google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday September 13, 2008 Tom Pruce

Gary's Blog Map

Sep 13, 2008

Saturday September 13, 2008 Tom Pruce

Theme: None

Total blocks: 33

Sherpa, sherpa, where is my sherpa? I just cannot seem to solve a puzzle without a theme guidance, feeling so lost and helpless.

It's by no means a grid of Byzantine complexity. In fact, it has very simple structure and lots of 3-letter crosswordese. I just could not understand why I was so intimidated by this themeless.

Got stumped immediately by the "Fiery Furnace survivor", but was able to filled in lots of blanks with the down clues. Completely forgot AUTOMAT (21D: Coin-op restaurant) and penned in BEATS for TEMPI (46A: Cadences), and wasted a long time to get the curvier RIPPLIER.

I am still mad at SWINGS (9A: Move to and fro). Just what were you thinking Mr. Editor? Add a "s" if you wanted it to be a verb. Otherwise, love your grandchildren and clue SWINGS as "Playground equipment".

Across:

1A: Fiery Furnace survivor: ABEDNEGO. "...There's Shadrach, Meshach and ABEDNEGO. And the fiery coals they trod. But the form of The Fourth Man that I see, is like the Son of God". Are you familiar with this Bible story?

9A: Acts as a go-between: MEDIATES

16A: Thin layer: LAMINA. My first thought was "veneer".

18A: Disconnect: UNPLUG

19A: Many-legged insect: CENTIPEDE. Oh, I did not know the English name for this insect. So, CENTI is "hundreds", "PEDE" is "foot". Wikipedia says their mating "does not involve copulation". The male just deposits his droplet of dew sperm on a web it has spun, and then "undertakes a courtship dance to encourage the female to engulf his sperm". He must have learned the tough lessons from the male black widow spiders.

32A: Deductive: A PRIORI. The opposite is "a posteriori". I cannot think analytically and rationally. I am too intuitive a free thinker.

34A: Mazel __!" TOV. "Viel Glück", Crockett.

36A: Some deodorants: ROLL-ONS

40A: Certain hired vehicle: MINICAB

46A: Cadences: TEMPI. Does the clue sound OK to you, KittyB & Xchefwalt?

47A: "Citizen Kane" studio: RKO. Howard Hughes is such a mysterious figure. Why he ventured into movie industry and RKO is beyond me. He was an excellent golfer though, so was Katharine Hepburn.

50A: Northwestern pine: LODGEPOLE. I forgot. Here stands a LODGEPOLE pine. It does not change color. Here are some LARCH pines that do change color. Both links were provided by Argyle.

54A: Keel-like structure: CARINA. New to me. Dictionary explains it as "a keel-like part or ridge, esp. a ridge of bone on the ventral side of the sternum of birds." See this diagram.

57A: Replacing a facing: RELINING. What is "facing"?

61A: Strengthen by tempering: ANNEAL

62A: Ribbed pasta: RIGATONI. This does not look like RIGATONI, does it?

64A: Finnish-American architect: SAARINEN (Eero). If it's just "Finnish architect", it might refer to his father Eliel. Melissa, do you know that Eero also designed these tulip chairs? They look sturdy enough for the weight of two.

Down:

7D: "The Goldbergs" creator: GERTRUDE BERG. I've never heard of her name before. Could be a gimme for Barry.

8D: Port city of old Rome: OSTIA. I forgot. It's clued as "Port city of Rome" on June 15 and I complained about the absense of word "ancient" in the clue. See this map. It's located at the mouth of the Tiber river.

10D: Nomadism: WANDERLUST. I don't they they are synonymous. "Nomadism" is a kind of lifestyle, WANDERLUST refers to the itch/urge to travel.

11D: Puts in danger: IMPERILS

14D: Droop: SAG. Hmm, I don't like the image this SAG evokes. How about SAG Awards? I wonder why "The Actor" statue is nude. Or a statue is just a statue?

20D: Stock of drugs: PHARMACOPEIA. New word to me.

23D: Embitter: ENVENOM. I would prefer the clue to be "make poisonous". I hate seeing "em" in clue, then prefix EN again in answer.

