google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Gary's Blog Map

Jul 10, 2012

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: You don't want me around? - Four in language entries that start with a word you might use rid yourself of some pest. And a reveal of the pest in question.

17A. Marshmallow-and-cookie layered treat : SCOOTER PIE. Image.

27A. Meteor shower phenomena : SHOOTING STARS

45A. Brunch fare : SCRAMBLED EGGS

59A. Small carpet : SCATTER RUG

36D. Stray that might evoke the start of 17-, 27-, 45- or 59-Across : ALLEY CAT

Argyle here and I'm staying. How could I leave? A C.C. yesterday and a Marti today? Life is good. Cattitude is everything (3:44)

Across

1. Butter on the farm? : GOAT. A cute clue.

5. Smart-alecky : SASSY

10. Traditional Indian music : RAGA

14. St. Louis landmark : ARCH

15. Boundary marker : STAKE

16. Nobelist Pavlov : IVAN. I read that as Novelist at first. D'oh!

19. Fly alone : SOLO

20. __ New Guinea : PAPUA. Map.

21. Uncanny ability, for short : ESP. (extrasensory perception)

22. Des Moines native : IOWAN

23. Tests for coll. seniors : GRE's. (Graduate Record Examinations)

25. Reunion attendee : AUNT

32. Big name in lawn care : SCOTT'S. Thanks for the shout out, Marti.

34. Ultimate degree : NTH POWER

35. Sphere, to a poet : ORB

36. Ger. neighbor : AUS. (Germany/Austria)

37. Breakfast grain : OAT

38. Pedicure targets : TOE NAILS

42. Spanish saffron-flavored dish : PAELLA


47. Up for anything : GAME

48. Conclusion lead-in : ERGO

49. Fried chicken piece : THIGH

52. “... the dew of __ high eastward hill”: “Hamlet” : YON. Probable guess.

54. Where to find Bologna : ITALY

58. “Count me out, too” : "NOR I"

61. Mongolia’s __ Bator : ULAN. Google map.

62. Responded to a good massage : AAHed

63. A big fan of : INTO

64. Zingy taste : TANG

65. Pulitzer writer Terkel : STUDS. Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008)


66. Look carefully : PEER

Down:

1. Express awe : GASP

2. Killer whale : ORCA

3. “Rent-__”: 1988 crime film : A-COP. IMBd.

4. Musing : THOUGHT

5. Seattle-to-Reno dir. : SSE

6. Like a body in Newton’s first law : AT REST. Well ...: First law: Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless compelled to change that state by external forces acted upon it.

7. Totally drains : SAPS

8. Legwear for the slopes : SKI PANTS

9. “__-haw!” : YEE

10. Ristorante rice dish : RISOTTO


11. Declare frankly : AVOW

12. Opening night after-party : GALA

13. Auth. unknown : ANON

18. Fortuneteller’s deck : TAROT

22. Police dept. rank : INSP. (inspector)

24. Aurora’s Greek counterpart : EOS. Both goddesses of dawn.

26. “That’s yucky!” : "UGH!"

27. Not loaded? : SOBER

28. Rest room sign : IN USE

29. GI truants : AWOL's. ("absent without leave" or "absent without official leave"). The second definition has a more legalese feel to it.

30. Genuine : REAL

31. Mexicali miss: Abbr. : SRTA. (señorita)

32. Ones usually loaded : SOTS

33. Swamp snapper : CROC

39. Like a headache that won’t quit : NAGGING

40. Asian nurse : AMAH

41. “Big Blue” : IBM. (International Business Machines Corporation)

42. According to : PER

43. Longhorn rival : AGGIE

44. Self-indulgent “journey” : EGO TRIP

46. Gave a bad impression to? : DENTED. A cute clue.

49. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT. Many different styles, depending on their final use. Google Images.

50. Guatemala greeting : "HOLA"

51. Persia, nowadays : IRAN

53. Hawaii’s “Gathering Place” : OAHU

55. “Rule, Britannia” composer : ARNE. Originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. (Wiki) Link(1:25) Note the ringing of a bell, marking a repeat of the musical phrase.

