1 A. Hearth dust : ASH. That is what is left of the wood when the fire is done burning. Sadly, the ASH tree is under attack from a green boring beetle. I thought this might be why fewer baseball bats were being made from ash and more from MAPLE, but that turns out not to be the case. The word is derived from Latin, via Old English, meaning spear in both languages, which can provide another hint as to one of its uses
4 A. Snapple's __ Madness : MANGO. A fruity beverage made of kiwi and vegetable juices, MANGO puree and other stuff. The eponymous tree is tropical and cultivated for its fruit.
9 A. Jet black : EBONY. A deep black color, named for the wood of the EBONY trees - several species of the genus Diospyros native to Africa and Asia. The wood is used for decorative and ornamental purposes.
65 A. Syrup type : MAPLE. Made by boiling down the sap of the tree of the same name. There are other syrups made from corn and sugar cane, but only pure MAPLE syrup will adorn my pancakes!
66 A. __ Rapids, Iowa : CEDAR. Iowa's second largest city straddles the CEDAR River, named for the red CEDAR trees that grow in its Minnesota and Iowa watershed.
67 A. C&W's __ Ridge Boys : OAK. They started in the 40's as country group Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers [I am not making this up] who evolved into the OAK Ridge Boys [because that was where they usually performed,] a gospel singing quartet that changed their focus in the 70's, thus generating several country and crossover hits. Of course many personnel changes occurred over the years. The tree whose name is at the heart of all this is native to the northern hemisphere.
1 D. Jam fruit : APRICOT. Well, this could have been just about anything - but as is it is one of my favorites. Apricot trees are from the genus prunus - bearing fruits with a stone seed at the core.
13. Robin Hood's bow wood : YEW. Again, the wood and its tree. "The secret to the Yew bow’s strength and beauty is it’s natural laminate of heartwood and sapwood. The heartwood is where the power comes from, it’s ability to be compressed and return back to its original shape is almost unmatched in any other wood. The sapwood of the tree is superior under tension and protects the heartwood from being able to break, but also adds beauty. This is why some Native North American tribes believe this tree was put on earth for the making of bows and referred to it as the chief of the forest, being a small tree mostly almost vine-like under towering Old Growth forests."
27. Cookie fruit : FIG. Fruit and tree - an Asian species in the mulberry family, cultivated since ancient times.
39. Trident, e.g. : GUM. Well - this is different - and confusing. Trident is a brand name for sugar-free chewing gum. People have been chewing gum made from various tree bark extracts for millennia. In recent decades, though, natural gums have been replaced by polybutadiene, a synthetic polymer (yum!) GUM tree can refer to various types of trees from the eucalyptus, angophora or corymbia genera, native to Australia and/or Tasmania. The American Sweet GUM tree is completely different, native to the southeastern U. S., Mexico and Central America.
46. Poison drunk by Socrates : HEMLOCK. Here, we have a case of mistaken identity. Socrates' bane, corium maculatum, is a poisonous biennial herb of the carrot family, also known by several other names such as carrot fern, poison parsley and devil's bread. These plants contain several chemically similar highly potent alkaloids that attack the nervous system leading to paralysis of resperitory muscles. The completely unrelated and nontoxic HEMLOCK tree includes several species of the genus tsuga, tall conifers in the pine family, pinaceae. The crushed foliage exude an aroma similar to that of the poisonous plant, hence the name.
58. Common street name : ELM. Many American cities once had shady tree-lined streets - hence the name transfer from the tree. In the mid 20th century, elm growth in North America and Europe was devastated by dutch ELM disease, an affliction caused by three related fungus species spread by the ELM bark beetle. It's ben a mightmare.
13. Robin Hood's bow wood : YEW. Again, the wood and its tree. "The secret to the Yew bow’s strength and beauty is it’s natural laminate of heartwood and sapwood. The heartwood is where the power comes from, it’s ability to be compressed and return back to its original shape is almost unmatched in any other wood. The sapwood of the tree is superior under tension and protects the heartwood from being able to break, but also adds beauty. This is why some Native North American tribes believe this tree was put on earth for the making of bows and referred to it as the chief of the forest, being a small tree mostly almost vine-like under towering Old Growth forests."
