google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday August 11, 2013 Robert W. Harris

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Aug 11, 2013

Sunday August 11, 2013 Robert W. Harris

Theme: "Mock Time" - "Ar" sound is changed into "Ah" (Short O) sound.

22A. Drill presses, lathes and the like? : SHOP OBJECTS. Sharp objects.

24A. Ways a fish avoids capture? : COD TRICKS. Card tricks.

41A. Cop's dog-days domain? : HOT BEAT. Heartbeat.

43A. Queue at a rest room, to a tot? : POTTY LINE. Party line.

67A. Time for promoting awareness about electrical hazards? : SHOCK WEEK. Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

93A. Promo for a prominent baby doctor's book? : SPOCK PLUG. Spark plug. Dr. Spock.

95A. Deity's online forum comment? : GOD POST. Guard post.

115A. Aid in moving an army bed? : COT WHEELS. Cartwheel. Two of the base phrases are one-word entries. Consistent.

117A. Late-afternoon marina observations? : DOCK SHADOWS. Dark shadows.

When did you grok the theme? I did not understand what's going on until SHOCK WEEK appeared.

This type of theme is often tricky for me to grasp, probably for other non-native English speakers as well.

Across:

1. GPS determination : LAT (Latitude)

4. Hint : SHADE

9. BlackBerry downloads : APPS

13. '70s tennis star Nastase : ILIE. Look at his personal life.  Reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain.

17. Altar agreement : I DO

18. One working on a bench? : PIANIST. Piano bench.

20. Mmes., in Monterrey : SRAs

21. Cloister group : NUNS

26. Small, in Saint-Lô : PETIT

27. 12-Down, e.g. : JET. 12. Retired flier : SST.

28. Hostile calls : HOOTS

30. Serving a purpose : UTILE

31. Summary : RECAP

33. Verbally assault : LAY INTO

35. Nasty : SNIDE

36. Rubs out : ERASES

38. External hard drive capacity prefix : TERA. We don't have a external hard drive.

39. Part of a fancy setting : CHINA

47. "__ Was a Rollin' Stone": Temptations hit : PAPA

51. Basketball tactic : PRESS

52. Some religious sects : CULTS

53. Hard-to-approach type, perhaps : SNOB

54. One going on and on : PRATTLER

56. Waterproof cover : TARP. So is mascara.

58. Pea house : POD. Ha ha, "Pea house". Our sugar peas are not doing well this year. The beefsteak tomatoes are still green. Too cold a spring. The weeds are doing great!

60. __-pitch : SLO

61. Most inane : SILLIEST. Not insane. Super funny. Thanks, Dave.

62. Clothing line : SEAM

64. Many an ex-lib : NEO-CON. Ex-liberal.

66. Short read? : MAG

71. Passé TV hookup : VCR

72. Fixed beforehand : PRE-SET

75. Funny Johnson : ARTE

76. Rebel's crime : SEDITION

80. Collecting Soc. Sec. : RET (Retired)

81. Tear : RIP

83. Other considerations : ANDs. Often this kind of little fill stumps me.

85. Ready for the sea : SAILABLE. Spell checker does not like this word.

86. Feed bag feed : OATS

88. Makes : EARNS

90. __ cuisine : HAUTE

92. Property title : DEED

97. Absinthe flavoring : ANISE

98. Topog. map stat : ELEV

99. Just down the road from : NEAR TO

103. Bold poker bet : ALL IN

105. Electromagnetic physicist Michael : FARADAY. I forgot. Lemonade linked this last this guy appeared. 

108. Enjoy, as a hammock : LIE ON. I'm not a camper. When I look at this picture, I think of mosquito spray, not how enjoyable Dave's hammock is.


109. Fields of study : AREAS

110. Lazy __ : SUSAN

111. Actress Peeples : NIA

113. Check endorser : PAYEE

120. Sri Lanka setting : ASIA

121. Courtroom fiction name : ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner.

122. Add value to, as a deal : SWEETEN

123. Unwanted phone connection : TAP

124. Mao's successor : DENG. Here he is again. I didn't like him. He caused confusion in our ideology of China. 



125. Lock openers : KEYS. So straightforward.

126. Op-ed piece : ESSAY

127. "The Fountainhead" writer Rand : AYN

Down:

