My Friday foil is back with an add a word edition that leaves us laughing. First, I had a blast working with Jeffrey in creating the Mel Brooks tribute puzzle. Mel certainly is one who can elicit much laugh-out-loud response. JW also has been concentrating on light-hearted themes, puns and and a good time had by all. I am getting very used to his style, his use of multiple word fill and his sense of humor. With 67 squares in the theme, and with three grid-spanners there are not many long sparkly fill, but he does squeeze in AVALANCHE, WEB FOOTED, THREE PUTT, and BALD EAGLE.
17A. Convent seamstress' workshop items? : HABITS AND PIECES (15). I grew up near a convent and watched many nuns march on my street. They wore the full habit.
24A. Enlightened kid? : BILLY BUDDHA (11). How cool is it that Monday's puzzle made this fill so much easier. This is my favorite theme fill--Billy Buddha...classic.
36A. Bichon Frise pack leaders? : THE FRENCH ALPHAS (15). A CSO to our now busy and hopefully rich marti who loves skiing the Alps.
48A. Sandwich in the desert? : SAHARAN WRAP (11). This seems the least inventive and most obvious pun, but perhaps the seed entry.
And the hint..(not a reveal)
57A. Request for relief, and a hint to the formation of this puzzle's four other longest answers :
I COULD USE A LAUGH (15). JW seems intent on making us laugh while we cry over some of the tougher clues.
Across:
1. It reportedly had an impact on beachgoers in 1975 : JAWS. But they forgot...
5. Pyle player : NABORS. The slackjaw picture link recently also made this easy. Raymond Burr's other half.
11. Seventh of 24 : ETA. I remembered that the greek alphabet had 24 letters.
14. Finished : OVER.
15. Got away from : EVADED.
16. Rented : LET. There were signs, room to let when I was child.
20. Viet Cong org. : NLF. National Liberation Front.
21. Zagros Mountains locale : ASIA. In Iran, a fact which I did not know, but the perps made it an easy guess.
22. Period in ads : NITE. A made-up word.
23. __ Paulo : SAO. Part of the 2016 Olympic controversy where Brazil will host 28 Olympic sports — including rugby sevens and golf, which were added by the International Olympic Committee in 2009. These sporting events will take place at 33 venues in the host city of Rio and at 5 venues in the cities of São Paulo (Brazil's largest city), Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasília (Brazil's capital), and Manaus. Wiki. Also, 60D. Braz. neighbor : URUguay. Uruguay is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, lack of corruption, e-government,and is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class and prosperity. Wiki.
28. Rodeo loops, essentially : NOOSES. How macabre.
30. Cranial projections : EARS. So soon after C.C. and Tony's puzzle.
31. Deca- minus two : OCTA. This should be "minus duo."
32. Goya subject : MAJA. She is back with or without her clothes. And 26D. Gulf of California peninsula : BAJA.
33. Not yet on the sched. : TBA. To Be Announced.
41. Resting place : BED. This was so obvious that it was hard.
42. Laudatory lines : ODES.
43. 1968 self-titled folk album : ARLO. I get him often, and I never tire of complaining about his performance at Woodstock.
44. Hindu sovereign : RANI. And, 4D. Indian honorific : SRI. There was much I did not know about this WORD.
45. Called : PHONED. Home?
52. Thom McAn spec : EEE.
54. Obstruct : CLOG. Another shoe clue?
55. Suffix for those who are flush : AIRE. Flush with money, honey, Billion....
56. To the point : PAT. Another Friday I do not completely get; maybe from the definition like in a pat answer..." having been already prepared and therefore said without thinking much about the question."Dictionary.
62. Alley end? : OOP. Hyphenated in the dictionary and the mini-theme of my write up.
63. Spanning : ACROSS. Sneaky crossword clue/fill.
64. WWII Normandy battle site : ST. LO.
65. "Life Is Good" rapper : NAS. A crossword regular.
