Theme: "Master of None"
17A. *Victor at Little Bighorn : CHIEF CRAZY HORSE.
24A. *2006 "Survivor" setting : COOK ISLANDS.
"&"
36A. *Nursed, in a way : BOTTLE FED.
50A. *All-in-one appliance : WASHER DRYER.
And the unifier:
58. Handy person suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues : JACK OF ALL TRADES.
Nice wide open grid, and a fun theme. In spite of my inauspicious start, I flew through in just over my typical Monday speed. Did you all find it easier than most Thursdays? With 61 theme squares, you might expect to find some iffy fill. But Julian manages to more or less avoid that minefield.
Marti reporting in, to offer my experiences with the solve.
Across:
1. Fur tycoon : ASTOR. Uh-oh. When 1-A doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.
6. "Due Date" co-star Galifianakis : ZACH. Uh-oh, when the second across clue doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.
10. Rock blasters : AMPS. Uh-oh, when the third across answer doesn't fill, I punt and go directly to the downs. Ahhh...10-D "Cookie shop enticement" - AROMA (whew!) ...and, it's off to the races!
14. Conveyed : BORNE. As in "air-borne virus."
15. Bassoon cousin : OBOE.
16. Wreak havoc in the streets : RIOT.
20. Zilch : NADA.
21. Fantasy game brute : ORC. From "Lord of the Rings" video games.
22. Latin lesson word : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
"Latin is a language,
Dead as dead can be.
It killed off all the Romans,
And now it's killing me!"
23. New Year's ___: EVE. This is a Thursday clue? I would have gone with "Plumb in a famous bunch." (Eve Plumb, who played Jan in "The Brady Bunch.") (But then, I am devious that way!!)
28. Attacked : WENT AT.
30. November honoree : VET.eran. (Not the one in the gp. that houses strays.)
31. "I'm an idiot!" : D'OH.
32. Abs strengthener : SIT UP.
33. Leave port : SAIL.
35. Apportioning word : EACH.
39. Gp. that houses strays : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
42. Bowlers and trilbies : HATS.
.jpg!Blog.jpg) |
| "Man in a Bowler Hat" by Rene Magritte |
| Olly Murs in a trilby |
43. Millionaire's retreat : VILLA.
47. Strudel ___ mode : ALA.
48. Jon Hamm's "Mad Men" role __ Draper : DON.
49. Vocation : METIER. Not your common everyday word, and I love the sound of it. I'm going to make it my WOTD (word of the day.) "CrossEyedDave, what is your METIER? You seem to be an entertainer at heart..."
54. Dye holder : VAT. Almost wanted "wig."
55. Classy : CHIC.
56. Fish you can smoke : EEL. Do you ever smoke it, C.C.? (I should think more people would prefer to smoke Marlboros or Winstons, than eel...) (From C.C.: I never smoked eels. I did buy my Dad a carton of Marlboro after I got my first month's salary. He did not really like them better than his cheap Chinese cigarettes.)
57. Ricky portrayer : DESI. Arnez on "I Love Lucy." Has anyone seen the Broadway play?
62. Nebraska native : OTOE.
63. Like Iago, say : EVIL.
64. Rice/Lloyd Webber musical : EVITA.
65. Trees used to make longbows : YEWS.
66. Attends to one's whistle? : WETS. One WETS one's whistle, but whets one's appetite.
67. Unreactive gas : XENON.
Down:
1. Sawyer employer : ABC NEWS. "Huck Finn" wouldn't fit.
2. "Same here!" : SO HAVE I.
3. Poseidon's staff : TRIDENT.
4. __ Day vitamins : ONE A. We more often see this clued in relation to the military draft. The partial of a vitamin brand seemed awkward.
