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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 6 2020, 12:33pm
Post #1 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! February 6
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Greetings Fellow Travellers!
Welcome to February!! :D This month is always fun in the colder US locations as we watch for a "hole in the ground" dweller... the mighty groundhog! This rotund rodent peeks out from its hidey-hole and cozy Winter hibernation to check out the weather. If it sees its own shadow... there's a lot more Winter to go. If it does NOT see its shadow... there are about 6 weeks of Winter weather before Spring welcomes it with warmer temps. In my neck of the woods, no shadow was to be seen!!!! :D
  
If you've ever seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray, you understand the profound importance of this tradition! Although, I judge the progress of Spring by 2 things: buckets are hung on the trunks of our town's Maple trees, and the odour of skunks (or unfortunates lying along the road) is everywhere!
And so... here's February! How are you faring? Do you have a goal you're working towards or just doing what you can day-by-day and enjoying the journey? I'm more of a journey-geek. I'm constantly surprised by my progress when I look at my past week's activity. And I love walking with Bilbo & Company or the Fellowship. It brings me closer to their stories and what they went through during their Quests.
Which brings us to Mirkwood! Bilbo the dwarves and I are well into this very spooky forest and doing our best to stay on the path. Many interesting sounds and smells surround us in this very dark place. "Stick together, everyone!"
So do tell on how you're doing and if you're a companion on a Middle-earth Quest :)
See you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 11 2020, 11:33am
Post #3 of 35
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We have voices of angels or rock stars or Broadway musicals... whatever we want :D *high five*
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 13 2020, 12:12pm
Post #4 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! February 13
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Greetings Fellow Walkers!
How are you faring this find day? :) Find day? Yep, that's what I asked! It's a good day to find yourself something to do that makes you smile or say "Ahhhh" (like ICE CREAM!), something that makes you pause and take a relaxing breath... like looking out the window at a colourful sunset (or sunrise), or some flowers in full bloom, or... you get the picture ;)
Find something that makes you stretch... like putting your dinner plates to a higher shelf to encourage movement... or a lower shelf ;) Again, you get the picture. I found I got a lot of mileage due to my bad memory. Going from room to room looking for the remote to the TV. *clicks tongue, shakes head* I apparently tend to do a bit more wandering in my old age ;) Hence, part of my Find day is finding my way through the day! But I'm having fun doing it... especially when I find the remote in the first or second room.
So how are you faring this find day? I hope part of it includes a fine walk or doing something you enjoy!!! It's okay to take a moment or two for yourself!
Meanwhile... back in the forest... Bilbo, the dwarves and I are still stumbling on that disappearing elf path! I'd like to find my way out of this part of the story ;)
See you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 18 2020, 11:59am
Post #5 of 35
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Not a stinky person, but the stinky critter! *rubs hands together*. Funny that it's happening during one of the few snowfalls we've had all winter. Go figure ;) Now I'm watching for the syrup buckets!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Feb 19 2020, 3:11am
Post #6 of 35
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Begin to sing. Walk through a deeply cloven track between tall trees.
So yes, I'm singing (softly) as I walk. It is raining rather than snowing today, and honestly, I'd rather walk on a snowy day, provided there's no wind. But since we don't get to order the weather around (or at least I'm not good at it), and since I prefer rain to droughts, I'll take it. All the birds are hiding in the rain, so there's no one singing but me, but when the sun's back out, I'm sure we'll join in a chorus that the Elves would be proud of. Happy walking!
(This post was edited by CuriousG on Feb 19 2020, 3:12am)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 19 2020, 12:24pm
Post #7 of 35
(2231 views)
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If a Walker is the only one singing...
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and not even a bird hears him... does he still make music? ABSOLUTELY YES!!! :D Borrowing from falling trees in forests, don'tchaknow ;)
CONGRATULATIONS! Milestones are always a neat treat for our efforts. And I'm totally with you on the walking weather conditions. No wind at least, unless it's summer. Then the cooling and keeping the bugs from finding me is great! :D
Cheers, CuriousG! See you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 20 2020, 12:28pm
Post #8 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! February 20
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Greetings Fellow Walkers!