56. Minstrel’s strings : LUTE

57. Bela’s “Son of Frankenstein” role : YGOR

59. Airline to Stockholm : SAS


60. Goal line crossings: Abbr. : TD's. (touchdowns) Known as a a "try" in rugby.


Argyle

1) Constructor’s note:

We have several stray cats in our back yard, and I was attempting to scare them off one evening by yelling, “shoo, scat, scram, scoot!!” The ALLEY CATs were not intimidated, but it did give me an idea for a theme…

2) Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Don G! Without him, I'd never have created a crossword. Don taught me all I know about crossword and continues to teach me every day. Thank you so much, Don!

58 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Fun theme today. Sadly, I have never heard of SCOOTER PIE or SCATTER RUG before. The former caused me some grief (from the image, btw, it looks like something I've always called a "moon pie"), but by the time I got to the latter I had already figured out the theme and was able to guess it immediately.

    Favorite clue today was definitely "Butter on the farm" for GOAT. What a great way to start off a puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was a perfect Tuesday with one of our own. I got hung up at the beginning as for 5A. Smart-alecky, I wanted MARTI. Ah well, and I thought she was a cat person.

    Barry, you are correct, SCOOTER PIE is a MOON PIE, renamed in honor of Yankee shortstop, Phil "Scooter" Rizutto. They like named candy things after the evil empire players.

    GOAT was great, have a great day all

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning Argyle and friends. Fun puzzle with lots of fun clues. I found this fare easier than yesterday's puzzle (but I think I was the only one to have difficulty yesterday). I would never tell my (non)ALLEY CATS to SHOO, SCAT, SCRAM, or SCOOT.

    Marti got a few of her skiing references in, what with the ski pants and AUStria.

    Funny to see both the SOBER and the SOTS in the same puzzle.

    Nice shout-out to Husker with the Musing- THOUGHT.

    Lots of rain headed my way today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Marti, for a very good Tuesday puzzle. Enjoyed it. Thank you, as well, Argyle, for the great write-up. Enjoyed Rule Brittania.

    Got started easily with GOAT, for 1A. Got the NW corner except for THOUGHT. That came later.

    Did not know SCOOTER PIE. Got with perps and a wag.

    The other three themes came easily.

    STUDS Terkel was from Chicago. Very active columnist. But I enjoyed Mike Royko much more.

    Going to a family reunion this weekend in PA. Should see my last remaining AUNT on my father's side. While there I will also see my mother, who is in a nursing home.

    I wonder if the clue for 33D should have been abbreviated, as the answer CROC is an abbreviation (I believe).

    Fun puzzle.

    It has finally cooled down here a bit. All we need now is some rain.

    See youn tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very new to crosswords & rely on this blog for "help" when I'm done... fun puzzle, but it's July 10, my son's birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marti, this was an interesting eary week puzzle. Argyle, thanks for the Cattitude link. Cute!

    I, too, liked seeing SOTS and Sober near each other, and RISOTTO and PAELLA.

    When i was a kid we had SCATTER RUGs These rugs would bunch up and/or slip, tripping you and scattering you or what you were carrying all over the floor.

    I was okay with CROC, which is informal, not an abbreviation. Calling him a snapper also seems informal.

    As a kid we had a brand of MOON PIEs called SCOOTER PIEs. Did you ever have a Mallowmar with similar ingredients?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice puzzle today - except for shooing away cats :(

    We don't have many stray cats. But I have seen raccoons, opossums and foxes in my yard.

    I liked the clue for 34A: Ultimate Degree: NTH POWER. Adding the "Power" to the end was a nice touch.

    Nice to see a reference to HG's Musings.

    I watch Hell's Kitchen each week. They make a lot of RISOTTO.

    I've had SCOOTER PIEs and SCRAMBLED EGGS, but never tried RISOTTO or PAELLA.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hahtoolah, If you could bottle that rain you could make megabucks selling it in Chicago!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't get home delivery on Tuesday's, so I had to print out the puzzle from the Barnacle's e-edition. BH was busy printing lots of stuff this morning, so the printer ran out of ink halfway through the grid. That made completing the bottom half doubly interesting, having to figure out the mirror image of the top half to see where the words should go. Got it all, though.

