to walk over a mile from the bus station to our new flat, dragging three bags each. This time around, we had a cat and a toddler that needed to fly across and a harp and a car that needed to be driven. Thank God for my parents, who heroically helped us pack and transport everything.

We all made it, in spite of a flat tire in Wyoming and inconsistent airline policies that almost kept the cat off the plane. Suffice it to say, we’re exhausted. But we’re glad to be here.

We unpacked the last box on Saturday, and I baked the first loaf of bread in our new home on Sunday. We’re easing back into rhythms of reading and writing and rest. We’ve seen a lot of deer, and my husband keeps encountering a fox. I haven’t seen it for myself yet, but he did capture photographic evidence.

In case you were hoping that this narrative would preface a long and thoughtful post… I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m just not back up to speed. But today is Hobbit Day, which I thought warranted a note.

In case you were wondering, Hobbit Day marks the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins (those most excellent and admirable of hobbits), which is also the day that Bilbo passes the One Ring on to Frodo and thus (more or less) commences the action of The Lord of the Rings.

I will be marking the day by baking scones (Mary Berry’s recipe, of course—it calls for self-rising flour, but it’s easy to make your own substitute) and beginning a re-read of the novels. My own birthday is quite soon, and I think I might make it an annual tradition to pick up the series at this time each year.

Does anyone else celebrate Hobbit Day? Or do you have annual traditions that share the same spirit? Now that my son is about to turn three (!), I’m trying to be more intentional about embracing annual traditions and occasions for celebration, so I love to hear what others do.

Meanwhile, I’m working hard to get back into a regular writing routine, and I hope to have something more substantive to share with you soon.

May you find a touch of festivity in your week,

Sarah