23D: Henhouse hunk: ROOSTER

27D: One Snoop Sister: ERNESTA. Played by Helen Hayes. I've never heard of "The Snoop Sisters". Wikipedia has a very short entry, so I suppose this was not a popular TV series.

30D: Insignificant: FRACTIONAL

31D: Bristles: SETAE

33D: City southeast of Bombay: POONA. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says the city is now called PUNE. Bombay is now named Mumbai, so I suppose the clue is technically OK. Here is a very good map.

38D: More wavy: RIPPLIER. I've never used this word "Ripply" before. So, the lake's surface has become RIPPLIER, and the wind is soughing the meadow. Hmm, I think I need a romantic sunset too.

49D: Tooth: pref.: DENTI

51D: John of the PGA: DALY. Ah, the long John DALY. "Long ball is all he knows....".

C.C.

63 comments:

  1. Google Morning, C.C.

    misspelled 19A so messed 8D
    googled 33D / 32A, 7D / minicab?, 30D / 54A,
    misspelled 64A / 49D

    I am not ok with 33D, felt it should have indicated that the city was no longer called Bombay.

    I think I'll listen to La Paloma and calm down. Thanks, Jimbo, for the song, I wasn't familiar with it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Argyle,
    I feel that "City southeast of Bombay" is an OK clue for POONA. PUNE, on the other hand, requires the clue to be "City southeast of Mumbai". I still don't understand the 57A clue. What is "facing"?

    ReplyDelete
  3. A facing is a sewing term. It's a curved piece of fabric that is sewed around the neck or other opening of a garment that is used to finish the edge. You wouldn't see it because after it is sewn in place it is ironed so it is on the inside of the garment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. At least I didn't "G" today. Came here for one letter ("P" in 32a and 33d) and found out I wasn't as smart as I thought.
    Had BERT RUDEBERG instead of GERTRUDE BERG. (Not that I know who she [or he] is)
    Had DENTE instead of DENTI.
    Thought the "i" made it plural and the clue said singular. But I don't know Latin or whatever language DENTE(i) comes from.
    CARINA Got it but didn't know what I was getting!
    CC, REFACING means to put a new covering over whatever needs to have a new covering. Like refacing your brick wall or refacing walls in your house.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OK, I guess I don't know what
    "REFACING" is!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous @ 7:16am,
    Thank you so much. I was not aware of this sewing term.

    Bill,
    Ha, I was in the Botox direction for "Replacing a facing". And RELINING sounded like a very reasonable answer.

    Ken,
    You said yesterday @ 9:35am that "
    I had many of the same whines this ayem." What is "ayem"? Also, I've never heard of "Purple Gang" for the Vikings, only "Purple People Eaters".

    ReplyDelete
  7. clear ayes,
    I get those signs from DFFs friends of mine in the other side of the computer, most of them retired Navy guys.

    Check my new sign.

    Yvette Lamartine: "Too bad you don't dance, Mr. Chan".
    Charlie Chan: "Mud turtle in pond safer than man on horseback".
    From: "Charlie Chan in Paris" (1935).

    Hello!!! Dictionary. Hello! Mr. G. Had DENTO for DENTI and 54D had APT for CAN.

    John Daly is a "blue collar" golfer. Relates quite well with the working class, BUT he has not done much as a player in the past several years. I guess his best friend is alcohol...

    "CARINA" is also the bifurcation of the bronchus.

    The Purple Gang goes for the shirt color of the Vikings...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning C.C., et.al.
    Did not like this puzzle at all. Hated the plural answer for 9A when the clue was singular.
    Centipedes have one pair of legs per body section and millipedes have two pairs of legs per body section.
    Had to google Abednego to see if that was right.
    I think of a lodge pole as just that - a pole outside of, e.g., and Elks Lodge.
    Xchefwalt will know better but that doesn't look like rigatoni. Looks like some kind of ridged elbow pasta.
    If I hadn't gone to Mumbai/Bombay I wouldn't have gotten Poona.
    Even though it's a word, I didn't like "ripplier."
    All in all the puzzle seemed pretty disjointed. Ran all over the place. Maybe that would be a good theme - "Running on empty" because that's all it did for me.

    C.C. - regarding Ken's "ayem", it is short for "a.m." as in this morning.

