Theme: The First Family - Their names can be found at the end of the theme entries.
21A. *1950 Irving Berlin musical : "CALL ME MADAM". It starred Ethel Merman so that should give you an idea about what type of musical it was. Here is the Wikipedia LINK and it is worth a read if you have the time.
48A. *Pretend : MAKE BELIEVE
3D. *Barack Obama's 2008 opponent : JOHN McCAIN
31D. *Tag promoting organized labor : UNION LABEL
42D. Bible book where you can find the ends of the answers to starred clues : GENESIS
Argyle here. No pun intended. A solid Monday puzzle from Jerome but I still wonder if there isn't more to it that I might have missed, like anagrams or puns; some sort of word play I've come to expect from Mr. Gunderson. The names are all part of a larger word that makes them just a little bit harder to suss. Kudos.
Across:
1. Collegian's focus subject : MAJOR
6. Quite a way off : AFAR. Perfunctory 'A' word.
10. "... __ you any wool?" : HAVE. Baa!
14. With no shoulder to cry on : ALONE
15. Dust speck : MOTE
16. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Have they made a movie of it?
17. Pacific salmon : COHOs
18. "Kablooie!" : [BOOM!]
19. TV lover's recording device : TIVO. It is already becoming passé.
20. Hankering : YEN
24. Bea Arthur role : MAUDE
26. Month between avril and juin : MAI. In France.
27. Swayed to and fro, as a cradle : ROCKED
29. Chewy Nestlé candy bar : BABY RUTH
34. Spanish folk hero : EL CID
35. The "thou" in "Wherefore art thou ...?" : ROMEO
36. Modern: Pref. : NEO
37. Custardy dessert : FLAN
38. More despicable : VILER. Is there a reason this follows FLAN?
39. Fraidy-cat : WIMP
40. Square root of IX : III. √9 = 3
41. Anti-wrinkle treatment : BOTOX
42. Feel one's way : GROPE
43. Cheap cigar cost, once : TEN CENTS. Inflation. "What this country really needs is a good five-cent cigar"
45. Tilted : LEANED
46. Stimpy's pal : REN
47. The V in PVC : VINYL. Polyvinyl chloride, what those white plumbing pipes are made of.
53. Nile slitherer : ASP
56. Teenager's bumps along the road of life? : ACNE
57. Taunting remark : GIBE. Is there a reason this follows ACNE?
58. Pricey fur : SABLE. (of the weasel family)
60. Farmer's yield : CROP
61. Icon clicker : USER
62. Perfect in every way : IDEAL
63. Alluring : SEXY
64. Skin ink, for short : TATS
65. Work a crossword puzzle : SOLVE. How have you done so far?
Down:
1. Department store founder R.H. __ : MACY. Love his parade.
2. The Body Shop balm : ALOE. NOT an automotive body shop. Wikipedia LINK
4. Middle name adopted by John Lennon : ONO
5. Saved from harm : RESCUED
6. Stroll along : AMBLE
7. April 1st dupe : FOOL
8. Basic unit of matter : ATOM
9. Keep in mind : REMEMBER
10. A lot of hooey : HOT AIR
11. Raring to go : AVID
12. Brawny rival : VIVA. I'm a Scott paper towel fan, myself.
13. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM. The Edomites are described as descendants of Esau. The name Edom means "red" in Hebrew, and was given to Esau because he was born, "red all over".
22. Recipe verb : ADD
23. Club sandwich condiment : MAYO. What do you use if you don't like mayo?
25. Related (to) : AKIN One 'A' word fro the Across and one for the Down.
27. Update, as factory equipment : REFIT
28. Stan's slapstick sidekick : OLLIE. And Ethel.
29. Square dancers' neckties : BOLOs. If not a shout out to Yellowrocks, it's at least a nod.
30. Early premium credit card, familiarly : AMEX. (American Express)
32. Arizona city : TEMPE. Also known as Hayden's Ferry during the territorial times. per Wiki.
33. Kept the faith : HOPED
35. "Hud" director Martin : RITT. Starred Paul Newman. IMDb LINK
38. Novelist Kurt : VONNEGUT
39. Fay of "King Kong" : WRAY
41. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. (British Broadcasting Corporation)
44. Willies-inducing : CREEPY
45. Actress Ullmann : LIV
47. Changes course : VEERS
48. Apple computers : MACS
49. Back forty unit : ACRE. on the farm.
50. Fort with bullion : KNOX
51. "Mona __" : LISA
52. "As if!" : "I BET!"