1. Speech imperfection : LISP

2. Stick : ADHERE

3. Horn blower : TOOTER

4. Bro or sis : SIB

5. Muslim's pilgrimage : HAJJ. HADJ is a variant.

6. Slippery as __ : AN EEL

7. Urgings, as of one's conscience : DICTATES. Never thought it can be a noun.

8. New England hrs. : EST

9. Fop's tie : ASCOT

10. Diplomatic formality : PROTOCOL

11. Inflates, as a résumé : PADS

13. Signs off on, in a way : INITIALS

14. Clear : LUCID

15. Woven linen tape : INKLE. Stranger to me. Which part is the INKLE?



16. Latin 101 word : ESSE

18. Fertilizer ingredient : POTASH

19. Warm-weather top : T-SHIRT

23. Typesetting measure : PICA

25. Like undercooked eggs : RUNNY. How do you like your eggs cooked?

29. __ shoestring: with little to spend : ON A

32. Streisand classic : PEOPLE

34. Baker's supply : YEAST

35. Doesn't divulge, as bad news : SITS ON

37. Emphasize : STRESS

40. URL initials : HTTP

42. Big __: WWI cannon : BERTHA. Callaway brand as well.

43. Cocoon occupants : PUPAE

44. Dedicate, as a book at a signing : INSCRIBE. David Sedaris inscribes funny stuff. The title of his Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls is actually from an inscription.

45. Court plea, briefly : NOLO. Nolo contendere.

46. Jet-black, in verse : EBON

47. Correspondent's "Oh, and another thing ..." : PPs

48. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI

49. South Carolina state tree : PALMETTO. Been a long time since we drove to Myrtle Beach & played tons of golf.

50. Map collection : ATLAS

52. Work for a captain : CREW. Ship.

55. Detroit athlete : TIGER. For Jazzbumpa & LaLaLinda's husband.

57. Set as a price : ASKED

59. Crafty sort : DEVIL

63. Bungle : MESS UP

65. Slices in a pizza, often : OCTAD. Don't miss this Pizza Crust recipe. My first pizza is a  thick-crusted shrimp & pineapple at Pizza Hut Guangzhou. That's my ideal pizza as well.

68. Typically reddish-brown ape : ORANG

69. Smokers' buys: Abbr. : CTNS (Cartons)

70. "Annie Hall" actress : KEATON (Diane).

72. Paid players : PROs. Tiger. Tigers.

73. Get as a return : REAP

74. It might match cuff links : TIE PIN

77. Big rig fuel : DIESEL

78. Bullfight cry : OLE

79. Actor Beatty : NED. Wish I had never seen Deliverance.

82. Mates : PALS

84. Did a smith's work : SHOED

87. Reprobate : SCALAWAG. Great entry.

89. With regret : RUEFULLY

91. Progress : ADVANCES

94. Kosher deli buy : KNISH. Never had KNISH before. The sweet corn here is $3 for a dozen at the Farm Stand yesterday, Irish Miss.



95. Thyroid and pituitary : GLANDS

96. Clavell novel set in Hong Kong : TAI-PAN. Literally "Big Boss". Cantonese. Tai = Big. Pan = Boss. Both Cantonese and English are spoken in Hong Kong.

98. Historic chapter : ERA

100. Enjoy a story, say : READ. Have you read My Lunches with Orson yet? Sounds very juicy.

101. Prius automaker : TOYOTA

102. Like some airline tickets : ONE WAY

103. Got up : AROSE

104. Allow to enter : LET IN

106. Beasts of burden : ASSES

107. "Heavens!" : YIKES

109. Many a prep sch. : ACAD

110. Sun-cracked : SERE. A regular in our old Tribune days.

112. Film terrier : ASTA. The Thin Man.

114. "Baseball Tonight" channel : ESPN

116. Frightened reaction : EEK

118. Have yet to pay : OWE

119. "Ahem" cousin : HEY


Marti sent me this picture yesterday. She said: "This is one of my favorite flower arrangements, I make at least one every year, when the milkweed pods are ripe. Doesn't it look like a bunch of parakeets sitting around a garden?"

It fooled Boomer, me too if I had not read Marti's note.


C.C.

61 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Swell puzzle, Robert Harris! Great expo, CC!

The fastest Sunday that I have seen in awhile! No cheats, just rolled right through it. Sorta got the theme early on, but didn't bother to stop and analyze it.

The only thing that was an unknown was INKLE. Everything else fell easily from a few perps, if not immediately.

Harvey's blood pressure has gone sky high and he has retreated to a bed at one of his children's homes. For a week or two. I shall cancel my doctors' appointments for the near future. Am going to live on lentils and zucchini for dinner.

