google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday July 7, 2009 Gail Grabowski

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Jul 7, 2009

Tuesday July 7, 2009 Gail Grabowski

Theme: HEAT (Summer phenomenon, and word that can precede the first words of 17-, 28-, 44- and 58-Across) Symptoms

17A: Pointing digit: INDEX FINGER

28A: Choice made without thinking: RASH DECISION

44A: Firefly: LIGHTNING BUG

58A: Signal to from the pier, perhaps: WAVE GOODBYE

Argyle again.

Taking the time to think about your decision can also be RASH. There are times when you must act on instinct and don't have time to think. But I digress.

I was looking at the theme answers, wondering what they had in common, when I did 54D. So learning the theme did not help me in ciphering the words. Still, it is an appropriate puzzle for the season.

I haven't seen any fireflies (LIGHTNING BUGS) yet. They seem late this year.

Let's get the dupes out of the way first:

16A & 18D: Commotion: ADO & FUSS

37A & 47D: Pizazz: ELAN & BRIO (of Celtic origin)

42A & 8D: Tractor-trailer: SEMI & RIG

Another nice tie-in pair is RARER (48A: More valuable to collectors) and ADD TO (3D: Expand, as a collection). Actually, GENE (38D: Heredity unit) can be clued as "36A container" (36A: Modern "fingerprint": DNA), so we would have had extra pair, or rather, a cross-referenced pair. Maybe too much?

A good 'Tuesday' puzzle. Smooth cluing, hallmarks of Gail Grabowski puzzles.

Across:

1A: Fallback option: PLAN B.

6A: Knapsack part: STRAP.

14A: Bull rider's venue: RODEO.

15A: Like a wolfman: HAIRY. Yeah, let's hear it for the Wolfman.

19A: Poke fun at: KID.

20A: Co. leaders, collectively: MGT. Management.

22A: Acts as a shill for : ABETS.

24A: Anka song with the phrase "kiss me mucho": ESO BESO. Oh my, this has fallen from a Friday clue to a Tuesday clue.

26A: Petting zoo babies: LAMBS.

32A: Sponge gently: DAB AT.

35A: Stalk in a marsh: REED.

38A: Four-on-the-floor options: GEARS. My kind of Manual transmissions.

43A: Caravan refuges: OASES.

49A: Gallery event: ART SALE. Congratulations to our fellow solver Kathleen Wolf (WM) for her first solo show.

53A: Stage of development: PHASE.

56A: Time or Money, briefly: MAG. Magazine.

57A: 20-vol. reference: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

62A: West of Hollywood: MAE. MAE West. Is she zaftig?

63A: Online shopping mecca: E-MALL. A web site that displays electronic catalogs from several suppliers, and charges commission from them for the sales revenue generated at that site.

65A: Qt. halves: PTS. Two cups in a PINT, two PINTS in a quart, four quarts in a gallon.

66A: "Inferno" author: DANTE.

67A: Grab the tab: TREAT.

Down:

1D: Much-watched interest rate: PRIME. The Wall Street Journal PRIME Rate is currently 3.25%.

2D: Pines (for): LONGS.

3D: Expand, as a collection: ADD TO.

5D: Exec's perk at a ballgame: BOX SEAT. The bigger executives get a sky box.

6D: Civil War battleground: SHILOH. Did it get mentioned in last week's discussion?

7D: Fish holder: TANK. Shame on me; I was thinking HOOK.

10D: Egyptian monument: PYRAMID.

11D: Eschew neutrality: TAKE SIDES.

23D: Small ammo: BBS.

25D: Stuff in a muffin: BRAN.

27D: Blackjack components: ACES. A Blackjack is...aw, I'll leave it for Dennis to explain what it is.

29D: Sink feature: DRAIN.

30D: It's sometimes enough: ONCE. Sometimes it's not.

31D: Slangy refusals: NAHS.

32D: Computer giant: DELL.

34D: D and F: BAD GRADES. But better than incomplete.

39D: Mideast honcho: EMIR.

42D: Scattered: STREWED.

43D: Remote military base: OUTPOST.

50D: Walk unhurriedly: AMBLE.

51D: Eric Clapton classic: LAYLA.

52D: Spew out: EGEST. Opposite of ingest.

