google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday December 24, 2008 Diane C. Baldwin

Advertisements

Dec 24, 2008

Wednesday December 24, 2008 Diane C. Baldwin

Theme: Play It Safe

20A: Way to lessen risk: HEDGE ONE'S BETS

41A: Ponder pros and cons: WEIGH THE OPTIONS

58A: Put out feelers, maybe: TEST THE WATERS

Did I catch the right theme? I seem to have trouble coming up with an apt title lately. Maybe too much pomegranate green tea?

I don't think the clue for HEDGE ONE'S BETS is accurate. The clue is asking for a noun phrase, while the answer turns out to be a verb phrase.

I had quite a few false starts this morning. Some of the clues are a bit unexpected. I like how NOSE (64A: Poke (around) intersects YENTA (55D: Meddlesome woman). It reminded me of the matchmaker YENTE in "Fiddler on the Roof".

Across:

9A: Felt, for one: CLOTH. Nice clue. "Linen, for one" would probably be too easy.

15A: Ex-QB Aikman: TROY. The guy on the right is Joe Buck, who has a rather distinctive voice.

15A: Scales sign: LIBRA. Interesting traits, Dennis.

19A: Love, French style: AMOUR. Ha, I wrote down AIMER carelessly, thinking "Love" is a verb.

23A: Words to live by: CREDO. ''I believe'' in Latin. "All Things Considered" (NPR) has a "This I Believe" statement segment every Monday.

37A: Spiny tree: ACACIA. Why is it called "Spiny tree"? Wikipedia says some of the most valuable ukuleles and acoustic guitars are made of ACACIA koa wood, like this one used by Taylor Swift. These flowers are so pretty.

44A: Decide with authority: DECREE. I am more familiar with the noun DECREE.

68A: German pistol: LUGER. New name to me. She is a LUGER too.

71A: Fencing equipment: EPEES. Better clue than "Fencing swords", which straightforwardly demands a plural answer. "Fencing gear" is a tricky clue too.

72A: Stat equivalent: ASAP. Probably a gimme for those doctors. But I was thinking of the sports figure "Stat", you know, ERA, RBI, etc.

Down:

3D: Bona fide: AUTHENTIC. I was only familiar with "in good faith" definition of "Bona fide".

4D: Mighty mount: STEED

9D: Paragon: CLASS ACT

21D: Sleepy's pal: DOC. Some of the rejected Seven Dwarfs names sound pretty good. I like Gloomy, Cranky and Silly.

22D: One on the run: ESCAPEE. I wonder why it's not ESCAPER. Oh, no, I don't like this alternate ending for ''The Shawshank Redemption'.

23D: Invade one's space: CROWD. I am not fond this clue.

29D: Revive a lost lesson: RETEACH. I wrote down RELEARN first.

38D: Matrimony prelude: COURTSHIP. Do you like short & intense COURTSHIP or long, gradual buildup one?

40D: Narnia's lion hero: ASLAN. Turkish/Persian word for "lion". I can never remember the name. Liam Neeson voices ASLAN in "The Chronicales of Narnia".

42D: Expectant beneficiaries: HERITORS. I was thinking of HEIR TO BE. At least, 4 letters fit perfectly.

53D: Missouri feeder: OSAGE. Also a type of orange.

59D: Old you: THEE. I was thinking of THOU. Still can't believe that I've never heard of THOU as a slang for "10 C-notes". Where have I been?

60D: Difficulties: WOES. I associate WOES with miseries rather than "Difficulties".

67D: Landscaping shrub: YEW. Now, which part of this YEW is poisonous?

C.C.

63 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, c.c. and gang - I was kinda hoping for a bit of a hammer as an early Christmas present, but this one was super-fast. Had to do it online, since the streets are pretty icy and no paper awaited me this morning. 4:54 on the puzzle clock.

I had two pauses and both came from perps: acacia and heritors. Heritors??? Someone's spending too much time with their head buried in a dictionary. Jeez.

Today is both National Chocolate Day and National Eggnog Day -- if that's not the makings of a good day, I don't know what is.

Off to the gym - more later. Who all's traveling today? Or is company coming to you?

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

Dennis,
We are having guests over for dinner tonight. What's your plan?

Crockett,
Thanks for taking care of the Google map.

Kathleen,
My husband read only one book last year, it's Bill Bryson's "The Thunderbolt Kid".

Barry,
I always learn something new from reading your posts every day. Thanks for taking time and writing down your solving & thinking process.