5. Authority on a field : REF.eree.
6. Masked hero who debuted in the 1919 story "The Curse of Capistrano" : ZORRO.
7. Stunned way to be taken : ABACK.
8. Member of the fam : COZ. Short for "cousin."
9. Casual greeting : HEY. "Hey, coz!"
10. Cookie shop enticement : AROMA.
11. Ferdinand's love in "The Tempest" : MIRANDA.
12. Ph.D.'s further studies : POST DOC. Like Julian Lim.
13. Jeanne d'Arc, for one: Abbr. : STE. French abbr. for female "saint."
18. Old geezer : COOT.
19. "Come no closer!" : HALT.
24. Consiglieri's boss : CAPO. Literally, "head" in Italian.
25. Penn et al. : IVIES. Univ. of Penn. is one of the Ivy league schools.
26. Contained opening? : SELF. Self-contained, as an RV.
27. "Too noisy!" : SHH.
29. Big band instrument : TUBA. I thought of Abejo. Is your true METIER to be a musician? For our newcomers, here is a video of him playing last Christmas. I think he is just below and slightly to the left of the pink tuba. His is not as shiny, and has a front-facing bell (...his tuba, that is!!!)
33. Defensive effort : STAND.
34. Ctrl-__-Delete : ALT. It's a PC thing.
35. Correct : EDIT.
37. Superhero with a hammer : THOR.
38. Even once : EVER.
39. Chain __ : SAW.
40. Give a sop to : PLACATE.
41. Moneymaker : CASH COW.
44. Not vacant : LIVED IN. The house we bought next door has not been LIVED IN for over three years.
45. Charge for using, as an apartment : LEASE TO. We hope to fix it up quickly and LEASE TO a suitable tenant...
46. Potter or jeweler, e.g. : ARTISAN.
48. Style of a historic Miami Beach district : DECO. Art DECO is the signature architectural style of South Beach.
49. Get gooey : MELT.
51. Outdoor outings : HIKES.
52. Bright again : RELIT.
53. Argues ineffectively : YELLS. (LIKE THIS, IN AN EMAIL!!)
57. Comic Chappelle : DAVE. No clue. It was filled by perps.
58. Almond __ : JOY.
59. Select group? : FEW. "Many are called, but FEW are chosen..."
60. Roman salutation : AVE. More Latin.
61. T. __ : REX. I'll leave you with this, since there weren't very many other musical opportunities...
Til next week, amigos!
Marti
55 comments:
Wade was a JACK OF ALL TRADES.
Whatever you wanted, Wade made.
He was good at all things
Until fortune took wings --
3-D printers left Wade in the shade!
The kitchen had a CHIEF COOK
Who did everything by the book
His lamb dish was delish,
And so too, was his fish.
He caught them by crook and by hook!
Pity the poor BOTTLE WASHER
Whose job is to be the soap slosher.
But a sparkling carafe
For the miniature craft
Makes the boat in a bottle much posher!
John was a JACK OF ALL TRADES.
Whatever was ordered, he made.
His work was all good
With both metal and wood --
And at night, he made all the maids!
CED
Fine form this morning, Owen.
Greetings!
What an easy, fun Thursday! Thanks Julian! Thanks Marti!
Things are more peaceful here today.
Have a great Thursday!
Morning, all!
Really enjoyed this one. Very fun theme and getting the theme reveal actually helped me go back and fill in some of the theme answers.
Hesitated a bit on COZ, MIRANDA, METIER and ABC NEWS, but that's to be expected on a Thursday and none of those held me up too long. I actually thought the clue for ABC NEWS was very clever, once I got it.
[Therelans]
Ave minus:
I thought this was a particularly easy Thursday, especially since I normally find Julian Lim to be difficult. This was all fun, except my COZ was a cuz.
Like how you worked EVE in Marti as well as your sprightly write up. Beautiful day, enjoy
Good Morning, Marti and friends. Yes, I did find this to be an easier than usual Thursday puzzle, but that didn't take away from the fun.