    Today is National Peanut Day, Positive Thinking Day, Chocolate Day (in honor of Milton Hershey's birthday), Defy Superstion Day, and Scooby Doo's Birthday.

    Have a great Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Morning, all!

    *sigh*

    This puzzle started off so well. I did remember my Bible stories and was able to get ABEDNEGO right off the start. I was so proud of myself. APRIORI? AUTOMAT? PHARMACOPEIA? No problem! I was even able to get complete unknowns like POONA, OSTIA and ERNESTA from the perps. Man, I was gonna OWN (or p3wn, if you prefer) this one!

    And then I made my fatal error. I put MINIVAN instead of MINICAB for 40A and refused to even consider the possibility that it might be wrong. Unfortunately, I didn't know who created "The Goldbergs" (despite the fact that, yes, it's my last name and I have actually heard of the radio series). I also didn't know LODGEPOLE, DALY or CARINA, and without all that I was completely unable to figure out FRACTIONAL for 30D.

    Speaking of FRACTIONAL, does that really mean "insignificant"?

    And RIPPLIER definitely gets my vote for weirdest pseudo-word of the week!

    Here's hoping everybody in the path of Ike is staying safe...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good morning, C.C. and friends,

    I agree with everything you've written so far! This was an odd duck of a puzzle. I thought it was going to be easy, and then not, but I finally finished it with just a little guessing and no help from Mr. G.

    I really do NOT like TEMPI for 'cadences.' If AUTOMAT had not provided the "T" I would have pondered that all morning long. To me, a cadence is a rhythmic pattern, or the beat to which a band marches. One of the elements that comprise a cadence is tempo, but I don't think of the two words as being synonymous.

    SWINGS stinks and so does RIPPLIER! I didn't know CARINA. GERTRUDE came easy, but I didn't know her last name.

    I agree with you about WANDERLUST and 'nomadism' not being synonymous.

    I didn't recall "The Snoop Sisters." I bet it was cute, with Helen Hayes in it.

    I would not have thought of FRACTIONAL for 'insignificant' without the fills. The fills also gave me POONA and SETAE.

    Sorry John Daly, I don't know who you are.

    We are having some major rain this weekend. Dear Husband went to sit on his boat in the rain. We have a Red Hat Lady luncheon to attend.

    I hope those of you in Ike's path are high and dry, and will continue to be safe and sound.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning, C.C. et al. Well, I got lucky this morning, using fills where I was puzzled.
    I was hung up for a while, wanting minivan, but kept coming back to "hired" in the clue. Having Gertrude blank ERG, the B was pretty easy.
    I've taken a couple of tree id courses, so lodgepole was easy.
    9A was simply poor editing.
    C.C. Ayem is a lazy man's way of using a.m. to indicate before noon. I don't know the origin of it but have seen it and used it for years.
    I did know the Viking defensive line was known as the Purple People Eaters(there was a pop song by Sheb Wooley named Purple People Eater), but Purple Gang was used also. Carl Ehler, Alan Page, Jim Marshall and...was it Gary Larsen? were not huge, but very fast. Bob Rubin's book, The Purple Gang and the Scrambler probably brought the expression Purple Gang in to more prominence.
    The Scrambler was Fran Tarkenton, a quarterback unusually successful at running around in the backfield until he found a receiver.
    Alan Page now sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Isn't 9A swings and 15A mediates?

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Kittyb: Helen Hayes co-starred with Mildred Natwick, another marvelous actress. It was a humorous mystery series with a dead body just around some corner. I liked it for the mystery, but the public didn't support it. It was very well done, I thought.
    @Barry: I don't think that Fractional is synonymous with Insignificant as stand alone adjectives, but saying something is "of fractional value" sounds ok to my ear, even if it sounds like a loan officer discussing my assets.

    ReplyDelete
  14. "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego" by Louie Armstrong from the 1951 movie, "The Strip". (No, not that kind of strip.)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good morning CC & DF's: Strange puzzle w/weird words and clues. Perps helped but mostly a struggle. Didn't know 1A or the story. Learned something new... again. Thank you for the links, CC and Argyle. Agree w/drdad about 9A and sing/pl point. Just wrong!

    Flyingears: Love your sign! Goes along w/ "Come this way".

    CC: I answered yesterday's blog. Some funny stuff going on.Explains why my ears were uncomfortable for a while...but only my ears.