66. Weakens : BLUNTS. Definition: 2. To make less effective; weaken: blunting the criticism with a smile. v.intr.
67. Historical Cheyenne rivals : UTES. Native American Tribes.
Down:
1. St. __ University : JOHNS. I know them from Big East basketball.
2. Dramatic influx, as of fan mail : AVALANCHE. A very convoluted clue.
3. Ducky? : WEBFOOTED. A very literal clue.
5. Mysterious monster, familiarly : NESSIE. Do you Loch these monsters?
6. Fulfills a need : AVAILS.
7. Everyday : BANAL. Followed by...
8. Not everyday : ODD.
9. Commission recipient, often : REPresentative. Generally a sales rep.
10. Deterrent announced in 1983: Abbr. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.
11. Legendary Castilian hero : EL CID. I remembered the name from the Movie.
12. Effectiveness : TEETH. It is time they put some teeth into the helmet-to-helmet rule.
13. Bamboozled : AT SEA.
18. File extensions : TABS.
19. Loose __ : ENDS.
25. "Okey-doke" : YEAH.
27. River through Orsk : URAL. Twice this week.
29. Stumblebum : OAF.
31. Nev. option for pony players : OTB. They shut down in New York, but are still out in the MECCA for gamblers.
32. Podium VIPs : MCS. Emcees, or Master of Ceremonies.
33. Green disappointment : THREE PUTT. When Stenson three-putted the first green for bogey on Sunday, I thought that the pressure was going to get to him and Phil (who birdied) was going to get his second Claret Jug.
34. Image on cabbage? : BALD EAGLE. So many terms for MONEY.
35. Japan's largest active volcano : ASO. I really am not up on my knowledge of VOLCANOES.
37. Stormy ocean output : ROAR.
38. __ Valley: San Luis Obispo County wine region : EDNA. Nope, means nothing to me. CHAIRMAN?
39. Freudian denial : NEIN.
40. Legendary man-goat : PAN.
44. Old World Style sauce brand : RAGU. A cute old one. LINK.
45. Vivaldi was ordained as one : PRIEST. Ordained kinda gives it away, but who knew? A puzzle with nuns and priests...How many of you recall that Vivaldi was known as "il Prete Rosso," or "the Red Priest?" LINK.
46. Beset : HARASS.
47. Berliner's wheels, perhaps : OPEL. A German car.
48. Descendant : SCION. Also an automobile.
49. Heavy hitter in the light metals industry : ALCOA. Aluminum Company of America,
50. Court activity : HOOPS. Basketball...
51. Aired, as a sitcom : WAS ON. Endeavour which is set in the 60's, was on Sunday nights.
53. Value system : ETHOS.
58. Black __ : LAB. My son's dog is half black lab, half boxer. He is a big sweetie.
59. CXXX quintupled : DCL.
61. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University,
I can't believe it is all over so soon. Welcome home Jeffrey after your foray into other days of the week. Also welcome to summer all; it is quite steamy here is So. Fla. Come visit. Lemonade out.
FIRight! Gotta laugh at that theme! I got the gimmick early, but didn't anticipate the reveal!
ReplyDelete{C, C, B-, C+.}
The FRENCHman said, "I COULD USE A LAUGH,
Mon Chéri just blew me off like chaff!
Cherchez la femme,
Wine and dine, and then
Whatever you had, she'll leave less than half!"
The shark said, "I COULD USE A LAUGH,
I've got a toothache that's driving me daft!
My JAW'S complete
With fifty-some TEETH,
But I'm hungry enough I could eat a giraffe!"
The milquetoast said, "I COULD USE A LAUGH,
I'm the one at work they all HARASS!
I feel elated
When a jeer's EVADED,
But I am the boss, and they're my staff!"
The plumber said, "I COULD USE A LAUGH,
I've got this CLOG that just won't pass!
Oh, it's not a pipe,
It's my job at NITE --
I'm a ticket-taker at a Disney World smash!"
