Theme: Take your CUe from Paul - The letters CU, which are the atomic symbol for Copper, text speak for See You, and the first two letters of constructor Paul’s last name, are added to one word of a common two word expression to convey a different but witty new phrase. There is some symmetry with the first and last CU added to the second word, and the CU added to the first word in the middle two.
18A. Raised to the ninth power?: DOUBLE CUBED. Your DOUBLE BED becomes a mathematics riddle, a cube cubed is 3 x 3 = 9.
24A. Poison literature? : CURARE BOOKS. Our RARE BOOKS dealer is closing after 40 years in Fort Lauderdale. I like the idea of the poison pen implication.
50A. Most adorable flier?: CUTEST PILOT. I wonder what John Glenn thinks of this? We are nearing the 50th anniversary of the first humans to orbit the earth, Yuri Gagarin in April and Alan Shepard in May.
55A. Original Anglican assistant priest?: FIRST CURATE. A CURATE is a clergy who assists the rector or vicar, particularly in the English Church. It comes from the same stem as “cure” and “curator,” Medieval Latin cūrātus, from cūra: spiritual oversight. Was this a First Rate Clue?
47D. Element whose chemical symbol is used in this puzzle's theme: COPPER. Did this help anyone?
I do not know Mr. Cureton (if that is a real person) and find it either brilliant or troubling that the first two letters of his name are the key to the theme. I found most of the fill very straightforward, so the theme jumped out at me when I had CURARE BOOKS, though the start with AZTEC and BEIRUT was not an encouraging beginning.
Lemonade here, ready to lead you to the promised land of a finished Friday.
Across:
1. Iron pumper's pride: ABS. Not to niggle, but the pumpers care about their pecs and lats and bis and tris; abs are for everyone. Needless to say, this was my slow period.
4. Some macaroni: ELBOWS. Okay, I was at the store today, and almost bought ELBOWS, opting instead for tri-color rotini. Now I am cooking.
10. Fosbury's high-jumping technique: FLOP. What? I just had this Dick (Fosbury) in a puzzle I blogged; you saw the link, so I will not repeat myself.
14. Zuider __: ZEE. One of my favorites from childhood, the sound of these Dutch words just pleased my ear. The ZUIDER ZEE (South Sea) was an inlet off the North Sea, where oil is now being drilled. The Dutch dammed the sea so it no longer exists.
15. One who may need technical terms explained: LAYMAN. When a doctor uses the phrase, “Let me put this to you in layman’s terms“ it is not a good sign. But, it also has religious meaning, like 4D. Respected one: ELDER. Also, a church term, for a layman who participates in services etc.
16. Like much early TV: LIVE. Oh for the fun of it all. Sid Caesar, George Burns, Milton Berle….
17. Element in pewter: TIN. Which is why they share the gray color.
20. Weather, in a way: ERODE. I understand this but it was not the first to come to mind. I would have gotten weathered and eroded more easily.
22. Little bit: TAD. Little bit made me think of these two, who just opened on BROADWAY .
23. Washday brand: ERA. Whatever happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?
28. "Bad" cholesterol letters: LDL. Low Density, as opposed to good, High Density Lipo proteins.
29. "__ tuned!": STAY. Right next to one of my favorite silly British comedians: 30. Hill on British TV: BENNY. Who does not get in a better mood when listening to his theme Yakity Sax by Boots Randolph, or his silly SKITS .
31. Total amount bet: POOL. This comes from horse racing where the wagering pool determines the final odds and payouts.
32. See 44-Across: GABLES. 44A. With 32-Across, feature of a noted New England home: SEVEN. This novel was Hawthorne’s follow up to The Scarlett Letter and is based on a real house still in SALEM which Hawthorne visited often as it was owned by a cousin. There is speculation he wrote the book out of sadness for his ancestors’ part in the killing of the Salem “witches.” Interestingly, Patricia Cornwell, has set much of her latest Scarpetta novel Port Mortuary in Salem.
34. Do some gardening: PRUNE. I grew up learning gardening from my father, who grew roses, peonies and had many flowering bushes and trees, so we were forever PRUNING which is a bit harder than it looks. Not to be confused with making plums into prunes, or having your fingers wrinkle in the pool.
35. They may be noble or precious: METALS. All you need to KNOW about the difference.
38. Waited: PAUSED.
39. Skill determinants: EXAMS. Personally, I think they measure skill at taking tests.
40. Madagascar mammals: LEMURS. . Did you watch any of the MOVIES ?
43. Learning method: ROTE. My favorite was KYLE ROTE who like another SMU star, Don Meridith, died this year. His son, Kyle, Jr., eschewed football, to become a soccer star (football?).
45. Alveoli, e.g.: SACS. The tiney air sacs in your lungs.
49. Monitor, for short: CRT. Cathode Ray Tube. Being phased out by plasma, LCD and LED. 64A. Watch displays, briefly: LEDS. LEDs--Light Emitting Diodes, were first made famous in the watch worn by James Bond in the ‘70s. They are not to be confused with LCDs-Liquid Crystal Display, though they both use liquid gel.
52. Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul on __": ICE. I read this in college, a very interesting book.
53. More than plan: ACT. Like Nike says, just do it!
54. Hoarse: RASPY. Anyone want to hear my hoarse joke again? Damn, no reason to get nasty!
60. Spring mo.: APR. Bring May showers…
61. Manual reader: USER. Not in my family; we have not met a manual that inspired anyone to read yet.
62. Dome opening, in architecture: OCULUS. At first, I was confused by the extra CU, and since I am not familiar with this TERM but figured this was a shout out to me, since it means EYE in Latin. Always amazed how Rich know which puzzles I blog.
63. Corp. bigwig: CEO.
65. Prepares for the next turn in the alley: RESETS. The first of mini-sports corner, a shout out to bowling. Then baseball, 21D. Any Wrigley Field contest until 1988: DAY GAME. Golf: 34D. Hole number?: PAR. Football, 38D. Football play: PUNT. And, weight lifting: 51D. Lift in a gym: PRESS. Like a bench, or military press. I use dumbbells now.
66. Directional ending: ERN. Eastern, western etc.
Down:
1. Tlaxcalteca enemies: AZTECS. Had no idea, but when letters finally came, it looked like it belonged with “teca.”
2. Cedar Revolution city: BEIRUT. Not all familiar with the NAME though I was aware of the struggle against Syria, as I had friend from Lebanon. memories, a nice Jewish boy and a girl from Lebanon; my great aunt married a man from there, and father would always ask him what is was like to be a Lesbian. Our family gatherings were always fun.
