**The Barrow-Downs Birthday Mailbag - May 2006**

[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami sat down at the desk, took out a fresh packet of paper, and her very finest ink pen. For the next twenty minutes, she stared blankly at the topmost sheet, pulling out a word here and there, while hoping for inspiration to strike. When no lightning bolt was forthcoming, she resigned herself to the fact that she would have to come up with something to say, if only for the sake of politeness. She had not the slightest shred of inspiration to assist her in the task.

So be it! There had been many a day that she had managed to scratch out an RPG post even after all cleverness had fled, despite the fact that the bare words stared mockingly back at her. Wadding up one sheet already smeared with illegible chicken scrawl, she selected the next clean leaf and began to write very quickly, scarcely thinking about what she was saying.

Her missive read as follows:

Master Wight,

To be blunt, this has been a bit of a hard-knock year. Even the little things of life can pile up on one's plate and give a poor hobbit considerable headaches: minor aches and pains, a dear relative who has passed away after a hard illness, the fact that one of my young lads is about to venture out on his own and be swept down the road to who knows where (a source of both pride and sadness for his slightly bewildered mother).

With so much nonsense going on, I have not been able to come to the Downs as frequently as I would have liked. I've had no time for the Books forum and can scarcely keep up with things in the Shire. Still, there have been many a day when this little place has been a source of great merriment and relief. Tired and footsore, I turned a corner, left behind a few worldly headaches and found a haven in Middle-earth: a friend or two who will listen to me rant along with a little piece of time that I can claim as my own to write.

I mean it quite sincerely when I thank you for starting this site so that kindred spirits can meet and share. You have done more good than you know. My kindest regards to you and your family on this happy occasion. May you reap some of the light hearted moments that you have so generously provided for us at the Downs.

Your devoted Shire resident,

Cami Goodchild