The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[JenB]

Hmm. He may be from a previous generation...

[HairOfTheDog]

Don't know! - Can't place him.

[Corin Stormhands]

Hullo all. Not many chatsey hobbitses around today.

We spent all afternoon at the Home and Garden Show, had dinner at Cracker Barrel and then went to Garden Ridge.

We need about $250,000 to do everything we want to do to the house. Okay, maybe not that much, but we'll have to continue to do it in stages.

But the best thing is, we've worked out what we think will be a better arrangement for my mother-in-law. We were planning on giving her the dining room, which I now use as an office. Then we'd move the office to the guest room (which means we lose the guest room). Since she can't do stairs we were going to build a bathroom in the front of the garage which involved raising the floor, etc.

But we talked to a company today that makes chair lifts for stairs. We've seen them before in Parade magazine and they always looked cheap. But this one would work. We can give her the guest room, keep the office where it is and eventually turn it back into a dining room - by either getting a computer armoire (sp?) or finishing off the garage the way we wanted to to begin with.

Also looked at electronic fencing for the dog. Both companies assured me it was cheaper than conventional fencing and they assured me that once he's trained, he won't bolt the fence.

Okay, that was the Stormhands day. I'm signing off now.

Off.

[Overtaxed]

Not sure with those shadows and all. Could it be John Garfield?

[HairOfTheDog]

It probably is cheaper to do the invisible fencing. Let me add these thoughts on it.... and I would be happy to help later if you decide to do this thing.

It is a bit of a frightening training process for the dog, because the dog can't see the barrier, so imagine going through life not knowing where and when you will be shocked next. The dog may get so frightened he won't leave the porch for a while.

When you put it up, put up some other kind of a marker for his sake, a temporary line, even a rope or string, that he can learn to associate with the boundary so he isn't just blindly walking into it. And don't let him off leash until he has hit it everywhere while tied up so he can't run through. Stake him in the middle of the yard with enough rope to reach, but not run through, the line. And be there to pull him back in if he can't figure out how to escape it. If you don't have a line on him, he may panic and run through it. It will shock him for about ten feet. Most dogs won't intentionally run it, but if he thinks it is just a random occurance, not a line, he will just run till it stops.

Let him find the line by walking him around it with you on the *safe* side, so that coming back to you is *always* safe. Never try to pull him into it to show him where the boundary is. The last thing you want is for him to associate trying to follow you with the shock.

The only qualm I would have about the invisible fencing is that with a thick coated dog, you have to have his collar pretty dang tight to get good contact. I used and electric training collar with my Labrador, and I had to have it very tight. You wouldn't want to leave a collar that tight on him all the time, so when he is in at night, loosen or remove it, tightening it only when he goes out perhaps.

Once he knows the boundary, he will respect it. I fence mine in standard electric fencing. They haven't touched it since it went in.

[Dawntreader]

Hmm...I Googled him for more pictures and it sort of looks like him, but I don't see him having the cleft in his chin.

[ecurbh]

Evening all!

I managed not to kill myself (or others) on the ski slope today, but I hurt all over. Spent plenty of time on my backside, and wrenched my right knee a bit. It was a beautiful day out there today, too. Upper 30's, not too windy. The snow was pretty soft, which made it faster than I really would have liked for my first time out there. Another problem was that I am rather out of shape too. I need to do some more biking this summer to strengthen my joints. Need to look through the recent diet discussion here as well.

And my web host issues are getting resolved. I can finally send and recieve email again.

JenB: Definitely go for the contacts! I've had them almost 11 years now, and can't imagine life without them now. Trust me, you get used to touching your eyeball with just a little practice.

[Overtaxed]

I Googled him for more pictures and it sort of looks like him, but I don't see him having the cleft in his chin.

Yeah, the cleft kinda threw me. But I thought maybe it just showed up more because of all the shadows in that shot. I never noticed it before. Oh well....that's the only idea I have.

[HairOfTheDog]

I bet you are sore! - Hot bath, and I recommend a deep-heating rub on those knees!

It is hard on joints. I was a pretty good skier once, but after messing up one knee doing something else, I found that my left knee just tired easily and didn't have the control it used to have. Age has something to do with it too, I would imagine! Even riding bothers my knees now!

[Corin Stormhands]

Thanks. Both companies provide training. And both said they guarantee that the dog won't bolt once trained. Interesting about the Lab and the thick coat, because the first company said that this was excellent for a Lab.

Speaking of which, he's gotta pee again. See y'all later. I'm going to bed after this run.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

I remember my first time skiing very well! Believe me, if you stick with it, it will get a lot easier pretty fast -- give it 3 or 4 times.

I remember after my day, laying in bed moaning loudly -- MY BUTT IS ON FIRE!

I also heard my nephew laughing hilariously in the next room.

Get some Tiger Balm and rub it into those hammies.

[2Jedismom]

I'm going to our Freedom Rally tomorrow...gonna be cold, but we'll be there!

http://www.1170kfaq.com/rallyposter.html

[2Jedismom]

Good night everyone!

[My back yard]

Yes, Great, thank you so much.

[osagebowman]

Morning all; had a bit of luck at the video store, got "Four Feathers" and the greek wedding movie. It's about the third or fourth remake I've seen, excellent movie, well done costuming and choreography on the battle scenes, good story as well. Makes me want to read my Kipling again. A nice fire set the evening off well.

Didn't work on the bows yesterday but plan to today. More tung oil on the BBO, and look over the "in progress" osage elb, the horn nocks simply make the style.

2JM: enjoy the rally, you were up late; :-)

[Overtaxed]

Freep on! Are you bringing your Feadog?

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

That *could* be a youngish Dennis Hopper, but I'm not sure... he looks like an actor from the late 50's early 60's, whoever he is.

[2Jedismom]

Freep on! Are you bringing your Feadog?

I'm thinking about it! I'll take pictures, of course.

[Overtaxed]

Okay.....post 'em when you get 'em.

[2Jedismom]

I think I should post them in C&F too, don't you think?

Nawww...I don't have the guts.