3. Lady of Spain: SENORA. Our Spanish lessons revisited. And our tricky Spanish, 42D. Mayo, e.g.: MES. Mayo, the month of May, Mes. Month in Spanish.
5. Film doctor with 7 faces: LAO. A wonderful movie with TONY RANDALL .
6. LDS-owned school: BYU. Latter day Saints, or better known as Mormons.
7. Fed. number-crunching gp.: OMB. Office of Management and Budget.
8. '70s-'80s TV family: WALTONS. A very successful family series based on a book and movie that ran during the ‘70s also.
9. Deceitful: SNEAKY.
10. Word after blue or bird: FLU. Blue Flu being the term used to describe work absences by police,, who are forbidden to strike for pay raises, but who developed flu symptoms to not work and force the cities to pay them more.
11. Defamatory: LIBELOUS. I am beginning to think there really is a conspiracy, since we have this again, and last time I was accused of giving legal advice by defining the term; you are all on your own.
12. Cooked really well?: OVERDONE. Like THIS ?
13. Biked, in Bristol: PEDALLED. Ah ha, Bristol England, not the one in Connecticut where ESPN was born, because the British use two “L”s where we Americans think one will do. Travelled etc.
19. S&L offerings: CDS. Certificates of Deposit, not Compact Discs.
25. Falls back: EBBS. and flows; you all still with me?
26. __ Air: Los Angeles community: BEL. And a great Chevy in the ‘50s.
27. It's next to nothing: ONE. Well a tricky clue, I like it.
31. Frederick the Great's realm: PRUSSIA. I always had trouble with the geography and politics of Germany and Russia and this Kingdom which annexed 46D.French border region: ALSACE. Along with LORRAINE, one of the French provinces which was part of the Franco-Prussian War.
33. Gore and Franken: ALS. To democrat liberals are we. The poor girl on Jeopardy did not know George H. W. Bush called Gore the Ozone man.
35. Forgiving: MERCIFUL. Which sits perfectly with 36D. Deal with, as demons: EXORCISE.Certainly a merciful act.
37. Ragged: TATTERED.
40. Romaine, e.g.: LETTUCE. Why are there now choices of 17 different lettuces? And that is only at McDonalds!
41. Anticipatory time: EVE. Erev in Hebrew, and a perfect clue with the 24th fast approaching.
44. Aid: SUCCOR. Another English word directly from Latin.
48. "Sophie's Choice" author: STYRON. A powerful novel, with the movie heralded as Meryl Streep’s best acting performance, for which she won an Oscar. Not a happy film.
50. Jazz lover: CAT. Hep Cat, Cool Cat.
56. Most coll. applicants: SRS. Seniors in high School
57. Toys __: R US. Gee, it isn’t backwards.
58. Samuel Adams Summer __: ALE. Oh, and we finish with the shout out to my craft brewing, beer swilling children who are headed home for the holiday. Love you boys. Thanks Paul. Sam Adams is the first American micro-brewery to become macro, and the beer is not bad.
59. Boy king: TUT. Well, my grandmother used to look at me and go, Tut, Tut all the time, so I guess it time for me to go.
Answer grid.
A reasonable Friday, mostly easier, but lots of new stuff. Thank you for welcoming me into your homes, I like many of the new avatars and the new voices, as well as the old ones, so keep up the good work. In the meantime COOKIE!
Lemonade
18A. Raised to the ninth power?: DOUBLE CUBED. Your DOUBLE BED becomes a mathematics riddle, a cube cubed is 3 x 3 = 9.
24A. Poison literature? : CURARE BOOKS. Our RARE BOOKS dealer is closing after 40 years in Fort Lauderdale. I like the idea of the poison pen implication.
50A. Most adorable flier?: CUTEST PILOT. I wonder what John Glenn thinks of this? We are nearing the 50th anniversary of the first humans to orbit the earth, Yuri Gagarin in April and Alan Shepard in May.
55A. Original Anglican assistant priest?: FIRST CURATE. A CURATE is a clergy who assists the rector or vicar, particularly in the English Church. It comes from the same stem as “cure” and “curator,” Medieval Latin cūrātus, from cūra: spiritual oversight. Was this a First Rate Clue?
47D. Element whose chemical symbol is used in this puzzle's theme: COPPER. Did this help anyone?
I do not know Mr. Cureton (if that is a real person) and find it either brilliant or troubling that the first two letters of his name are the key to the theme. I found most of the fill very straightforward, so the theme jumped out at me when I had CURARE BOOKS, though the start with AZTEC and BEIRUT was not an encouraging beginning.
Lemonade here, ready to lead you to the promised land of a finished Friday.
Across:
1. Iron pumper's pride: ABS. Not to niggle, but the pumpers care about their pecs and lats and bis and tris; abs are for everyone. Needless to say, this was my slow period.
4. Some macaroni: ELBOWS. Okay, I was at the store today, and almost bought ELBOWS, opting instead for tri-color rotini. Now I am cooking.
10. Fosbury's high-jumping technique: FLOP. What? I just had this Dick (Fosbury) in a puzzle I blogged; you saw the link, so I will not repeat myself.
14. Zuider __: ZEE. One of my favorites from childhood, the sound of these Dutch words just pleased my ear. The ZUIDER ZEE (South Sea) was an inlet off the North Sea, where oil is now being drilled. The Dutch dammed the sea so it no longer exists.
15. One who may need technical terms explained: LAYMAN. When a doctor uses the phrase, “Let me put this to you in layman’s terms“ it is not a good sign. But, it also has religious meaning, like 4D. Respected one: ELDER. Also, a church term, for a layman who participates in services etc.
16. Like much early TV: LIVE. Oh for the fun of it all. Sid Caesar, George Burns, Milton Berle….
17. Element in pewter: TIN. Which is why they share the gray color.
20. Weather, in a way: ERODE. I understand this but it was not the first to come to mind. I would have gotten weathered and eroded more easily.
22. Little bit: TAD. Little bit made me think of these two, who just opened on BROADWAY .
23. Washday brand: ERA. Whatever happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?
28. "Bad" cholesterol letters: LDL. Low Density, as opposed to good, High Density Lipo proteins.
29. "__ tuned!": STAY. Right next to one of my favorite silly British comedians: 30. Hill on British TV: BENNY. Who does not get in a better mood when listening to his theme Yakity Sax by Boots Randolph, or his silly SKITS .
31. Total amount bet: POOL. This comes from horse racing where the wagering pool determines the final odds and payouts.
32. See 44-Across: GABLES. 44A. With 32-Across, feature of a noted New England home: SEVEN. This novel was Hawthorne’s follow up to The Scarlett Letter and is based on a real house still in SALEM which Hawthorne visited often as it was owned by a cousin. There is speculation he wrote the book out of sadness for his ancestors’ part in the killing of the Salem “witches.” Interestingly, Patricia Cornwell, has set much of her latest Scarpetta novel Port Mortuary in Salem.