54. Czech, e.g. : SLAV
55. Soccer legend : PELÉ
59. Hullabaloo : ADO
Argyle
68 comments:
How fun to begin t h e week with Jerome.I enjoyed the layout as well as the tight theme.
The clue for ACNE was really cute and fitting VONNEGUT into a Monday was nice.
Thanks A and JG
Morning, all!
Not my fastest Monday solve by any means (I always have trouble remembering RITT and it took me a few extra seconds to remember the spelling of VONNEGUT), but still pretty smooth.
I had no idea what was going on with the starred theme answers until I finished the puzzle and had the chance to look at them more carefully with the theme reveal in mind. Then I got a very nice AHA! moment.
[rydmap]
I work the LA Times crossword daily. My score today was 1890. Is that a good score?
Hi all,
An up and down solve for me today. The North went fast & smooth without one slowdown.
The Central was a bit of a grind. Eventually came down to one letter... the crossing T for RITT & BOTOX, neither of which were exactly in my wheelhouse. Needed perps for FLAN & wasn't sure about the spelling of VONNEGUT either. Not a favorite author either.
The South was solved easily, again without any delays.
61A Icon Clicker/USER was a favorite because this computer nit wit got it right.
Enjoy Monday. soon it will be TGIF!
Well, I guess this puzzle is a suitable reply to the DF that asked Jerome recently if he still considered himself a constructor. And I'll let the rest of you decide for yourselves what DF means in this context.
Nice to have an easy one for a change! Thanks Jerome and Argyle! (The Shepherd Sisters' song really grated on my MacBook Pro!)
I received a hydrangea plant from my son and a blue calla lily from a friend! (I recall having killed some of these in the past. Not my bailiwick. Any suggestions?)
Cheers!
Good morning!
This was a quick SOLVE, except for dead center where I was stuck on O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Nice job, Jerome and Argyle.
Scott towels? Really? I wonder why you'd say that...
I'm behind the times yet once again (still?). I thought Baby Ruth was made by Curtiss Candy.
TEMPE was a gimme. I've got a brother and niece living there.
Score on a crossword? In my book, you either finish it, or you don't. It's an all or nothing proposition.
Windy, good one!
Those Shepherd Sisters sounded much better in my memory than they did in that link.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jerome Gunderson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine write-up.
Worked this last night before I hit the hay. Got through it easily. Maybe I should do that more often, have a couple beers and work the puzzle. Hmmmmm.
Caught GENESIS easily for the theme unifier. I had a few letters so it was easy. The them came to me after I was finished and started looking for it. Clever.
BABY RUTH. I think that candy bar was named for the daughter of a U S President. Cannot remember which president. Maybe Grover Cleveland?
SOLVE was great for 65A.
I do not use MAYO on sandwiches. A little butter on the bread or toast is it. A BLT is one of my favorites. No MAYO.
Off to my day. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(maceket)
A speedy Monday. Good morning everybody, I hope you had a nice Mothers Day. The cats got me a nice card.
Now off to today's QWP.
I liked Icon Clicker: USER and the teenager's ACNE.
I couldn't figure out what McCain, Madam, Label and Believe had to do the Bible, until it hit me. "Bible book where you can find the ENDS of the answers to the starred clues." Aha!
Have a nice week!
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
I'm a big "Scott" fan, too!! (^0^)
Thanks for getting my week off to a flying start, Jerome! It was smooth sailing all the way on this one. I thought sure that EDOM would also be part of the theme, but looking at the symmetrical MACS, I guess not...
I loved the clue for HOT AIR, "A lot of hooey" and BOOM, "Kablooie!" I was looking for "zooey" and "kerflooie" to round out the set, LOL.
Have a great day everyone!
Hi All ~~
Thanks, Jerome, for a very enjoyable Monday puzzle ~ a bit more challenging than a usual Monday and that made it fun.
I tried to avoid the unifier and figure out the theme on my own, but it wasn't happening. I was looking for whole words and trying to find a commonality. When GENESIS appeared it all made sense ~ clever! Nice write-up, Argyle ~ enjoyed your comments.
