Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, I begin rereading "The Lord of the Rings." (Yes, I know that it should be underlined and not put in quotes, since it is a book, but I apparently do not have that option here.) It is my favorite book and since the movies were released in three consecutive Decembers, this time of year always makes me think of Tolkien. So, in 2003 I decided that I would reread the books annually, starting on Thanksgiving Day. It seemed like a good day to start, partially because it is easy to remember and partially because always starting on the same day appeals to my minor (undiagnosed) case of OCD. (and probably Tourette's) At any rate, reading "The Lord of the Rings" always makes me happy. I especially love being reminded of little parts that I had forgotten about. For example, early in "The Fellowship of the Ring," Pippin sings a song while in the bath. It goes like this:
Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
that washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!
O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
but better than rain or rippling streams
is Water Hot that smokes and steams
O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;
but better is Beer, if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.
O! Water is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white beneath the sky;
but never did fountains sound so sweet
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!
I had forgotten that last year I decided that I was going to sing this to Xander every day at bath time. Of course, I tried a couple of times but never quite memorized it, so I stopped singing it. Maybe I'll try again this year...except for the Beer part. I'll say "apple juice" instead. Apple juice makes Xan happy.
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