google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday October 8, 2008 Doug Peterson

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Oct 8, 2008

Wednesday October 8, 2008 Doug Peterson

Theme: Oops!

17A: Beginning of autumn: FALL EQUINOX

28A: Cam-controlled tool: TRIP HAMMER

44A: Windblown vegetation: TUMBLE WEED

60A: Place to jot a note: SLIP OF PAPER

Great puzzle. Very smooth. Lots of nice compound words.

Only one letter (Z) away from a pangram. Did you notice that we only have 35 blocks today? So many times we have been offered a 38-block puzzle. I think that's the maximum number of blocks allowed in a grid.

Was ALAN (22A: Sillitoe or Paton) a gimme for you? I found this clue to be very obscure. I guess I am used to the ALAN Alda/Greenspan/Shepard clue. Tell me who is your favorite famous ALAN.

Have a look at Justin Smith's new puzzle site when you have time. He says he adds puzzles and updates daily.

Across:

1A: Token booth: KIOSK. Besides Kodak, knack, knock, can you think of any other 5-letter word that starts and ends with letter K?

6A: Kick out: EJECT. I like how it crosses JOINS IN (7D: Becomes part of).

11A: 2nd sight: ESP. I don't understand this one. "Sixth sense" yes, but why "2nd sight"?

15A: Shearer of "The Red Shoes": MOIRA. I've never heard of her before. See "The Red Shoes" clip. The music sounds great. Dictionary says MOIRA is also the personification of fate in Greek mythology.

25A: Thin pancake: CREPE. Here is some raspberry CREPE suzette for you, Razzberry. It has real flour.

35A: Russian horseman: COSSACK. No idea. Dictionary says it's a Turkish word meaning "adventurer". They are noted for "their horsemanship and military skill; they formed an elite cavalry corps in czarist Russia." See this clip. Taras Bulba is an Urkraine COSSACK.

41A: Infamous cow owner: O'LEARY (Catherine). I forgot. She appeared in our puzzle before, clued as "Chicago cow owner". (Addendum: Today is Mrs. O'LEARY's Cow Day. Nice one, Editor).

43A: Steps over a wall: STILE. What wall?

50A: One-ups: TRUMPS. Not us? You are fired.

59A: Verizon, once: GTE. It's merged with Bell Atlantic in 2000. Verizon is probably one of the better performers of Dow 30. Immelt, you are no Jack Welch.

66A: Pages in papers: OP-EDS. Ha, I struggled with this one.

67A: Rumormonger: YENTA. The name of the matchmaker in "Fiddler on the Roof" YENTE.

Down:

1D: Diplomat Anna: KOFI. I find it very hard to understand Ban Ki-moon's English.

8D: "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. Enjoy this bit of Mozart. "Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius".

12D: Mexican shawl: SERAPE. It's the same as poncho, right? I like these ones.

13D: Board smoother: PLANER. What's the difference between a plane and a PLANER? Don't you call a worker who uses the plane to smooth things a PLANER also?

26D: Space-saving abbr. ETC

27D: Old card game: LOO. I've never played it. I really like "Elton's john?" clue for LOO, so clever. See here, Barry Silk's "Curly Poker" (MOE) made Paul's "Clever Clue of the Month".

29D: Devout request: PRAYER

39D: Land in la mer: ILE

45D: Long overcoat: ULSTER. I've never heard of ULSTER coat before.

46D: King novel: MISERY. No idea. Is it good?

47D: Hilary of pop: DUFF. She is so sweet. Her sister Haylie is very pretty too. We just had Howard DUFF last Wednesday.

51D: One of Potter's rabbits: MOPSY. Absolutely no idea. I've never read any Harry Potter novel. (Addendum: My bad. Potter here refers Beatrix Potter).

55D: Center of activity: HIVE. This reminds me of the Beehive hair.

C.C.

101 comments:

Bill said...

I’m typing this before CC has posted. My assumption is that I have everything correct. I may be proven wrong!! (But, I don’t think so.)

Wow! Another easy day. What’s going on? Are we being set up?
I didn’t have any unknowns, strange words, or NON words to figure out. All-in all
kinda boring I guess. I have a feeling I’ll pay for that comment.
Dennis, See , as you age, your toes always make contact with hard objects before your eye sends the message to your brain to PICK UP YOUR FEET!!! Sorry about your accident. SoCo’s good, but for instances like that, I prefer ginger brandy. That way I can ward of pain and the possibility of catching the flu at the same time.
It is ALL for medicinal purposes, isn’t it?
CY’all later

Martin said...

I just did it on line. What a time saver! I finsihed it in 18 minutes and 24 seconds. I didn't need google: I just kept changing my answers until the letters turned black. Unknowns for me were SERAPE, STILE and YENTA: as these didn't cross, I didn't have to resort to entering random letters. I did put in EVICT for EJECT though.

Martin

Dennis said...

Good morning, c.c. and gang - did this one online this morning, since the rocket scientist doubling as the paper delivery guy threw the paper into the sprinklers.
No real issues with the puzzle; got it done in a tad over 4 minutes. c.c., I got a kick out of your 'oops' theme, given my mishap yesterday.

Have a great hump day.

Bill said...

CC, Beatrix Potter

Chris in LA said...

Good morning CC etal,
2nd google-free puzzle this week for me - no real struggles.
CC: re "K" question:

River transport - kayak
Savalas caracter - Kojak
NY hoopster - Knick
Hogan's foe - Klink
Less tha a ruble - kopek

Have a great day!

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

Bill,
Thanks for the link. I thought MOPSY is from the Harry Potter series.

Dennis,
Ouch! How could you hurt your toe so badly? Do you have to give up on the big race then?

Chris,
Very nice K???K words. How is the wedding? Can you tell me more about the stage props? What exactly are they?

Dick said...

Good morning Cc, DFs and DFettes...Another easy one today but an enjoyable one. I did not need any help to get all the fills.

I did not like the clue for 11a but it was easy to get from the perps.

Like the rest of you I am waiting for the hammer to fall. Not much more to add to today's CW. Hope you all have a great day. BTW Dennis I am sorry to hear about your toe. Hope it gets better soon.

KittyB said...

Darnit, Bill....I was going to tell her.... (just a little pout and foot-stamp, there)

Good morning, C.C. and all.

