google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday October 31, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

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Oct 31, 2008

Friday October 31, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: "Classical" Songs

17A: Hit by Della Reese and Puccini: DON'T YOU KNOW

39A: Hit by the Toys and Bach: A LOVER'S CONCERTO

65A: Hit by Eric Carmen and Rachmaninoff: ALL BY MYSELF

Is there a special term for this kind of classical music adapted song? Covering? Are there any other songs inspired by classical music?

This is Eric Carmen's "ALL BY MYSELF", and here is Rachmanioff's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor". I cannot really tell which part is plagiarized, can you?

Too many proper names in the grid. I was expecting a Halloween themed puzzle today.

I did not like the NAT clue (19A: Country: abbr.). "___ King Cole" would have fit the theme better. "Amtrak" should be added to the ACELA clue (15A: Bullet train).

Across:

1A: Mr. Basketball of the 1950s: MIKAN (George). He's a legend in Minnesota. Played for the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1950s. So sad that he had to sell his memorabilia to pay his medical cost.

6A: Sports commentator Albom: MITCH. ALBOM was clued as "Tuesdays With Morrie" author Mitch not long ago.

26A: Ms. enclosure: SAE

28A: Composer Schifrin: LALO. No idea. He composed the theme music for "Mission Impossible".

33A: "Original Sin" novelist: P. D. JAMES. I googled her name. What's the book about? (Southern Belle, thanks.)

37A: Rodeo type: LARIAT. What's the difference among LARIAT, lasso and riata?

44A: __ Island, NY: STATEN. Vaguely remember this Island from watching "Law & Order" reruns. Wikipedia says "Godfather" and "Working Girl" were shot there.

46A: Typical one: EPITOME. My first thought was EXAMPLE.

52A: Lawless princess?: XENA. Lucy Lawless has remarried. I wonder if she still keeps her Lawless surname.

57A: Part of CAP: PATROL. CAP is Civil Air PATROL. New to me.

68A: Stimpy's pal: REN. "You eediot!" Learned from doing Xword.

69A: Deejay Casey: KASEM. Another google for me. I've never listened to "American Top 40/20/10". Wikipedia says he provided the voice for Shaggy on "Scooby-Doo".

72A: Temples: SHULS. Somehow I always associate "Temples" with "pagodas". I suppose it's because I grew up in a city famous for its Wild Goose Pagoda, which is closer to downtown Xi'An than the Terra Cotta Warriors' Tomb.

Down:

1D: 1401: MCDI

4D: Montezuma, notably: AZTEC. Clue me next time! (San Diego State)

5D: Napoleon's commander at Waterloo: NEY (Michel). I am just so obsessed with this nickname: "bravest of the brave".

7D: Interior Secretary under FDR: ICKES (Harold L). Wikipedia says he is "the longest serving Cabinet officer of any department in U.S. history". His son Harold M. ICKES was Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff. (Note: James Wilson served as Secretary of Agriculture for 16 years under four presidents. Thanks, Jim Fratzke.)

11D: Small chicken: BANTAM. Named after the Indonesia city BANTAM. I've never heard of this breed of tiny chicken before.

13D: From the sublime to the ridiculous: BATHOS. I obtained this word after I cheated on P. D. JAMES. How is different from PATHOS?

32D: Long overcoat: ULSTER. Named after ULSTER the Irish province.

34D: ___ ladder: JACOB'S. Again, without P. D. JAMES, I would not have got this word. Remember Jacob's tears we had several weeks ago?

40D: West bank city: RAMALLAH. See this map. The Palestinian Authority is located there.

42D: Credit-tracking corp.: TRW. Unknown to me. It's now called Experian. So the clue should have "old" as a hint.

48D: Have in mind: INTEND

54D: Vocalist Mercer: MABEL. This is her "Isn't He Adorable". I've never heard of her before. "Vocalist" is the same as "Singer", right?

63D: Cookout brand: T-FAL. Do you own any Emerilware applicance?

66D: Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. The Fighting Tigers. Shaq's alma mater.

67D: Fashion letters: YSL. I am still in love with YSL Opium.

C.C.

45 comments:

Barb B said...

Pretty easy ride today; I had to google ICKES, and only got ACELA from that. Without red letters, I’d still be working on it.

I didn’t know Mican, Ara Parseghian, Inge or Ren; only got them from the crosses.