I hope you're having a great week and are happy with your progress down our Walkers' Road. If you have a plan or a goal... May the Wind Be At Your Back! If you're following your nose and just enjoying the journey... *high five* I love your freedom and discovery!
I'm kind of a mix of both. While I am closely following the charts to mark my progress, but I tend to be wandering in many directions when it comes to gathering miles... mostly because of my short attention span ;) Sometimes I feel like one of those robot vacuums. Moving until I bump into something, then change direction till I hit something else. *sigh* But I'm really good at it! :D
Bilbo, the dwarves and I are still in Mirkwood and will be for quite a while. They're such a fun group... I'm sure the time will pass quickly *kaff*
*waves fondly* See you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Feb 20 2020, 10:12pm
Post #9 of 35
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*sigh* Will you never listen to the Wizard?
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I'm pretty sure Gandalf's parting words to those entering Mirkwood were "No matter what you do, don't leave the path!" (or near enough without a book check). And here you go wandering off-path, no doubt blundering into Wood-Elves' feasts. But then again, maybe the Elves you're meeting are of the Gildor variety and happy to share dinner and wine, so phooey on curmudgeonly advice from Wizards.
I have reached "Road rolls up and down" as I continue toward Crickhollow, with no Black Riders or Elves in sight. My main (real-life) concern is crossing roads at intersections where idiot drivers are texting or yacking away and ignoring red lights and stop signs--I've had enough close calls of being smashed into jelly troll-style that I am extra-wary at any crossing, no matter what the walk light says.
But it's sunny and dry again, and though windy, I'm layered up, and other hardy walkers are circling the river banks and parks as I am, along with their dogs, none of whom are the Hound of Sauron, so it's nice to be out. Give us a couple months, and Yavanna will call up green shoots and crocuses to herald the spring.
Try to stick to the path when you see signs that say "Giant Spiders Ahead," Gramma, and enjoy your outings.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 21 2020, 12:12pm
Post #10 of 35
(2189 views)
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Your description of trying to cross the Road whilst trying not to get run down (*shudders w/deep concern*) suddenly put a vision of a line of Mumaks thundering your way! Please DO be careful! Yet I'm glad you're finding some satisfaction getting to walk in the winter weather. WELL DONE!! You're so right... SOON we'll be seeing flowers peeking up through the cold ground.
I'll watch out for spiders whilst you watch out for Oliphaunts :D
We have been there and back again.
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Eowyn of Penns Woods
Valinor
Feb 23 2020, 12:11am
Post #11 of 35
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I've just added up my circuit miles since the last time I reported: the holiday season took such a bite out of me/my time/my will, that I'm only now approaching Hollin. Blisters be danged, I'm finally back 'on' again! Even though my legs have gone numb and stiff in the below freezing mornings. I looove colder weather.
I'm the weirdo who doesn't. want. Spring, because we haven't had Winter yet! But I can't ignore the signs any longer: the migratory birds are arriving, critters are active, my winter flowers are are blooming, and the spring bulbs have sprouted too tall. I need to find one of those missing pedometers or get a new one, because the flower beds have GOT to be cleaned out starting Monday!
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NABOUF
Not a TORns*b!
Certified Curmudgeon
Knitting Knerd
NARF: NWtS Chapter Member since June 17,2011
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Eowyn of Penns Woods
Valinor
Feb 23 2020, 12:24am
Post #12 of 35
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I get complimented for having a pretty voice, but the only singing on my walks is coming from the mp3 player or the CD player I'm toting. We get wayyy more traffic on our road than we used to, and the neighborhood is not going to catch me doing more than the occasional lip-sync!
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NABOUF
Not a TORns*b!