34. Do some gardening: PRUNE. I grew up learning gardening from my father, who grew roses, peonies and had many flowering bushes and trees, so we were forever PRUNING which is a bit harder than it looks. Not to be confused with making plums into prunes, or having your fingers wrinkle in the pool.
35. They may be noble or precious: METALS. All you need to KNOW about the difference.
38. Waited: PAUSED.
39. Skill determinants: EXAMS. Personally, I think they measure skill at taking tests.
40. Madagascar mammals: LEMURS. . Did you watch any of the MOVIES ?
43. Learning method: ROTE. My favorite was KYLE ROTE who like another SMU star, Don Meridith, died this year. His son, Kyle, Jr., eschewed football, to become a soccer star (football?).
45. Alveoli, e.g.: SACS. The tiney air sacs in your lungs.
49. Monitor, for short: CRT. Cathode Ray Tube. Being phased out by plasma, LCD and LED. 64A. Watch displays, briefly: LEDS. LEDs--Light Emitting Diodes, were first made famous in the watch worn by James Bond in the ‘70s. They are not to be confused with LCDs-Liquid Crystal Display, though they both use liquid gel.
52. Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul on __": ICE. I read this in college, a very interesting book.
53. More than plan: ACT. Like Nike says, just do it!
54. Hoarse: RASPY. Anyone want to hear my hoarse joke again? Damn, no reason to get nasty!
60. Spring mo.: APR. Bring May showers…
61. Manual reader: USER. Not in my family; we have not met a manual that inspired anyone to read yet.
62. Dome opening, in architecture: OCULUS. At first, I was confused by the extra CU, and since I am not familiar with this TERM but figured this was a shout out to me, since it means EYE in Latin. Always amazed how Rich know which puzzles I blog.
63. Corp. bigwig: CEO.
65. Prepares for the next turn in the alley: RESETS. The first of mini-sports corner, a shout out to bowling. Then baseball, 21D. Any Wrigley Field contest until 1988: DAY GAME. Golf: 34D. Hole number?: PAR. Football, 38D. Football play: PUNT. And, weight lifting: 51D. Lift in a gym: PRESS. Like a bench, or military press. I use dumbbells now.
66. Directional ending: ERN. Eastern, western etc.
Down:
1. Tlaxcalteca enemies: AZTECS. Had no idea, but when letters finally came, it looked like it belonged with “teca.”
2. Cedar Revolution city: BEIRUT. Not all familiar with the NAME though I was aware of the struggle against Syria, as I had friend from Lebanon. memories, a nice Jewish boy and a girl from Lebanon; my great aunt married a man from there, and father would always ask him what is was like to be a Lesbian. Our family gatherings were always fun.
3. Lady of Spain: SENORA. Our Spanish lessons revisited. And our tricky Spanish, 42D. Mayo, e.g.: MES. Mayo, the month of May, Mes. Month in Spanish.
5. Film doctor with 7 faces: LAO. A wonderful movie with TONY RANDALL .
6. LDS-owned school: BYU. Latter day Saints, or better known as Mormons.
7. Fed. number-crunching gp.: OMB. Office of Management and Budget.
8. '70s-'80s TV family: WALTONS. A very successful family series based on a book and movie that ran during the ‘70s also.
9. Deceitful: SNEAKY.
10. Word after blue or bird: FLU. Blue Flu being the term used to describe work absences by police,, who are forbidden to strike for pay raises, but who developed flu symptoms to not work and force the cities to pay them more.
11. Defamatory: LIBELOUS. I am beginning to think there really is a conspiracy, since we have this again, and last time I was accused of giving legal advice by defining the term; you are all on your own.
12. Cooked really well?: OVERDONE. Like THIS ?
13. Biked, in Bristol: PEDALLED. Ah ha, Bristol England, not the one in Connecticut where ESPN was born, because the British use two “L”s where we Americans think one will do. Travelled etc.
19. S&L offerings: CDS. Certificates of Deposit, not Compact Discs.
25. Falls back: EBBS. and flows; you all still with me?
26. __ Air: Los Angeles community: BEL. And a great Chevy in the ‘50s.
27. It's next to nothing: ONE. Well a tricky clue, I like it.
31. Frederick the Great's realm: PRUSSIA. I always had trouble with the geography and politics of Germany and Russia and this Kingdom which annexed 46D.French border region: ALSACE. Along with LORRAINE, one of the French provinces which was part of the Franco-Prussian War.
33. Gore and Franken: ALS. To democrat liberals are we. The poor girl on Jeopardy did not know George H. W. Bush called Gore the Ozone man.
35. Forgiving: MERCIFUL. Which sits perfectly with 36D. Deal with, as demons: EXORCISE.Certainly a merciful act.
37. Ragged: TATTERED.
40. Romaine, e.g.: LETTUCE. Why are there now choices of 17 different lettuces? And that is only at McDonalds!
41. Anticipatory time: EVE. Erev in Hebrew, and a perfect clue with the 24th fast approaching.
44. Aid: SUCCOR. Another English word directly from Latin.
48. "Sophie's Choice" author: STYRON. A powerful novel, with the movie heralded as Meryl Streep’s best acting performance, for which she won an Oscar. Not a happy film.
50. Jazz lover: CAT. Hep Cat, Cool Cat.
56. Most coll. applicants: SRS. Seniors in high School
57. Toys __: R US. Gee, it isn’t backwards.
58. Samuel Adams Summer __: ALE. Oh, and we finish with the shout out to my craft brewing, beer swilling children who are headed home for the holiday. Love you boys. Thanks Paul. Sam Adams is the first American micro-brewery to become macro, and the beer is not bad.
59. Boy king: TUT. Well, my grandmother used to look at me and go, Tut, Tut all the time, so I guess it time for me to go.
Answer grid.
A reasonable Friday, mostly easier, but lots of new stuff. Thank you for welcoming me into your homes, I like many of the new avatars and the new voices, as well as the old ones, so keep up the good work. In the meantime COOKIE!
Lemonade
79 comments:
Morning, all!
Nice workout for a Friday. I think the only real stumper was the fact that I've never heard of a "noble" METAL before and therefore resisted filling that in until I had the perps. STYRON was also a complete unknown, but the perps took care of that almost before I saw the clue. Everything else came slowly, but surely. Nice to see my alma mater mention in the grid itself instead of just in the clues today (usually, PROVO is in the grid, clued with reference to BYU).
3 cubed is 27
3 to the ninth is 19,683
27 cubed is 19,683
So three double cubed equals twenty-seven cubed or three to the ninth power.