I like Bantam above Roosters – Those little banties roost in trees and strut their stuff like they own the world. My sister named one Danny McShane after the Texas (and later world) heavyweight wrestler famous for his double foot stomp.

When it comes to songs set to classical music, Elvis Presley must be ‘The King.” I found a list at ttp://www.loti.com/Elvis_covers_the_classics.htm

Love Me Tender = Aura Lee
It’s Now or Never = O Sole Mio
Surrender = Return to Sorrento
Tonight is So Right for Love = Tales of the Vienna Woods
Almost Always True = Alluette
No More = La Paloma
Can’t Help Falling in Love = Martini & Martini’s “Plaisir d’Amour”.
Today, Tomorrow and Forever is actually Liszt’s “Lieberstraume No, 3 in A Flat”
Five Sleepy Heads”, a covering for Brahms’ “Lullaby”
Stay Away = Greensleeves

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dr. Dad,
Thanks for the PISH yesterday. Are you a birder?

Buckeye,
What is "all fairy and hardy"? Is it an idiom?

Doesitinink,
Last night I heard a taped recording of RFK's "pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart" lines you quoted yesterday. They were actually delivered after Martin Luther King Jr's death.

Clear Ayes,
"Don't worry, you won't be refused at the polls, but you may be asked to remove your cap, wear a very ugly plastic apron over your shirt, or even asked to vote and skedaddle. " Why "wear a very ugly plastic apron over your shirt"?

Kazie,
I have no knowledge on unripe salmon. I like perfectly ripe things, including minds. Can you translate "L'heure, c'est l'heure" into "Act now"?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Barb B,
Great to see you so earlier in the morning. Thank you so much for the list. Are those BANTAM roosters pets or are they also served as food?

Martin said...

Easy? I picked up the paper today and I found it quite difficult: I was able to guess at RAMALLAH (knowing that Palestinians are Moslem and they worship Allah) so I was able to get SHULS because MABEL is a very common name: I still had to google it when I got home though to see if it was right.

Other names, words or phrases I had to google were MIKAN, MITCH Albom, BOB haircut, ARA Parseghian, ICKES, LALO Schifrin and DON'T YOU KNOW. I had CRAM for 2D instead of IRON so I couldn't figure out the first theme fill.

My sister likes P.D. James: he's a mystery writer. For "first drawing" my first reaction was RAFFLE instead of SKETCH: I was trying to think outside the box. Meanwhile, "Limb" could have been either LEG or ARM and "Mature" could have been either OLD or AGE and "Quite happy" could have been SO GLAD or CHEERY in addition to ELATED so I had to rely on perps a lot.

For a while I had A LOVE IS CANCER, NO? across the middle of my puzzle and I thought "What a depressing song title!" I got APRONS and then the whole bottom of the puzzle fell into place.

Martin

Dick said...

Good morning Cc, DFs and DFettes...I got off to a rather auspicious start this AM as I did not know 1across. Fortunately it fell into place with the crosses. I did struggle mightily with the NE corner and finally got the fills. It was fairly smooth going after that.

Today it is supposed to be in the 60s so I will try to get some time on the links. Hope you all have a great day.

mariposa said...

Good morning c.c. and all.
I only had a few stumbles this morning most everthing filled itself in.Had to google to get writers names but that's about all the help I needed.
I am somewhat familiar with Civil Air Patrol. My son an husband are both members. Their groups specialty is communications. Other groups have different areas of expertise. Many times they assist with search and rescue.

Dick said...

@Cc where is Dennis?

Barry G. said...

*ugh*

Sorry, but today's puzzle was more of a chore than a delight for me. As C. C. pointed out, there were waaaay too many proper nouns, many of which were complete unknowns to me. MIKAN? ICKES? RAMALLAH? MABEL? TFAL? On top of that, I'd only ever heard of one of the three theme songs (ALL BY MYSELF).

I will say that I eventually was able to complete the puzzle unassisted, but it was a real slog. What saved me is that I actually did know (and could remember) some of the names, such as LALO, KASEM, NEY and PD JAMES. Plus, PATROL was a total gimme for me, since I was actually a member of the Civil Air Patrol when I was 12-years-old. I don't remember any specialty, though -- we just had marching drills and the occasional bivouac. Basically, it was like Cub Scouts but with cooler uniforms....

Dr. Dad said...

Guten morgen, meine Freunde. And Happy Halloween!!

A bit of googling - shuls, bathos, bantam (I knew it after I found it,just forgot).

