How's this for a deleted scene?

[kellinator]

Over the weekend atomicnumber51 mentioned to me that one of her yarn companies had sent her a sample skein of some really soft yarn that's partially made of opossum fur.

Possum fur? I'm from the South. I've watched possums from my bedroom window. Though I've never touched one, "soft" isn't the word that comes to mind. Nasty is.

atomicnumber51 explained that apparently New Zealand has an infestation of possums and has been offering a bounty for them. And suddenly I knew what to look for on the ROTK EE:

In between battles, Legolas is standing at the edge of camp firing arrows like a fiend. Gimli walks up.

Gimli: What are you doing, elf?
Legolas: Hunting possums. [gestures to large pile of dead possums]

A gleam comes into Gimli's eyes.

Cut to Gimli chasing around possums and trying to whack them with his axe while muttering dwarven swears.

Comments

[dwivian]

if all you've seen is roadkill, you've missed out on the whole possum thing...

They're quite soft, when you clean out the musk oils. They also taste okay, but I'd much rather have lamb.

And, I have this mental image of Gimli standing, his axe swung over his left shoulder, a possum flying off in the distance, and him muttering "damn. flat of the blade isn't any better...>"

[football-swan.livejournal.com]

The good Dr. M. brought a possum skin back from N. Z. when he traveled there a year ago.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

I sure hope you're wrong.

Really.

[musicwolf.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be more like:

Legolas: What are you doing Gimli?
Gimli: Hunting POUS's.
Legolas: Possums of Unusal Size? Heh, I don't believe they e...ACK!
[Legolas is jumped by a POUS]
Legolas: Not the hair, not the hair!

Cut to Gimli cooking POUS and Legolas trying to clean his hair.
Legolas: I'm still the prettiest, damnit.

[zorathenne.livejournal.com]

*wipes off monitor screen*

giggle that'll teach me to read replies like this while drinking any type of beverage.. rofl

[musicwolf.livejournal.com]

My work here is done.

[madam-minnie.livejournal.com]

LMAO!!!!

Yes!

[lula-fortune.livejournal.com]

When I was in New Zealand I experienced this phenomenom. There are several gift shops that sell everything you could think of made of opossum fur...and it's really, really, really soft.

However, I never actually saw a live opposum, so they must be doing a good job keeping their problem under control.

[laurel714.livejournal.com]

I used to keep a dish of cat food out in my barn to feed the "barn cats." One evening I was sitting at my barn basking in sheer horsieness, when a possum strolls in and proceeds to chow down on the kitty food. Possum poop can be extremely harmful to horses - gives them some neurological disorder - so no more cat food at the barn. And OMG! it was NASTEE! Skanky thing...

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just got back from New Zealand. The "possum" of NZ is the Australian possum, not the American opposum that frequently gets its name shortened. Different species entirely. The NZ possum is long-haired, not short, and dark-colored, not white. And yes, the fur is incredibly soft.

The possum is an introduced critter in NZ, with no predators to keep its numbers in check, and its literally eating their forests to death.

[blondeheroine.livejournal.com]

Your EE scene? I just have one thing to say...oh hell yah! LOL! Only Southern girls can truly appreciate the joy in that one.

[slyfoot.livejournal.com]

*splargle*!

That's a word I just made up, the sound of a beverage splorting through your nose while you laugh.

[stevietee.livejournal.com]

The possum fur coats are indeed extremely soft in NZ, but they're also expensive as hell!

Possums there are a big reason why the Kiwi bird is on its way to exinction, too, because possums eat Kiwi eggs. :(