MLMM

You Belong In The City

Fandango11 Comments

55579248-5C20-45E9-BD52-772259318475Wow, the timing of Jim Adam’s Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Music Challenge couldn’t be more prescient. Jim focused on a song by Glenn Frey, the late singer and cofounder of The Eagles, “You Belong In The City.” Is Jim trying to tell me something with that choice of song?

Earlier today I wrote a post announcing that my wife and I are moving out of the city and into the ‘burbs to be physically closer to my son and his wife, who are expecting their first child.

It’s been at least two decades since my family has lived outside of a “real” city (i.e., one with NFL, MLB, and NBA teams). We lived in the suburbs when our kids were younger so that they could go to the best public schools. But when they went off to college, my wife and I, as empty nesters, took up residence in an urban environment.

But now, with our first grandchild on the way and with grandparenting duties in the offing, we are heading out of the city and into the suburbs.

So, Jim, if by choosing the song “You Belong In The City” for this weeks music challenge, you were trying to send me a message, you’re too late. It’s pretty much a done deal. If anything bad happens to me out yonder, I’m blaming you for waiting so long to say something.

Tale Weaver — Peaceful Coexistence

Fandango17 Comments

C97B5C06-E9B8-4700-8229-70424A896D84.jpegBack in 2008, a black cat, about a year old, began hanging out on our porch. We had many feral cats in our neighborhood, but this cat wasn’t one of them. Feral cats skedaddle when a human approaches them. But this cat would permit us to pick him up and put him on our laps and would purr while we sat down on our porch swing and stroked him. We figured he escaped from someone’s house or yard, and so my wife decided to take him in until we could find his owner. I took a picture of the cat and put “lost cat” posters up all around the neighborhood, but no one ever called to claim him.

And that’s how we came to have a cat in our household.

About a year later our, daughter and her husband rescued a four year old, all black shepherd/lab mix from a kill shelter. Two years after that, our daughter and her husband got divorced and they each moved away, so my wife and I offered to “adopt” their dog.

And that’s how we came to have a dog in our household.

Our cat and our dog live together in our home in what can best be described as “peaceful coexistence.” Even though our dog is at least five times the size of our cat and outweighs him by 60 pounds, she typically gives him a wide berth, since, if she gets too close to him (i.e., within striking distance), our cat has no qualms about swatting, claws fully extended, at our poor, hapless dog.

But we love them both and they bring so much pleasure into our lives. We are empty-nesters and our dog and cat are like our children. In fact, my wife often refers to them as her “little black babies.” She’s obviously not bothered by political correctness.

Written for this week’s Tale Weaver prompt from Michael at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. We are asked to write our ‘pet’ story, be it about “the pet you have or once had or some imaginary pet.” Mine is about the pets we have.

Tale Weaver — Simply Irresistible

Fandango12 Comments

30B11436-0BEA-4A32-9811-CBC8BE2EFDBFShe dominates me. She uses her dark beauty and irresistible charisma to charm me into doing whatever she wants me to do. She expects me to leap into bed with her while she devours me, physically and emotionally. She’s a trigger to all of my anxieties, my fears, my insecurities. She exhausts me.

So why must I accommodate her like this? My first impulse is to not play her game tonight. To her, it’s always just another piece of performance art. She gets herself all made up, with those false eyelashes, the dark eyeshadow, the blush to accentuate her high cheekbones, that puce lipstick. She puts on that skin tight, form-fitting, strapless, and low cut dress. In black, always in black.

Here she comes. So sexy. So provocative. How can I possibly resist her. How can I refuse her? I can’t. I won’t. Screw my first impulse. I’m all in.

Written for this week’s Tale Weaver prompt (“trigger”) from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. Also for these daily prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (leap), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (accommodate), Your Daily Word Prompt (impulse), Daily Addictions (play), The Daily Spur (performance), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (puce).

Birds, Squirrels, and Beavers

Fandango13 Comments

DD91ED79-CC2D-41AB-99B6-AE46947ABC7BIt was quite a sight to behold on that blustery day. People were looking up into sky in amazement. They couldn’t quite believe that a few dozen birds had attached long, black, nylon cords to the branches of a large tree, which had been felled earlier in the day by gusty winds, and managed to lift it up and off the frosty ground.

Once the tree was airborne, the birds flew it to nearby location in the park, where a host of enterprising squirrels had already dug a whole deep enough and wide enough to allow the birds to lower the tree’s roots down into it.

After the birds had positioned the tree perfectly perpendicular to the ground, a small colony of beavers came around and used their broad, flat tails to shovel the dirt from the hole that the squirrels had dug back over the roots of the transplanted tree. Then the beavers patted the dirt down tight, ensuring that the tree was secure.

One of people observing the feat noted that the birds, squirrels, and beavers showed remarkable resolve when it came to relocating and transplanting the fallen tree. Another referred to the spectacle as a Christmas miracle. And all who witnessed the remarkable event were feeling merry and were full of joy.

Written for this week’s Photo Challenge from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. Photo Credit: Sarolta Bán. Also for these daily prompts from yesterday: Daily Addictions (sight), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (frost), The Daily Spur (resolve), Ragtag Daily Prompt (Christmas), Word of the Day Challenge (merry), and Your Daily Word Prompt (joy).

Santa’s Favorite Ho

Fandango10 Comments

3E3AE923-AA60-446C-BA64-FC4B3CEB05EE“You want me to wear that to the holiday party?”

“Yeah, I bought it special for you to wear tonight. You’ll look amazing.”

“That is the ugliest sweater I have ever seen and there’s no way I’m wearing it.”

“Oh come on, it’s pretty and it’s funny. You’ll be the hit of the party.”

You must be totally unhinged if you think I’m wearing a Christmas sweater that labels me as ‘Santa’s Favorite Ho.’”

Written for the First Line Friday prompt from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie, where the first line is, “That is the ugliest sweater I have ever seen.”

5 linesAlso written for the Friday Five Lines or Less prompt from Patricia’s Place. The idea is to write a story or poem of five lines or less. This week’s words is “holiday party.”

And for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (unhinged).