Good day folks,
Lemonade, nice, informative write-up. Many thanks.
Today was a toughie for me, especially the East side, top to bottom. Probably something to do with the funk I've been in for the past couple days due to a lingering cold.
It was nice to see Lemonade reference Kyle Rote. He was a gifted college player. After college, Kyle played ten years in the NFL with the NY Giants.
Injuries caused him to move from running back to flanker. A guy named Frank Gifford replaced him at running back. The Giants won one championship during Kyle's career. Besides being an All-American, an All-Pro, Kyle was a good citizen.
Once I figured out "Fred's" realm was Prussia, not HRE, I began to gain some momentum, very slowly.
As I look over the puzzle, it's tough to feel a sense of accomplishment because it's hardly readable in an area or two.
Oh well, a couple more cold pills, a cocktail or two in the PM......... and eventually back to normal?
First snow supposed to arrive late Sunday, amounts TBD. You good people have a wonderful weekend.
Lemonade,( who I admire greatly !! ) - "Double cubed" - would not be a 'proper' mathematical term ( not your fault --)
is X(squared) then cubed.
Since "powers" add rather than multiply - that would be X (to the power Six).
X(cube) - then ( the whole - ) cubed - would be X, to the power Nine.
Double Cubed, in normal math terminology would imply 2X(cubed).
This is merely a comment. This is not to detract from your blog commentary, which was admirable, fascinating and Very witty. Thank you.
Hahtool, your QOD is really very interesting, AS ALWAYS, ( BTW - you misspelt Maugham ). W Somerset, was a great writer, became rich at a very young age, but he was also very rude, mean, petty and arrogant, and his personal life left much to be desired. Probably, one of the first ones to openly come out of the 'closet'. While in (colonial) India, he refused to attend an invitation to a Viceroy's dinner ( a great honor and privilege ) - because his male companion was not invited.
Happy Holidays all.
Good morning Lemonade and all, a very fine puzzle this morning. Lemon this was a very fine effort this morning with the blog. I really enjoyed your write up.
I had a few tripping points, such as LCD in lieu of LED. All of the tripping points were corrected with the perps and the solution of 47D copper (CU). Getting CU did allow me to get all remaining blanks that I had.
Argyle, thanks for saving me the time to type an explanation on the double cubed clue. You are correct as usual.
Hope you all have a great Friday.
Lemonade, My comment just got deleted, without even showing up - I wonder if this is a glitch or a deliberate 'censor'.
To sum up, I think Double cube is 2X(cubed).
A cube , then the whole cubed - would be X to the power Nine.
Your blog commentary was really wonderful -
Hahtool, your QOD's are very interesting and informative, BTW the Maugham, is misspelt. But thanks a lot for the info.
Happy Holidays all.
Now lets see if this makes it on the blog ...
TGIF solvers all!
Thanks for the great writeup, Lemonade. Without it, I would still be wondering about 'Mayo'/MES. I knew the entry was correct, but couldn't figure out why. I do not think in Spanish until forced to.
I didn't realize that the 'CU' was added to or inserted into a phrase but that didn't slow me down. All of the theme entries were filled by the time I got to the unifier clue, so I didn't delve any deeper than the fact that all of the theme entries contained 'CU'.
AZTECS came easily for some reason and the NW practically filled itself from there. STYRON was an unknown but filled from the perps.
I thought it was rather easy for a Friday puzzle... or am I getting smarter? Nah, not likely.
I guess it would be fitting to use a bit of text speak and say CUL.
@PP: Are you blind?
Nice job Lemonade. I thought this one was kind of easy for a Friday. This has been a weird week. The theme wasn't apparent to me even after I got the theme unifier. Maybe I'm just a bit dull this morning. Have a great weekend everyone!
Lemonade, et al, While Tuesday was a little tougher than usual, I thought this one was much easier but still engaging! As I write this, I am monitoring 16 years olds taking a Chemistry EXAM and have to redirect some cheaters. Not CUte!
Musings-
-Gargarin was the first man in orbit but Alan Shepard did NOT orbit, he simply flew from Cape Canaveral (Now KSC) and dropped into the Atlantic Ocean a few minutes later in a sub orbital flight. It was then that JFK committed us to go to the Moon “in this decade” and NASA suddenly had a blank check and kept Kennedy’s pledge with 5 months to spare – “That’s one small step…”
-I thought to the ninth power would be cubed cubed
-The Fosbury Flop was the most revolutionary thing in track and field since fiber glass poles in the vault
-Omaha’s fabulous Henry Doorly Zoo
is famous in zoological circles for their Lemur research and display
-I was amazed at the world’s most famous Occulus - in the Pantheon in Rome! Let it rain!
-As a child of the 60’s I saw LSD and not LDS first. Could there be a bigger difference?
-Except for the alphabet and times tables, ROTE learning is something I avoided as a teacher! Rote teaching by giving notes everyday is lazy and not effective.
-I don’t need no stinkin’ manual!
-I am old enough to remember going bowling with my dad on the second floor of a building with pin boys.
-Lady of Spain is the standard song for all accordionists and is the accordion is everywhere in Europe!
-We were in Wrigley Field on August 7, 1988 the day before the first night game 8/8/88. On that first night it rained cats and dogs but we could see the lights from our hotel room and they lasted 4 innings.
-Mayo? I thought of Zack. What movie was that?
-Live TV was very interesting. I wish there was a place for live drama somewhere in those 900 channels. Wouldn’t you watch Death of a Salesman again?
-Best practical joke EVER on live TV? Scroll to the bottom of this page and enjoy! -Naked Soupy Sales
@PP
I agree that the answer as written is ambiguous, but you are free to punctuate it (the answer, not the question) so it fits the clue.
Double, cubed = (2X)**3 = 8X**3 = NAH....
Double-cubed = (X**3)**3 = X**9 = AHA!
2X**3 = Double CUBE, but that was not the answer.
TADA
NC
...or better:
2X**3 = DOUBLED CUBE - not the answer either
NC
Good morning all. Thanks for the fine informative write-up, Lemonade.
Not too difficult for a Friday. The theme fills came easily enough from the perps; the unifier at 47d confirmed the Cu and helped with CUTEST PILOT. The acrosses gave STYRON. No searches were needed.
To me DOUBLE CUBED means (X³)³ ie. Argyles example.
Yesterday, some expressed difficulty with returning to the blog after viewing a link. On an IMac using Safari, I merely click on the back arrow at the link window and it returns me to the blog at the same location from which I left.
Lois, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Have a good day.
@Husker Gary
To continue the theme:
LSD = Hallucination cause
LDS = Hallucination-caused
NC
I did better this Friday than the last two--maybe less rush being alone after DH left for the office.