    Nice job, Marti, and thanks for the Cattitude link, Argyle. Cute, but it would have been cuter if they didn't repeat so many of the images. Mari, coons visit us every evening -- about six of 'em. We also regularly see a doe and fawns, a mole, an armadillo and the occasional possum.

    Favorite clue: Gave a bad impression to

    Hoping for rain today. There's a 70% chance -- but there was a 70% chance yesterday and we stayed dry.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Marti for a lovely, lovely puzzle and Argyle for a lovely, lovely blog.

    Goat was the most difficult clue, but when I got it, I goat it.
    I wonder if Butt-er is a word ? (lol)

    Raga, which literally means 'color' or 'hue', is a musical melody, of 5 to 7 notes, which generate a 'mood', which sets the mind and the feelings of the listener for the composition to follow, - rather than a 'type' of music .... but no matter.

    Thus there are morning or evening ragas, 'cloudy, rainy, stormy' ragas, elated or 'depressing' ragas, or more commonly, based on the seasons, generally evoking love and desire. Alas, what do I know, - I am a novice in Indian music and pretty much tone deaf.

    I notice in the map of 'Ulan Bator',( or should it be 'Ulaanbaatar' ? ) that there are 2 hamlets named 'Darkhan' - one Darkhan, about 160 Km from Ulan, to a little west of due North, and the other Darkhan, about 170 Km, south East of Ulan.

    Imagine, if you will, of a land so remote, so isolated and desolate and far removed from human civilization that you can run out of names for places ( within it ) ..... ! (lol)


    ALT QOD:- Makeup is such a weird concept. "I really look lousy. Maybe if my eyelids were blue, I'd more attractive." ~ Cathy Ladman.

    ReplyDelete
  11. RISOTTO must be an homage to Phil "Scooter" Rizutto. Doncha think?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nice write-up, Argyle - I also loved the "Cattitude" link!!

    I really do love cats, and have 2 of my own. But when they go outside and see any of the "strays" in our yard, there is H*** to pay. I think it is really funny when I try to SHOO the strays away, they just look at me with that..."cattitude".

    Right now I am trying to find a Vet in our area who has a "Trap-Spay-Return" program. Stray cats that are not fixed can become a real problem, and as you can imagine their population would grow exponentially if not kept in check. The most humane thing to do is to keep the colony intact. They are there because they have found shelter, food and available water. Removing the colony would just allow a new one to take over the same territory. So for the moment, we are in a peaceful standoff !

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Puzzlers -

    I've always like the word SHOO. It was put to good use in the movie Out of Africa, first by Karen Blixen in an attempt to send away some pesky wildlife (with modest success), and later by Denys Hatton to set a whole herd of grazing beasts running. "That's a good word, shoo."

    Thanks Marti and Argyle!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Everything I know about yoga, I learned from cats...

    ReplyDelete
  15. kazie from yesterday, so if I suss that means I may be googling for the answer?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good morning everyone. Nice comments, Argyle.

    Marti, good going - made my morning. Interesting fun theme and fill. Cool that you parked AUS at the geographic center. Geography also included ITALY, PAPUA, IOWAN, and ULAN. Several double g's - AGGIES, ..EGGS, and NAGGING. Learned about SCOOTER PIE. I guess my favorite fill was GOAT. Easy enough solve - no lookups needed. BZ

    Enjoy the day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Marti,
    Lovely start to my Tuesday, and cute kitteh-yoga link.
    Argyle, great cattitude link too!

    We also don't see any stray cats, only rabbits and squirrels in our yard, though the deer do more damage to our arbor vitae at night in winter when they can't find any foliage.

    Anon @ 8:46,
    More or less. When I'm planning a trip I suss out the hotel options online, or if I'm in a strange place, I suss it out before deciding where to eat, etc. Kind of like "casing the joint" to see what there is to do. I think in puzzledom, it's more likely waiting for hints from perps to see what they might suggest for your unknowns.

    Other than wanting HEE before YEE, a smooth run today. We got a bit sick of PAELLA in Spain this year, because they seem to have made it bland enough for tourists (like we were), so it isn't as interesting any more.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have a different take on "suss." To me it means to figure something out on your own -- not to look it up.

    ReplyDelete
  19. YEEhaw, this was a great puzzle! Starting out with the clue for GOAT, and including those great rice dishes made this one very enjoyable. I have a great recipe for an asparagus RISOTTO with a touch of lemon...yum.

