google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday September 9, 2009 Donna S. Levin

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Sep 9, 2009

Wednesday September 9, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Commands to FIDO (61D: Pet targeted by the first words of this puzzle's four longest answers) - Common phrases that start with a doggy order.

17A: Make an appearance: COME DOWN THE PIKE. New idiom to me. PIKE is short for turnpike.

26A: Do nothing: SIT ON ONE'S HANDS. Don't you think Philip Garrido's wife deserves more severe publishment?

48A: Dancing instruction from KC and the Sunshine Band: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY. Here is the clip. My first theme fill. Beyonce sure knows how to shake her booty. So does Shakira.

63A: Death row reprieve: STAY OF EXECUTION. I was surprised to find that the word "execution" does not always mean "death penalty" in this legal phrase. Wikipedia says it "refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed".

I wonder when FIDO became a common dog name. It's Latin for "I trust"/"faithful". Same root as Fidel, as in Fidel Castro.

Had some trouble with lower left corner. Felt silly stumped by ASIA (54D: Where billions live), after living there for almost 30 years. I suppose you can clue CHINA & INDIA as "Where billions live" too.

Do read Donna's interview. She talked about the other theme candidates that failed to make the cut.

Across:

1A: Big bird's grabber: TALON. What is "Small bird's grabber" then? CLAW?

6A: Croquet venue: LAWN. I always associate Croquet/Polo with the British aristocracy.

10A: Winery container: CASK. VAT is often clued this way.

14A: Essential acid, familiarly: AMINO. AMINO Acid.

16A: Galway Bay's __ Islands: ARAN. No idea. See this map. It's on the west coast of Ireland. How to pronounce ARAN? AIR-ran?

20A: Bolsheviks' bane: TSAR. Had a very romantic view of Bolsheviks & Che Guevara growing up.

21A: Ins. plans: HMOS. Was puzzled by Ins. (Insurance). "Med. plans" would be easier for me.

22A: Auto dealer's agreement, at times: LEASE

23A: Andy Taylor's boy: OPIE. "The Andy Griffith Show". Played by Ron Howard. I liked him in "American Graffiti".

25A: Cloak-and-dagger org.: CIA. Naomi Watts will play Valerie Plame in the movie "Fair Game".

33A: Movie trailer, e.g.: PROMO

34A: Bartender's rocks: ICE. NEAT is "sans ice".

38A: Fortified Portuguese wine: MADEIRA (muh-DEER-uh). Made in the MADEIRA Islands. Off the NW coast of West Africa.

42A: Draw: TIE. Noun. It's a draw/TIE.

43A: Throw in a chip: ANTE

45A: Nintendo game console: WII. Sounds like "we". The spelling of Wii with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side.

46A: Yankee's home: BRONX. The new Yankee Stadium is just across the street from the old one.

52A: "Groovy": RAD

53A: Seaside city: PORT. Bob Klahn would probably clue PORT as wine-related to echo MADEIRA.

54A: More than sufficiently: AMPLY. Alas, I did not read the clue properly. Had AMPLE.

57A: Greeley's direction for young men: WEST. "Go WEST, young men". Horace Greeley used this expression in an editorial in his "New York Tribune".

59A: Linc's "Mod Squad" do: AFRO. Easy guess. I don't know who Linc is. I remember this picture though. Peggy Lipton is very pretty.

66A: Enjoying a lot: INTO. I've got to learn to put a preposition for this kind of grammar-confusing clue.

68A: Doomed Genesis city: SODOM. SODOM and Gomorrah. The Biblical homosexual sin cities. Sodomy is rooted in SODOM.

69A: YMCA part: Abbr.: ASSN. Did not like the clue due to ABBR (41D: E.g.. e.g.).

70A: Lessons learned early: ABCS

71A: Eat away at: ERODE

Down:

2D: "Famous" cookie: AMOS. I used to really like Nabisco's chocolate chip cookies.

3D: South American capital: LIMA. LIMA bean is named after the city, though with a different pronunciation.

