Theme: The EAGLE has landed. Each theme answer is a different definition of the word eagle. All so colorful.
20A. Eagle : KEEN-EYED BIRD. Indeed. There are about 70,000 bald eagles living in the world today, about half of those in Alaska, and another 20,000 in B.C., Canada - because of the large amount of salmon in those areas.
33A. Eagle : LUNAR LANDER. The lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft. Six such craft successfully landed on the Moon between 1969–1972. Simulation.
41A. Eagle : TWO UNDER PAR. Golf. Timely for me, the Frys.com open is being held where i work next week. The whole resort is already a zoo, in preparation. I'll be glad when it's over.
54. Eagle : HIGHEST SCOUT. Boy Scouts of America. Coincidentally, at least 40 astronauts earned the rank as a youth, including Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon.
Melissa here.
Melissa here.
Clecho (clecho, clecho, clecho). Perfect timing Mike Peluso and Rich, for our newly adopted word, coined by Dennis.
And a few timely baseball references:
25A. Ball club : BAT. Deceptively simple.
45D. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBI'S. Runs Batted In. From Wikipedia: "…the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name.
And a few timely baseball references:
25A. Ball club : BAT. Deceptively simple.
27D. Girardi's predecessor as Yankee manager : TORRE. Joe.
45D. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBI'S. Runs Batted In. From Wikipedia: "…the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name.
Across:
1. Dance fundamental : STEP
5. Spreading trees : ELMS
9. Cosmic payback : KARMA
14. __-up: slow Web connection : DIAL.
15. Bubbly label name : MOET. Champagne.
16. Like some kites : AVIAN. Bird species.
17. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. Thomas Alva Edison, nicknamed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (New Jersey, not California).
18. Former credit card giant : MBNA. Purchased by BofA in 2005. No idea.
19. Shakespeare's title Athenian : TIMON. The Life of Timon Athens. New to me.
23. Big pix: Abbr. : ENLS. Short for enlargements, i suppose.
24. Reagan era prog. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.
28. Pancho was his sidekick : CISCO. The Cisco kid. I thought of Lefty first.
30. Running independently : ON AUTO
32. Trite : OLD
37. Leg-shaving alternative : NAIR
39. "Science Guy" Bill : NYE
40. Baking soda target : ODOR. Does anyone still keep an open box in the fridge?
46. Tint : HUE
47. Composer Berlioz : HECTOR. 19th Century French composer. Who knew?
48. WWII blockade vessel : U-BOAT
50. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY
51. Tic __: mint : TAC
53. Sale condition : AS IS. Seeing this a lot lately.
59. Ambulance attendant : MEDIC
62. Cathedral section : APSE
63. "Dark Angel" actress Jessica : ALBA.
64. Worship : ADORE. And 22D. Adored one : IDOL. Duplication.
65. Bring up : REAR
66. Diver's haunt : REEF
67. Au courant, with "in" : TUNED. French for aware, or conversant - meaning fully familiar, or knowledgeable.
68. Ancient Persian : MEDE
69. Ilk : SORT
Down:
1. Nebr. neighbor : SDAK. South Dakota.
2. Roofer's piece : TILE
3. Whence icicles hang : EAVE. 'Whence' is archaic English, meaning from what place. More Shakespeare.
4. Does a cabinetmaking task : PLANES. Like this.
5. Harris of country : EMMYLOU. Great voice. Stellar collaboration with Mark Knopfler.
6. They may be pierced : LOBES. Earlobes. And 8. Pierces : STABS. Clecho.
7. See 32-Down : MEND. 32. With 7-Down, feeling better : ON THE
9. Destructive 2005 newsmaker : KATRINA
10. Zealous : AVID
11. Part of most eyeglasses : RIM.
12. "Little Red Book" author : MAO. Book of quotations from Chairman Mao, explaining the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party.
13. Ex-Texas governor Richards : ANN. Colorful character. Died in 2006.
21. Check sent with a ltr., e.g. : ENCL. Enclosure.
25. Sanskrit for "awakened one" : BUDDHA. One who has achieved enlightenment. And 44. Like monastic life : AUSTERE
26. Enjoyed Denny's, say : ATE OUT
28. Scratched : CLAWED
29. Stupidity : IDIOCY
31. "That's __": "Uh-uh" : A NO
34. Toledo-to-Detroit dir. : NNE
35. Port on the Firth of Clyde : AYR. Scotland. I do not feel bad that i didn't know this.
36. Sen. counterpart : REP. Senator / Representative.
38. Road to nowhere, metaphorically : RUT. Great clue.
42. Spied : NOTICED
43. Schlep : DRAG
49. Annual Hollywood gala, with "the" : OSCARS
52. Amulet : CHARM
53. Syrian leader : ASSAD
54. Take on : HIRE
55. Fencing sword : EPEE
56. Stick on the table : OLEO. Noun, not verb.
57. Opposite of unter : UBER. German. Unter = beneath or under; uber = above or over.
58. First president to take up golf : TAFT. Easy guess. Only Presidents with four-letter last names: Polk, Taft, Ford, Bush.
59. Pin cushion? : MAT. Wrestling. Very nice.
60. University URL : EDU
Good morning, Melissa Bee, C.C. and gang - I was definitely on Mike's wavelength today, and solved this one much more quickly than most Wednesday puzzles. Matter of fact, there were just two unknowns, 'Hector' Berlioz and 'Ayr'. And after the first theme answer, you just knew the golf term would be in there, and most likely the scout.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it was less than pleasant for our LA bloggers, seeing 'Katrina' as an answer. My favorite clue by far was 'Pin cushion?'. Several clechos in this one, and a very enjoyable solve.