58. Common street name : ELM. Many American cities once had shady tree-lined streets - hence the name transfer from the tree. In the mid 20th century, elm growth in North America and Europe was devastated by dutch ELM disease, an affliction caused by three related fungus species spread by the ELM bark beetle. It's ben a mightmare.
And the unifier: 36 A. Like a shady boulevard ... and like this puzzle, in terms of its 12 border answers : TREELINED. Which by this time should need no further explanation.
Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, back after a long hiatus. Despite what you may be thinking, I was neither lost in the woods nor up a tree. Wood you like to go exploring in today's sylvan adventure? I wood, so let's discover if we can find the forest for the trees.
But beware -- there may be danger!
But beware -- there may be danger!
Across
14. Shade of green : PEA. Like olive drab, but slightly less exciting.
15. Exemplary : IDEAL. Serving as a good example. Am I exemplary when I DEAL at the poker game?
16. "Irma la __" : DOUCE. Sweet Irma, the central character in a 1956 romantic comedy about prostitution, intrigue and moral degradation, starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemon. Sweet, indeed!
17. Flock member : RAM. Likely to be an old goat.
18. Intimate : CLOSE. I guess this explains white intimate apparel is close fitting.
19. Trailing : IN TOW. Pulling something along.
20. Provence pronoun : ILS. Google translate tells me this means "they."
21. Structures with many layers? : HEN HOUSES. Would you like more of this kind of yolk? Do you think I'm egging you on? Are you shell shocked? [Extra credit for anyone who can make a pun involving "albumin."]
23. "My Antonia" novelist : CATHER. Willa, 1873 - 1947. After growing up first in Virginia, which her family left in 1882 to avoid a TB outbreak, and Nebraska, she graduated from Nebraska U, thus becoming an official Husker! She then lived in Pittsburgh for 10 years and finally settled in New York City, though "settled" is probably a bit misleading, since she traveled extensively and spend her summers in New Brunswick.
25. To some degree : SORT OF. So you might say she SORT OF lived in New York.
28. Situation before a two-run homer : ONE ON. Baseball! The condition of having ONE runner ON base - any base.
29. "Barnaby Jones" star : EBSEN. Buddy (1908-2003.) I remember him as Holly Golightly's [Audrey Hepburn] abandoned husband, Doc, in Breakfast at Tiffany's, a thoroughly ghastly movie, in a way that only something from the early 60's could be. But that gives me an excuse to link to this wonderful Henry Mancini song featuring Dick Nash on trombone, from the score album. Mysteriously, the song is never heard in the movie.
32. Lilly of pharmaceuticals : ELI. (1838-1898) He was a successful pharmacist, Union army hero in the Civil War, and unsuccessful plantation owner after the war. He returned to pharmacy and became wealthy by making several advances in the manufacture of medicines.
33. Hardly talkative : TERSE. And that's all I have to say.
34. Strange: Pref. : XENO-. From the Greek
35. Take down __ : A PEG. Reprimand someone for being arrogant.
39. Long-jawed fish : GARS. No hint that a plural is needed.
42. Order in the court : WRIT. Clever, but I'm not sure it's correct. A WRIT is an order issued by a court, but generally sent to a recipient outside of the court. That may be a lower level court, but still. I rest my case
43. "Happy Pills" singer Jones : NORAH. Ravi Shankar's daughter.
48. Lavish affairs : FETES. Borrowed from the French, meaning holiday or party.
49. Ambition : DRIVE. Get up and go.
50. Ally in a TV courtroom : McBEAL. I totally misread this one, having forgotten about the TV show I might have watched once or twice.
52. Payment for a return : RANSOM. Of a hostage or kidnapped person.
53. Brunch cookware item : OMELET PAN.
57. Like mil. volunteers : ENL. Enlisted, I presume.
60. Get (a ship) ready to sail again : RERIG. Or, simply to upgrade a ship with new riging.
61. __-pitch softball : SLO. What justifies dropping the "W" from this word?