    We could use a cat in our neighborhood; there is a pesky little rabbit that likes to dine on the tea roses. No leaves left for as high as the little bugger can reach. The deer spray seems to help, but if you don't get out there right away after every rain, those roses are fair game for the bunny's lunch.

    The group I sing with does a great "ALLEY CAT Love Song". Some of the gals think it's a little risque...does anyone here know it? All of the Google sites I found for it use the slower, more thoughtful version of the song, but ours was a little jazzier.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I see that I used "great" too many times in that last post. What can I say? I'm having a "great" day off!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I too liked the butter clue. Not hard to get but good. Anyone who has not had paella should try it, unless you cannot eat shell fish. Risotto is great as well but there are many varieties, all good in my experience. Paella might be seen as risotto with shell fish and a Spanish flare such as saffron.

    Moon pies, mallomars, and scooter pies may be regional. Moon pies are made in Chattanooga so are likely more Southern. In the South mallomars are only available during cooler weather. I suspect that scooter pies are probably a northern delicacy.

    Good puzzle and an easy romp today. I'm hungry, anyone have a moon pie?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nice Tuesday puzzle. Thanks Marti and Argyle.
    I have never heard of a Scooter Pie. Perps filled in the letters.
    I went to a dentist appointment yesterday, 90 miles away, so did Monday’s puzzle late last night. I missed one letter. Today, I again missed one letter. I could not figure out the N is T Nut and _OR I. Both clues/words made total sense after reading Argyle’s commentary.
    Interestingly, I saw a hitchhiker about 45 miles down the road. He was walking and just put his thumb up as people drove by. Probably a local. I watched in my rear-view mirror and saw someone stop for him.
    Then as I drove by Wal-Mart in the town that was my destination, I saw a pair of hitchhikers (with gear) standing by the exit lane, holding up a sign hoping to get a ride. Even in rural Montana, we rarely see hitchhikers anymore.

    Have a good day everyone,
    Montana

    ReplyDelete
  23. when the alley cats come to fight a nd beat up my wimp cat, I done say shoo, scram, or anything. I spray them with the hose. Nothing moves a cat like water.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I did not know what a Mallomar was either. Googling gave me this information from extremechocolate.com: Mallomars appear almost magically each October and almost exclusively in New York. In fact, 70 percent of the Mallomars distributed by Nabisco end up in New York, presumably because it had its origins in the New York-New Jersey area.
    Guess that explains not seeing them in Montana.

    Montana

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good morning:

    Fun, easy Tuesday offering. Thanks, Marti, and Argyle.

    Liked the clue for goat but never heard of a Scooter Pie, even though I am a life-long fan of Lemonade's "evil empire" team.

    I wish Mother Nature would send some rain to all of those who need it so badly. We have had only a trace in the last month and there is none in sight for the next several days.

    Happy Tuesday all.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I was delighted to see a Marti puzzle and scooted right through it, though as usual, I didn't really 'get' the theme (e.g. "shooting" alley cats: how cruel) until Argyle's write-up. I'm glad you made the theme a little less heartless with your 8:29 explanation, HeartRx.

    But, boy, did this puzzle make me hungry: PAELLA and RISOTTO, two of my favorites, not to mention scrambled eggs and pies. I'm usually not a breakfast eater, but I don't think I can handle going without food this morning.

    Chickie, are you the one who always greets us with "Hola"? If so, many thanks--I wouldn't have gotten that one without you.

    Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Marti: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday.

    SOBER being so close to SOTS ... well that's a CROC!

    Cheers to all at SUNSET.
    (When Avatar is SAPS!)

    ReplyDelete
  28. HOLA, amigos and amigas. Sparkling analysis as always, Argyle.

    Excellent puzzle, Marti, and I sashayed through it like an ALLEY CAT on the prowl. Loved butter, GOAT and it didn't fool me. I have never heard of SCOOTER PIE but it worked itself out after much THOUGHT.

    Like Misty, I'm hungry now after seeing OAT, SCRAMBLED EGGS, (chicken)THIGH, PAELLA and RISOTTO.