4D: Like a studio apartment: ONE-ROOM

6D: Marshals, unusually: LAWMEN

7D: 12 for Mg or 20 for Ca, e.g.: AT NO (Atomic Number). Easy guess. Mg=Magnesium. Ca=Calcium.

8D: Mental faculties: WITS

9D: Extreme degree: NTH

10D: Peninsula bordering Massachusetts Bay: CAPE ANN. See this map. Remember this Mike Peluso puzzle? CAPE ANN, Cape Fear, Cape Horn and Cape Cod.

11D: Diva's piece: ARIA

12D: Bloomingdale's rival: SAKS. SAKS Fifth Avenue.

13D: Genuflection joint: KNEE

18D: West Virginia border river: OHIO. Again, WEST is an answer.

19D: Lamb's pen name: ELIA. Here is an updated alias names of our editor Rich Norris.

24D: __ Penh, Cambodia: PNOM. Phnom Penh is more common.

25D: "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer: CHER. Loved the song.

26D: Pet welfare org.: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Ah, bonus fill. Sometimes the answer is ASPCA (American SPCA). PETA is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

28D: Place for a crown or cap: TOOTH. What were you thinking? Head?

30D: Biol. or geol.: SCI

31D: Artoo's "surname": DETOO. R2-D2, The "Star Wars" robot. Phonetically spelled Artoo-DETOO.

32D: Be frugal: STINT

40D: Like some home improvement projects, briefly: DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

44D: Near the outset: EARLY ON

47D: __ cuff: pitching injury site: ROTATOR. Shoulder injury. Elbow, wrist & shoulder, common pitching injury sites.

49D: Fight stopper: KAYO. More used to KO (knockout).

50D: Underdog victories: UPSETS

51D: Campus mil. group: ROTC. Quite a few ABBRs in today's puzzle.

55D: "White" peaks in N.H.: MTNS. Have never heard of this mountain range.

57D: Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB. He played Sergeant Friday in "Dragnet". I obtained the answer from Across fills.

58D: Corporate VIP: EXEC

61D: Large cross: ROOD. I forgot. Saw this word somewhere before. Large crucifix.

62D: "Dinner is __": ON ME. Thanks for being so generous.

64D: Flight oversight org.: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). What a nightmare for FAA in those dark days! Where were you on Sept 11? My husband called from work and asked me to turn on the TV. I was stunned.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a sweet photo of our fellow LAT solver Mainiac and his gorgeous wife Jill. They've been married for 13 years, but he still introduces her as his girlfriend. This picture is simply adorable. On the left is their 13-year-old son Sam, who is holding 5-month-old Zivah. Their younger son Gus is 10 years old. He is holding the 5-month-old Hank.

C.C.

52 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - a pretty easy puzzle for a Wednesday, although I didn't get the theme until the very end, with 'Fido'.

'Big bird's grabber' had me thinking of Sesame Street. Haven't seen Jack Webb mentioned in quite some time, and I'm not surprised you needed the perps to get his name, C.C.; he was gone long before you got here. In addition to Dragnet, I loved his role as a tough Drill Instructor in the movie The DI, about Marine Corps boot camp.

I thought 'Place for a crown or cap' was an extremely clever clue.

Today is Pardon Day, a day to seek forgiveness for mistakes or grievances you might have committed. (And for me, it's always better to ask for forgiveness than permission).

Today's Words of Wisdom: "He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice." -- Albert Einstein
And a few tributes to alcohol:

- "There are more old drunks than there are old doctors." -- Willie Nelson

- "Wine is sunlight, held together by water." -- Galileo

- "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." -- Henny Youngman

Dennis said...

Mainiac, you're indeed a lucky man - great-looking wife, great-looking kids, even great-looking dogs. You two make a handsome couple.

Off to the gym.

Hahtoolah said...

Morning, All! Today is 09/09/09/

I just loved this puzzle. It was easy enough to be fun, but challenging enough to hold my attention.

I wanted Cape Cod (10D) instead of CAPE ANN because my sister lives there.

HMO (12A) means Health Maintenance Organization.

I loved the Andy Griffith Show, mostly because of Opie.

I always though that the capital of Cambodia was Phnom Penh, with an "h" in the first as well as the second word.