Martin said...

Nice theme title, C.C., except I was thinking GUESS was also part of the theme: I did like the way GUESS crossed with WEIGH THE OPTIONS.

16 minutes 14 seconds today. The only unknowns were ACACIA, LUGER and OSAGE. I agree with Dennis: HERITORS should be INHERITORS; people inherit money, not herit money. I also wanted ADAGE for CREDO and COUCH for IDAHO ("Kind of potato"). I think RANEE should have had a var in the clue as I've always seen it spelt as RANI. Oh and while I've heard of ANTEroom, I've never heard of ANTEdate.

Martin

Argyle said...

Good Morning, One and all

I felt it was a nice puzzle today, good for beginners with some mild challenges but fair rewards.

Would you consider this song as appropriate theme music?

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Pretty easy puzzle for me today. The only true unknown was HERITORS, but it was easily inferrable. I was familiar with ACACIA, but didn't know it was particularly spiny, so that took almost all the perps to feel confident about.

Two areas caused me a bit of grief. First was 48A, where I immediately and confidently put OLIO instead of STEW. When I realized that 22D was ESCAPEE, I got confused and changed OLIO to OLEO (I always get those two mixed up). Getting GUESS for 31D let me know that I was totally on the wrong track, so I confidently replaced OLEO with... SLEW. As in "a whole SLEW of things." That makes sense to somebody other than me, right? I then stared at 43D wondering what the heck OUL meant until things finally clicked in my sleep deprived brain.

The other problem I had was caused by my incipient presbyopia and my stubborn refusal to wear reading glasses when doing my morning crossword. I misread the clue for 21D as "Stimpy's Pal" instead of "Sleepy's Pal." The answer to which, of course, was REN. And that didn't work with anything, but couldn't possibly be wrong. Based on the "E" in REN I confidently put ADAGE instead of CREDO for 23A and things went downhill from there for awhile until I finally reread the clue and saw the error of my ways. I'm still not wearing the glasses, though....

I hope everybody has a pleasant holiday season, whether you're celebrating anything special or not. My car has been in the shop since Thursday, we've been buried under the snow since Friday, and the whole house has been sick for a week. But my car is supposed to be ready today, the temperatures are supposed to warm up, and I've got family coming to visit tonight (including my sister who is flying in from California). We're all still sick, but you can't have everything.

Barry G. said...

Errr... Make that inferable. I knew that looked wrong the moment I typed it....

kazie said...

Good morning all.

I managed with few pauses today, knowing or correctly guessing those that had alternative possibilities. All except for ASLAN. I had ASSAN, and wondered about DUAS, but didn't give it enough thought to worry about it. The NW started slowly, but by the time I'd worked my way back up to it the crosses and perps pointed the directions to take.

I agree that heritor is a stretch. My dictiionary gives no etymology, but I'm guessing it is from the French hériter = to inherit.

c.c.,
The acacia flowers you linked are a very common native plant in Oz, which we call wattle, and when it's in bloom it looks wonderful.

Martin,
When are we going to see you on the map? Tell Crockett where to put you! Check out clear ayes' post at 4:55pm Monday for how to find the map.

Linda said...

Dare I wish you all a "White Christmas"? (many of you are sick of the white stuff)...so "Meli Kalikie Maka" (butchered Hawaiian for "Merry Christmas") to you all...will have a full house starting tonight...so no puzzle working for me tomorrow!
Again...what map are all ya`ll talkin` about?

kazie said...

Linda,
I tried to answer your question on the map last night. But follow the suggestion to Martin in my previous post at 8:30am today.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone. Did this one on-line again because I didn't think we'd have a newspaper again this morning, but it was there, despite a few more inches of snow overnight. I like your theme, C.C. Better than what I could come up with, I'm sure. Your 68A examples are pronounced differently. I had no problem with the clue for 23D. Did you actually have "place" instead of "space?" HERITORS was a bit of a stretch.

Linda, I have a map that shows the location of many of our friends here. Someone who is not the owner of the map (me) will have to tell you how to access it, since my entry, as owner, is different. If you'd like a placemark, e-mail me (link is in my profile) and I'll get you on the map.

Have a great Christmas Eve day, and Merry Christmas to all!

kazie said...

Linda,
Here are clear ayes instructions from Monday:map Follow steps 1 through 6.