~ Loved "Kablooie!" and 'Hooey'.
~ Great clue for ALONE - With no shoulder to cry on. RITT was all perps.
~ When filling in 31D - UNION LABEL, I immediately heard a tune in my head from a TV commercial many moons ago - "Look for the union label ..." sung by a large group of people - a union, I guess!
~ Favorite: 56A - Teenager's bumps along the road of life - ACNE
~ desper-otto ~ I agree about BABY RUTH - Curtiss sounds much more familiar than Nestle - a learning moment!
~ Windhover ~ love your DF.
~ Fermatprime ~ calla lilies are my favorite flowers. I had no idea there were blue callas ~ have to check that out!
Fun to discover that theme was not the entire final syllable.
Musings
-Lame come-on – “Hi, what’s your MAJOR?”
-When I used to catch our grass clippings, I usually got “Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full”
-Remember pre-TIVO/DVR VCR’s you had to set the date, time on, time off and channel #?
-We all remember this fabulous theme with a BABY RUTH
-How tight is that BOTOX face? He can pull up his socks by raising his eyebrows.
-How many weasels have lured/rewarded a girl with SABLE? CREEPY.
-CROPS are going to be very late due to cold, wet ground this year. No corn on the cob on the 4th.
-TATS are a sign of rebellion like long hair was for our generation. The only difference is, we could get a haircut.
-We use paper towels that allow you to only take a half a sheet
-Those back 40 ACRES could cost upwards of a half million dollars today
-FORE! I might VEER today (Change Course)
Nice Monday level, Jerome.
I even knew all the names today!
Good to see WH here again too.
have a great start to another week all of you!
Good morning everyone.
Good to see one of Jerome's creations again. No muss, no fuss. Not a romp but pausing for some downs on the way through obviated the need for any erasures. Got the themes before realizing the ends described in the unifier meant the first 4 people.
Have a great day.
I wish a belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and grandmas out there. We had a wonderful day. One of my sisters and my older son, DIL, and grandson came. We had Alan's 50th birthday party. He chose the decorations and all the food for lunch and dinner, apple pie and lasagna with homemade sauce, among other things. It was lovely to sit out on the patio for the first time this year.
This was a walk in the park Monday puzzle. It was fun to guess the theme. Seeing Cain, Adam, Edom and Ruth I surmised it was Biblical. Eve and Abel told me Ruth and Edom were not in the theme.
There were so many V's, especially in the NE.
I agree, Argyle, about FLAN and VILER. Although I like many custards, I do not care for FLAN.
Thanks for the linking of Esau, Edom, and red. I knew ESAU was red when he was born, but I didn’t know he had any connection to Edom.
AMEX was the only answer I got from all perps. Now I vaguely recall it.
Ferm, the way I look at plants as gifts is that if they part of a bouquet they wouldn’t last more than a week or ten days tops, So if the plant was not extremely expensive and lasts that long I am happy. If it lasts for months or years I am even happier.
Happy Monday Monday everyone!
Personally, I avoid mayonnaise like the plague. Mustard is the ultimate condiment, imho. I mean, there’s a reason for the phrase “Hold the Mayo!” I even use mustard with french fries, instead of catsup / ketchup. The only qualifier is that it has to be good mustard, not that fluorescent yellow nonsense….
I still shudder to hear the BBC referred to as the Beeb. Must be because it sounds too close to that Justin fellow’s nickname for himself….
The Tempe Inn Suites is where we gather for our annual Spring Training trip….
And finally, speaking about baseball, how ‘bout that Matt CAIN…?
OK cat owners, here's a question for you. My 14 year old cat was diagnosed with hyper-thyroid this weekend. I know humans get hypo and hyper-thyroid, but I didn't know animals could get it too! Have any of you cat owners experienced this? I'm wondering what to expect.
Thank you, Jerome Gunderson, for a nice and enjoyable puzzle. Thank you Argyle for a delightful commentary.
I had to bring out our reference bible to check out whether Eve was in fact, the first 'Madam'. (Business may have been sparse ... )
I had 'Borax' before 'Botox' - I know borax is a whitener, but I wasn't sure it acted as a 'no-iron', starch, as well. Finally figured out 'bolas' were in fact, 'bolos'. Thought of Yellow Rocks at square dancers.