Lots of mis-directions. My favorite mis-direction was Posedian's Staff = TRIDENT. I was thinking of that disaster movie, Posedian. Sawyer Employer = ABC NEWS was another good mis-direction.
I am not familiar with the movie Due Date, but I recognized Zach Galifianakis from the Hang Over movies.
QOD: Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. ~ Arthur Miller (Oct. 17, 1915 ~ Feb. 10, 2005)
[nchesida]
Julian: Thank you! Thank you! What a wonderful and FUN Thursday puzzle!!!
When I "got" the theme CHIEF COOK & BOTTLE WASHER I actually laughed-out-loud.
Kinda reminded me of all the different jobs I had when I worked my way through college.
(And it was an expression I have used on many occasions!)
OK, so maybe it was on the easy-side for a Thursday.
But I'm more interested in enjoyment early in the day than being put through the mill.
I agree with your WOTD Marti. METIER for vocation is perfect.
Sort of reminds me that when I was the CFO of a "Big-4 Accounting Firm" in Zagreb I referred to myself as "the bookkeeper".
My fave today (of course) was 66-A, Attends to one's whistle, WETS. Maybe I'll do THAT later. lol!
Can't wait until "It's Five O'clock, Somewhere!"
Cheers!!!
Good morning,
I just finished the Wed. puzzle and won't see today's till late tonight, so I'm posting without reading any comments.
From yesterday, Happy Birthday Dave.
Owen: Those are my kind of limericks.
Re: In the Garden: Even a skeptic can have a favorite hymn. That's mine.
And finally, I tossed some Lira into the Trevi Fountain in November, 1996, and sure enough, I was back in November, '97. But evidently it only works once.....
Good morning!
And the speed runs just keep on comin'. ASTOR was a gimme, but ABC NEWS was not. I was thinking of Tom SAWYER or maybe the guy who works in a saw mill. And hand up for CUZ before COZ.
Marti, I thought your TUBA comment was priceless!
FEW reminds me of that Beyond the Fringe bit that I linked the other day. The guy who wanted to join the RAF during WWII...
"Sir, I've come to join the few."
"I'm sorry, there are far too many."
Good morning all.
I too found the puzzle a bit easier than a normal Thursday. Like Hahtoolah said, it did not take away from the fun. At 25:16, I did not get the TADA. I somehow typed an A where the O went so I had BaTTLE FED for "Nursed, in a way" 31A !!!
Thank you Julian Lim and thank you Marti ! Marti, good luck on the new house.
My metier is to be retired.
I spotted Abejo in that video.
Now, for an interview with a different sort...Zach Galifianakis
Perio appointment today and tomorrow morning. Must run.
See all y'all later n'at !
Good morning everybody! This puzzle was pretty straight forward. I was able to solve it with few hiccups.
I was thinking of Tom Sawyer at 1D, but I couldn't think of any job he may have had.
I liked:
- 10A: Rock Blasters: AMPS, and
- 41D: Moneymaker: CASHCOW
A great day to all of you!
TTP,
Hilarious!
I had to work at this in places, but the theme really helped open up the bottom for me.
Gotta run now, but will look in later.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Julian Lim, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the fine review.
Well, Marti, how did you manage to keep track of that video. Yes, I saw myself oompahing away on my TUBA. Thank you. I will probably do it again this year. I already own the music, the hat, and the scarf.
As others, the puzzle seemed a little easier than most Thursdays. Got through it easily.
METIER was unknown. All the Downs made it happen. It just reeks of French. I wonder ? ? ? ?
Had LEO for 30A, thinking of the zodiac. But VET appeared after IVIES.
YELLS reminded me of Congress. I bet they did some of that this past few weeks.
Liked HIKES. One of my favorite past times.
Great poem, OwenKL. I look forward to those each day now.
Well, my 125 gollabki got mostly eaten last night. A few leftovers.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(tooluc)
Good morning everyone.
