Happy 4th of July

Today is the 4th of July. Independence day. In 2022 this was a Monday, and for Poetry Monday that year I wrote the following. I think it could do with a repost.

I feel attached to this day in special ways. One paternal great aunt went to America, and often came visiting, so we celebrated July 4th. This day is also celebrated in Denmark in Rebild Bakker - the largest celebration of July 4th outside of America.

For me this day also commemorate the value of human rights.
  Even if I'm not American, these sentences from the  Declaration of Independence make me go misty-eyed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
  I'm appalled at how many are ready to only let some, select individuals have these Rights. They should be for everyone; refugees, sickly, unborn, disabled ... And I feel chafed and hurt by the discrepancy between picnics,  fireworks and buntings on on side, and digital dehumanizing, shootings, abortions, neglected sufferings of refugees and elderly ... on the other

---  🟥🟥◻◻🟦🟦◻◻🟥🟥◻◻🟦🟦◻◻🟥🟥🟥 ---

---  🟥🟥◻◻🟦🟦◻🟥◻🟦🟦◻◻🟥🟥 ---
---  🟥🟥◻◻🟦🟦◻◻🟦🟦◻◻🟥🟥 ---
---  🟥🟥◻◻🟦🟦🟦◻◻🟥🟥 ---
---  🟥🟥◻◻◻◻🟥🟥 ---
---  🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥 ---

I am going to publish my verse, for keeping silent is just cowardly.

The 4th of July is a day of fun
We picnic, we celebrate, drowse in the sun.
But we should be re-thinking it all
Our freedom for old ones, for young and for small
The freedom to live and to play
The freedom to eat every day.

The 4th of July is a day of rest,
a day of putting our beliefs to the test.
Do we believe in justice for all
For old ones, for young ones, for even the small?
In freedom to do and to don't
In liberty also to 'won't'.

The 4th of July is a day of joy
But so far not a day to be complacent or coy.
Do we really believe that ALL folks are free
And not only those created as we?
The freedom is not ours to give
The freedom to be and to live!

Uncle Sam tells Lady Peace: "It's all right. There's no fighting. The noise you hear is just my family celebrating!" (1902 Puck cartoon - source: Wikipedia)

Godt nytår ~ Happy New Year

Igen er Uglemor hverken senil eller tosset. I dag er det det kinesiske nytår.
Glædeligt SLANGENS år

No, MotherOwl has still grown neither crazy nor senile.
Today is the Chinese New Year.
Happy year of the
SNAKE

The Second Oopsie-Moment of the Day

And one more Oopsie, MotherOwl. Among your Keepers You had:

Birthdays - of people known and not so known, mostly poets and writers. I like to cite and celebrate.

and yesterday, Friday, January third, was the 133rd birthday of one of my favourite writers: J.R.R. Tolkien! MotherOwl! You had ONE JOB!

I am as I may have told, still trying t improve my drawing skills by drawing the prompts from the Facebook-based group 365 Days of Drawing Prompts. The prompts for Thursday and Friday were Best Memory and Creativity. I let out the "Best" part and combined them to show some good blogging / creativity memories, that I miss: The TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long) challenge hosted by Daffycat every New moon (More explanation here). But since May 2021 no more TUSAL posts were posted on her blog, everything went over to Facebook. And as I am not a big fan of things happening on Facebook, sadly and reluctantly I stopped my participation in this fun Stitch-A-Long. I still miss this challenge - and many more of the same sort from when the blogosphere was more of a a place for lighthearted stuff and fun challenges than it is today.

Yesterday I drew a New moon with a ball of yarn hanging from its upper horn, and an ORTs jar half hidden behind the lower ... Well, why not just show you?

And all this a very long detour to tell why I choose The Man in the Moon Stayed up too Late for this year's belated celebration of Tolkien's birthday.


The Man in the Moon Stayed up too Late
There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
and there they brew a beer so brown
that the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

The landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
he cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a horned cow
as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
and makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.

And O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday there's a special pair,
and these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.

The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
A dish and a spoon on the table danced,
the cow in the garden madly pranced,
and the little dog chased his tail.

The Man in the Moon took another mug,
and then rolled beneath his chair;
And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
till in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat;
"The white horses of the Moon,
they neigh and champ their silver bits;
but their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!"

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
while the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
"It's after three!" he said.

They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
while the horses galloped up in rear,
and the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with a spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
the cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pong the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
and the little dog laughed to see such fun,
and the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.

The round Moon rolled behind the hill,
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes:
For though it was day, to her surprise
they all went back to bed!

Hobbit day & Week :: Hobbitdag og -uge

Hamlette @ The Edge of the Precipice is hosting a Hobbit Week blog party for the 12th time. I am happy to participate and she makes it easy on us by saying: "If you don't have any ideas of things to post, you can always simply fill out the tag, which you'll find below."

The only real rules are: 

• your post must be related to Tolkien and his creations somehow, 
• your post should contain a link back to this post so people can find the party and join the fun, and 
• your post needs to be respectful and family-friendly (this is a celebration, so please don't contribute any rants or whiny posts). 