Have lots to do today, have a nice day, you all.
Mari, my last two cats, who lived to 18 and 17 years respectively, were both were diagnosed with hyper-thyroidism (sp?) late in life. My vet's solution was adding meds to their food.... According to vetmed.wsu.edu, the average age for feline hyper-thyroidism is 13....
Thank you Jerome and Argyle. A good puzzle is a great way to start the week. Well, that and having a day off!
I have a DVR instead of TIVO, and wouldn't want to watch TV without it. That way I watch what I want when I want, and FF thru the commercials.
We also use those half sheet paper towels. Whatever's on sale. So we can afford the DVR.
The Body Shop has fantanstic Mango Body Butter.
Sorry to hear about your cat, Mari. I wonder whether there will be medication in your cat's future. I had to give my cat pills when he got thyroid issues. He didn't like getting them, but still liked me when I finally got the tablet down his little gullet. He was a saint!
My 96 year old MIL did not enjoy her long-awaited Mother's Day lunch at Perkins. Too loud, too sunny, too much food, veggies not cooked (nicely crisp)...but the trip later on to Dairy Queen for a sundae was much better. for her and for us. A nice long call from our son made my day!
Yup, our cat was 14 when he got sick. Wouldn't eat food that had pills in it, crushed or not.
Hi Y'all! Thanks for the clever puzzle, Jerome! Thanks to Argyle, too, for 'splainin'. Good fun!
I didn't get the theme because I didn't look long enough. I forgot to look at the stars and just looked at the longest acrosses. Duh!
Was there a reason JOHN MC CAIN was long-answer opposite to HOT AIR? Oops, not politics!
Ferm: My calla lily won't bloom, so I'm no help. I think iron in the soil will make hydrangeas bloom blue. Does it do that for callas?
Called today and found out why my yardman didn't come to mow or plant grass this weekend. He's in bed with pneumonia! He's more important than the lawn in my books.
Didn't get very far with the puzzle yesterday. I went out with my local son, DIL & 2 grandsons for brunch. Very enjoyable.
After they left, I sat down with the puzzle and did about a third--very slowly. Then I moved my mouse wrong and the whole thing disappeared. I was trying to recompose it when my daughter and granddaughter showed up with a lovely basket of flowers. They stayed to visit. After I got back to the puzzle, I'd forgotten all the answers I'd had trouble with the first time. My brain was too full of family stuff to concentrate. I just read C.C.'s great commentary & the comments on the blog.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of my marriage to the love of my life. Although he lived through only 33 of those years, I felt the date needed to be commemorated with the four children we had. I sent them an email telling humorous things about the wedding day and honeymoon which they all seemed to appreciated.
He died before the grandchildren were born, so they like to hear stories about him. They especially like the one about him picking Texas wildflowers in the ditches along a highway for his bride wearing nothing but swim trunks and engineer boots. He looked like Ferdinand the Bull among the flowers. People drove by and loooked. It was so funny. So we were upbeat and only a tinge sad about the day.
Mari ~~
My 16 year old kitty (with lymphoma diagnosis a year ago) was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about two months ago. She was started on a medication called Tapazole and the "numbers" are now where they should be. Let me know if you need tips on giving meds ~ I've had to learn all kinds of tricks! =^..^=
Doha Doc, QLI and LaLaLinda: Thanks! The vet just called and is prescribing pills. The funny thing is he said he could give us meds or we could fill a prescription at a pharmacy for the "human version" and just cut them up. I thought that was really funny.
I'll give it a go and if I need any pointers I'll let you know LaLa :)
Botox, wrinkle remover, no iron starch? HA HA. No Botox for me. I earned these wrinkles and I intend to keep them. The idea of injecting onabotulinumtoxinA into my face turns me off, though the side effects are said to be rare.
Thanks for the square dance shout out. At dressy dances men wear western shirts with bolos or scarves held by a slide. Women wear poufy full skirts or longer flirty skirts or prairie skirts. In these dress down days when people wear shorts or jeans to church and only dress up for the most high class restaurants, we see more and more casual street attire at weekly dances everywhere. Perhaps about 1/3 or fewer wear the traditional attire regularly. Your choice, we’re just glad you show up.