    Enjoy this gorgeous day, but praying for those in Ike's path. Even my hometown in OK is expecting over 6" of rain from it. Enormous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good morning c.c., DF’s and all. I know how you feel on the intimidation thing, c.c.- I am the same way on Thursday’s with the quip puzzles. This one was going fine until I hit the bottom third- then I hit the wall and was not able to get through.

    The clue and answer for 46a did not thrill me. Although technically correct, I have never heard TEMPI used, as there multiple beats are uncommon- I always said TEMPO’S incorrectly.

    That is not RIGATONI in the picture. That pasta is bent, rigatoni it tubular (unless the picture is using broken and bent overcooked pasta).

    Make today great everyone. My plate is full to overflowing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Argyle, thanks for the link to Satchmo. The one thing I don't like about You Tube is the lack of information about the clip. I finally tracked down "The Strip," and from there I went to "Louis Armstrong's All-Stars." I think that might have been Barrett Deems playing drums, and possibly Jack Teagarden on trombone.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Guten Morgen Rätseler! (puzzlers)
    I didn't really mind this one, tho didn't know 1a or 7d. Hubby helped with lodge pole (is it called that because it's so nice and straight for building lodges in log cabin style?)

    I was also mad and expected your comments on swings. And I also fell prey to minivan. Otherwise OK.

    Bill and anonymous--I think both your takes on facing are acceptable. If you put face brick on your house it's just on the surface, but the sewn facing is as anonymous described. However, in the puzzle, it would have to be on the inside to qualify as lining. Tho strictly speaking, lining should not be right on the edge like a facing, but covering the entire innards of the garment and edged with a facing to hide it--like the button and buttonhole areas of a jacket. So really, it was a wonky clue--not the only one here.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, lois,

    I ALWAYS expect your "input", which is really quite "fulfilling". I have a few other street signs that are so funny and I'll keep 'em stored for the next few days...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good morning, c.c. and gang --

    What they said.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wait a sec - if 54A is CARINA, and 54D is CAN, does that mean 63A is NNARLY??????

    ReplyDelete
  22. Very boring puzzle, but then I had the advantage of the red letter indicators on the online version, so I avoided some of the tricky spelling challenges. About the only fun word for me was Abednego. All that Sunday School paid off. I love that story, and all the implications. (Who was the fourth man?)

    Not that I got it all. I had trouble with lamina and daly/carina cross. Sorry, I know nothing about golf. But that YouTube clip sure makes it look interesting. And I agree that to move and swings don’t match, only got it from the crosses.

    C.C. That’s a sweet little pansy, but sadly, no dew again today.

    My Mom had WANDERLUST. When her sisters told her “A rolling stone gathers no moss” she replied “Who wants to be an old mossback anyway?”

    I think Helen Hayes was beautiful, and a lovely person as well. I read her autobiography, but can’t remember a lot except my impressions.

    ReplyDelete
  23. good morning c.c. and all,

    seems like i'm the only one who enjoyed this puzzle. despite some of the odd clues and fills, i burned right through it. being a PK, abednego was a gimme, but obscure enough to make me think it would be a tough puzzle. i needed perp help for setae, apriori, carina and poona.

    c.c., 'sherpa, sherpa ...' cute. i am certainly glad i was not born a centipede. i remember the snoop sisters show, my mother loved it. did not know about eliel and his tulip chairs, they don't look very cozy to me.

    thanks for the sunset .. beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  24. There were TWO that I didn't know and had to use Google or discover through the perps: ABEDNEGO, GERTRUDE BERG. Also I put MINIVAN instead of MINICAB which slowed things a bit. Otherwise pretty straightforward puzzle. There were some questionable words such as RIPPLIER, ENVENOM & TEMPI. I agree with CC that NOMADISM & WANDERLUST are not synonymous although I figured out what was meant.

    ReplyDelete
  25. @wordnerd: It's Sue Ane Langdon

    ReplyDelete
  26. doesitinink is a good username. I could use eraseitwithwhiteout, which I almost always have to...

