google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, June 3, 2019 Danny Reichert

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Jun 3, 2019

Monday, June 3, 2019 Danny Reichert

Theme: Big Plus - Last word is a person who adds things up. And a Plus Sign is featured in the middle of the grid.

17A. One who shuns alcohol: TEETOTALER.

59A. Venomous European viper: BLACK ADDER.

11D. Club sandwich pickup spot: DELI COUNTER.
 
25D. "The Queen of Disco": DONNA SUMMER.

Boomer here.

FORE!  We are finally getting SUMMER temps here in the frozen tundra!  Years ago I used to be a bogey golfer.  Then ADDER stepped into my age and I needed a stroke COUNTER to figure my score.  But I am still at it, however the TOTALER is producing three digit numbers in the final figure.
Across:

1. Medium's board: OUIJA. I remember as a kid we thought this was spelled WEEGEE.

6. Diner side dish with cabbage: SLAW.  C.C, and my favorite.  We buy the bags already prepared with green and purple cabbage and chopped carrots.


10. Wood-shaping tool: ADZE.

14. "Bolero" composer Maurice: RAVEL.

15. Like takeout food: TO GO.  Not a favorite here.  I cannot remember any take out meals.

16. Flowery Hawaiian greetings: LEIS.  Tiny bubbles, in the wine.
19. European peaks: ALPS. Do people really ski down these ??

20. Resembling a classic sheriff's badge: STARLIKE.  Did sheriff Andy Taylor give one to Barney Fife?

22. Hoppy pub order, for short: IPA.

23. Stroll in the shallows: WADE.  The Vikings had a quarterback, Wade Wilson.  Sadly he left us in February at the age of 60.


26. Rent collector: LESSOR.  Funny name for a landlord.

27. Playfully shy: COY.  A real Mc.

28. "It's just __ manic Monday": the Bangles: ANOTHER. Pleasant Valley Monday, Here in status symbol land!

30. __Tax: tax prep software: TURBO.

32. Days __: hotel chain: INN. Kinda like Motel 6.  Clean, neat, and inexpensive.  That's the way I like it.

33. Navy vessel letters: USS.  How sad that the USS John McCain became an issue. 

34. Make it to midnight on New Year's Eve, say: STAY UP.  Not me anymore.  I am usually in the sack by 10:00 PM.

36. Melodies: TUNES.  "Should old acquaintance be forgot …"

38. Religious principle: TENET.

40. Hanukkah pancakes: LATKES.  I have never seen or tasted these.  However, since we are talking about golf, years ago I was a caddy at an exclusively Jewish Country Club, and those wonderful gentlemen generously paid for my services, some of which I used for tuition at my Catholic high school. Now as an assistant bowling coach there, I am occasionally invited to share in a religious service with a Priest, a Rabbi, and a Christian Minister. 

43. Pixar specialty, for short: CGI.

45. Golf ball perch: TEE.  I would not call it a perch. I have the kind that always tee up at the same height.  The problem is that sometimes my driver is not at that height at the bottom of the swing.

46. Canonized one: SAINT.  My high school honors Saint Benildus, a Christian brother and teacher.  He was not yet a Saint when I attended but was canonized in 1967.  My Benilde High School was joined by St. Margaret's Academy and is now attended by young men and women.  Several of each who are on the bowling team. 

47. Bow-and-arrow pros: ARCHERS.  I am reminded of pro golfer George Archer who won the Masters in 1969.  (Remember?  This was when the final four holes of Augusta were on CBS for maybe 2 hours of a Sunday in April.)


49. Beast with a beard: GNU.

51. Empower: ENABLE.

53. Formerly, old-style: ERST. I am thinking this is half a word WHILE I am working on this.

54. Drummer's __ shot: RIM. I hate it when NBA 7 footers hang on it after a dunk.

55. 17-Across' condition, always: SOBRIETY. Me too. I am told that Zytiga and alcohol don't like each other.

57. Peak: ACME.  Remember when the coyote, chaser of Road Runner, many times ordered something from ACME.  I think he got it from Amazon.
63. Sigh of relief: PHEW.  You use this when you hit the Titleist way right or left, and discover that it hit a tree and ended up in the fairway.

64. Kid's building block: LEGO.  I see this frequently in puzzles.  We did not have them when I was a kid, but I seldom see "Tinkertoys" in a puzzle.  There is a huge LEGO display and store in the amusement park area at Mall of America. 


65. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

66. Response during attendance-taking: HERE. "Making each day of the year …. Here, There, and Everywhere !"

67. Physics work units: ERGS.

68. Used a keyboard: TYPED.  We had a "Royal" when I was a kid.  I learned on a "Smith Corona".  However I am nowhere near as quick as C.C.  I think she could do 100 WPM.  Now there's a three-letter acronym with all consonants.