Lemonade,
Most enjoyable and informative blog--thanks!
Having read very few American novelists, and then mainly more contemporary ones, I totally missed the SEVEN gables thing. I had ETA for EVE which didn't help a bit. I changed the A to E for CUTEST, but didn't notice the problem. There were several other hitches, mostly resolved by perps and many WAGS. I always get those acronyms LCD, LED, and CRT confused, so end up having to try each one to see what looks best for the perps.
Sunshine and a heatwave of 20 above predicted for today. Have a good one all of you!
Forgot to say I did know that CU was the symbol for COPPER, and it did help once I'd ventured into the SE corner. Before that, I'd thought the AR of CURARE might be the additional letters. As in "cure the books"; maybe I was thinking of "cook the books".
Husker Gary said Shepard did NOT orbit, he simply flew from Cape Canaveral (Now KSC) and dropped into the Atlantic Ocean a few minutes later in a sub orbital flight..
We were stationed downrange from the launch site as part of potential rescue assets in case there was a problem. Alan Shepard passed 80 miles over our heads to a successful splashdown after a 400 mile suborbital flight. (Some years later I met him in Buffalo, at a Naval Reserve event.)
Hi All ~!
Well, we had TIN and COPPER, which is Bronze, and there's a really great legend about this Bull, located right around the corner from me; also "third" place, and I think Spitzboov has the proper visual for double-cubed...
Enjoyable Friday, and yes, COPPER helped me, because I didn't get CURARE BOOKS until I dropped the Cu, and then it made sense.
YOWCH!! I can burn that easily in the sun, too, Lemonade...a "really well" done write-up.
AZTECS came easily, but not ZEE...
No other sticking points for me, did OK for a Friday.
JazzB, I read your refresher this morning, and I will continue to poke around stepping up in minor thirds. Thanks again.
Splynter
Lois: My sincere sympathy in the loss of your Mother. Sounds like she was quite a lady...and you`re "doing her proud!"
I was wondering if the constructor had intentionally added a metal sub-theme with TIN COPPER and noble METALS.
WM, wherever you are, have you read the new CORNWELL? I thought it was more like her old stuff, which was good. Argyle thanks for the assist.
Just a note to extend sympathy to Lois. I so envy your relationship with your mother, but it looks like she gave you a pretty good foundation.
Lemon, after rereading my post, I think I failed to compliment Lemon's wonderful write-up and the Shepard non-orbital reference seemed pretty esoteric. BTW, on that flight, there was a 5 hour delay on the pad and he said, "I really have to urinate!" and so they said, "Go ahead" and he went in his spacesuit while lying down. He was forever known as the wetback astronaut.
Lois, from yesterday I send my condolences. Not being here every day I miss some of the things that go on here, but I did realize you were not around. Guess this shows you make a great impact on this blog.
As others said yesterday your mother is a person to be celebrated. Wow. PhD at 62.
Best to you.
HG:
NBD. you were in your field and you were correct. I know better, but I have a bad memory of the day in May when Shepard flew.
I was in French class with my brother and others, when the teacher, who was also the headmater, came in. We had a transistor radio to listen to the flight, and he told us to shut it off, as we were going to have our daily vocabulary quiz.
We all wanted to listen to this historic moment, and my brother , may he rest in peace, was not shy and said, "Why don't we skip the quiz, listen to the flight, and then maybe you can teach us something for a change." I had never seen anyone lose his cool like Mr. Bigelow; he leapt across the room and dragged my brother from his desk. Luckily Barry was about 200 pounds, or it might have gotten out of hand. Anyway, I did not hear the flight live.
Hello all -
This is Friday right??? I know this was an easier than normal Friday puzzle if I can do it as smoothly as I did. Maybe my brain has taken a giant leap forward ;0
Lemonade, great job on the write up. I do want to ask about 42D Mayo, e.g. I do not understand the answer I got from the perps, and you did not mention it since it was such a small thing. I am just CURIOUS.
I did not know CU was the chemical symbol for copper - I have never taken chemistry.
I had the most trouble in the SW corner but conquered it - finally!
@Carol
Yes he did. Read it again.
NC
Carol: I think MES is Spanish for month. Mayo is their word for May.
Carol,
Others have already explained MAYO, but I just wanted to let you know that one took me a while too. I ended up double checking in the Spanish dictionary to make sure my guess at the meaning of MES was correct.
Today my lovely wife and I celebrate our Happy Hundred! When we got married eight and one third years ago, we knew we weren't likely to reach many of the commonly celebrated "milestone" anniversaries so we just decided to celebrate months. Today is the one hundred month anniversary of tying the knot with the love of my life. (And "they" said it would never last!)
Hi gang -
Superb job, Counselor!
Argyle, Penney and Cuppa - This is another fine math you've gotten us into.
As much as I hesitate to enter the fray after my PRIME fiasco a few months back, I have to concur that (cubed)^2, i.e. cube squared or "double cubed" = "raised to the ninth power."
I worked my way down to the unifier before I sussed the theme, so CU (properly Cu, which I knew as an erstwhile chemiker) helped me a lot - except I blithely put it in at the beginning of every theme entry, causing no end of problems. What is an ELCER, and why would I respect one?
Had GAO (Govt Acctg Office) for OMB, and LAU for LAO, finally yielding CUOBLE, which let me, after I PAUSED to think, to DUOBLE, which looked weird, but I couldn't figure out waht was worng.
I am overdue for my OCULES EXAMS.
For a long time my grid looked TATTERED.
Anyway, this is a really well done puzzle, with a clever, original theme, and impressive 6- and 8-stacks.
LEMURS? - Definitely squirrels!
What about Tobin ROTE?
G-spotted CUTEST PILOT and found this image.
That's about it.
Cheers!
JzB the TIN-eared trombonist
Nice Cuppa: I went back and finally found it under the explanation for 3D (SENORA) - I just didn't expect to find it there. I didn't read past the word senora the first time since I had that answer right.
I was thinking in terms of mayonnaise.
Good Morning C.C.,Lemon and all,
Thanks for your efforts, Lemon, on the fun write-up;interesting reminiscences. Hope your doc appt. went well; I'd like to hear, if you feel like sharing.Back to the write-up,later.
The puzzle was indeed easy and interesting. Some wordplay fun as well as 'neat theme'; yet, it still took some mental gymnastics.
When I finished, my biggest question was'curare books'- I have never seen the word 'curare'. After looking it up, I see its a vine that,if ground up, makes a poison and /or a numbing agent.
I learned from the puzzle, that cu was the symbol for copper. There does seem to be a metal sub-theme, as well, Lemon.