However, Crockett, just now when I tested this, after step 5 (I think that was where) I got a map with just "placemark 19" listed. So I clicked the blue "Star Tribune Crossword Corner" under it and it came up to the right map. The placemark is just off the CA coast.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, My first thought for 9A when I saw "Felt, for one" was MOLE, as in Deep Throat, Mark Felt. But I saw immediately MOLE wouldn't fit and had to go to the Downs to get CLOTH filled in.

I did have to fill in the perps first to get the theme answers. Other than that, there weren't any major problems.

Kazie, I emailed Crockett with the Placemark #19 problem. Hopefully he can get rid of it and give us a clear route to the map.

G.A.H. and I will be home this evening and will travel only a little over an hour in the morning to spend the day with our daughter's family.

Crockett1947 said...

I've gone into the Google maps area and I can't find any way to get rid of the Placemark 19 map. I think maybe someone else made that one and now we have the Blog map as a sub-map of it. I don't know what to do about it -- I guess we'll just have to work around it.

Linda said...

g8rmomx2
I graduated "thank you Lawdy" from Largo Senior HS (the one close to Clearwater...not in the Keys). Everyone around there were "Noles" at that time...
Crockett1947
Although I would love to see where everyone is situated, there are people who have access to this blog whom I wouldn`t want to locate me. It`s not witness protection"...just personal preference. Thank you for the offer, though.
Go Gators!!!

Jeannie said...

I had an easy time with the puzzle today. Unfortunately, I have to work today but get out at 1pm to finish up some last minute shopping.
I am fed up with these wee, icy, harsh temps though. I'd like to escape my woes and point the nose of my sailboat asea and test the waters. That's really my amour! Aah.

I don't have any plans for tonight but will have an open house tomorrow for any friends that want to wander by. I hope everyone here has a nice holiday.

Clear Ayes said...

Wow, I almost forgot to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Here's a lovely little Frank Sinatra song. Not only did he sing it, but he also was one of the composers for Mistletoe and Holly. AND...just for Christmas Eve...a sweet and slightly DF poem.

Mistletoe

Sitting under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
One last candle burning low,
All the sleepy dancers gone,
Just one candle burning on,
Shadows lurking everywhere:
Some one came, and kissed me there.

Tired I was; my head would go
Nodding under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
No footsteps came, no voice, but only,
Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,
Stooped in the still and shadowy air
Lips unseen - and kissed me there.

- Walter de la Mare 

kazie said...

Crockett,
The map still works normally if you go directly through "my maps", but I suppose those who haven't yet saved it to their "my maps" would have the extra step over the #19?

Maybe whoever created this placemark will delete the whole extra map they've created and go through you to get placed correctly.

c.c.,
"Invading one's space" can mean crowding against someone. We Americans all like our personal bubble of room around us, and feel invaded when someone else crowds into it. I know many of us feel uncomfortable when people of other cultures like to get really close "in your face" to speak to us (Germans do it a lot). It's been theorized that it comes from living in densely populated areas as opposed to our wide open spaces here.

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

Dennis,
I feel ignored on the comment box.

Argyle,
Nice theme song. I love the crossword puzzle you gave to me earlier yesterday for Christmas. What are you preparing for Lois and Carol? Both of them have been naughty all year long.

Barry,
Ginger tea, drink lots of ginger tea.

Kazie,
Thanks for the CROWD explantion. Are you aware that ACACIA flower (wattle) is actually the national flower for Australia?

Linda said...

C.C.
Don`t mean to ignore you...just trying to find commonalities with everyone.

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

Barb B,
Great picture yesterday.

Crockett,
Oh, I did not know that those two LUGERS are pronounced differently, thanks. A typo on CROWD. Still don't like the clue, even after Kazie's explanation.

Clear Ayes,
Very interesting FELT & MOLE connection. I hope some constructor picks up your error and make it into his next grid.

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

Linda,
My "ignore" message is addressed to Dennis. He used to respond to my questions very promptly.

You've been great. Thanks for the time and attention you've given to me and other solvers.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas eve to everyone. Not a bad puzzle puzzle although I got hung up right off the bat with 1A Shooter inserts, I wanted Clip and realized it would work. That ended up being the last corner I finished. I even got the theme answers!

C.C. I love Bill Bryson books and have read them all, except the ones about how to write.

We get to go to a fabulous Italian feast tonite at the home of our youngest daughter's husband's parents(whew!). On Christmas Day the family goes to the house of my youngest brother for a wonderful meal that we all contribute to(I always do Thanksgiving). We have a whole family of wonderful cooks and bakers. I always contribute dessert. This year I am doing steamed puddings and a New York cheesecake.
Wishing all of you a very Happy Christmas...off to finish baking.

carol said...