I can see that I have to go back to see what happened after I posted yesterday. Dennis, it sounds like you're yet livin....sorry about the mishap.

This was an incredibly easy puzzle. The few words I didn't know came from the fills before I had to deal with them, except for ALAN. I had 'evict' for EJECT to start with, but realized the error right away.

Mrs. O'Leary is supposed to have set down her lamp when she went to milk the cow one night, and the cow kicked over the lamp, starting the fire storm that took out a major portion of Chicago, October 8 to October 10, 1871. Historians have cleared the cow of charges. The largest forest fire recorded in North America took place at the same time around Peshtigo, Wisconsin.

Raspberries are my favorite fruit!

I wonder if the tool that uses elbow-grease to function is a PLANE, while the electric version, or the floor-standing version is a PLANER?

C.C., Moira Shearer is synonymous with the "Red Shoes" in the minds of most American baby-boomer women. A lot of little girls took ballet because of that movie.

We have an oddity in our family. My mother's birthday happens to also be Pearl Harbor Day. My birthday falls on the day the Chicago fire began. I hit the big Six-O today.

The rain seems to be moving through. We got the much needed precipitation yesterday, but this afternoon should be lovely. I can't ask for more.

Have a good day, all!

Chris in LA said...

CC:
The wedding was beautiful - my daughter was absolutely radiant & it was nice to see my family again as we're all pretty far-flung.

Re: stage props - they are those items used by actors as a part of the business on stage. For example - swords, guns, goblets, stools, chairs, etc. Basically everything that's not tied down or a part of the set is referred to as a prop (short for property). And, before you ask, no, I am not aware of the origin of the term, but I suspect it dates back to the early days of theater when, I imagine, props were probably borrowed from people for use in the production - just a SWAG, I could be wrong.

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

Dick et al,
Do you know why IZOD Center is called IZOD?

Cokato,
Now Dennis is on DL. Maybe he has time to muse about your fine tip question. You should ask him again.

Kittyb,
Happy Birthday!. I think Ken did not see your 2 Ken's question. Ken use to be based in VA, where Lois now lives. And his daughter now lives somewhere near Perry OK. And Lois is very familiar with this place.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Not much time to chat today, as I have an all-day training session starting in a little while....

Easy puzzle for me today! No stumbles, and the only unknown was ALAN (which was easily gettable via the perps). I did learn one interesting fact today, though -- I had no idea that Verizon used to be GTE! I remember the old GTE commercials where the announcer would mention something impressive the company was doing, a random person was say, "Gee!" and the announcer would say, "no, GTE!" In fact, just the otehr day I heard somebody say "gee!" and I started wondering whatever happened to that company. Well, now I know! Assuming I can trust a crossword puzzle to provide me accurate information, of course...

ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) is often referred to as a form of "second sight" because it supposedly allows you to see things that are otherwise hidden.

And I'm assuming the IZOD Center is so-named because the clothing manufacturer of the same name bought the naming rights to the arena.

Catch y'all later!

Dennis said...

kittyb, Happy Birthday, and congratulations on reaching a major milestone. Hope it's a great one for you.

KittyB said...

C.C, you're amazing. I can't believe you found a RASPBERRY birthday cake for me! That's really cool!

Thanks for explaining Ken's geography for me.

Dennis, thanks. I hope this will be a wonderful decade.

Dr. Dad said...

Happy Hump Day!

Another easy one, as Bill said. When is the hammer going to arrive?
A hammer was in this puzzle but was easy to get.

Probably Alan Alda.

ESP - the ability to see with a 2nd sight?

There was a movie about Cossacks a long time ago starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis called "Taras Bulba."

The ponch link "these ones" wouldn't open.

I think of a plane as the hand held tool and a planer as the powered machine.

Today it's Hillary. A few puzzles ago it was Howard.

Dennis - I will go back to yesteday and see what accident you had. Hope it's not bad.

chrisinla already listed kayak and Kojak.

KittyB - Happy Birthday.

Today is Yom Kippur (begins at sundown). Only thing I can find. Nothing weird.

See ya!!

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

Barry,
Thanks for ESP and IZOD. Do you know why this clothing manufacturer is called IZOD?

Clear Ayes,
I solved a puzzle which have 4 theme entries:

PURSUE SUPER
SHOGUN GUN SHOW
GERMANE MANGER
FANCY SEA FAN

Theme title: Won Two-to-One

And the constructor explains that "each theme entry is made up of 4 syllables in one-two-two-one structure". I don't understand this. Can you explain it to me?

Dennis said...

drdad, it's National Touch Tag Day. The possibilities are endless...

c.c., yeah, the doc said bike riding was out for a month. Sucks.
By the way, the doctor was a very pretty 30-something redhead. I wish you all could've seen my reaction when she said, "ok, I'm going to have to pull on it a little".

Dr. Dad said...

Dennis - I must (in my DFness) say that yesterday's explanation of bald was clever but you and I both know that explanation does not address the real thought process that was going on. I agree with Cokato - Nice try.

BTW - I saw where you broke your toe. That must hurt like hell. As for keeping your foot above your head, think back to the scope you had a while back. The position you get into for that is probably similar to what is required here. The Siren Sisters said the rest.

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

Dr. Dad,
Besides Dennis' "National Touch Tag Day", today is also Mrs. O'LEARY's Cow Day.

Dennis,
I don't understand "pull on it a little". Is "pull on" a slang or something? This reminds me of Xchefwalt's "pull on my ear" muffin, which I've never fully understood.

Jimbo,
Where did you get your nickname? Do you know that Jimmy Connor is also called Jimbo?

Kazie,
I forgot to thank you for "The Call of the Hebrides". Very nice poem. I love "let me float/Like a bird on the restless seas".

Dennis said...

c.c., you wouldn't be baiting me, would you?
My toe was broken and dislocated, so she had to pull and turn the toe to get it back to proper aligment so it could heal. No mechanical devices were required; it was strictly a hand job.

Dick said...

Cc here is what I found on IZOD. Also, as drdad and Dennis probably know IZOD was a test for testing strength of a material.

In the early 1900s, Vin Draddy, an American businessman started a men's apparel business and needed a strong name to associate with his quality merchandise. Vacationing in London, he encountered a tailor shop in London, Jack Izod's. Jack, a well-respected tailor who made custom shirts for King George V and other royalty, was ready to retire and accepted Vin's offer to purchase the rights to his distinctive name.