Easy Thursday today, but did have a couple head scratcgers: METIER and SELF; but the perps were ample and Marti explained it well. Theme also readily revealed itself. Thanks Julian for a good start to the day.
Off to play some bridge.
Have a great day.
Nice puzzle, but you are pounding a round peg into a square hole with COZ-- cuz maybe
Abejo @ 8:29, I remember being so impressed when TTP and Argyle posted the "Tuba Christmas" links last year, that I went back and looked for it. Great stuff!
And your suspicions are confirmed. METIER is from the Old French "mestier" which originated with the Latin "ministerium," meaning work or ministry.
Once I played XENON in scrabble
With 64 points, the group rabbled
They all said "foul"
"It's a word how?"
I showed them the Periodic Table*...
(sigh... I'll leave these to Owen)
G'Morning all - it was a fun, fun puzzle. Thanks Julian. I almost didn't make it, but a WAG at 22a/11d wanted a vowel and I plopped an "A" in. Whoot!
WEES re: favs. Even 57a Ricky was a head scratcher for a bit until DOH! and a smile.
Marti - thanks for the writeup. You mentioned you didn't know DAVE Chappelle. Here's an MA link.
Gotta run... Cheers, -T
*True story
My link got lost... I'll try again Chappelle.
CHIEF, COOK,… HEY, I got this one! Marti’s assessment was spot on for me.
Musings
-Size of CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL compared to Rushmore
-As Hondo well knows, every “basket catch” is ALA (in the manner of) #24
-My METIER (and many others here)? Je suis un professeur.
-Which is worse, a bad DYE job or a bad wig? I saw both yesterday.
-DESI loved Lucy and many others
-HEY, GARY is a four-letter Nebraska native too ;-)
-These YEWS are in the front of our house and I don’t think would make very good bows
-For fans of musicals – Is SHHH, Marian’s theme song?
-Besides bison/buffalo and sousaphone/tuba, can you think of any other pair where the former is mistakenly called the latter?
-Haven’t we all seen a fourth down STAND at the one yard line that worked out better than Custer’s?
-The CASH COW for churches in our town is day care centers
-This skeptic’s favorite too, Wind
Good Morning:
Breezed through this but did have a couple of write-overs: cashier/cash cow and eats/wets. More like a Tuesday or Wednesday level but clever theme and a fun solve.
Nice job, Julian, and good write-up, Marti.
Owen, you outdid yourself today!
Happy Thursday.
Nice to see 49-A METIER is a new word for many. I had to look it up to see if it was a word!
Even I was able to get this one with no cheats, had more trouble with yesterdays puzzle.
p.s. before I go out to sub, I am going to reprise the posting of a Beatles tune, like Birthday Song, by AT last night. BTW, I couldn’t find John, George or Ringo in that video but it still rocked!! ;-)
-I wonder if Julian EVER thought of inserting cluing like this after COOK and before BOTTLE -
CLUE – Third cut on Hard Day’s Night album
Good morning! Thanks Julian and Marti!
Like Marti, I started in the upper-left corner. I got ASTOR right away but I had trouble with "Conveyed" and "Sawyer employer." I tried words related to Tom Sawyer and people sawing wood but nothing made sense. I'm sure I would have had more success if I'd started somewhere else but starting in the upper-left is a habit for me. Dam!
What's not to love about Thursday speed run--especially one with such a complicated and delightful theme? Many thanks, Julian! And you too, Marti, for that Latin poem which I never heard, even though I took two years of Latin in high school.
Since I got ASTOR right away (even though I'm too much of an animal lover to like fur) the first corner filled in quickly for me. I did have to switch from TOM to DIANE SAWYER, since we watched her news for years until it just got too "lite" for us.
It also helped that most of the names were in my wheelhouse this morning--MIRANDA, EVITA, DESI.
How's Charlie, Fermatprime?
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
re: COZ. If it's good enough for Merriam-Webster, it's good enough for me.