Melissa Bee, will you be laying hands on any of the golfers? What about massages? Great job on the blog.
Today is Mad Hatter Day, Physician Assistant Day, and....sweet jeezus, it's Come and Take It Day. How good is that?
Did You Know?:
- The first toilet ever seen on television was on Leave It To Beaver.
- In every episode of Seinfeld, there's a Superman somewhere.
- If Barbie were life size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. Haven't seen any stats on Ken.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBit of a challenge for me today. I knew HECTOR Berlioz, but stumbled a bit on AYR, CISCO, MEDE, EDY and EMMYLOU. I knew most of those (all except for AYR), but it took time to pry them up from the cellar floor of my brain where they were stuck.
At the very end, I was left with a single blank square at the crossing of 59D and 67A. I didn't get the sense of "Pin Cushion" until after I solved the puzzle, but was going to guess "T" anyway just because MAT was a real word and I figured you could stick a pin in it. But I hesitated because what the heck does IN TUNED mean???
[Insert head slap sound here]
Good Morning, Melissa Bee and all. This was the perfect level for a Wednesday. Lots of fun to suss out this morning.
ReplyDeleteYes, Melissa, I do have a box of baking soda in my refrigerator, just in case of food ODORs.
KATRINA was a gimme. At least it was a quiet hurricane season in the Gulf this year.
I agree about the EMMY LOU Harris and Mark Knopfler duos, but then any time Mark Knopfler sings is going to be stellar.
Nice Cuppa: According to Dennis, this is your day!
In honor of our unknown composer, here is today's QOD: At least I have the modesty to admit that lack of modesty is one of my failings. ~ Hector Berlioz
Hello Puzzlers - Managed to stretch out today's solve by making some dumb choices. Thanks, M.B., for clearing the fog.
ReplyDeleteHad CLAMPED for PLANED for the longest time, gridlocking the NW. Was slow to recall MBNA even though I've mailed them zillions of pay'ts over the years. AYR, TIMON, and TORRE needed perps (as usual with proper nouns).
All in all a nice, clever midweek puzzle!
Hand up for baking soda in the fridge. No idea if it really works...
We are fortunate in having quite a few eagles hereabouts, both gold and bald. They are lovely and impressive birds.
Cheers!
Good morning MB and all, a fun and fast solve today. As mentioned before my unknowns were Hector Berloz and Ayr, but both were solved with perps. Once I got the first theme solve the others were very easy to see.
ReplyDeleteAs for the eagle I am very fortunate to have a nest, in one of the trees, on my property that houses two eagles and some babies. Once the leaves are gone frm the trees I will try to get some photos of the nest and post them here.
Hope you all have a great Wednesday.
BTW Buckeye it was nice to see your post yesterday. Come back more often as I enjoy your humor.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the NE corner a fairly smooth ride. Took a while for me to figure out the kite reference was the bird, not the toy. Lots of unknowns, most of which have already been mentioned.
ReplyDeletePancho was my favorite clue. I read once that Leo Carillo, who played Pancho. was from Torrington, Ct. I grew up about 10 miles from Torrington, but never knew Leo.
Good morning MB, as usual smooth as silk. This one flew by, but it triggered some nice memories from CISCO KID to my favorite clue, Pin Cushion: MAT, having wrestled from grammar school through college; I still remember the feel and smell. I also actually recalled AYR from reading Ian Rankin mysteries, which was a suggestion of WM many moons ago, here at the corner. Very classy Jessica Alba pic, also. Enjoy the hump all.
ReplyDeleteHH, where near Torrington? I grew up in Putnam and went for my BA and MA at UConn.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning C.C.,Melissa B and all,
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Thanks for the write-up. I,too, owed perps for Hector and Ayr, but the 'pin cushion' thing never made a connection with me; I couldn't associate 'mat' with anything- Heavens!- wrestling!
OK,that's my fav clue!
Somehow, I feel I've seen this theme before,or,at least most of it. I enjoyed the solve,nevertheless; a good wednesday puzzle.
Dennis- Congrats on the official 'clecho' announcement!
As to, 'come and take it'- it boggles my mind!
Hahtool-IMO, Hector doesn't know the meaning of the word'modesty', literally, which disqualifies him from the 'figuratively' aspect. Don't you agree?
Dick-Wow! an eagles nest on your property. Please keep your thought of pictures. I would love to see them.
Dudley- Hope you take some pics yourself.A group of us have taken a short jaunt to Land Between The Lakes in Jan. to see the eagles. I've repeated it, because its so thrilling. They do rescues, as well as counts,etc.
Have a nice day everyone.
Lemonade, I wrestled in school too, but it usually involved multi-hooked bras. And like you, I still remember the feel and smell.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Buckeye, missives from the edge are always good. Of course I would love to hear a little update from all of our old friends. Just check in now and then like many do. Maybe on Thanksgiving we could have about 200 come and say hello and thanks for all the fun we have had
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone. Nice commentary, Melissa
ReplyDeleteJust the right difficulty for a Wednesday. Clever theme, but needed perp help to suss them out. HECTOR was a gimme, and BUDDHA, a WAG, after 'b__dh_' loomed. Thought clues for BAT, MAT, and OLEO were quite clever. No lookups needed.
ÜBER was also a gimme since I grew up with
über - German
över - Low German
over - English
Easy to see here the Anglo-Saxon connection with northern Germany
Special 53rd Anniversary wishes to Marge.
Enjoy humpday. Hol di stief (keep your head up high)
Melissa Bee, Outstanding write-up.
