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Abandoned - Middleton in The Shire of Middle Earth- Story 59

Started by Abandoned, August 19, 2020, 08:20:54 AM

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Abandoned

Chapter 4


  As soon as the weather warmed in spring several of the men headed back to our hometowns with supplies and to be sure that all was well.  They would be gone a few weeks.  In the mean time we built a tiny trading post.  We were sure a river boatman would deliver more supplies to our families for us if needed.  We needed more vegetable seed but wondered if we would have enough trade goods.  Our rabbit garden was now providing us with some furs so we could begin making some warm coats and we could trade some of the hide ones.  We also could spare some tools and some firewood.  We built a tiny chopper by the main stockpile and another by the trading post.  We would have logs to chop from the land we were clearing behind the main stockpile.

  We were getting a bit more rain and the mountain mist seemed to settle more this year than before, but there were no storms and outside work was done without interruption.  The men returned with good news, all was indeed well back home.  Many trees were destroyed and the orchards took a beating but life in The Shire was returning to normal. The survivors from O'Leary's farm were now settled in Sunrise Mountain range to the east of us, they too were doing well.  Our folks were now glad that we had gone north instead of south. 

  Here in Middleton it had been a rough few years but not that rough.  We would pot as many tree seedlings as we could to send back home.  Tavar took over the potting shed since I was busy teaching.  And then we thought it was time we Hobbits had some fun.  The land we cleared was the perfect spot to build a tavern.  Everyone was excited.  The building was completed and named The Green Dragon.  The wheat harvest had been good and the ale was brewing.  It was wonderful to be able to socialize and just have fun.  Everyone in town was there to celebrate.  Extra tables, chairs, and benches had to be place outside.  We could hear the pipes and the flutes that were being played inside, and there was singing and dancing and laughter, inside and out.  Life was good again in The Shire.

Abandoned

Mod note :

KW Tables and Chairs has now been released in Kid Workshop thread - both separate and in updated complete file.  Find here:

http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=3615.0

Kid Deco People mod has now been released - see picture and find link to download here:

http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=3802.0

Abandoned

Chapter 5


  Yes, life was good and getting better.  In early spring of year 5, Gemmalee, the seed merchant arrived at our trading post.  He only had pumpkin seeds but would be able to get us any seeds we wanted.  He confirmed that there had been widespread damage to crops and trees and he would gladly take any foods and seedlings we had to trade.  We traded for the pumpkin seeds and placed several orders.  We were thrilled.  Did I tell you, weary traveler, how much hobbits like to eat and socialize?  We celebrated the pumpkin seeds and spring planting season at the Green Dragon.

  We had some decisions that needed to be made.  The pumpkin seeds were planted in a new field south of my carrot patch but we would need more space for more crop fields and orchards.  Hopefully a livestock merchant would come to port with sheep.  We would need room for the sheep to graze.  Our log supply was good so far but we would need to set aside a forest area for tree planting and harvesting.  There was an area across the river that might serve that purpose well if we built a bridge.  There was a nice area east of the tavern and north of the hunting area, and another nice area north of the fishing tree.  There was a large area southeast of town, it was a bit rocky but had fewer trees to cut.  Perhaps a better location for crop fields.

  The first decision that was made however was to set aside an area for a town cemetery.  It needed to be fairly close to town.  A site not far from the fishing tree was selected and a fence was erected.  A rough tunnel was dug through the hills to the northwest.  Another tunnel was dug to the area southeast of town.  We loved the rolling hills of The Shire.

  We celebrated midsummer at the Green Dragon, and then we celebrated the harvest.  Everyone in town had pumpkins to eat and pumpkin seeds to toast by their fires that autumn.  Our woodpiles and our pantries were full.  We could sit back with our feet up by the fire and wait till spring.