Everyone have a good Sunday!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

I have to assume Robert W. Harris is a New Englander. The sound change in this puzzle is the Boston accent that Marti wrote about just yesterday. I don't know why, but that accent quits somewhere around Worcester. West of there, where I live, we speak pretty much unaccented American English - not a touch of "Bahston" anywhere.

Morning C.C. - while doing the puzzle I wondered whether the you were familiar with the Boston sound. If you've spoken to Marti, that would give you some sense of it.

River Doc said...

Happy Sunday everybody!

What a difference a puzzle day makes! One pass across, one pass down, then one more pass from the bottom up to finish filling. Unfortunately, I didn't get the theme until the puzzle was over and done, then it suddenly hit the MAHK....

Kinda cool to see PROTOCOL and SCALAWAG in the same puzzle. How many three syllable words have three vowels, all the same...?

Favorite answers = ALL IN and CREW. Friends of mine are going to check out the America's Cup challenger semi finals today on San Francisco Bay....

LBLOW wannabe - PRATTLER....

Yellowrocks said...

Like, Ferm, I found this to be the fastest Sunday in a while. I got the theme early on with COD TRICKS. INKLE was the only unknown, all perps. I see now that it refers to the finished tape or the thread used to make it.

DICTATES of conscience is a common phrase, meaning the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action.

I enjoyed Clavell's TAIPAN, Shogun, and Noble House. I must read King Rat.

KNISHes are very popular here. but I never ate one.

CREW can be a verb, as it is used here.

I liked eggs, cooked every way possible. I make devilish stuffed eggs.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Loved the "Boston Accent" puzzle today. Once I figured out the theme (which was early on), I was able to blow through the theme answers will very little perps help.

A little bit of week fill in spots (ANDS, SAILABLE, HAJJ), but nothing horrible. Just a fun, fun Sunday puzzle!

[sparlya]

Barry G. said...

Oh -- and as for INKLE, that would have been a stumbling block, except that I saw it in another puzzle recently where it was a stumbling block and it somehow managed to stick in my brain...

Yellowrocks said...

The dictionary includes SAILABLE, so its okay by me.
An ad for the Trinka says, “rowable and sailable yacht dinghy that keeps you and your gear dry when the others are getting drenched!” My spell check accepts sailable, but not unsailable and rowable.

HAJJ is transliteration, so it has variant spellings in English. Hajj, hadj, haj, hajji. I have seen all of them in print. Just now my spell check accepted all of them, but hadj.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I got the theme at SHOP OBJECTS (once I changed HADJ to HAJJ, YR). My PPS began life as BTW, but PAPA said no. Her HALTER turned into a TSHIRT (LFBAW). Hand up for having no inkling about INKLE.

Doha Doc, trying to count all those words will drive you bananas.

I have an external hard drive to back up my music server, but it's only 500 GB, not a TeraByte. I remember when 20 MB was considered a big hard drive. Of course, programs were more compact in the pre-Windows-bloat DOS days. I wrote an air traffic control simulator game in C back in the early 80's. Size: 21K. Still runs, and it's still a challenge to win.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, C.C., and friends. I agree that this puzzle had a decidedly Boston dialect. Wicked great fun! I caught on to the theme early.

I thought of a Pea Hen when I read Pea House clue, so POD was an A-Ha! moment.

I wanted Swing for Enjoying a Hammock.

I would say Near By, instead of NEAR TO.

If you want to Enjoy a (good) Story , let me recommend you READ The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I couldn't put the book down!

I just got a new MacBook Air, so I selected this appropriate QOD: Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window. ~ Steve Wozniak (Aug. 11, 1950)

[deduthy]

HeartRx said...

Good morning C.C. et al.

C.C. I'm so glad you liked the "bouquet" I sent you yesterday! I wondered what you would think of this theme, because you have mentioned before how difficult accent puzzles are. I really liked it though, and "got" the theme with COD TRICKS, so that helped tremendously with the remaining fill.

Have a nice relaxing day, everyone. Do like Dave, and find a hammock somewhere!

Anonymous said...

"Ready for the sea : SAILABLE. Spell checker does not like this word."

... and neither does the person working this puzzle.


"Mao's successor : DENG. I didn't like him."

This is a strange comment. Have there been other Chinese leaders that you HAVE liked? Was he a "bad" communist? Or just a meanie?

Please clarify.

River Doc said...