ReplyDeleteI must be TUNED in to Mike's wavelength today. Four great theme answers. My fave was the LUNAR LANDER.
The only HECTOR I remember is the the one from Troy. All perps. Same with AYR and MEDE.
Liked the baseball. Yup, I miss Joe TORRE as my NY Yankees Mgr. Girardi's OK and at least he has the Joe thingy going.
BAT for 'Ball club" was clever.
RBI'S, what I'm hoping for from my teams.
Where Icicles hang, EAVE ... how the hell am I suppose to know this?
I live in the Tampa Bay (RAYS) area. So I guess this is 'always' a wag. lol.
Since we had the KITE bird in a theme last week, AVIAN was perfectly clued.
Only write-over, I put in Neet before NAIR cleared up that RUT.
This was a FUN Wednesday.
Good Morning Melissa Bee, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI went back and read yesterday’s blog as I have been out of touch for a few days. Dennis, I have to admit that sometimes I wake up early and come to the blog. If I don’t see your name there, I feel kinda lonely ;-D
I loved the reminder about Mad Hatter Day. My late DH worked on computers, and always did something whacky on this day. One year, he wore a “Dilbert” mask all day. Got some really weird stares walking through the supermarket, but it was all fun!
Fermatprime, I hope you are 32D and 7D soon ! What an awful situation.
My favorite answer today was “MOËT”, although Moët et Chandon sounds even nicer.
I don’t mind seeing abbreviations in a puzzle if they’re common use. In this one, we had “SDAK” (OK, I guess), “MBNA” (pretty common but now defunct), SDA (uh…OK, I’ll go along with that one), NNE (directions are always OK for a fill, no?), RBIS (baseball always comes into “play”) and “EDU” (the age of the computer has certainly changed our language, hasn’t it?). But I had a prob w the ans to 23A “ENLS” ?? I don’t think that’s a very common abbreviation, is it?
I also had a prob with 31D “ANO”. I usually hear it as “That’s A NO-no…”. There are other clues which would have made more sense, like “___ Nuevo State Park; Central CA nature preserve”; or “Enero to Diciembre”.
But being Wednesday, I guess I have to expect these little hiccups (hiccoughs?).
Have a great day everyone!
Good Morning All, Nice job Melissa Bee. I loved the (45D) EMMY LOU link. I also thought of Lefty for 28A "Pancho sidekick. So what could be better than two EMMY LOU songs in one day? Pancho & Lefty from a 1977 EMMY LOU.
ReplyDeleteSmooth sailing most of the puzzle. I didn't know MBNA or AYR and had forgotten Reagan's SDI.
It seems like ELMS are getting a lot of play recently as spready or shady trees. What about oaks, chestnuts, beeches and maples?
Lemonade, very funny CISCO satire.
Sort of a eastern philosophy mini-theme with KARMA, IDOL, BUDDHA and AUSTERE.
I'm curious if Lois has recovered from her date?? I hope it was a good'un and will lead to late night assisting at the clinic.
Dennis, Hahtool
ReplyDeleteWell, the Hatter is flattered. Sort of an official birthday, just like the Queen (not the Red one).
10 shillings and sixpence is really the price of my hat - that would have been about half a week's wages for a farm laborer in the mid-19th century, when the Rev. Dodgson discovered me.
But I'll accept 10/6 (October 6) as a date - that way I can have a second official birthday in the old country - June 10.
There's a nice description of MADHATTERS DAY [MHD} at 10s 6d . MHD apparently began in Boulder, CO, in 1986 (anticipating my arrival on these shores in early 1987) among "some computer folk who had nothing better to do".
The site goes on to state, in a tone that echos both Douglas Adams's "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"
DONT_PANIC as well as "1066 and all that" 1066etc
"that [MHD} was immediately recognized as A GOOD THING because the computer folks caused less damage than if they'd actually been doing their jobs".
"The spirit of MHD is TURNABOUT: The nonsense we usually have to pretend is sane can be called madness for one day in the year, or VICE VERSA"
"For example, what if your work involves something inherently silly - say marketing - where you set about trying to convince people to buy things they don't want and can't afford because this will give the country a HEALTHY ECONOMY? In this case, doing something ABSOLUTELY SANE will have a more startling effect than you could possibly imagine..."
Donations may be sent to:
Tea Party Campaign Fund
P.O. Box 10.6
Menlo Alva Park
South Dakota
..or you may send checks directly to Democratic Party HQ and cut out the middleman.
NC
Great blog MB, and thanks for the Emmylou link. Makes me feel like buying another CD.
ReplyDeleteAnd to CA for the other Emmylou one which I'm listening to as I type now.
Other than having 20 names of some sort that I counted, this was a good Wednesday puzzle which I managed without looking anything up. MAT was filled with perps and I didn't think to go back and see what was revealed there until going through the comments here.
I certainly hope Fermatprime is doing better by now.
Here's a bald eagle caught landing on the roof of our apartment when we were in Homer, AK in 2008.
NC- What in the world entitles you to break the rules of this blog.This has been an attitude that has prevailed in an ongoing manner- making political statements and then having one's hand slapped. I find your remarks incorrigible,at best; and a slap in the face to C.C. and your fellow bloggers.
ReplyDeleteMelissa your blog was nice, thoughtful and very elucidating. The puzzle was a '7' - quite easy - a few errors I had EYR and HIGHESTS COOT ??? ... now what sort of 'coot' is that ?