(Did you notice the term has been around since 1559?)
We rarely get to say "easy-breezy" on a Thursday! Quick fill this a.m.
I just wanted to check in since I have been absent from the blog. My DH and I just got back from a 5 day visit with Daughter #1 in Ann Arbor. She has lived there for 3 yrs, but it was my first visit. What a beautiful, vibrant city! I had forgotten how a University adds life to a city.
We enjoyed many restaurants, their Farmers Market, the campus, and meeting her Cohorts. What an interesting group of "kids" all working on their PhD's. We even drove "south in to Canada" (on my husband's bucket list) and made a stop at the Detroit Institute of Art to view the Diego Rivera murals. Amazing!
So there you are...now back to work. Happy birthday to CED and to everyone else who had one in the past week. I'm still trying to catch up.
I.A.F (it's almost Friday)!
HG - That link was for CED only - you'll get yours on your birthday! ;-)
Here Comes the Sun is the 1st song in my memory. I think I heard it at <3 yrs old. It resonates deeply every time I hear it. Mom was a hippie at the time...
Puzzle - Did anyone else want SlidERDicER or better a BassOmatic for 5oa? I did, but neither would quite fit the theme,
The image of Cheech & Chong puffing an EEL made LOL @56a. Is it just me?
Cheers, -T
Hello, puzzlers. Thanks for the chuckles, Marti.
And thank you, Julian Lim, who must have been in a hurry to finish this construction. As others have mentioned, it was definitely easier than usual not only for Thursday, but for Julian.
My only doubt was COZ but if it's from 1559, I won't argue!
I liked seeing PLACATE, METIER, TRIDENT and ARTISAN. Great words!
OwenKL:
I am in awe of how you can compose those verses every day and each one more clever. Kudos!
Misty:
I also took two years of Latin and I'm very familiar with the poem. My classmates recited it often.
I'm hoping for a fabulous Thursday for everyone!
Ah, I thought I did such agood job finishing quickly and then I come here and find it is deemed easy for a Thursday. I suppose Rich will punish is tomorrow.
Thanks, Julian and Marti!
I started off the same way as Marti with blanks along the top. ZORRO got me started.
I thought the theme was great, mainly because I spotted it early after CHIEF and COOK. Fairly galloped along after that.
Thank you Julian Lim, for a very nice, doable puzzle. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you Marti for your witty, charming and humorous commentary. The Latin ditty seems so appropriate.
I had Radon and Argon before Xenon. Made it on the third attempt.
Thank you OwenKL for your delightful, funny and appropriately applicable and witty limericks. You have a great art, talent and perseverance.
Husker Gary I must say .... You have a very tidy, neat and well kept front yard. I would shudder to photograph mine .....
Have a nice day, you all.
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed the puzzle, Julian. Thanks, Marti, for your reveal. I was dumb about the theme, thinking JACK had to be put with all the first theme words: CHIEF JACK, BOTTLE JACK, etc. Duh!
Astor came right away. With an "A" in square 1, I thought Tom SAWYER's Aunt was his employer to whitewash the fence. Drove me nuts trying to remember her name until the BC filled in. I sometimes watch Diane.
My professor brother who does medical research often talks about his POST DOC student lab researchers.
Uh, MELT was not my first thought for "get gooey".
I pictured a little tyke with chocolate all over his face. Oh well, it MELTed before it smeared...
TTP what is a "perio appointment"?
Fermatprime: I'm glad things are settled down. Was he drinking when he gave you problems? I worry about you.
My yardmen came this morning and finished laying the pavers across the front of my house. I am elated. Looks so much nicer than a mud hole. They also tacked up the sagging sofits. Yay!
-Gotcha AT! I’ll look for a good link next September 11th ;-). Here Comes the Sun is also a favorite, both for the song and how Richie Havens uses his thumb playing the guitar
-Vidwan, thanks for the compliment on our yard. If you go back to that picture, you can click and take a tour of our entire yard that Joann keeps in meticulous shape and where I do what I’m told.
