google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday November 6, 2010 Timothy L. Meaker

Gary's Blog Map

Nov 6, 2010

Saturday November 6, 2010 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 34

The themeless design is quite solver-friendly, no grid-spanner or triple/quadruple stacks. The two 10s and six 9s are spread out pretty evenly. All of them lively multi-words:

13A. Positive : ABOVE ZERO. "Positive" temperature-wise.

16A. A great teacher might be one : ROLE MODEL. Most of my teachers were so stern and serious.

52A. In disorder : JUMBLED UP. Quite a scrabbly grid. Only one Q away from a pangram.

55A. Metaphorical victim of an upset : APPLECART. Upset the applecart.

8D. Oscar's covering : GOLD PLATE. The Oscar statuette.

10D. Loses big : TAKES A BATH. Nice fill.

25D. Rolls seen at the beach? : SPARE TIRES. Did not come to me quickly.

31D. Where a small hand might get caught : COOKIE JAR. Sweet clue.

Very few obscure names today. But the overall cluing made this puzzle pretty challenging.

Across:

1. Hawaiian for "strong" : MAHI. I mentioned this on the blog before. Love mahi-mahi. Delicious!

5. In __ : A FOG. I needed a bracketed "befuddled" in the clue.

9. Internet letters : HTTP. "Internet address letters", to be exact.

15. Many are imagined : FEARS. Nailed this one.

17. Libertines : RAKES. Or ROUES.

18. Urban renewal target : EYESORE

19. Proof of ownership? : DNA TEST. Oh, ownership of a baby. Or a crime.

21. Ranch handle : TEX. Cowboy nickname "handle".

22. River through New Mexico : PECOS. No idea. It flows to Rio Grande. What does "Pecos"?

23. Castigates : BASTES. Not familiar with this "baste" meaning, "lambaste", yes.

27. Environmentalist's goal : CLEAN AIR

30. Stock phrase : AT PAR

31. Punched-out pieces : CHADS

32. 'Hood handle : BRO

33. 16-time Gold Glove-winning pitcher Jim : KAAT. Gimme. He's with the Twins for a long time. We also have 36. Commit catcher's interference, e.g. : ERR. Pitcher & Catcher.

34. Layers : COATS. Hens too, lay-ers.

35. Aero-X automaker : SAAB. Drew a blank.

37. Faulkner's "__ for Emily" : A ROSE. What's it about?

38. Old-time soprano Lehmann : LOTTE. Another unknown. She died in 1976. No wonder "Old-time".

39. A lime-flavored version of it came out in 2004 : DIET COKE. Needed crossing help.

41. Acted after a coin toss, maybe : WISHED. Good clue.

42. Stanley of "Julie & Julia" : TUCCI. Loved him in "Big Night".

43. Chocolatier's container : VAT

44. Takeout option : CHINESE. Loved by Jayce. His "Da Fan Tong" (big eater) comment really made me laugh.

46. Style revived in the '60s : ART DECO. Oh, I was not aware of it.

51. 1961 Best Actress : LOREN (Sophia). For "Two Women".

54. Umiak builder : ALEUT. Umiak is literally "women's boat". Kayak = "man's boat".

56. Stinger : WASP

57. Spring (from) : RISE

58. Iowa Straw Poll city : AMES. 4-letter Iowa city is always AMES.

Down:

1. Colt source : MARE. Thought of gun.

2. "About __": Hornby novel : A BOY. Not on my radar. It's made into a movie starring Hugh Grant.