Hello C.C. and friends from the Arctic on the Pacific...snowing heavily again to add more inches to the 13 we have. We will have a White Christmas, New Years and maybe Valentine's day! I will not complain about our rain again (at least not for a long while).

Really easy today, and I was surprised because at one time Diane Baldwin's puzzles were very difficult for me. Either she has mellowed or I have become really smart :)

Yes, C.C. I have been naughty but it's so much fun! I am hopeful Santa has a "big" surprise for my stocking(s).

WM said...

Ok...Kathleen here again. I am trying to get up to speed on this Blogger account, so this is a test run.

OOPs...I mis-typed on the Shooter's insert clue...obviously meant WOULDN'T work.

Clear Ayes said...

Barry, I was wondering where I picked up the cold I've had for the past week. I didn't know it was computer virus....

OK, bad joke, but this last week has not been pleasant. I am feeling somewhat better today. G.A.H. has been spared so far. I have been refusing hugs and kisses (poor me!....poor he..) and have slept in our guest room for three nights to avoid keeping him awake with my sniffling and coughing. I'll take C.C. hint and start a regimen of ginger tea.

Linda and others, You're rightly cautious in not having an exact location posted on a map. Most of us have a city or a general area (my marker is about 20 miles (or more??) from where I live), but perhaps just the State would work. For instance, Crockett could plop your marker right in the middle of Arkansas, Georgia or New Hampshire.

(Since we have to put up with Placemark 19, at least for now) To see Crockett1947's location map:

1. Go to Google Maps for a map of the U.S.

2. To the right of the multi-colored Google logo, type Star Tribune Crossword Corner Blog.

3. Farther to the right side of the page, there is a blue underlined "Show Search Options". Click on that. A drop down menu will appear directly to the left of "Search Maps". Arrow down on the drop down menu and click on "User-created content"

4. Now, click on Search Maps.

5. On the left side of the page, click on the blue underlined Star Tribune Crossword Corner Blog under Placemark 19's name. This should bring up Crockett's Blog map with all our locations.

6. On the left side of the page, directly above everyone's name, there should be in blue underlined Save To My Maps. Click on that. (The map is now added to your maps.)

Whenever you come back to Google maps, just click on My Maps, under the Google icon and click on Star Tribune Crossword Corner Blog. It will take you directly to Crockett's map.

Crockett, If someone asks you where to find the directions you can tell them:
Clear Ayes, December 24 @12.45

melissa bee said...

good morning and happy holidays c.c. and all,

i'd say your theme is right on, c.c., the tea is working. nice observation about nose crossing yenta. the rejected dwarf names made me laugh, reads like a df roster.

@clear ayes: i was thinking along the same lines for felt, for one. probably because i saw frost/nixon yesterday. coincidental timing of that release, considering felt's death this month.

@santa: thanks for the foreigner link, very appropriate for the theme. here's another.

quiet holiday plans here, gifts good food, and a warm fire.

kazie said...

c.c.,
I was going to mention it, but then wasn't sure because I got confused with the state flower from NSW, which is the waratah, and I wasn't sure which represented which, so I just left it. Further to confuse me, there's a silly nonsense rhyme I remember from a skit I saw once:

Here's a waratah,
It's the symbol of our land,
you can stick it in a vase
Or hold it in your hand!

Of course it isn't the symbol of the whole country, hence the confusion.

kazie said...

Here's a waratah

Bill said...

Good Afternoon All, Got it done. needed a little help. HERITORS isn't something I ever remember seeing. I got all the surrounds except DECREE. I wanted DECIDE. But even with all that 42d still didn't make sense. Didn't know ASLAN. Have never seen the Narnia films.
But, all in all a doable xword.
To those of you who celebrate a traditional Christmas: Merry Christmas. To those of you that do not: A very happy Holiday Season to you.
Gotta go somewhere and be good 'cause Santa Claus Comes Tonight And I want to maximize my possibilities so HE doesn't WEIGHTHEOPTIONS andleave my stuff next door!!
CY'all Later

xchefwalt said...

Hello c.c., DF’s and all! Sorry I’ve been missing so long, but the ritual of working two jobs, having three boys play hockey and starting up my own roller and high school ice leagues has left me little time to play. I do try to do the on line puzzle daily and check in once per day to make sure all is well with the world.

