Theme: "Calls of the Toady" - Things that a 'Yes-Man' might say to keep from being axed, canned, booted or fired.
17A: "Affirmative!": "POSITIVELY!".
27A: "Affirmative!": "OF COURSE!".
46A: "Affirmative!": "YES SIREE!".
59A: "Affirmative!": "BY ALL MEANS!".
11D: "Affirmative!": "OKEY-DOKEY!".
34D: "Affirmative!": "SURE THING!".
Argyle here, you betcha'! Six entries on a Tuesday! Absolutely a great idea, Mr. Norris. Excellent job, Mr. Baker.
Rather easy but a lot of fun in there. My favorite was the cross of 37A: Hair style for Marie Antoinette: POUF and 25D: Salon do: COIF but her last hair-cut was a 'bob'. And 9D: Salon worker: STYLIST used the latest thing in hair trimming, a guillotine.
Across:
1A: Coffee, slangily: JAVA.
5A: Exchanges: SWAPS.
10A: Tapestry machine: LOOM.
14A: Actor Arkin: ADAM. He is the son of actor Alan Arkin and appeared in TV's Northern Exposure and Chicago Hope.
15A: Explorer Sebastian: CABOT. An Italian explorer who led an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage (1509) and a Spanish expedition to South America (1525-1528).
21A: Pay careful attention to: HEED.
22A: Vocal cords locale: LARYNX.
24A: Mountain climber's return: DESCENT.
32A: Like an inspection: ON SITE. Construction site, e.g..
35A: Poses: SITS.
36A: Singer __ Rock: KID. Kid Rock is known for music that fuses rap with heavy metal, blues rock, southern rock, funk and country music. Feel free to link your fave song; I don't have any.
38A: USA neighbor: MEX..
39A: "Didn't you get the __?": MEMO.
41A: "Good buddy": "CBER".
43A: Nightly ritual for many: PRAYER.
45A: "__ Loves You": Beatles hit: SHE. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
50A: Place for an Eggo: TOASTER.
54A: '60s United Nations secretary general: U THANT. He chaired the UN in a troubled time.
56A: Scold, with "out": BAWL.
57A: Big Band __: ERA.
58A: Switchblade: SHIV.
63A: Like a Stephen King novel: EERIE.
65A: Exit indicator: SIGN.
66A: Tire pattern: TREAD.
67A: Easter egg decorators: DYES.
Down:
1D: Made fun of: JAPED.
4D: "__ dreaming?": AM I.
5D: Physics, for one: SCIENCE.
6D: Greet from across the street: WAVE TO.
7D: Not up: ABED.
8D: D.C. go-getter: POL.
10D: Peter who played Mr. Moto: LORRE.
12D: Algerian seaport: ORAN.
13D: Comedy's __ Brothers: MARX.
18D: An alarm may deter it: THEFT.
26D: Cereal with a spokesrabbit: TRIX. "Silly Rabbit, TRIX are for kids."
28D: Computer operators: USERS.
30D: Frosty coating: RIME. Like the East coast?
33D: Biblical boat builder: NOAH.
38D: Stocking material: MESH.
39D: Actresses Clarke and West: MAES.
41D: Greenish-blue hue: CYAN. I got this one because that is what they call my blue ink cartridge in my printer.
42D: Wisest choice: BEST BET.
43D: Searched for prey, lion-style: PROWLED and 44D: King's domain: REALM. The lion is the King of the Jungle(even though lions are on the plains.)
47D: Appennini locale: ITALIA. Mountain range
49D: Poe's one-word bird: RAVEN.
51D: Not dry-eyed: TEARY.
52D: Singer Tennessee __ Ford: ERNIE. The Old Pea-Picker hisself. You gotta hear this one.
53D: Coarse files: RASPS.
54D: Daily delivery org.: USPS.
55D: Asian cuisine: THAI.
60D: "__ out!": ump's call: YER.
61D: LAX datum: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure from Los Angeles International Airport.
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A: "Affirmative!": "POSITIVELY!".
27A: "Affirmative!": "OF COURSE!".
46A: "Affirmative!": "YES SIREE!".