Abandoned

Chapter 6


  The Misty Mountain mist was heavy again in spring and the mushrooms were plentiful.  Oh, I already told you that hobbits really like mushrooms, good to know, weary traveler.  Anyways, our storage units were again nearly full.  We built a Tiny market by the pumpkin field and put out a few more storage crates and barrels.  We also clear land and constructed a pasture near the tailor hoping a riverboat merchant would arrive soon with sheep.  We hobbits liked our bright colorful clothes, but warm coats would be welcome to offset the damp chill of early spring.

  In spring a man with his wife, 2 children, and his older brother arrived.  Like us they decided to head north where it was cooler.  They heard the sounds of heavy digging and feared some fools were attempting to mine in these hills so close to Moria which would bring extremely bad luck to all The Shire.  Well, of course we knew that, even though others though it was just foolish superstition, we knew better.  We assured them it was only our hobbit holes and 2 tunnels that we dug.  They agreed to stay with us but would go no closer to Misty Mountain.

  As it turned out they too were descendants of Sam Gamgee and they had the recipes to Sam's favorite stews.  Did I tell you .. , yes, weary traveler, hobbits like to eat.  Anyways, a home was built for the family of 4 near the Green Dragon and they immediately set up a big stew pot.  It wasn't long before Sam's favorite rabbit stew with herbs and lots of taters was boiling in the pot. What are taters? Potatoes, all the stew recipes call for lots of potatoes.  We hobbits really like potatoes.  More tables and chairs were put up outside the tavern and we celebrated the arrival of our kinsmen.

   We were a bit concerned when their 7 year old son took over as brewer in the tavern, he was uneducated in brewing and we feared production would fall.  Tavar said it didn't matter, we were not growing enough wheat for a steady supply to the tavern and, as of now,  there was more than enough ale to go around. The boy's sister became the 11 apprentice student and perhaps later she would take over the job.  The boy's father laughed and said he was surprised his brother wanted a house by the south tunnel so far from the tavern.

angainor88

Oh no, I hope all that digging doesn't wake anything up!

And letting a 7-year old take over the beer brewing also seems like a potential disaster for hobbits :P

Abandoned

oh yes,  ???  Little did unsuspecting hobbits know but ...  7-year old was brewing Kool-Aid right under their noses.  ???  :D  ;D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool-Aid

Abandoned

Chapter 7

  The Green Dragon was now the town's favorite gathering place.  The ale was kept cool in the cellar beneath the tavern and was quite refreshing when folks would stop for a midday break.  Someone suggested that a nice piece a cheese would go good with the ale for a midday meal, and soon there was a dairy milkcan set up by the nearby cow farmyard.  The cheese would store well in our pantries and root cellars too.

  A second wheat field was planted that spring closer to the tavern, and across from that a farmyard was planted with corn, cabbage, and more potatoes for the stew pot, although on hot days in summer, lighter midday meals of raw vegetables, fruits, and cheeses was preferred.  The days were longer in the summer months and hobbit folk would gather later in the day for a bowl of stew and merrymaking preferring to relax in the shade during the heat of the day.  When the weather got colder and the days got shorter folks would have their main meal at midday at the tavern, some brought along their kettles from home to fill with stew to keep warm by their fires for a later evening meal.

  That autumn of year 7 turned cool and rainy early.  The mist came down from the mountains in the north and also rose from the warmer ground when the cool rain began to fall.  Mushrooms sprouted abundantly.  We all ran barefoot through the forest trying to be the one to find the most mushrooms. The forest rang with laughter and the sound of the pipes and flutes carries on the still misty air.  It was perfect soup weather and kettles of fragrant mushroom soup were soon bubbling at the newly build market soup stand.  There were plenty of downed branches east of the tavern's wheat field to keep both the stew pot and the soup kettle supplied throughout the winter.

Abandoned

Chapter 8 


  Our storage facilities were nearly full again.  We had a lot of beef, fish, venison, and rabbit meat.  The rabbit meat was being used in Sam's stew, and soup was still being made with mushrooms.  Stew and soup were wonderful on cold day but we decided to make sausages for something different to have on warmer summer days.  A sausage workplace was built not far from the farmyard cows.  It was convenient to stop on the way home from the tavern to pick up some beef sausages.