~ ::  ~  ∴  ~ :: ~

This year's tag is inspired by some of the most famous locations in Middle-Earth. Here it is:


1. The Shire:  What place in Middle-earth do you think you would feel the most like home for you?

As I like a quiet life of good food and a sprinkle of adventures now and then, the Shire would be the place for me.

2. Bree:  If you could create a Middle-earth-themed restaurant, what would you serve there?

I would take my inspiration from Beorn's meals, and from the World of Warcraft cookbook, serving hearty, wholesome food made from local flora and fauna (or Olvar and Kelvar as the Elves would put it.)
The menu would include Beer Basted Boar Ribs, Braised Riverbeast, good bread, honey, loads of mushrooms and veggies. Funnily this had me thinking of the meals described in Paksenarrion -  The Jolly Potboy in Brewersbridge

3. Rivendell:  Where in Middle-earth would you like to hang out with your friends for a week or so?

I would like to travel from the Shire to Bree and over the Misty Mountains to Beorn's home - but not into Mirkwood. This would probably take way more than a week.

4. Moria:  Have you ever delved into the history of Middle-earth (or the history of Tolkien's creative process)?  If so, did you learn anything cool you'd like to share?

I have delved deep into the history of Middle-earth, its people, languages and animals. I learned that they are people, same as we are.

5. Lothlorien:  Would you like to sleep in a tree?

Oh, yes, I would, so far I've slept under trees, and between trees, but never in one.

6. Edoras:  Do you like horses?

I do like horses, and always planned to learn how to ride one, once the Owlets had left the nest. They have not yet.

7. Minas Tirith:  Have you ever dressed as a Tolkien character, whether for a convention or Halloween or anything else?  (Bonus fake internet points if you share a photo!)

No, strangely enough, I never did. I have dressed the Owlets as Hobbits, Elven warriors and even an orc, but myself, never.

8. Erebor:  Do you have any Middle-earth merchandise you particularly treasure?

I have a golden ring, looking much like the One Ring, and I even own a real chainmail ;) I wonder if it fits me still.

9. Mordor:  Have you ever read anything by Tolkien that wasn't about Middle-earth?

Oh yes, I've read Leaf by Niggle, Farmer Giles of Ham, Tree and Leaf (Leaf by Niggle is also in here), Smith of Wooton Major, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Ancrene Wisse. I've used his Middle English Vocabulary, and even read Ave Maria and Pater Noster in Quenya.  

10. The Grey Havens:  How long has it been since you last ventured into Middle-earth via book or film?

   Book? a week. One of the Owlets is reading Lord of the Rings, and I borrowed the book in the train and read a bit, as he had finished a chapter and needed a break. I read small bits frequently.
   Film? 2015, when I saw The Hobbit 3 in the cinema. The films does not fascinate me, I of course find the sceneries of The Lord of the Rings  magnificent, as well as the nature and horses and Ents, and the characters (most of them*) ... But the way the plot has been almost re-made, bent and twisted, does not sit well with me. As I said back then: The movies contain too much Peter Jackson and too little Hobbit for my taste. And I miss the songs, the banter, the languages and the  seriousness and gaiety that for me is a major part of Tolkien's world.

 - - - - - - - - - - -
*) I was always sorely disappointed with Galadriel as portrayed by Cate Blanchett. And with the "clowny" dwarves of The Hobbit too.

Hobbit Day ~ Hobbitdag

Today we drank lots of tea and ate lots of cakes. Entirely fitting, as on his date 87 years ago, The Hobbit was first published. Tomorrow will be Hobbit Day, the shared birthday of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. Another reason for tea and cakes. And as tomorrow is Sunday, it is also the start of the Hobbit week - to be celebrated!

Today, among other, we had the famous Plum Torte from New York Times - is IS as good as they say!

-- 🥧 --

     I dag drak vi masser af the og spise mange kager. Det er helt passende, fordi i dag er det 87 år siden at Hobbitten udkom for første gang. I morgen se det Hobbitdag - Frodo og Bilbo Sækkers fælles fødselsdag - den skal da fejres med endnu flere kager! Og eftersom i morgen er søndag, er det også den første dag i Hobbitugen. Den må vi fejre!
     I dag fik vi blandt andet den berømte Blommetærte fra New York Times - den er faktisk super!

Drage-dag :: Appreciate a Dragon Day

Som altid bringer Mimi @ Messymimi's Meanderings en liste over ting, der fejres i dag. Deriblandt er Værdsæt en drage-dag. Det er lige noget for mig. Der optræder mange drager på denne blog: Legodrager, drager i bøger og i tegneserier, ægte drager, stempler og meget andet godt. Drager har endda deres helt egen label her på bloggen, så tryk bare på DRAGE, hvis I har lyst til at læse mere om Uglemors mange drager.