D-O, banana right off the bat, very nice! I guess I was thinking of longer words. Longer than 6 letters anyway. Which would exclude Bikini, Alaska, and Bimini, which are all proper names (or named after proper names...)

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Robert W. Harris, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the fine review.

As others, I zipped through this puzzle pretty easily. Caught the theme with SPOCK PLUG. Then I went back and looked at the answers I had already written and they made more sense. My last answer was GOD POST. I had SAIPAN at first. TAIPAN fixed that.

We just had DENG the other day.

I like my eggs sunny side up. Do not eat eggs very often, however. The cholesterol scare keeps me away. When my father died 23 years ago at age 66, I altered my diet.

For 68D, I always think there should be an abbreviation in the clue when ORANG is the word. I believe ORANG is an abbreviation for ORANGUTAN. I will look it up later, just for grins.

Fermatprime: Give my best to Harvey. I also have high blood pressure. Must be our fraternity.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(klaudy)


TTP said...

CC, I think this type of theme suits certain people better than others, but I do get your point that it may be tougher for non-native English speakers. My neighbor would love it. It's my least favorite kind, although I enjoyed a number of the non theme clues and answers.

Lock openers = KEYS was so straightforward that it threw me. LUCID. I love that word. It's so clear. It doesn't require any further explanation. So why say more ?

POTASH. WGN morning news anchor is Larry POTASH. The entire crew cracks me up every weekday morning. Their producers let them have fun.
Robin's Meltdown
Larry's Thank You
Working Together as a Team Cross Eyed

Dave could be their funny video researcher.

PIANIST. The word brings out the schoolboy humor in me. Read down to Bart's chalkboard lesson There are six pages of his chalkboard "sentences."

TTP said...

continued...


PIANIST humor ? Victor Borge was my favorite.

Basketball tactic. PRESS. Press Maravich. Pistol Pete's dad. College basketball coach at Clemson, then NC State, then LSU. From Aliquippa PA, one time steel town on the Ohio River in SW PA. Aliquppa claims NFLers Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Ty Law, Darrelle Revis and more. Henry Mancini was raised there. He composed Moon River. Loved Breakfast at Tiffany's because of the lovely Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. That role name always reminds me of fictional Gilbert Gosseyn (Go Sane). Hand up for reading insane. Speaking of breakfast... Who says I have difficulty staying on track ? Oh wait, back to the puzzle.

TIGERS. How about those Tigers ? They've been hot and are starting to pull away from the Indians and Royals. Twins and White Sox can mail it in. The hottest team has been the Braves in the NL East. Pirates bandwagon grows.

Better run for now. The boy wants to go for a walk.

Have a lovely day. I love that word. Love can make you happy, if you find someone who cares to give a lifetime to you... Mercy. 1969.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Easy one today; no searches needed.

RUNNY - I like my eggs fried in a small dollop of butter sunny side up with a cover on. Remove when just the slightest hint of runniness remains. Restaurants won't prepare them this way so I ask for "over well". btw - While serving in the Navy, my ship offered Eggs Benedict on Sundays.

OCTAD - Pizza. I like it with pepperoni, cheese, and mushrooms on a thin crust. Not too fond of the deep dish.

Marti: Beautiful milkweed presentation. As a youngster on our farm, after the 1st cutting hay was in, I would be tasked to cut milkweeds and thistles in the cow pastures with a sickle. Guess they took up valuable space where grass could grow.

Have a great day.

Abejo said...

Saw that hidden ball trick, Dodgers and Rays. That runner on third should have been alert. Too bad for him.

Abejo

(ingdonev)

HeartRx said...

amalgam
effervesce
illicit
cottonwood
untruthful

...or a word with all five, in order:
FACETIOUS

Hahtoolah said...

I like my eggs with the yolks cook all the way through. In fact, if I have a fried egg, I will break open the yolk to ensure that the yellow part gets solidly cooked.

desper-otto said...

Well done, Marti! And I liked your milkweed centerpiece. In my ute milkweed leaves were the toilet paper of choice out in the woods. They're strong and not scratchy. TMI?

TTP, loved the WGN links. They were much more staid back in olden times when I lived in the northern burbs. That was about the time that Sears Tower was raising hob with all of the TV stations. The stations finally had to abandon Hancock and relocate their transmitters to Sears.

Husker Gary said...

Laughing at the theme (COD TRICKS gave it to me) reveal and fun cluing made for an enjoyable day at the puzzle.