Favorite clue: Place for crown or cap (28D): TOOTH.

1965 ~ Hurricane Betsy made its second landfall near New Orleans. It was the strongest storm to hit Louisiana until Hurricane Gustav in 2008. (I know, you think I am hurricane obsessed. After living through a couple, you would be, too.)

September 9 Birthdays:

1941 Otis Redding (d. 1967), singer, who’s most famous song, Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay was recorded only 3 days before his death in a plane crash.

1935 ~ Chaim Topol, Israeli actor most well know to Americans as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

1903 ~ Phyllis Whitney (d. 2008), romantic mystery writer. I read everything of hers I could get when I was in 9th and 10th grade.

1876 ~ Frank Chance (d. 1924), First baseman for the Chicago cubbies in the early 1900s. He later coached for the Red Sox.

1828 ~ Leo Tolstoy (d. 1910), Russian novelist.

QOD: All human beings have three lives: Public, Private and Secret. ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning CC and All,

I thought this was an easier Wednesday puzzle than normal. I had Cape Cod instead of Cape Ann which was a quick erase for CIA. Then the theme answers filled in. I started with the down clues for some reason today.

Thanks Dennis, I do consider myself very fortunate largely due to my happy and healthy family.

I'm out to do field work. Its another great day on the Downeast Coast.

Have a great day!

Lemonade714 said...

Frank Chance was the first baseman made famous in the Tinkers to Evers to Chance double play combination; way before any of us were watching baseball.

Who is more faithful than FIDO, just ask Maniac and his boys. Wonderful pictures....

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all, a very interesting puzzle today and one that I managed to complete without any help. My hang up today was 28D as I carelessly put teeth in as the answer. This gave me PREMO for 33A and gave me cause to think a bit. Other than this I had no hang ups and completed the puzzle very quickly.

Seeing Jack Webb reminded me of the “Copper Clappers” skit he did with Johnny Carson years ago. The skit is on You Tube at copperclappers.wmv. For some reason I cannot link this site, but I you can get to it by copying and pasting to your browser.

Great pics Mainiac and it looks like a great place to live, at least in the warmer months.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday.

Anonymous said...

What a good Wednesday puzzle. Great theme, and good interview, as usual CC. I am beginning to start moving to the SE corner earlier now to help get the puzzle done. I too liked the "Place for crown or cap" clue. CAPE COD was my first choice, but that got fixed quickly. I was surprised Donna thought CAPE ANN might be too difficult. I liked how LAWN and LAWMEN crossed. I always have to think if SAKS is spelled with a C or K. Annoys me. I had to come here to figure out DIY - and I am an avid DIY myself (not my husband, but me).

Stellar pics Maniac. You are one lucky guy indeed. Those boys certainly belong to the two of you, some resemblance. And what a setting for that picture. Stunning view.

Dick, I watched that Copper Clapper video, and remember it well. Hope that link works. Johnny Carson was something else wasn't he? I always loved how you could see he was on the verge of just cracking up, but didn't. That was almost as funny as the material.

Have a great day everyone. Forecasting rain here, and we need it. I am off to scrapbook, my first of the new school season. Soooo excited to get my senior's book going again, and I love all the camaraderie with my lady scrapbooking friends.

kazie said...

I got the idea of the theme early on, but didn't know how to use the fourth letter in the answer--thought only of pup or dog--until the perps helped with Fido.

Was trying to think of a "head" word instead of TOOTH too. The rest came fairly easily. I really liked it today. Especially the dog theme.

We have a 9 year old Golden Retriever, and today is our wedding anniversary: 09/09/09. Does that make it a golden anniversary, even though it's only 37 years? Birthdays work that way, don't they?

Mainiac,
Wonderful pix of your family. The boys look very much alike except for coloring. All of you are good looking, including the pups. Is Zivah an Australian Kelpie? Hank looks like a lab.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi, Gang -

Only part way through the puzzle and haven't read any of the blog yet. We're off to T-town, and I have rehearsal tonight, so I don't know if I'll be back before tomorrow.

Just a couple thoughts.