53D: Ceremonial splendor: POMP. No circumstance today

55D: Shoulder muscle, briefly: DELT. Deltoid muscles.

59D: GP's gp.: AMA. General Practitioner (Doctor)'s group, American Medical Association.

60D: Delivery vehicle: VAN.

61D: Compass pt.: DIR. Direction.

Answer grid.

Argyle

46 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - another quickie this morning, this time a bit over 4 minutes.

I didn't have a clue as to the theme until the very end. Was surprised to see 'tractor-trailer' twice. And 'Eso Beso' is definitely becoming the current-day 'ait', or some of the other over-used answers we used to see so frequently under the old regime. Also, this is the first time I can remember seeing the answer for 'Compass pt.' being something other than an actual direction.

Argyle, we've just seen our first lightning bugs here - you're right, they're late this year.

WM, great pictures! Congratulations on your show - sounds like it went extremely well. Never a doubt.


Today is a great day - National Chocolate Day and National Strawberry Sundae Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Age only matters when one is aging. Now that I have arrived at a great age, I might just as well be twenty. -- Artist Pablo Picasso

Tuesday's Fun Facts:

- Stalin was only five foot four inches tall.

- A chicken's top speed is nine miles per hour.

Martin said...

Well, I did a Friday puzzle last week and there was no ESO BESO so the last time you saw it must have been a while ago. SHILOH was also an unknown so I was one letter short in the top left hand corner.

I wanted LOVES for LONGS and LUPIN for HAIRY at first. I personally would have prefered the clue "Unshaven", frankly, to "Like a wolfman". I also wondered for a while if TECH ("Computer pro") was going to be NERD or GEEK.

Where I completely drew a blank was in the bottom left corner: my theme answer was WAVE TO A BOAT, which made perfect sense given the clue "Signal to from the peer, perhaps". I also had ART SHOW for ART SALE, LEAK for DRIP and VASES for SILLS. I googled to get LAYLA but I figured that couldn't be right because it didn't fit.

Martin

KittyB said...

Good morning, all!

Argyle, you do a great job. I'm relieved to know that we don't have to worry about you going to the slammer for pinching newspapers! As for firefies, I don't believe they are active here, either. I'll have to watch tonight.

I completed yesterday's puzzle in little over six minutes while eating a hurried lunch. Today's was almost as easy. The answer for "Compass pt." caught me by surprise. Perp help is good! lol

As Dennis said, ESO BESO is showing up too frequently. He and I must have been channeling as we did the puzzle.

Linda, and Clear Ayes, I hope you both had lovely birthdays! I wish you many, many more, with lots of success solving puzzles and visiting with C.C. and the gang.

WM, I was delighted to see pictures of your show! I was expecting to see more along the lines of the caramel apples, and was surprised to see the overhead perspectives, rolling hills, and castles. I envy you the ability to create from your imagination. Well done!

Last night, Dear Husband and I sprang for shingle vaccine shots. My mother's decline has followed a terrible bout of shingles, so we decided that the vaccine was a 'must do.' So far there's been no problem, other than a deflated checking account!

This morning's activity is an early visit to the periodontist. Luckily, it's just for cleaning. Next week, the dentist gets to replace an old filling. I'm so lucky. (sigh)

I hope you all have the best of summer days today!

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

Worked right through this one but had to erase in the NW corner. Gooned on Eso Beso even though we've seen it frequently. I had Add On instead of Add To which caused some head scratching but finished in about twenty minutes. A typical Tuesday for me.

Cats left me a surprise yesterday when I went home for lunch to feed the pups. An 18 inch Garter snake was laying in a pool of blood in the breezeway. Damn thing must have crawled into the garage. They mauled it right behind the head pretty good. But when I picked it up it was still alive! I hate snakes and it freaked me so bad I chucked it against the window. More blood to clean up. WTF!! The wife got quite a kick out of that story. Oh well!

Heat isn't a problem here. June was rain and rarely got out of the sixties. Cloudy and cool again today. My peas are finally starting to climb. Carrots have failed due to the rain. I have to replant. Tomatoes and peppers are growing so slowly it will be October by the time I have something ripe to eat.

The bike riding has been great, although wet. My thermostat works real well at these temps. Never would have thought Armstrong would be in 3rd place this early in the Tour. It will be interesting to see the Team time trials tonight.