    At all family reunions, weddings, etc., my sisters and I are the elderly AUNTs in attendance. You wouldn't know it on the dance floor, though. Elderly doesn't even come close.

    Hahtoolah:
    Per Mari's suggestion, you could make even more megabucks bottling that rain and selling it in Arizona!

    Last night I completed Friday's and Saturday's puzzles which I had printed and Friday's especially was a dooozzzy! Am not quite finished with the comments but you all are a hoot!

    I hope your Tuesday is special, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Happy birthday, Don (hard) G!! I hope it's spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  30. IM: I certainly would not want to take credit for dubbing the Yankees the Evil Empire; "Critics often refer to the team and the organization as "the Evil Empire", a term applied to the Yankees by Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino in a 2002 interview with the New York Times."

    They really named the Baby Ruth after Ruth, and the Reggie bar... well you udnerstand.
    SCOOTER PIE.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Happy Birthday, Don G. and best wishes for many, many more.

    Lemonade, I should have known that someone involved with the "arch enemy" of the "evil empire" would coin such a phrase. We have our own choice references to our long-standing rival.

    BTW, Baby Ruth was named for one of our president's daughter; I think Grover Cleveland, but I am not sure.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hello everybody and happy birthday wishes to Don G. Thank you for the fun puzzle, Marti, and thank you for your insights, Argyle. By the way, the Keene area looks beautiful.

    GOAT didn't fool me because RAM didn't have enough letters. Wanted ALUM instead of AUNT, so was fooled by that one. Waited to get at least one perp before knowing which neighbor of Germany was being referred to. Especially liked the clue for DENTED.

    Best wishes to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Happy Birthday Don anf many more.

    Irish, I know the tale they told about the naming of the BABY RUTH candy bar, but it seems more than coincidental it was in 1921 when Ruth's career had started to take off, as explained in the link, that the company changed the name. They also never paid him any royalties, not the poor deceased daughter of the President. I was not a BR fan. Anyone eat them now?

    ReplyDelete
  34. I wonder if that poor horse Snickers was ever paid any royalties.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Fun puzzle. Thanks Marti and Argyle. I had two errors to overcome; both HEE haw instead of YEE haw and IGOR instead of Ygor. I also loved the clue for DENTED. Marti, was that yours or Rich's? I've never had a SCOOTER PIE that I remember. When we went back to Maine, the Mainers wanted me to try a Whoopie Pie. The woman we were visiting never locked her house or her car. When we came back from a little trip with her around the area, neighbors had left some Whoopie pies for us on her table.

    Here's one of my favorite puzzles. It doesn't require anything more than addition and logical thinking.

    DARTS ANYONE?
    I’ve got an easy dart game for you. You can throw as many darts as you want at a dart board with only two scoring rings; a seven and a five.

    What scores could you get? You could get a five, or a seven, or a 10, or 12 and so on. What scores are impossible to get? You couldn’t get a score of one, or two, or six, or eight, or eleven, etc.
    1) What is the largest score that’s impossible to get?
    2) Harder question: If the scoring rings are a and b, what’s an expression for the largest impossible score?

    ReplyDelete
  36. C.C. and Marti, now THERE’s a dynamic duo. A wonderful effort both days from two lovely ladies. Gawd, I hope that not sexist!

    Musings (Thoughts. Shout out por moi or just my EGO TRIP?)
    -Loved the Farm butter, Bad impression…
    -I have never seen or heard of a SCOOTER PIE. Must be an east coast thing.
    -I had many kids feed their pets after ringing a bell for a week and then count how long it would take for the animal to quit responding to the bell without food. Got great data.
    -I bought cheap lawn food once forgoing Scotts. Big mistake!
    -Still vacillating on being a male getting a pedicure
    -Friend always told the waitress when declining coffee refill, “None for I”. It curled up my toes.
    -Disney properties have loads of “rent-a-cops” that are usually older and not in peak physical condition but they do a fine job.
    -I can wow kids with Newton’s First Law tricks.
    -My putter was AWOL yesterday.
    -When does persistent reminding become NAGGING?
    -HBD Hard G, I think your protégé has left the nest.
    -Okay, I remember it growing up and so I’ll link to it

    ReplyDelete
  37. Gary, you reminded me about what I meant to say about Newton's Law of Motion. I think it's amazing that he could look around him and see that nothing continued in motion but was still able to formulate three laws that explained everything. What an incredibly bright guy he was!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hola Everyone, Thanks Marti for a fun puzzle today. A C.C. puzzle yesterday and Marti's puzzle today. It doesn't get much better.

