Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 9

Well, I think I'm going to post on Friday evenings from now on because I realized that some of our participants are in time zones where it's already Saturday so I might as well give them a little more time - and it means people can post as soon as they are ready.

Since this is week 9 - can you believe that! - of our challenge, I'm going to just get right down to it without any introduction.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: cocker spaniel, penultimate, fetters, warranty, tarmac, quartz, paparazzi, apple sauce, earsplitting, laxidaisical (my apologies for spelling this so badly it should have read: lackadaisical) And for the Mini Challenge: spinach, interwoven, compromise, tennis, intangible

Here's my ten-word offering for this week.

Applesauce was not just any cocker spaniel. He was a world champion and normally his was a mellow and lackadaisical approach to life. Every dog, however has his day and between the swarming paparazzi, the ear-splitting noise of the jet engines he panicked, broke free of the not very sturdy fetters that bound him to his trainer's control and made a dash for it, knocking over one of the swarming photographers in his desperate flight across the tarmac. "Damned stupid dog broke the quartz on my watch and the warranty is expired. I should sue," she muttered to herself. But Applesauce was not a champion for nothing and as if sensing the photographer's thoughts, pulled out of his panic, and returned to gently nuzzle her hand and then pose as nice as could be, giving her the penultimate prize - a personal interview/photo session with a movie star would have been better - and boosting her career to a new level. A week later, she happily bought a new watch and put a deposit on her new car with the profits. Better yet, the whole event made her famous and she got invited to be a guest on The Ellen Show and meet one of her very favorite stars. "Awesome dog," she smiled to herself, looking at the framed photo that hung on her wall. "Awesome dog."

And here's my mini challenge:

Marsha sat looking at the interwoven strings of her new tennis racket. For most people, she supposed it was just a thing, but to her, it had an intangible beauty that only those who loved the game as utterly as she did could know. She had briefly thought to compromise on a somewhat less less expensive implement, but had decided that it was worth any sacrifice she might have to make in other ways to have this particular racket. That said, living on a diet of home-grown tomatoes and spinach was beginning to lose it's poetic beauty now that two weeks had passed. But tomorrow she reminded herself, she and her treasure would set foot on the court. And they would win. Yes, she thought, she had made the right decision.

This is what I came up with for the mega challenge:

Alas, there are no warranties on priceless, one-of-a-kind objects. It had been the penultimate tennis racket, its curved wooden edges and its delicately interwoven strings making it a virtual work of art. Something about it's grip, it's design, made her feel victorious even before she stepped onto the tarmac of the tennis court for her matches. It held a place of honor in her home when she was not competing, sitting proudly between the large quartz sculpture, oddly named "Intangible" that had been given to her by the equally oddly named artist who called himself - God knows why - "Spinach" and an original Picasso. On this particular December day, those on the tour of Glenda Nelson's house would never forget the ear-splitting screams as the usually mellow, even lackadaisical player, walked in upon her young niece's cocker spaniel, Applesauce, who had somehow broken free of his fetters and decided to feast on the beloved racket. "Out, out, out!" she shrieked in a decidedly un-mellow voice. "There will be no compromise this time, dog! Wagging your tail will not help!" As if the event was not bad enough it itself, several enterprising paparazzi wanna be's, snapped half a dozen photos of the racket, the offending dog, and her melt down. Worse yet, there was video and she would be forced to watch the tragic scene over and over on TV for weeks and years to come.

This week's vanity contribution is a mini wordzzle and uses the words: sweater, voluptuous, diaper, the Devil, macaroni

When she had asked the Devil to make her look voluptuous in a sweater, Gertrude Glitch had not been thinking in terms of a dozen babies, milk-swelled breasts, and a life of dirty diapers and macaroni suppers. She had intended something more glamorous. It's not fair, God, not fair! But then she looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and thought that maybe, just this once, the Devil had slipped up.

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Anyone who wants to emulate the amazing megawordzzlers can try merging both challenges and make another megawordzzle. It's fun! I'm so glad that Jay Simser invented it. As if megawordzzles weren't enough - it seems to be a guy thing - some participants are adding extra layers of difficulty. Jay incorporates pet salamanders into his paragraph every week, The Pirate not only got all the words in, but he used them in order.

Next weeks words are again a mix of suggestions that came from The Pirate, Michael, Richard, and the Teach and a few from me. I would love to have more suggestions for words/phrases from other participants.

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: pleasant, flukey, desperation, penumbra, hoarsely, triumph, burden, colander, Kermit the Frog, lavender

And for the Mini Challenge: avalanche, masterpiece, yellow, alligator, thieving


Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!

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I hope you will all take a minute to remember that this is Autism Awareness Month. The following blogs and posts offer an opportunity to put a human face and heart on something which for most of us is just something we have heard about but don't really understand.

These are the Days
Forks Off the Moment - We are All Unique
Mother of Shrek
Full Soul Ahead
Down River Drivel
Look Me In The Eye