-- 🀄 --

As every day Mimi @ Messymimi's Meanderings brings a list over more or less obscure happenings today. Thanks!

According to her list, today is Dragon appreciating day. MotherOwl has a penchant for dragons. On this blog, we have seen lego-dragons, dragons in books and in comics. Susan has met a dragon, and MotherOwl has several dragon shaped things at home. Dragons even have their own label on this blog. Chose  DRAGE, (Dragon in Danish) to see them all.

Her er en drage fra mit billedarkiv. Jeg kan ikke huske, hvor jeg har brugt den, men den er da flot nok til at fortjene et gensyn.

-- 🀄 --

This is a dragon from my Blogger picture archive. I do not remember where I used it, but I think it's pretty enough for a revisit.

Lidt kongelig ... A Little Bit Royal

I dag abdicerer dronning Margrethe, og prins Frederik bringer endelig orden i kongerækken ved at blive Frederik X. Der er ikke meget festivitas over ceremonierne her til lands, en underskrift fra dronning Margrethe og en udråbelse af Frederik X som konge - som Mette Frederiksen står for - er alt, der behøves.

-- --

Today Queen Margrethe abdicates, and King Frederik X and Queen Mary ascends to the throne. The ceremony is simple and sparse. A signature from the Queen and a proclamation by the prime minister Mette Frederiksen is all it takes.

Dronning Margrethe II - Queen Margrethe II

Kong Frederik X og Dronning Mary

Disse billeder ertaget fra kongehusets officielle hjemmeside
hvor de ligger til brug i anledning af tronskiftet.
De er taget af Per Morten Abrahamsen © (Dronning Margrethe)
og Hasse Nielsen © (Kong Frederik X og dronning Mary).

For EC, River, Cathy @ Still Waters, Sue Elvis, and all you lovely people Down Under, this is a one time opportunity to listen to the Writer - he'll go live in The Briefing Monday and talk about Queen Mary.

Words for Wednesday :: Updated with IWSG January 3

This challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

-- 💭 --

The prompts for every Wednesday in January are provided by Elephant's Child, and made public at her blog.

For today we had five food related sayings:

Too many cooks spoil the broth
The apple of my eye
Pie in the sky
Not for all the tea in China
Spill the beans

-- 🍞- 🐟 -🍎 --

"Not for all the tea in China" - I always loved this saying, and I would be sorely temped by that offer. For me the saying is old fashioned in a good way, cozy, and warm. I love to drink tea and eat cakes. and today, January 3rd, is a great day for doing so.

Why? Because today is the 132nd birthday of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. And for me his Hobbits encompass all that can be subsume under tea-time.
Today I'd like to tell - as is my wont - of one of J.R.R. Tolkien's poems. The Lonely Troll. It is published in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil under the fictional authorship of Samwise Gamgee.

This introduction is taken from Tolkien Gateway:

The Lonely Troll is one of the main characters in Samwise Gamgee's playful nonsense poem, Perry-the-Winkle. This was a very unusual Troll: He wanted friends, he did not steal, drink beer, or even eat meat, and most amazingly of all, he was a very good cook. The Lonely Troll lived in the hills of Faraway ...

The Lonely Troll is a very long poem, all of 16 verses. I selected only six of the verses, giving a short abstract of the missing parts, but if you want to read all of it, I'm sure it can be found somewhere in the nooks and crannies of the WWW if you do not own a copy of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

Verses 1 & 7-10 & 16 of The Lonely Troll.

The Lonely Troll he sat on a stone
and sang a mournful lay:
"O why, O why must I live on my own
in the hills of Faraway?
My folk are gone beyond recall
and take no thought of me;
alone I’m left, the last of all
from Weathertop to the Sea."

[...]
The Lonely troll then goes to the Shire, but scares everybody away, only not Perry-the-Winkle, a brave and friendly Hobbit
[...]

The old Troll sadly sat and wept
outside the Lockholes gate,
and Perry-the-Winkle up he crept
and patted him on the pate.
"O why do you weep, you great big lump?
You’re better outside than in!"
He gave the Troll a friendly thump,
and laughed to see him grin.

"O Perry-the-Winkle boy," he cried,
"come, you’re the lad for me!
Now if you’re willing to take a ride,
I’ll carry you home to tea."
He jumped on his back and held on tight,
and "Off you go!" said he;
and the Winkle had a feast that night,
and sat on the old Troll’s knee.

There were pikelets, there was buttered toast,
and jam, and cream, and cake,
and the Winkle strove to eat the most,
though his buttons all should break.
The kettle sang, the fire was hot,
the pot was large and brown,
and the Winkle tried to drink the lot,
in tea though he should drown.

When full and tight were coat and skin,
they rested without speech,
till the old Troll said: "I’ll now begin
the baker’s art to teach,
the making of beautiful cramsome bread,
of bannocks light and brown;
and then you can sleep on a heather-bed
with pillows of owlet’s down."