    ReplyDelete
  27. flyingears.....LOL
    Me,too

    "eraseitwithwhiteout"

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Saturday C.C. and gang.
    Weird puzzle today, and I needed help to complete it...word like Abednego just don't float off my tongue. I was trying to think of some guy named Abe but could not figure out a last name that would start with Dn...!

    I see we have that 1/2 fly again ;)

    38D "ripplier" sort of makes me queasy.
    26D was a cute clue
    30D what was that? I forgot to fill it in, along with 43A.
    I guess you can tell, I did not do very well on this one.

    Flyingears: loved the sign..that would be the "high point",wouldn't it?

    C.C. Loved your comment on the centipede's mating technique. Doesn't sound like much fun for either of the sexes though!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Good morning, everyone! Some stange ones today. RIPPLIER, ENVENOM? Are those for real? ABEDNEGO, although I knew the name, I didn't know how to spell it. CARINA, GERTRUDE BERG, ERNESTA and POONA were all new I think that 9A should be "Moves" instead of "Move."

    On 16A I wanted PATINA. Danke schoen, C.C. I also forgot OSTIA for a while. That's a beauty of a sunset!

    @rae Yes.

    @wordnerd No, 63A is NEARLY because 55D is ANE.

    @carol 30D is FRACTIONAL and 43A is ADOPTEE.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Crockett, thanks, I did find those finally.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Good Morning All, There certainly were a few words that stopped me for a little while - LAMINA, POONA, CARINA and TEMPI. I managed to get them with the help of the crosses. Post puzzle I ran to Ms.G (I tend to think of Google as a gal pal) to see if my APRIORI reasoning was working or had become UNPLUGged.

    I didn't like RIPPLIER or the clue for SWINGS either.

    I had no problem with GERTRUDE BERG. "The Goldbergs" was a staple of early 1950's TV in our house. Of course, we only had two channels and the other one had non-stop wrestling, or maybe it was Roller Derby. "Molly Goldberg" was a terrific character. All her neighbors stopped by to ask her advice. Her suggestions were comical non sequiturs that somehow managed to be helpful.

    Argyle, thanks for the Louis Armstrong link. I only knew "Shadrach, Meshach and ABEDNEGO" because my father used to sing the song while doing chores. Maybe he liked the tempo, or maybe he felt like he was stuck in a fiery furnace.


    The Dalliance of the Eagles

    Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,)
    Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,
    The rushing amorous contact high in space together,
    The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,
    Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,
    In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling
    Till o'er the river pois'd, the twain yet one, a moment's lull,
    A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,
    Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,
    She hers, he his, pursuing.

    - Walt Whitman

    Kinda makes you want to be an eagle!

    ReplyDelete
  32. clear ayes,
    Here's is a bald eagle for you...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Good afternoon. Lasagna yesterday, Rigatoni today, how about ziti next. I had Perccitellies last week, thats a doozy!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dr. Dad,
    That's a good way to remember LODGEPOLE.

    Flyingears,
    John DALY: Women/wives too.

    Ken,
    Thanks for the Purple Gang.

    Barry & Kittyb,
    #2 definition of FRACTIONAL in Free Dictionary says "insignificant".

    Rae,
    Yes, you were right. Any problem? Good to see you again.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Relating to clues and answers being synonymous: that can mean they are "figurative or symbolic substitutes" and not necessarily equal in meaning. That confused me.
    Calef

    ReplyDelete
  36. Lois,
    I heard the SOUGH. I felt the wind. And I saw the RIPPLIER waves. I witnessed the maestro at her best. Thank you for the performance. I was in awe.

    Xchefwalt,
    I thought the TEMPI clue was a bit off, but I was not sure. Good to know your take (Kittyb's too). Life is always overflowing with streams of something. I hope yours are joy, passions and flowers/flours.

    Kazie,
    Very nice RELINING explanation. You are a darling too.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Happy Saturday to all:

    I had to google Abednego, but did have all the letters but the "o". I guessed on the "p" in Apriori so got lucky. I did have minicab right away because of "hired" and also because I had fractional.

    9A definitely should have been clued as moves as the rest of you said.

    Kasie: I agree with you and I don't think of facing and lining in a garment as synonymous. The lining as you said is the inside of the entire garment and facings are usually around the garment's neck and arm areas.