59A: "Affirmative!": "BY ALL MEANS!".
11D: "Affirmative!": "OKEY-DOKEY!".
34D: "Affirmative!": "SURE THING!".
Argyle here, you betcha'! Six entries on a Tuesday! Absolutely a great idea, Mr. Norris. Excellent job, Mr. Baker.
Rather easy but a lot of fun in there. My favorite was the cross of 37A: Hair style for Marie Antoinette: POUF and 25D: Salon do: COIF but her last hair-cut was a 'bob'. And 9D: Salon worker: STYLIST used the latest thing in hair trimming, a guillotine.
Across:
1A: Coffee, slangily: JAVA.
5A: Exchanges: SWAPS.
10A: Tapestry machine: LOOM.
14A: Actor Arkin: ADAM. He is the son of actor Alan Arkin and appeared in TV's Northern Exposure and Chicago Hope.
15A: Explorer Sebastian: CABOT. An Italian explorer who led an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage (1509) and a Spanish expedition to South America (1525-1528).
21A: Pay careful attention to: HEED.
22A: Vocal cords locale: LARYNX.
24A: Mountain climber's return: DESCENT.
32A: Like an inspection: ON SITE. Construction site, e.g..
35A: Poses: SITS.
36A: Singer __ Rock: KID. Kid Rock is known for music that fuses rap with heavy metal, blues rock, southern rock, funk and country music. Feel free to link your fave song; I don't have any.
38A: USA neighbor: MEX..
39A: "Didn't you get the __?": MEMO.
41A: "Good buddy": "CBER".
43A: Nightly ritual for many: PRAYER.
45A: "__ Loves You": Beatles hit: SHE. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
50A: Place for an Eggo: TOASTER.
54A: '60s United Nations secretary general: U THANT. He chaired the UN in a troubled time.
56A: Scold, with "out": BAWL.
57A: Big Band __: ERA.
58A: Switchblade: SHIV.
63A: Like a Stephen King novel: EERIE.
65A: Exit indicator: SIGN.
66A: Tire pattern: TREAD.
67A: Easter egg decorators: DYES.
Down:
1D: Made fun of: JAPED.
4D: "__ dreaming?": AM I.
5D: Physics, for one: SCIENCE.
6D: Greet from across the street: WAVE TO.
7D: Not up: ABED.
8D: D.C. go-getter: POL.
10D: Peter who played Mr. Moto: LORRE.
12D: Algerian seaport: ORAN.
13D: Comedy's __ Brothers: MARX.
18D: An alarm may deter it: THEFT.
26D: Cereal with a spokesrabbit: TRIX. "Silly Rabbit, TRIX are for kids."
28D: Computer operators: USERS.
30D: Frosty coating: RIME. Like the East coast?
33D: Biblical boat builder: NOAH.
38D: Stocking material: MESH.
39D: Actresses Clarke and West: MAES.
41D: Greenish-blue hue: CYAN. I got this one because that is what they call my blue ink cartridge in my printer.
42D: Wisest choice: BEST BET.
43D: Searched for prey, lion-style: PROWLED and 44D: King's domain: REALM. The lion is the King of the Jungle(even though lions are on the plains.)
47D: Appennini locale: ITALIA. Mountain range
49D: Poe's one-word bird: RAVEN.
51D: Not dry-eyed: TEARY.
52D: Singer Tennessee __ Ford: ERNIE. The Old Pea-Picker hisself. You gotta hear this one.
53D: Coarse files: RASPS.
54D: Daily delivery org.: USPS.
55D: Asian cuisine: THAI.
60D: "__ out!": ump's call: YER.
61D: LAX datum: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure from Los Angeles International Airport.
Answer grid.
Argyle
44 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a smooth solving experience this morning, with a simple theme that made things go even more quickly.
I liked the intersection of 'coif' and 'pouf', although in my morning daze I originally put 'poof'. Other than that, lots of very familiar crosswordese.
Snow removal here and in surrounding towns has been abysmal, due, from what I understand, to tight budgets and reluctance to pay O/T. As a result, the past three days have been pretty grim for area retailers. Hopefully today we'll at least get a bit of a surge.