62. Second of 13 popes : LEO II. (611-683) Served as Pope from Aug 17, 682 until his death on June 28, 683.
63. "You beat me" : I LOSE.
64. Gumshoe : TEC. DeTECtive.
Down
26. "Hip, hip, Jorge!" : OLE. Spanish cheer, here presented as a ghastly pun and a reach too far.
2. Maritime route : SEA LANE. Best route across a large body of water, as determined by land masses and prevailing winds. "Whale road" to Beowulf.
3. Wheel-spinning rodent : HAMSTER. Do hamsters get caught up in the rat race?
4. Author of "Hawaii," "Alaska," and "Texas" : MICHENER. James Albert (1907 - 1997) His novels are too big and sprawling for me.
5. Psychologist Alfred : ADLER. Alfred (1870-1937) founder of individual psychology, a post-Freudian method influential in counseling.
6. Lamp gas : NEON. It glows.
7. Cut that may need stitches : GASH.
8. Parkay, say : OLEO. Ersatz butter. What do Hungarians put on their toast? Magyarine! [Actually, we're pretty big on bacon grease.]
9. New Jersey township named for an inventor : EDISON. Thomas Alva (1847-1931.)
10. Silly blunder : BONER. Probably derived from making a bone-headed play.
11. Walk faster than : OUT STEP. I wanted OUT PACE, which seems more in-the-language.
12. PX shopper : NCO. Non Commissioned Officer at the Post Exchange.
22. Try to tempt with : USE ON. You can use all your charms on your next victim.
24. Party throwers : HOSTS. Etymology, via Wictionary: From Old French oste (French: hôte), from Middle Latin hospitem, accusative of hospes (“a host, also a sourjourner, visitor, guest; hence, a foreigner, a stranger”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóspot- (“master of guests”), from *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, host, someone with whom one has reciprocal duties of hospitality”) and *pótis (“owner, master, host, husband”). Used in English since 13th century.
26. "Hip, hip, Jorge!" : OLE. Spanish cheer, here presented as a ghastly pun and a reach too far.
29. Wield : EXERT. As force, as in using a weapon.
30. Prove otherwise : BELIE. Debunk.
31. Piques : SNITS. Little anger episodes. Aren't they cute?
35. Beautify : ADORN. Decorate.
37. "The Seven Year Itch" actor Tom : EWELL. Star of the stage play and the movie.
38. Jeopardize : ENDANGER. As one's marriage, per the above clip.
40. Anti-apartheid org. : ANC. African National Congress, the ruling national political party of the Republic of South Africa since 1994.
41. 1987 title law-enforcing cyborg : ROBOCOP.
44. Meets, as a challenge : RISES TO.
45. "Anne of Green Gables" community : AVONLEA. A fictional community on Prince Edward Island
48. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE. Read all about it.
51. Online letter : EMAIL.
54. Old Norse explorer : ERIC. (Eiríkr Þorvaldsson; 950 – c. 1003) The turn-of-the-millennium Norse had spent the previous couple of centuries earning a reputation as nasty people. Þorvald Ásvaldsson was so nasty that the other Norse could not tolerate him. He was exiled from Norway and settled with his family on the West coast of Iceland. Continuing the family tradition, his son Eric - called "The Red" due to his Marxist leanings the color of his hair and beard - was exiled in turn for committing "some killings" in Iceland, ca. 982. Per Wikipedia, he spent his three years of exile exploring Greenland, and established the first successful Norse settlement there. Lovely fellow.
55. Marketing leader? : TELE. TELEmarketing is a rude intrusion. This type of affix clue always annoys me.
56. Nudge : PROD. As with an elbow.
59. Pastoral expanse : LEA. From Middle English for a grass land, and what you might find when you emerge from the woods.
Well, here we are on the lea-ward side, safe and sound. IMHO we had a successful excursion. We were able to branch out a bit, and I only barked my shins a couple of times. Hope you enjoyed it, too. [Full disclosure: I used Wikipedia and Mr. Google to root out the information contained herein.]