The word CZAR everywhere else is always TSAR in puzzles.

Good thing ATIT wasn't in to puzzle I blogged. At 3:00 a.m. who knows what I would have linked?!?

Cheers!
JzB the traveling tronmbonist

Moon said...

Good Morning!
Got the theme EARLY ON but took time to complete the theme answers.
Never heard of COME DOWN THE PIKE.
EARLY ON, AMPLY, KAYO (how does it mean Knockouts?), MTNS and PATS took a long time to fill.
I guess the N.H. part should have told me that it was an ABBR. I kept looking at -TNS trying to think what would make it a word. And then ofcourse, big AHA.

Maniac: beautiful family

Kazie: Congratulations!

Have a great day

Anonymous said...

CC,

A & E made a movie called The Crossing, Jeff Daniels as George Washington. he went to see a Dutch merchant who owned a bar and they were drinking MADEIRA.

Anonymous said...

36 down Erotic SEXY

Bob Seger Betty Lou's gettin' down tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfuCWHe5hs

ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF

Argyle said...

Good Morning All!

Moon- KAYO stands for K O, the first letters of knock out.

Nobody has mentioned the bonus dog command, DOWN, one your dog should learn first. (part of come down the pike) It could have been "down in the valley" or "down for the count" (which would have dovetailed nicely with KAYO.)

But all is pardoned if you will only have some Madeira, M'dear!
sung spoken

JimmyB said...

Thanks to whoever suggested a while back to look ahead to the SE corner to the clue that alluded to the theme. That helped a lot today.

I had MARSALA instead of MADEIRA but that fixed itself soon enough. (Wrong country of origin: Marsala is Sicilian fortified wine.)

Regarding Chaim Topol (who turns 74 today). He is STILL playing the role of Tevye in "Fiddler On The Roof". They're calling it the Farewell Tour and it's coming to San Francisco in the near future.

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

Kazie,
Congratulations! I think you need 13 more years to reach the golden anniversary.

Argyle,
Did you link "Madeira, M'dear!" before? It looks very familiar.

Jimmy B, Hahtool & Andrea1263,
Any pictures to share?

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

This was definitely my type of puzzle..NHN(no help needed).A few things that I was not familiar with fell into place. I thought Sodom was a person.Doh! I was familiar with the "Go west young man," but not the writer. Didn't like kayo, even more so when it was explained.

CC, another good interview-thanks!

It is a wonder than those of us who spent hours, days on our knees in church as kids can even walk!

Dennis, loved all your quotes, esp. Galileo's..very poetic.

Hahtool, I think there must be 4 lives.As a teacher, I saw 3 different sides of my students: in the classroom or with me, with their peers outside or on a field trip, and they acted completely different in front of their parents.

KQ&Dick, loved the copper clappers!

Maniac,you have a darling family, and Zivah and Hank fit right in.

Octoberfest begins in Munich on Sept. 19.SEVEN MILLION LITERS of beer will be consumed, which is about 19,557,000 bottles!!So, why is it celebrated in Sept?

It's 9:09 on 9/9/9 !

JD said...

oops...3 minutes off.

eddyB said...

Good morning all,

It is starting to look as if people on the East Coast are not going to get any sleep. At 11PM,
I went to the LAT site and and forgot about the cruciverb.com site.

CC, there are a lot of ordinary roads in Eastern PA called Pikes.
Turnpikes are toll roads.

KQ, many thanks for the link. I laughed again.

eddyB.

JD said...

Argyle, antepenultimate! Now there's a 15 letter word I've never heard!Good clip!

Reliving history:

1543- Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots at 9 mo. old in the Scottish town of Stirling. She was 6 days old when her father died, and her mother assumed regency.

1850-California became 31st state. Eureka!(our motto meaning"I have found it") I wonder why we have no celebration? Do your states?

1956-Elvis Presley's 1st performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Most of us remember the 3rd time where they filmed from his waist up only. He was paid $50,000 for that show; Beatles got 1/2 of that.Ed Sullivan did not like him, but he had to be competitive with Steve Allen.

