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.

[Lil'freeper]

Frodo and I are hanging with the cats today.

Me, too, mine are both curled right up next to me taking their nap.

Got back not too long ago from the depths of hell (aka MD's MVA) in posession of valid MD drivers' licenses. I'm not overly excited because it is MD after all, but I am much relieved to be 'legal'. The picture is suprisingly good. It was a rather low-quality digital pic so my imperfections were blended away. Maybe Elvira was on to something with that airbrush. ;)

[300winmag]

People who are concerned about the "evils" of Harry Potter have too much time (and not enough head knowledge) on their hands.

I enjoyed both HP movies in the theater, and have them on DVD. I'm too lazy to read the books, which are aimed at kids/YA. I find the movies humorous and innovative, which makes for good entertainment.

The only problem that I see, and others have pointed out, is that the HP series shows a "special" group of people that are born with powers that set them apart from mere mortals. Many choose to live in their parallel universe, where their special powers are commonplace, leading to a more-or-less normal existence with their peers.

Others, however, choose to live among the "ordinary" (I'm not using HP terminology here), where some work for good out of a sense of service, while others work evil for the purpose of enhancing their dominion over "mere" humans. In that sense, it's much like the "power for good" vs. "power for evil" in Tolkien.

Overlaid on this theme is Harry himself. Hidden among ordinary (and disgusting) relatives since birth, he's brought into the other universe to learn his true skills, and come into his inheritance as one of the greatest wizards of all time. It's pretty heady stuff when everyone tells you how great you are, and how much greater you will become, even though he's still learning his trade. And the bad guys are gunning for him for the same reason. He and his friends continually break the rules of their school, yet in the end they're praised for having saved everyone's bacon.

For me, the greatest concern in HP is the message that not only are some people special, but there are even ones who are special among the special. It's a form of magical elitism that has the danger of creating a new generation of liberal democRATS.

[Overtaxed]

It's like when Ioreth says:

'For it is said in old lore: the hands of the king are the hands of a healer. And so the rightful king could ever be known.'

[Overtaxed]

My cat is a bit suspicious of Frodo: she slinks around him with her tail down, giving him a wide berth. Miss Emily didn't mind him and I got a picture of them. Mr. Darcy is too busy to pose with a hobbit right now.

[HairOfTheDog]

My baby is really graduating in about 4 hours! My BABY. No more kids at home!!! *snif*

Congratulations to you and to Myranda.

[2Jedismom]

I'm sorry such a special time should be so stressful! Goodness, I know how you feel though, having been in been in similar circumstances.

[Overtaxed]

Divine right of kings stuff

Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) reinforced medieval notions of kingship in his theory of the Divine Right of Kings, a theory which argued that certain kings ruled because they were chosen by God to do so and that these kings were accountable to no person except God.

Where's LCS when you need him?

[2Jedismom]

Hey, do you want any roosters? I wish I had just one rooster to have hang out in the back yard. If it got too annoying, I just fry it up! LOL

They are cheap from Welp...the postage is included in that price, so 25 (the minimum you can order) would cost what? $25.50?

I'd like these kind...

http://www.welphatchery.com/EggLayerTypes/new_hampshire_red.asp

[JenB]

Good thoughts on HP.

I am actually rereading the books for the first time in over a year and find my perspective has changed slightly. They feel more like kids' books to me than they used to, and there is a slight feeling I get of, like you say, magical elitism. Kids aren't going to pick up on that aspect, though. They think, "Wouldn't it be cool to play Quidditch and learn spells".

And so far as I know nobody's gotten hurt jumping off a roof on a broom. Or at least, no more than usual... little boys will do these things without inspiration.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I would probably take a rooster, good way of refreshing the gene pool. But I don't like having more then 10-1 ratio. Roosters can sure wear out the poor hens.

The eggs that I hatch from my own hens, all the roosters will be given away. Macks mother takes them and gives them to her MIL who uses them for fryers.

Right now I have 1 too many roosters but once the hens from these hatchings I am doing get out there things will get OK.

Becky

[2Jedismom]

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultry/chickens/newhampshirered/index.htm

[2Jedismom]

Shoot. Well, maybe I can find someone that can give me one of these roosters! I want a chick, because these chicks really have imprinted on the boys!

[HairOfTheDog]

uh oh.... now she wants a rooster.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

With just two hens any rooster you get will....well it won't be pretty. We had just a coupleof hens and one rooster one time poor hens had all the feathers on the back of their necks pulled out, they were constantly running away from him, but hed catch them, and I'm not kidding, it was rape in the barnyard, the hens would holler so pitifully because I think from so many times it hurt. But the rooster did not care. I have noticed that with enough hens, the hens do not seem as resistant to the roosters as when we only had a few. I would be careful, it bothered me to see it, how would that affect your boys.

Becky

[Corin Stormhands]

Did they write something on his forehead?

No, but he got half of a cheesy handlebar mustache.

[HairOfTheDog]

Good grief.

[HairOfTheDog]

Ahhh.... very good!

[Corin Stormhands]

Yeah, I would have dismissed it completely if I hadn't seen the trailer. Now I'm intrigued.

[Corin Stormhands]

Other family that doesn't get along called and said they are showing up uninvited.

Eeek! They're the kind that stink before three days is up!

You have my axe.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Exactly!

Alot of people think it's so funny when I talk about that, but it wasn't. I use to club that dam rooster in the head every chance I got, which wasn't right, it wasn't his fault. But people should know, you really need to have the right ratio or IMO, it's cruelty to animals. It's about 10 hens to every rooster.

2J, you need to really consider this.

Becky