If you haven’t been following my friend Vella’s blog, then you are missing out on a LOT of news regarding the newest Animal Crossing game.  I read her blog every day and I’m always amazed by all the cool, cute, super fun new stuff that they’ve packed into the game.  It’s making me fiend out HARDCORE for some AC.  So I decided it’s time to pay a visit to my friends in my ACWW game, TheShire.  Pippin likes to speak for herself so here’s her latest news:

Hallo there!  Pip here.  Sorry I’ve been gone so long, but journeys tend to take twice as long when you’re a hobbit!  Recently my fellow hobbits and I were requested to serve as consultants on the new Peter Jackson film, “The Hobbit” and so we all packed up some lembas bread and left the Shire for several months.  We assumed that the rest of our enchanted residents would maintain our homeland whilst we were overseas.

However, upon our return, Merry and I were surprised to find that our town was over-run with weeds!  Of course, we don’t particularly mind, so I spent most of my first day back in the Shire collecting all the pipe weed and filling up the corners.  I couldn’t trust Merry for that job – no doubt she’d have smoked it all away!

I probably don’t need to tell you that, as usual, Frodo has been busy sleeping ever since our return.  He never helps with any of the duties of maintaining the Shire.  He usually just mumbles something about asking Samwise to do the work and then rolls over.  Something tells me he’s depressed that he wasn’t able to go to the Grey Havens with Lady Galadriel.

Luckily, despite our absence and lack of maintenance, the town was not damaged by orcs.  One of my dear friends Rasher apparently had decided to leave the Shire while we were gone, only to be replaced by Camofrog, who must be an old friend of Tom Bombadil.  Only Tom could have enchanted a frog to look like Camofrog!

There is snow on the ground and a chill in the air.  We are all preparing to celebrate the Solstice Feast of Yule at the end of this month.  Normally, Merry and I would simply prepare a modest seven course meal for everyone.  But this year, the shopkeeper Nook was pushing me to buy a large festive tree covered in decorations and ornaments.  Not wanting to seem rude, I did set up the tree at Bag End.  However I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do with it.  Now I’m being told that Frodo plans to have the Elves of Rivendell bring us an Elvish feast for the Solstice Feast of Yule this year, so I guess that leaves me with nothing to do but fish and wander around the Shire!

I’ll report back after the solstice.  Your good health!

– Peregrin Took