ReplyDeleteSerendipity - a very unexpected pleasure, in the most unlikely place - - I found a write up by our dear CC, while rambling thru the web - it said 'real name' ? - and the suburb could have been in NYC. CC - I am impressed, and what you did was, to go out of your way to be very thoughtful and kind and ... good karma. The good things you do often come back to you when you least expect them.
Hahtool - Churchill once said ' The honorable member is not important enough to have to be humble'.
Good morning! I did the puzzle this morning while having my customary breakfast-cereal, banana, and milk. Took me just a little longer than that to finish. Just enough unknowns and unsures to make it interesting.
ReplyDeleteDinner is in the slow cooker, smelling good already. I've got to take my daughter to gymnastics. Will come back to read the blog later.
Have a great day everyone!
P.S. I'm going to try not to duplicate post today. Wish me luck!
I hope the Philadelphia Phillies know that today is "Come and Take It Day" and celebrate accordingly...
ReplyDeleteOMG BFF's, this puzzle was totally a fav of mine! Nebraska's neighbor started off my day and then the Eagles all appeared! There is an KSC Eagle's Nest at Kennedy Space Center that has been there so long that it is included on the tour bus's on-board video (notice the VAB in the background).
ReplyDeleteKSC is located on Merrit Island and is a wildlife preserve where NASA is not allowed to harm any of its inhabitants during operations. A few years ago a group of woodpeckers were poking holes in the Huge Orange External Tank and of course NASA couldn't touch them. So the solution was to bring a stereo out to the launch pad and play Metallica at 150 dB until they left. I know that would annoy the hell of me!
Technically the first words spoken from the Moon were "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed." Neil just hadn't been outside the craft and on the lunar surface yet.
The two under par eagle is both connected to my new obsession but is also my pipe dream!
I loved Ball Club, Pin Cushion and Stick on the Table as well.
seen, I have the same wish, but my take is 'Come and take your beating'.
ReplyDeleteBuckle up, my friend, it's gonna be a fun ride regardless.
Ok You guys are my "A-List"- who has any ideas about this puzzle on www.WillShortz.com? i figured out there is a movie involved www.ItWPathway.com mentioned Will too...
ReplyDeleteHi all (Happy Hump Day)..
ReplyDeleteSort of a typical Wednesday puzzle but I did have lots of unknowns that mostly fixed themselves so I didn't have to look up too many.
Favorite clue was STICK ON THE TABLE. I kept thinking of a pool stick, and had the V-8 can in use when I figured out the answer.
Where is Lois???? She is just not on here regularly any more. :(
Same goes for Buckeye! We need more of your wonderful humor and stories about the GBRH denizens.
Re the 1st toilet SEEN on TV. The first one HEARD flushing was on "All in the Family". I wonder why we thought that was funny.
No baking soda in my frig. I do wipe it down frequently (and I don't leave stuff in it to spoil).
Come and Take it Day???? WTH???
Some Alaskans call eagles
ReplyDelete"flying rats" because they gather around dumpsters and are otherwise pests.
rn6, a friend of mine who lives in Alaska said the same thing. I told him to send them our way. We have a few here, but most of our high-flyers are different types of falcons.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's too many things more majestic than an eagle in flight.
Just as our delicate sensibilities were not ready for the sight or sound of toilets, we were not exposed to the sight of what real people in the 1800's would have looked like. Cisco, The Lone Ranger, the Bonanza Family, Paladin, et al were all dressed in very nice, just pressed clothing with $100 haircuts, were clean shaven and lived in beautifully lit spacious homes. Even the bars seemed somewhat nice and the "Miss Kitty's" of the saloons were all virtuous and merely platonic companions.As Hollywood and we progressed, the westerns became much more realistic!
ReplyDeleteFor sheer TV realism, however, I think All in the Family was the penultimate groundbreaker and Norman Lear changed TV and us forever as he exposed so much hypocrisy in the American mores. I would say the same for Roseanne in the early years until she "jumped the shark". Her kids were much more realistic and everything did not get solved in a convenient half hour.
Lemonade,
ReplyDeleteMy hometown was Winsted, roughly eight to ten miles from Torrington. It's the NW corner of Ct. Putnam is in the NE. Winsted was hit hard by the 1955 flood/hurricane in August. I recall your area was damaged pretty good too.
Do you follow the UConn ladies basketball?
Good puzzle and writeup. We sure have great bloggers here.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to see Emmylou Harris's name in a crossword puzzle. I've been a fan of hers since she started. My favorite albums (since I'm an old fogy) are the early ones, like "Elite Hotel."
Did you know there's a Leo Carillo state beach about 45 minutes north of here?
Vettedoe, we don't have a slow cooker and I wouldn't know what to do with it. Maybe I should get one. What are your favorite things to cook with it? What are you having for dinner tonight? Recipes?
Rain started last night and is still going off and on. I love it. It's unusual for October though. I hope it turns out to be a wet winter.
Vidwan827 re: coot???
ReplyDeleteHIGHEST SCOUT - highest Boy Scout rank
23 across. Big pix: Abbr. : ENLS.
ReplyDelete...Bullsh!t
Otherwise, a good puzzle.
Creature, Don't get your panties in a bunch. NC is a little on the incorrigible side, but I didn't feel "slapped in the face". I think it is up to C.C. or Dennis to slap over-exuberant posters on the hand.
ReplyDeleteDear Creature, CC and fellow Bloggers.
ReplyDeleteI clearly overstepped the mark with the political satire contained within the last line of my previous post. My straightforward sincere apologies to all. It shall not happen again.
Mea Culpa
Hello, Melissa and cyber friends.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the first times that Mike Peluso did not beat my socks off! I even got all the sports references, i.e. TWOUNDERPAR
RBI and Joe TORRE, with help of BAT, ODOR AND HUE.