3. Driver's ultimate destination? : HOLE. Question marked "driver" always refers to golf.

4. Noted 19th-century lithographer : IVES. Currier & Ives.

5. São Miguel is the largest of them : AZORES. See this map. Belongs to Portugal.

6. Golf's __ Cup : FEDEX. You wanted RYDER, didn't you?

7. Bauxite, for one : ORE

9. Romano's "Everybody Loves Raymond" co-star : HEATON (Patricia). Here she is. Are those real?

11. Nueve's square root : TRES. Did not know Nueve = 9.

12. Subtle signal : PSST

14. One acting badly? : EMOTER

15. Donnybrook : FRACAS

20. They're not optional : NEEDS. I don't get this clue.

23. Potato choice : BAKED

24. Onetime Coleco competitor : ATARI. Needed crossing help also.

26. One might be dedicated to Mom, briefly : TAT (Tattoo)

27. Go after : CHASE

28. Burning up : IRATE

29. Dressed for court : ROBED. For judges.

34. Holey footwear : CROCS

35. One might be picked up in a storm : SOS. Should have nailed it.

37. Stress : ACCENT

38. Slightly : LITTLE

40. Mechanic's offer : TUNEUP

41. Bird's song : WARBLE

43. Sirens : VAMPS

44. Scratch : CLAW. What's the first word that came to your mind?

45. Chihuahua howdy : HOLA. Chickie's hallmark greeting.

47. Pod opening? : DECA. Prefix for "ten". Decapod (literally "ten footed) has 10 legs. Got me.

48. Dutch export : EDAM

49. Salt, perhaps : CURE. I suppose you can clue it "Smoke, perhaps" also.

50. Gets off the fence : OPTS

53. Gp. co-founded by publisher E.W. Scripps : UPI. Not in my knowledge zone. Makes sense though.

Answer grid.

C.C.

43 comments:

  1. Good Morning all,

    Fun puzzle today. I did it on line and fell for the temptation of red letter help eventually. Jim KAAT was not a gimme here and it took a while to come up with LOTTE. I liked COOKIEJAR though too many cookies might lead to SPARETIRES.

    My first thought with 'in' was situ, then lieu, then that I'd better wait for perp help. Pretty lame clue.

    One of my favorite memories of growing up in New Mexico was backpacking in the PECOS Wilderness and seeing sunset on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, finally understanding where the name came from. I also remember stories of the cowboy PECOS Bill, but can't say that I remember the river.

    Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Morning CC and All,

    I needed red letter help for Kaat and Lotte also. The rest filled in pretty easily. Apple Cart was my favorite. I don't usually do Saturday grids. Thought this one was an easier difficulty level.

    We're in Portland for the weekend. My sister is getting married (again). I actually like this guy and his family.

    Now that I've done the grid, I guess I'll go work out. Maybe everyone will be awake after that.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Morning, all!

    Things were tough all over for me today. The NE took forever, primarily because I misremembered the last name of the "Everybody Loves Raymond" star as HEALIE instead of HEATON. Once I took that out, though, the rest of the section fell into place quickly.

    The far west also took awhile, partially because I don't normally see BASTE defined that way and partially because KAAT just looked too wrong to keep in when I got it via the perps.

    The SE wasn't too bad -- I was only delayed because I refused to accept that "slightly" could be equivalent to LITTLE (and not, say, A LITTLE).

    What really killed me, though, was the NW. I really wanted RYDER for 6D, especially after getting __DE_ from the perps. Never heard of the FEDEX Cup (I'm not a golf fan, sorry), so that wasn't on my radar. In addition, AROW seemed perfect for 5A. I actually wanted GOLD PLATE and AZORES, but they just wouldn't work with the two answers I just knew had to be right. Until I finally relented and took those two out, that is, after which I put GOLD PLATE and AZORES in and finished the puzzle fairly quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good day to all,

    For a Saturday, this came together for me rather quickly. I agree with CC about baste, doesn't make a lot of sense. It was 100% perps to fill it in. Several unknowns... Tucci, Heaton,& Lotte.

    Gotta run, time to pick up our new family addition.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good morning CC, et al., Interesting puzzle with some very cute and clever clues. I agree w/ everything you said CC - like reading my mind...which may be a little scary. 'Aleut' reminded me that I have 2 kayaks out in the garage...well, I guess they are umiaks since I can see no
    'rudders'. How else can one tell them apart? One enters them, rides them and strokes them the same way regardless. A good time has always been had by all, but now I have to wonder..a 'mare' or 'a boy' and a
    'DNA Test' would not help.

    Enjoy your day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Will only answer the questions I know:
    "handle" is a colloquialism for "name."

