Joey’s Back!!!…and the Animal Kingdom’s Symbiotic Relationship with a Hobbit House.

But the Ring of power has a will of it’s own….it abandoned Gollum and sought to  find it’s Master.

Welcome back! I don’t know I was just thinking of that scene in the Fellowship of the Ring. You know when the Ring is bouncing down on the rocks of the Misty Mountain caves in slow motion. Apologies to those who don’t understand. For those of you who do understand…

But then something happened that the ring did not intend….a Hobbit…

Whoa! Wait a minute Jim.  Let’s not get carried away with yourself now. This is supposed to be a blog about building a Hobbit house. So let’s get back to basics shall we? Just a few miscellaneous notes to begin with.

I didn’t want to tell you but Joey left. I couldn’t believe it when it happened but it did. I was in denial. I mean this place is like a perfect environment for bats. Where is Joey going to go that could possibly be better? There’s woods, water, swamps, trees, rocks ,sun and tons of bugs. He left like the week after he got there. Maybe I jinxed it? Every week I checked to see if he’d come back.

But life goes on and Ethan came home from college. I told him about Joey and he says: “Don’t worry he’ll be back when it warms up a bit more.” When did Ethan become so learned in the ways of the bat? Must have been that third Batman movie. He definitely didn’t get it out of a book or from watching Animal Planet. So who shows up this week at the house. Joey. Joey,Joey, Joey! I missed ya ole boy. Ethan was right. By the way, Joey says hi.

On another animal note remember that platform I built to get up to the roof of the hobbit house?  You know the one that I was supposed to shore up a bit better. Okay, I know you don’t remember but here’s a picture with the shoring in place.

Extra shoring added to support platform.
Extra shoring added to support platform.

So I’m walking up the platform and I notice a bird looking at me. It’s like staring at me and it’s on the ground. And then the bird says “You’re shaking my house.” I was like “Are you talkin to me?” Just kidding. Although it’s been said that Radagast the Brown could converse with the birds and beasts of Middle Earth, I’m no Radagast. Turns out this bird has built a nest underneath the platform on top of the shoring I set up. Check it out.

Bird's nest underneath the platform.
Bird’s nest underneath the platform.

I believe this bird is an Eastern Phoebe. This same bird comes to our house every year and makes a nest under the rafters out at our pool cabana. It’s pretty cool. The same couple comes every year and makes a nest there. I wonder if the ones at the Hobbit house are related. That would be interesting. It really is interesting how nature adapts to the environment. So anyway, this bird is still giving me the eye so I says to it I says, ” What the heck are you building your house underneath there for? Do you realize that that big footed son of mine, Jude with the size 14 shoe, is going to be walking right over your kids heads? What’s the matter with you?”

So Hobbit house. Where do we stand? Well this Saturday was a little out of the ordinary on the home front. Georgia is back from school and Ethan has just returned from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I went over to the hobbit house to start work and then came back home when everyone was up. I had my second breakfast or elevensies,  if you will. It was nice. It was really nice. Just being with everyone for the moment.

Nobody came over to the house to work with me this weekend. It wasn’t really practical. I basically spent the better part of 4 hours laying out ceiling details in the various rooms. Like I said before it’s time consuming and painstaking work. It’s better that I’m there alone doing it. It’s easier to concentrate when nobody’s about. It’s also difficult to get a picture that’s interesting for the blog, too. So I didn’t bother taking any. Sorry to disappoint.

I’m gonna try and get over there Monday, Memorial Day, to try and finish the living and dining rooms. This way next weekend we should be able to finish the ceiling details.

It’s the editors birthday Tuesday so I picked up a hanging basket for her. I was going to give it to her on her birthday but while we were out at the pool she says: “I should have bought a hanging basket for the party on Sunday.” (A little get together to celebrate Memorial Day and Georgia graduating from college.). I had to go get it and hang it up. She was happy. (Editors note: So surprised! And VERY happy!) Take a look at this thing. I can’t believe this thing is real. This picture really doesn’t do it justice.

Hanging basket.
Hanging basket.

Not much in the way of progress this week but we are getting some critical elements into position. Patience, my friends. As I have said before, Rome wasn’t built in a day and this hobbit house won’t be either.  Til next time.

Hobbit Hollow Jim

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