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteGot through this one unassisted, and I enjoyed the punny theme once I figured it out, but it was touch and go in spots. EDNA and ASO were complete unknowns and having ELUDED before EVADED really messed me up for awhile. I really wanted REP for 9D, but knew it couldn't be right since the clue didn't indicate an abbreviation in any way. It wasn't until I finally went with EVADED and I was able to get everything else in that section that I was forced to go with it anyway.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHad to change ARG to URU, but otherwise my grid is blob-free. Got the theme HABITS AND PIECES, and that helped. Cute, JW.
There's a convent just up the road from us, though they call it a monastery. We hear 'em ding-donging every morning.
We've got a half-dozen WEB-FOOTED residents in our 'hood -- four mallards and two black ducks. We've also got a pond, but I've never seen those ducks anywhere near it. They prefer the ditches. Go figure.
"Black LAB" is timely. I found a mangy black LAB pup while bike riding about three weeks ago. He'd obviously been dumped, and was close to death from the heat. Took him to the vet, and we've been trying to rehabilitate him since then. I'm happy to say he's feeling and looking much better. In a few weeks, we hope he'll be fully cured, so we can put him up for adoption.
THREE PUTT is a disappointment? I'd call it a miracle.
BALD EAGLE, because Dead Presidents was too long.
JWechsler on a Friday? Knew it was going to be a mind bender. But I got you Jeffrey! You're gonna have to make it tougher than that! Up to the challenge? Great puzzle, BTW...
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteSeeing JW's name on a Friday puzzle is similar to seeing Barry Silk's (we miss you, Barry) on a Saturday puzzle: You know you're in for a challenge but you also know it's going to be a fun ride and a satisfying solve. (Most of the time, IMO.). Loved the theme and really loved the CSO to my much-loved and missed Bichon Frise, Fluffy. Had basic/banal and lips/ends but any other hiccups were overcome by the perps.
Thanks, Jeffrey, for continuing to challenge and reward us with your unique talents and thanks, Lemony, for being such a faithful and terrific tour guide.
90's today and tomorrow with high humidity. ACK!!!
Have a great day. Stay cool!
Fouls: BANAL, YEAH, and all the HAs.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who have access, Martin Ashwood Smith and George Barany are the creators of today's puzzle at that "other place." It's a toughie.
ReplyDeleteHits: BANAL, YEAH, and all the HAs.
ReplyDeleteDid not enjoy this at all.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight. Even after I got HABITS AND PIECES it took a few heartbeats before the theme became obvious, helpful and very entertaining!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-U.S. nuns data
-"We started the film without a script, without a cast and without a shark." — actor Richard Dreyfuss on the film's troubled production
-Roy’s operatic voice with pop hit It’s OVER (2:48)
-Some say that like our Minutemen, the Viet Cong showed an army defending its homeland against a superior army can be very effective
-College football TV game times are mostly TBA to satisfy the networks weekly criteria
-My hometown of Arlington, NE has appropriated Guthrie’s first name
-Most pols have a PAT answer replete with buzzwords to any question
-Are these the lyrics Sousa intended? ☺
-BASIC gave way to BASAL gave way to BANAL and sea FOAM to sea ROAR
-Am I the only one who immediately put NAPA for a 4-letter CA wine region?
-This movie was a real boost for Vivaldi 240 yrs after his death
13D: "at sea" is an oft found crossword answer. That's where I was with much of this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOnce again a challenging, fun puzzle from JW! Got the theme from SARAHAN WRAP and that helped HABITS AND PIECES fall into place as well as giving a foothold on the others. I had HABITS which helped was the nun part of the clue - but was AT SEA with the rest until I figured out the theme. Had never heard of EDNA valley - usually it's SIMI - learning moment of the day.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend- our Air Force son is driving through tomorrow helping some friends drive their cars/uhauls to Pennsylvania - so looking forward to seeing him even though brief!
Thanks Lemonade and JW!
ReplyDeleteIt was a JW Friday for sure. Although I did get the theme, I still needed red letters to finish the puzzle. Officially a DNF.
I knew the first few clues but then the first theme answer stumped me and I slowed to a crawl. Some fills that I didn't know were NLF, MAJA, ASO, ARLO, NAS and EDNA (wanted NAPA) but they ultimately fell to perps.