Full tourist season is right around the corner here in SW Florida (the only white Christmas here is the clouds and the foam on my beer) so I’ll be going under again for a while.

May all of you have a safe, happy and joyous holiday season, and a blessed New Year. Dennis- you’ll be on the opposite coast from me, let me know if you wander this way.

Linda said...

Crockett1947
Go ahead and put my red icon in the slightly lower mid-west...sose I can see TX, OK, and MO from there!

Argyle said...

C.C. and all,

I did some checking and discovered I can link my Sunday puzzle all week.

Anyone interested can go to puzzle. It is a PDF file, not interactive, so to work it, you would have to print a copy(please don't write on your screens). I've been able to get it all on one sheet by playing with the size and the margins.

SO, it's a Tribune Media Services puzzle, edited by Linda & Charles Preston, dated 12/21/08, as published in the Glens Falls Post-Star.
The theme is O Holy Night.

Argyle said...

xchefwalt, good thing you showed up when you did so I wouldn't have to leave coal in your stocking. With this crew, I'm getting low on coal.
*<;-0>>

JD said...

Good afternoon and merry Christmas to you all,

I really cheated today due to time. At 1st I had tell for tout,oleo for stew,amore for amour,sly for icy, wanted to put a real deal for 3D, and no clue about 3D. After working it over once, I came to you, C.C., for the 3 themed answers to move me along a little faster.

We have many acacia trees in our neighborhood, and they seem to be a big problem with people with allergies, but they are lovely.

I enjoyed the brothers c/w yesterday, probably because I knew them all, but there were lots of unknowns too.

I thought the conversation on Dr Seuss was interesting, about how different we view what we read or movies we see. Wizard of Oz is the scariest movie for me.. even today I cannot listen to the Wicked Witch talk. Yikes! Most of us grew up on the classic nursery rhymes, and they are really scary! Of course, I didn't realize this 'til I was reading them to my girls. They loved them.

I hope all of you are fans of FLAX. It has been the single most best thing I've done for myself. It is good for us in so many ways.I also gave it to my dogs for their skin and coats....

oops,gotta run...company

Dennis said...

C.C., sorry - this is the busiest day of the year in my stores, and I'm just now attempting lunch.

To answer your question, my plans are to drive to Washington tomorrow morning, get us and the car on the AutoTrain, and then drink heavily until I forget the pain in my feet from the past week. The train leaves daily at 4pm and gets into Orlando at 9:30 the following morning, then we'll drive down to Boca Friday afternoon. I will then become an okra.


More later.

lois said...

Good evening CC et al, What an easy puzzle! Loved it for a busy day.

Argyle: I just KNOW you're going to leave me coal...I hold no artificial hope...soooo, Santa Baby, tonight's the night. You'll be comin' in my chimney soon. I'll trade snacks with you... you give me Drake Cakes and I'll give you a box of cream filled munchkins or some Ho Ho's. Deal?

Safe travels and Merry Christmas to all.

Clear Ayes said...

Welcome back to xchefwalt! Don't stay away so long.

To Ken and Doesitinink, Merry Christmas and hope you come back soon.

Buckeye, You know you are always missed when you aren't here.

Lois, Jeannie and Carol, Just tuck that Christmas coal away for a while and before you know it, you'll have diamonds.

C.C. Yesterday's "Hollywood heaven" just meant that any puzzle that is loaded with actors names or movies is a special treat for me.

I'm finished with my take-along preparations for tomorrow. The rest of the day will be totally take-it-easy. Hope it is the same for all of you.

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

Kathleen,
Is that your own painting?

Carol,
I think the snow makes you smarter.

Kazie,
The waratah is so pretty. Thanks for the link. I've never heard of it before.

Bill,
Re: DECREE (44A). How could you want DECIDE? The clue is "Decide with authority".

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

Xchefwalt,
Nice to see you again.

JD,
Why do you find FLAX beneficial? How do you prepare the seeds? Do you toast them before grinding?

Dennis,
Why OKRA instead of ORCA?

Clear Ayes,
Fresh ginger slices work the best. You can add a bit of honey and lemon for taste.

JD said...

