Tag Archives: personal-reflection

Most Novembers I Break Down and Cry

“I can’t remember if we said goodbye.” That line from Emmylou Harris’s cover of “Goodbye” always gets me, and did again this morning, coffee in hand before the sun cleared the piney woods. It’s a simple lyric, almost plain-spoken, but it carries an unexpected weight. The kind that comes not from tragedy, but from uncertaintyContinueContinue reading “Most Novembers I Break Down and Cry”

In Memoriam: Edith Mary Tolkien (1889–1971)

On November 29, 1971, Edith Mary Tolkien slipped quietly from this world when she was eighty-two, leaving behind a life woven into the fabric of her family and the imagination of Middle-earth. To the world, she may have seemed the quiet wife of J.R.R. Tolkien, but her life was more complex than any simple label.ContinueContinue reading “In Memoriam: Edith Mary Tolkien (1889–1971)”

The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit

I met Bilbo Baggins when I was thirteen years old, standing in the hallway of DeRidder Junior High. The library door carried a poster that stopped me in my tracks. A curious, round fellow stood in his front doorway, pipe in hand, sending smoke rings lazily into the air. The art looked like watercolor washedContinueContinue reading “The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit”

Walking the Enterprise: How a Video Rekindled Childhood Wonder

GEEK WARNING: PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT REQUIRED. Nostalgia levels may spike without warning, so proceed carefully.Hello, my name is Darrell… and yes, I’m a Trekkie. Always have been. Always will be. The Project That Stopped Me in My Tracks Every now and then, some corner of the internet taps you on the shoulder and says, “SitContinueContinue reading “Walking the Enterprise: How a Video Rekindled Childhood Wonder”

Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)

I first stepped into Tolkien’s world through a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sometime in the mid-70s. Taking on the larger-in-scope-and-theme Lord of the Rings was daunting, but I made it through and was captivated by the characters and the story. Today I’m marking the 47th anniversary of a film that left a mark onContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)”