The Hobbit Hole XXIV - Sand and Stone and Pool and Dell...

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[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Sand and Stone and Pool and Dell...

• First thread: New Zealander builds Hobbit hole
• Second thread: The New Hobbit Hole
• Third thread: The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! (Congratulations, we filled it up!)
• Fourth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IV - The Road Goes Ever On...
• Fifth Thread: The Hobbit Hole V - Where Many Paths and Errands Meet...
• Sixth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VI - And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...
• Seventh Thread: The Hobbit Hole VII - But not yet weary are our feet...
• Eighth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VIII - Still round the corner we may meet...
• Ninth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IX - A sudden tree or standing stone
• Tenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole X - That none have seen but we alone.
      Eleventh Thread: Wedding Edition: The Hobbit Hole XI - No One Admitted Except on Wedding Business!
• Twelfth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XII - Tree and flower and leaf and grass
• Thirteenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XIII - Let them pass! Let them pass!
• Fourteenth thread: The Hobbit Hole XIV - Hill and Water Under Sky
• Fifteenth thread: The Hobbit Hole XV - Pass them by! Pass them by!
• Sixteenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XVI - Still round the corner there may wait...
• Seventeenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XVII - A new road or a secret gate...
• Eighteenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XVIII - Though we pass them by today...
• Nineteenth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XIX - Tomorrow we may come this way...
• Twentieth Thread: The Hobbit Hole XX - And take the hidden paths that run...
• Twenty-first Thread: The Hobbit Hole XXI - ...Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
• Twenty-second Thread: The Hobbit Hole XXII - ...Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe
• Twenty-third Thread: The Hobbit Hole XXIII - Let them go! Let them go!

New verse:

Upon the hearth the fire is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet, Still round the corner we may meet A sudden tree or standing stone That none have seen but we alone. Tree and flower and leaf and grass, Let them pass! Let them pass! Hill and water under sky, Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate, And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way And take the hidden paths that run Towards the Moon or to the Sun. Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe, Let them go! Let them go! Sand and stone and pool and dell, Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We’ll wander back to home and bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade! Away shall fade! Fire and lamp, and meat and bread, And then to bed! And then to bed!

See also: http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net

Web page for our moot reports and troop support information!

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand.

[RosieCotton]

*sigh* That was the kitty that stayed behind. I still have bad dreams about that...that and the dogs.

You know, that's a big part of why I've been so depressed over the job deal. I had to make a lot of tough decisions, but they happened so quickly and smoothly that it seemed clear what I was meant to do. All that clarity is gone and I'm left wondering why I let so much go.

But she's doing fine so far. A co-worker of Dad's took her, as she'd recently lost one kitty and the one she still had was lonely. Cleo's settled in really well and is good friends with the other kitty, which she never really was with mine. So all's well that ends well, I suppose. I do miss her, though.

[Overtaxed]

Except that it's a contract - if I take it, I commit for three months.

Hmmmmm......would they give you time to make a decision? Could you put the decision off until you get an answer from the school?

[300winmag]

Hey...y'all supported my own son when he was in Iraq last year.

Please excuse me for not remembering that sooner. Our current count of sharp, pointy things is 808 as of today. Please visit our site to see its latest brand-new look.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, just got done with the conference call, and though nothing is decided for sure and anything is still possible, it's looking more likely than not that I ~won't~ be needed for the disaster relief system, at least not badly enough to bear the expense of sending me down there. They're moving forward full steam with the process, but they've got it simplified down to the point where just about any volunteer ought to be able to do the jobs required once it's running.

[RosieCotton]

So...are you relieved or disappointed or a bit of both?

[Overtaxed]

No trip to town for you!

[SuziQ]

Here is the NOAA website to look at the destruction all along the coast. Just click on those little squares and you'll get an HUGH picture. You'll have to move it around to get to the land, but then you can see pretty well. You can see the casino barges up across the highway in Biloxi and Gulfport. I haven't even checked out Back Bay Biloxi, so I've not even seen that damage. Rosie, you could take a look at Keesler AFB!

[RosieCotton]

I dunno. I guess we'll also have to wait and see if I get a chance at the college job. They had narrowed it to eleven applicants and were further narrowing it down to three. That's not exactly super odds.

BTW, I hit and killed a squirrel on the way back from the interview. Had no chance to stop. I'm guessing that isn't a good sign. It's the first time I've ever hit an animal. *wince*

[HairOfTheDog]

I still feel like it's hanging over me as a possibility, so I'm not completely relieved yet, but I won't have any disappointment at all if I don't have to go at this point.

Nothing about the situation is comforting.... including the complete lack of vacancy at any hotels down there, decent, indecent or otherwise. As an adventure, part of me would like to see with my own eyes the situation that I am sure looks different than it's being presented by people with an agenda. But from a personal safety and comfort standpoint, there was plenty of apprehension about coming in there like some hobbit from the Shire into the town of Bree.

[JenB]

Yeah, I know I'd be worried for my own safety in a chaotic enviroment like that. But I worry about my own safety walking to the car in the grocery lot after dark.

[HairOfTheDog]

Anyone who's smart worries about walking to the car in the grocery lot after dark.

I worked several years in the heart of Tacoma's Hilltop, which is a pretty rough part of town, and I worked directly with clients then. I'd be fairly confident working in and around the shelters, it's a scene I understand better than many who have never done that kind of work. But I wasn't looking forward to manuevering from restaurant to hotel room alone, in an unfamiliar city that is absolutely jam-packed full of evacuees. And I don't like being unarmed, even in nice hotels full of tourists. I can't imagine getting a wink of sleep.

[Overtaxed]

Pack heat.

[HairOfTheDog]

Even if I wanted the excitement of clearing it through the airport, Texas doesn't honor Washington's carry permit.

[Overtaxed]

Ya need a permit in Texas? :)

[HairOfTheDog]

Texas has much more restrictive gun law than Washington.

Despite our liberal reputation, WA has been a shall-issue concealed carry state since long before it was trendy.

Texas requires a certification class. WA only requires a clean criminal record. That's why my permit isn't reciprocal.

[Overtaxed]

Who'd a thunk it!

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I'd better get back to town, I still need hay, dog food, bird food and to pick up Bay's meds.

I'll just get a couple bales of hay, since it'll be on sale Friday.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - sometimes I like to bring that up when folk, particularly Texans, are bashin' Washington for being liberal. Better gun law than most states I've compared to, combined with no state income tax, easily makes up for a few goofy greeners, in terms of day to day impact on my life.

[ecurbh]

Otay... still working here, not sure when I'll be home. The site has to go live ASAP!

I ~think~ it's getting pretty close to done, though. (Knock on wood)