Have a great day.

Linda said...

Good morning CC and friends...Just saw the last of the "company" out the door...didn`t make our bed `cause I plan to crawl back into it!

From late last night:
Jeannie.... You made my day in so many ways...

Again, Thank you all for the kind Birthday Wishes...

Dennis: Any day you can "legally" eat chocolate and strawberries is "all good" (where are you, Lois?) to me.

Argyl: Is CC on "vacation?" You always do a fine job.

Maniac: I hates meeces...ooops, snakes to pieces, also! (meeces, too!)

treefrog: Having been a teacher for 27 years I well know about children being well-behaved until "Mommy" gets there. Try 18-32 of them all in one room! We always planned our parties for last period. That way, we could send all that red punch and sugar home with the ones what brung it!


(Yawn, ZZZZZZZZZZZ I works hard and I plays hard and I rests hard...)

Fred said...

I always enjoy a Gail Grabowski puzzle and this was no exception. She is one of my favorite constructors. She specializes in early week puzzles. My other favorite early week constructor, Lynn Lempel, has today's NY Times puzzle. An enjoyable day of solving.
Fred

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all:

This week seems like the usual Mondays and Tuesdays with no problems. Pretty much as fast as I could write.

I hope everyone had a great 4th. My daughter and a friend of hers that is in her program came for a visit. We went over to Ana Maria Island where my husband's best friend was having his usual 4th of July party. He lives right on the beach so it is always so much fun with tons of food and drink. The next day we went over to Harpoon Harry's by boat for lunch and then back for a dip in the pool. Then we taught my daughter's friend double-deck pinocle and we played quite a few matches. Just a wonderful time was had by everyone!

National Chocolate Day! Yum, I need to share that with my one daugher who is a chocolaholic!

Have a great day everyone!

g8rmomx2 said...

Argyle: Great job as usual!

Linda and Clear Ayes: I hope your day was special! Happy Belated Birthday!

kazie said...

As said above, easy as a Monday today. My only pause was when, thinking of WM (BTW, congratulations, WM!), I confidently wrote SHOW instead of SALE in 49A, but that was quickly fixed up.

I thought 19A KID could have been clued as baby goat to match 26A LAMBS. But a nice straight run-through for me.

We do have fireflies here, and we've had heat, cold, rain and just the typical WI changeable weather so far this summer.

Candi L. said...

Saw first lightning bugs a couple of nights ago. Nice accompaniment to the fireworks...

Thought for sure "sills" and "treat" must be wrong since compass pt. had to be N-S-E-W. Oh, "dir". I see.

National Chocolate Day, huh. Will have to see what I can do to honor that properly.

SandbridgeKaren said...

Nice to see a Gail Grabowski puzzle; don't recall seeing her for a while. Enjoyed this one - smooth and fun. Liked all the 'twin' answers.

Just sent the last of the July 4th company home late yesterday so finally can get back to the puzzles and blog - WAY too much doings lately; just no time with a housefull of guests.

Clear Ayes - belated Happy B-Day. Hope it was great!!!! Enjoyed your poem from yesterday. Hope you can celebrate many more with us.

WM - amazing work; I am so impressed by your talent! Please continue to share your work.

KittyB - good decision on the shingles shot. I did that last year and am glad I did although I'm a perfect baby about shots. The nurse that gave me mine was a former navy nurse and I can honestly say I didn't feel a thing - she was the best.

Off to find some chocolate and strawberries since it would be such a shame not to celebrate the day properly.

Anonymous said...

Great post today Argyle.

A keeper puzzle. Quite easy to do, but I thought it was more interesting than yesterdays. The clueing was more fun, and I liked the tie ins. I can see why Gail Grabowski specializes in the easier puzzles. She has a knack for them.

Argyle, I would say she was zaftig. Now I finally remember what the word reminds me of - Playtex cross your hear bras for full figured gals. Remember those?

treefrog said...

Fairly easy puzzle. Did have a problem with the lower right corner. Never heard of 'egest'. Wanted 'art show'.

We don't have fireflies around here. I get a kick out of watching a pair of Dragonflies around the pond. Or are they Mayflies?

Umm-a strawberry sundae.