    Heaton had breast work after bearing
    and nursing her children.

    Good to see a "CC" write up and my first thought for "scratch" was "home made."

    "Pecos" possibly came from "purco" meaning "dirty".
    Natives once called the river "Rio Purco."

    ReplyDelete
  7. 'Morning,

    My first thought for Scratch(44D) was something like CASH.

    5A. In: might as well not even bothered with a clue! Just try four letter words that might work. IN A FIX would have put you in a fix, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning C.C. and Saturday Solvers:

    I found this to be the easiest themeless of the year, though I had to erase RYDER and agree I was unfamiliar with LOTTE or the more violent meaning of BASTE which is word which has some very diverse meanings from cooking, sewing etc.

    Two clues which were particularly easy for people who live in Florida were :Punched-out pieces: CHADS, made famous by the election of 2000, and, Style revived in the '60s : ART DECO. Boca Raton (hey Dennis) and South beach in Miami both have wonderful examples of this.

    You asked, “Are those real?” I think generally if you ask, they are not. And this explains the clue: They're not optional : NEEDS, women need to have breasts, but making them bigger is optional.

    I really enjoyed SPARE TIRES, and COOKIE JAR, but my favorite was: One might be dedicated to Mom, briefly : TAT. Not in favor of tattoos, but seeing a 300 pound man, with MOM inside a heart on his shoulder is always interesting.

    Finally, television taught me all about the Pecos river, with JUDGE ROY BEAN passing justice in the old west.

    Sorry about the cold front Dennis, but it is a great day for a walk or golf or cuddling under a comforter with the windows open, be good.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning CC and all, a somewhat strange puzzle for me today. I went on line early this morning and started to work the puzzle and hit a wall immediately. I walked away for about an hour, came back, and flew through the puzzle. There were a few names that I did not know, but they were obtainable with the perps. The crosses gave me DNA test and I didn’t even see the clue.

    CC, I am betting they are not real and I am a man abreast of such things.

    Mary, I also enjoyed the Sangre de Cristo while working at Loa Alamos many years ago. It was so nice to sit in the yard after work and watch the sun set.

    Hope you all have a great Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had BASHES instead of BASTES and guessed KAAN instead of KAAT. I knew I had something wrong but just couldn't figure it out. I laughed when I saw TAT. Good clue, fun puzzle.

    Great day to rake the leaves and then watch Nebraska football. Go Huskers!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning C.C. and all.

    Not too difficult for a Saturday, but there were a few cranky areas. Kept wanting 'Ryder' cup until AFOG finally steered me to FEDEX which helped with TEX. Briefly had Inuit for ALEUT, too. WAGS included RAKES and WARBLE. São implied the answer for 5d was Portuguese, and the AZORES are their most prominent islands, so I guess that was a gimme. Liked the clue for DNA TEST; did not like the one for BASTES. No searches needed.

    Enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good morning all, and C.C., it's good to "see" you here again too.

    I had no trouble on the east side. Had it and most of the middle all filled quickly, then went back to the NW where all I had to start was MARE, A FOG, ROLE MODEL and MAHI. Had to g'spot a BoY and fEdEX. I had BASHES and HAT for TAT, and g'ed KAAT, TUCCI, LoReN and AlEuT because I had started with ANEW for CLAW, thinking "start from scratch", so there was no way that Loren or Aleut was even on my horizon.

    Of course all the sports references are foreign to me as were the TV names, founders and authors and their works. But between perps, google and WAGS I came here with just the T in TAT wrong.

    I'd guessed from her name that Lotte Lehmann was German. Also the cover in the link is multilingual, a good hint at non American origins too. She came here to avoid the Nazi regime in 1934.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Correction: I should have read the whole link before commenting on it. She left finally in 1938, but had performed at the Met in 1934.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good morning CC and the gang. Yes, I fell for the RYDER/FEDEX trap, too. There were enough known perps to figure out that there must be another cup and then I remembered that FEDEX does have their own tournament and cup.

    Wanted BARB instead of WASP but perps took care of that one also.