George Mikan - when they were the Minneapolis Lakers.

C.C. - no, I am not a birder. We do however have a cockatiel in the house that wakes us up every morning. No sleeping in on Saturday or Sunday.

Ditto, Dick. Where the hell is Dennis?

Of course, today is Halloween. Spooks, goblins, and ghosts.
All Hallow's Eve, the Eve of All Saints' Day (originally the Eve of All Hallow's Day).

It is also Increase Your Psychic Powers Day. Go ahead - read my mind.

Have a great day.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dick & Dr. Dad,
Dennis is either still busy celebrating Phillies' World Series win or mad at me for the 3-post per day limit.

Mariposa et al,
Happy Halloween!

Anonymous said...

Morning all: Really liked the puzzle today. ICKES was an answer on Jeopardy this week and the few names I didn't know, just fell in place.
C.C. and others: P.D. James is female and an excellent English author. I'm sure many can't wait to tell you this info. C.C.: I really admire you for understanding so many American words.

Martin said...

C.C.,

I googled BATHOS to see if there was such a word: apparently it has to do with bad (ie ridiculous) poetry whereas PATHOS has to do with drama.

BANTAM I was able to guess: in boxing there is a BANTAMweight division: they are heavier than featherweights and flyweights and less heavy than heavyweights. I don't know what all the divisions are or whether the BANTAM in BANTAMweight actually refers to the chicken: I don't follow boxing; it is very popular in the Philippines though and is constantly on Tv over there.

Martin (That's two!)

Jeanne said...

Morning all,
I really thought I was getting better at x/words, but this week changed my mind. Had trouble with today's puzzle; too many Googles to make it fun for me. Trying to do Newsday and Houston Chronicle puzzles everyday when I have a chance. Doing puzzles is easier online but I still prefer pen and paper in hand.

The World Series was fun and the ending exciting. Philly is celebrating today with a massive parade. I celebrated with a glass of wine and a big smile. Now if only the Eagles......

Have a great weekend.

dugglesmack said...

Morning all and a Happy Halloween!
barb b - you are on target with your mention of Elvis and classical music. In fact, as soon as I figured out the theme, I was expecting to find one of the songs you mentioned in the puzzle! Like Barry, the first song title that jumped out at me was Eric Carmen's. I had to get quite a few of the crosses before the rest revealed themselves to my feeble brain... ;-)

Once I got MIKA? I remembered the guy, but I struggled to remember the last letter of his name... the 50's was a loooonnnngggg time ago. I think I remember having a basketball trading card with him on it.

I also struggled to the point of just giving up with BATHOS - I don't ever remember this word popping up before. I had PATHOS without looking up the definition, thinking maybe it was a little used meaning of the word, so I tried to figure out if "BOP" was a hairstyle fad I might have missed. (it seems I miss quite a lot nowadays!)

Other than that it seemed to flow pretty well. Being in music, I always enjoy the musical themes!

kazie said...

Happy Halloween to all!

That said...

Ugh!!
I'm joining Barry in his opinion of this one. I had to google just about everything, and had no fun with it at all, so I won't even begin to comment on what I didn't know. I have absolutely no interest in sport, no knowledge of musicians--I like to listen, but don't pay attention to whose it is, and never seem to find time to read books, so don't know much about authors either.

I still don't have the answers to 12D or 22A. Is a warmonger a hawk?

c.c., The "l'heure, c'est l'heure" expression has more to do with the French habit of accepting late arrivals to rendez-vous. I think it's meant as a gentle rebuke for the latecomers and those who arrive too early. "Act now" would be a good side meaning, but I don't think it's used that way.

Boomer said...

As usual, I only completed about half of the puzzle, too many names of people I didn't know. One that gave me no problem was 1A Big George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers. That's right - The LA Laker team of the present was actually nicknamed from the land of 10,000 lakes. George was a giant of the NBA at 6'10". He would probably be a guard nowadays. Two of his sons, Larry and Terry played hoops for Benilde HS in St. Louis Park, MN, also my alma mater. They were a couple of years behind me, and led the team to a state championship. Larry went on to be a Gopher and played in the NBA for a couple of years. I went on to be a league bowler. Oh Well.

kazie said...

Sorry--I had buz for 11A, then only changed the b for bathos after coming here--now I see oracle and sketch. It doen't help to be in too much hurry to go somewhere!