Maniiac-we once found a 2 foot snake in our garden. Was going to put it in the field, then had a brilliant idea. I picked it up and had my hubby take a photo. The next time I went to Sacto to visit my parents I told my dad I had a new photo of me for him. When I presented the snake photo he almost fainted. He really HATES snakes. The photo is still under glass on his desk. Been there since 1977.

treefrog said...

Linda-I taught kindergarten for 6 years and was in the special ed program for 15. Yep, give them the treats and send them home. A first grade teacher once told me she thought Halloween should always be on a Friday. That way the kids had all weekend to recover!

lois said...

Good morning Argyle, CC et al.,
Argyle: great job! You Rock!

This puzzle was my 'Plan B' since our paper has changed from the LAT, but who knew? The minute I turn my back and look what happens! I just have to get my 'tech' to give me printing capabilities on this laptop and it'll be all good. But it was a shock first of all but an enjoyable puzzle anyway.

Loved the Eric Clapton Layla ref. then really got excited when Rodeo showed up - even crossing Box Seat! what a deal! Started feeling the 'heat' w/7D 'tank'ed (verb) in conjunction with 38A Four on the floor...oh yeah, my kind of party! The sun came out when I remembered my 'index finger' beckoning a handsome 'lad' 'once' into a marsh(y) 'dell'(35A) but I was putting a different spin on 'stalk' and 'reed'. That
resulted in a 'rash decision' all right... contact dermititis. It was a no 'fuss' treatment in part..a little ointment here and there no problem but that 'gargle' would make anybody's chest
'hairy'. Once was enough for that marsh. Now my index finger joins in and all 'ten' just wave goodbye to the darlings as each rides his 'rig' in the right 'dir' to the oases in the mtns - ok, ok, I sometimes 'strap' up beside my favorite one in his semi that has at least 'four on the floor' and a fifth under the seat. It's just my way of saying 'tank' you. It's all good!

Linda, CA: Very Happy Belated Birthday to each of you. I hope the day was out-freakin-standing!

WM: Congratulations on your success. You are remarkable! We're all so proud of you. Cheers!

National Chocolate Day? OMG! This day just got a lot better! Chocolate martini time? I say... yes!

Argyle said...

Lois, that might be your best one yet...when are you going to blog?

carol said...

Hi Argyle, C.C. and everyone:

Argyle - I think Mae West was very 'Zaftig' for her era.

KQ - Argyle and the guys will only remember the full figured gals, not the bra brand. LOL

Mainiac (aka Snake Chucker), LOL - I would have jumped THROUGH the window, glass be damned. I'm with you on snakes!

Dennis - Re Stalin's height(?) Figures.

Lois - sure good to hear from you again. Sounds like you enjoyed your 'rides'. :)

We don't have lightening bugs in the NW but I don't know why. Can anyone answer that?

Fresh, fun puzzle (except for the now tiresome 'ESO BESO'). I got a kick out of 34D (D and F) - we could get some bad grades for our past remarks, but I wouldn't change 'em.

Chickie said...

Hello All--Another easier puzzle for me. I put Art show in the SE corner so that goofed me up for a while. I enjoyed the doubles today. We don't see that too often.

Lois: I loved your essay on our CW. You are sooo clever.

Time and Money were great clues. I had a head smacking moment when I finally got the SW corner filled in.

Ummm! Chocolate Sundae with Strawberry topping and Chocolate sprinkles. Anybody want to come over for lunch?

Chickie said...

I can't believe it!!!!
I finally have my Google Account working--only after a month of trying and four different password changes! My bio has been out there in limbo for all this time.

WM said...

Morning all...first off, Argyle another stellar job and thank you for the link...I too put in ART SHOW and soon realized HOW just wasn't working.

I definitely enjoyed this puzzle and all the match ups. I'm with everyone on ESO BESO...its all over the place. Didn't see the theme until 54D. I enjoy a puzzle that gives you enough perps to at least make a guess. Didn't know LAYLA, haven't heard of EGEST, but everything else fit together in a creative way.

Dennis...loved the WoW...often feel that way nowadays. Stalin's height may explain a lot and I am all over that chocolate and strawberry thing. Have both in the house, so will indulge.