    Happy "Positive Thinking Day" to everyone! Grab some chocolate too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks c.c., btw, the Italian plural ending for words ending in "o" is "i", isn't it? So tempi would qualify. I think the feminine ones ending in "a" change to "e" for the plural.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Barb B,
    I saw "A BED" & "GO" in this word ABEDNEGO. Now I think it's fun too. The fourth man is Jesus. I don't know what happens to the DEW. Maybe the air is too humid or the sky is too clouded. Or the flower has lost her power. Just my unreasoned thinking. I am not so sure. I picked up pansy because it's the symbol of freethought.

    Flyingears,
    You are sinking deeper and deeper.

    Melissa,
    What is PK? Eero designed those chairs, not his father.

    Clear ayes,
    What does "She hers, he his, pursuing." mean?

    ReplyDelete
  40. Razzberry,
    RE: DF. That's just not true. You guys have been misinterpreting what I've written. Alas! But it's OK. We need more time to truly understand each other.

    Kazie,
    Your last comment reminds me of BRAVO and BRAVA.

    Crockett,
    Nice PATINA though.

    Dennis,
    Were you bored by me, or the puzzle?

    ReplyDelete
  41. Minibus was my downfall, not minivan. When I finally changed it to MINICAB, I had FRACT---AL for 30D and insisted on trying to fit in a word having to do with fractoids! Never having heard of LONGPOLE pine, CARINA or John DALY meant no help with the cross words either. The rest of the puzzle was not terribly difficult. But I ended up with seven red squares!

    I agree with those who wrote to say that interfacing is not the same as lining in garments.

    ReplyDelete
  42. C.C.

    A BED & GO is very funny. And the story is fun. Of course, I’m thinking mostly of the simplified version I used to tell the kids. The adult version isn’t different, just more complex and mysterious. You seem to have no fear of complexity or mystery. I vodka you.

    What happens to the dew is another complex question, full of mystery. I didn’t know that pansy is the symbol of free thought. Is there a subject field or discipline for the symbolism and mystery of flowers? If there isn’t, there should be.

    ReplyDelete
  43. k8,
    Refacing refers to surface not interior such as relining your tires, brakes, drawers, interfacing or adjusting your panty lines. Clues are frustrating at time.

    ReplyDelete
  44. @Lois: You mentioned VA Beach recently. I was stationed there in the 60s when the entrance to the facility was down a narrow road on the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp as the maps called it. It was an exciting place in the summertime with all the women on vacation a sailor could want. When I revisited in 2000, I could hardly find the base, but did so, and arrived on the day they were bulldozing my old barracks.
    @Kittyb: For a good time with Satchmo, see "High Society" if you haven't. Bing, Frank and Satchmo croon some great tunes. Louie's band was Barrent Deems, Orville Shaw, Billy Kyle and Trummy Young on trombone at the time. I'm missing a couple as I've not seen the movie for a while, but it is one I can watch and rewatch.

    ReplyDelete
  45. C.C. "What does "She hers, he his, pursuing." mean?"

    Since all raptors are predators, it is my best guess that after all that tumbling and flapping, they are ready for a good meal. She goes her way, he goes his, and both of them will be pursuing nice juicy rabbits or squirrels.

    Kittyb, one more thing in common. I belong to a very casual (red visors and purple teeshirts, no boas or gloves) Red Hat group. We are big on theater, museums, wineries, tours of just about anyplace that gives tours, and, naturally, lunch.

    Time to start setting up for our party this evening.

    ReplyDelete
  46. C.C.,I think Melissa was saying that she is a Preacher's Kid, when she usues the letters PK. My dad was one, too.

    Melissa bee, I hope I got that right.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi C.C. and all,
    I am so glad to be backhome with our puzzle, and not the USA Today, although I do love reading it and their USA map is awesome.I missed 4 days of chit chat ,playful comraderie, and all the new pictures. That's a great one Clear Ayes. How many are coming to your ice cream gala?

    C.C. the pansy is lovely. I see you were in a tulip mode for a few days. My daughter, who was married in April, carried a bouquet of orange tulips. Such a pretty flower. The bulbs are already on sale for spring!!I always have such a hard time which ones I think are the prettiest to add to my collection.