Izod is most notable for its pairing with the Lacoste shirt company from 1952-1993, known simply as "Izod Lacoste". While the shirts were equally Izod and Lacoste, they became known and popularized as "Izod" shirts which leads to the common misnomer that the famous "Alligator" is the "Izod" trademark. The two companies ended the partnership in 1993 after after its parent company became too financially burdened. Lacoste was sold off back to France, Izod was sold to British shirtmaker VanHeusen.

Dr. Dad said...

Dennis - C.C. is asking for another of your fine explanations.
Go ahead!!! Make a stab at it (better than the one you just gave). I think you set yourself up with the "hand job" comment as well.

DoesItinInk said...

cc: Since Barry is in an all-day training session, I’ll answer your question:
Theme title: Won Two-to-One where the answers were PURSUE SUPER, SHOGUN GUNSHOW, GERMANE MANGER and FANCY SEAFAN. And the constructor explains that "each theme entry is made up of 4 syllables in one-two-two-one structure". I don't understand this. Can you explain it to me?

Each word of the answer is two syllables where the “one” of the first word has the same sound as the “one” portion of the second word and the “two” of the first word is pronounced the same as the “two” of the second word.

DoesItinInk said...

re-anonymous (yesterday@4:13 pm)…After checking the answers to yesterday’s puzzle in today’s paper, it occurred to me that ‘mota’ is not the Italian word for ‘very’. It is ‘multo’.

Today’s puzzle was very easy. I agree that we should expect the TRIP HAMMER to fall later this week, the puzzles having been generally too easy lately.

ASPIRIN is the only pain reliever I can tolerate. I am one of a small portion of the population that cannot take ibuprofen: it causes sleeplessness. And acetaminophen (Tylenol) taken on a regular basis over a period of time causes a rash.

Jeanne said...

Morning all,
I know it's short lived, but I feel so confident when I don't have to Google. I'll keep the good feeling as long as I can.

Dennis, my inspiration, I'm so sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you heal quickly and if someone can "pull on it" you will have a much happier recovery.

Happy Birthday Kitty. Sixty is a big one-I was really down for about a week before my milestone. Then I was just grateful I made it that long. Sixty-two is great-first SS check is really a big milestone.

Chris, so glad you had a wonderful time at your daughter's wedding. Our family is scattered, too. My son's wedding is one month away in Houston and looking forward to having the whole family together.

Take care all.

Dennis said...

jeanne, 65 is even better in regard to finances; the pensions start rolling in. I've got two, and the first checks just arrived. I like getting money for just being old.

Jeannie said...

It was an easy puzzle for me today. No "g" spot needed at all.

Dennis sorry about the one that goes wee wee wee all the way home.
At least you got a nice red head to give it a yank.

CC was referring to a while ago when she asked what kind of pen we liked to use, and my answer was anything with a fine point. I pointed out later to you that I was disappointed you didn't catch that one as I labia'd it right out to you.

drdad, in honor of touch tag day, you are it! And shame on you, "take a stab" at it.

Dr. Dad said...

doesitinink - you are not alone. I also can only take aspirin for the same reasons you state. Small world.

Ken said...

Good morning, C.C. et al. No googles this morning, but depended on perps for a few. 15A,22A and 47D. As usual, I'm a dunce on contemporary pop culture.

@Kittyb: In Polish, we wish one "Sto Lat" on birthdays and there is a song with those words. Sto Lat means 100 years and, as you might guess, offers the wish to live 100 years(in health and mentally acute, we hope).
I'm sorry about a question you apparently asked me concerning Lois' "small world" note. I did miss it. I looked through yesterday's blog and didn't find it. I'll check the archives later.

@doesitinink: The expression for "very good" in Italian is "Molto bene."

Time to walk the dog. Have a great day, everyone.

Dr. Dad said...

Dennis - Tag!!! You're it. Now you have to run and catch someone else. Don't bang your toe.

Dr. Dad said...

Ken - for shame!! Dennis is talking about hand jobs and pulling on it (with regard to his toe) and now you say it's "Time to walk the dog!!"

Jeannie said...

drdad, that is cruel. Dennis I will be your pinch runner. Tag!! Dick you are it.

JIMBO said...

Hi y'all

No Google today. Did not know all the names and words, but was able to fill in from the surrounds.
Just knew Dennis would do it in four minutes or less.
About forty-five for me.

As for my nickname, it is sort of a combination of my first and last name. Also, it is fairly common for anyone named James (Jimmy) to be called "Jimbo".

Clearayes, The reason I hold off posting is because my intellect is so sub-par to the rest of you that I just don't have anything beneficial to add to your conversations.

But anyway I sure do enjoy reading what you all have to say.

Vaya con Dios

Jeannie said...

kittyb a birthday poem for you:

Instead of counting candles,
or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings
as your birthday nears.

Consider special people
who love you and who care,
and others who've enriched your life
just by being there.

Think about the memories
passing years can never mar.
Experiences great and small
that have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
so cut your cake and say,
instead of counting birthdays,
count your blessings every day!

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all,

Easy one today. I also had evict at first, but changed it after a second look.

Dennis: Sorry about your toe, did they tape it?

Kittyb: Happy 60th Birthday and
many more years to come. I hope you have a wonderful day and celebrate!

Have a great day!

kazie said...

c.c., Thanks for all the wonderful links every day. It makes puzzling so much richer! And you're very welcome for the Hebrides poem.

Kittyb, congrats on your 60th! Now you can REALLY begin living!

Dennis, Sorry about the toe. I hope it's improving. How do you do the puzzle with all those pillows under your leg? As for the doctor pulling it into place, that had to have hurt. When I had my ankle relocated, I was in France, and they are considerably more generous with morphine drips there, So I felt practically nothing.

Chris, so glad the wedding went wonderfully. We are a real wedding crowd, aren't we? My son in August, yourdaughter's this month, and Jeanne's son next month.

c.c.,
I wanted to add something about Beatrix Potter. When I was little, I had baby dinnerware in that theme: a bunny mug, plate and cereal bowl. In Oz and in England, they still sell them, and I've seen them in stores in Germany as well. I still have the mug, but being china, the others didn't survive. There were several story books about the characters, I think.

22A was not a gimme for me, though it fell in with armpit. The rest was easy today.

Ken said...

