THE VILLAGE TIMES

My Favorite Song – by Richard Smalto

When I thought about selecting a song I enjoyed listening to more than any other I realized it was an improbable task. There are simply too many delightful musical arrangements to choose from.  The problem is compounded when you realize you have to provide an appropriate reason for your choice. There are so many fond memories associated with so many marvelous songs there is no reasonable explanation for why I would select just one.  

What if I could select a favorite song to help me make another choice however. A song and a setting that illustrates the point that helped me decide which choice I should make. If someone asked me to tell them who I thought was a better dancer Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, most people my age would say choosing between the two would be a difficult thing to do. 

Kelly was muscular and athletic; Astaire lean and lithe. Kelly’s performance of Singing in the Rain in the movie American in Paris is still considered the best dance routine in film; better than Travolta in Grease and better than the choreography in the final scene from the movie Dirty Dancing. 

 I think Fred Astaire was the best. I think he was the best because his awestruck partners always ended up looking better after their dance routine was over. To illustrate my point I have picked one of my favorite songs he danced to with Cyd Charisse. The song is Dancing in the Dark; the setting was in the movie the Band Wagon.  He may have danced more energetically with Eleanor Parker in ‘To Begin the Beguine’ or debonairly by himself in ‘Putting on the Ritz’ and arguably better than ever, with Ginger Rodgers, in all the movies they made together but the performance that proves my point is the one cited above.  When the dance begins, his partner, Cyd Charisse, a fabulous long-legged dancer herself, awestruck by whom she is with and dumbfounded by what she is supposed to do stumbles awkwardly through her movements. As the routine continues however and they dance together you become transfixed by the fluidity of her motions and the grace of her movements.

Quotes from our furry friends – by Margie Lewin

• Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow.
• A dog is a bundle of pure love gift-wrapped
• Dogs never fake or lie about their love for you; it’s either there or it’s not.
• Way down deep, we are all motivated by the same urges. Cats the courage to live by them. 
• Be the person your pet thinks you are.
• Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. 
• When you truly love a dog, you know that their only fault is that their lives are too short.
• It’s just the most amazing thing to love a dog, isn’t it? It makes our relationships with       people seem as boring as a bowl of cereal.

• It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming.
• Most beds sleep up to six cats. Ten cats without the owner.

This is me – by Phyllis Woolley

It’s 1:33 A.M. and I am sitting here in my chair. The TV is on, but I don’t really hear it. My cat Eevee is sleeping in my lap. She purrs softly and occasionally looks up at me as if to ask “when are you going to bed, mom?” I did try to go to bed, but I couldn’t slow my mind down. I was thinking about my day and accepting the fact that I hadn’t finished only half of the things I had planned for yesterday. How in the world was I going to catch up today? 

You see, I am one of those people who has difficulty telling someone “No”. Such a simple little word consisting of a mere two letters.  A vowel and a consonant. One syllable. It’s much more difficult to say at times than supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! 

Many times my plan for the day is to say “no” when asked to do something I truly don’t have time to do. When someone says “will you?”, or “can you” I am sure I am saying “no”, but I hear my mouth say “yes”. 

I have also learned something else about myself. If I am going to do something, I am going to do it my way. My way is to follow the rules and not go by what always was. When there is no written rule to apply to the situation, I attempt to figure out what is best for everybody concerned. Now this doesn’t always make everyone happy. At that point, another of my traits takes over. I am true to my astrological sign. I am a Taurus, and stubborn as a bull. I will patiently listen to your side, and it better be good, or I will continue with my way. I will allow you the task of taking over and doing something your way, but to date, I have had no takers!

One other thing. I respect authority. Therefore, I follow the rule of authority. That is, until I can diplomatically change the mind of the person in charge. 

Time to go back to bed!

What is that sound? – by Carol Armstrong

What is that sound?

   I hear it from outside and far away,

      always the same night and day.

Is it a plane?

   The roar of a plane comes softly, gets louder,

       then softer, then goes away.

   My sound does not roar or come and go.

   It is not a plane, I know.

Is it a train?

   The sound of a train is the clickety-clack of wheels

      on the track.

   It comes and goes, and in between, the whistle blows.

   My sound does not come and go, and I do not

       hear a whistle blow.

   It is not a train, I know.

Is it rain?

   When rain fall softly and gently or hard and heavy,

        it makes different sounds, as it hits trees and

        roofs and falls to the ground. 

   When the sky is dark with clouds, the rain will fall.

   When the sky is blue, there is no rain at all.

   My sound is always the same, and does not come and go. 

       It is not rain, I know.

  What is that sound from outside and far away,

      always the same night and day?

      I do not know.