    I liked today's puzzle for the most part, because I was able to fill in all but 10 squares.Didn't know 55D, so couldn't complete 54A or 61A, which left 3 empty squares in fractional. I love maps, and I looked and looked for Poona with no luck, and so it remained oona.That left a priori incomplete .Lots of new words and people I did not know: setae,carina, anneal,Abednego,Ernesta,Ms Berg.

    C.C.- Yes, my picture was taken in AK ( in Denali Park) last August- best trip ever! That darling Husky pup was one of many that we held while on a tour of Jeff King's homestead.He raises them for the Iditarod and other races.He came in 2nd this past winter.

    any word from ChrisinLA? Ike is still churning away

    ReplyDelete
  48. C.C.,
    Sinking deeper and deeper??? I thought I was "surfacing" shallower and shallower...

    Yeah. John Daly. Such a great future now in the dump... I still somewhat like him despite his troubles that seem to continue growing DEEPER and DEEPER... I truly believe that he will eventually go away...

    ReplyDelete
  49. She his, he hers --

    Eagles mate for life, and since their life span can be up to 40 years in the wild, they have a better batting average with long-term relationships than humans do.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Doesitinink,
    It's LODGEPINE.

    Barb B,
    I am not aware of any specific study done on the subject of flowers symbolism. Xchefwalt probably knows. He seems to love his flowers/flours. This is interesting. I love red roses and sunflowers (esp van Gogh's). How about you? I did not know that eagles are so faithful to each other.

    JD,
    Great to see you again. I missed reading your take on the puzzles. Yeah, I was into tulips for a few days because Dennis said he loved tulips on his organ more than roses on his piano. And tulips happen to be Melissa's favorite flowers. I sent an email to Chris earlier and have not heard from him yet. So you met Jeff King in person?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Barbb, I don't know a lot about eagles, but I knew that some birds mate for life. Eagles cooperate in bringing home the bacon to feed the eaglets, but do they hunt together? Or is it every bird for his/herself when it comes to tackling the chow and then sharing with the kids?

    40 years together is a very good run. Both G.A.H. and I are on our second time around and hopefully we'll make it to that milestone. We aren't about to try tumbling and flapping at this stage of the game to increase our 40 year chances though. We fell off the counter once, and that was enough tumbling for us. Too many of those plum colored bruises!

    My husband is always frustrated when he sees John Daly on TV. His life style has been constantly at odds with his talent, Daly that is, not Golf Addicted Husband. G.A.H. has a pretty consistent 18 or 19 handicap, so he's not going into the P.G.A. any time soon.

    Hi JD, we're having somewhere in the 35 to 40 range of guests. Somebody always seems to bring a friend, so it is a reasonable guess. The tri tip is ready to go and the kalua pork is in the crockpot. We'll furnish the meat, drinks and dessert. We used to furnish all the food, but people really wanted to bring something. Now I say, bring something you like. That way, if there are some leftovers, you will have a nice treat tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Your Red Hat Lady chapter sounds like fun, Clear Ayes. We joined one for my Mother and I play chauffeur. There are some town activities, occasional road trips and lots of lunches. I'm waiting for the visit to the transvestite shop where the big gals buy their clothes! lol

    ReplyDelete
  53. No time today (solved in the restaurant while waiting for breakfast). This had to be one of my fastest Saturday solves ever. There was hardly a pause as I filled in letters. Unknowns (at the time) ABEDNEGO, ANE, GERTRUDE BERG (had GERTRUDE but didn't know her last name or what "The Goldbergs" might have been), ERNESTA, all easily gotten via the crosses. Only later did I remember the song with ABEDNEGO in it.

    LODGEPOLE is easy for we Oregonians since the mountains above about 3000' up to timberline around here contain virtually no other kind of tree. I'm sitting here on my wife's computer looking at a LODGEPOLE Pine in our yard, as a matter of fact.

    I love these puzzles that don't resort to too many suffixes just to make longer words (the odious RIPPLIER sticking out like a sore thumb in that regard).

    Oh, and can we please be done with the "half a fly" cluing for TSE? I'm so over that...

    ReplyDelete
  54. For those who don't doitinink, I suggest my perfect solution. I use an erasable pen. I can see the letters better, but can erase perfectly easily.