Cool regards!
JzB
Well, here we are on the lea-ward side, safe and sound. IMHO we had a successful excursion. We were able to branch out a bit, and I only barked my shins a couple of times. Hope you enjoyed it, too. [Full disclosure: I used Wikipedia and Mr. Google to root out the information contained herein.]
Cool regards!
JzB
48 comments:
Welcome back JzB and hello again Mary Lou. A very ambitious effort for a Wednesday with a great visual payoff. Most of the fill was doable and a bureaus for a Wednesday. I did like seeing James Michener make an appearance, his books were so daunting but better than any sleeping pill.
Happy hump day
Good Morning, Jazzbumpa and friends. Wow! Not only did I have fun with this puzzle (which was much easier than many Wednesdays), but the commentary was entertaining and educational!
I, too, was reluctant to write in GARS, thinking that I needed a plural clue, until I remembered that the word Fish can be both plural or singular.
I just loved reading the long sagas of James MICHENER. His novel, Hawaii, was a favorite of mine.
I think Steve recently pointed out Tom EWELL, when he showed us a photo of EWELL with some unnamed starlet.
Apropos of today's theme, here is today's QOD: I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I’ll never see a tree at all. ~ Ogden Nash (Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971)
Said the ELM to the OAK, you're looking good,
In fact the prettiest in the neighborhood.
Said OAK to ELM, such flattery
From such a handsome, virile tree
But I know what you want, I've seen your wood!
The MANGO and MAPLE were thick as thieves
So close that together their limbs they'd weave.
But MANGO was clingy
(A little bit dingy)
She was scared that in the spring, he'd leaf!
YEW was flexible, heaven knows,
But EBONY always STEPped on his toes.
Though EBONY was big
YEW cared not a FIG --
He'd studied YEW-jitsu, and knew a few throws!
I had GALAS instead of FETES and STIRS instead of SNITS. (I thought of pique as in "pique interest".) I got all the theme entries but couldn't finish the middle.
Good morning!
This one turned out to be a speed run. Naturally, I did not notice the trees around the border. And, JzB, you were a true fount of esoteric arcana this morning. "Well done!" to you, and to Mary Lou.
I remember Spenser -- he always misspelled Spencer and Fairy.
CEDAR Rapids was a gimme. I lived there for a few years back in the early 70's. It was quite the industrial hub back then, but later became just another city on the rust belt tour.
OLEO has quite a history in Wisconsin. It was illegal to sell colored (yellow) oleomargarine in the state until 1967. There was a notorious Taste Test in the Wisconsin Senate. State Senator Gordon Roseleip rose to the challenge and promptly pronounced that the margarine tasted better than butter. "Oops!", as Rick Perry would say.
The Sweet GUM tree is common in the south, but not particularly popular. Anybody who's ever stepped on a gum ball while barefoot would describe it as [expletive deleted].
JzB, there's no W in SLO-pitch because it was stolen to become part of the abbreviation for Norway: NORW. BTW, Irma La Douce came out a bit later than '55. Actually, quite a bit later.
Good Morning.
A paper and pen (Erasermate, that is!) day for me today. Fun Puzzle. Thanks Mary Lou. I had ASH, EBONY, and APRICOT, so 36A gave me the theme and the rest of the border answers. Most unusual for me. Today's favorites: HEN HOUSE and RANSOM, nice cluing.
Welcome Back JazzB! Thanks for the superb explication and links.
Enjoy the day, everyone.
This was more like a Monday or Tuesday puzzle for me, much easier then the previous two days. Wonder if Rich got the dates mixed up?
The crossing R for ADLER/CATHER was a wag....never heard of either one. The only reason I got AVONLEA was because all the crosses were in my wheelhouse. Nice to see RAM for once instead of ewe.
Welcome back Jazz. YEW did a terrific job today.