Today is National Date Nut Bread Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "When you are over the hill, you begin to pick up speed." -- Unknown
2 & a w/u. South Floridians, hang onto that weather!
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all, a nice solve today and I thought pretty easy even for a Tuesday puzzle. As already stated the crossing of pouf and coif was a nice bit of constructing/editing. I was able to complete the puzzle and had neither outside help nor trips to see Mr. G.
There was nothing very difficult in the puzzle and the theme answers were all readily doable as soon as a couple of letters were revealed.
Hope you all have a great Tuesday.
Been a while getting back. We put a new computer online and have been making all of the necessary additions. Still a bit behind the curve. We got up to Vista with the change, but at least this one will be upgradable to Win 7.
Fri and Sat were no go. Yesterday and today were OK. One excption was JAPED!!! Never heard or saw it.
Might not get back this week, so, To All My Blogger Friends MERRY CHRISTMAS. May we remember the reason for the season.
CY'all Later
Although I believe most of this group do the puzzles on line I have a problem someone may be able to solve. When I try to print the grid the last two line do not print out. I am told by uClick support it is a problem with Flash Player 10. I am using Firefox with a Mac. In the past I was able to replace Flash Player 10 with version 9 ... now the browser will not let me do it. Does anyone else have this problem and have they found a solution?
Echoing what Bill said, I may not be around much after today, definitely not after tomorrow, since ATT (Iphone) has zero coverage in the NC mountains. I may be able to connect on Aunt Helen's computer though, since I was able to link to the puzzles last time I was there.
So, that misleading and confused (what did I just say, anyway?) message aside, I hope everyone has a great holiday and good times with family and friends.
Lois,
Left you a message in yesterday's comments.
Dennis:
The problem you mentioned is very widespread. When Grover Norquist said some years ago that the goal was to shrink government to the point it could be "drowned in the bathtub", he wasn't kidding. None of us likes to pay more in taxes than is necessary, but many people don't connect ordinary services with the need for someone to pay the bill. Our little town (poulation 4000) and county (population 15000) is currently laying off police officers and water company employees and contracting out garbage collection and jail operation because of budget shortfalls. The people complaining about that result, and in some cases the people losing their jobs, are the people who were very vocal about cutting taxes just a few years ago. When we had a widespread ice storm here last January it was weeks before the damage was cleared because there was no money to pay for it. Antigoverent rhetoric doesn't resonate nearly as well when you have no
power or heat.
Looking forward to the end of the week when I can join the CC community as a solver rather than a ranter. Lexington Herald-Leader seems firmly committed to the Commuter puzzle for now.
Windhover, have a safe trip and a wonderful time. Merry Christmas, my friend - your presence is our presents.
Good morning, C.C. Argyle, and all,
Pretty easy trip this morning; no help needed anywhere. Pouf was the only unknown, but perps provided the answer. I liked the yes man theme.
The Ernie Ford link took me back to my youth when one of my evening chores was to milk the cow. Ernie was right about the cockle burr- filled tail; it really smarts! My Dad had the morning tour while my brother and I shared the evening tour.
We brothers also had morning and afternoon paper routes. Between these and the cow, our family was pretty well confined. No overnight trips were possible without hiring substitutes, which was too expensive. We grew up in the thirties and forties when money was always tight.
We always ate well, thanks to a vegetable garden, fruit trees, chickens and hogs.
Forecast of 77 here today, which will be welcome after a cold spell.
Have a good day.
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
Positively loved today's theme, and even though it wasn't "Dennis time", I filled as fast as I could think and write. There are always pauses in my thinking; shiv took some time, and I had no idea okra was in gumbo. Didn't know u thant or japed, but the perps filled all the gaps.
Knew where Appennines were as I always gave my class a map drawing lesson before studying Rome, Egypt, Greece...
For those of you who are traveling, be safe and have a wonderful Christmas.I have 10 errands today. Better get started.
Easiest in some time. No erasures. Not much perp help needed. Re: 'Affirmative" , Thought we might see 'aye aye', but theme fills were ≥ 8 letters.