-Well, I’m off to teach graphing linear equations with absolute values. Remember Bill?
y = 2|x – 2| + 3
PK:
I'll answer for TTP. Perio, I'm quite sure refers to periodontist. I have one of those coming up soon, too. Lots of $$$ since he is a specialist.
HG, Is Richie Havens using that big long thumb like a capo? Looks to me like he is. How does he keep that left leg dancing while he's doing other things?
Lucina, thanks! I've heard of peridontist, but have no idea what they do. Will contact Mr. Google.
Marti, you guys are smart to buy the house next door so you'll have some say in who lives there. I almost did that about six years ago but was too tired to rehab it. After some of the weirdos who have been in and out, I've wished multiple times I had.
Hand up for periodontist. I visit him twice a year, and the regular dentist twice a year. We've no dental insurance, so it can get a little pricey.
We bought the wooded lot beside our house so it would stay wooded and nobody could build there. We get to control what happens to it. I'll bet Marti bought the house nextdoor for the same reason.
I've complained for several years that our city street signs are illegible due to age and weathering. The city council finally agreed to buy a few new street signs. Yea! But they misspelled three street names. Boo! I bet those misspelled signs will outlast me.
Hola Everyone, A fairly easy puzzle for a Thursday. However, when I misread a word then a whole area goes begging. I read Iago as lago with an L and could not get the last lower center section to come together. I put the puzzle away, came back to it and had that aha moment which finally let me finish it all up.
I wanted Manse instead of Villa, and Astor and Zach didn't come to me either. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who had an Oh-Oh moment when the first two fills went begging.
But, I did finish a Julian Lim puzzle which gave me a sense of accomplishment. He usually stumps me!
Excellent take on the puzzle this morning, OwenKL.
Oh, Marti, Tom Sawyer painted a fence, but that wouldn't fit! LOL!
Most Mom's and Dad's have been chief cooks and bottle washers during their lives wouldn't you say?
Have a great day, everyone.
When I proofread my comment the capital I in Iago came out like a lower case L with the script used in the blog. How interesting.
Oops, Mari, not Marti wanted a Tom Sawyer job. Sorry Marti!
When they moved up to the mountains,my sister and her husband bought the lot on either side of them. They now have a lovely wooded lot on both sides. Many other lots have been built on and they are sooo glad they did what they did.
Another coincidence, karma, kismet?
Here are the current quarterbacks on Nebraska’s football team
1st team – Taylor Martinez who wears Number 1
2nd team – Tommy Armstrong Jr. who wears Number 2
3rd team – Ron Kellogg Jr. who wears Number 3
4th team – Johnny Stanton who wears Number 4
5th team – Ryker Fyfe who wears, you guessed it, Number 5
How ‘bout dat?
PK, it does look like a human capo
I too had a little trouble on the crosses, but not so much as Marti on the first line. I can never remember if it is ASTOR/ASTER/ASTON or ZACK/ZACH. And for Ricky, is it RICK Nelson or DESI Arnaz? Everything resolved pretty quick and easy with the perps though. Except for 1D until I realized it was as easy as ABC NEWS.
quater backs usually have single digit numbers...so if you have 5 of them...besides having great depth, why not 1 through 4?
1-5
Er...Um...Gary. Time for a fact check:
NU Player Roster by Number
Dang Joe, my Husker expert sent it to me and I shoulda checked it out. Thanks for the kind reminder. I think I got carried away after my hymn experience yesterday.
The actual numbers are 3, 4, 5, 12, and 17. I don't know what he is smoking but I ain't taking him at his word any more and I am not giving him 4 strokes a side either.
This was an odd one.
Finished with no problems but had to read Marti's write up twice before I could make sense of the theme... Doh!