1971- One thousand prisoners at Attica Correctional Facility in NY rioted and took control of the prison and 33 hostages.There were 4 days of negotiations and 39 died.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Thank you C.C. for the explanation of 7D! I had it filled in, but had no idea what it meant until this morning's blog. And I thought I was doing very well after easily getting AMINO...science terms are always my downfall.

Because of the long theme fills, I started with the Downs. Using perps is not a negative at all. I do it all the time. It is just a quick way of describing how particular fills were completed with more than just the straight clue. I never would have gotten the theme answers without the necessary perp help.

My stopper today was KAYO. I started with KOED. It took a while for the lightbulb to go on correct my mistake.

Argyle, MADEIRA...Thank you for Flanders and Swann. It has been years since I heard them.

Kazie, Congratulations,

Mainiac, Great photos of a beautiful family.

It is seldom that a movie outdoes the original Broadway play. Fiddler On The Roof was one of the great ones. I didn't see the original, but I have the soundtrack and Topol was every bit as good as Zero Mostel. The movie also had the violin of Isaac Stern, a definite plus!

kazie said...

KQ, I giggled right heartily at the Carson link. Thank you!

Argyle,
I too was unfamiliar with the Madeira verse. I enjoyed both links. Thanks.

Moon,
Thanks for the congrats.

c.c.,
Thank you! I know the golden anniversary is 50 years, but the way they celebrate birthdays...I was just trying to cheat a little. LOL.

JD,
They've always had Oktoberfest run the last week of September into the first week of October. See this for the history of Oktoberfest and foods to go with it. It started as the wedding celebration of a Bavarian Princess on October 17, 1810. So maybe that date is the reason for the name.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone,

Dennis, does your comment about not asking permission mean that you go ahead and do something you shouldn't and then ask forgiveness?

Mainiac, beautiful pictures of a lovely family. Is Zivak a border collie?

And C.C., of course I looked for a five letter word for head. Great clue. Fun puzzle, and thanks for the interview.

Have a great anniversary, Kazie.

Cheers, all.

Dennis said...

I'm guessing Zivah is either a Bernese Mountain Dog, or a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.

Sallie, yes, that seems to be my M.O.

windhover said...

I think that's a seven letter word.........

Dennis said...

Lol, great catch, Windhover. Where've you been?

windhover said...

Believe it or not, At It.
And a bit of the above.

Clear Ayes said...

WH..LOL

It seems we've had the permission/apology discussion before...maybe last year at this time? I guess it all depends on the act or words that require a later apology. It also depends on our individual sense of what is right.

I think Dennis has a pretty good moral compass, so his apologizible (is that a word?) offenses probable don't run to physical harm, acts of anarchy, or the purposefully selfish to the detriment of others.

MJ said...

Good day, all.
Another very enjoyable puzzle, with just enough of a challenge for a mid-week puzzle. The only complete unknown for me was 16A (Galway Bay's Islands), but it easily filled itself with the crosses. Favorite clue was 28D "Place for a crown or cap". It was interesting to read the interview and see many of the phrases Donna had thought of to go with the theme.

Dick/KQ-Thanks for the copper clapper clip!

Kazie-Happy anniversary. We reached 33 years in July.

Mainiac-What a handsome, happy looking family you have!

Wishing a wonderful Wednesday to all!

WM said...

Mainiac what a great couple of photos, you do indeed have a lovely family and the photo with the puppies and sons is absolutely terrific. You live in a beautiful part of the country.

Kazie, congratulations on celebrating 37 years. As I read it I realized that we celebrate 35 tomorrow...been a bit distracted lately and I just went and reminded my husband...and thanked him for putting up with me all those 38 years(we were together a bit before we tied the knot).

Great puzzle, will go back and read the interview later although I agree with C.C. that Donna Levin is just radiant, and terrifically clever too.

I seriously hung myself up in the NE corner by putting in TANK because of the K....baaad news there because I couldn't think of a store that started with NA...:oP, which of course messed up the possibility of CAPE ANN...D'oh. Also loved 28D and had everything except the H before the light dawned! So a lot of fun and entirely doable since I got the them this time even before hitting the FIDO answer. 17A did hang me up as I had it all except the P and the K(which gave me SAKS) another DUH momnent. Like Dennis I immediately thought of Big Bird and Sesame Street but realized that Bird wasn't capitalized. Fun, fun, fun, and a very creative and fresh puzzle. Oh...and I also started out with ATomic WeighT and had to change it to NO...