Down:

1. Scrap of food: ORT.  I had an ort of watermelon this weekend.

2. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Nice place to visit but I cannot afford to live there.

3. "__ been had!": I'VE.  I've had it with three letter words.

4. Globetrotting group: JET SET.

5. Multitudes: A LOT.

6. Creepy watchers: STARERS.  Saw a few of these at the Golden Bear's Memorial Tournament.  Did you hear that he is auctioning his 18 major tournaments Rolex and the result will benefit the Children's health charity that Jack and his wife, Barbara founded. He is expecting around $18 Million!!


7. Lounges around: LOLLS.  Laughing out loud with a Lucky Strike.

8. Ones who discriminate against seniors: AGEISTS.  I have never heard of this but if I meet one I will kick him right in the knee.  (That's all the higher that my leg goes now.)

9. Exercise routine: WORKOUT.  Maybe if I do this I could kick higher ??

10. Chicken __ king: A LA.  I wonder if they sell this at the KFCs in Alabama
12. Nada: ZIPPO.  I used to have a Zippo lighter when I smoked.  So did every other smoker that I knew.  I think they are collector's items now.  (The plastic butane throw away ones made Zippo obsolete.)

13. A college applicant may have to write one: ESSAY. Yup, now that they caught rich people buying their kids way in.

18. Accounts: TALES.

21. Inconsistent: ERRATIC.  My golf swing.

23. Stand by: WAIT.  For my buddy to tee off.

24. Declare void: ANNUL.  Take a mulligan.

29. "Siberian" dogs: HUSKIES.  Nickname for Saint Cloud State College (MN) Sports.  Huskies sounds a little more fierce than Gophers


31. "Later": BYE.  "Bye Bye Love, Bye Bye Happiness"  Everly Brothers.

35. Equals on a jury: PEERS. I'll have to look into that.

37. Approx. landing hr.: ETA.  I was reading in "Money" Magazine the other day that SPIRIT Airlines has improved in reaching their ETA on time.  We used Sun Country in February and they were late both ways. 

39. Student's hurdle: TEST.

41. Dignify: ENNOBLE.

42. Less likely to tip over: STABLER.  Ken Stabler was Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.  Ken Passed away in 2015.  The sports world lost Bart Starr (Green Bay) and Bill Buckner, (Cubs, Red Sox and others) last week.


43. Colorful cats: CALICOS.

44. Like the alphabet with alpha and beta: GREEK.  Jimmie the Greek was a famous Las Vegas Bookmaker.

48. Prime time?: HEYDAY.  "Say Hey" Willie Mays began his career in Minneapolis for the Millers in 1951.  I only saw him once in person in 1957 when the Giants came to town for an exhibition.  He hit a home run over the left field bleachers and into Met Stadium parking lot.  About 500 feet from home plate.

49. Visual aid in a statistics text: GRAPH.

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE.  I pronounce this NIKE.  They make inferior equipment.

52. Fort __, NC: BRAGG. Named after General Braxton Bragg.  Huge Army base.  I was never invited there.

56. Social skill: TACT.

58. Female sheep: EWE.  I think C.C. put some pickle relish on her watermelon.  How's that for EWE.?

60. Elegant dance floor move: DIP.  Ritz Crackers are pretty good into the French onion DIP.

61. Poetic "before": ERE.

62. Curtain holder: ROD.  We just installed one in our shower.

Boomer



Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen, who turns 69 years old today, I think. May you stay forever young to entertainment us for years to come, Owen!


48 comments:

D4E4H said...

FIR in 23:14 min.

Marvelous Monday mates!

Thank you Danny Reichert for this enjoyable CW.

Thank you Boomer for your humorous review.

My favorite was 35 D -- Equals on a jury: PEERS. "I'll have to look into that."

HBD OwenKL.

Ðave

OwenKL said...

Did you notice European peaks: ALPS was symetric with Peak: ACME and European viper: BLACK ADDER
Does SPIRIT airlines have OUIJA inflight magazine boards?

OUIJA boards can be scary things,
Unsettling in the TALES they bring.
In seance sets,
Jaunty planchettes
Announce abstruse word strings!

GNUS are seldom discussing the news.
Chews on their cud are what they choose.

Birthday suits may have their NICHE
They come without a single stitch.
They can't un-RAVEL,
But with travel
The wrinkles, on your age will snitch!

{A, B, B+.}
Quiz, can you identify the 3 types of poems above? ("l'ick" doesn't count.)

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Liked this fun puzzle, Danny, thanks! Thanks, Boomer, for giving me some early Monday chuckles.

I sorta kinda got the theme, but wasn't sure, until Boomer confirmed it. SUMMER threw me off.