@kittyb: I've found at 68, that each gets mellowerand various life worries seem to slip away. For me, each year gets better.

@cokato: Nice poem!! I love rhyming, rhythymic wording.

@Dennis: Let me join the others in wishing you well. Losing our normal mobility is a nuisance at best and a catastrophe at worst. I hope the hitch in your get along heals soon.

Word of the day: GLOM 1: to take or steal; 2: to seize or catch as in "The little boy glommed his sister's candy.

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

a walk in the park today, got almost all of it with the first pass through the acrosses. TRIPped on cossack - never heard of it. also did not know the verizon/gte connection.

kittyb: happy happy birthday!

@dennis: so you gave your redhead doctor a bone to pick?

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

Doesitinink,
Thank you. I don't think I fully grok it though. I feel very dense this morning.

Clear Ayes,
Still need your help on the "one-two-two-one" theme structure.

Cokato,
You seem to be on Xchefwalt's wavelength often. Do you know what is his "pull on my ear" muffin?

Ken,
Thank you for the word of day. It's great that you give an example besides offering the definition. Here is Kittyb's original question to you on Monday Oct 6 11:42am: "Ken, I'm sooooooooo confused. I thought that you were living in Oregon, and had just run a cribbage contest. But, in your comment at 9:16 it says that you live in Virginia. Do we have TWO Kens?"

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

Dick,
Is your old Indian TAOS guy story a joke?

kazie said...

I've always thought Cossacks were a rather nasty crowd. I remember reading in Leon Uris' book "Exodus" of their riding into villages and raping and pillaging during pograms in Russia. Apparently a favorite game was to throw babies up in the air and try to impale them on their swords as they fell.

But you'll get a more rounded picture by googling--there are several sites that give a fuller picture of their history. I didn't realize they still existed.

Razz said...

CC - Thanks for the wonderful crepe, but who is this Suzie person, and why does she think it is her crepe? Anyone can see it clearly belongs to me...he, he.

Happy Anniversary of Your Birth - Kittyb

Some more K???K words:

Kanak – South Sea islander
Kapok – silky fibers from ceiba tree
Kazak – boldly colored oriental rug
Knack – special ability
Knock – sharp blow
Kulak – rich farmer (Russian)

Olly olly oxen free - All you DFs...

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wait - had my fingers crossed
.
.
.
.
Tag You're It!

Well I said ha, ha!

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, After all the comments yesterday, I thought the theme of today's puzzle should have been "Dennis Breaks His Toe". In addition to FALL, TRIP, TUMBLE, SLIP, there were references to his altar boy days with KNEEL and PRAYER. His toe was BROK(aw). (Ok, that isn't quite the same, but it is close.) He was in MISERY and probably needed some ASPIRIN. He had to go to one of the "Hosp. Areas", even though it wasn't ORS. Finally, his attempted answer to C.C.'s question, ARMPIT made this puzzle custom made for Dennis.

It was fun to see MOIRA Shearer in the puzzle. Kittyb is right about "The Red Shoes being an invitation to dance for so many little girls. I saw it in one of huge Los Angeles movie palaces when I was six years old. I never forgot the ballet within the movie, The Red Shoes Ballet

I was lucky a couple of years ago to pick up a couple of Beatrix Potter ceramic pieces at a garage sale. $10 for both pieces, Sprinkling Can and Music Box. What a great bargain.

C.C. I haven't read all the comments yet. I'll get back to you on "one-two-two-one"

Happy birthday Kittyb! Here's another birthday inspired poem. Even in 1719, love was blind. Swift displays the same wit as he did when he wrote Gulliver's Travels.

STELLA'S BIRTHDAY
(MARCH 13, 1719)

Stella this day is thirty-four,
(We shan't dispute a year or more:)
However, Stella, be not troubled,
Although thy size and years are doubled,
Since first I saw thee at sixteen,
The brightest virgin on the green;
So little is thy form declin'd;
Made up so largely in thy mind.

Oh, would it please the gods to split
Thy beauty, size, and years, and wit;
No age could furnish out a pair
Of nymphs so graceful, wise, and fair;
With half the lustre of your eyes,
With half your wit, your years, and size.
And then, before it grew too late,
How should I beg of gentle Fate,
(That either nymph might have her swain,)
To split my worship too in twain

- Jonathan Swift

carol said...

Morning all, Dennis, not only was the theme of this strangely significant with your accident, but so was 22D "armpit"! I really had to laugh when I saw that!
I don't think I'd buy a lottery ticket today if I were you, your luck does not seem to be the best right now (paper in the sprinklers is no way to start your day and with having to keep your foot elevated, you probably can't start it your "favorite way" either!:)
So you are not having a good hump day are you?
I tried hard to put every word but the correct ones into 4D and 6A. I finally got them. I really enjoyed this puzzle, only had to Google 15A. I did not know 45D or 59A but got them on the fills.
Kittyb, a very Happy Birthday to you!!!

Dick said...

@cc Yes my "Old Indian" story was a joke but it is a story I heard while on one of my trips to the Taos area.

@ kittyb Hope you birthday is a grand one. Enjoy it as they speed up from here and 70 arrives very fast.

Clear Ayes said...

C.C. "the constructor explains that "each theme entry is made up of 4 syllables in one-two-two-one structure". I don't understand this. Can you explain it to me?"

Example: Word Set - PUR SUE and SU PER First syllable of the first word PUR is the same sound as the second syllable in the second word PER.

Second syllable of the first word SUE is the same sound as the first syllable in the second word SU.

It is the same pattern with the other word sets -

SHO(one) GUN(two) and GUN(two) SHOW(one)

GER(one) MANE(two) and MAN(two) GER(one)

FAN(one) CY(two) and SEA(two) FAN(one)

Dick said...

@ kittyb you are IT!!!!

g8rmomx2 said...

Kittyb: Thought this might be an appropriate poem to wish you a very Happy Birthday:

A Birthday Poem

Birthdays come and go each year,
Today is yours, so don’t you fear.
Conversations fill the air,
We have joined you since we care.

Funny jokes and laughs out loud,
We will always be your crowd.
Many friends you haven’t seen,
How long has it really been?

We shall dance all through the night,
Until our spirits are truly light.
Celebrate our dearest friend,
A birthday poem, we wish to send.

by Martin Dejnicki

KittyB said...