Good Morning:
Thanks, Jerome, for an easy-breezy start to the week. Clever theme and cute cluing = fun puzzle. Great expo, Argyle, as usual.
Mari, good luck with your kitty.
Nestle isn't the original maker of Baby Ruth, but they have purchased several other candy makers over the years.
Have a great Monday.
Hello, Argyle, Jerome, and all.
I like "Scott," too!
This is like old home week with even Windhover making an appearance.
This puzzle gave me a nice AMBLE across the grid and it filled quickly with things I love: MACY's, FLAN, TEMPE, Mona LISA and EL CID.
I had no idea about RITT but it appeared anyway. It was fun to see VONNEGUT though I don't read his works.
Loved kablooie, hooey and hullabaloo.
Now I'm off for an emissions test on Axolotl as my registration elapsed in March and I didn't receive a notice!
Have an IDEAL Monday, everyone!
Mari, the trick to pilling a cat is not to screw around. The longer you take, the less likely you are to be successful. I grip the cat's head from behind, putting the thumb and middle finger at the corners of the mouth. Then pry the mouth open with my other hand, hold it open with the thumb and finger in the corners, pop in the pill, and rub under the chin to be sure the pill gets swallowed. Total time spent: about 3 seconds.
YR, jeans are not "dressing down." I've got work jeans for paint-up/fix-up projects, everyday jeans, and, of course, dress jeans for fancy occasions. Denim jeans and 100% cotton shirts are the best clothes ever invented.
Wees! Except I had a little trouble with all the names, (not the Biblical ones), I don't know why I thought The "Thou" was Juliet...
Fermatprime@6:38 I have a brown thumb, so I won't give you any advice.
Mari, My cat is sick too, I will let you know what I find out.
I saw this, this morning, & it made me smile. I want to pass it on because every morning should start with a smile.
Oh, more on cats, read until you get to the video, then watch the video...
I missed 2 days of Blogging, so sorry if I overdo it. The nice thing about links is you do not have to click on them if you do not want to. case in point, 5 minutes aboard the Space Station...
Cat & terrifying banana peel.
weirdest sound ever!
61Rampy@(lastpost/last nite)
Manac explained your query about me perfectly some time ago on the Blog, when he posted a pic of (supposedly me) in front of my computer. I can't find it now (Argyle? can you?) But perhaps some old pics of me might help explain...
My 1st trip to camp.
& I had a tough time before they invented laptops.
Or it could be my O.C.D.
But the real reason is...
Seriously... I actually learned how to hotlink only a year & a half ago, right here on the Blog! This is a great place to learn. (Tx CC!)
I also learned how to type (middle line of keyboard only so far...) & how to use an abacus, (addition only,,,sigh)
but I keep coming back for more!
I love a speed-run on a Monday morning--makes me feel smart (unlike a Saturday Silkie). However, I would never have sussed the theme without Argyle's help. I kept thinking where the heck in Genesis does it mention MADAM, BELIEVE (well, okay, maybe that one) and UNION. I didn't see that MCCAIN was one of the starred clues or I might have started thinking about CAIN in Genesis. So this is one time that the Bible knowledge I pride myself on didn't do the trick.
But a great way to start the week--many thanks, Jerome and Argyle.
We still have house painters here and dogs woofing at them all day, but otherwise look forward to a good week.
I wish you all one too!
D/Otto, I am, not criticizing the dress down movement, but it is real, a great contrast from the late 60’s and early 70’s to today’s ethos. I am not advocating a return to then. .Do you remember when male teachers wore suits and ties and female teachers were not allowed to wear pants? Pants for women were also not acceptable in even middle of the road restaurants. Later women could wear only pants suits, not separates, like slacks and a top. In those days men wore suits and ties to church and women wore hats and gloves. Today’s more casual standards are more comfortable and perfectly acceptable, but some people take advantage and think scruffy is acceptable. Square dancing came decades late to this dress down party.
I didn't refer to dress jeans as dressing down. I was thinking of sliding below everyday jeans to ripped, faded, old, and distressed.