I did have a few issues with a couple of the entries, like ATSEA for bamboozled and REP for Commission recipient, but they weren't major.
Today is National Hot Dog day, so enjoy a dog on a bun.
You want cheap cheap meat.. then go to HOT DOG DAY tomorrow
ReplyDeleteThanks, JW, for a sparkling Friday offering. Thanks for the laughs! Got the reveal almost with I COULD USE A ?????, and then got it with SAHARAN WRAP, which made the rest of the puzzle gel.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lemonade, for another sparkling review!
Stay cool, all!
Lemonade - PAT
ReplyDeleteI agree that PAT as a noun or adjective does not mean "to the point", but I found in my U.S. MacDictionary an adverbial use of PAT which seems to be fit the bill like a bald eagle:
PAT (adverb): At exactly the right moment or in the right way; conveniently or opportunely: "The happy ending came rather pat."
So, I think we go that one down PAT without resorting to a PAT explanation for the answer (PAT). Worth a PAT on the back, or maybe a PAT of butter?
Oh and I think that the 31A clue could have been "DECA- minus BI- [or DI-]"
ReplyDeleteWow, a toughie after smooth sailing all week, had a feeling it wouldn't last. I almost stopped but just too stubborn. I thought this a real hard one with deceptive clueing. Finished but wow, what a workout.
ReplyDeleteAnd Saturday awaits.
After bumbling around a bit I dove to the bottom and soon had ------NWRAP. Knowing that Fridays often have add a letter or two, I easily wagged SAHARAN WRAP. Ah HA! the theme. After that it was a walk in the park.
ReplyDeleteELUDED before EVADED, soon fixed by ODD and BANAL. REP is so common in speech these days, it didn't raise any flag with me.
EDNA was all perps. I see it is quite a popular wine. I knew of only San Luis Obispo wineries.
Nice Cuppa, I like your take on PAT.
BAMBOOZLED and AT SEA can both mean completely confused. BAMBOOZLED does not need to refer to being taken advantage of, although it can do so.
Doesn't a three putt raise your stroke count above par and so is a disappointment? Just asking.
MAJA, BAJA and ARLO were gimmees. 6 across is plural so the center of ASO was likely S.
GOMER PYLE/JIM NABORS with his corn pone speech style came across as a complete surprise in this episode.
Lovely
BLUNTS had me thinkin' of something else ...
ReplyDeleteSmoke'em if ya got'em ...
Irish Miss, I wish I could send you some of my "refreshing rain."
(Geez, it's raining "Cats-n-Dogs").
Cheers!
Yellow rocks, thank you for the uplifting Jim Nabors link.
ReplyDeleteIt's best to have habits that don't involved pieces...
Daily prayer...
Bichon Frise, Dogs with attitude...
How guys can tell they need a break from shopping w/DW at the mall...
HaHa!
YR, you're exactly right about the THREE PUTT. It would be disappointing to an average golfer. But to those of us who are "above average," getting to the hole in only three putts would be a miracle.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme early on the Dave Clark Five Song HA-BITS AND PIECES and as is my habit I circled the HA in the other fills. But in THE FRENCH ALPHAS, I circled the wrong HA ( there are two HAs- ha ha) and just looked at it. But the perps were solid, so I let it go. Duh!
ReplyDeleteL- And I also do not understand the PAT answer, apt maybe but not 'pat'. Nor was I familiar with ASO volcano, EDNA valley, or the Zagros mountains. But since the clue wasn't abbreviated, ASIA seemed to be a logical guess. I had a few mis-starts: BASIC for BANAL, black OPS for LAB, and AUDI for OPEL.
Since my newspaper does not list the constructor, I didn't know it was a JW toughie until I clicked on the blog. Nice explanations Lemonade.
Nice Cuppa- I think the 'To the point' clue isn't worth a PAT on the back but worth a kick in the butt.
THREE PUTTs are rare in my game because I have some mental block about shooting the ball way past the hole and end up leaving way too many putts 2-3 feet short.