Musings
-A POTTY LINE is a foregone conclusion for women
-SST times look like chump change when you see this outer space possibility
-All right Mr. Bear, let’s RECAP - you discovered stolen porridge, broken furniture and a strange girl in your bed. Is that about it?
-Anybody you LAY or RIP INTO today can have an attitude and a .357
-I had HTML at first which gave me LO_ with the clue Pea House. I thought, “Hmmm… did they misspell the clue?”;-)
-21 of us enjoyed HAUTE cuisine last night but my meal came 10 minutes after everyone else’s. I told the waitress I was very disappointed and bingo, my $25 dinner was free after effusive apologies from the manager
-PICA and ELITE were the only font choices in my ute
-The oversized BIG BERTHA driver put Callaway on the golf map
-The only G in ORANGATAN is the fifth letter
-57 year-old DIANE KEATON bared it all for Jack Nicholson in Something’s Gotta Give. You go girl!

River Doc said...

3 comments:

Scrambled, with cheese, wheat toast on the side....

D-O, the Montgomery Wards catalog was a welcome sight in the mailbox back in my folks' day....

Marti et al, okay, maybe 3 was too easy. And there are two 4s at 9:31. Anyone for 5...?

desper-otto said...

Beekeeper?

Husker Gary said...

-Lovely arrangement Marti but as others have mentioned, milkweed is an agricultural undesirable but it and velvetweed were a detasseler’s best friend when nature called in a cornfield.
-I’ll take my eggs over easy and love Crafty, er, DEVILED eggs
-Victor Borge is a fav of mine too TTP.
-Your basketball team is short but fast? PRESS!
-SPOCK PLUG could have been part of a Vulcan hair transplant
-Is a KNISH a NOSH?
-Cigarettes in NY are $119/CTN. YIKES!
-I want the Royals to catch and pass the TIGERS but I’m glad to see something positive happen in the Motor City
-DOHA, longest word with one vowel is STRENGTHLESSNESS

Spitzboov said...

Doha and Marti:

Arkansas
element
finishing
Molotov
Uluru

HeartRx said...

Thanks for the nice comments about that ubiquitous milkweed. I figured even the lowliest plant deserves its day in a centerpiece.

From last night, OUI DA would be the first words of the US Constitution (D'oh!) And thanks Avg Joe for refreshing my memory about who got cremated and who got shot! Anyway, I like both of them.

Lucina said...

Hello, Super Solvers!

Great expo, C.C.

And a very nice puzzle from Robert W. Harris. I caught the theme with SHOP OBJECTS. A friend in high school was from Boston and she had a faint accent but her mother's was quite strong.

WEES. This really was a quick sashay and all was LUCID except for INKLE. While waiting for the computer to warm up I looked in Webster's and learned it is the trim. So, C.C., INKLE is the entire strip being woven in your illustration.

My daughter and her family love SHOCK (SHARK) WEEK.

Make my eggs over easy, please, with just a hint of butter.

R.I.P. Eydie Gorme
She was a great entertainer/singer.

Did everyone see the movie, The PIANIST? Dark but uplifting in a certain way.

Interesting to see ASIA over DENG whose name I recalled from last time.

I hope you all have a super Sunday!

Dr. Spark said...

The doctors are now saying eggs are good for you again(in moderation, of course).

The yolks are especially good for the eyes in aiding to prevent macular degeneration. Also a good source for non-red meat protein.

Btw, yolks should always be runny and soaked up with a piece of toast, imho.

Lucina said...

Forgot to mention, ASU mascot is the Sun DEVILs. Arizona State University

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

A fun, breezy Sunday offering. I got the theme very early on and immediately thought of Marti's Bahston accent. Great job, Mr. Harris, and super expo, CC. The only unknown was inkle.

I envy you, CC, as my farm stand charges $7.00 for a dozen of sweet corn, and $3.00 a pound for tomatoes. I'll be broke by the end of the season!

Have a relaxing day.

Irish Miss said...

Forgot to compliment Marti on that beautiful " bouquet." What a striking picture!

Yellowrocks said...

I enjoyed all the examples of words that contain only one vowel, repeated over an over.
Clever. Strengthlessness is in the dictionary so I accept it. Spell check does not. Often spell check flags legitimate words. Results vary on different computers.
Also, some dictionaries contain more words than others.

Reading the blog this morning made me hungry so I had eggs over easy with "dippy" yolks.
Did you ever try adding finely chopped lox or smoked salmon to deviled eggs? Yummy! My DIL and sibs love when I make them.

PK said...