    I enjoyed the clues for Italy/Where to find Bologna, and also Dented/Gave a bad impression to? Both of them gave me a smile when they filled in.

    Today's theme was fun, and I think I've used all of those words at one time or another in trying to get the strays out of our backyard. One stray always found the sunny spots in our yard and I knew I could find her/him there almost every morning.

    Off to an appointment.

    I'll have to read the blog later.

    Have a great day, everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Bill, my two fav Newton tricks

    -Put a penny on my elbow with my right arm crooked and fist near my ear. When I quickly straightened out my arm and snapped it toward the floor, the penny’s inertia of rest held it in place (or closely enough) that I caught it every time. Then I proceeded to do that with many pennies.

    -I held a piece of popcorn on back of my hand 18” under my mouth as I looked down at the floor. I moved my hand up quickly and stopped it suddenly with the other hand and the Inertia of Motion of the kernel moved in straight up into my mouth (with practice). It happens so fast, the kids were AWED and AGAPE.

    There is a line from Apollo 13 where after using what fuel they had left to adjust the trajectory for their return to earth, Tom Hanks’s character says, “Well, Sir Isaac Newton is now in the driver’s seat.”

    ReplyDelete
  40. Well golly!! If I had know it was Don G.'s birthday, I would have thrown a cake in there too, along with all the other foodstuffs!! Hope its the best one ever, Don!!
    .:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._

    Bill G. @ 2:11, the "Gave a bad impression" clue was mine for DENTED. I usually submit a couple clues for each answer (one easier and one harder, so Rich can pick the one he wants). The other clue for this one was "Like many V8 cans?" But I guess that's just an inside joke here at the corner, and not one that many would guess. "Butter on the farm" was mine too. I did have "Philosophical musing" for THOUGHT, but Rich changed that one to simply "Musing"

    H.G. @ 2:21, thanks for the ALLEY CAT link - it brought back lots of fun memories!!

    I was surprised to read that many of you didn't know about SCOOTER PIEs. I guess the WHOOPIE PIE has overshadowed its fame...

    ReplyDelete
  41. Great puzzle today. Thanks Marti. Between the ALLEY CAT theme, RISOTTO, PAELLA, a fried chicken THIGH and a SCOOTER PIE, what's not to love?!

    We have a few strays that come around our yard. I have to give my boy cat Prozac, because when they do, he gets anxious and territorial. Then he pees on the the dog's bed. The Prozac and Feliway Comfort Zone have helped and the dog is happier too.

    Argyle - That "Catittude" video was great! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Our latest animal problem is a family of skunks. The babies (three) are just as cute as can be, tumbling around and playing with each other in the back yard. But if I ever mistake them for the stray cats, I will be saying, "Scat...scram...scoot...shoo........PEEE-YEEEW!!"

    ReplyDelete
  43. HG:
    If you enjoy a foot rub and leg massage, I believe you'll enjoy the pedicure. At least that's what they do here and the toenail trim followed by clear polish is just gravy. Of course you can opt for color on your toes!! For myself, I prefer red in any shade.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wtf never heard of the pie or the rug. Loved Paella, if you can, try it. But the scooter pie sounds awesome. When in Germany I visited Austria lots of times, great place. I'm a cat man so loved the theme. Waiting outside at the Restraunt restroom, it's IN USE.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Happy Birthday Don G!!

    Husker - My husband had his first pedicure on Saturday, complete with a hot stone massage and warm paraffin. He was not thrilled about going, but he ended up loving it and his feet look ever so much better.

    ReplyDelete
  46. HG, I just had a mani/pedi this afternoon. While I was there, the UPS man came in to make a delivery...and to schedule a pedicure for next week! So I say, go for it. And if they have those massage lounge chairs while you're being pampered, so much the better!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi all,

    I did the puzzle on the way home from FDL. Now I have 30 minutes to get ready to go to my Potluck.