  The town's inventory records showed we had plenty of leather for hide coats but still not many furs for warm coats.  We hobbits tend to spend more time at home in front of our fires in winter but warmer coats would be nice when we had to be outside.  Finally in autumn, Verly, the livestock merchant, arrived with sheep.  We traded for all six that he had with him.  Our pasture near the tailor would someday provide wool for warm coats, hopefully sooner if Verly returned with more sheep.

  All too soon it was winter and the stew and soup kettles were bubbling again.  Did I tell you how good the beef sausage is?  No, no matter, weary traveler, you can judge for yourself.  I browned some sausages earlier and added potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pot.  The vegetable browned nicely with the sausages and are almost done.  We can eat right here in front of the fire.

Abandoned

Chapter 9


  It snowed in early spring and when the warmer wind blew, the mist was heavy over the hills and the river.  We had begun building a bridge across the river thinking a lighthouse might be needed to guide the river boatmen to us.  The weather kept us from completing the bridge and Verly returned with more sheep before it was finished.   He said he'd never seen the mist this thick before, a lighthouse would be a welcome sight.  We had room in the pasture for 4 of the 6 sheep he had.  We would soon have wool for warm coats.

  It wasn't long after Verly left that 2 families arrived in town and echoed what Verly said about the fog.  The young couple, like us, had set off on their own.  They had stopped at a spring festival to buy food and then became lost in the thick mist in the moors east of Misty Meadows.  They were very glad to have found us when they did, Suellamae was about to give birth to her first child.  The other couple was a bit older with 2 children but the oldest wanted a small hobbit hole of his own.  They were farmers and when we said we planned more farm fields in the area beyond the south tunnel, they chose to live together there.  Not only were they farmers but millers and bakers as well.  The newcomers gave instructions to our builders and soon a beautiful mill was built and they had plans for a bakery.   In fact they had in the past entered their grains, flour, and baked goods at harvest festivals in The Shire. 

  Over the years since we've been here in Middleton, we've taken turns going back home to visit family and friends and to attend special events and festivals.  Let me tell you, weary traveler, I have tasted some of those baked goods.  We were now living in Hobbit Heaven.

Abandoned

Chapter 10


  We didn't have enough wheat for the mill but we had plenty of corn.  That winter we all had fragrant breads and biscuits made with that corn flour baking on the racks inside our fireplaces.  Our soups and stews never tasted so good as they did accompanied by those breads and biscuits.  And just when we thought life in the Shire couldn't get any better, it did.  In spring of year 10 the bakery was build and it began making donuts, yes, donuts.  They baked some plain cake donuts, and some that were covered with apple glaze, and some that were filled with apples that were like jelly donuts when they were done baking.   They all smelled and tasted heavenly.  Wait, I'll go get us some.

  Well, there were soon tables, chairs, and benches set up outside the bakery.  It was a wonderful spot to stop for 2nd breakfast.  What, oh, um, we hobbits are early risers and for breakfast will usually eat what was left over from dinner still warming by the fire in the soup or stew pot.  Then by mid morning we are hungry again and will have oats and berries, maybe eggs, a 2nd breakfast.  So, those donuts were eaten as soon as they were baked.  I think it was a long time before any donuts made it into storage.

  Another small storage barn was built through the tunnel there by the bakery.  Land was cleared for another field of wheat to be planted in spring.  There was plenty of room there for more farm fields, farmyards, and hobbit homes.

  Soon fall and winter were approaching again.  Tavar was asked to build covers over some of the tables by the tavern and the bakery.  It was nice in the summer not to have a fire burning inside, but most of us like cooking at home in the winter.  Singles and young couples often went home to their mothers for supper in the winter but there were several single men and couples who liked to eat and socialize outside the Green Dragon even in the cold and snow.  The covers were most welcome.