[...]
  After returning home, well fed and happy, Perry-the-Winkle won't tell where he's been, but a Hobbit aptly named Peeping Jack had seen him ride the Lonely Troll's back to the Hills of Faraway.
  The other Hobbits them went there to also partake of the Troll's cramsome bread and fulsome tea, but were sent away by the Lonely Troll.
  Perry-the-Winkle on the other hand, was invited to visit the Troll every Thursday to learn his culinary arts and have tea with him.
[...]

The Winkle a baker great became,
as still is said in song;
from the Sea to Bree there went the fame
of his bread both short and long.
But it weren’t so good as the cramsome bread;
no butter so rich and free,
as every Thursday the old Troll spread
for Perry-the-Winkle’s tea.

 - - - - - -

Today is also the first Wednesday of the month. Time for the monthly Question from the Insecure Writers' Support Group

January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors?

My answer: Blank stare. I do not know what BookBub is.
  But then I do not do much on social medias of any kind. I do have a FB account, but I only seldom go there, and post once in a blue moon  - and then only in groups for very specific interests like weaving, soaping, plant dyeing, gardening and so on. Same goes for IG, where I just 'like' photos posted by family and friends.
  Blogging is my poison.

Talk Like a Pirate day

I forgot Talk Like a Pirate day! We usually celebrate.
Just to honour the day, a picture of the oldest hardtack in the world. Exhibited of all places in Elsinore. Mine and Susan's home town!

Foto: Paul A. Cziko

Jeg har glemt at det var Tal som en pirat-dag i dag. Suk. Vi plejer at fejre den med pirat-snak, pirat-mad, pirat-slik, pirattøj og så videre. Nu får I bare et billede af verdens ældste beskøjt, der befinder sig på søfartsmusset i Helsingør af alle steder. Min - og Susans - hjemby!

I dag er det Lauras fødselsdag

 Tillykke med de 156 år og tak for alle bøgerne og oplevelserne.

Happy birthday, Laura. Congratulation on the 156 and thanks for all the words.

Halfdan Rasmussen 108 years.

I dag er det Halfdan Rasmussens 108 års fødselsdag. Lige som på hans 105 og 106 og 106½  års fødselsdag bringer Uglemor et af de otte børnerim, der er blevet bortcensurerede i den nyeste udgave af hans samlede værker. Jeg vil gentage dette på de næste fødselsdage hvis jeg lever så længe.
     Denne censur gør mig ondt, dels fordi de ord, han brugte, dengang var neutrale ord for folk og folkeslag og det derfor burde være muligt at bringe dem - eventuelt med fodnoter eller et forklarende forord. Dels fordi slags amerikanske tilstande med fornærmelses-parathed og følsomheds-censur på andres vegne ikke burde forekomme - og da slet ikke ramme Halfdan Rasmussen, der faktisk var en stor og modig forkæmper for folk, frihed og menneskerettigheder og imod censur. Hans vers om Bødlen for eksempel burde være tvungen læsning for alle mennesker i hele verden.
     Og i det tilfælde at du ikke lige kan huske det, vil jeg gengive Elephant's Child's kloge kommentar: "Clothes and people's expectations frequently do chafe. And itch." (tøj og folks forventninger generer ofte - og klør.)

-- 🎂 --

  Today is the 108th birthday of Halfdan Rasmussen. Maybe one of the greatest Danish contemporary poets. MotherOwl holds him in high esteem, and on the occasion of his birthday I will, like at his 105th 106th and 106½th birthdays, publish one of the eight rhymes for children that was censored from the latest collection - and will continue to do so for his next birthday, if I live long enough.
  This censorship grieves me as Halfdan Rasmussen is truly a great fighter for freedom and equality, his pen wrote the Danish verse that was turned into Each Small Candle.
  The words he used, were the at that time neutral demonyms, and the verses should be included, maybe with a footnote or a preamble.

I wrote that I did not want to make an English versification of the poems, as my less than perfect English poetry would make the verses rather pedestrian.  I mourn the fact that I'm not a poetic genius able to render them full justice. His equilibristic verses are serious even at their most playful, and never serious without at least a touch of humour.
  But after seeing what Google translate did to those verses, I am supplying a translation - word for word, or rather meaning for meaning with no pretension of any versification.
  And just in case you can not remember ;) I want to add Elephant's Child's wise comment here: "Clothes and people's expectations frequently do chafe. And itch."

-- 🎂 --

En liste over alle de bortcensurerede vers og hvor de er udgivet.

All the censored verses and from where they come.

1. Lille negerdukke (Børnerim) (2020)
   
2. To små negerdukker (Børnerim) (2021)
   
3. Hittehattehættehuer (Børnerim)
4. Rikke (Børnerim)
5. Negerdukken lille Sam (Børnerim)
6. Sikken et hus (Børnerim)
7. Nogle øjne er så smukke (Halfdans rim)
8. Alle bilerne fra landet (Halfdans rim)

Negerdukken Lille Sam
Negerdukken lille Sam                                    The Negro doll called Little Sam
kan ikke gøre for det.                                       He just can not help it.
Han kan bare ses ved dag.                                He can only be seen in the daylight,
Om natten bliver han borte!                             He disappears at night!