Argyle, I think that Mae West went from zaftig to Reubenesque as she aged, and she was still outrageous. I think it is strange that as the country gets more overweight as a whole, so many female stars and models begin to look like starving refugees...I also love the fact that on all all of the cop shows they all wear skintight jeans, low cut tops and stiletto's...Hello! reality check here!

Thank you so much to everyone for your great comments and support. Kazie...I hadn't really put this collection of paintings "out there" as I was "saving" them for this show. I am continuing with landscapes for a bit, but with a California theme.

Lois...I'll just stick little gold stars all over that post...LOL...fantastic.

CA...thanks again for the original link and I hope you had a day filled with fun.

KittyB...have to think about that shingles thing, my husbands mother suffered from them very late in life.

Mainiac...LMAO...so sorry for your "surprise"...it probably would have been better for you if it had actually been dead instead of mostly dead! That's one of the reasons we keep kitties indoors now. Too many years of "presents"

Chickie...good to "see" you.

BTW...avatar is from last night...this is what happens when stuff doesn't get put away fast enough.

Appologies for the long post, but this is probably it for me today...lots to do.

embien said...

7:04 today. No special problems. Gail Grabowski is always a favorite constructor.

Hope @lois didn't get too much of a RASH from her adventures. It would be a shame to see her out of action.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon, all.
Great job, Argyle. I truly like a puzzle I can get, but it doesn't leave an awful lot for your comments.

I too had a terrible time with SE corner. Same problems mentioned. I wanted TREAT from the get-go, but it didn't work with Compass pt. Put it away and had lunch. Then I decided to ignore 61D and did the rest and came up with DIR. Oh! It seems like a dirty trick to me.

Anonymous said...

Martin, lupine, not lupin.

melissa bee said...

good afternoon c.c. and all,

standard tuesday fare today, and a timely summer theme. dig the duplicate clues. great job argyle, as always.

clear ayes: care to share your surprise?

kittyb: is the shingles vaccine overly expensive?

anon@1:42: martin is correct. remis lupin is a character in harry potter who is a werewolf.

carol: i found this firefly fact: Although some isolated sightings of luminous fireflies have been reported from time to time from regions of the western U.S., fireflies that glow are typically not found west of Kansas. The reason for this phenomenon is not known.

kazie said...

I had the shingles vaccine over a year ago. Fortunately, my insurance paid for it. I had chickenpox at the age of 39 when my kids brought it home. So I had such a rough time of that, I didn't want to experience shingles as well.

I just watched the Michael Jackson memorial while making a batch of bread. I thought it was well done, and I learned some things about him I hadn't known about, such as his charitable works.

Vern said...

Hi All:

Moved thru like "lightning" until southeast corner. Artshow? Could "wrest" be construed as "spew out"? Answers came with "art sale"--"Amble" was so much better than "Hable". Good thing I'm not proficient enough to do these things in ink. Enjoyed this one.

KittyB said...

Melissa bee,

Dear Husband and I both got the shots and each shot cost $230.00 I consider that to be expensive, but after watching my mother go through shingles, and then seeing her develop encephalitis (possibly as a result of the shingles), we weren't going to take any chances.

The cost at our doctor's office would have been $264. Unfortunately, our insurance does not cover the cost of the shot, a choice that is really short-sighted of them. The cost to treat shingles would be MUCH worse.

We asked about side effects and other than some stiffness at the site of the shot, a mild headache or a temperature, there didn't seem to be anything to worry about. I even asked about being around our granddaughters and my mother, because the vaccine is a live virus, and the pharmacist felt there would be no problem.

If you have had chicken pox, you want to read up on getting the shingles shot. I know it's expensive, but it's worth it.

melissa bee said...

kittyb: expensive, yes .. and i agree worth every penny.

treefrog said...

Great job Lois. Keep them coming.

I can probably skip the Shingles shot. I never had Chicken Pox. Even when my kids had them. I remember kids in the neighborhood having the pox. I had skin allergies, mom about broke her neck keeping me from the infected kids.
Did have both kinds of measles, and the mumps.

Buckeye said...

Howdy ever-body. Same comments as most on today's easy x/w. Kinda fun.

Good job, Argyle.

Congrats WM. Good show (which I, too, had at the end of "art").

Happy belated to Linda and my Dear Sister Clearayes. Hey, Sis, did you get my present? Those first edition Yeats are a bitch to find.