    ReplyDelete
  55. @c.c.: kittyb is correct, PK is for preacher's kid. my father is fluent in ancient greek, and my mother was a sunday school teacher, and graduated from seminary school.

    i did not know that the pansy was a symbol for free thinkers, but it does seem fitting for you. delicate and beautiful.

    @sallie: i also use erasable pen when solving on paper - don't like using pencil.

    ReplyDelete
  56. C.C.- Yes, Jeff was there and showed us how much love and training he provides to all of his dogs. He has 3 daughters who name all of their litters . When they were young they had cute names from Disney movies,etc. Now they have really unusual names. One of the last litters was named after "International Currency":Euro, Peso, Guilder, Kroner, Rouble, Shilling, and Lire. Their mom is Dollar. Two from the "Rental Car" litter are named Hertz and Budget.
    I enjoyed your link to flowers. I had forgotton that so many flowers carried the burden of ancient symbolism. I wonder what those strange Birds of Paradise symbolize? There were so many of them in Newport Beach.

    Clear Ayes, we'll be celebrating our 40th next June, on Flag Day.Although at times we are both mighty boring, it's a very comfortable relationship, and I wouldn't want to start all over again.
    I picked up a carton of my favorite ice cream today( Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch), just thinking about your soiree. Have fun!We're having a simple version of Coq au Vin.

    Ladies, tell me more about the Red Hat groups.

    ReplyDelete
  57. When a pollinator, usually a sunbird, lands on the arrowhead in search of nectar, the anthers are levered clear of the Birds of Paradise flower and deposit pollen on the breast of the bird. When the bird flies to another plant, this pollen is transferred to the stigma of the new flower.TA DA!

    LOL I was looking for any symbolism connected to the Bird of Paradise, and this is what I found. Oh, it is a symbol of Paradise.Duh

    ReplyDelete
  58. C.C.
    Thanks for the link on flowers – I have it bookmarked now.

    Have you seen the tribute to Vincent Van Gogh on YouTube? It’s great, showing so many of his paintings, with Starry Starry Night used as background music. I had not seen it until today. Angelo Gnazzo, an artist who visits the library, told me about it. His website is

    http://angelognazzo.artspan.com/


    Clear Ayes,
    Eagle parents share equally in feeding and protecting their young.

    There’s a restoration project in the Channel Islands with a live cam.
    Since I’ve never figured how to get past the ‘open tag’ error message when I try to make a link on my Mac, all I can do is copy the address here, but it’s really fun to watch them.

    http://chil.vcoe.org/eagle_cam.htm

    ReplyDelete
  59. J.D

    Welcome back.

    Heath Bar Crunch is my favorite ice cream, too. Yum.


    Thanks for all the info about the husky pups.

    I received an email about new dog breeds today - I like the
    Collie + Lhasa Apso

    Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport, and

    Pekingese + Lhasa Apso

    Peekasso, an abstract dog

    ReplyDelete
  60. Barb, I'll have to share those new dogs with Dear Husband. He'll enjoy the names, if not the long hair!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Clear Ayes,Peregrine falcons also share in the care and feeding. For the past 2 springs we've had a live web cam on top of our San Jose City Hall where "Clara" has made her home. Last year's guy flew the coop, but then she enticed Jose to her lair and they had 3 eggs, only 2 hatched. I kept this on all day in my classroom, and so we saw the eggs hatch, and those ugly little guys got feathers. We even watched the flying lessons. All fun.

    Barb B: I'd love to get a collapso!!We miss our dog, but will wait as we have begun to travel a bit.

    Kittyb:Dollar, the mom,is from the "Rental Car" litter,Avis, Thrifty. There were 2 in the peanut butter litter: Jif and Skippy. The Football team gang had great names: Titan, Bronco, Bengal, Charger, Cowboy, and Bear. Bear was probably the mother to the "Bear litter":Teddy, Koala, Panda, Kodiak, Grizzly, and Polar.

    ReplyDelete
  62. On the topic of red hat groups...We have a small group of about a dozen here who don't do hats and purple dresses, but we call ouselves the "old broads" (or sometimes O.B.s for short, since we rejoice in not needing those any more!) and go out for lunch or dinner whenever things get too boring. Most are teachers or retired teachers.
    I really enjoyed seeing so many bald eagles in Alaska last June. They are magnificent!

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.