Thank you, dr.dad, melissa bee, jeanne, cokato, g8rmomx2, ken, and kazie, for celebrating with me!

chrisinla, the wedding sounds just lovely. I'm so glad that you got to enjoy time with your family.

jeanne, I hope that you will have just as good a time at your son's wedding. I'm having a mental block. Will the kids be married near your home, or will you be traveling to the wedding?

I haven't even thought about retirement yet. I expect to work at least to 65, perhaps longer, since I work for my husband. As long as he and his partner continue, so will I. Have you received the letters from the Social Security Admin. showing you how much larger your monthly income would be if you worked until you were SEVENTY?? Smoke and mirrors! I don't expect there will be any social security when I retire.

dr.dad, is the alligator the Lacoste symbol??

Cokato...what a wonderful gift! I love the poem. I try to live my life as it suggests, focusing on those we love rather than counting years. It's most unlike me, but I had the briefest pang last night as I contemplated the thought of leaving my 50s. Had I said anything about it to Dear Husband he would have pointed out that there wasn't a great deal I could do about it. *G* In fact, I'm delighted that I've made it this far. My mother is almost 92, and my father passed away at 70. I think the chances are that I have some more time, and I plan to live these years in style!

Ken, what a lovely way to look at a birthday...as a milestone on the way to being 100! I agree with your thought about becoming mellower each year. I was quite the type "A" in my 20s and 30s, but my values, needs and expectations have changed a bit as I've grown older (dare I say "matured"?), and my type "A"-ness only pops out at holidays when I am organizing a buffet for 35 - 50 family members. Er...at least, that's my story. What Dear Husband has to say might be a little different. At any rate, I plan to enjoy the coming decade.

Kazie, as I recall, the Beatrix Potter plates and cups were available here in melamine. I would have loved the porcelain. I'm glad to know that so many of you feel that our 60s is the time we really start living. I'm delighted to join you!

Thanks, everyone!

Anonymous said...

mark - Buenos Aires

c.c. I retired here 4 years ago because I couldnt afford to live in Spain. 2 million Brits have moved there to escape the dreary weather, the bad food and the over regulation. Here the sun shines most days, the food (mostly steak) is cheap (as is beer and wine), lots of sport, relatively little crime, and a happy populace. (and of course, a hot bilingual latin lover!)

as others have written:
"Both sides had meal inside afterwards" = later

Both sides = L(eft) R(ight)
had meal = ate
inside = put "ate" inside "L" and "R" = l-ate-r
afterwards = later

Another:
"capital I stuffed in settee"

Clue = another word for settee, put "I" inside and get a capital city.

As to how I learned to do cryptic crosswords, I suppose I have too much time on my hands. The answers are so obvious when explained, and by trial and error I got the hang of them.

KittyB said...

C.C., I hope you won't mind another post from me.

clear ayes, I didn't realize that Jonathan Swift was a poet. Thanks, for your literary gift!

dennis....my dentist has this chair....

Thanks for the warning, dick! What do you mean, I'M "IT"?? (whirling around and tagging dr.dad) Now, HE'S "IT"!

g8rmom2x, I love "we shall dance all through the night, until our spirits are truly light." It's lovely to celebrate with friends!

Thanks, carol! How's Laurel doing?

Thank you one and all. It's been lovely to share the morning with you.

steve said...

Good morning all;

A very nice puzzle I was only stumped with the cross of 43 A and 39 D. Everything else was fairly easy.

I can't think about Peter Rabbit without remembering an occurance about 20 years ago. We lived on the Central Coast at the time, and next to a man who had a hugh back yard that well over grown with trees and bushes. That day I was puttering around in the garage and thought our boy/girl twins, who were four at the time, were playing in the frount yard. I was shocked when my neighbor brought both home and said he found them in his back yard. The children were crying and I was mortified. I looked at my daughter , Ashley and she said, through tears, that she was Mopsy, and her brother Andrew was Peter and our neighbor was Mr. Potter. For a moment I wasn't sure what to think, or what she was talking about until it regestered on me that we had read the story of Peter Rabbit the night before. I looked at my neighbor and we both broke out in uncontrolled laughter. I was very difficult to disipline them on trespassing, but eventually they got the idea.

Kittyb: Happy birthday. I hated turning 60. It meant, by FAA law, I was done with the best job I had ever had. God bless.

October 8, 2008 12:18 PM

kazie said...

mark--Sofia, capital of Bulgaria

DoesItinInk said...

Mark in Buenos Aires: SOFIA!!!

Dr. Dad said...

kittyb - yes the alligator is the Lacoste symbol but why do you ask? What did I miss?

KittyB said...

I can't believe what I missed on the blog yesterday afternoon and evening!

First of all, C.C., don't take the "last leaf" comment so literally.

then...OMG!! I DID blame Lois! Mea culpa, maxima mea culpa! Of COURSE, it's DENNIS who does the luring!

g8rmomx2, what an impressive workout you do! I was proud of myself for getting to a 50 minute class three times a week. I can see the bar's been raised!

Ladies, I loved the Sandburg and Silverstein poems!

and last...but not least....

ARMPIT??!! LMAO!!!!

Jeannie said...

C.C. what day did xchefwalt post that? I would like to read it and then I could probably interpret it for you.

JD said...

Good morning C.C. and all

Great puzzle for me today , as I'm following 13 mo old Truman all over the house.I haven't read any posts yet, so I hope I'm not repeating.Enjoyed having an easy one.
C.C.: I like Alan Alda the best; MASH was a favorite.
KayaK
Not too many hard parts, but did have home, not hive at 1st. Also had stair, not stile at 1st. Don't get it.After putting ESP and Mel, I could see that rebozo was not going to work either.Before Truman wakes from nap, I have some dictionary work to do, like prate and stile.
Later...

KittyB said...

Steve, thanks for the kind wishes. It's really a shame that pilots can't be judged on an individual basis. I recall the pilot who brought so many people through that Souix City crash, and was retired shortly after, simply because he was 60. I've always thought we short-change those with wisdom and experience in the U.S.

ooops...my bad, dr.dad. It was dick who was talking about Lacoste. I got my "d" mixed up.

Dr. Dad said...

You can't run from me, clear ayes. Tag!!!!!!! Now you are IT!!!!

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

Cokato et al,
RE: "pull on my ear muffin". What is it?

