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Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath
Dec 28 2024, 3:15pm
Post #1 of 31
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Greetings – it's the End of the Year Fiesta!
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Slightly closer to the end of the year than intended, for which I offer humble Hobbit apologies!
Christmas didn't exist in Middle Earth, but I bet there were celebrations with fire and friends, feast and candlelight to brighten the darkest part of the year, so in that spirit let's celebrate! Gandalf has conjured some not-so-cheap tricks to ensure the buffet displays your favourite foods of the year, and the drinks – well, they're proper 1420 they are! Wobbly Bob's already more wobbly than usual...
Pull up a bench to the fire - or in the beer garden, depending on your hemisphere – and reminisce over what went well in the year we're leaving, and what you hope for in the year to come. Share a song with us - or maybe even a parody? (Go on... you know you want to... ) Cheers!
This was written by a good friend of mine many years ago, and warrants a wider audieince. We are always bombarded with charity appeals during the festive season...
THE RING-BEARER’S APPEAL
It’s no fun being a Ring-Bearer…
Have you ever thought, as you sit in your comfy Hobbit-Hole, smoking your pipe after your third breakfast, how it would feel to drag around a burden like The One Ring…?
It feels hefty enough as you set out through the snow and ice and wind and Ring-Wraiths and Orcs… but imagine how it feels to trek up the slopes of Mount Doom, with the thing getting heavier every step….
The is the kind of suffering we, at the Lothlorien Foundation, hope to eliminate.
We run regular bus-services to the foothills of Mount Doom, and in time plan to buy our own mini-bus. An increased supply of funds would enable us to build cable-car services to the more popular Cracks of Doom, with purpose-built hatches to allow the Ring-Bearer to simply lean out and drop his ring down into the void of his choice.
Way-stations could be provided along major routes into Mordor, supplying Companions with much-needed Elven Eva-Cleen underwear, Orc-Alert™ Swords and Nike Bladestopper© Mithril shirts.
Ten cents from you could buy a week’s supply of Kentucky Fried Lembas™ for an unfortunate Ring-Bearer.
For two hundred dollars we could arrange for him to have his ring dropped by remote control.
Virtual Rings could be made available for those who, through no fault of their own, are too morally weak to undertake a Quest. (Yes, Boromir, we ARE looking at you!!)
BUT IT ALL COSTS MONEY!!!
Please send dollars, pounds or odd bits of mithril NOW to:-
Mrs. G.A.Ladriel, The Lothlorien Foundation, Behind the Water Pipes, Sauron’s Place, MORDOR
And we will assign to you your own personal Ring-Bearer, passing on the GOOD NEWS when he drops the ring down the Cracks of Doom, (or the BAD NEWS when he gets himself tortured to death by Sauron.) Either way, you will have contact with the Ring-Bearer you have helped…
WE ARE FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE THIS DOOM LAID UPON US….
NOW WE CAN HELP OTHERS WHO HAVE….
(This post was edited by Greenwood Hobbit on Dec 28 2024, 3:28pm)
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 28 2024, 6:25pm
Post #2 of 31
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Oh good, a proper Yuletide celebration, with plenty of food and drink! Would you happen to have some mulled cider there, GH, and I'll add some pralines to the goodies - my Texas brother sent us a big boxful!
I'm going to have nightmares about cable-cars going up Mt. Doom and swinging over the fires, what an image! However, I really would like to try that Kentucky Fried Lembas. Does it come extra-crispy?
*raises mug* A merry in-between the holidays to everyone! For some reason, the song from Sound of Music, "My Favorite Things", seems to be popular at Christmas. Well, here's an updated version, appropriate to all of us golden-agers! 
"Julie Andrews Turning 79!
To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:
Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Dec 28 2024, 6:27pm
Post #3 of 31
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Well, we're well past the solstice, but Yuletide in Middle-earth was also a celebration of the change from the old year to the new. In that spirit, we can observe the six days of Yuletide beginning on December 29th and ending on January 3rd!
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
(This post was edited by dernwyn on Dec 29 2024, 1:14pm)
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Meneldor
Doriath
Dec 28 2024, 6:33pm
Post #4 of 31
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath
Dec 28 2024, 7:33pm
Post #5 of 31
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Mulled cider and extra crispy lembas? Of course!