Mors fine dug er hvid.                                      Mamas best tablecloth is white
Jeg syr en skjorte af den.                                  I'll sew a small shirt from it
Så kan Sam få skjorten på                                Then Little Sam can put it on
så han kan ses om natten!                                And be seen by night as well!

Og her er så Lille Sam ved nattetid i sin fine, hvid skjorte.
And here is Little Sam by night in his new, white shirt.

It reminds me of another poem Which I might find and bring later.

Tolkien 131

Today marks the 131th year of J.R.R. Tolkien's birth.
To celebrate, I cite one of the to me lesser known poems. It is taken from the very last chapter of The Hobbit - an Elvish lullaby to make Bilbo sleep himself healthy and hale.
Many happy returns and a deepfelt thank you for the fantasy and poetry.

Sing all ye joyful, now sing all together!
The wind’s in the tree-top, the wind's in the heather;
The stars are in blossom, the moon is in flower,
And bright are the windows of Night in her tower.

Dance all ye joyful, now dance all together!
Soft is the grass, and let foot be like feather!
The river is silver, the shadows are fleeting;
Merry is May-time, and merry our meeting.

Sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!
Wind him in slumber and there let us leave him!
The wanderer sleepeth. Now soft be his pillow!
Lullaby! Lullaby! Alder and Willow!

Sigh no more Pine, till the wind of the morn!
     Fall Moon! Dark be the land!
     Hush! Hush! Oak, Ash, and Thorn!
Hushed be all water, till dawn is at hand!

J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit, The Last Stage.

Hobbit Day

Today is Hobbit day.

A day to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Always on the 22nd of September, the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo.

For the tenth time Rachel at The Edge of the Precipice is hosting an Annual Tolkien Blog Party. Thanks to Lissa for refreshing my memory of this party.

To celebrate today, Rachel invites us to a game of tag, and I'd like to play. Here are her questions and my answers.

-- 0 --

1. Who first introduced you to Middle Earth?
     I do not remember, I think I just stumbled over The lord of the Rings in a deserted corner of the local library.

2. Has your love of Middle-earth affected your life?
     Yes. We often do things that are Middle-earth related, shooting bows and arrows, mushroom gathering, playing, talking, cooking ... even bathing ;)
     And for many years I have been playing first Dungeons and Dragons (a pen and paper game) and later World of Warcraft (online game). None of these would ever had existed without Tolkien's works.
     We often talk of persons and creatures from Tolkien's works, and as his works also are morally deep, but veiled in literature, they are good starting and ending points for theological, moral, and ethical discussions.
     I have taught myself a lot of Quenya and Sindarin and the writing of Tengwar (Fëanor's runes).
    
3. Have you ever dressed up like a Tolkien character?
   No, I never dressed up myself as a Tolkien character. But I have on many occasions dressed up my children - or helped them dress up as - Elven warriors, Hobbits, Dwarwes, and even a Goblin. All thanks to Tolkien.

4. What people in your real life would you want in your company if you had to take the ring to Mordor?
     My husband, my children, and a man I know who is a 'survive in nature' and martial arts specialist. That makes nine ;)

5. What Middle-earth location would you most like to visit?
     The Shire, Mirkwood, Fangorn, Rivendell, Lothlorien, Edoras, Beorn's house, ... all of Rohan, Helm's Deep  ... everywhere, only not Mordor actually.

6. Are there any secondary characters you think deserve more attention?
     I have always wanted to hear more of the other Istari, Gandalf's co-wizards - I would like to hear the true story, not the strangely distorted version from the movies ;) I wonder if Tom Bombadil is one of them ... lor at least related. And what about Beorn? ... So many questions.

7. Would you rather attend Faramir's wedding or Samwise's wedding?
     Rosie and Sam's wedding. I am much more drawn to the cosy and abundant hobbit parties than to grandiose state happenings - these are what I like to watch on TV, but to attend, a Hobbit wedding wins!

8. How many books by J.R.R. Tolkien have you read?
     I think I've read every fiction book he ever wrote, and I even read bits of his scholarly works.

9. Are there any books about Middle-earth or Professor Tolkien (but not written by him) that you recommend?
     J.R.R. Tolkien - A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter.

10. List up to ten of your favourite lines/quotations from the Middle-earth books and/or movies.
     It is the songs that really stays with me, and I am hard put to find a favourite here. It depends on time, mood and place.
     But the best performed song is according to me Far over the misty Mountains from the first Hobbit movie. It was just perfect - as were all the music in that part. we were sorely disappointed this was not continued in the two sequels.

Poetry Monday :: Independence day

Today is Poetry Monday.  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who supplies us with many of the topics - are also writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read them!
  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.
  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way, now that her mum's health is in need of a prayer too. But still we dare hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

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Today's topic is Independence day - 4th of July, I  was in at least seven minds about writing a poem or anything at all for today, as I know most of you probably do not agree with me.