My one goof today was settling for EDD instead of ODD at 8D. I took "Not everyday" as being this rarer spelling of the nickname for Edmond, Edward, Edison, etc. (As for the perp, I didn't remember the correct spelling for Gomer Pyle's alter ego.)
ReplyDeleteAll in all, a very satisfying pzl. Thanks, to Messrs. Wechsler and Lemonade!
Lemonade's recall of marching nuns brings back my haunting memory of the Sisters who ran my school. I was the only Protestant kid for my first three grades at St. Vincent's in San Francisco, We had the "flying nuns," the ones with the full starched-wing headgear, such as this Sister is wearing. They had names like Sister Lucasta and Sister Griselda. They practiced corporal punishment too, but the worst penalty at their disposal was to pull the little basin of holy water from the wall and throw its contents in a kid's face (to drive out the devil, presumably). They characterized themselves as the "little sisters of the Poor." Talk about fearsome!
I lived one block from their convent house, and once while playing in a vacant lot next door, I threw a bottle, missed my target, and knocked out their window. Some older kids saw this & screamed, "Get him!" I ran as fast as I could - as a veritable lynch mob chased me home.
Only later, after my folks made restitution and I transferred to the public school, did I feel brave enough to go anywhere near St. Vincent's.
My online search for the headdresses worn by my school's Nuns has turned up a more accurate image.
ReplyDeleteThe one I posted earlier (@1:15 above) presented the right facial expression, but her "wings" were shorter than I remember. Check out these Nuns for the fuller wingspan. Their expressions seem more demure, even pleasant, so are perhaps a fairer presentation of these pious ladies. It may be only my distorting memory that assigned the grimmer visage.
Good after oon, folks. Thank you, Jeffrey Wechsler, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle took me a while. But it is a Friday.
Jaws was easy, once I had it. However, it took me a while to get it.
I just bounced around until I finally got the them. That helped with rest.
NABORS was easy. Tried ELUDED for the word under it. Fixed that to EVADED.
AT SEA was easy.
Tried LASSOS first. NOOSES appeared later.
MAJA again.
Lots of other trials and errors I made. It all worked. Finished it in Cleveland. Now on my way to Erie,
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
()
I was so close to getting a Friday Jeffrey Wechsler--had everything but the top middle. It killed me that I could picture the actor who played Gomer Pyle, but just couldn't remember the name of Jim NABORS and had to look him up. But after that I got everything else, and loved the theme. So many thanks, Jeffrey. And thanks for the fascinating information about URUGUAY, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI also had nuns teach me in grade school and high school, but had a wonderful experience--finding them kind and supportive, and smart and sometimes funny. Almost made me think about entering the convent at a time when most Catholic women ended up caring for huge families of kids rather than having careers. Glad I didn't, but I still treasure the positive memories.
Have a great day, everybody!
CED @ 12:56 - Thanks for brightening my day with your links, especially the one of that Bichon "Beau Brummell!" My Fluffy was a demure damsel who loved lobster scraps, pizza crusts and a nip of Scotch!
ReplyDeleteTin, maybe you could persuade the "Rain Gods" to head north soon!
Having spent 12 years under the tutelage of nuns and priests (no lay teachers back then), I could write a book about the experience, more good than bad.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteBig Easy @ 1258 - Nice picture of a lighthouse in a fog in your post.
I had the opposite experience to Lemon's with 21a. I knew the Zagros were in Iran so - 4 letters- ergo, Iran was entered. Wanting AVAILS and NESSIE forced me to reconsider and change it to ASIA.
But I liked the theme, after I sussed it. BILLY BUDDHA was funny; SAHARAN WRAP was dead-on brilliant.
Wanted ENS for Commission recipient, but there were no hints at abbreviation in the clue. So eventually perps pointed to REP which I guess doesn't need an abbreviation prompt. C'est la guerre.
Loved the long downs WEB-FOOTED and BALD EAGLE. The latter convinced me to change 'apt' to PAT.