    It was an interesting puzzle Marti. I admire you,C.C.and all the other constructors. You all have a lot of talent.

    Have a great evening all!
    Marge

    ReplyDelete
  48. HG - There's a guy with tattoos and a Harley who's a regular at my nail salon. Also, my daughter's friend, a Marine who did two deployments in Iraq, goes for pedis on a regular basis.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Good evening Argyle, CC, and Marti. Very fun puzzle. Thank you one and all. Excellent job!

    HG: Could SCOOTER PIE be a New England thing? On the East Coast, it’s Moon pie..from my transplanted experience. Being a Sooner born and bred, it’s not a Southwest thing either.

    Which reminds me, for 43D Longhorn rival, I wanted Sooner so badly but it wouldn’t fit. AGGIE was good tho’. Cute, Marti.

    Bill G: previous question: yes we’ve had serious storms but I was in OK. My kids called to tell me it was the worst storm they’ve ever been in and that’s saying something in VA lately: power out, trees down, my family is safe, several deaths in the state tho’. Wish we could send the water to those who need it.

    My AUNT Fra was buried today at 101y.o. She had quite a life. I-VANt to be like her when I grow up, a REAL INSPiration. She was one of the SOBER SHOOTING STARS in the family. Sweetest PERson. She’d SCOOT-‘ER PIE over to share w/me when nobody was looking ‘cause I didn’t finish my dinner. If she were a cat, she’d’ve not been a Persian cat from IRAN with a full gorgeous cOAT but probably an elegant Siamese cat with her sleek look and slender long legs (and painted TOENAILS). Even tho’ I may be more of a SASSY RAGAmuffin ALLEY CAT whose PEERS are the STUDS and SOTS, she loved me and I loved her. The last of her generation, I hope she is peacefully AT REST now. Here’s to AUNT Fra!

    And here’s you all, in her honor. Enjoy your night.

    ReplyDelete
  50. DNF

    All the shooing & scatting scared me off.

    HBD Don G.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Actually, I did fill in all the squares, but for 58A i had "not i", & it sounded so good i did not want to change it. That made 51D incomprehensible, so at the crossing of 51D & 61A i crammed every possible vowel (except y) & said "one of the dang things must be right!"

    All that sussing wore me out, so i never went back to fix 20A padua. (i think i heard of it from Star Wars movies) Besides, if they can have movie titles like "A Fish Called Wanda," why not "Rent a Cod."

    Lemonade714, Re: 7/9 12:53pm
    You could not read the Suss diagram? On my PC it was full page, with a magnifying glass + option! (i am confused, were you reading the blog on an Ipod???) The one eyed kitty pic did not say why he had one eye closed, i just assumed the eye & the tongue sticking out were from sussing what was in the garbage can...

    Does Don G. have a profile avatar? I think i may have him confused with John Lampkin's butterfly on the nose pic?

    ReplyDelete
  52. CED @ 9:35

    Other than Sheldon, there are few people who make me laugh out loud but you are one of them. Rent a cod, indeed! I am still laughing. (I just went back to your post and re-read it and I am now laughing hysterically!). Thanks for a happy ending to a perfect summer day.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Greetings!

    Super puzzle, Marti! (No problems.) Swell expo, Argyle!

    GOAT was my favorite, too!

    Hope that you had a happy natal day, Don G. (Do you read this blog?)

    SCOOTER PIES were definitely a western thing, too. My kids wolfed them down. (This answer filled in immediately!)

    Sure wish we had some rain here. My ersatz gardener sent some of his sons over to water. I nearly split a seam when I saw them watering the euphorbias. (They are dormant in the summer. The euphorbias, not the kids.)

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I just finished Sunday's OREO puzzle. That David Steinberg is truly a genius. What a clever construction. He beat me on FWIW which I have no idea what that means. That boy has a vocabulary, too!! I believe he has a future in puzzles.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Lois, I'm so sorry about your Aunt Fra. She sounds special and you were lucky to have her.

    ReplyDelete
  56. BillG: 34. For general answer is ab - 1 if a and b are relatively prime. Maybe answer is ab/GCD{a,b}-1 otherwise, but I am way too tired! Please let me know!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Lucina, FWIW is textese meaning, "for what it's worth".

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.