All in all, a pleasure.
Just read last night's posts.
Lois, Sally struck a chord with me:"losing a mother is especially significant..and hard".
Somehow, I would have known your mother was an extraordinary person.
You demonstrate her greatness- such a zest for life. You are the celebration of her life.
Like Jeannie, I shed some tears; some in remembrance of my mother. Love to you and yours.
Have a nice day everyone.
Hi all.
A very easy Friday puzzle.
There was another hockey game on.
Tuesday's was the hardest for me this week.
Solid grey and rain is back.
The right click is neat for links.
My problem is, after reading the blog and comments in the AM, having to scroll through every thing again to read the rest of the comments in the PM. Any cure?
Will distribute pizzelles today.
Take care and stay warm.
MES always MESSES me up - guess I'm a slow learner.
Grumpy - happy mensiversary!
(I coined that word long ago, for reasons that are not likely to become obvious any time soon.)
Today is our mensiversary also. I
am happy to share the day and the phrase "Lovely Wife" with you. (I copped it from my step-son anyway!)
It's 239 months for us today, since we traded "I DO's in front of Judge Virginia Sobatka (since retired) in the court house in Dearborn.
But enough about me . . .
Cheers!
JzB
eddyb...I scroll all the way to the bottom of comments and "read up." when I get to one I`ve already read...I know that`s all the newer ones.
Carol:
It is my habit to combine clues and answers which I believe, in a totally subjective way, are related. I can assure you, no clue gets left out, so it will be there somewhere. Of course it may just be my insidious plan to make you all read the entire effort, instead of just ones you had trouble answering. Sorry if it is too much like work, but my mind works in mysterious ways.
Lois, my parents are long dead, and I know it is never easy. You obviously had much to be thankful for and more years to enjoy than most. My thoughts are with you, and anything you need, I am someplace close by.
EddyB -
You browser should have a search function. Just do a search non your name, and it will take you to your earlier post, and you can read on from there.
I always have to look back a bit, too, since a couple of posters usually get in while I'm writing.
Cheers!
JzB who has trombone ELBOWS
No issues with this puzzle. Easiest Friday puzzle in a long time (14 minutes). Busy day. No time to add more right now.
Sincere condolences, Lois.
Fun puzzle, and Lemony your blog was fantalicious, as usual.
Lois, I am so sorry for your loss. No matter what age, it is always hard to loose your Mom.
Hope everyone (well, almost everyone) finds a nice weekend coming at them.
Jeannie, I made mine chunky, and everyone really loved it, thanks again.
TGIF
In the name of today's constructor there's a hidden CLUE.
CURIO GRANDE- Big, bizarre object in Brazil?
Greetings puzzlers. Lemonade, thanks for a superb job as usual.
Very easy for a Friday, I thought. Like L I loved the sound of Zuider Zee as a child and so it came easily. That solidified AZTECS and on from there though I had PASTA before ELBOWS at macaroni.
It's next to nothing, ONE made me smile.
Since I did this very early this AM and returned to bed, I failed to scan it and never noticed mes, MAYO since it just emerged.
BTW, it's pronounced mah-yo as in cinco de mayo.
I now know CU is the symbol for copper; I'm sure I learned it by ROTE eons ago in high school chem.
Our trip to San Diego, scheduled for tomorrow, was suddenly cancelled due to an emergence for one of our hostesses, so I look forward to tomorrow's brain teaser.
Have a fab Friday everyone!
Good afternoon Lemonade, CC, et al., I'm w/Carol..is this Friday? Lemonade: I loved your write up more than the puzzle and I loved the puzzle! Excellent job! I learn so much here...except math. That metheth up my mind and my thpeech and maketh me walk with a lithp too. I'm too right brained, I gueth.
Santa, baby: you are so impressive!
Loved seeing Styron here. He was born right here in my fair city and often came back to give signings and readings - to hold court. Super nice guy from what I've always heard. He lives on.
Also loved seeing the House of Seven Gables here. I visited there in my '09 MA trip. So fun.
Also loved 31A pool w/total amt bet as the clue. Need to warm my cue stick up. Big challenge tonight, if the streets are passable. We haven't had school for 2 days b/c of snow...all of 1-2inches and we're paralyzed. I know that's laughable to you northerners, but it works for me.
Thank you all for the condolences and all the sweet comments. I really appreciate it. You make me feel so much better, like good friends do - cyber or otherwise.
Lemonade 11:17: You're right I had her for longer than most and I am so grateful for that. Now about your kind offer...anything? I'll buy your ticket.
Enjoy your day.
Lucina - One of your hostesses had an emergence ...?
She 'emerged' from where ? - or should I be afraid to ask ...
( Its fun to speculate though - ).
I wonder if was through 'normal' channels ...
Lois: I am so sorry to learn of your loss. Your mother sounds like a remarkable woman.
eddy B, once I have read the comments I minimize the window and go away. When I maximize the window, to open it, I can see exactly where I stopped, so I note the time of the last post, refresh the window and scroll down until I find the time again.
Hope this helps.
Well I didn’t do too badly with this Friday offering. The unifier “copper” didn’t help me at all. I probably knew at one time that CU was the symbol for copper, but like most of the chemistry and science I learned I probably memorized, got an A on the test and promptly forgot it. Like some of you are not math buffs, science is my weak link. That’s probably because I didn’t have Husker Gary for my teacher! One thing that really helped me along were all of the three letter answers. I counted 25 in all. Although I got “curare books” I didn’t know that curare was a poison, so that was my learning moment today.
I thought of you EddyB for the mini sports theme.
Robin, I am glad you and your friends enjoyed the dip. There’s your answer Lucina…chunky.
Not much more to comment on except I enjoyed your very entertaining blogging effort today Counselor.
Everyone enjoy your weekend.
Well, I am later than I had hoped to make some comments. But, not as late as yesterday. I started the puzzle on the bus on my way to work. As in yesterday, I did not get very far. However, I was able to finish it at work on short break periods. It did seem easier than Thursday's puzzle, but still was challenging. I enjoyed the theme of copper (Cu). All the theme answers were clever, working the Cu into them. I did remember the Fosbury Flop from earlier puzzles. I cannot figure out the answer to MAYO. MES means nothing to me. Any help? Abejo
Abejo,
Lemonade explained in his write-up. Spitzboov explained again at 10:35am comment. Why did you ask the question again?
I knew something was wrong when I used 1, 2, and 3D to fill in the acrosses with out reading them. Rich really scrambled the ability levels this week. I also missed the Mayo/Mes because I perped it all.
Noble metals are the jewelry metals that don't tarnish: Gold, Platinum ...
Lois, I'm sorry for your loss.