A big ol' DNF for me today. I insisted on Simi Valley instead of EDNA Valley, which was such a "huh?" that I had to look it up: American Viticultural Areas (Wikipedia link). I still think it's a stretch as a clue :)
ReplyDeleteHands up for LASSOS, ELUDED, not liking PAT instead of APT, and for thinking REP should have been clued as an abbreviation.
Even so, thank you J.W. for the workout and Lemonade for helping me through it.
Irish Miss
ReplyDeleteI could send you some dehydrated water through the mail.
Our rain cooled us off so it's only 78 degrees right now.
Spitz
Dang, that's what it is ... a lighthouse in the fog. lol
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteNo real speed bumps in today's Jeff Wex, except that I spent too long trying to figure out the center grid spanner - I only noticed the first (coincidental) H-A sequence, not the second, and it made no theme sense. Oops!
Dear Misty & Irish Miss,
ReplyDeleteI did not mean to disparage the Sisters, only to report a couple of my recollections of them. Keep in mind that I was the only Protestant kid, nominally Presbyterian, surrounded by Catholics. I appreciate now that the nuns did not attempt to indoctrinate me. Whenever my class had to have Catholic religious training, they scrupulously moved me to sit in a different classroom until it was over. But I did get some frightening peeks at colorful images of devils in my classmates' texts and could only imagine what they were learning about those creatures. Unfortunately, my segregation only added to my sense of isolation.
I learned a serious lesson then about predestination. My parents sent me to the Catholic school because it was so close, and they planned to keep me there until 3rd grade when they thought me big enough to walk the long mile to Sherman Grammar School. I don't think they knew that the worst punishment in the nuns' arsenal was the threat, "I'll send you to Public School!"
I knew all along that was where I was heading.
Ha Ha, Y'all! The joke is on me I guess. I got the theme only after it was all laboriously filled. This is my least favorite of Jeff's puzzles of all time. But thanks for the little chuckles I finally got, Jeff.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get started at the top. Especially maddening was not remembering Gomer's name. DUH! We always watched him on TV. Finally drifted down to the bottom, and like YR, got some traction to work back up. Took some red-letter runs in key places.
BANAL, ODD, TEETH pretty obscure definitions. But YEAH, I knew BAJA, URAL, MAJA.
"Image on cabbage" was particularly annoying until enough perps gave me a WAG.
RAja before RANI. I think of a sovereign as male in India. I know. They have female heads of state there.
Agt before REP.
My problem with SAHARAN WRAP was that I don't think of a WRAP as a sandwich. If it had been clued as "Sheik's Garb", I might have got it. 100 degrees here today after a week of high & hot. I call this weather front a SAHARAN WRAP. No wonder I'm so cranky. But I have this wonderful A/C so I haven't stuck my nose out all week. I did laundry at 2 a.m. so as not to run the drier during daytime peak electric usage. In the olden days I had a solar drier a/k/a clothes line.
I couldn't finish this one without Google and red letters. I wanted COT at 41A because for some reason I had OTC at 31D. When I saw the clue "Pyle player" I fixated on Pyle turntables and couldn't shake it. I wanted IRAN as the Zagros Mountains locale and didn't want to give it up. At least I knew EDNA Valley because I've been researching houses for rent and things to do for a possible vacation in the San Luis Obispo area.
ReplyDeleteAn excellently constructed puzzle, and I thank you for it, Mr. Wechsler.
Lemonade, how is Alley Oop a mini-theme of your write up?
Best wishes to you all.
Nice Cuppa
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, much better.
Alley-Oop is not the mini-theme HYPHEN is
I have fond memories of nuns. I sent my protestant son to a Catholic school. The classes were smaller than in public school and he was on a third grade reading level before he started kindergarten. He also had a tendency to mischief when bored. I loved the Sisters who let him skip kindergarten after a week (public school wouldn't) and instilled a gentle discipline to civilize the little terror. They didn't kill his adventurous spirit. He became an USAF pilot. You need a super ego to do that.