C.C., I use our little coffee grinder and I've never toasted them. I get the golden flax as it supposedly won't go bad.We add them to our morning shake (which always differs, but usually has a banana), or sometimes just spinkle it over cereal. If I make muffins or pancakes I add some. I started doing it for digestion years ago, but I bought the oil for the dogs, as one of them had skin problems.Supposedly it has lots of benefits: lessens symptoms of asthma and allergies,lowers blood pressure, cholestrol, helps reduce the discomfort of arthritis, etc.,and it is nutty.. very good.

Merry Christmas everyone!

WM said...

C.C. Yes, A fairly recent one of a series of "altered" landscapes where you have about 3 or 4 different perspectives in the same painting...a much better image than a photo of me.

Happy Christmas to you and yours...

Boomer said...

Got all but two letters. When I sae the clue "Felt for one" I immediately thought of the late Mark Felt, but 'Bob Woodward source' didn't fit in the answer space. Happy Holidays to one and all. And Peace on Earth, please.

Bill said...

CC, Good thinkin'. I never looked at the clue again and, I guess, even though decide was in the clue, I decided to ignore it and use it for the answer.
Told ya, sometimes I dun't tink tu gud!!
Merry Christmas.

Martin said...

I'm not sure exactly how to specify where I live. Doesn't it depend on what level of detail the map is?

Anyway,

Taiwan -> Taichung -> Beitun -> Dakeng -> Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology

I just had a class this morning, I'm in my office now and I have a class this afternoon. Oh, yeah, Merry Christmas. :)

Martin

Crockett1947 said...

@Martin You're on the map. Thanks for the information.

Argyle said...

This will take you right to the University.

Oops, I see you got it already.

Argyle said...

Oops again! No it won't

RichShif said...

Hi C.C. and all,

Sorry for the late post as I had a migraine and couldn't stand any light. Today's puzzle was easy and was able to do it early before the pain became too unbearable. Hope every body is having a good Holiday. Remember that tonight Santa Claus is Coming To Town

lois said...

Argyle: you haven't left yet? You're about 2 continents behind schedule, aren't you? You busy picking out your Master Card? I'm looking for that 'devil dog' stuffing my ...stocking.

Dennis: enjoy being a vegetable! You've earned it.

kazie said...

Welcome to our map, Martin. Now we just have to get Mark in there too.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

I think I overposted myself today so this is it for me!

lois said...

Clear Ayes: that's funny but w/my luck, and even if I had the time, my lumps of coal would end up as plain graphite.

Rich: thanks for the song by the Boss....Santa Claus is coming...so he says...if you really, really believe. I want a pair of those snowman ear muffs! Too cute! Glad you're feeling better.

Argyle said...

C'mon, Lois, I'm on it. Laptop and Wi-Fi and next generation Blackberry(advanced trial).

Early present for all; no quip on Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho!

lois said...

Argyle: I should've known. You are one high tech Santa Baby. And I bet your fingers are so nimble from all that practice that you give a whole new dimension to sleight of hand. It's midnight now and I can feel the magic! Now about that magic lump... can we just pretend it was coal?

Jeannie said...

Wow, the xchefwalt really did exist. I thought I might have dreamt that.

Everyone have a wonderful and safe Holiday!

Argyle said...

coal Hell! We're up to a yule log now. Hey, I'm over the limit so Merry Chrstmas to all, and to all, a good night.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to jeannie CC and all.

Thanx alot Argyle for the foreigner song!

I'm struggling with a cold!

Anyone know a good recipe for a hot toddy? I know Wild Turkey whiskey but I don't what the other ingredients are.

Jeannie said...

Democrat, I am suffering from the same malady. I suggest boiling water, adding a big shot of whiskey, a squeeze of lemon a shot of honey to sweeten it up. If one doesn't do the trick try two or three...Just call me Dr. Jeannie.

carol said...

Clear ayes, LOL you know coal has to be under tremendous pressure to turn into diamonds!
Lois, what fun we can have with those two lumps of "coal"! I can almost hear it: "Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus lane...well you know how it is... tickle his bowl full of jelly and what do you get? Ohhhhhh Santa!

Jeannie said...

Carol and Lois, don't leave me out of that equation...I have a lane too. I have also been naughty, but nice.

Anonymous said...

It's Christophe again. Merry Christmas Chin Chin.

Crockett1947 said...

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!!

Martin said...

@Martin You're on the map. Thanks for the information.

Thanks. I'm actually located a little bit farther to the left between the main road and the mountain.

Martin

Crockett1947 said...

The consensus of the group is to put the placemark in the genera; area, not exactly where you live, so that's what I chose. If you want me to move it, I will do so. Merry Christmas to you!