    I was so sure of BASHES (although I looked at BASTES) that I left it in. I couldn't figure out what would be abbreviated HAT that you would dedicate to mom, but I never made the connection to TAT. I've used that term a few times but just didn't see it. Maybe I should have had a second cuppa joe to jolt a few more brain cells.

    I, too, remember "Judge Roy Bean, The Law West of The Pecos", from many years ago, and that gave me that fill. GOLD PLATE, COOKIE JAR and APPLE CART were gimmes and helped with a lot of the perps. As a Florida resident CHADS was a gimme also. There are no more punch ballots here, though, so no more chads, hanging or dimpled or otherwise.

    Overall, it was a fairly easy Saturday puzzle with some clever clues.

    Have a great weekend, all.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well, it really would have helped if I'd known KAAT at 33A, but I know very little about sports generally. That led to errors at 23A (LASHES instead of BASTES), at 23D, and at 26D. I figured out the rest. I knew I didn't have the West Center part right, but I didn't have any more time to devote to it. Not an easy puzzle. (45 minutes)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good Moring C.C. et al, what a very pleasant Saturday solve! I got it all but had to wait for some of the clever reveals - I loved DNATEST, SPARETIRES, TAKESABATH, COOKIEJAR, and really liked APPLECART!

    Some corrected missteps

    M _ _ I got Maui first, I wanted GARBAGELID for covering Oscar, knew Jim KAAT but put KATT first, forgot CROCS which I think the whole world has by now, put RYDER in immediately but had FEDEX somewhere and pulled it out of my, um, memory, In ___ was a very vague clue.

    The Huskers play in AMES today and I would like to know more about fellow Husker fan Laurie on this blog. The Huskers lost to a very mediocre ISU team last year by fumbling 8 times and dropping many passes! Bet the Huskers and lay the points today.

    I didn't post yesterday because I had just returned from 48 hours with 50 seventh graders on a bus and in a museum on an overnighter. Then Joann had some chores waiting (especially blowing out our sprinklers as temps in the 20's are here) and it was 11 pm when I sleepily concluded yesterday's much harder offering.

    BTW if people tell you kids are much worse today, tell them you know this guy in Nebraska with 42 years of middle school experience who will tell you that kids are as good as ever. Did you ever hear the saying, "The older I get, the better I was."?

    It is going to be in the uppper 60's today as winter is holding back, so FORE!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello, C.C. and all Saturday puzzlers.

    It's great to "see" you here, C.C.!

    This seemed easier than most Saturdays, although it was one across, one down most of the way.

    Since I'm totally clueless about any golf cup, I just waited for FEDEX to emerge and it did once TEX, ranch handle, was filled.

    It all went in as smoothly as a COAT of paint except for BASHES, 23A, didn't even thik of BASTES and of course, I didn't know KAAT so I sat that out the T until the blog.

    I think anyone who lived through that election year remembers CHADS; I know I do! In fact, anytime I hear the name, I think of that fiasco.

    Anonymous:
    I believe you mean "puerco" for dirty.

    I can't find any meaning for PECOS so it could be a mispronunciation of some Spanish word.

    A nice way to start Saturday; thanks, Timothy L. Meaker.

    HuskerGary:
    Where is Fremont in relation to Hastings? I have many cousins who live in Hastings, with about a dozen school age children.

    I hope all who are ailing, are now on the road to recovery.

    Have a splendid Saturday everyone! I continue with the tamale adventure today.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jim KAAT retired a couple years ago from baseball commentating on the YES network. Here is an interview with him in 2008.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good Day C.C. and all,

    Thanks for a great write-up C.C..The first word that came to mind was, happily, 'claw;, however, that was the only easy thing about this puzzle for me.My response for 10D, takes a blow' was the undoing of me. I couldn't let it go; hence, I had to leave out, 35A,Saab,[my favorite car- I kept it forever- still miss it],
    41A,'wished','Lotte'; 'SOS'35D was too remote for my head today- still a good clue and my favorite, along with my other loss,41A.