12º and mostly sunny on this first full day of Winter. But the days are starting to lengthen.-:)
Good Morning All, Today's theme... "Yes-Man" responses or "Can-Do" responses? Argyle did make a nice tie-in to yesterday's theme. The theme that came to my mind was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going.". Let's get 'er done!
All those theme entries were great, but I was impressed by SCIENCE, STYLIST, LARYNX (how scrabbly is that?), U THANT, BEST BET and PROWLED.
Easy enough with a little perp help, this was a nice way to start a sunny California Tuesday.
Sorry that so many Easterners are having continuing storms, or storm cleanup problems.
Won't be making date nut bread (don't like dates), but will make some peanut brittle.
Argyle, nice write-up. I especially liked the reference to the stylists trim for Marie Antoinette. Clever guy you are.
Fairly easy puzzle today and cute theme.
East Coasters, I can empathize with the delay on snow clearing. Been there, done that many times. Sometimes I just try to appreciate the need to stay home though. I am sure this time of year that can be frustrating. There was, however, a lot of snow.
Just a few errands to run before Christmas. Looking forward to some warmer weather in San Diego and a little down time. My present was a new MacBook (I went ahead and purchased it myself as the DH isn't so good at that), so I will be spending some time transferring data and having fun working with on it.
Merry Christmas to all if I don't log on again.
Easy solve with no help today. My only erasure was because I put "Alan" instead of "Adam" on first pass. Wasn't familiar with "japed" but perps got it. I didn't get the theme although I knew it had something to do with "yesmen."
Dennis, your WOW really hit home this morning. I think my brakes are smokin' trying to slow this thing down.
Loved Tennessee Ernie Ford, along with the others of that era - Pat Boone, Perry Como, et al.
We should get to upper 60s today. It is 53º right now.
Hi everybody. A cold front passed through and it was really windy last night. We had a large Monterrey pine tree in our front yard. It had been a magnificent tree but it was mostly dead from a bark beetle infestation. We had it professionally removed recently. I'm glad because we would have been worrying about it in the strong wind last night.
Nobody else who had responded so far has mentioned 67A. The clue was Easter egg decorators and the answer was DYES. That doesn't seem right to me. Shouldn't the answer be DYERS? The dyes don't do the decorating. Since DYERS won't fit, I think the clue should have been changed.
Dcannon said, Dennis, your WOW really hit home this morning. I think my brakes are smokin' trying to slow this thing down.
That's great, and just as it should be. Never slow down.
Bill G., I thought about 67A too, but rationalized it that the dyes do in fact decorate the eggs, so they're technically decorators, although 'decorations' would be what must of us would say.
@Stuart,
You can avoid those problems if you solve the puzzle via Across Lite. C.C. has links in "To Solvers" sidebar.
5" and only just slowing down here.
Nice, fun puzzle today, and like others the only real unknwon was JAPED, but the perps got it. One clue I didn't even notice until I was here, was ITALIA, perped that one too.
Really identify with today's WOW.
Here's a little poem for all of those who are still having problems getting out of their houses and driveways because of the unmoved snow. This poet is very much in favor of waiting it out. On the other hand, if you still have shopping to do or, like Dennis, a business to run, you may have to be one of those who are making that path.
Convention
The snow is lying very deep.
My house is sheltered from the blast.
I hear each muffled step outside,
I hear each voice go past.
But I'll not venture in the drift
Out of this bright security,
Till enough footsteps come and go
To make a path for me.
- Eleanor Agnes Lee
@JD - U is "Mister" in Burmese.
Sara
This one was a fun one. I thought the clues were very easy today. I liked the “good buddy” clue – Cber. Got U Thant and Italia via perps. I’m with you Bill on japed. New word for me. Also new was “rime” for frosty coating. I guess my eyes are “cyan”. I always just thought of them as blue/green.
Everyone traveling be careful and I hope you enjoy this holiday season with your families. I wish I was.
Stuart - Had the same problem with the last 2 lines all summer. Never solved it so I did the puzzle online or drew in the bottom of the grid by hand. Somedays I wasn't careful about the black squares and it really messed me up. Sunday was even worse because some of the clues didn't print. Good luck! If you figure it out please post the how to . . .