The Butter Wars: When Margarine Was Pink
Nearly got hung up on 17a thinking "it had to be Ewe!" Worked from top to bottom, pretty much, and avoided reading the entire reveal clue. So I was still trying to make hen houses fit into some sort of theme. But genuinely appreciated how all the (h)edges were clued in a way that was not a direct reference to the root of the word.
Fun outing. Thank you Mary Lou. And thank you JazzB for a humorous expose.
Oops! JzB said '56 and I mis-quoted it as '55. Even so, Irma didn't come down the chute until '63.
Lemonade, your "hello again, Mary Lou," has recalled this earworm.
Link Mary Lou
Mary Lou, I liked your tree lined border. Clever. JzB, I loved your informative blog, especially about the trees.
I am a Michener fan. I have read at last 8 of his novels, some more than once. It 's hard to pick a favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Source about thousands of years of history in the Holy Land.
I also liked Willa Cather's O Pioneers and My Antonia.
I remember coloring white margarine by sprinkling in a packet of color and mixing it in. Very messy. Later the margarine came in a plastic(?) bag with a color button to press and mix in by squeezing the bag. No fuss. No mess.
Hello, Mary Lou - A fun theme with just a few Wed. speed bumps. Loved it along with Jazz’s erudite and informative write-up.
Musings
-Neighbor’s huge ASH shades my deck ‘til noon. I’ll be bore watching
-Schuyler, NE’s OAK Ballroom was built in 1935 with WPA money
-FIGs are one of those love ‘em/hate ‘em foods like coconuts. I’m in the former category.
-Kids are shocked at how little mass is left in bubble GUM after chewing it for a minute in lab
-The downside of seeking IDEAL
-A HEN HOUSE in the heat of an August afternoon is a ture sensory experience
-Mickey Rooney’s role in Bkfst at Tiffany’s is an example of racist stereotypes that he later said he wished he had not done
-GAR are the bane of an upscale lake development west of town
-Abe suspended WRITS of habeas corpus during the war
-SIL ruptured his Achilles tendon last month playing SLO-Pitch.
-The new ROBO TELEmarketers greet you, wait for a response and then continue their automated pitch no matter what you say or scream into the phone
JzB- Thanks for the Botany lesson on trees. And a pox on your house (kidding), Mary Lou, for constructing a Wednesday that I did not complete correctly. I blew it on the cross of TEC and AVONLEA. I had already filled LEA on 59D and only knew a gumshoe as a dick or dic, TEC was an unknown. I had a lucky guess on the cross of ADLET and CATHER; knew neither and was thinking either 'Y' or 'R' and got that one right.
Everything else fell in line within a Wednesday toughness.
"ils sont partis"- At Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, LA, That's how the announcer started the horse races.
Jazz: YEW out-did yourself. The write-up was a "learning moment" with wonderful links to read and listen t0. Took be longer to enjoy it than to solve the puzzle.
Mary Lou: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday puzzle with a great theme construction.
Fave today was 21-a, "Structures with many layers" ... HEN HOUSES.
Though 52-a, "Payments for a return" RANSOM was a CLOSE second.
"It's Five O'clock Somewhere"
Cheers!
Good Morning:
This was an enjoyable sashay, as Lucina would say. No write overs but perps were needed for Elcar (familiar face but didn't know his name); I didn't watch MacGyver or Ally Mc Beal but did watch Barnaby Jones and Anne of Green Gables. Have read some Michener, The Source being one. A question for our resident constructors: Is there a limit, or a preferred count on the use of proper names in a puzzle?
Thanks, Mary Lou, for a pleasant mid-week exercise and thanks, Jazz, for your entertaining and informative summary; it took me longer to read the expo than it did to complete the puzzle and that is a compliment! ☺️
FWIW, my lobster was delicious and I polished off every morsel! Little Miss Piggy, I think! 😈
Have a great day. BTW, Kazie, the pictures were sweet!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Mary Lou Guizzo, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
Wow! What a great puzzle and theme. That must have taken some work to piece together.
Caught the theme early on and it did help with the puzzle.
