Dargo-the-Black

Winterlust: Chapter 7 Aifric’s Tale    “Uncle Rueben, Uncle Rueben! Remember how you used to tell us the story of Aifric of the Iron Hills? Tell it again, tell it again please!” pleads one of the little children jumping and circling around the old man. As we watch more and more children join the chorus of story requests and start crowding the yard. I glance at my father-in-law and nod at the child’s request. Rueben winks knowingly and gestures for one of my nephews to go and clear off the speaker’s bench in the heart of the village under the old oak tree, one of his favorite spots to both speak and catch an aft

Well it's late and I just can not get over how totally amazing the new Hobbit (The Desolation of Smaug) movie is. I loved it in every possible and conceivable way (save for the "cut-off" ending that was just mean) for a number of reasons. I experienced the journey with these Dwarves as they journey on their quest to reclaim their homeland, their birthright, and their race/nation's dignity. I was so moved by the ethos and pathos I could relate my family's innate desire to make our pilgrimage(s) back to our homeland (Kentucky). If I had lost my homeland and my home, I immediately felt their pain, humiliation, and sorrow. Toiling for others in