It all flowed nicely except for ENLS as PLANES did not come easily, PLANKS WAS FIRST but with CISCO and ENCL it slowly emerged.
Tho' we've seen MAT, pin cushion before, I still like it as well as ball club, BAT, very clever.
I hope you are all well and enjoying cool temps. We are, finally. With the rain came nice, cool weather. Yea!
Have a beautiful Wednesday!
Great commentary, Melissa. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNC- Thank you so much from me. I have loved you and your fantastic wit for all these days. If I have overstepped my bounds I, too, am apologetic.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited about your 'Mad Hatter' Day and I hope it is a good one for you.
In honor of Come and Take It Day, here's an old 1970 Badfinger song that expresses the same sentiment....Come and Get It. Better hurry cause it's goin' fast! Of course, if you are personally acquainted with some of our more DF posters, that wouldn't be the case...take your time and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAND, here's a little poem to make us all feel a little better about occasionally feeling guilty.
In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself
The buzzard never says it is to blame.
The panther wouldn't know what scruples mean.
When the piranha strikes, it feels no shame.
If snakes had hands, they'd claim their hands were clean.
A jackal doesn't understand remorse.
Lions and lice don't waver in their course.
Why should they, when they know they're right?
Though hearts of killer whales may weigh a ton,
in every other way they're light.
On this third planet of the sun
among the signs of bestiality
a clear conscience is Number One.
- Wislawa Szymborska
Great theme and puzzle today, and enjoyable write up Melissabee. I only had to hit the G-spot for Timon and Torre. Other problem spots such as Alva, Hector, Meed and Ayr were all obtainable via the perps. I thought pin cushion, and road to nowhere were just great clues. I am not particularly fond of the clue for “ate out” as I can honestly say I haven’t ever “enjoyed” eating at Denny’s. Maybe I’m a snob but having bid for their business once you can tell everything is prepackaged. That turns this cook off. Bill G a slow cooker is a wonderful piece of cooking equipment. You can throw a roast in there with all the veggies and a little beef base, turn it on, go to work or on with your business, and wallah, in 6-8 hours your meal is already prepared! As Vettedoe also said, it makes your house smell heavenly.
ReplyDeleteEveryone enjoy your day. Especially you Nicecuppa, funny but I never noticed your avatar before!
Fermatprime you are still foremost in my thoughts.
Re. the slow cooker, what kind of roast? Surely not a rib roast? It sounds as if you would have kind of a pot roast when you are finished. Yes?
ReplyDeleteJeannie, you mentioned Bogle merlot yesterday -- it's a great inexpensive merlot. You might want to also try Smoking Loon, Blackstone or Red Diamond which are also inexpensive but very good.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes, what's with the "our more DF posters"? You know you're one of us; just a bit more subtle.
Bill G, I have made a chuck roast, an arm roast, even a pork roast in my slow cooker. Never a standing rib roast though.
ReplyDeleteDennis, thanks for the head's up on the wines. I may just have to try the smoking Loon considering where I live. Speaking of wines, I was out for a little "joy ride" on Sunday in my new vehicle and came upon this winery not too far from my house. I was kind of surprised. I may have to check it out this weekend.
Hello, puzzlers,
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I'm here so early! Got the puzzle done a couple of hours ago, but it takes me a long time to read all the blog and check out the links!
I feel pretty much like everybody else about this puzzle; I liked it a lot and it seemed very easy for a Wednesday. Didn't really have any problems because the perps were so kind to me. The theme fills fell in with no trouble.
Bill G. I think I went through three slow cookers over the years. They're also known as crock pots; maybe that name is more familiar to you. There are also a lot of good recipe books for their use. Check one out at your library if you're uncertain about getting the pot.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about Vettedoe's aroma! Well, it is lunch time!
Melissa, great writeup and good links, too. It must take a lot of time for all of you who do the run-down. Thanks!
I liked 'road to nowhere'/rut; wouldn't have known 'Alba' if we hadn't had it a while back (my first thought was Lange). I didn't see the movie. I guess Jessica Lange isn't making many movies these days; it's a shame, she's a great actress!
There are always complaints re: abbreviations, and they are justified in most cases. I have a lot of trouble with acronyms, which are often used in the comments. What's BFF? Probably when I find out I'll 'duh'!
Does everyone else have to enter their name and password, or is it just me? I even 'signed up' again yesterday.
ReplyDeleteNOW my 'identity' is there because I just entered a comment. Go figure?
Afternoon All,
ReplyDeleteFinally a chance to post. An easier Wednesday than usual for me. Lunar Lander was the first theme to fall and the rest came with a little perp help. A nice puzzle. Stupidity was my favorite today. Must be my mood.
Approaching peak foliage. Wind and rain today will take a bunch of them down. Cruise ship season as well. I've been staying away from the downtown because I'm to tempted to run a few of them down. They wander right out in the road to take pictures. It's a good thing for the Town but I'm sick of them. Only a few weeks left!
Happy Hump Day!
Dodo,
ReplyDeleteIt keeps changing --for a while I was in automatically every day, but now I just click on the links until I get to the place where the email address and password places are. Both are always prefilled, but I have to delete the password and retype it before it will work. but that's all I do.
BFF is best friend forever.
Okay, now that I have had time to go to gymnastics, have lunch, sort and wash several loads of laundry...
ReplyDeleteDennis-I am a big fan of Seinfeld and can't help but watch it when I am channel surfing and come across it. I did not know that about Superman and will definitely be on the lookout.
Hahtool - I hope you knocked on some wood when you made that hurricane comment!