I asked Xchefwalt @3:10pm last Wednesday (Oct 1):

"So what do you normally have for breakfast? And what is your favorite breakfast item?"

He answered @ 4:19pm:
"...Breakfast kind of depends on the situation; when hung over I like cold pizza or a true NY bagel plain and lightly toasted. Usually breakfast is a power bar, Mountain Dew and a little cream (no sugar) coffee (when I was a chef I used to call my coffee ‘Halley Berry’ because I like my coffee the same color as her- I got all the wait staff used to the term so whenever I wanted coffee, I just called her name). Sometimes a “pull on my ear” muffin (the breakfast of champions) is good, but lately I’ve been craving coddled eggs and strawberries..."

Buckeye said...

c.c. et.al. No problems with the puzzles for the past few days. Just wait until tomorrow. It's "Oh my God, it quip day."

Beebop. Happy 60th and I hope you have many more "goodon's". I just celebrated my 65th in the blackout and I can say it is a joy to spend each day on the top side of the dirt.

Chrisinla. I'm glad the wedding was a success. I'm sure your daughter was (and is) beautiful.

Dennis. Sorry to hear about your toe but glad to hear you got "yanked off". I always feel sorry for any male who has a sore joint. Don't try to recover too quickly. As I, and my ol' buddy, Dizzy Dean, can tell you, a sore foot can really mess up your back. So be CAREFUL.

Clearayes. Your 1-2-2-1 explanation was right on again. You explain things so eloquently and concisely and I am trying to master that skill as well. I fear it will never come.

c.c., what is a blank? I thought is was black spaces in the puzzle, but my numbers never correspond with the ones you give.

Oregonians; Is Jake's Seafood Restaurant in Portland and The Lightship Restaurant in South Beech (just south of Newport) still open? They were my favorite eating establishments in Oregon.

Drdad, I'm disappointed you didn't note that today is really a day of mourning. On this day in 1869, Franklin Pierce died in Concord, N.H. Shame, shame, shame. After all, he was our 14th President and a personal friend of mine.

Have a blessed Yom Kippur to those who celebrate it.

I will leave you with one pearl of wisdom before I go back to lurking on you DFers and KH's.

If at first you don't succeed - for God's sake don't try skydiving.

I must be off!!!

Jeannie said...

C.C. I looked it up in the urban dictionary and an "ear muffin" is something that is unappetizing.

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

Cokato,
Thank you. I don't think that's what Xchefwalt meant though. It does not make much sense.

Melissa & Lois,
Maybe you two know something about the muffin?

Clear Ayes,
Now the fog on the "Won Two-to-One" is completely off. Thank you so much. How about the muffin?

Xchefwalt,
Wherever you are, I hope you are not snacking without any guilt. Attention is needed here.

Buckeye,
I call the black squares in the grid as blocks. And there are 35 of them today.

Clear Ayes said...

I think Kazie was pretty accurate with her description of COSSACK. Whenever I see the word, I think of the line from 1977‘s Academy Award winner, "Annie Hall". "My Grammy never gave gifts, you know. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks."

Jimbo, You don’t give yourself enough credit!

Mark, It sounds like Buenos Aires is great. I would love inexpensive steaks, wine, good weather and, I understand, cheap cosmetic surgery. Just kidding about the surgery. I’d rather have the wrinkles than the pain involved in surgery.

I think the key for all of us is that as long as we remain healthy, we don’t mind the advancing years. I love being over 60. On every birthday, I remind myself to consider the alternative.

Dennis, "I like getting money for just being old." Here's a little something just for you Money For Nothing.

We are very fortunate to live in an area where there is a large senior population. We have a lot of friends who love to sing, dance, paint, theater, dinner parties, ladies lunches, travel and cribbage (couldn’t forget that, Ken). For Golf Addicted Husband (guess where he is today) there is the 2 minute drive to the golf course.

Buckeye, don't go too far undercover. You know you always make me laugh.

C.C. I don't have a clue about "the muffin". Let's hope Xchefwalt comes back soon to clear up the mystery.

RATS!! I thought if I hid in the pantry, I would be safe. But Drdad can see around corners and tagged me. No problem…..Carol thinks she is safe by keeping a fairly low profile today. Sorry Carol, that won’t work…..TAG!! YOU’RE IT!!

Dick said...

Cc being a full fledged DFer I think I know what exchefwalt meant by “pull on my ear” muffin (the breakfast of champions). Be assured (That's a good Thing). However, I will need to think as to how I can explain it delicately. I will be back later after some thought about this. Maybe our sirens or the two 1st class DFs (Dennis and Drdad) can help.

Jeannie said...

Alright, I didn't want to be the one to say it, but it means giving a woman oral pleasure while she has ahold of your ears. There!
xchefwalt you owe me one.

DoesItinInk said...

Here is a STILE "steps over a wall". And here is a haha (ditch). Both are terms I associate with rural England.

Dick said...

Thanks cokato you have explained it better than I could have. I owe you one also.

Dr. Dad said...

Ear Muffins!! We're off. Way to go, Cokato!! At least you didn't sink so far into the well as to include a graphic picture like I did awhile back.

Jeannie said...

And once again look who started it. See C.C.'s post at 10:50am, again at 1:27pm and finally pushing me over the edge at 1:44pm

Clear Ayes said...

Cokato, you're great! Sorry I missed that one...I just didn't know there was a DF term for it. Another learning moment for the day. LOL

It will be interesting when Lois checks in later today and sees the shenanigans that have been going on.

Oops on reposting the same "The Red Shoes" clip as C.C. With all the interesting stuff going on here, I sometimes miss one of two of the links.

C.C. MISERY is a very scary Stephen King novel. Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her performance in the 1990 movie. She was very good and very creepy. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like frightening movies. If you do like them, MISERY will keep you on the edge of your chair and nibbling your nails.

I don't think a SERAPE is the same as a poncho. A serape is an heavyweight blanket-like oblong shawl. A poncho with a hole in the middle for the head can be made out of a serape. A rebozo is similar to a serape, but is just for women and is much lighter weight. Is that right, Latin American experts?

Dr. Dad said...

And to think that blueberry muffins USED TO BE my favorite. I might have to rethink that.

Jeannie said...

mine are banana and nuts.

Dr. Dad said...

Yeah, see Cokato. Muffins made out of long things with nuts.

Jeannie said...