I also almost wrote in EWE for 17A, but held off for a letter. HAMSTER fixed that dilemma.
ILS only came with perps.
Misspelled FAERIE at first, but fixed that with OMELET PAN. Minor inkblot.
Tried MCNEAL, but MCBEAL won that fight. Another inkblot.
Really enjoyed this. Off to my Master Gardener luncheon. Then to a Cubs/Tigers game tonight.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
"Puzzling thoughts":
Owen - #1 was good
JzB - great job today and welcome back. I enjoy your witty write-ups - see albumin used in a limerick below
Mary Lou - today's puzzle was a perfect hump day challenge; very clever clueing and a great theme
I think I started out w BUFFET PAN before I realized OMELET was the correct fill word; I had GARR before GARS and then saw that "actress Teri" was not the clue! BTW, if I ever caught one of those while fishing I think I'd just cut the line; how on earth would you remove the hook??
Ok - my non-sensical attempt at punning ALBUMIN (as JzB challenged):
There's a layer in farmer's HEN HOUSE,
Who has caused a big rift with his spouse.
When an egg she illumined
And then saw no ALBUMIN,
She suspected the "hen" was a grouse!
Good to see Jazz back with us, though my forays here have been rather sparse lately too, so I hardly noticed.
Like Tinbeni, I loved the HENHOUSES clue.
I've been told that in the 60's people used to venture across the state border to smuggle margarine into Wisconsin. In Australia, we bought something called Fairy Margarine to save money because butter was expensive. But we had it on good authority that Fairy was really New Zealand butter, but was prevented from marketing in Oz as butter, because of import restrictions to protect the local market. It tasted like butter to us, anyway.
Good morning everybody.
Good intro, JazzB - Fun reading.
Completed today's offering without incident. No searches or erasures were needed. Revelled in the TREE-LINED theme. Anything with trees is fun fill.
HENHOUSES - Brings to mind the German children's song Meine Oma fährt im Hühnerstall Motorrad. (My Gramma rides a motorcycle in the HENHOUSE.) (It's repetitive so a minute may be all you can take.)
Unlike Spitzboov I completed today's offering with many incidents and therefore erasures that ultimately wore through the paper.
I also had to guess at the "R" that filled in CATHER/ADLER. I had no clue to either of them. There were a few other initial missteps like CREDIT and REFUND vs. RANSOM, EWE vs. RAM, IGIVE vs. ILOSE, GALAS vs. FETES, COP vs. TEC to name a few. As usual, perps to the rescue.
But it was a fun puzzle and I did manage to see the theme early enough to help with some of the answers. Great job Mary Lou and I really enjoyed your writeup JzB.
Well, it's on to the rest of the day, I hope everyone has a great one.
Owen I applaud your creativity and your productivity and my question is simple and sincere; why in the 2nd poem did you not end, "afraid he would leave."?
Don't know 'bout you, but I can't hear HEN HOUSES without being reminded of this speech from The Fugitive. I would have added one more house to the list, but that's just me.
Good job, Chairman Moe.
I'm off to be orientated...
Hi All!
Well, not IDEAL - I had to Google 3x (5d, 29a, & 37d) to complete this fine offering from MLG. Thanks JzB for the write-up and kicking off the cool-kids' party. Also, very informative.
I always thought pique was to arouse as in interest. The internet tells me it's both - learning moment.
W/os - grand Rapids b/f CEDAR, gala -> FETES, and I OUT pace'd myself in the NE.
Fav - HEN HOUSES. I was stuck on fun HOUSES for a long time. Google @5d rescued me and HEN is funnier.
RANSOMware is evil. Update your Windows computer(s).
Anon Neil Peart posted the TREES lyrics last week, so here's Python's The Larch.
Cheers, -T
My goodness, this was a brilliant Wednesday morning all around. Terrific puzzle, Mary Lou, with fun clues ('Hen houses') and a clever theme winding its way around the puzzle like a tree-lined boulevard! And JazzB, you outdid yourself this morning with amazing expos--who knew you were an arborist! And then Owen chimed in with great tree limericks. It doesn't get more fun than this.
