[piosenniel]

Time in the Shire

It is now later in the evening; the sky has grown darker; the moon is just over the trees to the east; the stars are hazy behind the clouds that have sailed in from the northwest..

Supper is being served:

Stewed chicken with taters and carrots; mushroom pie; fresh garden peas with mint and butter; big fluffy biscuits with plenty of butter and honey and jam.

Spice cake full of plump sweet raisins iced with thick vanilla frosting.

And numerous beverages to suit anyone's needs.

There is music in the common room from a little local band. And, of course, the swell of conversation as neighbors and new acquaintances tell the news, swap tales, and call out their orders as the servers pass among the tables.

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It is chilly with the promise of a spring storm later in the night . . . the wind has picked up . . .