In the mall we see many teen and 20something couples that are quite a contrast. The women have obviously spent a great deal of time on their appearance. They wear high heels, jewelry, make up, and fashionable clothing, even when going casual. They look fabulous, whether in good jeans or something else. Their partners often look absolutely scruffy, much scruffier than older casually dressed men. Of course, this is a generalization, but I think it is more true than false.
Good morning everyone! Thanks for a fun puzzle, Jerome. Didn’t figure out the theme until the reveal, which added a nice bit of “oomph” to a Monday-level solve. Thanks for the swell write-up, Argyle, and today’s learning moment with the info on the origins of Edom.
Pretty smooth sailing from start to finish, the only misstep being SERB instead of SLAV at 54D, quickly corrected by perps. Lots of picturesque clues to enjoy – Kablooie, Willies, Hullabaloo and Hooey. Nice twist on the usual Roman numeral math at 40A. I’m as likely to get a BOTOX treatment as I am a salon tan – which is not at all likely. Neither is worth the risk, and neither looks attractive IMHO.
D-Otto @ 7:00 – your hunch about Curtiss Candy and Baby Ruth was correct. According to the Wiki, Curtiss was the original maker of Baby Ruth; the brand was eventually sold to Nestle.
Hope all the moms and grandmas on the blog had a lovely Mothers’ Day. We are visiting Daughter, SIL and Baby Lucy in Texas, so my Mothers’ Day was IDEAL. Have a great Monday, all!
Hello everybody. A nice substantive Monday puzzle today, a pleasure to solve. Thank you, Jerome. Good to see you're still at it. Got the theme with MCCAIN and MADAM, and counted on symmetry to pre-fill EVE and ABEL.
I think Nestle is an evil company, especially in regard to the way they actively block local attempts to improve their water supplies in their attempt to force as many people as possible to buy their bottled water. Having read the ingredients on their food and beverage labels, we won't consume anything they make. They are the epitome of greedy and unethical corporate bullies.
I tried reading Vonnegut works but did not like them or relate to them.
Please excuse me for seeming to be so negative today. The topic of the Nestle company always sets me off. Best wishes to you all.
This was fun and easy. Thanks, Jerome. I didn't get the theme so thanks, Argyle, for the explanation.
No nits, no issues. Knew VONNEGUT right away. College literature courses taught me something.
A year ago DH and I adopted a 2 year old stray dog. We have tried to give her a good, loving, safe life with us. I think we've succeeded. Thursday afternoon she brought me a chipmunk that she had just caught and killed. On Friday she brought me another. (Of course, DH was out of town and I had to dispose of the bodies.) I have now spread critter deterrent in the gardens so the chipmunks will find another place to hang out. So far it's worked.
Happy belated Mother's Day to all the wonderful ladies who visit here.
Pat
Hi gang -
It's good to see Jeromes' byline, and a nice Monday puzzle with a slightly opaque theme. I would have been lost without the unifier.
Now, to read comments.
Cool regards!
JzB
Yellow Rocks @ 12:07 pm: I read a lot of history and love some of the old fashions. Indeed! Everybody seems so dressed up in those old photos.
I read a newspaper story from 1925 where two men had just committed a crime, and in their haste to escape they lost their hats. As soon as they could, they ducked into a shop to purchase new hats, because they knew without hats they would stand out in a crowd and draw attention to themselves.
Many will disagree with me, but I don't like seeing business women without nylons. Downtown Chicago I often see business women wearing elegant suits with no nylons, and with flip flops on their feet! It drives me batty.
CED @ 11:31 am: You've piqued my curiousity! I cannot access You Tube from work, so as soon as I get home this evening I'm logging on via my home computer to find out what the "weirdest sound ever" is.
Thanks Jerome and Argyle. I never noticed just the ends of the theme words in spite of the reveal.
I'll never look at DF the same again. :>)
Jayce, I didn't know that information about Nestle but now I'm on your side and I don't like them either.
Mari, I'm guessing those business women in flip flops are wearing them for walking comfort and have their 'heels' in their purse. I'm no one to talk about casual dress. Since I've retired, I haven't worn long pants once in the last three years or so. I think women look fine with or without stockings; their choice. It's interesting to see old photos of baseball games or something similar. All the people are dressed up with the men wearing jackets and ties and fedoras. My father always wore a fedora until about the 1970s. Different era.