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

i was also expecting a halloween theme today. hmph. just couldn't get into this one .. i usually like musical themes but this seemed so bland. maybe it's just me. never heard of acela, lalo or bathos.

bantam above roosters, good eye barb b .. quite the early bird today!

happy halloween to all

Anonymous said...

Happy Halloween All!

Like others I was hoping for a Halloween theme, but the music one was alright.

Didn't have too bad of a time, I knew most of the names, surprisingly.

Dennis-It's strange not to see you be the first poster. I hope all is well!

Barb B-Great to have you here so early!

Have a great day all!

Unknown said...

Harold L. Ickes served on the cabinet for 13 years. He was not the longest. My great great uncle, James Wilson, served as Secretary of Agriculture for 16 years under four presidents. Jim Fratzke

xchefwalt said...

Good morning c.c, DF’s and all! Another spectacular day in Florida! There is no wind today, so I’m hoping to set up my fog machine tonight and spook some trick or treaters. I will be dressed as a dead renaissance nobleman. What other costumes are out there?

I would think Dennis is still buzzed about the Phils and is in the City of Brotherly Love for the parade today. It should be fun.

@martin- P.D. James is a woman (Phyllis Dorothy).

Poco Harum’s ‘Whiter shade of Pale’ is based on JS Bach’s ‘Air on a G String’ (I wasn’t aware they were around back then)!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Anonymous said...

mark - buenos Aires

P D James is (I think she is still alive) one of my favourite authors. She had a long career in the civil service and took to writing after she retired. In her eighties she is still writing the Inspector Dalgleish novels - they are classics to me. Such an active mind for one so old is an example of how to live life.

I kept bantams and would be more happy with the clue "small hen". To me, a chicken is dead and a hen is a premortal chicken. (Like the Spanish for fish - "pez" when alive in the water, "pescados" when bought at the fishmonger.

I also had "bop" for the hairdo.

As others I hate these general knowledge clues - and putting together clues like "lisol" and "sarta" make educated guesses impossible.

I hope this doesnt offend-
"You cant catch AIDS from parrots - but you can from a cockatoo"

have a good weekend to all

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I liked this puzzle. It was just different enough. I like proper names...at least when the names are show biz related. I'm not too good at sports names though. I didn't know MIKAN.

Della Reese's DON"T YOU KNOW was a favorite "our song" with my first steady boyfriend in 1959. For comparison, 1950's opera star Marguerite Piazza's Musetta's Waltz

Harold ICKES was a Jeopardy clue last night. That was a help this morning.

About EPITOME, I always thought it meant an "excellent example" of a subject, not just "typical".

The surrounds helped with other answers I didn't know, like BATHOS, RAMALLAH and PATROL.

C.C. About the "ugly plastic apron", it may be different in other States, but in our area, our poll supplies contain a couple of cheap plastic aprons. They will be offered to voters who are wearing T-shirts endorsing particular candidates or political parties.

I feel like today is when the holiday season kicks in. Happy Halloween, everyone!

It Must be October

The harvest moon hangs round and high
It dodges clouds high in the sky,
The stars wink down their love and mirth
The Autumn season is giving birth.
Oh, it must be October
The leaves of red bright gold and brown,
To Mother Earth come tumbling down,
The breezy nights the ghostly sights,
The eerie spooky far off sounds
Are signs that it's October.
The pumpkins yellow,. big and round
Are carried by costumed clumsy clowns
It's Halloween - let's celebrate."

- Pearl N. Sorrels

Anonymous said...

I agree, as does the Oxford Compact Dictionary, that epitome is not just "typical".
• noun 1 (the epitome of) a perfect example of (a quality or type).

On to bathos: NOUN: An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect.

I was stuck on many things today, and epitome and bathos were some of my hang-ups. I tried to get two titles on the theme questions. Took it too literally, and don't know modern music.
Happy Hallow e'en everyone.

melissa bee said...

a halloween xword

signs you are too old for trick or treating:

you avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live

you have to have someone chew the candy for you

by the end of the night you have a bag full of restraining orders

not for the easily offended: a halloween tune

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all,

Had to google a few today. Didn't care for this crossword puzzle today with all the proper nouns. I can never remember Acela, always want Abela or Adela, so couldn't get Ickes either. Could not remember Lalo either so googled it and then that corner fell into place. Mikan only came from the perps as did Ramallah and Inge.

Kasie: Yes,12D is Hawk and 22A is Sketch


Have a wonderful Day everyone!

papajim said...