I feel attached to this day in special ways. One paternal great aunt went to America, and often came visiting, so we celebrated July 4th. This day is also celebrated in Denmark in Rebild Bakker - the largest celebration of July 4th outside of America.

For me this day also commemorate the value of human rights.
  Even if I'm not American, these sentences from the  Declaration of Independence make me go misty-eyed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
  I'm appalled at how many are ready to only let some, select individuals have these Rights. They should be for everyone; refugees, sickly, unborn, disabled ... And I feel chafed and hurt by the discrepancy between picnics,  fireworks and buntings on on side, and digital dehumanizing, shootings, abortions, neglected sufferings of refugees and elderly ... on the other
I am going to publish my grumpy verse, for keeping silent is  just cowardly.


The 4th of July is a day of fun
We picnic, we celebrate, drowse in the sun.
But we should be re-thinking it all
Our freedom for old ones, for young and for small
The freedom to live and to play
The freedom to eat every day.

The 4th of July is a day of rest,
a day of putting our beliefs to the test.
Do we believe in justice for all
For old ones, for young ones, for even the small?
In freedom to do and to don't
In liberty also to 'won't'.

The 4th of July is a day of joy
But so far not a day to be complacent or coy.
Do we really believe that ALL folks are free
And not only those created as we?
The freedom is not ours to give
The freedom to be and to live!

Uncle Sam tells Lady Peace: "It's all right. There's no fighting. The noise you hear is just my family celebrating!" (1902 Puck cartoon - source: Wikipedia)

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Next Mondays topic: Loneliness

Frødag og jævndøgn 🐸 Frog Day & Equinox

I dag er det international frødag. Derfor kommer der her billeder af alle de frøer, der nogensinde har optrådt her på bloggen,så håber jeg ikke der er nogen, der er hoppet væk. 

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Today it is the international frog day. To celebrate this I have rounded upo all the frogs ever shown on my blog - I hope none have escaped me.

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And no frogs without an owl. So here's the owl from the live-stream nest basking in the morning  sun.
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Poetry Monday :: DNA

If you want to read some better  poetry,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who also supplies us with topics - are writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.

  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more!

  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way. And dare we hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.


Believe it or not - I almost don't.
I have now participated in Poetry Monday for 3 full years.
This is my Poetry Monday post no. 156

Today's topic is DNA - it's something to do with letters inside of me 😜

There's somethbing inseide me, in my DNA
I think it's an error, I truly cant say
There's an A and a G
A C and a T
But I think the good Lord was a bit sleepy-eyed
As I was created, I simply can't hide.
That I've got the whole alphabet stuck inside.

So I've got to write, sometmies every day
That's how I'm created, I can't get away.
When sometimes I try
When I feel all dry,
I draw and I sew and I try to have fun,
But when I'm to sleep, all the words seem to run
And then a new story has simply begun.

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Next Mondays topic is: Telephone (or Say Hello Day)

Rund fødselsdag - 10 years!

Karen i Skivholme skriver på sin blog, at man kun fejrer de runde fødselsdage stort. Det er nu ikke helt sandt, men jeg plejer mestendels at glemme at fejre min blogs fødselsdag, og det er jo knap så interessant at skrive om at i forgårs, for en uge eller længere siden, fyldte bloggen min 5, 6 eller 8 år.

I dag fylder bloggen så hele 10 år. Og jeg er nået til indlæg nummer 1.765 - det er ikke noget særlig tal, men det er det, jeg nåede på 10 år. Det er faktisk næsten et indlæg hver anden dag. Det er da helt godt gået. 


Bloggens 10 år
De fleste gange, det har været den 30. januar, har jeg faktisk skrevet på bloggen, bare ikke om bloggens fødselsdag, men om alt muligt andet.

- Sidste år var jeg midt i en længere historie om Susan i Sverige.
- I 2020 handlede indlægget om en anden ting, der også fylder 10 i år: European Reading Challenge, som jeg ikke har haft det store held med at deltage i. Det års ikke-fødselsdagsindlæg er en anmeldelse af en bog til denne udfordring. Og så blev det ikke til mere det år. Jeg var måske lidt træt efter at have skrevet hele den lange historie om Mary, Allan og verdens undergang.
- I 2019 huskede jeg bloggens 7 års fødselsdag. Det er den eneste blogfødselsdag, jeg faktisk har fejret, og den faldt oven i købet sammen med mit indlæg nummer 1.000. Indlæg nummer 999 er fra tidligere samme dag, et Word for Wednesday-indlæg, nok en gang om Susan.
- I 2018 skrev jeg ikke den dag.
- I 2017 var jeg midt i en Madudfordring, i protest mod den megen halvfabrikata i madlavningen, og fortalte om at lave okonomiyaki. Det spiser vi stadig med stor appetit ind i mellem. Også i 2017 var der et lidt syret indlæg om de Negative superhelte.
- i 2016 fortalte jeg om Haveuglen til Ugens Ugle. Det var det 4. af kun 10 i en serie, jeg havde tænkt skulle køre hele året.
- i 2015 og 2014 skrev jeg ikke på bloggen den dag.
- I 2013 strikkede jeg sokker til Piraten, og havde lært at starte fra tæerne.
- I 2012 startede bloggen bare med et indlæg om at bage sit eget brød. Det er ikke fordi jeg har haft en anden blog før eller noget andet. Jeg startede bare midt i det hele, som en moderne roman 🙂.