Sorry, I forgot to add - I also use a Mac but I use Safari
Great Tuesday puzzle. OKEYDOKEY and YESSIREE are outstanding. And as Argyle pointed out, lots of theme entries. By the way, ARGYLE, how's YER GAL?
Bill G- Dennis is correct about DYES. I think the clue might have been intended to be a tad playful as well. Maybe even a bit devilish.
Speaking of ridiculous-
BY ALL MEANS you can tickle
A MAN'S BELLY.
And in the "What the %#$#@! were you thinking?" department-
It's a SURE THING that many will now SHUN TIGER.
To: Joyce and Stuart
I normally do mine in our local newspaper. Since I'm running an IMac and Safari, I thought I would try to print out the puzzle to see if my system could do it. Bubkes, same as you; bottom shaved off. So after a couple trials, lied to the printer and told it paper was JB5 (7.17" x 10.12"). Printed out 100%. BTW printer is a Canon 480 series.
Hope this helps.
The puzzle was easy enough for me to complete at lunch, in pen! Although I did have to make a couple corrections once I reached the perps: I misspelled pouf as poof too, TEAL instead of CYAN, and NUDE instead of BARE. All easily fixed and finished before my meal arrived. I didn’t trust JAPED (didn’t we just have that recently?) or UTHANT until I came here and had it confirmed. There were some fun fills, already mentioned here.
Dennis: I just saw an article that says to expect a warm and humid holiday, before it cools off again with another cold front.
C.C.: At my local grocery store last night, they had a big display at eye level at the end of the aisle (prime real estate) – Tim Tam cookies by Pepperidge Farm! I bought a box of the caramel, and they are good!
Sara: Thank you for the explanation about U being Mister in Burmese!
Spitzboov: But they could have used “Aye Aye Captain”.
I hope everyone has happy holidays and safe trips for those travelling!
Hi gang -
For those having trouble printing, do what Anon suggested, and try Across Lite. All problems solved, good for PC or Mac.
Make sure you get the latest version. As far as I know, only available here.
Very enjoyable puzzle today. Maybe I just like its positive attitude.
I first encountered the word JAPED in a George R.R. Martin SF novel, "Dying of the Light." Strange, but very good story. Martin is a real writer.
Drove out to Ypsilanti last night to hear Paul Keller's big band. They are, like WOW! good. We played a few tunes while they were on a break, and it was pretty solid. We did a nice set:
Basie's Jingle Bells, Glenn Miller's Sleigh Ride, and a few other non-seasonal songs. Also had two ALES - a very intense IPA from a MI brewer. Got home, after a long drive, way after midnight.
Argyle - good write up. That style of hair bobbing was, unfortunately, quite popular for a while.
Loved the Tenessee Ernie link
Here's my favorite song. Has nothing to do with kid rock.
The Velvet Fog, himself.
Cheers!
JzB the Christmas Music Trombonist
from VERN....
Clear Eyes: I see you live in California. I am a native Californian, born in 1932,as my dad traveled to California for a hard-to-find job. It lasted just long enough for me to arrive and then it was back to Illinois.
I've often wondered: Why do people in California build homes on the sides of hills that have been stripped of trees. Don't they expect their homes to slide down the hills when it rains? Just wondering.
Spitzboov - You are a freaking genius! I've had the same issues as Joyce and Stuart, and gave up trying to print out puzzles (from a Mac with Safari, HP printer). Someone earlier made a suggestion that lessened the problem but I was still drawing in the bottom row or two. Your JB5 paper size solution finally did the trick. It made the puzzle a little bit smaller, but at least it's all on the page. In the spirit of the holidays, you just gave me one big, much appreciated present! Thanks.
Vern@3:42, You're talking about California real estate I could never afford, places like Pacific Palisades, Malibu, or just about any area located along PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). We used to live in Oxnard, which is a much less expensive city located north of Malibu. We often saw lots of homes practically hanging off cliffs and hillsides.
Even more dangerous are homes that are built at the bottom of a shaky hillside. In 1995, I had a co-worker whose home was destroyed by a landslide in the once lovely seaside town of La Conchita. No one was killed then, but believe it or not, people continued to live there and in 2005 another landslide in the same place killed 10 people.