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I love the Julie Andrews version of 'My Favourite Things'; I think my knitting group ladies would enjoy that! One of them's just getting over a broken hip, as it happens.
Here's my version of the song, from 'The Saurond of Music'.
Three for the Elvenkind, Seven for the Dwarf Lords
Nine Rings for mortal men, power-hungry Earth-lords
One of my very own, ruling all things
These are a few of my favourite Rings
Snowflakes on Caradhras blocking the passes
Jolly wee Orcs with their sharp stinging lashes
Bagginses dreading the call of the Ring
These are a few of my favourite things
When the Warg bites, when the Elf sings, when I’m feeling sad
I seek and I seek for my favourite Ring, and say to myself ‘I’m BAAAD!’
Ringwraiths that glower and wizards on towers
Marshes, miasmas and Dark Lordly powers
Frolicking Uruk-Hai, Balrogs with wings
These are a few of my favourite things
Watching the Fellowship in the palantir
Fine entertainment’s what I really want here
I mess with their minds and I make them see things
They think it’s the pipeweed – it’s me and my Ring!
When the Wraiths burn, when the Ents turn, when I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite Ring, and say to myself ‘I’m BAAAAD!’
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Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath
Dec 28 2024, 7:35pm
Post #7 of 31
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I wish I could learn how to put captions on pictures; there's a lot of fun to be had...
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 28 2024, 10:17pm
Post #8 of 31
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Happy (almost) New Year Everyone! LOVE the Appeal! But I'm afraid I will respond to it the same way I do all of those pleas for "just 10 cent a day", etc. etc. etc... The purse snaps shut. I'm such a Scrooge! *shakes head* But I do drop money in Santa kettle at the stores' doors.
Christmas was so great! Very laid back and comforting. The kids/g'kids liked their gifts... so that's always a PLUS! :D
My first end of the year agenda is to get the printer I just had to get hooked up. It's "smart(er)" than I am and nasty-frustrating cuz I don't want it wireless and there's no port on it to connect in the olden style. I'm being quite challenged with mastering several online-related demands. Portals to medical and auto insurance and so forth. I've spent all day yesterday and today running around with this stuff plus attending to a couple of appointments! So my New Year goal is to get all of this stuff working so I can breeze through the next 12 months easy-peazy :D
I will absolutely help myself to some of the goodies on the buffet table and enjoy the simpler n-online life ;)
Thanks so much for taking such great care of us GH! Have a wonderful weekend!!!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 28 2024, 10:23pm
Post #9 of 31
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I could hear her singing in my head!
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And I related to SO MUCH of it! It was Brilliant! She's 79!? I remember a few years ago that she was not able to sing because of her vocal chord. Then, thankfully, surgery was able to bring it back to her and us :D
I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!! CHEERS!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 28 2024, 10:26pm
Post #10 of 31
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I love celebrations that take several days to do right ;) Thanks so much, sir! Here's to another year! *clink*
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 28 2024, 10:30pm
Post #11 of 31
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Not to mention everyone else sitting in that circle and the ones hiding in the bushes ;)
THANKS SO MUCH, Meneldor!!! Have a great weekend!! :D
We have been there and back again.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Dec 28 2024, 10:48pm
Post #12 of 31
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath
Dec 28 2024, 10:48pm
Post #13 of 31
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I think that appeal's about forty years old!
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My friend and I have known each other since we were 12.and have supported our respective fandoms. I twice helped her organise Horatio Hornblower conventions in Portsmouth and went to the dress-up dinner as a Hobbit, representing the importance of Off-Topic posts to the life of the message boards (Horatians). I'm not sure the Holiday Inn knew exactly what had hit it, with all the Regency types (and a Hobbit) drifting about the place!
So glad Christmas went well - it's a relief! I sympathise over the printer issue; good luck! I bought a printer/scanner/copier a while ago and haven't managed to make the scanner work yet, which is very annoying. I still have the old one in case of emergencies, but that would be admitting defeat!
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 28 2024, 10:49pm
Post #14 of 31
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Um...beginning on January 29th?