HEY there! Great punny puzzle, Mr. Harris! Great expo, C.C. Thank you for educating us on DENG recently.

I got the theme on the first one then verified it on the second. I remember arriving in Massachusetts from Texas 52 years ago and being told to "Pahk the Cah" a certain way at the motel with two feet of snow in piles. I had no idea what the desk clerk was saying, so I did it wrong and she came running out to show me what she meant.

The theme clues were not starred which meant understanding the theme didn't help much with filling them in for me.

I've met some very interesting people and had some great visits in the POTTY LINE at events where there were inadequate facilities. Once I had enough time to inform a state senator about some things that caused her to change her vote on a water issue.

Pea house in juxtaposition to the above? Teehee!

I bought a nice example of INKLE at the big market in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Had no INKLing what it was called, however.

PK said...

The kids and I gathered dried milkweed pods one Xmas season and made tree decorations gluing tiny
little things in them. A couple were little manger scenes. When I left the farm those pods went to the kids' homes where they hang on their trees every year. Some we sprayed gold, but most we left unpainted. I couldn't believe they lasted 35 yrs.

HeartRx said...

Bill G., I just finished reading "A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life." Absolutely heartwarming story by James Bowen. I highly recommend it to all cat lovers out there, or even to anyone who has a heart...

River Doc said...

Thx everybody for the same multiple vowel words! I just remembered one from a favorite saying of mine - you can never make anything FOOLPROOF because fools are so ingenious....

windhover said...

Re: Milkweed
These days we try to leave milkweed in the pastures because they're an important source of food for the endangered and beautiful Monarch butterfly. And, the older I get the less important having pristine and weed free pastures seems to be.

Anonymous T said...

G'Day All:

Other than lots of grid-space, I'm so glad Sunday's are easier than Friday or Sat. INKLE still looks wrong to me, but you guys said it was OK.

D-O I too miss the days of short, sweet, and memory friendly code...

TPP - Those WGN clips are very funny. That the FCC let it slide shows what cable did to, er for, broadcast...

As for eggs: any way you crack 'em. This morning it was scrabled with onions, garlic, salt, peper, and hatch chilies tossed into a burrito wrap with cheese. Mmmm...

Cheers,

-T

PPS Marti - nice centerpeice!

Yellowrocks said...

I think a milkweed pod is most beautiful just as it starts to burst with silky threads hanging down. I looked in vain for a picture, neither closed tightly nor full blown. This would look so lovely in a flower arrangement. I suppose it is too ephemeral an image to last. I wonder whether a certain kind of spray would preserve this moment.

POLLY'S TREE by Sylvia Plath
The silver-
Haired seed of the milkweed
Comes to rest there, frail
As the halo
Rayed round a candle flame,
A will-o’-the-wisp
Nimbus, or puff
Of cloud-stuff. . .

During WW II kapok to fill life jackets and flight suits became unavailable. In 1944 school children were encouraged to collect closed milkweed pods so the floss could be used to replace kapok. At age 7 I participated in this effort. I also won the prize in our town for collecting the most tin cans to be recycled for the war effort. Everyone was so into the war effort that there was a strong sense of patriotism and history making, even for young children like me.
Link War effort

Ol' Man Keith said...

This is the second time I've done the Sunday puzzle via the online Mensa site. It was easier for me than last week's-- really VERY easy, although I enjoyed the trick of switching the "ar" to the broad "a" sound.

Maybe this will be my last Sunday xword. Call me old fashioned, but I just--
Well, call me old-fashioned.

I think I've grown used to skipping one puzzle a week. It's akin to skipping my PT exercises once or twice in a row. The short rest feels right; it does me good, and I return stronger the next day.

How many others like to take their One Day Off?

Lucina said...

AnonymousT:
What time is breakfast? I like your recipe and think I'll try it tomorrow.

Marti:
I failed to compliment that arrangement. It's unique.

Aah. Poetry. Thank you, YR.

Ol' Man Keith said...

CC,
Sorry you don't take to the hammock life. I have to say your photo reminded me of the many years I enjoyed as an outdoorsman. It started with Boy Scout camping, but then my whole family caught the bug, and we would spend our summers camping in Northern CA-- around Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags, and later on my own in England. The payoff for me was the several vacations I spent hiking and pitching my half tent through France and Germany, from the '60s through the early '80s.

I haven't thought of those years in a very long time. That photo brought it all rushing back. There is no better way to know the land than to walk through it and live right on it. How energizing it was to wake with the sun and not feel tired. To hear light rain running off my tent. And to not even mind the beasts or the bugs because they have their own limits.

