Category: Halfling Life
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Joy in the Midst of Tragedy
Every day it happens; folks lose loved ones unexpectedly. But until you’ve experienced it, the reality doesn’t impact you as deeply. If anything, the daily news only makes us more desensitized to it. But last Monday it happened to my family. My beautiful sister-in-law, my brother’s wife, suddenly passed away…
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Bittersweet Goodbyes
Tomorrow, my son officially leaves the nest. When you become a mother, your whole life changes in multiple ways, one of which is gaining a new perspective. An infant is depending on you for its very survival, and with that level of responsibility, you begin to see the world differently.…
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A Ray of Hope
Quite a few dark events have transpired lately, not just here in the US, but around the globe. Behind the scenes I had been feeling it, like an oppressive weight hanging over me. I’d shove it aside and go through my day ignoring it as much as I could. Then…
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How to Hobbit in the South
Social media is flooded right now with shorts, reels, and videos of influencers in summer dresses enjoying a Hobbit-inspired life against a backdrop of quaint, pastoral views. “Come join us for an outdoor feast at sunset,” they say. “Dance around in the beauty of dusk in your bare feet,” they…
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There is no Starbucks in Hobbiton
There’s a new massive box store that’s about to open in our area and I’m not looking forward to it. To my surprise, many others feel the opposite and can’t wait to grace its blocky gray walls and buy the same exact products its numerous other locations sell. What’s even…
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Growing Pains
My son graduates from high school this Saturday. Normally, you’d have a graduation ceremony at high school and maybe a celebration at home afterwards, but for our family it’s a little different. One difference is that I homeschool, so the ceremony will be held at our house. The second difference…
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Aging Gracefully
I’ve recently come across several posts debating old age and whether one should hide the signs or not, and gracious, did opinions on the matter run hot. Today’s world holds so many societal pressures out in front of us that it’s often hard to see clearly through them all. How…
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How to Garden Like a Hobbit
I guess you could say I’m a halfling in all but name. I am very fond of good food, cheerful gatherings, and green, growing things. Also, I’m only five foot three. When I was young, I lived on a mountain, free to roam barefoot, explore abandoned iron ore mines, and…
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Into the West
It’s officially gone. Middle-earth News dot com has sailed into the west. It’s a bit surreal to realize all of those interviews and all of the content doesn’t exist anymore. At one point in time, the Twitter account had over 100K followers. Now they’re all gone. When I started the…
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A Rough Start
The transition from 2024 into 2025 has not gone as smoothly as I’d hoped. Right before Christmas I contracted E. coli poisoning. I’m not kidding when I say it was the sickest I’ve ever been. It took a solid two weeks to recover during which I missed most of the…
Arwen McCain 