(wide-eyed and innocent) all I said is my favorite is banana with nuts.

Barb B said...

My shortest time ever, and very enjoyable, with lots of new words. FALL EQUINOX looked really odd until all the letters were filled in. TRIP HAMMER was unexpected, too. Not to mention TUMBLEWEED, part of the scenery in Texas, and a trip down memory lane for someone who grew up listening to the Sons of the Pioneers.

I couldn’t think of a single 5 letter word starting and ending in K, and Chris in LA and Razzberry found lots! Good job guys!

Mozart is always a good way to start the day. Something about his music makes me feel that all is right with the world.

I loved the movie Mrs. Potter.

Happy B’day, KittyB. I consider 60 to be a young age. I am 65 and still working, with no plans to stop. Libraries do not encourage early retirement, fortunately for me. When I'm ready to leave the library, I'll have to find something else to do.


Clear Ayes
Lol – you’re right! Perfect puzzle for Dennis today.

Golf Gal said...

Finished in record time for me even without a dictionary!
c.c. Stile is a way to get over a wall without a gate, and usually the "wall" surrounds a pasture or a place where animals are present. There is a Mother Goose rhyme that goes:
"There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence beside a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house."
I think there is probably another rhyme that contains "stile", but it doesn't come to mind.
Also, c.c., how do you know the creator of the puzzles? All that is stated in the Free Press is "Edited by"...
Interesting that stile was a word in another puzzle today in the local paper. Its clue was "Fence crossing" instead of "Steps over a wall".
I hope this isn't redundant. I didn't read all the comments, so if I have duplicated others, it wasn't intentional.
Golf Gal

Ken said...

@C.C.: Thanks for repeating Kittyb's question. I dunno how I missed it in her Monday posts.

@Clear Ayes and G8rmomX2: Beautiful choices for birthday poems!!

@Kittyb: Be careful with mea culpa, mea maxima culpa; you are betraying Catholic roots. Did you find all that Latin deplorable? I did then, but have stabbed at learning it since. Knowledge of it is a great tool in learning word roots.

I'm glad you liked "Sto Lat." If you wander into a Polish restaurant, you'll probably hear the song or the staff will know it and would probably sing it to you.

Here is the rough English translation:

A hundred years, a hundred years,
May she live for us.
A hundred years, a hundred years,
May she live for us.
Once again, once again, may she live, live for us,
May she live for us!

It is also sung at weddings and "namedays", the day of one's saint's name being celebrated.

Sorry about confusing you on where I live with my notes to Lois. I live in Paradise, AKA Oregon.

kazie said...

I had five years of Latin (as well as French and German) at a public school and only realized how valuable it was after seeing how others have no idea of what various prefixes and words mean in English. I can often figure out a meaning only because of its Latin root.

JD said...

Happy happy birthday Kittyb!Hope you are being treated like a queen.

C.C.: I am amazed at how quickly you whipped up that lucious cake!You truly make each and every day fun for all of us.
oops gotta run..afternoon nap; he's up...

loved everyone's poems!!!

embien said...

8:07 today. ALAN (as clued) and MOIRA were my unknowns for this puzzle.

I've been out of town for two days attending a "Farm to Table" dinner with some friends. One of the friends is the author of The Fallingwater Cookbook which is from the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house of that name in Pennsylvania.

@buckeye: Jake's Famous Crawfish is still one of Portland's favorite restaurants. I found a listing for the Lighthouse Deli & Fish Company in South Beach, Newport, OR (now renamed the South Beach Fish Market). I'm not sure if that's the same one you were asking about or not.

Ken said...

Kazie, I am so envious of your Latin training. Both Russian and Polish are rich in prefixes. However, some Polish words have a romance language flavor which I'm sure comes from Latin.

Mr. Ed said...

Greetings C.C. & all

I'm still away from home and will probably not be back for a couple more weeks. Down here, It's really tough getting internet but today I'm in civilization(so to speak)& had to check in. I'll have a stack of xwords to do when I get back home.

@dennis... good luck with the toe. Ouch! That damn 'little piggy' hates running head-on into unmovable objects. I'd say 'I feel for you' but it's your pain so I'll just have a Malibu for you.

@golfmom & all re: stile

@kittyb Where do you usually sail? Is it one of the lakes near Eugene or do you hit the coast?

@cokato
Just a muse but is hanging on to BOTH ears really necessary... oh man! There I go back to the woodshed.

I finally have my gear I've been waiting for so I'm off.

ttfn

Mr. Ed said...

@kittyb

btw...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY &
feliz compleaños! I'll have a Malibu for you too! And, since tomorrow's mine... I'll have one for me too!

ttfn

Anonymous said...

Carl :

Welcome to the woodshed. Sure is dark in here, huh? Don't get your hopes up for an early parole, as I have been here scince I answered Cokato's question that one fri nite a week or so ago.

LOL Whoo

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

The whoo,
OK, time to get out of the woodshed. What do the Iowans call Minnesotans?

Anonymous said...

Yup, Carl ! Just checked I have been here scince saturday the 26th!

I get 10 days or more for my offense, so you might be looking at a month of darkness!


It was worth it!

lmao WHOO

Anonymous said...

The difference between a plane and a planer is about $200 to $1000 dollars.

Mr. Ed said...

@whoo & dfs

I think I just had an epiphany... I've often wondered what caused extremely LARGE ears on some 'old guys'! Didja' ever notice that???
Could there be a correlation???

Yep! 'Spect I'll be outta the shed maybe by..... ??

ttfn

lois said...

Good evening CC & DF's: Man, did I miss some fun!
Let me get this straight. Besides the breakfast muffin to nibble on, we have O'Leary's Cow Day, which was an 'udder' disaster', rabbits named Flopsy Peter Mopsy Cottontail (you put in the commas), and Nat'l Touch Tag Day with broken, dislocated Dennis 'laid' up, having been banged and yanked yesterday, tagged today and given free money on Hump Day....and Kittyb's birthday. Does that about sum it up? Ok then. That's quite a day! Dennis, I hope your bone is getting stronger by the minute. Care for a muffin?

I'm going to go count my blessings (loved all the poems), find my kitchen table and practice filling my breakfast muffin with something special...whipped cream?

Clear Ayes: Great take on the puzzle for Dennis' today.

Kittyb: Super Happy Happy Birthday to you. I'll toast to you tonight and hope you have many, many more.