Irish Miss, so glad you enjoyed your lobster!
Have a wonderful day, everybody.
Hello Puzzlers -
What Misty said. I was impressed that 100% of the edges were themed.
Morning, JzB! I felt a little sorry for Doc Golightly in that his unlikely young bride up and dumped him, but once Holly had gotten loose and seen a bit of the wider world, you could sorta understand why she didn't want to go back...
About Yew trees: I have no idea how large they grow or grew, but on a visit to Hampton Court Palace in England we were shown large old beams that were said to be yew; apparently it was a good structural wood, too.
The YEW Tree by Scotland's Battlefield Band.
"A mile frae Pentcaitland, on the road to the sea,
Stands a yew tree a thousand years old.
And the old women swear by the grey o' their hair,
That it knows what the future will hold.
For the shadows of Scotland stand round it,
'Mid the kail and the corn and the kye.
All the hopes and the fears of a thousand long years,
Under the Lothian sky."
Hello, friends!
Ahh, I can feel the coolness of those TREELINED roads! I love those and saw many both in Ohio and California. Thank you, Ms. Guizzo, for this entertaining puzzle.
IrishMiss, I also sashayed gleefully through most of this though the center gave me problems of my own making. First, I started with TRELLISED so no way was that going to work. Finally, after erasing that and looking up order in the court, WRIT,it all came together and I glanced around the corners to see the trees!
I definitely recall Buddy EBSEN but not Tom EWELL. And changing the cluing for XENA was downright tricky! My Antonia was one I read in American Lit class.
Jazzbumpa:
Thank you for the encyclopedic insight into the world of trees! Very interesting.
Have a happy day, everyone!
Owen:
I enjoyed your poem!
Welcome back, JzB - thanks for the great expo. I had the same thought about hemlock - I knew the poisonous plant was an herb, it actually grows extensively here in Southern California - I didn't know it was also a tree.
What Martin and others said about the center section - not knowing EBSEN seemed to throw me for a loop.
What Misty said. Jazzbumpa, thank you for a wonderful writeup. Easy to see and appreciate how much work you put into it.
Steve: Check out this brief (2:39) video retrospective of Buddy Ebsen's career.
As I originated from Brooklyn, New York,(nickname, the "Borough of Trees") the theme was appreciated.
Border of tree names. Great accomplishment. A1.
A fast midweek run. WEES about the crossing of CATHER/ADLER.Got EWELL with perps. Otherwise, a smooth quick fill.
LOVED 21A answer HENHOUSES. Very cute.
Remember Dana ELCAR well. In real life, as he was going blind, the writers wrote this into the script.for his character. "MacGyver" was another top favorite of mine.
Ally MCBEAL. Another fabulous show. Every major cast member who appeared, bar none, has gone on to a prolific career in TV and/or film. Loved that dancing baby.
I used to have eleven teddybear HAMSTERs. I had one room filled with plastic tubing, wheels, and housing for them. It was a lot of work to take care of all of them, but worth it. They're so adorable.
That's about it from me.
coneyro said..."Brooklyn, New York,(nickname, the "Borough of Trees")
I believe that's just Brooklynese for "Borough of Threes".
Every area in the U.S. has its unique charm. One of my favorite experiences here in the NE is hiking along a mountain stream shaded by giant conifers called eastern hemlocks. The fragrance is unforgettable. The feathery needled branches remind me of lace. They have hundreds of tiny hemlock cones. (Neophytes call them pine cones LOL). I love to stop alongside a stream near a rill or little falls and sit under a stand of hemlocks to eat my lunch. The lacy shadows, the babbling brook, the lovely aroma are a delight. Some hemlocks are so large they can shelter me from a minor shower of rain.
This past weekend I was feeling almost fit and thought such an experience might be possible again by next summer. On Monday I had my last aquatic exercise with my trainer. She pushed too hard and since then I am less capable than I was four weeks ago. I limp when I walk, I use two feet on each stair, I can't raise my knee to march as I used to, and exiting my car is very painful. I hope this is a temporary setback. I love hiking.
