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.

[EternalHope]

Rumor has it this is a friendly place. Far, far from Mordor and Southrons in general. Even better, France and Germany aren't even on the maps.

Today seems like a good day for a visit.

Is it true that there ARE no dwarf women, and dwarves simply spring up out of the ground? Or are hobbits the wrong people to ask?

[HairOfTheDog]

It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need, They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. This has given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves 'grow out of stone'. - Tolkien, LoTR App. III - Durin's Folk

The rumor you heard was correct! - We are a very friendly place! I certainly hope you enjoy your time here, and let me know if you do not!

Welcome to the Hobbit Hole! What news of the outside world? How did you find us?

[EternalHope]

Nice to see someone is home. Seems a comfortable place.

They (dwarves) are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart.

But what about the beards?

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Good evening, and welcome! The Hobbit Hole is indeed a very friendly place, and I'm sure you'll be overwhelmed with more welcomes in the morning. :) Some of our Dwarves may be along to answer your question, as well...

Have a good night!

[HairOfTheDog]

I am often the last one up.... So many here are from the East, and their sun goes down so early.

But what about the beards?

We have some dwarves here, I think the prudent thing would be to let them answer that!

but it is awfully dark in those mines... call it 'mood lighting'.

[300winmag]

But what about the beards?

I can't speak for the dwarves, but I suspect their women put on fake beards if they have to go out among the other races. Who's going to try a beard inspection when someone has a big axe like all dwarves have?

But seriously, welcome to the HH. I look on this place like a small-town pub where old friends hang out when FR gets too hectic. When the balloon goes up, I might not be here that often.

Be sure to stop by for our legendary breakfasts, and Sunday brunches.

[EternalHope]

What news of the outside world?

The outside world is much like it has always been, full of its own comings and goings. (Only, right now, more so.)

Rumors are flying about war with Mordor, and some frog friend of Sauron has been stirring up trouble on his behalf. So far, the best they can conjure has not been too bad, but Orcs roam freely in the western lands, and everywhere his spies slip through our nets.

Be glad you've got the shire.

How did you find us?

Someone mentioned hiding out in the Hobbit Hole. I think I heard something along the lines of, "Maybe it was a mistake leaving the Shire." Thought I'd check it out.

[HairOfTheDog]

Ah.... And you are another Washington FReeper! - Neat! - I am in Tumwater. Now we are four WA Residents here in the hole, plus my brother Ramius.

I think I heard something along the lines of, "Maybe it was a mistake leaving the Shire."

It usually is!

I am pleased to find another obvious fan of LoTR who lives nearby! - It is almost cause for a Spring moot!

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Someone mentioned hiding out in the Hobbit Hole

That might have been me...I teased Miss Marple about that, using those words on a thread tonight.

I see you are a graduate of the Air Force Academy -- I have a nephew who is a junior at the Academy this year (he's on the ski team too). He hopes to go to flight school after graduation.

[EternalHope]

I am pleased to find another obvious fan of LoTR who lives nearby! - It is almost cause for a Spring moot!

Fan? I am no fan. I am a fanatic!

I even read all four books (including The Hobbit, of course) outloud to my kids when they were young. Bedtime stories don't ya know. It took years (four kids).

My kids think I'm as old as Gandalf, but I'm really not even as old as Bilbo. Most days I'm closer to Frodo. Today, however, something made me FEEL old.

I suspect I may have found a place where seeing TTT 12 times barely qualifies as a rookie. (Hope so, anyway.) I've only read the book five times, and never read the Silmarillion at all, so my claim to be a "fanatic" probably won't hold up.

[EternalHope]

Ah... The skiing in Colorado. Fond memories.

Hope he likes the AF Academy. It was a great place when I was there. I certainly hope the rape scandal is over-hyped by the press. Most of us grads would gladly wring a few necks over that one.

[HairOfTheDog]

HA! - Yes it does, you can be a fanatic! I think I have seen TTT that many times! - We won't talk about counting FoTR!

I can't get through Silmarillion! And I have tried! - I look stuff up in it, but that is about it!

Sorry you felt old today! - Get some sleep! - Tomorrow when you wake up Ruthy will have breakfast ready and waiting, and the others will be along to introduce themselves!

I am going to bed now, been stayin' up too late.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

The skiing in Colorado. Fond memories

He grew up in Park City, Utah, so he's used to that! The last 3 times I've seen him were on the slopes!

He seems to enjoy it more as an upper-classman. His words were: "They try to break you physically when you're a freshman, and they to break you scholastically when you're sophomore, but it gets a bit better after that."

He hasn't said anything about the latest scandals (there was a cheating scandal last year and a drug scandal that caused a few expulsions and one conviction even).

[Overtaxed]

It is almost cause for a Spring moot!

Blue Moot......you left me mooting alone...

Welcome to the Hobbit Hole! Make sure and be here early in the morning so you can beat the dwarves to the bacon when breakfast comes.

[Lil'freeper]

Gooooooood Morning Hobbit Hoooooooooooole!

Hope all is well with you and yours. Corin, still praying for the speedy recovery of your youngin'.

We just switched our mail over to MS Outlook. Lo the chaos! We have one gal who has had the same email addy for twenty years, and the powers-that-be just up and changes it on her. Her "new" addy doesn't work. All of her mail has been going to a gal of the same first name who has been deleting it without letting our person know about it! So we're starting an 'official' spam campaign. :) Official messages only- projects, questions, querying possible meeting times, etc. Muahahahaaa.

[Overtaxed]

LOL!

We switched from Outlook to Lotus Notes. Sometimes I go for 3 to 4 days without email and then get days old email dumped on me at one time!

[Lil'freeper]

We did just the opposite. I liked Notes just fine, but apparantly it was a little heavy on the servers. Outlook is just so 'hackable' when it comes to spam email. The first day it was up and running, I had three offers for cheaper insurance or a mortgage. Craaaaaazy.

[Lil'freeper]

Oh, just found out that the recipient of all my friend's email is a switchboard operator. We're so tempted to start calling....

In the meantime, the emails full of technical mumbo-jumbo continue...

[ksen]

Good morning EternalHope, pleased to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay with us, make it a long one.

[Overtaxed]

We must have had some good filters or something because I never got any spam from Outlook. Now everyone is going around asking "did you get my email?"