ReplyDeleteOOPs! Thanks, Lemonade, for your fine expo. Thanks everybody else for great music and links. I've been in Siesta mode all day and enjoyed the company of all of you now.
ReplyDeletePK, I agree one needs plenty of ego and self confidence to be a (fighter) pilot. I worked with a squadron of them when I was in the USAF. I was sent to a boarding school run by a religious organization. I have to say the bad parts outweighed the good, and I became soured on organized religion ever since. The teachers there were the exact opposite of the Sisters you describe; they were narrow minded, rigid, dogmatic, punitive rather than supportive, etc. I had public school teachers who were far better, and some that weren't so good but nowhere near as bad as those "academy" guys.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the puzzle today and got the theme after the second entry. Tough slog, but it worked out.
ReplyDeleteOn the parochial schooling topic, I endured 8 years of education under that regime. Can't say that there's a single comment I could make that would support the notion that it's superior. Plenty that would paint a bleaker picture. I'm with Jayce on this. No compulsion for further comment.
How 'bout those Cubs? :-)
OMKeith @ 5:01 - In no way did I think you were disparaging the nuns. Some of the nuns I came in contact with were so stern and authoritarian they would frighten St. Peter himself, let alone a young child. OTOH, as Misty said, many more were encouraging, supportive, and truly had your best interests at heart. I remember my third grade teacher with great fondness because she instilled in me an enduring love of learning, working hard, and being the best you could be. I have no such fond memories of my fourth grade teacher who referred to me as Miss Paleface and, worse yet, took my Howdy Doody ring away from me.
ReplyDeleteTin, I'll look forward to that delivery! ☔️ ☔️ ☔️
Quick thanks to Jeff, Lem, & the Cornerites. Bro & I put our heads together and still DNF'd in the SW. I had fun impressing him w/ puzzle trivia and he had fun nailing me on guesses. Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that helped with my son, who never ever thought he was wrong about anything no matter what I said, was the Catholic practice of searching one's actions for sins. His first two teachers took a special seminar with him in mind. When he did bad, they would take his little face in both their hands and tell him he had done wrong. Each would insist he make eye contact with her and insist he tell her what was wrong about what he had done. Usually these were things that could cause physical pain to himself or another child. They were gentle but firm. It worked miracles. I'm not sure he has fond memories of their tactics. The nun who was principal was a saint who kept him when I was afraid he would be expelled at the request of other parents.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked with 4-Hers, the parochial school kids could get quiet and go to work on things better than the public school kids who were rowdier and more distracted. But maybe it was just the natures of the individual kids. By the time I put my son in public school for 4th grade, he was civilized enough that he didn't cause trouble any more.
I know that one of the nuns in the school where I sent my son was ineffectual as a teacher. Another had been so mean she was put in as librarian and never left alone with the kids without an adult present. But we also had some of those in the public schools. My fifth grade teacher hated me for some reason -- well, I did correct her when she made some blatant errors. I had chronic stomach aches while in her classroom and missed as much school as I could. Loved my 6th & 7th grade teachers who were inspiring and rarely was I sick those years.
Be sure to erase blank lines at the end,
ReplyDeleteLest a great white space should subtend!
Unless, like Big Easy,
You put a picture, sorta breezy,
Of a lighthouse in a fog, where long pathways wend!
I never thought I'd get through. Kept slogging and my THREE PUTT was TBd.
ReplyDeleteFunny someone mentioned"Pat of butter'. BUDDHA was punchline of a butter vs margarine commercial. Got lots of HAHAs
Sisters of St Joseph anyone? St Thomas of Aquinas. The full range of excellent to 'having problems'
The G U R signing out
Wonderful work done by you.You have excellently presented your blog post.Very informative.
ReplyDeleteTropical Art
Creative and enjoyable theme and puzzle! Challenging, but completely do-able!
ReplyDeleteA learning moment for me about the EDNA Valley. I pass that area several times a year on my way to San Francisco, visiting friends nearby in Paso Robles. But I never knew about this hidden treasure off the main Highway 101. I will have to check it out!