Why do people build homes in such precarious places and tempt fate for a nice view off their decks? I have no idea. Either they are wealthy enough to rebuild indefinitely, or they don't think anything bad can happen to them. When my husband and I built our house, we made sure we were not near an earthquake fault, and our hill is just a nice slope on top of a billion tons of granite.
@Stuart and Joyce- I also use a mac and had the same problem. Try this (it worked for me): When you get the "Page Setup" window, where is says "Format for: Any Printer", click on the arrow and change "Any Printer" to the printer you are using. Click OK. Then when you get the "Print" window, click on "Preview" to see if that works. Although I usually do the puzzle in the newspaper, I print it out on the days when the delivery person is late, and of course on Sundays when the on-line puzzle is different from the one in the paper. Good luck!
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a wish for travel safety for those out and about!
Thank you one and all. Using a different paper size solved the printing problem. In a few minutes I got more help then I did over several weeks from uClick. Blogging has proven to be a wonderful way to solve problems. Thank you again.
Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang, my wife and I finished today's puzzle without any problems of note. My wife knew 'coif' I only knew 'perm'
Here's a cute link to cber lifestyle
Good evening, Argyle, C. C., and friends.
Such positivity in the puzzle; I did it mostly on the train and finished on the way home, but called back in to handle a "situation" with a client (who is assigned to someone who's on vacation). The police had been called and when I showed up ON-SITE 15 minutes later, I thought the responding officers were going to hug me they looked so happy to see me! Situation handled, no muss, no fuss. Plus, I got what is snidely and wrongly referred to as "combat pay"
Thanks to this blog, I actually remembered and "knew" U THANT, ORAN and JAPED. POUF and COIF were kind of "hairy" [groan], and I had the wrong Arkin. Otherwise, a smooth slalom. I loved OKEY DOKEY, MEMO and LARYNX--stuff I wouldn't probably expect on a Tues. Great, clear, fun write-up, too, Argyle.
Three inches of snow on the ground, not too cold yet.
Travelling puzzlefriends, stay safe! We'll see you soon.
Well -
Just learned my Bro-in-law from CA will be flying in X-Mas day, and, of course, I have to pick him up at the airport. My niece, the vampire*, has to be back at work in CLEVELAND on X-mas day. We're picking up my mum in T-town tomorrow, and will have to make a semi-big day of it with my sister, since that will be the only chance to see my niece.
It's developed into very odd scheduling the next few days. I'm not sure how this will affect dealing with my puzzle and blogging addictions.
So - I'll probably be in and/or out, maybe just out, or whatever the next few days. Maybe. Who can say?
Happy Holidays to all, stay safe. Calm winds and prosperous voyage to travelers.
Cheers!
JzB the has no control over his own calendar trombonist
*Phlebotomist, if the truth be known, which is actually more fun to say, but - alas - so lacking in Gothic imagery!
Thanks Sara for the heads up for Mr in Burmese.I had no clue.
Vern, I don't get it either and I've lived here in CA most of my life.When ever we have fires, mud slides follow, and people rebuild. Every year more and more homes are being built up in the Santa Cruz Mts where we have fires.The rich people who live on cliffs overlooking the Pacific want their cities to haul in huge boulders to slow down the wave erosion that will eventually take their homes.Well, it has happened throughout history. In ancient Mesopotamia, the houses were made out of mud brick, and if the rain didn't melt them, the spring floods wiped them out. They just continued to rebuild on top of the debris.
Chickie, the nuts are yummy! A big hit!!!It's a keeper.
Chickie, I too made your "spiced nuts" for my last get together. Sadly, I made too much food and most are left for me to enjoy while being snowed in this weekend. I put them in a lined tin in the refrigerator. I hope that is a viable way to preserve them.
I can cook, but am lacking any kind of creativity and beauty when wrapping presents comes into play. It has actually become a joke in my family as my nieces and nephews can "pick out" which present is from me. They are mostly teenagers now and I refuse to go the "gift card" route. What I really strive for is a personal gift. I just wish I was better at picking up the clues during the year.