Off to spend some time with No.1 daughter and lovely granddaughter for a few hours.

Cheers, and a great day to you all.

WH...haha

Argyle said...

No, C.C., I didn't link "Madeira, M'dear!" before.

Anonymous said...

Clear Ayes,

I saw Zero Mostel in the 1968 movie The Producers LSD was the funniest in 1968 version. But I must say that the Nathan Lane 2005 version was funnier I thought. I did have a walk on role in the June 2007 broadway version in Lex KY.

embien said...

5:07 today. Easiest Wednesday puzzle ever. I don't think I can type any faster.

I actually never saw the theme until I was done solving (didn't have time to look, LOL).

And for constructor Donna Levin: we see CAPE ANN in our puzzles more frequently than we see CAPE COD, I think. That doesn't stop me (and everyone else) from filling in CAPE COD (erroneously) each and every time (I'm a slow learner). I'm in Oregon, on the left coast.

@c.c.: today is a triple-lucky day for Chinese, right? (9/9/09) I was told that 9 is a lucky number for Chinese (and unlucky for Japanese).

Great photos, Mainiac. Looks like a wonderful family, but I'm thinking those dogs might be a handful, what with the two boys.

WM said...

Dennis...forgot to add that I loved the Tributes to alcohol...no truer words on all accounts...I would also add the Gallileo quote that really good olive oil is bottling sunlight. Yum.

Mainiac said...

CC, Another excellent interview as usual.

Thanks to all for the most kind comments on our pictures. Like I said earlier today, I do feel truly fortunate.

Happy Anniversary Kazie and many more!

Zivah is a Bernese Mountain Dog and Hank is an English Golden Retriever. Yes Embien, hands are definitely full. Add in the three kittens (Thelma, Louise and Baby) that were rescued some months ago and its a regular three ringed circus. The wife is now a football widow as both boys play and I'm coaching Gus' team. We are definitely always on the go, especially this time of year. Constant movement keeping my knees from locking up! Love it!

Thanks again!

Have a great evening!

carol said...

Hi C.C. and all - finally got to the puzzle, fast and fun.

I thought of Big Bird (of Sesame St) too but since 'bird' was not capitalized, I started with t and checked 1D to see if that fit in. Yea, it did and I was off.
I was another one that didn't get the theme until I filled in FIDO.

Kazie, many congrats on your 37 years of marriage. We will hit 39 in Nov. - doesn't seem possible that that many years have passed. I am so thankful they were good years, hope you have many, many more.

Mainiac: beautiful pictures of family and dogs (I know, they are family too) and the scenery is just magnificent!

Dennis: thanks for the tributes to booze. LOL

CA: what word are Dennis and WH referring to? It sounds like I should know - anything to do with Girl Scouts/Brownies that was discussed last year.

Chickie said...

Hello All--Another great puzzle today. I was able to finish it in about 20 minutes. A record for me I think. My hangup was trying to spell Pnom. It just didn't look right and I wanted an H in there.

All of those "doggy" words have been used in this household many times--sometimes not just for the dogs!!

My favorite clues today were "Place for a corwn or cap" and Big bird's grabber. I too had that big yellow bird in mind at first.

Maniac, such a beautiful family. You must be very proud of those two young men.

Happy anniversay Kazie and many more to come.

J.D., I agree with you that students have a fourth life--one in the classroom. So many times I've had conferences with parents who say that their children act totally different in school and they are amazed at the difference.

Chickie said...

I have to apologize for the double entry in the interview section of the blog today.

I was denied access, then given access, but only to preview. When I finally published it went in twice with no garbage can to delete the second entry.

I have 6 college kids coming to spend three nights with us. They are our Grandson and 5 of his friends who are all in a production in San Francisco and need a place to stay. They are short on cash, so the plea was Grandma do you think.....?