Certified Curmudgeon
Knitting Knerd
NARF: NWtS Chapter Member since June 17,2011
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 23 2020, 1:19pm
Post #13 of 35
(2112 views)
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I'm afraid my neighbours already have me pegged... so my bellowing out a tune just warns them to duck inside until I pass ;) However, the girls (cows in the pastures of 2 farms along the Road) tend to come toward the fence to have a look-see.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 23 2020, 1:32pm
Post #14 of 35
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I do have to admit the air is never cleaner and the frosty sunrise out my front window makes me stop and stare more often than not... so I hear ya on not being eager for it to go. :) *big hug* If you can't find your pedometer right away, do a guesstimate on your previous activity. OR here's the link to charts. Never let the numbers get in the way. We're all here for the halibut and the funofit :) *high five*
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 27 2020, 12:23pm
Post #16 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! February 27
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Greetings Fellow Walkers!
BOOM! Here we are already at the end of February! TIME flies when you're on the Road! AND it flies even faster when skunk stink, goose flight and bucket hanging FINALLY happens all at once! And that's what is happening here in my world as of this past week. I mentioned before that those are the 3 big signs that Spring is a few weeks away and I can start turning my sights on outdoor projects :D Soon my treadmill mileage will be supplemented with my beloved 4-mile walk around the block out here on my country Roads. The only downside about the warmer seasons is the sun comes up a lot earlier so I have to run outside (in cloudless weather) at about 4-5am instead of 6-7am to watch the International Space Station pass overhead when its orbit properly aligns over my house. I always appreciate it when they accommodate me like that :D *waves hi*
How are you coming along on your Quest? Do you have a specific goal in mind, or are you (like me) just enjoying the ride? I do have a goal of finishing this Éowyn Challenge Chart of Bilbo & Co. going there and back again; but I love having that in the background as I just keep putting one proverbial foot in front of the other. I hope the charts/resource info I've posted help to inspire you by having traceable points to use. DO TELL how you're doing and how you're doing it :)
Meanwhile, speaking of Bilbo & Co., we're still in the forest enjoying the darkness, lostness, and hungerness... all couched in some of the most pleasant personalities you could ever finesse. Gangs of funness going on here :D
*fondly waves* See you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 5 2020, 12:29pm
Post #17 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! March 5
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Welcome Fellow Walkers!
We've finally marched into March! Around here in Michigan, we refer to it as January, February, Mud, April, May... Everyone's car/truck is covered in the stuff. Being on a dirt Road, I usually have this wonderful pattern of mud-splats that makes the paint job look more like a brown constellation. I'd wash poor hobbity (my Ford Escape), but it would just look like this by the time I got home.
  
Do you have mud in your world? Isn't it fun to walk in? Especially when it suddenly gets deep and sucks you shoe right off your foot when you try to step out of it making that funny little *swuup* sound. Or it builds up like platform shoes adding 2 lbs to each foot! But... I digress...
How are you coming along with your Quest? Are you experiencing great conquests against the elements... like mud? Snow? Rain? Drought? House-cleaning? (I'd rather face the mud) DO TELL!
Oh! And Bilbo, the dwarves and I had some excitement here on the trail (or lack of) in Mirkwood! We came upon a river cutting across our path and Bombur fell in *SPLASH!* So now he's sleeping soundly while we try to tote him along. What we thought was harsh going before is now a misery!
*waves fondly* See you on the Road... high and dry!! ;)
We have been there and back again.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 6 2020, 11:11pm
Post #18 of 35
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It's muddy in Boston too, though one must go to a park to find mud instead of wet sidewalks and streets.
I have reached
Road ahead runs fairly straight and level. Behind them it curves slightly. BLACK RIDER. Sam and Pippin hide in a hollow. Frodo behind tree by road
I must say I'm not terribly afraid, because the Black Rider, though menacing, keeps asking for something like "Bagels" or maybe "Wagons", and neither applies to me, so I merely gesture them along in the direction of Dunkin Donuts, where they can find the former.
It's been in the 40s and 50s and not too rainy, so I've covered a lot of ground. I cross paths with a lot of people walking dogs, and one puppy went Full Charm Offensive on me: "I want to be your friend!!!! I am so sweet!!! I want to be your friend!!!" I nearly melted into a pile of cuddly goo, but alas, the owner had to continue on their way eventually, and my new best friend is lost until we meet again.