I envy all you folks that get to spend the holiday with family. Thankfully, I have a good bunch of friends here that I consider family. We are looking at a major storm heading our way, so I guess being snowed in isn't half bad too. My liquor cabinet and pantry/freezer is full so as Lois would say, "It's all good."
Hello All--A quick fun puzzle for me. I didn't know there were sooo many ways to be "affirmative". I had only a couple of slow downs--nude for bare, Alan for Adam, and weepy for teary. Those fixed themselves pretty quickly.
Dennis, the WOW today brought to mind what my mother used to say. I complained about being 50 and she came right back and said, "It is a lot easier pushing it than pulling it!" She was so right and the wagon is right on my heels these days!
There was a theft last night of 8 sax's and 2 trombones from our local San Jose State Marching band's instrument trailer. Bolt cutters were used and they think probably the instruments will be sold for scrap metal. All are etched with "SJS Marching Band" so they will be a bit difficult to sell otherwise. Always a Grinch somewhere!
I made another batch of Spiced Nuts today, as the first batch was either eaten or given away in cookie trays. I'm glad that everyone has enjoyed them.
May everyone have fair winds and calm seas during their travels this holiday season. Take care and enjoy your time with family and friends.
Jeannie. I just keep the nuts in an airtight Tupper Ware container or a metal tin. They lose their crunch if they get damp. Since they have such a high sugar content, they won't readily spoil. I've never kept them in the fridge.
Also a comment on the gift wrapping. I've gone to gift bags. They are so easy and look nice when you get finished. They are also a huge timesaver. Our local dollar store has such bargains, that I haven't bought wrapping paper in ages. We also recycle all the bags so some have been circulating for a number of years now. Paper just gets thrown away.
Jeannie: I understand about the gift cards! I know they're greatly appreciated and even wished for so they can choose their own way of spending it. But I would much rather give a so-so gift that I took the time to choose for them than just give them "money". Sometimes I'm sure my presents miss their mark, but it means a lot to me (and I hope them) that I try to take their interests and personalities into play.
Since it sounds like you could use a good laugh, I'll share my embarrassing story of the day... My sister in NC called tonight to say that my box of presents for her family arrived. She slipped in the driveway while getting it, but "saved the presents" by tossing them in the car, while she wound up sitting on the icy drive.
As she gets up, she's thinking, well there better be a heck of a good present in there for me after that spill I just took, trying to save it!
She opens the box, and the first present she sees has a different sister's name on it! I can't believe I mixed the boxes. The box with her family's presents is sitting in Virginia right now!
Luckily, the only breakable present I can remember getting my sisters is the one gift I had sent directly to them from the store. So they did arrive, on-time and intact. Sadly, none of the gifts for my nieces or nephew that I worked so hard to find, wrap and ship, will arrive until next week now.
Chickie,, couldn't agree more about gift bags. For someone as inept as I am with gift wrapping, the gift bags have been a godsend. No muss, no fuss.
Does Dennis ever sleep?
anon, it's only 11:30 here.
I should have copied the recipe for spiced nuts when it first appeared, but I didn't. Could you please post it again, please? It sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks.
Dennis, are you talking about the same "gift bags" as Chickie was? Just wondering...
Annette, thanks for the story. I always get a bit nostalgic and weepy around this time of year when I can't make it to the 'ole homestead.
I did something similar a few years back when I purposely cushioned a big box I was going to send home as one of the gifts was fragile and forgot to put the actual gifts in. Luckily I figured it out BEFORE I sent it, but I have a helluva time with that damn packing tape on the gun and I already had it all sealed up good and proper.
Bill G.--Here is the recipe for Spiced Nuts.
Spiced Nuts,
3/4 C. Sugar 1/4 t. allspice
1t. salt 1t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves 1/4 t. nutmeg
1 egg white 2 1/2 T. water
1 cup each of almonds, pecans, and walnuts
Combine sugar, spices, and salt. Beat egg white lightly and stir into sugar mixture. Stir well. Stir in water, then nuts and coat well. Spread evenly on cookie sheet which has been greased or sprayed with PAM. Separate nuts, and bake at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and separate
Post a Comment