Husker, Was the rain God's way of saying baseball should be played as day-games? BTW, I was at AT+T Park on 8/7/07 turning 56 as my favorite steroid user hit # 756.
Jeannie, yes, I need to apologize to Argyle and Al for the mixup in names yesterday. I did say yesterday that I was fuzzy from lack of sleep.
Robin,
I'll definitely have pickled herring for Christmas then walleye for the New Year.
Lois,
I am so sorry to hear that you lost your mother. You've been through so much this year.
HuskerGary: I don't think anyone answered "An Officer and a Gentleman". Which also gave us the great phrase 'bodacious set of tatas'.
Gunghy, my childhood memories of baseball include ONLY day games. As the world series approached, the shadows got longer and longer, the series was done by the second week in October and we all smuggled transistor radios in to listen to the games during school. During big games, the entire school would gather in the study hall and everyone would watch (on a Cathode Ray Tube BTW).
With the NFL going to 18 games next year, baseball is going to fade out even more. Speed the game up already!
Hello everybody. I was surprised at how easy for a Friday this puzzle seemed, as many of you have already mentioned. Was impressed with, and enjoyed, the stacks of 6 and 8-letter words. Wow. Well done!
Lemonade, thanks for a terrific writeup.
For some reason I got Zuider Zee immediately. I've known of it since grade school. That helped get Aztec, which was already apparent from the very Aztec-looking clue. I wanted ELBOW (singluar) for Macaroni, instead of the plural, which impeded me in that area for a while. LEMURS was a gimme, as were FLOP and BENNY.
I also thought the Cu gimmick was clever and fun. Solving them make me smile.
Thanks to you all for your interesting and informative comments. Best wishes to you all.
Robin and Jeannie:
Thank you for the "chunky" info. I can't wait to try the recipe!
Very Curious:
An emergence occurs when one doesn't proofread and really means "emergency." I understand her niece is in critical condition but have no details as yet.
Lemonade: let me assure you it was not "too much like work" to read your write-up(s). I very much enjoy all of it and always learn something in the process. This time I just didn't see the MAYO explanation. Sorry.
eddy b: I always do what Dick described at 1:41 and it works great!
I knew Zuider Zee from childhood too. There was a story in a book my Dad gave me (it was from when he was in grade school). I loved that book and believe it or not, I still have it. I never forgot all those stories.
Funny how the human memory can recall things from childhood but I cannot remember a book I read a few years ago (unless it made a huge impression on me). In fairness though, I do read one heck of a lot of books!
Lois:
This pesky eye thing keeps from flying, for now, but thanks for the offer.
Fishy, thanks for the Cookie, but still nothing in the mail.
Lo-li-ta, thanks for the continued support.
Carol, thanks for the response.
All of you saying nice things, always good to hear, as we do work to entertain and inform.
Hey Windy, where are you?
C.C. you are not only a US citizen, you are full blooded Minnesotan!
Ah, I'm later than most, I see. I'm slow to get going in the mornings. Thanks for the welcomes the other day. And thanks Lemonade for the write-up :-)
This one had some sticky bits for me. Not feeling my best today, so it took awhile to twig Beirut, for example (and then I felt silly, 'cedar' should have made me think of Lebanon straight away). I don't really mind when a puzzle takes a little longer, though: then I can continue to come back to it throughout the day.
Have a good weekend all.
~ Ellie
That Zuider Zee thing has grabbed me. There are a group of us that know that almost instinctly. We keep talking about a book, but I think it has to do with a song or a movie.It'll make me crazier than I normally am. Come on help.
Zuider Zee to me was a restaurant chain down in San Antonio that had the best seafood in the world. I always had a hard time deciding what I wanted. Every time my parents would come visit, we would hit Zuider Zee..big dutch windmill outside as a landmark. Does this sound familiar to anyone or am I hallucinating again...just kidding.
Hello Everyone ~~
This puzzle was fun, especially for a Friday. I finished it without look-ups and got that CU was in each theme answer. However, I completely missed the part about the remaining words actually meaning something, ie. 'double bed.' Lemonade's excellent blogging helped me with that and also in understanding the mayo-mes thing. CURARE was new to me--this is such an enjoyable way to learn new things!
Creature: were you thinking of Hans Brinker/The Silver Skates? The Zeider Zee was mentioned there.
It seems the name did strike a cord/memory with a lot of us.
Lois, I think you are almost a generation behind where I am. Somehow I hear a song with Zuider Zee in it, yet there has to be an inspiration for your restaurant. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour ... can hear a group singing "Zuider Zee'. Okay, This is too much.Sorry for the mental breakdown.
Carol, I think it comes from something I heard not read. A current thing when I heard it..
Salutations Fellow Cruciverbalists!
Thank you Lemonade!
I am so sorry about your mom, Lois.
I liked CORNWELL's last book too. Hadn't looked forward to it after the last few. Does anyone notice that from her cover, she hasn't aged a day in 20 years?
Neat puzzle, but it took me a while. Caught on to CU right away, luckily.
I visited the orthopod early in the week. He explained that I was healing too slowly. He is sending a machine over to encourage my bones! I suffered through Christmas/birthday shopping in a wheelchair. I was not able to get up from it on the last day--for three hours! The remainder of the time was spent online. So I haven't been doing crosswords. At the moment am on a banner run of insomnia. Oops, just remembered a gift that I haven't bought. Hope Amazon will come through for me!
As to the DOUBLE CUBED controversy, the usage is mathematically ambiguous and therefore meaningless.
Have a splendid weekend!
Brother Lemon,
I'm right here, waiting for that ticket offer to come my way. Although in rereading, it seems the offer could cover Amtrak. Go for it.
And may I add: your brother is/was my kind of guy.
Speaking of heroes, Where the hell is Buckeye?
Can`t curare be used medicinally, in small amounts?
Hola Everyone, A good start in the NW corner came to a screeching halt about half way down the puzzle. I skipped to the SE corner, got copper, and after asking my science teacher husband what the letters were for copper I gradually filled in the rest letter by letter.
I did have to look up Styron as this was a totally unknown for me today.
My two favorite clues, though, were It's next to nothing/one and Mayo,e.g./mes. That one took me a minute to register, but no v-8 can today.
Carol, my thoughts were the same for "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates". This was one of my Childhood favorites. Zuider Zee just rolls off the tongue.
Maybe I missed someone elses comment, but I thougt the crossing of OMB with Double Cubed was ironic.
Lois, I'm so sorry about your mother. My thoughts are with you and yours today.
Yes WH, you would have enjoyed my brother, who left us on his birthday, last year.
Maybe this SONG .