I once had the luck to see one when my DH took me boat riding. It was a most peaceful moment.
Dick - Yes, please post pictures of the eagle nest.
Kazie - Thanks for posting your picture.
BillG - The slowcooker is most versatile. When I use it, my whole house smells wonderful the entire day. The best is when I have to leave for a while; when I open the front door on my return, mmmm! Tonight I will be serving a beef roast (stuffed with garlic, onions, and bell pepper), covered with one can each of Dawn Fresh mushroom gravy and one can of cream of mushroom soup. This will be served over rice with a side of steamed broccoli per my daughter's request. Tomorrow I will spoon some of the leftovers into a baked potato.
I have also done ribs, pork tenderloin, pork roast (shredded for sloppy joe type sandwiches), mock chicken alfredo. I've also seen recipes for overnight oatmeal (so it is ready for breakfast first thing), desserts, the possibilities are endless.
dodo - BFF = Best Friend Forever
Since dinner is mostly done, I think I'll go enjoy the great outdoors for a bit.
Hola Everyone,
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa Bee for the great writeup for an equally great puzzle. I had to have enls clarified as I had a question mark after the clue even after I'd filled in the right answer.
The Eagle answers were all easily filled in, but again the short three and four answers gave me an error or two. I put in map for pin cushion? We used a pin map in our business when things were done by hand (before computers were common). I thought that just had to be correct! The wrestling mat didn't even enter my head.
My favorite today was the Ball Club/Bat clue.
Dodo, Everytime I come back to the blog after leaving I have to put in my Username and Password. Often even after putting in the correct password I get an error message and it has to be entered again. I have to do this on the other two blogs that I follow as well.
Bill G. The slow cooker was my life saver when I was teaching. I have done everything from Beef Burgundy to Chili. It was wonderful coming home to a house that smelled as if I had been "cooking" all day.
Dennis, I didn't know about the Seinfeld-Superman connection. I will have to watch for Superman next time we are watching a re-run.
ReplyDeleteMy DH was/is an Eagle Scout. Everytime we attend a new Eagle's ceremony we are struck by the hard working and outstanding young men who are still part of scouting.
They always ask for the Eagle Scouts in the audience to stand and at the last ceremony my DH was the oldest Eagle present. The last two ceremonies we attended were for young men who worked for my husband while they were in High School.
If you get Turner Classic Movies, you might be in for a treat tonight. They're showing "The Third Man" at 9pm. It's in my top five movies of all time. It's filmed in gorgeous black-and-white photography, it's got an engrossing story, and it contains several memorable scenes; one on a ferris wheel, one where the third man is revealed and several more that I'm picturing now in my head. I've probably seen it five times but I'm looking forward to it all over again.
ReplyDeleteCA
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "Come and Get It" by Badfinger. It's from one of my favorite movies, The Magic Christian. Song was produced by Sir Paul.
Bill G.
Hmmm, such difficult choices ... Watch at 9:00:
1) The Third Man
- or -
2 New York Yankees -v- Minnesota Twins
What to do? What to do???
I consulted my Flip Flops and they say it will be the NY Yankees game.
Good luck to your team, C.C. and Jeannie.
Interesting puzzle.
ReplyDeleteAll these eagles resonated with me. We have many bald eagles in Wisconsin and Minnesota, some right near my mom's cabin. Fascinating birds. We just saw the LUNAR LANDER last year - the boys actually sat in it. I have had a few TWO UNDER PARS, one was a hole in one. Fun times. And my two of my good friends sons just became EAGLE SCOUTS. Wow. What connections.
Quite a few complete unknowns, HECTOR and AYN included. I actually guessed on a few and got them right. Good Wednesday puzzle.
Chaos here trying to pick up my mother-in-law at the airport. I felt like OJ Simpson running through the airport to get to the gate to meet her. It is always a hassle to do this, but today they had the parking ramp closed, the ticketing agent was slower than molasses, and numerous other glitches. But we got her here. Will be busy all weekend with her visiting. She loves crosswords though.
For Dodo and others that want to make your blogger login permanent (well, until you delete all your cookies, anyway) here is a link to my comment explaining how to do it in Firefox. For internet explorer the instructions are mostly the same except that it is a bit easier to set up the dual homepage.
ReplyDeleteDennis@2:01 I don't think I disassociated myself from my fellow DFers (wouldn't wanna)...but maybe "just a bit more subtle". Yeah, right :o)
ReplyDeleteJeannie, I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know Minnesota grew wine grapes. It looks like you missed the official Oktoberfest and the grape stomping, but it is still October tasting time, their prices are very reasonable, and you can mark the stomping date for next year!
I have two crockpots, aka slow cookers, one smaller one for when there is just GAH and me and one for company use. We had a lovely tender pork loin on Sunday. The juice made wonderful gravy for mashed potatoes.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteNicely done Melissa.
Hector Berlioz, born the year Ohio became a State, was a fine composer and a brilliant orchestrator, who was several decades ahead of his time. In fact, he literally wrote the book on orchestration.
He's best known for his Symphonie Fantastique, but echoing the Shakespeare reference, here is the opening of his Romeo and Juliette.
My other gimme was Toledo-to-Detroit dir. : NNE. I've made that trip hundreds of times.
Just to round things out, here are the EAGLES.
Cheers!
JzB the Toledo to Detroit trombonist
Hi all.
ReplyDeleteUse my slow cooker for beef short
ribs and serve w sauerkraut.
Love Emmlylou but Willie and Merle's version is better.
Have my own DVD of The Third Man that I watch over and over. Just
love the music.