Great, as usual, Lois.

Update. Broke a tooth, passed a kidney stone, had a precancerous growth removed, (plus other dodads,) tests on the ol' pump, an L5-S1 disc worked on, a cataract examined, prostate checked, hearing tested and various x rays and probes on my being. All-in-all a real fun summer so far.

We've had fireflies here in Ohio. If you've ever seen them fly, you'll realized that by the time the get to Kansas, they're too damned tired to go any further west. Besides, one of their scouts came back and told the others how high the Rockies are, and they all said "SCREW THAT!!". The scout told them, "Thay ain't nothin' there that ain't back east, just a hell of a lot more of it!"

I've been keeping an eye on you knuckleheads, and will try to pop in more often, if you still so desire. Lots of stuff goin' on here at the Golden Buckeye Retirement Village. Nurse Ratchet says - well, I can't repeat what she said, but the guys and gals here miss ya'all.

I must be off!

Buckeye said...

Kittyb. Is the shingles shot a "one time" thing or yearly?

IMBO

Anonymous said...

This was the first chance I had to do the puzzle today. My boss is out of town and I am his backup. I never caught the theme but it just didn't matter as I was typing in the answers as fast as I could. Might have been a new record for me at just under 7 min. Got some perp help in nee, OED, elan, and nee. To "shill" for niggled at the back of my brain so just threw in abet and wahlah. My new word of the day was Oases - caravan refugees. The only real red letter help today was I wanted to pen in "art show" for art sale. WM, was this just a showing for you or was the art for sale? Favorite clue was "Time or Money, briefly." - mag.

Brady is rallying hard for a BB gun and I told him maybe when he's ten. Big hunters up here in MN and you have to start them somewhere I guess.

Mainiac, I LMAO about the snake story. I HATE snakes and luckily my brave son will take care of those in my yard. Isn't that why you have boys?

KQ, I remember those cross your heart bra commercials...alas...thank God for the
Wonder bras of today as I wasn't too blessed in that area. Others though perhaps.

Lois, you are a brilliant writer and I just knew you were going to come up with something spectacular today.

Argyle, I have enjoyed your blogs the last couple of days.

WM said...

Buckeye...Extraordinarily good to see you! Sounds like you got the full treatment! I hope they checked under the hood, changed the oil and topped off the fluids. We have missed you mightily! :o)

Sallie...thank for that terrific poem yesterday...even though it wasn't entirely my childhood experience, it was evocative and close enough.

I am suspecting that CA's surprise may have involved somewhere fun...

WM said...

Tarrajo...for sale also, the gallery takes 40% :o( I may have one of the large ones sold. THanks for asking.

#3

Buckeye said...

Carol. I know about bra brands - now. Years ago, when I lived in Houston, I went to Neiman's to buy my wife a bra. The saleslady smiled and asked, Would you like Playtex?"

I replied, "Not now, Maam. I just want to buy my wife a bra".

IMBO

SandbridgeKaren said...

Buckeye - groaning at your bra comment. Shingles shot is a one time only thing. Yeah, expensive, most insurance doesn't cover any of it (I agree, how dumb is that!!!!) but worth every penny. I have a number of friends who had shingles and some cases were absolutely awful. I'd take the shot any day of the week.

Lois - another brilliant read - thanks for checking in. What paper do you get?

Anonymous said...

I'm told shingles vaccines work only about half the time, but, as far as I'm concerned, they're worth it. Unfortunately, I had the shot and got shingles a year later anyway. They lasted 8 weeks--the entire months of July and August. Once you have them, you can get them again, I'm told.

For those of you who have never had chicken pox, you can catch chicken pox from someone who has shingles. You just can't catch shingles from someone who has shingles.

carol said...

Chickie, so great to finally 'see' you!

Melissa bee, thanks so much for the firefly info...and after reading Buckeye's reason we don't have them in Oregon, I am still laughing! I thought it was our rain.

Buckeye (aka Tex), LOL...so good to hear from you again. Did you get a lube job with that summer overhaul???

Jeannie said...

Buckeye...good to see my favorite guy (okay, I can only choose one, two or three depending on my mood and the rest know who you are) posting here today. I am glad you are "taking care of business." Jeannie has been fine and am coming off a 5 day furlow with very impressive tan lines and a very impressive garden. So far I have gleaned 18 zucchini.