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(would you like me to make a slight edit, there?  )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Dec 28 2024, 11:02pm
Post #15 of 31
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Oh no, I thought everything still had both wired and wireless hookups these days! Remember to turn the bluetooth on, on your computer, if that's what it uses. You can always ask the tech experts on this site for help!
Yes, we all have to go online to check test results etc. now. And hope the internet doesn't go funky while filling out forms or payments. 
Eldest told me once that when living over in Edinburgh, she'd be approached on the street by people requesting only £xx a month, just give them your credit card number...No way! 
Any plans for the New Year? Ours will also be very simple, that's one night a year we do not like to travel home late! (And nowadays I fall asleep before midnight anyway! )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 4:52am
Post #16 of 31
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No Correction Needed; Those Dates are Correct
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(would you like me to make a slight edit, there? )
To observe Yuletide as falling around the solstice, adjust the dates by minus ten days, from December 19th to December 24th.
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Dec 29 2024, 5:06am)
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 6:12am
Post #18 of 31
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I see where my mistake was! Call it a typo!
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 6:15am
Post #19 of 31
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I see my error. Yes, please make the appropriate correction!
My apologies; I didn't see what you were getting at on my original reading of your post. I'm so sorry. I was being stupidly over-confident, not to give my original post another look!
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Dec 29 2024, 6:19am)
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 29 2024, 1:17pm
Post #20 of 31
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*saunters back down the thread*
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*after waving magic pixel-fixer*
Nothing to see there, folks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 3:27pm
Post #21 of 31
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I started reading the "manual" and my brain checked out. Too much going on at the time ;) So I'm determined to dominate the beast today!
Thanks for the encouragement with your suggestion. Sometimes a little window of hope goes a long way :D
Wow on being approached on the sidewalk for card info! SERIOUSLY!?! Yeah, no kidding on the internet keeping things safe. It's frustrating when options and preferences don't count anymore. I like keeping it simple and not needing a password to do everything.
Got no New Year plans and prefer to stay home where there's no risk of questionable drivers. HOWEVER, New Years 2001/02, 2002/03, and 2003/04 were each spent at the theater with the LotR films. PERFECTION! :D
Happy New Year, m'Dear :D
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 3:31pm
Post #22 of 31
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*giggle* on the hotel's confusion!
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I'm still sitting here grinning like a fool just imagining how that all went down!! AWESOME! What's fun is if you encounter others walking through the place who "get it" and know who you are! *high five*
Never EVER admit defeat!!! :D Have a great week and New Year!!!
We have been there and back again.
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Annael
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 8:28pm
Post #23 of 31
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I'm afraid that's an urban legend
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Snopes says no she did not perform that number, which was written as an online song parody that many people then performed - I remember seeing a video of it early on, by a bunch of older women. Andrews lost her pure soprano ainging voice in 1997,and sadly has not recovered it despite several surgeries; she says she now has a "weak alto" voice.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Annael
Elvenhome
Dec 29 2024, 8:38pm
Post #24 of 31
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I've been enjoying a visit from my VERY TALL relations, feeling like a hobbit amongst elves--all of my great-nephews are a foot or more taller than me. I took them to the local flight museum founded by Bill Anders, the Apollo 8 astronaut who took the famous "Earthrise" photo and lived in this area until his death this year in a plane crash at age 90 (he was flying solo). I arranged for a docent to give us a tour and my airplane-mad great-nephews loved it.
Then I took off for two nights in a very nice waterside lodge in a nearby tourist town. Lounged by the fire, took long hot soaks, and walked around town, wandering into all the shops. Found a few treasures and ate some delicious meals. Home now and starting to take down the decorations, but I'm leaving up my growing collection of "snow-covered trees" made from various materials, sourced variously over the years, as they make a nice winter forest on top of the bookcase.
My career had an upswing this last year and I anticipate that to continue; I have four projects incoming soon! My niece & I are firming up plans for the long-delayed trip to Maine to research my book. But as someone else said, I kinda wish I could have a "gap year" between now and 2025 . . .
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
(This post was edited by Annael on Dec 29 2024, 8:40pm)
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 29 2024, 9:13pm
Post #25 of 31
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I'd found this a few years ago, and copied it into a document. (I think she's actually 89 now.) I knew she'd had surgeries, but didn't realize her lovely voice was gone! 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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