Starting to get some real dark clouds overhead and wind from the South.
Too bad EDY only has one D.
Take care.
CA - Did you know that there are wineries in Louisiana?
ReplyDeleteThere is one near here that has concerts they call "Jazz in the Vines." My husband and I have been meaning to go for several years, but have not been able to make it yet. Perhaps someday we will make it to Pontchartrain Vineyards. Since I am not much of a wine drinker, I cannot give you any information on the quality of their product. I only use wine when I am cooking.
When I went to Mr. G to find a link for you, I found out that there are actually five vineyards in Louisiana. Who knew?
@ Dodo
ReplyDeleteI have to sign in every time - I'm using Safari on a Mac.
@BillG
Disapointment!! In my area, they are showing "Citizen Kane at 8:30 on TCM. I loved "The Third Man" - when we went to Vienna last year, we took a "Third Man Tour", which highlighted many of the places in the film. Loved it! But since I'm not a baseball fan (and even if I were, I would be rooting for the Red Sox!), I guess you know what I'll be watching.
Pretty easy as mid-week puzzles go. Took 16 minutes to finish successfully. I liked "Pin Cushion" at 59D.
ReplyDeleteLink to one of Hector Berlioz's best known compositions: Roman Carnival Overture (1844). One of many classical compositions I played in High School and have loved ever since.
ReplyDeleteRoman Carnival Overture
Good evening Melissa Bee, CC, et al.,Excellent job, Melissa. Loved all your efforts.
ReplyDeleteAs with most of you, this was an easy one for me too. So easy, several of the clues went un'noticed'...like Rut! Holy Moly, can you believe the 'idocy' of that one! That's about 'as-sad' as being the 'mat' for the pins and not being 'noticed' until ya get 'clawed' and 'step'ped on... (kind of takes the 'charm' out of not being 'uber'). Or as-sad as being 'two under par' and not even noticing the other one you're under par with (whoever Par is)until ya get the 'hec-tor'e out of your 'rear'. Good g'reef'! What 'sort' of fun is that? That's a far cry from being a 'keen eyed bird' - more like being blind as a 'bat'. I'd wear coke bottle lenses & black 'rims' if it means I'd 'rep'resent my gender better than that, or I'd just keep my faith and 'karma' straight and
join an 'austere' 'idol'atrous
'sort'and 'adore' 'old' 'oscars'
and admire what they're wearing. Yeah, baby!
CA: You amaze me w/your ability to find just the right links and poems. Great job!
Carol: I've missed you too. Been overwhelmed w/family things, work, and play time. So many men and so little time. The vet was a very nice gentleman, but a little too needy and clingy. I'd rather be single than to wish I was. So, on with the games!
enjoy your night.
Clecho?? Is that Dennis' new word for 'clue echo' ... congratulations!! Just for my own information:
ReplyDelete(1) Who determines that it is now a *word*?
(2) Is it pronounced like CLECO - a fastener for holding sheets together for drilling or riveting.
Clearayes, I am embarrassed to say that I didn't know there were vineyards in MN, let alone less than 15 miles from my home!
ReplyDeleteKQ, how were you able to get to the gate to meet your MIL? I thought that was prohibited except for meeting small children.
Tinbeni, as you know I am not a baseball fan, but will probably toggle back and forth from one show to another. I believe KQ is a bigger fan as she and her family went to a number of games this year. Believe it or not, I am more excited to have Randy Moss back here to shake up our offense on the Vikings. I don't think he played with Brett Favre though. It should be interesting. We need something to "click".
HeartRx, Citizen Kane is being shown here too. It's just before The Third Man. Did you check to see what comes on after Citizen Kane?
ReplyDeleteOur neighbors in the house just east of us moved to a bigger house about three years ago and have been renting out the old house. Two series of tenants have totally junked up the area between our two houses. Now that we have had some rain, there is standing water that may become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Might be rats underneath too. I've spoken to them politely several times but nothing but more inaction. I visited again today. I was firmer but still polite. They promised to have it cleaned up within two weeks. I have my doubts. I wonder if City Hall would do anything...
Somebody's team is pitching a no-hitter!
I believe that I read somewhere recently that their is now at least one winery in every state. Here in Kentucky we have at least a couple of dozen, with my personal favorites being Smith-Berry in New Castle and Spring Hill in Bloomfield.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone with more time to do research could correct me.
Lois, and here I thought all vets were "animal" lovers...and I know Par, and from what you say I suggest you try to stay two strokes under...
ReplyDeleteJeannie: LOL, Love how you think! we've had so much rain lately that my strokes are in good practice. It's just a matter of refining them for the specific occasion. Two under is great for the motivation or drive. I really need to focus on the putter though. Dang, I love that game! It's all good.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle! I thought that it was a little easier than most Wednesday ones. Since I am new to crosswords, I still struggle sometimes with the clues.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the blog!
I too have two slow cookers and discovered last week that my new stove has a fancy slow cook component! Who knew?
HeartRx: I use Safari on an IMac. If I do not use the 'Quit' command or command +Q or shut down the computer, but simply click on the red button on the upper left of the Safari window, I stay logged in to the Google account. I have found that the OS X operating system is very stable, and so the computer does not need to be shut down often. It is usually ok to leave the web browser loaded in memory even if you are not using it.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
Good evening Melissa, C.C. et al,
ReplyDeleteFun links from all today (and yesterday) and great blogging, Melissa.Will you be working the links on the 17th? It will be a big crowd for a little town.
Congrats all Phillies fans...hats off to Doc Halladay!