Hola Everyone, I loved today's offering by Jerome and also the writeup by Argyle. Listened to the Shepherd Sisters singing while I read through the items today. Thanks.
A smooth puzzle except for the G in Gibe. I had put in J(and knew better!) Once Vonnegut went in that was quickly changed. Guessed at the i in Ritt. I couldn't remember his name.
I did get the theme after reading the unifier. Took me a minute to realize the entire word wouldn't be used.
My favorite clue today was Teenager's bumps along the road of life?/Acne.
I make flan quite frequently for a company dinner dessert. It is so easy and very delicious.
My Mother's Day was lovely and relaxed. My DH took me to brunch in the morning and my girls came with a lovely dessert tea in the afternoon. They even brought the teapots, cups and saucers and serving dishes!
Off to get a much needed haircut.
Have a great day everyone.
YR: A Sports Illustrated NBA basketball history book I have shows men in the 40's-50's in suits and ties at the professional game. Looks like a super-sized men's choir. No women visible at the game. Today about the only people in suits and ties at a game are coaches & team hierarchy plus some injured players who come dressed up.
My SIL sent me pictures of her son who works with Bhutanese refugees in the USA. The pictures were of a church group having a party with the Bhutanese. The Bhutanese women looked lovely in some type of modified sari and the American young women looked better fed and less lovely in shorts and tank tops in the church basement.
Thank you to whomever introduced to us the book "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger. I liked the book and started reading his Corcoran O'Conner mystery series. These take place in Minnesota near the Boundary Waters where my son-in-law went on a canoe trip last summer. Very engrossing with surprising twists to the plots. Kindle/Amazon also would probably thank you for all my business. I'm on the last of of 12 books in the series. Then I'll have to wait until August for the next one. C.C., do you know of this Minnesota author?
pje 1:21--Glad to hear your pup is so happy at your home, but I sympathize with you wishing he'd lay off hunting. However, be careful with the deterrent products. We had a problem with squirrels and rodents digging up plants and bulbs in our garden a few years ago and scattered pest deterrents on the ground. One of the ingredients turned out to be coyote urine, which made our garden a magnet for coyotes. Two days later one of our doxies was attacked by one. When the vet shaved her neck,there were teeth marks all around it. We were lucky she wasn't more seriously injured but she had to wear a collar and vest to hold bandages and drains in place for a couple weeks, take antibiotics, etc. Hopefully you won't have a problem but I just wanted to share our experience.
I mentioned that all the names (except Biblical) gave me pause today, Ovid,Viva,Edom,Cohos,Romeo,Ritt,Vonnegut,Slav, those were hard. But that was only half of them! The easy ones were Pele,Macy,JohnMccain,Ono,Maude,ElCid,babyRuth,Mai(hmm, this should have been in the hard side), Ollie,Ren,Liv,Wray,Tempe,Knox,Lisa,Amex,,, I can't remember a Monday puzzle with so many names!
But The hardest name for me was 62A, "perfect in every way," how do you fit Mary Poppins into 5 spaces???
Jayce, @12:50, I tried looking into Nestle, & besides some ambiguous baby formula complaints, & many Blog rants, I could not find anything about them blocking water supplies? Pls advise...
On the subject of Casual vs. Formal dressing - I notice in Spokane, WA, that immigrants, especially Russians and East Europeans - like Hungarians and Germans, Polish tend to dress more formally, while at work or even shopping at the supermarket. Not only the women, who are ALWAYS formally dressed, but even the men always wear pants with creases, ties and coats - even during warm weather.
REagrds.
Re. stockings again; as a teenager and into early college years, girls' legs covered with shimmery stockings seemed very appealing and exciting. Once panty hose became the norm, all that excitement mostly ebbed away.
I find that casual is mostly OK with me these days though sloppy isn't.
Watching Downton Abbey, I'm interested to see that they always find it necessary to dress for dinner. And not just dress, but a very specific formal attire for the men; any old suit won't do. The chauffeur, Tom, got in trouble several times for being under-dressed in a tweed suit.
CED, I misspoke when I said "blocking" water supplies. What Nestle has been doing for years is convincing local governments into allowing Nestle to buy the land where springs, groundwater, and other drinking water sources are located, then once they own the property they suck the water out, bottle it, and sell the bottled water to the same people (and millions of others) who would otherwise have had that same water supplied to them by their local governments at 1/1000 the cost. The plastic bottles also cause huge environmental problems in their disposal. Nestle calls it "privatizing" a "food." Fewer and fewer of these resources are owned and controlled by public utilities.
