Ithrynluin
04-26-2008, 10:10 PM
"Argh! Mind yer step!"
"What? Who?"
"Down here, ya nong."
Freddy Whitfield had not noticed old Dandy Hoof lying face-down in his garden, wearing almost the same shade of green as the crops and grass around him, and had accidentally stepped on Dandy's hand.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Dandy, I hadn't seen...But what are you doing down there among the turnips? Though your head rather looks like one."
Old Dandy, still looking cross and nursing his abraded hand, muttered: "Oh, I reckon you think you're mighty clever, eh? Not that it's any of your business, but I was droppin' eaves!"
'But there's no one around', Freddy thought to himself, but said only "You were doing what?
"You heard me right, I'm listening to see if the earth is well-disposed for the plantin' of potatoes. You can never be too sure without droppin' a good eave!"
"But it's the month of Thrimidge*, everybody is planting their tatters now, so why must you stick your head into the dirt?"
"I don't know who everybody is, but any prudent tiller who knows his business will tell you that tatters aren't as keen on growing here in the Northfarthing. Those slackers down in the South have it easy."
"Well, be that as it may, I was just comin' round to see if you were up for a walk. My room is dusty and in need of cleaning but the weather's lovely and that can't be ignored. How about it, then?"
"You know I'm no naysayer when it comes to a nice stroll, but my belly's calling to me in agony. The sooner you help me cook up some tasty turnip stew, the sooner our feet'll be on the road!"
*'Thrimidge' was the fifth month of the Shire Calendar, corresponding to Quenya Lótessë, or approximately to modern May. The name descended from the old form Thrimilch, meaning 'three milkings' (this being a time of year when cows produce so much milk they need to be milked three times a day). That old name evolved over time to the standard form Thrimidge, but the old form survived in a common pronunciation (and sometimes spelling) of the name as 'Thrimich'.
"What? Who?"
"Down here, ya nong."
Freddy Whitfield had not noticed old Dandy Hoof lying face-down in his garden, wearing almost the same shade of green as the crops and grass around him, and had accidentally stepped on Dandy's hand.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Dandy, I hadn't seen...But what are you doing down there among the turnips? Though your head rather looks like one."
Old Dandy, still looking cross and nursing his abraded hand, muttered: "Oh, I reckon you think you're mighty clever, eh? Not that it's any of your business, but I was droppin' eaves!"
'But there's no one around', Freddy thought to himself, but said only "You were doing what?
"You heard me right, I'm listening to see if the earth is well-disposed for the plantin' of potatoes. You can never be too sure without droppin' a good eave!"
"But it's the month of Thrimidge*, everybody is planting their tatters now, so why must you stick your head into the dirt?"
"I don't know who everybody is, but any prudent tiller who knows his business will tell you that tatters aren't as keen on growing here in the Northfarthing. Those slackers down in the South have it easy."
"Well, be that as it may, I was just comin' round to see if you were up for a walk. My room is dusty and in need of cleaning but the weather's lovely and that can't be ignored. How about it, then?"
"You know I'm no naysayer when it comes to a nice stroll, but my belly's calling to me in agony. The sooner you help me cook up some tasty turnip stew, the sooner our feet'll be on the road!"
*'Thrimidge' was the fifth month of the Shire Calendar, corresponding to Quenya Lótessë, or approximately to modern May. The name descended from the old form Thrimilch, meaning 'three milkings' (this being a time of year when cows produce so much milk they need to be milked three times a day). That old name evolved over time to the standard form Thrimidge, but the old form survived in a common pronunciation (and sometimes spelling) of the name as 'Thrimich'.