I love the Wed. xwds, and today was no exception.Had to make 2 complete rounds , with mucho perp help.Looked up Hector and Mao and browsed my "spiral" for some old ones that I had forgotten.
My sister adored Shakespeare.I, on the other hand, am pretty selective of his works. Poor "greasy Joan", she may not have been so charmed.Tu-whoo...just what was he saying?
This is dedicated to Fermaprime; hopefully it will make her laugh and feel better.From the Singing Anesthesiologists
Dennis, I loved your questions yesterday, and had only one of the answers: Sacramento. We drive along some of that route (Folsom- Placerville -Kyburtz all had stops) on our way to Lake Tahoe.
Wow...just got back from watching that pitching clinic. Oh well, that is what is so good about baseball...tomorrow(or friday in this case) is another day...
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad that there will be no second guessing...we just faced a dominant pitcher tonight.
@BillG
ReplyDeleteI checked further and found that "The Third Man" is playing at 12 midnight! Sooooo..either I have to go to bed real early and get up to watch it, or stay up late, and miss Dennis' first post... Ohhhhh, "What to do???"
@ Spitzboov
Thanks - I am relatively new to Macs, so I am "used" to shutting everything down in the Windows environment, or risk having everything "lock up". I'll try to get over my "bad habits" and leave it open from now on!
HH, Yes I know Torrington and Winsted; Connecticut is a very small state and I went to prep school at Kent. We really got hit very hard by the 55 flood, destroyed downtown Putnam (such as it was) and of course we had a a magnesium factory, so we had an exciting night of explosions.
ReplyDeleteFunny, the comment about the antiseptic version of the wild west as seen on the Cisco Kid etc., reminds me of a truly great realistic show (do not click if you are easily offended) DEADWOOD . If you have not seen the show, go buy the dvd, it so well done by a very fine cast.
Mr. Peluso could have had a fifth theme answer for EAGLE, DON HENLEY
Oops, HH, I forgot to add my LINK .
ReplyDeleteCA- Thanks for the "little poem to make us all feel a little better about occasionally feeling guilty".
ReplyDeleteWow! I have stunned myself! I feel deep remorse and ,of course, shock.
My apologies to each of you.
@ JD
ReplyDeleteI almost p??sed my pants laughing at your link of the "Singing Anesthesiologists". I hope it gave Fermatprime a chuckle, too!!
KQ, someone was telling a story this afternoon about running through the airport. I thought how at one time we called that "doing an O.J.", but I understand younger generations use that phrase with a totally different meaning now!
ReplyDeleteJD: I loved the singing anesthesiologists clip!!! What a hoot! Hope Fermatprime enjoyed that too.
ReplyDeleteAnnette, what does "doin'an OJ mean now"?? Just askin' :)
I am sure Annette is referring to the old HERTZ COMMERCIAL .
ReplyDeleteYes, Lemonade. That's the commercial I was referring to as the earlier use of the phrase, and I've done that many times, especially with short connections! But what Carol asked was what does it refer to NOW.
ReplyDeleteAnd, jeez Carol, apparently it could be used in MANY more ways than I was even thinking when I said it, based on the Urban Dictionary:
Doing an O.J.
Carol: "doing an O.J." now means you murdering your ex-wife and male companion and getting away with it because you are rich and famous!
ReplyDeleteLemonade just showed what "doing an O.J." used to be.
Awww man...I should have scrolled down and checked to see if anyone had previously responded to the question.
ReplyDeleteTwo CW clues. "King James' art today? (3)
ReplyDelete"Sticks in the cellar." (5)
The version of the commercial I recall had more running and jumping over suitcases. I don't remember the flying.
ReplyDeleteJD:
ReplyDeleteLoved the anesthesiologists singing!
Bill:
Waving my hands wildly about crockpots. They're wonderful especially if you have a busy day ahead.
Thank you all for your information about slow cookers/crockpots. I think we will get one. Then I will have to find some good-sounding recipes.
ReplyDeleteDoes the meat just cook in its own juices or do you have to add some liquid? It seems as if less tender cuts of beef would work well. Like brisket, round roast, chuck, etc. Pork loins? Chicken? I guess I will need to buy a recipe book.
Bill, it depends on the recipe. Some require a liquid of some kind, others don't, especially if you add vegetables which often create their own juice.
ReplyDeleteGood night!
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
ReplyDeleteDear C.C., Argyle and folk,
@Melissa Bee, thanks for the enlightening write up...there were so many names, sports references, etc. that I just 'couldn't put my finger on.'
The theme was smart but a bit awkward.
Highest scout: My son, Calder is an Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts Of America had an extremely positive impact on his life.
The cluing, highEST scout, keen eyed bird... The theme clues were calculatedly simple. In contrast to many of the other specific clues/answers in the grid, the theme clues, to me, felt somehow contrived.
30. Running independently : ON AUTO. I was thinking politically with sen/rep, for instance.
32. Trite : OLD This is one def. of trite. I always think of it as 'petty.'
40. Baking soda target : ODOR. "Does anyone still keep an open box in the fridge?" I just purchased new appliances. While waiting the whole week for delivery, I purchased a 'special' baking soda disc that has a suction cup to stick on the refrigerator wall. It's very cool! (GRIN)
PINCUSHION/MAT: Of course I was thinking of one of those little round red pin cushions that Mémère Des Jardins use to have. She attached a stretch elastic on it so she could wear it conveniently like a wrist corsage while she was sewing!
@HUSKER-'I would say the same for Roseanne in the early years until she "jumped the shark".' Could you explain what "jumped the shark" means?
I'll sum it up, having the final say, "the eagle has landed."
I'm out.