Happy walking, walkers.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 6 2020, 11:24pm
Post #19 of 35
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I'm glad you had the Force with you and were quite invisible to the danger! *still giggling* Oh geez... The puppy immediately made me think of Pippin... but more frisky and heart-melting :D Isn't is amazing how that little encounter just makes the day? AWESOME! And well done on the progress! Don't get lost in the woods! *high five*
psst... can you tell I slipped out from behind the bar for a sec? Don't tell my boss! *slips back through pub back door*
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Mar 6 2020, 11:26pm)
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eor
Registered User
Mar 11 2020, 1:21am
Post #20 of 35
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headed for the Misty Mountains
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New walker here just saying hi! *waves*
Set out from Bag End in Dec 2018 as part of recovery from a heart attack. Reached Rivendell and now have set out with the Fellowship travelling at night. Passing though empty country - rough and barren.
It's nice to get off the treadmill and back outside, though microspikes are still needed under the trees and passing by ponds gives a chill like a black rider just flew over.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 11 2020, 10:56am
Post #21 of 35
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*waves back with huge smile*
Oh geez... I'm so glad you're doing so well after a heart attack! *high five* I'm thrilled you're finding some fun following the Fellowship into the Wild! There really isn't anything better than actually getting outside and really enjoying the air, sun and activity :)
I hope it warms up in your area, soon. You're doing great already making it to Rivendell and Beyond!! *wink wink*
Welcome again... and see you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 11 2020, 5:20pm
Post #22 of 35
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and try not to look back at Rivendell in regret as you head into rough country. 
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 12 2020, 1:43pm
Post #23 of 35
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Walk to Rivendell... and Beyond! March 12
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Greetings Fellow Walkers!
I hope this mid-March visit finds you all healthy and very clean-handed ;) We're not the only ones travelling through this world, it seems; but you know it will all settle into place as we go there and back again :D
I'm in geekiness here as all of my Springtime indicators are all around me! I have robins and red-winged blackbirds in the yard, Canadian geese flying overhead, skunks making a run for it, and Maple trees adorned with sap-collecting buckets. OH... and it's warming up outside! Almost all the snow is gone. HOWEVER, Michigan is notorious for one last HUGE blast of snow and storm at the end of March/early April... but I really don't think it's going to happen this year. I've only had to go out and shovel snow 3 times this whole winter. Normally it's at least once a week beginning the end of December.
So how are you coming along on your journey? I hope you're all able to get out and enjoy the changing season, whether you're in the northern or southern hemisphere, we're all feeling the change... and each of them are very special and inspire celebration. Do you have plans for anything special?
Bilbo, the dwarves and I have been very busy! While a lot of "time" has passed, mileage-wise... not so much. Lots of activity in a confined area since we've been "guests" of Thranduil and the elves here in their Mirkwood realm... and caves. Bilbo found all of the locked-up dwarves, found a way to escape, found the keys, and found the way to the River where we're sailing down right now! WELL DONE, BILBO!
Have a wonderful weeks, and I'll see you on the Road!
We have been there and back again.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 12 2020, 7:24pm
Post #24 of 35
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in early March??? Yes. I noticed them sprouting a week ago, and today I found a street where they were in bloom. Another street had a bunch of crocuses.
I'm dreading a big freeze coming in and killing all the things budding. Fingers crossed that it won't.
Today I added a new route as I continue toward Crickhollow that takes me down to Boston Harbor. Not the right day for it: cold, windy, and cloudy, with the wind off the harbor especially cold, of course. I'm sure in warmer weather it will be a more appealing walk and destination (my route goes right past Bunker Hill's Monument, but I refrained from shooting anyone before I saw the whites of their eyes, which I considered a wonderful sign of self-control).
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 12 2020, 7:36pm
Post #25 of 35
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Though not always fun ;) Flowers are awake already!? Wow! I'm with you hoping there isn't a freeze to wipe them out. I don't have anything around here yet.
I love the route you're able to take! Warmer weather will definitely be an incentive to follow it again. Have a great week... and WELL DONE!! :D
We have been there and back again.
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Charts, Conversions, and History links to Walk to Rivendell and Eowyn Challenge
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