Weekly Wordzzle Challenge # 233

Well, it has been an odd week in which things didn't happen on their traditional days, so I have been caught off guard by Friday once again. Assuming that the big blizzard does not take out my power (probably won't), I'll put my exercises up tomorrow (Saturday). It was nice to have a second wordzzler last week.

SATURDAY UPDATE:  I'm sick. I'll live, but I'm feeling really miserable, so I may postpone my posing until tomorrow.... or at best later today after I've taken a nap. My apologies for being later even than usual.

LATE SUNDAY NIGHT:  Sunday came and went and I totally forgot about Wordzzles. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will remember. Apologies.

6:15 MONDAY EVENING: Finally.... 


Words for this week's 10-word challenge:  whiskers, three days, banana, strength in numbers, all year long, large tree, good housekeeping, there are no accidents, recorder, stain   And for the mini: smooth, partridge, snarling, tragic, lotion




My mega: 

All year long, Samantha Partridge had struggled to win the Good Housekeeping and best Christmas tree award from the Banana Beach Country Club ladies. She knew in her heart that they were awful women, unworthy of her desire to please them, yet she wanted so badly to "belong," that she had saved and slaved, chosen an especially beautiful and large tree,spent three days decorating it to what she hoped was elegant perfection. Her family had spent weeks living in a state of tortured warnings and reprimands and been forced into frequent and frantic servitude. There was not a spot or stain or flake of dust anywhere. The night before the judging, over the protests of her husband, they had dined out and spent the night in a hotel. "I want to make sure there are no accidents," she had told her grumbling spouse, as she covered her face and body in an assortment of lotions and creams to ensure that her face and hands were smooth and unblemished.. "Strength in numbers," she had said, gathering the family around her next morning. They arrived home just as the committee pulled up. "You all have your video recorders charged and ready to document the big event?" she whispered anxiously?  Alas - although the scene WAS recorded for posterity - it was not the moment of glory she had dreamed of, but rather a tragic nightmare of wires and ornaments strewn around the room and a snarling and rather exhausted cat - Whiskers by name - struggling and pinned beneath the giant tree which had finally gotten its revenge after several hours of feline assault. Needless to say, Samantha didn't win the award that year, but it turned out that the Country Club ladies were not such snobs after all. Since Samantha's tree had been the last on their list, the were able -with a lot of laughter and good humor, to help the family restore the fallen tree to at least a bit of its former glory.  In the end, she did much better than first prize. She made a number of friends and the Committee created the first annual Whiskers award, which was granted in future years to others whose aspirations of glory met with unkind ends. 


My mini: 

Fred McMurphy smoothed a heavy lather of shaving lotion on his face, bellowing "come on get happy" (he had come of age with the Partridge Family and associated them with romance) - in a very loud voice, totally oblivious of the snarling dog just outside the bathroom door and the very unromantic and somewhat tragic end his new relationship was about to experience. 



And the mega:


There are no accidents was a message the new puppy had apparently not heard or had no interest in learning. All year long, the family had worked on her and finally at Christmas time, she had let her husband persuade her to get a puppy for the kids, but cute as he was, in only three days he had managed to undermine her sense of peace and tranquility and all her years of good housekeeping. She knew it made her a bad mother and maybe even a bad person, but she hated this little dog. Her son had named him Whiskers, but she had several other names for him, none of which were appropriate for polite society. The little monster had a penchant for pooping on her carpets which now bore permanent stains which no amount of scrubbing would remove.Yesterday, he had managed to get himself up onto the counter where he had first pushed her freshly baked banana cream pie onto the floor, eaten half of it and tracked the rest through several rooms. He had gotten hold of the beloved recorder she had had since childhood and gnawed the mouthpiece so that it was no longer usable (plus it had dog saliva on it). That had been the last straw for her really, which was why he was tied up to a large tree in the back yard. George and the kids might have strength in numbers, but unless - and even if - they were willing to do the laundry, the cooking and the housework themselves, this particular dog was going to have to go. An hour later, when she went to take him some water and food, he greeted her with those big eyes and a wagging tail, and tried to snuggle up against her, she felt her stance weaken. "You get one more chance, you little monster and you had better shape up. We'll take you to obedience school and if you learn to behave, you can stay. If not....  That had been 15 years ago.... and now she sat holding the little body that had become so dear to her -especially after the kids had left for college - grateful for all the joy he had brought to all of them. Her husband sat beside her also weeping. They had decided to bury him by the big tree she had exiled him to those many years ago and get a little stone dog to mark his place. "You were the best worst dog in the world, you little monster. I don't know how we'll manage without you, but thank you for the time we had. I love you." Then she nodded to her husband, who began to dig.

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Words for next week's 10-word challenge:  wonderful, secretly, open to interpretation, war and peace, grow, glowing embers, hummingbirds, a loaf of bread, careful, snoop

And for the mini: signals, spelling, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, snow storm, grace

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.