Linda, thank you for your kind words. Mine were heart felt, and it sounds like you had an outstanding birthday.

Dennis, strawberries and chocolate? Wow, the possibilities are endless. Too bad I am so tired after trying to answer 267 emails from my valued time off. Insane.

eddyB said...

Hello all, Its 5:52 PM. I think I know what I was doing wrong. Should
be blue again.

If the picture of AM Island is the same as the one that was talked about, its lovey white sand is beautiful.

Used to fly in and out of Orlando before DW was built. It was almost in Ocala.

Will finish my Germ. Choc. Cake tonight in honor of NCD.

We also play doubledeck pinochle.
I have seen some pretty wild variations - 5 hand and passing cards.

Dennis said...

g8rmomx2, if you're talking about the Harpoon Harry's in Punta Gorda, we've been there, and it's a great experience. That's such a wonderful area for boating.

Lois, you are truly amazing on many levels. I'll bet you could DFize the Declaration of Independence. Argyle, if Lois blogged the crossword, there'd be heads spinning around like Linda Blair in the Exorcist.

Chickie, congrats on getting blued.

MelissaBee, great seeing you - whatcha been up to? Hopefully not rubbing people the wrong way...

Buckeye, good to see you back - are you good for another 100,000 miles now? And you're right about lightning bugs - they're not exactly speed merchants.

tarrajo, filling in for your boss is a great opportunity to give yourself a raise.

jeannie, vacation can be such a double-edged sword - it's great to get away, but you sure as hell pay the penalty when you go back to work.

Jazzbumpa said...

Like a few others, i had SE problems. Wanted ART SHOW, thinking about WM. MAybe an ART SALE is even better. Couldn't come up with MAG for Time nor Money. EGEST, heh? Now that I know the word, I certainly don't want to be there when it happens. Now, are we al going to get BAD GRADES for being D(and)F? I wold have to SULK.

Has anyone EVER encountered the word EMALL?

Had my son's 3 kids O/N, and then through the day. Nice time, then we all went out for ice cream. At times, it's even better than beer.

No concert this week.

Good thing. Three next week, and I'm already tired.

Cheers!

KittyB said...

Buckeye, my sweet, I've really missed you! It sounds like Nurse Ratchet has been keeping you pretty busy with tests and such. Makes my knees shake to think about it!

That shingles shot is done one time only. That puts the cost into perspective. (I see that SBKaren answered that for you... thanks, Karen.)

Anonymous, I'll have to do some browsing to see what proportion of those of us who get the shot are likely to get shingles anyway. I think those odds might be pretty low.

Maniac, I abhor snakes. My mother is more afraid of them than I am. When we first moved to this house we had several good-sized snakes that liked to bask in the sun at the front of the house. We frequently had to step out of mother's line of sight and signal my husband to do retrieval duty before she could see them. One day I was mowing and as I made the second circuit around one area, I discovered that I had chopped a snake to pieces... I left the remainder of that area for my husband to mow. Yuck!

KittyB said...

Shingles statistics

How effective is the shingles vaccine? (Updated May 2009):
In a clinical trial involving thousands of adults 60 years old or older, Zostavax reduced the risk of shingles by about half (51%) and the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia by 67%. While the vaccine was most effective in people 60-69 years old it also provided some protection for older groups.

How long does the shingles vaccine last? (New information, May, 2009):
Research suggests that the shingles vaccine is effective for at least six years, but may last much longer. Ongoing studies are being conducted to determine exactly how long the vaccine protects against shingles.

Anonymous said...

51 D Eric Clapton Classic Layla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX5USg8_1gA

PJB-Chicago said...

Good evening, everyone--sorry to check in so late--worked until late, getting caught up.
Nice, straightforward puzzle; I don't remember seeing/hearing "egest" in a 'month of Sundays', as the saying goes--and "strewed" (42D) sounds odd
to my ear, but e-dictionary says
that's the correct past-tense form, and "strewn" is the adjective!
My dad, a New Englander, called grades "marks, pronounced with a Boston "r", so the
parent-teacher conferences were an exercise in cross-cultural communication, because we were living in Texas!

E-mall? (63A)--did that word ever catch on?
Good write-up,as always,Argyle!