Abandoned

Chapter 11


  Covers were built over the new stockpile that was built before land was cleared for another farm field  east of the Green Dragon.  A large barn was build and a hobbit home for one of the young singles.  We were planning to start planting fruit trees but the farmer and the laborers claimed there were more dead trees and downed branches it that area.  It seemed to be windier, and the wind coming from the north in spring seemed warmer.  It did not make sense that the wind from the north was warmer but, if that were indeed the case, that would not be good for fruit trees.  If they bloomed sooner than normal the blossoms would be damaged by spring snow and frosts, and even if they weren't there would be no bees to pollinate them.  Better to plant sturdier and hardier nut trees in that area.  We choose chestnuts and pecans and built 2 orchard foresters to plant them.

  Meanwhile Rainey by the hunter's hideout decided to plant some plum trees.  There was a small clearing behind her house.  We could hardly wait for fresh picked plums but it would be awhile before a fruit gatherer was needed, or an orchard harvester for the chestnuts and pecans.

Abandoned

Chapter 12


  In spring of year 12, I did a thorough population assessment for 2 reasons, first to determine if we needed another apprentice school, and second to see if it was time to build more homes for young people.  Middleton's population was 77 with 45 adults, 22 students, and 10 young children.  One child was 6 years old and would start school soon, the others were ages 3 and under.  One student who lived far from the school was age 14 and about to leave school.  There were 4 12-year-olds who would finish their apprenticeships very soon too.  We would not need another school anytime soon.

  Records showed there were 28 families but only 21 homes.  However my assessment revealed that a few of the homes had a single occupant and the adult children living at home were not of an age to pair up and start families. We did however built 1 house east of the new storage barn to get at least one worker closer to the nut orchards.

  Records also showed that our overall health was a bit low, we hoped more fruit and nuts would remedy that.  We were surprised there already was a small plum harvest.  Laborers or a fruit gatherer would have to collect the crates.  We could have plum sauce on our morning oats and plum dumplings for supper.

  Zayde, the general goods merchant, brought seed potatoes.  It was too late to plant that year but next year we would plant them in the field where the wheat was being harvested.  The potatoes would be closer to the stew pot and the wheat would be closer to the storage barn.  There were other changes too.  The bakery was now baking bread and the dairy was making butter.  Fresh warm bread with butter was a meal in itself but we hobbits do like our meat and potatoes.

Abandoned

Chapter 13


  The fruit gatherer collected wild foods as well as the plums, so we built an orchard gatherer workshop near each of the nut orchards.  We assigned only one worker who would gather wild foods until there were nuts to harvest. 

  The potatoes got planted In early spring of year 13, and I  notice Tavar had been busy, there was a new chicken coop by the farmyard there.  I saw there were several more birdhouses around town now too and a decorative wheelbarrow planter, like the one he made me earlier, was now in front of the chestnut gatherer's workshop.  In front of her house, Rainey set up a preservist pot.  She would make fruit jam from the plums and wild honey she collected out back.  And as if plum jam wasn't enough of a treat, Zollis, the seed merchant brought strawberry seeds.  Can you believe it, weary traveler, he wanted 5,000 units of trade goods for them, 5,000.  What could we do, we wanted strawberries.

  The valley south of the mill and bakery seemed like the best place for strawberries, it was warmer with less wind there.  It was autumn before the land was cleared of iron and stone and an 8'x10' field was prepared and ready to be planted next spring.  We always have something to look forward to here in The Shire.

kid1293

Thanks, @Abandoned for giving this mod life. :)
I learned a lot from making these houses and now seeing them like this is very rewarding.

The mod will soon be released. I hope more people like your story and pictures.

taniu

@Abandoned ;D ;D ;DThanks for the Hobbit village story. Great rearranged buildings and landscapes, it feels like he is personally living there - even if @master Kid releases this mod it will be like a cherry on a cake. Regards