Day: July 20, 2023

Thursday Inspiration — Make Me Smile

Fandango12 Comments

For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has instructed us to respond to this challenge by either using the prompt word smile, by going with the above picture, or by means anything else that we think fits.

I immediately thought of the song, “Make Me Smile” from Chicago.

“Make Me Smile” was written by James Pankow for Chicago with the band’s guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. The song was Part 1 of Pankow’s 7-part, 13 minute “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” song suite and it was recorded for their second album, Chicago (often called Chicago II), which was released in 1970. The song “Now More Than Ever,” a separate track from the same song suite, serves as a reprise of the song and appears edited together with it on many later versions, including many live performances.

A radio-friendly edit of “Make Me Smile” was released as a single in March 1970, becoming the band’s first Top 10 record, peaking at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Pulled from the first movement of the “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” suite, several changes were made in order to make the song more suitable for radio, including a modified introduction and abbreviated guitar solo. Finally, parts of the track “Now More Than Ever” were appended on the end to make a complete, 3-verse song.

What made songwriter Pankow smile was the thought of a beautiful relationship. He said, “Relationships, if they’re good, put a big smile on our faces. Love songs have always been a powerful ingredient in the song’s process — the songwriting process has often taken writers to that place.”

Here are the song’s lyrics.

Children play in the park, they don't know
I'm alone in the dark, even though
Time and time again I see your face smiling inside

I'm so happy (oh, oh)
That you love me (oh, oh)
Life is lovely (woah)
When you're near me

Tell me you will stay
Make me smile

Living life is just a game so they say
All the games we used to play fade away
We may now enjoy the dreams we shared so long ago

Oh my darling
Got to have you
Feel the magic 
When I hold you

Cry sweet tears of joy
Touch the sky

Now I need you (oh, yeah)
More than ever (oh, yeah)
No more crying (ohh, ohh)
We're together

Tell me you will stay
Make me smile

Simply 6 Minutes — A Bad Bet

Fandango19 Comments

This time he had gone too far. Gary lost a bet with his friends, and now he had to dive into a hole they had cut in the frozen lake. As he stood on the edge, shivering in his swim suit, he couldn’t help but question some of his recent life choices.

With his friends laughing and cheering him on, Gary took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and visualized the triumphant moment when he would emerge from the freezing water.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Gary leaped forward. But instead of soaring gracefully into the hole, he lost his footing on the ice and belly-flopped onto the frozen surface. The sound of his impact echoed through the air, followed by an eruption of laughter from his friends.

Stunned and dazed, Gary stood up, brushed the ice off of his swim suit, and tried again to jump into the hole, this time feet first. He made it, but after struggling to get out on his own, Gary had to rely on the assistance of his amused friends. They handed him a large towel and helped pat his large frame dry.

When Gary got home, he took a hot shower, put on his bathrobe, and fixed himself a cup of steaming cocoa. He turned on his smartphone and was amazed when it started dinging like crazy.

When he opened up his TikTok app, Gary realized that his friends had recorded the whole event on their smartphones, including his belly-flop and struggle to get out of the hole in the ice. Their videos were posted on TikTok, Intsagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There were hundred of views on each app.

Gary had mixed feelings about his new status as a social media star.

Written for Christine Bialczak’s Simply 6 Minutes Challenge.

WDP — Dogs AND Cats

Fandango19 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Dogs or cats?
View all responses

It seems that the WordPress Daily Prompt writers like to pose “either or questions.” Last week they asked about “adventure or security” and today they’re asking about “dogs or cats.” I say dogs and cats!

For most of my life I had dogs and was definitely not a cat person. But then in 2007, my wife brought a cat into our lives and I fell in love. Sadly, our cat passed away in January 2022, fourteen months after we lost our dog in November 2020. Now we are back, after having rescued a dog in March 2022, to having just a dog as a pet. I love our dog, but I really do miss our cat. And I can tell you first hand that as a pet owner, when it comes to dogs and cats, it doesn’t have to be an either or situation.