    Perps gave me all the other stumbling blocks.

    I 'clawed' this bear to the
    ground, but the bear won.

    Very good exercise- I'm salving my wounds with all the postings from yesterday as well as today.

    Lucina, the tamale festival sounds
    like fun; in fact your whole family sounds like fun! I think you all could make it on reality TV. I'll nominate you. How does one go about that, I wonder?

    THH, I'm very excited for you, about the new collie!


    Have a nice day everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello everybody. Thank you, C.C., for a terrific writeup.

    I liked this puzzle except for a couple of places. For example, I agree that "In ___" is a lame clue. Loved the long fills such as COOKIEJAR, SPARETIRES, and TAKESABATH. Sweet.

    I read the same news as others did about Patricia Heaton having breast enhancement a few years ago. So I guess one could say they are real but "propped up."

    I got stumped with KAAT, BASTES, and TAT. Had BASHES, didn't know Mr. Kaat so I put in KAAN because it seemed like a likely last name, which left HAN for 26D, which made no sense. Didn't get it until I came here.

    I had some stern, humorless, boring teachers and a few really good ones. Believe me, having a good or not-so-good teacher makes a huge difference. I know I could and would have learned a lot more about many subjects, if the teachers had not been apathetic, thereby squelching any budding interest I may have had in the subjects they taught. For example, I particularly remember a band teacher in high school, a Napoleonic little martinet who cared more about how he appeared to others than for us students. One day I was walking across the basketball court, which served also as a concert hall and meeting hall, and came across a set of kettle drums. I took the "sticks" and began beating the drums, moving the pedals up and down to change the pitch of the drums as I pom-pom-pommed on them. The teacher came rushing out from I don't know where and BASTED me roundly, chasing me away, and declaiming how expensive the instruments were and that they shouldn't be touched. Now that I look back, I think a good teacher would have noticed my interest in them and taken the opportunity to cultivate my interest on the chance it might blossom. Who knows, I might have become a decent percussionist. As it is, I became a barely passable saxophone player, because band was short of and had a NEED for another saxophone player. I still am fascinated with tympani, and watch the tympanist more than any other musician during concerts. He's hard to see, though, as he's usually way in the back.

    Then again, I have always wanted to be a classical pianist, too, and, like Franz Liszt, have women swoon over me as I play fiery and flamboyant pieces.

    Wow, TMI.

    More later :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi all.

    Thought the puzzle was so-so. 19A was really a stretch.

    Still can't believe the two game suspension that Thornton got. Perron (STL) should get the Oscar
    for his dive.

    Waiting for Stanford football.

    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jim Kaat was the last of the players from the Washington Senators who was on the roster when the franchise moved to Minnesota, and pitched the clinching game when they won their first pennant in 1965, the height of my love for baseball.

    He also won the Gold Glove as the best fielding pitcher 16 consecutive years, and finished just 17 wins short of the magic 300 wins. He also became an announcer, and by some twisted twist of fate, was a Yankee broadcaster. He was from Michigan, and ended up pitching for many teams, winning 20 games twice for my beloved White Sox. He also won 25 for the Twins in 1966, when he had the first of two 300+ inning seasons. He pitched for 25 years, and had more complete games than modern pitchers have innings.

    I love baseball statistics when I was young, I considered the familiar red covered WHO’S WHO IN BASEBALL as the ultimate guide. Nellie Fox was my hero, but that is an altogether different story…

    ReplyDelete
  23. Creature:
    You just made me laugh thinking about some of the characters in my family. They could put on quite a show! But I suppose every family has those. I'll share your suggestion with them tomorrow.

    Actually, I asked my daughter to video the process tomorrow, from start to finish so that we would have a record of it. I might post some pics.

    Jayce:
    I had several teachers whom I would consider role models, especially my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Joplin, who was my ideal and I actually became a 4th grade teacher, more from fate than because of her, but she always remained in my memory as an example.

    The aroma of cooking onions is wafting through the house now as the meat is cooking. It has to cook well enough to shred it and I save the broth to mix with the masa (dough).