Montana said...

I did well on the puzzle. DNF but only by 3 clues.

Potty Line: The school I taught in burned down. (Town is pop. 2000)Designers put 14 stalls in the ladies room by the gym while the men got 5. We have quite a few tournaments here--females love it--rarely a line.

Montana

Montana said...

Designers of the NEW school that is. There were only 2 stalls each in the old gym.

Montana

Anonymous T said...

Lucina - I'm not sure where you are in the US (I thought somewhere in the mid-west), so hatch may be hard to come by. Here in Houston, H-E-B has them for $0.67/lb. Never the less, any chili in eggs in a burrito is YUM-O!

TTP - I'm still wasting my day watching related WGN links
This cracks me up. Note to easily offended: don't click....

Cheers. -T

Anonymous said...

I hesitated putting in advances for a long time because the clue didn't indicate a plural. Anyone else bothered by this?

Anonymous said...

I finished a Sunday puzzle! I had to look up a few answers, but it's the best I've done since I started solving the LA puzzles. Thanks, Mr. Harris. Thanks, CC, for the educational write-up. Thank you, commenters,



for the knowledge and humor.

Favorite clue:55D- Detroit athlete= TIGER! Go team! Ouch, they lost today.

I like my eggs without a RUNNY white, but the yolk can be soft.

That's a nice floral arrangement, Marti.

Have a great day!

Pat

Anonymous said...

We made a lot of progress. We made ADVANCES.

Avg Joe said...

Not terribly easy, but I just kind of rolled right through it without any major stumbling blocks.....and with a late night of too much partying behind me, it might have been easier than typical and I just couldn't tell.

I like my eggs "over easy" . That's hard to get in a cafe, though, so I usually ordered basted. Set whites, runny yolks.

Tonight were having them our favorite way. The Anaheims are getting nice sized, so it's chiles relleno for dinner, along with the first sweet corn from the second planting.

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed the puzzle, the theme and writeup. Thanks.

Interesting, all the comments about eggs. I've never met an egg I didn't like; fried, scrambled, poached, hard or soft boiled, deviled (yum!), Eggs Benedict, scrambled with lox, etc. We went out for breakfast for Barbara and Bonnie's birthday this morning (a week apart). I had eggs over medium with hotcakes on the side (because they offered real maple syrup for $1 extra). Now it's time to head out for my afternoon espresso.

TTP said...

Desper-otto, I transferred here from Houston in 1987, so Sears, nae, Willis Tower, was already built, and I missed that.

There I was, a young man from a smaller town moving to the big city. Little did I know of the wiles of of the big city girl. She reeled me in, hook, line and sinker before I knew that Chicago didn't have an east side.

Anonymous -T, I know, right ? WGN Weekday Morning News is so fun. Did you see the one with Frank Caliendo ? How about Erik Estrada or the one with Holly Madison (Hef's girlfriend) ?

Pat Tomasulo (or however you spell it) really cracks me up when he starts mocking everyone. i quit watching the serious news channels. It's like the old Saturday Night Live every morning !

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Fun puzzle today. Enjoyed solving it. Didn't need to look anything up.

Eggs? I like mine scrambled in butter, fried over easy in butter, poached in Eggs Benedict, and deviled. Did I mention butter?

Had a great "garden party" at a fellow dog aficionado's home yesterday. Everybody got a kick out of how I was introduced as the Alpha Dog to everyone by my wife. We kid around a lot; I'm not really and alpha dog, even though she is affectionately known as the beta dog.

Got a really nasty email from my boss last week and I'm just now getting over the feelings of anger, outrage, sadness, and desire for revenge. I realize it is stupid to get into a pissing match with him. All he did by shredding me to ribbons in response to my answer to his request for ideas as to why we are having certain problems in the execution of our plans was expose himself as the self-blindfolding, unwilling to ask the penetrating questions, "everything is all right" kind of bullheaded ass that he is. I am grieving because I used to love my work and he has destroyed that. I am taking steps to wind down my employment with them and to enter into full retirement.

Best wishes to you all.

Lucina said...

Anonymous T:
Arizona is right next door to New Mexico and we buy our Hatch chile in September right off the trucks. That is my brother usually buys 50 lbs. and distributes them to the family in baggies so my freezer is loaded.