A Quarterback Numbered 12
Marti, Please come and get your &$%# cats! They have been at my door since then :-)
Tried ASTOR and was surprised to find it somewhere in the recesses of my brain.
Knew ZACH because of his different last name. His humor seems to appeal to 20 somethings.
I needed to change DUH to DOH. Thanks to Bart Simpson, I guess.
I thought of putting condo for VILLA. Did you see the Condo Spielberg bought while filming "Lincoln"?? It's on the market for $1,295,000.
Took awhile for ABC NEWS. Also thought of Tom's aunt.
PLACATE didn't come easily.
Gary, yes I do remember that. The graph will be a 'V' with the vertex at (2,3) and with the sides of the 'V' having slopes of 2 and -2. I'm not sure learning to graph those functions has much practical value though.
I thought it was tougher to teach graphing stuff like |x-2|>5. I thought I had a good way of teaching it in my class (before I retired) but when I explain it to the students I am tutoring, they get confused when their teacher explains it in a different way. So I try to adapt to the teacher's way even though I like my approach much better.
Update on pain meds. I really liked pain specialist. Decided to double serotonin meds and I do see some difference. Told me that if we can keep pain at a "4" that I will have to live with that amount of pain. That sounds better than present situation.
I had tried "Lyrica" before and had a bad reaction. There is a new med on the market that the doctor talked to me about and I had my daughter research the mechanism. It is not absorbed in the same manner. It is called "Savella" and has also been approved for fibromyalgia pain. Ferma, you might want to look into it??
My daughter now has a graduation date in December. Her PhD will be in Phar/Toxicology from MSU(Michigan). She is applying for jobs or a POST DOC worldwide. It will be interesting to see where the Lord leads her?!? We sure miss her. She will be 27 yrs old and we are impressed.
Husker. Gary, thank you for the various pictures of your front, back and 360 degree vision of your yard. It is really very well kept. Your grass is green, no crab grass, no yellow patches, and your edging is clear and perfect.
Incidentally, our house, is in an separate development, and we are among the 5 percent of people who do not have a lawn, bed and yard maintenance service ..... In major part because I think we, as a family, would rather not exploit a certain ethnic group, who do all the hard work, for a relative pittance of compensation. So, we try to do all the work, except the fertilizing, ourselves ..... And it sometimes does not take place on a timely basis.
As a result, our yard never looks as good as our neighbors. I've learnt to live with it. But I'm never going to be proud of it, so hence, no photographs... Oh well.
Blogger Husker Gary said...
-Well, I’m off to teach graphing linear equations with absolute values. Remember Bill?
y = 2|x – 2| + 3
Two less than x, absolutely,
When doubled and added to three
Set equal to y
Gives a graph on the fly
Of a shape very much like a V.
Sorry, sometimes I get so bored...
Owen, a math limerick! Super!
Vidwan, I'm not sure I see it as exploiting a certain ethnic group but instead, providing an opportunity for some hard-working gentleman to provide income for his family.
Widwan:
I respect your opinion, but I have to agree with Bill. Those jobs provide food and other necessities for their families though we might judge the compensation to be meager. We can each, individually, show our respect for their humanity and refrain from exploiting them. Maybe it will catch on.
Forgive me if I sound like I'm on a soap box but this issue is very important to me.
Lucina:
We both live in border states. I don't check I-9s, but I do make sure the lawn guy & cleaning lady are paid well, treated with dignity* and get bonuses for both Christmas & Christmas in June. (The latter concept was introduced to me when I was a paper boy & one guy would tip and say "happy summer Christmas.")
As a 4th generation kid of immigrants, I get that folks just want to build a better world for themselves & family. And like most of my family, these guys are JACKOFALLTRADES...
Cheers, -T
*I dressed down my kid once when she said, let get it...
Err, I dressed down my kid once when she said let (name) get it. Sorry,...
Since I'm on my last post...
Owen - Awesome math ditty!
Cheers, -T
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