Hi gang -
I'm late checking back in today.
Found the puzzle to be rather challenging, but fun.
Thanks for the nice comments.
Love all the poetic efforts.
Spent the last couple of hours researching choice players for my fantasy football team.
Abejo - If tonight's game is like last night's, there will be a lot of Tiger fans in the area. After a 2 hour 17 minute rain delay, the Tigers managed to eke out a 10-8 win over their inept bull pen.
The last thing you want if for a 6-2 game to become exciting.
Tigers playoff hopes are dashed, but they are still giving 100%, and that's good to see, even if the outcomes aren't always pretty.
Cool regards!
JzB
(I posted just before taking LW to work this morning, but didn't get a chance to read the blog until now.)
Lemonade: I pondered mightily over "leave" or "leaf". This is a problem that is a bane to punsters of the written word that oral punstering avoids -- when both meanings fit, which to use. Use "leaf", and literalists not on the right page won't get the joke; use "leave", and other literalists will be left out. In the end, the selection is simply arbitrary, as in the following:
Mansions have screamers among their inhumen
Castles have eee-ers, (a sound heard by few men).
Graveyards have whoo-ers,
(They're also in sewers.)
Ghoulies in HEN HOUSES are mainly all BOO men!
I couldn't let Jazz's challenge go unanswered, nor Moe unchallenged. BTW Moe, I enjoyed your limerick. It was good, but didn't have to be non-sensical. (And now I'm just showing off ☺ ☹ ☺)
There is a layer in Rooster's HEN HOUSE
Whose laying has caused a big rift with her spouse.
When her eggs were illumined
They had strange ALBUMIN --
Rooster suspected she'd been in bed with a grouse!
Changing topics slightly, if you like story poems, the second poem on this page I know as "The EBONY Staff of Solomon".
OKL said..."And now I'm just showing off"
I suppose that's one way of looking at it.
By the way, what are "inhumen"?
And no one has yet punned on ALBUMIN.
Husker:
Be careful what you wish for. The Emerald Ash Borer crossed the Ohio River a couple years ago. I have friends who farm in Henry County, Ky., about 80 miles upriver ( the Ky. River) from me. The borer has killed 90% of their ash trees. It's quite ugly. I have many ash trees on my farm, and it's only a matter of time till the killer gets here.
Me
Actually, for those who care, they are downstream (north) of me. The borer likely crossed the river in firewood brought from Ohio into Ky.
Side note:
You all have shown amazing restraint re: 10D
Greetings!
Wonderful puzzle, Mary Lou! Splendid write-up JzB!
Great theme! Have at least fifty trees, but don't know how many will survive the drought.
Took a few letters to remember some names, but no problems!
Feel better, YR!
Cooled down about 10 degrees today. Amazing!
Cheers!
Windy: I would be happy if all of the ash trees here would croak. They appeared several years ago and have caused damage in several places. They proliferate dementedly!
Someone in our Rec dept. really shouldn't
be designing shirts for the Slo-Pitch Softball Team
Windhover: Always a pleasure to see your comments.
OK, with ALL the trees lined around the edges ...
Shouldn't 10-d, BONER have been clued as "Morning Wood?"
(Just wanted to revert to the DF days of the past. LOL !!!)
A PUN on Albumin
Was the Beatles "White Album" inspired by Yoko Ono?
NC
Fun puzzle, loved the borders.
But if anyone wants to see the dark side (sorry I can't hot link on an iPhone. )
http://youtu.be/3E5BqLPFLqQ
Buddy Ebsen and Shirly Temple at the codfish bowl (in color) (4:18)
http://youtu.be/Zpqt3zgdYUw
CED's Trees and Ebsen clips.
CED on your iPhone, type < a href=" link ">blue stuff < / a >. Leave out the spaces between < , a, / and "s around the link. Cheers, -T
Like this: <a href="http://youtu.be/3E5BqLPFLqQ">Trees </a> Cheers, -T
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