Kurt Vonnegut is an acquired taste, but once you get used to it, it goes down smooth.
"Slaughterhouse Five" is one of my favorites
Complaints against Nestle:
Link Nestle
Hmm, Thanks Jayce.
10 minutes of Red Skelton, (actually 9 minutes of Clem Kadiddlehopper in tribute to the puzzle a couple of days ago.)
Now I must go read Anon@4:02 re:Nestle, (Hmm,, this may take a while...)
For Mari,
How to
GIVE A CAT A PILL
For Fermat, it's probably not your fault, about the dead plants. They're raised in hothouses under the best conditions. I would plant both on the north side. They both need partial shade, but some sun in order to bloom. But DON"T plant them today! Wait until it's cooler.
You're in SoCal and so am I. In the 100s today.
HYDANGEA
CALLA LILY
Geez, Forgot about the puzzle.
Fun puzzle. Did it at the mediation today re: medical malpractice suit on behalf of Mom.
I had two attorneys in the room with me, killing time until it was our turn.
Not ONE law clue!!!!
I could have had expert solvers.
Just got this in email.
Boo Nestle???
Try this
EVIAN COMMERCIAL
Misty @3:21 Thanks for the warning. I checked the container and there is no urine of any type in it. I'll keep it in mind when I have to get more.
Pat
Rampy, Re: yest.
Ask and ye shall receive....
CED's secret to his links
Thanks Manac, but that's an old pic,,,
I upgraded recently...
Nice easy one to start. Thanks for the brain vacation.
Hi all!
I haven't blogged for a couple weeks as so many things were going on. We went to a wedding in Kokomo, In. one weekend. I have to admit many of the recent puzzles were quite hard so I didn't finish a lot of them.
I did enjoy todays puzzle and finished it early. Our son is here visiting so we have been doing other things. We went to a local restaurant for Mothers day. I seldom get flowers but this year I got 3 different bouquets. they are beautiful. One of them can be planted outside.
I got all the long answers but I couldn't see the connection. I even got GENESIS but I still didn't see it. Too dense I guess.
I liked the clue for acne. I enjoyed 35A Romeo clue also.
Hope youi all have a good evening!
Marge
Don Ho and I went fishing for COHO with an Arapaho guide from Idaho.
We had this discussion before but a simple gadget called a 'piller' will make giving a cat a pill nothing more than 'easy peasy lemon squeezy.' It couldn't be simpler.
I went by the supermarket this morning. Their flower section had flowers left over from Mother's Day. I got a bunch of yellow roses and another Spring bouquet for $3 each.
It's about 80 here; probably 20 degrees hotter for Fermatprime and Pas. I will manage a pokey bike ride for a few minutes and then an iced mocha.
Bill G: You got that right....
98 degrees on the screened-in porch!
Ugh!
Heat and I are not compatible.
I love heat! Well, not Phoenix heat. 80 during the day, 45-50 at night is perfect. My wife melts and gets crabby if it's 80 for more than 1 day in a row.
Evening everyone,
Late again - where does the time go?
I thought I was in trouble when my rapidly aging eyes misread 5D as "Saved from ham"? I cleaned my glasses, drank some more coffee, & got through this one without a further hitch. Thank you Mr. Gunderson for an easy start to the week!
I too sung the 'Look for the Union Label' ditty in my head when I got to that one.
Fermat: re: hydrangea: I agree a north facing site would be ideal, just don't forget that they LOVE water!
Crispy
RIP Dr. Joyce Brothers
Thanks for all of the suggestions re plants! (Now, if everyone would just buy me succulents, there would be no problem whatsoever!)
Why did I ever link that song this morning. It won't leave me alone. ya ya ya ya....ya ya!
Manac & CED: LOL, I believe both pics may be accurate.
Heat is a relative thing. It just has started in the 100degree range this week, but the humidity is low. In a few months, the LOWS will be in the 90s, with hight humidity. Thats when its miserable here in Phx.
What is the story behind heartRx
My moniker is heartky. I'm a cardiologist from KY
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