Cokato, you cracked me up w/your muffin comment. Hilarious! Great explanation too.

Anonymous said...

Bows to c.c.'s benevolence. Thank you for letting me out!

What do Iowegian's call minninesotan's? Well for one thing I know they can't call the emergency number because the still haven't found eleven on their phone dial. I did see a sign comming back from Des Moines one time, that said, " your are now entering Minnesota. Please choose an alternate route!"
BTW an Iowegian is a norwegian from Iowa.
There has been a long standing good humored rivalry between Minn and Iowa from the colledge teams and the fact that most of the swedes (like me) wound up in Minn and the Norwegians were flushed south!. lol

And here I thought I was in the woodshed for answering Cokato's question on her profile! ! WHEW

one more Iowa joke? kk
Why minnesota?
to protect Canada from Iowa!

All in good fun! Whoo

Anonymous said...

OH YUK CARL !

Both my grampa's had big ears!


Now, I know I am going back to therapy!
ROTF LMAO

WHOO

RichShif said...

Hi C.C. and all others.

Today was fairly easy, biggest problem I had was using evict instead of eject. Also did not know Moira Shearer.

As for Stephen Kings Misery; James Cann played Paul Sheldon who is a writer that writes romance novels with the main character of the name Misery. Katie Bates played Annie Wilkes who is obsessed with the Misery character. Sheldon decides that he is tired of writing about Misery and kills her, then while taking a winter vacation Sheldon (Caan) has a car accident and is found by Wilkes (Bates). She nurses him back to health and then starts a bizarre regimen of torture and rewards in order to have Sheldon bring here beloved Misery back to life. I also need to add that Wilkes is a nurse and has access to antibiotics and pain killers. The most gruesome scene is when Wilkes places a 4 X 4 between Sheldon's ankles and smackes his feet with a sledge hammer. In the movis it is very graphic. This was done as punishment for getting out of bed and exploring secretly around Wilkes's house.

carol said...

Kittyb, Laurel is holding her own for now and she is comfortable so we are grateful, thanks for asking:) I am glad your Mother is doing well too.

Clear ayes, I've been gone most of the day with my "long-lost" girl friend. We went to an exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. It is called Wild Beauty and features photographs of the Columbia River Gorge, 1867 - 1957. Some beautiful rare pictures and explanations of how the camera's of that early age (1867) worked...they sure used some toxic chemicals to get the image to appear!! My friend is a photographer and has spent many years studying so she was so helpful to me in understanding just what I was really looking at. I have a much deeper appreciation for what those photographs represent and for the extreme patience required to make them.
Since I have lived and hiked the Columbia River Gorge for many years, I knew the geography and that made it even better!

Lois, once again you had me laughing so hard, Joe hollered up from his "spider hole" downstairs:"Are you having a good time up there?"

This has been a great day for funny stuff!!! Everyone is so talented!

Cokato, thanks for the explanation of
ear muffin - I did not know that one! Like Clear ayes said, we learn something new here almost every day.

Clear Ayes said...

Richshif, I guess C.C. can really decide now if she wants to read or see any more of Stephen King's MISERY.

Carol, glad you had a good time today,...but you are still IT!!!

Here's a true story for all DF's. About 10 days ago, we went to visit my sister and her husband to visit and see Jack the Giant Pumpkin. While we were there, the kitchen table conversation turned to the fact that our mother had rather large protruding ears, which she always covered with her hairdos.

I mentioned that although my ears don't stick out, they are quite long. There was some discussion.."Yes, they are"..."No, they aren't". Before I knew it, out came the tape measure and everyone had the length of their ears measured....Don't all families do this sort of thing? A few years ago we measured the circumferences of our heads. My punkin'-headed daughter won that one.

But, back to ears. From the top curve to the bottom of the lobe, my ears measure a cool three inches. I won the family "ear competition".

My comment to you is..Are the size of women's ears due to a corresponding activity of the one that was the subject of Carl's and Whoo's exchange a little while ago?

carol said...

Clear ayes, I don't know what to do if I am "it". Help.

xchefwalt said...

Hello c.c., DF’s and all! It’s been utter lunacy here in SW Florida, what with Sara Palin here Tuesday and Joe Biden here today, plus I’m covering someone’s vacation, so my workload has doubled- I just haven’t had time to catch up with everyone.

Did I miss anything good?

Clear Ayes said...

Carol, From Dennis, "National Touch Tag Day". I was tagged by Drdad and I tagged you. Almost too late to pass it on.

RichShif said...

clear ayes, does this give us guys another part of the female anatomy to watch?

Dennis said...

richshif, you're exactly right! From now on, I'm checking out ears first.

Also, about the banana and nuts comment.....oops, we're over 100. Sorry.

KittyB said...

Dennis, you'll just have to let me close the comments for the day.

Sorry to confuse you, Ken, but I have no Catholic roots....just Latin in high school. And not even as much Latin as Kazie. Kazie, both my husband and I had Latin in school, and I think it's the reason we 'hear' differently, and partly explains why he so enjoys puns.

JD, I HAVE been treated like a queen, all day long. At 7:45 I had a long distance call from my sister and her ninth grade Romeo and Juliet class, who all sang 'Happy Birthday" to me. At exercise, a friend gave me chocolates and a card that played the Chicken dance! And my husband gave me a huge card that played...what else....THE CHICKEN DANCE! *G* We went out to the local cantina for dinner, and had a relaxed evening.

Thanks, barb b! I wish I worked in a library, but I really love being able to set my own hours and being self-directed.

Buckeye, I've missed you. Too bad we missed your birthday. It would have been a memorable celebration, I'm sure.

cokato....like clear ayes, I've learned something new today, too! I guess that shows you're never too old to learn something new.


Carl, I don't sail. As soon as I get on the boat I need to puke. The only ship I've enjoyed has been the Statendam. However, my husband sails a 32' Bayfield on Lake Michigan. We live in the western Chicago suburbs and that's the closest big water. I hope the Malibu is good for you, and that you have as great a day tomorrow, as I've had today.

Carol, I hear the Columbia River is gorgeous, and so must be the exhibition you saw today.

Thank you, one and all for helping me to celebrate my birthday. Most of all, thank you, C.C. for hosting us on your blog. I really enjoy my visits, and am delighted by all I've learned.