Der er ikke det store nye i noget af det her, jeg strikker, skriver, bager og dyrker haven endnu. Hvis der mangler noget i dette ridt gennem ti år med bloggen, så er det et digt! Men heldigvis er det mandag i morgen - Poetry Monday, så bloggens første indlæg i dens 11. år bliver et digt!

10 år andre steder ...
Rejsen gennem de gamle blogindlæg har også gjort mig lidt vemodig Der er så mange bloggere, der ikke længere skriver på deres blog (de fleste lever og poster på Instagram eller Facebook), eller som har lavet deres blog til et udstillingsvindue for deres forretning, hvad end de nu sælger.
     Nu vi er i den triste ende, så er det også 10 år siden at det sidste nummer af Urban udkom, og dermed 10 år siden den sidste avisstribe med Nemi på dansk.
     Der er et par bloggere, der også har skrevet i en ti års tid og som har påbegyndt deres blogliv på denne tid af året. Jeg kunne have sagt ingen nævnt, ingen glemt, men jeg har nu lyst til at nævne et par stykker:

Jeg har jo allerede fortalt at Karen i Skivholme holdt ti års blogfødselsdag, og hvis du er vild med muntre, eftertænksomme eller flotte (have)historier, så behøver du ikke at lede længere. Karen leverer varen.
     Pias blog Colour Cottage  fylder også 10 år i år - i juni.  Det er spændende læsning, hvis man som jeg er bidt af uld, planter, farver ... Pia har det.
     Om en uges tid har Elephant's Child skrevet i 11 år. Hun synes ikke at fejre den slags overhovedet, men hvis der lige mangler en kænguru eller en flot blomst i dit liv, ja så må du bare derhen.
     I det hele taget er der heldigvis mange gode og interessante blogs i verden. Mine bloglister rummer et lille udsnit, læs bare løs! Og så håber jeg da at blive ved med at blogge om stort og småt i Ugleboet og i den store verden mange år endnu!

 -- 🎂 -- 🎊 --

Karen i Skivholme  writes on her blog that she only celebrates the round birthdays in a big way. That's not entirely true for me, but I usually forget to celebrate my blog's birthday, and it's hardly interesting to write that the day before yesterday, a week or more ago, my blog turned 5, 6 or 8 years.
Today, the blog turns 10 years. And this is blog post number 1,765 - not a very special number, but that's what I reached in 10 years. That's actually almost a post every two days. That's pretty good.


The blog's 10 years
Most of past January 30's, I've actually written on the blog, just not about the blog's birthday, but almost everything else.

- Last year I was in the middle of a longer story about Susan in Sweden.

- In 2020, the post was about another thing that turns 10 this year: The European Reading Challenge, which I haven't had much luck participating in. That year's non-birthday post is a review of a book for the challenge. And that's all for that year. I was perhaps a little tired after writing the whole long story of Mary, Allan and the End of the World.

- In 2019, I remembered the blog's 7th birthday. It's the only blog birthday I've actually celebrated, and it even coincided with my post number 1,000. Post number 999 is from earlier that day, a Word for Wednesday post, once again a story about Susan.

- In 2018, I didn't post that day.

- In 2017, I was in the middle of a Food Challenge protesting against the increasing amount of convenience food used in cooking, and talking about making okonomiyaki. We still eat it with great appetite now and then. Also in 2017, there was a slightly crazy post about the Negative Superheroes.

- In 2016, I talked about the GardenOwl for Owl of the Week. It was the 4th of only 10 in a series I intended to run all year.

- In 2015 and 2014, I didn't post on the blog that day.

- In 2013, I was knitting socks for the Pirate, and had learned to start from the toes.

- In 2012, the blog just started with a post about baking your own bread. It's not like I had another blog before or anything. I just started in the middle of everything, like a modern novel 🙂 .

There's not much new in any of this, I'm still knitting, writing, gardening and baking. If anything is missing from this ride through ten years of blogging, it's a poem! But luckily tomorrow is Monday - Poetry Monday, so the blog's first post in its 11th year will be a poem!

10 years elsewhere ...
The journey through the old blog posts has also made me a little sad. There are so many bloggers who no longer write on their blog (most live and post on Instagram or Facebook), or who have turned their blog into a showcase for their business, whatever it is they sell.

While we're on the sad end, it's also been 10 years since the last issue of Urban came out, and thus 10 years since the last newspaper strip featuring Nemi in Danish.