I've been doing this puzzle for over 40 years, but I got stumped by bathos and the general theme itself. I know nothing about puzzle construction, I didn't even know that most puzzles look the same upside down until last year.
I don't use google or other electronic means for answers, so when I give up, I come here.
Does anyone remember the Little Fooler from the Sun Times in Chicago circa 1955?
Thanks again!!

xchefwalt said...

Another thought on BANTAM: I had no idea what that was until today- my knowledge of the word comes strictly from youth hockey, where that is one of the age divisions. They are: Mite (U8), Squirt (U10), Pee-Wee (U12), BANTAM (U14) and Midget (U16). I have no idea how those names came about or why that order. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

steve said...

Help me out here, why is Ms. enclosure; SAE?

Matt said...

Lover's Concerto melody is based on themes from Musetta's Waltz from La Boeheme by Puccini

Delle Reese sang All By Myself which derives from Bach's Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebook.

This from my sister, Kathleen

Anonymous said...

Hello C.C and all ,

Did not care for the c/w today.
Had to G a lot and never did finish the bottom.

Good news ..my 93 yr old mother who had her breast removed 2 wks ago is now clear of cancer!
Instead of chemo and radiation she will take tomoxafin.

Happy Halloween!!
Geri

Anonymous said...

steve,
self-addressed envelope (sae) for manuscript (ms.) enclosure.

embien said...

13:21 today. Even all the names and song titles couldn't defeat me today, but it took a lot longer than usual to solve the puzzle.

11d: Small chicken (BANTAM) was a gimme for me since we used to raise bantams (mainly cochins and brahmas, actually). Most people who keep bantams raise them for their eggs (smaller than normal hen eggs) as there isn't really enough meat on them to keep them for chicken dinners. If you want to see a lot of cute bantams, go to feathersite.com

Sadly, all our chickens and ducks are gone now (coyotes, hawks and raccoons).

"Original Sin" is a mystery novel featuring PD James' Scotland Yard detective, Adam Dalgleish. Viewers of the "Mystery!" program on PBS may well remember a bunch of Dalgleish stories. I'm not sure if "Original Sin" was one of them. Original Sin

DoesItinInk said...

cc: I have only a few minutes before I have to leave to pick up my daughter at Union Station.... I hope I am not repeating anyone else's post. Regarding, the Rachmaninoff concerto #2, the plagarized portion comes in the second movement. I think you will easily recongize it in this recording by Amy Cheng.

TTFN

Jeannie said...

I too had a heck of a time with todays puzzle. I hate to hit the "g" spot more than a couple of times as I feel I am cheating, so I came here to cheat. I too, miss Dennis, where the heck are you?

xchefwalt, good to see you here again. My costume kind of ties in with yours, imagine that. I am going as a buxom wench from that period. Can you picture it?

Well, Happy Halloweenie to all you df's and df wannabees out there. I think I am going to head out to the shed and hopefully I won't expire before the peaked craze reaches its epitome.

drdad and xchef, can you read my thoughts? They are right along the thinking of yours!

carol said...

Hi all, had to look things up today - no google, Joe had my laptop for several hours.

Geri, so glad to hear about your Mother!!

The picture you see is of my 'Monster Man'(I named him Herman) and constructed him in 1987..I was the first in this area to do any 'heavy' decorating for Halloween. Needless to say 'Herman' scared many little kids. Oh well, that's all part of the fun in my book. The only thing I had to buy at a store for him was his face mask. I did the ghost, painted the pumkins and made a giant spider web from bamboo stakes I painted white and white yarn. (the web does not show here). It was lots of fun, but a few years ago, kids started pulling the head off Herman, and throwing my pumpkins in the street. I do nothing for Halloween anymore.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Martin,
Thanks for the BANTAMweight earlier. I've never heard of it before. Featherweight, flyweight, interesting names.

Dugglesmack,
Good to finally "see" you!

Jim Fratzke,
Wow, you are right. James Wilson is indeed the longest serving cabinet member in US history. Sorry about my inaccurate information on Harold L. Ickes earlier.

Matt,
Thanks for the information. And a warm welcome!

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Xchefwalt,
Thank you for the "Whiter shade of Pale". Such a stark and evocative song title.

Melissa,
That's one scary song.

Papajim,
Is Little Fooler a clown?

Geri,
I am so happy to hear the great news on your mom. She is a strong woman.