As far as curare goes, many of us read myesteries, and the dart, with the tip dipped in curare may have been introduced to us by Mr. Doyle. Or perhaps Nick and Nora Charles
Some Lady Pirates singing de zuiderzee
I found this heartwarming story on MSNBC. I thought it might be close to some of you who live in that area. Generosity in Minnesota
Hi all.
Thanks to all for your suggestions. I will try them.
It is much harder to find when I
don't leave a comment.
Port Mortuary is waiting as soon as Jill is finished with it.
When I saw Tin, I thought of Andy freezing his ---- off in Moscow.
Sports? Thanks Jeannie.(?)
Btw. If you use black walnuts in your cookies, don't use too many.
The thing about hockey from Canada
are the ads. I didn't know that they had Safeway stores up there.
Take care.
Hi all,
I haven't read these blogs yet but wanted to make a couple comments about the puzzle,etc.
Lemonade- in some churches the Elders are the ordained pastors. My husband is one-it's the United Methodist church.
I've always been interested in Alsace-Lorraine since I learned some of my ancestors came from there. They were of German background and moved to Switzerland. But they were arrested and put in prison because they were Amish, and didn't believe in infant Baptism. When they got to the U.S. they found freedom of relgion.
This was a fun puzzle, not as hard as some Fridays.
Goodnight all!
Marge
Lemonade, thanks so much for helping me finish today's xwd..had lots of "holelets". The theme never showed up,only the pilot with cubed books.Should have pedalled around one more time.
Loved seeing mayo, the name of my NYC sister who passed away a few years ago. She was an actress, a poet, novelist, designer of villas in Granada, and a lover of astrology..much loved and missed.
Fermaprime, good to hear that Cornwell's newest novel is much like the 1st ones. The last 2 or 3 were bland.
We're expecting 6' of snow this weekend in the Sierras-great for skiiers....when the snow stops.
Hi all! A night with no snow! Okay, it's cold but there's no wind so I'll take it.
Carol, you made me go back to see what Dick described that "works great". LOL.
L.E. Cove (Ellie) good to see you again. I would think that with three children that you home school the crossword puzzle might not be your first priority in the morning, so being slow to get here is very well understood. Is your given name Eloise? It's good to see you on the blog again.
My handsome counselor, I just spent about a half an hour digging through my 78's looking for that record of "Girl on a little blue plate". I know I have heard it before and am sure I have it, but you couldn't fathom how many 78's I have picked up at flea markets and thrift stores. Do you think she might have been a "blue plate special"? BTW, when are the sons coming home?
BillG, thanks for posting that story about that gentleman in LeRoy. What you saw there in the video was true Minnesotan culture. I live in a small town too, with about 3000 people, most farmers and when I came home last night my drive was plowed by my neighbor and I didn't even have to ask. There is something true about the term "Minnesota nice". It may be one of the reasons I put up with this weather!!
EddyB, am I confused? I thought you were a huge sports fan.
CA, is that cold coming to fruition?
Jeannie
the boys will be in and out of town for the next month. thank you all for a fun day at the corner.
any of you read Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott books, or Karen Kijewski's Kat Colorado?
Hi Jeannie. I am - mainly auto racing and hockey. I now see why I was confused. There were at least six ans that had some thing to do
with sports. Most went over my head
and I didn't think about them.
I'll bet that you boo one of tomorrow's ans.
Nite all. eb
To C. C.: I missed the MES explanations. I was in a hurry. Thanks for noticing. Abejo
EddyB, now you have my curiosity piqued. As a rule, I never attempt the Saturday puzzle as I think too much during the week and when I do attempt it, it pisses me off and makes me think too hard. Weekends for me are theraputic. I usually cook something or "root" in the garden, sail or take a walk. With it being winter I think you know the "route" I will take. I will at least read the blog tomorrow if I have time.
My fav Counselor, I am glad you will have time to spend with your sons/and son's wife. She's not hard to look at.
EddyB, I guess I knew you were a racing fan and a hockey fan first and formost. It seems to me you have made mention to baseball/football games as well.
Gunghy, I didn't mean to call you out the other night. I forgot you had said you were going on no sleep. I hope you get to hit the slopes this weekend if what JD said is true about the 6' hitting there. I think a little cross country skiing is in the cards tomorrow as the nice snowmobilers have made some nice packed down trails out this-away over the open fields, otherwise the snow is over 2' deep and that's kind of hard to crosscountry ski in. Maybe I should look into snowshoeing? Nah...
Fermatprime, here is my hope that you find comfort and SLEEP.
For those of you that check the late posts:
Yesterday I paid $10,000 to replace the AC/Furnaces in my parent's house. At 6:30 PM, the care giver called to say the new heating units were both blowing cold air.
This morning, I went out to check on them. Yes, they weren't working. I called the company and they arranged to send a repairman out at 4 PM. In the mean time, the caregiver had used too many small heaters and blown a fuse. When she reset the breaker, she discovered the TV box had died.
I called the satellite company and they suggested I unplug the box and see if that would reset it. I knocked the TV off its stand and it shattered. (The box didn't reset.) Since a rep was on the phone, I upgraded them to HD which won't be installed til Tues. While this was going on, my dad was moving around the house. He has zero memory. I was on the phone for 20 minutes, and he 'discovered' the broken TV 5 times and threw a fit each time.
2 hours later, I returned with a new HD TV and set it up with the DVD player. Then I had to explain to him about 10 times how to turn on the new TV, i.e. push the red button.
When removing the wreck of the old TV, what was left of the case shattered, lacerating 3 fingers, and then smashing one.
The repairman couldn't fix the units, because it was too wet and dark by the time he arrived. But he did block me in the driveway so that I was an hour late to a meeting this evening.
All of this was typed just to answer Jeannie's last comment: Yes, I will be hitting the slopes, but not until Sunday. Tomorrow I will be too busy doing everything I was supposed to do today. But I'll be gone until at least Weds. night, maybe later.
See you all next week.
@creature (4:45 PM)--
Maybe you're thinking of Steve Goodman's song "Dear Margaret?" I learned that song probably 30 years ago at the Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago) when it was located on Armitage Avenue, just about a block from the Ravenswood El station. It's still one of my favorites and I thought of it and was humming it to myself for the rest of the day after seeing that clue in today's puzzle! Happy memories.
===
The Dutchman's not the kind of man
Who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam
That holds his dreams in,
But that's a secret that only Margaret knows.
When Amsterdam is golden in the summer,
Margaret brings him breakfast,
She believes him.
He thinks the tulips bloom beneath the snow.
He's mad as he can be, but Margaret only sees that sometimes,
Sometimes she sees her unborn children in his eyes.
Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee.
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me.
... and so on.
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