What I think is that I'll be very busy. Have to grocery shop today!

windhover said...

Carol:
Remember Cliff Claven's "beer makes you smarter"? Just have a couple of cold ones and put on your thinking cap. It'll come to you, and that's a hint.

Dennis said...

Or focus on his ^ name...

kazie said...

Thanks to all the congratulators on our anniversary: Sallie, Clear Ayes, WM, Mainiac and Chickie.

Carol, thanks to you too, and you'll have to remind us of yours in November so we can wish you well too, and MJ, a belated congrats for yours in July, and thanks again!

Off to celebrate now!

Clear Ayes said...

Carol, maybe I should have said "morel compass", rather than "moral compass". I'm sure Dennis and Windhover would make sure that being purposefully selfish would not be to the detriment of anyone else in the immediate vicinity.

Linda said...

Afternoon!

Lots of papers/puzzles/pictures to catch up on...

Maniac: A hug a day keeps smiles on the faces, evidently.

Matt: Got to see a production of "My Fair Lady" over the holiday. Loved your costume!

JD: Great group of coneheads!

Martin: Lovely wife...I won`t ask if you robbed the cradle!

CC: Such sweet pictures...Your photos made me miss my Aunt "Peggy" ( Kikuya). You look amazingly like her, same hair style and all.

Linda said...

Kazie: In today`s world, staying maried 37 days seems to be difficult. Congratulations on 37 years!

Jerome said...

windover- Beer does make you smart. It made Bud wiser.

Clear Ayes- "morel compass" sounds like a great tool for finding mushrooms.

carol said...

WH and Dennis - it's still a little early for beer but I am thinking and what I am coming up with (*) does not have seven letters....hmmm, well I'll get back with you a bit latter. Maybe I'll drag Bud with me since he is so much 'wiser'. Thanks Jerome-LOL

Hahtoolah said...

Kazie: Happy Anniversary! I know you said you were off to celebrate, but maybe you'll read this late. (All the good stuff on here happens when I'm at work, or after I've gone to bed, so my responses seem dated when I post.)

The discussion on a big bird's grabber/TALON (1A) reminded me of an article I saw in our paper a week or so ago. A woman in Ohio was driving when her windshield was smashed by a flying fish. The woman had been admiring a huge eagle flying above her when the fish it had been carrying somehow escaped the bird's grasp. It came crashing down and destroyed the woman's car windshield.

Carol: I don't have a clue what Dennis and Windhover are talking about either.

Anonymous said...

Shakira


Thanks to AL for explaining how to do this even so the computer illiterate can understand.

IRISH JIM said...

Good evening all.

CC the pronunciation is as written AR AN.

Kazie did a double take about your anniversary. Had to reread to make sure. Our anniversary is also today and guess what, it is 37 yrs also. Amazing. Great year 1972.
Congratulations.

Jeannie said...

Sorry friends, I am knee deep in foodshow crap and frustrated. WM, if you posted your daisy pic I am bummed out that I missed it. I can come up for air after the 17th of Sept. I haven't read the posts in days.

Jeannie said...

One other mention...love the pic's of the fellow posters.

kazie said...

Thank you Linda, Hahtool and Irish Jim! And back at you too, Jim!

1972 was a great year indeed. In Oz we also celebrated the Whitlam government getting voted in and his getting us out of Vietnam right after taking office.

What a coincidence! And we have neighbors who have the same date and year as well. Sometimes we celebrate together with them too, but tonight we just had a nice dinner out among friends. I hope yours was great too.

MamaRuth1950 said...

I also thought of Big Bird when I read the first clue--after reading all your comments, I'll keep an eye on capital letters in clues. Was pleased to finish a whole Wed. puzzle myself.

I was surprised to get the theme after only getting 2 of the long clues. The theme helped me get the other 2. My dog didn't know any of these commands--I didn't know enough to train her but she was a wonderful, sweet dog anyway. I still miss her every day (she died at the end of December).

I'm amazed by how many of you have been married so long. We celebrated number 23 in June and it seems like forever. Just have to take one day at a time and plan things to look forward to.