    Lemonade and others,
    I admire your passion for the sports you love; sports have simply never engaged me and that may be because I could never participate as I was too uncoordinated and always felt out of place in that milieu.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Back to the puzzle. I had typed in a couple paragraphs of comments when good ol' Microsft Internet Explorer locked up and I was forced to terminate it and reboot, so my comments are lost.

    I do remember remarking on how wors like "vamoose" and "palaver" decorate the "lingo" of the old southwest, which are mangled Spanish words. Interesting how quirky language can be.

    I forget what the rest of my comments were. Probably just listings of my gimmes, faves, and stumpers.

    Bottom line, I really liked this puzzle and all of your comments. (I always like all of your comments even though I don't always like the puzzle.)

    I wonder why we say "Go out for Chinese" instead of "Go out for Chinese food." I don't think I've ever heard of anybody suggesting to "Go out for French." Quirky quirky quirky.

    Best wishes to you all, and a pawkes upon Internet Explorer!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Like so many females from 13 to 60, a lot don't have real breast, or thighs, or rears, etc. It's all about looking good. And believe it or not, the nicer you look the nicer people treat you. So go for it girls!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh wow, Lucina! Can you FEDEX me some? You guys are gonna feast-o-roony tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hola Everyone--I was glad to see my greeting in the puzzle today. Also, the comment by C.C. That was fun.

    Sat puzzles are usually too hard for me, but I found today's puzzle much easier than yesterday's. I had too many wrong turns yesterday and lost my way entirely. I wasn't able to get to the blog yesterday, but will review what others had to say later today.

    Hands up for Ryder and my response to IN/A Rut. I just knew that had to be correct, but had to erase and replace in that area.

    I also had Bashes for Bastes and I thought that you could dedicate a Hat to Mother, but I really couldn't decide why you would do that!

    I had to G Lotte, and Kaat as they were unknowns, but are now in my Dictionary for a later time.

    I thought Proof of ownership/DNA test was clever as well as Rolls seen on the beach/Spare Tires. Both were out of the box, which is typical of Saturday puzzles.

    Have a great weekend, everyone, and don't forget to FALL BACK.

    ReplyDelete
  28. "Rio Puerco" (Pooh-air coh...)
    could, be mongrelized to "Pecos." Makes sense.

    Thanks, Lucina (Loo-chee-nah)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Jeannie-Please post your recipe- we call it casserole,also. I missed posting yesterday{too tight a schedule and finished puzzle before the birds were up}.I had to search for your post from Thursday.

    A microwave, for me, is a heating device- fast, clean, no extra dishes.

    I cook potatoes,sometimes; hot dogs, soft cooked eggs, bacon, boiling water, hot drinks, soups..

    I use it every day It replaces the 'stove top' more than the oven. I've always thought that 'oven' was the wrong word, although I have cooked my baked bean dish in it.

    If you haven't guessed, I'm not a good cook like you are; but I would love to read your recipe. It sounds so good and creative. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Good afternoon,C.C and all. Worked the puzzle early, but just now found time to come here.

    Hand up for bashes and Ryder. I finally decided that hat was not a worthy dedication to mom. Besides it called for an abbreviation, so I changed it to TAT, although I don't think that is worthy, either. Don't like tats. Had to google KAAT and LOTTE. Had some doubts about some of the others, but when the perps fell into place, so did everything else. When I got JUMBLEDUP, I was wondering what a "dup" was for a while. Not quite so hard for a Saturday, but not that easy, either.

    Having lived near the PECOS River for many years, I was johnny-on-the-spot with that. It is a muddy stream and damming up-river has reduced it to a trickle in some places. Do not pronounce it "PEE-cos." It is "paycus."

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  31. Lucina, are you going to post your family recipe for tamales? pictures and all? What a treat! You and Jeannie are kindred souls, I believe.

    I am cooking a chuck roast in the crock pot-onions,potatoes,carrots;not creative, just plain. I do put together a decent gravy for them.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Today's puzzle.

    I fish for mahi, frequently out in the Gulf Steam off Jax, FL.