I find that freezing intensifies the heat. And yes, I shall thaw some for tomorrow's breakfast. I'm so glad you mentioned your recipe as it put me in the mood for it, not that I need much encouragement for chile in any form.

Jayce:
I'm so sorry about your situation and hope you can exit with little conflict.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Hey, Jayce,

I was saddened to read your 6:46 posting. I feel your rage about your boss. Without knowing particulars, I know the emotions stirred by a misconceived and insulting action from one who can taint an otherwise rich workplace.

You're doing the right thing to share this with us. Get it off your chest. You might even try giving lip service to the ass who insulted you, for as long as it boils inside you'll stay stuck.

The psychology of rage is a bit bizarre. I'm not a believer, but I happened to be reading Matthew today for reference reasons, and I saw where Jesus advises one not to make a sacrifice (pray) unless he "first be reconciled to thy brother." He goes on, "Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him...." I do not see where he says you must have your heart in it.

Anyway, something to think about. Good luck!

Qli said...

I finished this great puzzle! took me all day, but I kept coming back to it. Got the theme with SPOCK PLUG (Spock was my favorite Star Trek character), and that helped get the rest of the theme answers. Had fun doing it.

I hear you, Jayce. I am in a similar boat, dreading going back to work after a wonderful vacation, all because of a couple of nasties. YIKES.

Interesting take on that biblical advice, RIch! Sounds kind of like the advice we got for dealing with dementia in our parents: agree with them even if they aren't right, and then move on.

Great "parrot" pic! Thanks for sharing, C.C. and Marti. I am having trouble reading your Ginger Roots blog, C.C.. Wonder whether it is due to my old Macbook, which we have been looking at replacing with a Macbook Air! Do you love yours yet, Hahtoolah?

windhover said...

Excellent advice, Keith Fowler, but the Bible (and I use it the same way you do) has even better advice at Proverbs 26:4, often paraphrased (and sometimes attributed to Woody Allen) as the "Fool's Law": "Never argue with a fool. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

And Jayce:
Give retirement a chance; you'll find that the rewards of "work" were highly overrated. And to continue with the Biblical theme, "work" was a consequence of "sin", and the so-called "work ethic" was and is a curse, not a virtue. That said, you're more than justified in saying "screw the b-----d" and moving on with your life.

Cue the anon shadow/critic. I'm game. :-)

Bill G. said...

Jayce, I'm sorry to hear about your work situation. That can't be any fun. When I switched from engineering to teaching, I enjoyed the students, the teachers, the principals and even the parents (most of the time). It was a pleasure getting up in the morning to go to work. However, now that I'm retired, I wouldn't want to go back to it. I hope you will enjoy your full retirement.

PK said...

Jayce, If you retire, I'm sure the place you work will suffer from the loss of you more than you will rue the loss of work. Retirement is a big adjustment, but better than putting up with malicious, spiteful people. The sad thing is that nasty people usually have stored up a lot of venom because of things that have nothing to do with the person they spew onto. They take things out on people who are too mature and polite to take any physical retribution.

Fermat, I hope Harvey gets well quickly and can return to your side.

We never believed the bad hype about eggs and continued to eat them any way they showed up on the table. The cage-produced eggs aren't nearly as tasty as my mother-in-law's free-range eggs of 30 years ago, but they'll do. I cook two eggs with bacon sprinkles on them every other days. Cook them just firm, eat one and refrigerate the second to have cold the next day.

Irish Miss said...

Jayce:

Sorry to hear of the turmoil you've been dealing with. Best wishes for a speedy and satisfactory resolution and a pox on your boss!

Anonymous T said...

Lucine - sorry I miss-placed your local... I now envy your hatch cache....

I should probably make a spreadsheet of everyone so I can keep track.

Jayce - I feel your pain... 15 years ago I had my boss tell me "You're the smartest dumb-F*** I've ever met." Yeah, that's in quotes and I'd screwed up, but it was a growing moment. I'm still with the firm. Sounds like your upper-managment doesn't look at the mirror's reflection. Count the days until your day is your business.. (and if they need a consultant to spell it out, I'm open :-)...

TTP - Yes, I watched that too. I love Frank C. esp. Maden ("Now there's a guy, a guy, that urm, Theres a guy... There's a guy who doesn't know when to quit posting on the crossword blog.")

Whoever offered up the Woz quote - thanks!

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Lucina - my apologies for messing up your name/handle. Did I mention I have dyslexia and can't spell? Sorry. -T

CAPTCHA - do-read-se is apropos (thanks iPad for fixing appropo!)