In the years that we had both a dog and a cat they were fine together, keeping one another company and living in a sort of peaceful coexistence.

My dog and cat from five years ago. Now both are gone.

For those of you who are considering getting either a dog or a cat (or both), I have itemized, in no particular order or priority, the twenty most important factors you should consider when making your decision.

1. Dogs can be trained quickly, some in a matter of minutes, to obey basic commands like “come,” “sit,” and “stay.” Cats are difficult, if not impossible, to train to respond to directives.

2. Dogs take a long time to housebreak and some never quite get all the way there. Cats can be house-trained in an instant as long as they have access to a litter box; there’s no training to it. It’s instinctive.

3. Dogs will sit, lie down, and heel on command. Cats will smirk and walk away.

4. Dogs come when you call them. Cats take a message and get back to you when they are good and ready.

5. Dogs will give you unconditional love forever. Cats tolerate you as long as you feed them.

6. Dogs will tilt their heads and listen whenever you talk. Cats will yawn and close their eyes.

7. Dogs wag their tails when they are happy to see you. Cats wag their tails when they are stalking prey and are about to pounce, even if you happen to be their prey.

8. Dogs will bark to wake you up if the house is on fire. Cats will quietly sneak out the back door.

9. Dogs will bring you your slippers or the daily newspaper. Cats might bring you a dead mouse.

10. Dogs lick you. Cats scratch you.

11. Dogs will greet you and lick your face when you come home from work. Cats will ignore you because you had the nerve to leave them alone while you went out.

12. Angry dogs will snarl and growl. Angry cats will hiss and spit…and growl.

13. Dogs will play Frisbee or fetch with you all afternoon. Cats will take a three-hour nap.

14. Dogs love to go for rides in the car and will happily sit on the seat next to you. Cats hate to go for rides in the car and have to have their own private carrier or they will not go at all.

15. Dogs need you to take them outside and walk them multiple times a day, and they don’t care how hot, cold, rainy, or snowy it is outside or how miserable you are. Cats don’t ever need to be walked, but they also don’t care how miserable you are.

16. Dogs like to be comforted by you when they’re sick or injured. Cats just want you to leave them alone.

17. Dogs can be a comfort to you when you’re sick or injured. Cats just want you to leave them alone.

18. Dogs are social beings. They want to be with their pack, even if “their pack” is your family. Cats are solitary by comparison and their primary attachment is to their territory rather than to other two or four-legged animals.

19. Dogs claws are always extended and become blunt from constant contact with the ground when they walk. Cats have retractable claws that stay sharp because they are protected inside the toes. You’ll want to stay out of the way from cats’ claws. Seriously, stay clear of their claws!

20. A dog’s memory is only about five minutes long. Cats can remember for up to 16 hours…although it seems like they never forget that one time you forgot to feed them.

And most important of all, a dog looks at you and thinks to himself, “You feed me, you shelter me, you love me. YOU must be God!” A cat looks at you and thinks to himself, “You feed me, you shelter me, you love me. I must be God!”

I conclude with the old adage that says it all. “Dogs have owners, cats have staff.”

WDYS — The Masterpiece of a Life Well Lived

Fandango22 Comments

In the deeply-carved lines of her elderly face,
A tapestry of stories find their resting place.
Eyes, like windows to a lifetime’s view,
Reflecting wisdom, both old and new.

Each wrinkle whispers tales untold,
Of joys and sorrows, of stories bold.
Furrowed brows, weathered by the years,
Hold secrets of laughter, and her share of tears.

And in her steady gaze, a twinkle bright,
A spark that’s weathered every plight.
In the face of time, a masterpiece,
The beauty of her soul seen in every crease.

The face of an elderly woman, a masterpiece,
A testament to strength, love, and inner peace.
For in those timeless features, we can see,
The beauty of a long life lived fearlessly and free.

I thought I’d try my unpoetic hand at a bit of poetry this week, inspired by this masterpiece painted by the brush of age for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Photo credit: Himesh Mehta @ Pexels.

FOWC with Fandango — Gutter

Fandango15 Comments
FOWC

Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “gutter.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.