Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Tonight when I went out to care for my horses, a crow was dead in my horse's water bucket. I had noticed in the past crows gathering, drinking, bathing in the water buckets... they are large buckets... pictured here, behind the dog: Webshots pic
I am surprised if a healthy crow would drown in there... they are not big enough that a crow who fell in should not be able to fly or jump out. I worry that it was sick. For the horse's safety I washed both troughs out with bleach and refilled them, but back to the story for now.
The interesting thing about this story is the behavior of the other crows... I picked up the dead bird by the feet and walked with it out of the paddock and into my woods. Then I noticed a crow in a nearby tree squaking loudly. When I passed behind the barn, it flew to another perch where it could watch me. It clearly cared that I was carrying the crow.
I walked down a path laid it off the path out in my woods, and the other crow followed and squawked the whole time. Other crows began coming and for the next 20 minutes or so, there was a LOT of squawking... Several crows gathering back in the woods where I had laid the dead crow. I could not see after I walked away, but I assume they found and checked out the dead one. After awhile it quieted down.
I was touched that it seemed very much that the crows were upset and caring and/or grieving the loss of one. I don't know a thing about crows, and would not have thought necessarily that they had a closely bonded flock, or a dedicated mate. Is there a bird expert or wildlife biologist in the house? Or any idea, if it was a diseased bird, if washing out the bucket with bleach was sufficient?
Crows are notoriously communal. My hunter/gatherer son has a tape of crows in disress that he plays from a portable sound system. Within minutes crows are circling and calling overhead. The longer you play it, the more crows come, from miles and miles away. It is the MOST incredible thing to see. BTW, he also shoots some of the crows. They do tremendous crop damage to our orchard and farm. The flocks have to be thinned out once in a while and this is the most efficient way of doing that unpleasant task. &;-)
CDC Map:
Horses: Cases of WN virus disease in horses have been documented, either by virus isolation or by detection of WN virus-neutralizing antibodies in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Approximately 40% of equine WN virus cases results in the death of the horse. The horses most likely became infected with WN virus in the same way humans become infected, by the bite of infectious mosquitoes.In locations where WN virus is circulating, horse should be protected from mosquito bites as much as possible. Horses vaccinated against eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), western equine encephalitis (WEE), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) are NOT protected against WN virus infection. A West Nile virus vaccine for horses was recently licensed, but its effectiveness is unknown. Horses infected by WN virus develop a brief low-level viremia that is rarely, if ever, infectious to mosquitoes. There is no reason to destroy a horse just because it has been infected with WN virus. Data suggest that most horses recover from the infection. Treatment would be supportive and consistent with standard veterinary practices for animals infected with a viral agent.
Guess I'll hit the couch, I hate to bother either one of them, and I can't pick Matt up and toss him back into his top bunk!
I have to read for the kids at the church tomorrow...I'm reading If Only I Had a Green Nose by Max Lucado. It's really cute, about doing wierd things to fit in and being snooty. I like it!
I assume they found and checked out the dead one.
Are you sure they weren't around to scavenge it?
Maybe they were the Crebain from Bodega Bay.
That's why we've never watched it.
Well, I wish you woulda' warned us before my wife picked it up at the library (yet another reason to be suspicious of it).
The way it started I thought it would be anti-abortion, or at least somewhat negative towards it, since the main character, Homer Wells, did not want to perform them and he was a nice guy. While Michael Caine's character, Dr. Larch, did perform them and he was kind of a lout.
One of the main storylines was to get Homer to see the error of HIS ways, instead of Dr. Larch. Very sad, my wife was ready to put her foot through the television.
Oh well, live and learn. Maybe now she won't bring home so many chick flicks, I guess there IS a silver lining to every cloud. ;^)
BTW, Good morning all!
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, this is a mainstream Hollywood movie about abortion. There are no good pro-life people in the world of Hollywood.
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, this is a mainstream Hollywood movie about abortion. There are no good pro-life people in the world of Hollywood.
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