    There are mahi-mahi, mahi, ma and m. Depending on the size.

    We normally boat the mahi, occassionally, mahi-mahi and sometimes only ms.

    Jsg
    Atlantic Beach, FL

    ReplyDelete
  33. William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" is one of the all-time great horror stories in short form. I wouldn't want to give away the "punch line," but I recommend reading it as a perfect example of a perfect short story that will make your hair stand on end.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Luciana,

    Hastings, Nebraska is a lovely little town just south of Grand Island in South Central Nebraska as you can see on this map. It is also the home of Kool-Aid.

    ReplyDelete
  35. BTW

    This picture shows our Sleeping Arrangements
    for our overnighter at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS.

    The inflated queen-sized bed in the foreground belonsg to your humble 64year old blogger. The kids thought it was cool and wanted to trade me. Yeah right, like that was going to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi, CC and everyone,
    Well, I'll try for a 3rd time and if I lose it again, I give up!

    This one wasn't as hard as I had expected after the first across row. Didkn't know 'Mahi', 'In_ _??"and all those acronyms I can never remember. I put in HTML, since I see that below this box ever day. But things began to shape up a little on the way back with the downs (My ritual starting out method). Then I got 'ore' and 'hole' and for some reason 'Ives ' popped into my head. I tried 'mare' but thought, no, it's gotta be a gun and erased it. I had no idea about a golf trophy and mistook 'nueve' for 'nuef', knew the answer had to be 'three' and put in 'troi'. Then wih 16 and 17 across probably plurals, I wrote in the 'esses' which got me 'psst' and 'HTTP'. And on and on, up and across all the way. There were some gimmies: 'chase', Lotte', 'vamps' and some others that showed up as I got the perps.

    I agree that 'bastes' is a reach and like CC, would go for 'lambastes'. As Lemonade says, there are so many meanings for 'baste' a different clue would have been better.

    Lucina, I can 'smell' the onions. It's pork you use, isn't it? Is it a tradition to have tamales on Christmas Eve? I've been invited twice for Christmas Eve dinner with friends of my daughter and that's what they served both times. I guess with them it is. Yum! (I know for a fact they weren't homemade. Good, though!)
    Also, is anon. correct in saying your name is pronounced 'Lucheena?'
    I call you Lucina or Lucy.

    BTW, I asked a question the other day and then realized nobody would understand what I was referring to:
    the sentence under this box says, "You can use some HTML tags, such as (this was notaccepted with the symbols. See under the comment box) I don't know what it means. Will some one help? I'm not dodo for nothing,y'know!

    Jayce, I'm with you about the fascination of the tympani! Wouldn't that be fun? Of course, there's often a lot of just sittin' and readin' the music. but I wouldn't care! Love watching the
    instrumentalists!
    IMBO, to steal a phrase from Buckeye, before this disappears again!

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  37. Tried three times and out! Now I'm mad!

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  38. It appeared after all! What happened? The last paragraph was omitted.

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  39. Dodo, I just emailed you an explanation of the HTML tags and posting URLs. Here's the result of the sample I included:

    Musical Glossary

    I think it might be useful for any other non-musical members of the blog, too!

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  40. Lucina, All I can say is Yum! Your tamales sound absolutely delicious. My wonderful baby sitter, Emma, always made home-made tamales, and gave us two dozen every Christmas. I could never find any that compared to hers.

    I'll bet yours would be like hers, authentic, and done the old-fashioned way.

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  41. Dodo and anonymous:

    It's Loo-see-nah. It's amazing how many pronounce it the other way, closer to Italian I understand.

    Well, I can post the recipe for tamales, which are traditional for Christmas. We freeze them then cook them as needed for holiday parties, dinners, etc.

    We combine pork and beef with the red chile to place in the center.

    I'm cooking another batch of meat as the previous one was declared not enough by my sister, "the captain" who inherited our mother's position for quality control.

    When I have more time I'll post the recipe.

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  42. Guess I am in the minority as I had no problem getting Fedex for 6D, but it sure helped that I already had Tex for 21A.

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