Embien,
The BANTAM link looks very familiar, you must have shown it to us before. What is the average size of a BANTAM egg? Is the taste different from the normal egg?

Mr. Ed said...

G'day C.C. & all

Just checking in for a quickie(I know, I know) today... still have a plate with six eggs on it to deal with. TGIF!!!

This was a good xword for me. It was tough but I've grown to understand Parrish a little better so I can think a little like he thinks... it helps. I managed a blackout again but had to let my brain settle and come back to it a couple of times to get it done.

Nothing provocative on my end so Happy Halloween all & I'm outta here.

ttfn

embien said...

@c.c.: Embien,
The BANTAM link looks very familiar, you must have shown it to us before. What is the average size of a BANTAM egg? Is the taste different from the normal egg?


Sorry for repeating the link. I didn't remember posting it before.

Bantam eggs are roughly half the size of a normal hen's egg. They come in different colors, depending on the breed (just like "normal" hens). The taste of the bantam egg is the same as that of a normal hen's.

(Unlike duck eggs which taste quite a bit different, which you probably know. There are many oriental dishes which utilize duck eggs--Vietnamese specifically. I personally don't care for the taste of duck eggs and only used them in baking.)

Anonymous said...

HI C.C.

In response to your question on bantam chickens, we had bantam chickens on the farm I grew up on. Barb is right, the roosters do strut thier stuff. The ones to watch out for were the bantam hens, or "bantie hens" as we affectionately called them. Those little terrors were unafraid of anything when they had their chicks with them. No cat, dog or weasel dared to try to molest their chicks or nests.
I have watched a full grown german shepard dog get the crap beat out him by just one bantie hen.
Needless to say we kids gave them a wide berth.

seeya Whoo

Clear Ayes said...

"It was a dark and stormy night." That is a perfect description of what our Halloween evening is turning out to be. It has been raining on and off all day and we've had quite a bit of wind too.

Now that we live on a hill at the end of a long driveway we don't usually have Trick-or-Treaters. That is a lot different from when we lived in Southern California when we had about two hundred little ghouls and ghosts. I kind of miss it.

Geri, Give your Mom a big "Atta, Girl". She is amazingly strong.

Dugglesmack, "Being in music", are you a musician? There are several very knowledgeable musicians who post here.

Carol, It's a shame when kids take the fun out a holiday with dumb vandalism.

I don't know a lot about boxing, but my husband does. He is a lifelong fan. He tells me that Bantamweights are over 115 lbs to 118 lbs, and Super Bantamweights are over 118 to 122 lbs. Flyweights are lighter and Featherweights are heavier than Bantamweights. There are 17 professional weight classes in all.

C.C. Being able to see the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an was one of the main reasons G.A.H. and I visited China in 2005. It was one of the most thrilling experiences I've ever had.

BTW, YSL Opium is a favorite of mine too.

Barb B said...

I'm happy some of you were glad to see me so early - 3:45 my time. It won't happen often. It's called insomnia, and I don't resist it - just get up and do stuff and hope I'm tired enough to sleep soon. With 4 hrs sleep last night and the bonfire celebration tonight, I should be on normal time by tomorrow.

Loved all the bantam chicken discussion.

Bantum over rooster is funny to me because it’s so counter to nature (if you're talking about a bantam hen.) If you enter a chicken house and the chickens feel threatened, the rooster jumps on a hen’s back, digs his claws in and challenges the intruder. Not a pretty sight for a feminist, but the hen seems to feel protected. Indeed, the intruder will have to deal with the rooster before he can reach the hen. As Whooinhell2000 says, any chicken can put up a good fight.

On the other hand, If you enter stealthily at night without waking them, grab their feet and tip them upside down quickly, they freeze. It’s how I moved them from one place to another without all the flapping, crowing, and posturing

MelissaBee
That is a cool Steve Lynch video.

Anonymous said...

geri: What great news about your mom. She must be an astonishing woman. Hope all continues to go well. I had breast cancer in 1991, and am still fine. Altho I was not 93 went I had my lumpectomy.

kazie said...

Geri,
Extremely good news about your mother.

The weather here has held up nice and warm for the little hob-goblins tonight. We don't get as many any more either.

My first choice for the small chicken was pullet, but that didn't work with the crosses I did figure out. Once I had the two "a's" in it, bantam came to me.

My perfume at the moment is Calvin Klein's Euphoria, but I used to use Opium too. They're both really nice.