There are a few bloggers who have also been writing for a decade and who have started their blogging lives at this time of year. I could have said none mentioned, none forgotten, but I now feel like mentioning a few:

I've already told you that Karen i Skivholme celebrated her tenth blogiversary, and if you like cheerful, thoughtful or beautiful (garden) stories, then look no further. Karen delivers.

Pia's blog Colour Cottage  also turns 10 this year - in June.  It's a fascinating read if you're into wool, plants, colour, like me ... Pia's got it.

In a week's time, Elephant's Child will have been writing for 11 years. She doesn't seem to celebrate that sort of thing at all, but if you're missing a kangaroo or a pretty flower in your life, well, you'll just have to go there.

On the whole, there are still many good and interesting blogs around in the blogging world. My blog lists contain a small selection, so please read on! And I hope to keep blogging about the big and small things in the Owlery and the  world at large for years to come!

J.R.R.Tolkien 130 Years

I bow to the master of tales and poetry on his 130 birthday. May he be celebrated in Nûmenor or wherever he is today!

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,
The wind was moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!

 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Poetry Monday :: Music :: Dies est lætitiæ

If you want to read some better  poetry,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who also supplies us with topics - are writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.

  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way. And dare we hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

English further down!

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Den sidste, sære bid af titlen på dette indlæg er er latin, og betyder Det er en glædens dag. Det er titlen på en julehymne som Grundtvig brugte (sammen med Heu, quid jaces stabulo, tror jeg) som forlæg for Glæden hun er født i dag. En ikke særligt kendt julesalme, der handler om det vidunderlige bytte - at Gud blev menneske, for at vi kunne blive som Ham igen. Her er de to første vers:

Glæden hun er født i dag,
Himmeriges glæde,
ved Gud Faders velbehag
fryde sig de spæde!
Han, som var frygtelig
og utilgængelig
i sin høje bolig,
han nu i barnedragt
har sig i krybben lagt,
med vort støv fortrolig.
      
Født er han ved midnatstid,
skabte sol og måne,
han, som ejer verden vid,
hus i stald vil låne;
han, som på skyerne
ager blandt stjernerne,
svøbes som de spæde!
Ham, som på dommedag
taler med tordenbrag,
nu man hører græde!

-- 🕯 --

The last, strange bit of today's title is Latin, and means It is the Day of Joy. It is the title of a Christmas hymn which Grundtvig used (along with Heu, quid jaces stabulo, I think) as the model for The Joy She Is Born Today. A fairly unknown Danish Christmas hymn about the wonderful exchange - that God became man so that we could become like Him again.
  You can sing this version to the tune, of the English equivalent: Dost Thou in a manger lie, but it does not rhyme.

This is the day, rejoice
with the joy of Heaven.
In the delight of God
Every one is singing.
He who was terrible
And unapproachable
In the highest dwelling,
now as a human child
humble in manger lie 
With our dust familiar.

He was born at midnight-time,
who Sun and moon created.
He who calls the word his seat,
stable room is renting.
He who on clouds above
ambles among the stars,
swaddled by a human!
He who on the judgment day
speaks from the clouds up high,
crying in an manger!

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Coming up:

Fruitcake (December 27)
Sleep (January 3)
Peculiar People (January 10)
Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions
(January 17)
Opposite Day (January 24)
Typo Day (January 31) Celebrate those funny (autocorrect) mistakes.

Poetry Monday :: Hanukkah -- Updated

If you want to read some better  poetry,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who also supplies us with topics - are writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.

  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way. And dare we hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

-- 🕯 --

  As it's not yet Christmas, I decided to tackle Hanukkah. I knew next to nothing, so reading the relevant articles on Wikipedia and elsewhere was necessary to compose this short poem. I hope I succeeded in showing a bit of what Hanukkah is.
  I said in the comments, that I do not know any Jews, because I do not live in a big city (Copenhagen). That requires an explanation, I think.
  From the reformation until 1849 all Danes were by law Lutheran. The law required all non-Lutherans to leave the country. The exceptions were foreign diplomats, a Jewish community in Copenhagen, a township for the Moravian Brethren in Jutland, and the town Fredericia (in Jutland) a free city, where everyone could stay.
  After the 1849 religion freedom by law. Jews still stayed in Copenhagen (and Fredericia), I think because of the walking to the synagogue thing, whereas Catholics, Methodists, Muslims, and other spread out - and today it's still this way. 

Come let’s celebrate.
A miracle in Jerusalem!
An end to deprivation,
lack and woe.

Hannukah - fest of faith and light 
Menorah’s oil was burning bright
For longer than it ought to
One candle first then two, then three,
Until all 8 are burning free.
For every day the wonder grew.

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Coming up:

Ice Cream (December 13)
Music (December 20)
Fruitcake (December 27)
Sleep (January 3)
Peculiar People (January 10)
Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions(January 17)
Opposite Day (January 24)
Typo Day (January 31) Celebrate those funny (autocorrect) mistakes.