Went thru this so quickly that I didn't see the clues for about five downs, including LEGO. My boys and grandsons loved those things.

TEETOTALER & SOBRIETY describes me. I never got along well with alcohol. One drink and I'd say anything to anyone at any time (inappropriatly). Then I'd go to sleep. Better not to imbibe. I'm so unsteady on my feet, the neighbors probably think I drink now.

AGEIST: that's me too. I think we should pass a law that no one over 60 should run for POTUS. I've been around too many old people with dementia causing problems. Now I'm old and I know it's not a good time to run for anything except the bathroom.

Boomer: kicking a knee is usually disabling. Not much need to go higher very often. You aren't likely to attract a lecher.

Happy Birthday, Owen! 69? You young whipper-snapper you! May you have a year of fewer blues and more joy to go with your talent.

PK said...

Missing Yellowrocks!

Lemonade714 said...

Damn OKL. you are a youngster. HBDTY and many more.

Boomer, you never fail to deliver. Danny, I like how you included the deceptive SUMMER as one of your themers. Tricky for a Monday.

I give myself an ESP award for using TEETOTALER in my Friday write-up of JW.

Boomer, not only am I impressed with your humor, but your continued spirit going to bowling tournaments and playing golf. Keep on. And speaking of golf, you mention the 1969 Masters -50 years ago - which was won by GEORGE ARCHER whose story you can read by clicking his name.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Boomer and friends. Today's puzzle was easy, but the theme evaded me. ADDER and SUMMER are awkward words for adding things up, so the terms didn't jump out to me.

I liked how ENABLE crossed with ENNOBLE.

Stroll in the Shallows = WADE was my favorite clue.

Happy Birthday, Owen!

QOD: A secret is something you can only tell one person … at a time. ~ Allen Ginsberg (né Irwin Allen Ginsberg; June 3, 1926 ~ April 5, 1997)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Hahtoolah, when I saw ADDER and SUMMER I thought it was an odd pairing, almost like a theme. Oh, it is the theme. D'oh! Tried STEADIE_ and ran out of room. Interesting to see TEE and TEETOTALER in the same puz. Nice Monday outing, Danny. Boomer, you were at the top of your game this morning. (I'm sure there's more to that priest, rabbi, minister story...)

ORT -- Can you eat an ORT? I thought it was the scrap left over.

AGEISTS -- Boomer, Bim, Bam, Bee, kick him in the knee. Bim, Bam, Bass, kick him in the other knee.

BYE -- Bye Bye Love is the first '45 I can remember buying. That was way back in '57.

ZIPPO -- I've still got one with the blue "Z" logo of my first awl-patch employer.

HBD, Owen.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Happy Birthday to Owen.

Easy solve; no searches were needed. Some spellings like LATKES had to WAIT for the perps. Nice work, Danny.
Glacial ERRATICS in Central Park, NY.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but had to erase UAe for UAR. I blame decaf and my cardiologist.

Bangles are a staple on the oldies station I listen to. It's funny that Green Day and Sound Garden are now oldies groups too. I've been spending more time on the country stations lately.

I always thought it was "more STABLE", and that STABLER was the guy who put the horses away.

I celebrate my SOBRIETY every May 1st. Three so far.

Thanks for the fun, easy puzzle, Danny. However, this time you have to take a back seat to Boomer's punderful review and PK's terrific insights. Boomer, I thought I was reading the start of a joke: A priest, a rabbi and a minister walked into a bar.....

HBD to OKL. Keep on top of those blues.

PK said...

TEETOTALER: is that someone counting his golf equipment?

Spitzboov said...

PK - No. I believe it is an employee in an underwear shop taking inventory.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I guess I was in La La Land while solving this because the theme went sailing right over my head. I thought the Teetotaler and Sobriety entries were the theme and was all set to comment on the weakness of just two themers. Shame on me. I'll blame my obtuseness on being subjected to too many onesies, swaddling blankets (heretofore, receiving blankets), baby bathtubs, baby monitors, baby wipes, etc. at the shower yesterday. How did all you older mothers manage without all these current gadgets, conveniences, and plethora of must-haves to care for a newborn? Anyway, I had no problems or stumbles, other than missing the theme.

Thanks, Danny, for a fun, if oblivious, solve and thanks, Boomer, for a chuckle-laden review. Your humor is always a pick-me-up and was really appreciated this morning. Thanks, also, for explaining the theme to Miss Myopia!

Happy Birthday, Owen, and best wishes for chasing those blues away! 🎂🎁🎈🎉🍾

FLN

DO

Thanks for the correction on Thora Birch. I guess the other actress is more familiar to me but, apparently, not by name.

Have a great day.

Arod said...

PK and Spitz

I parsed it as a child of a Yankee or Mariner crawling around the clubhouse wearing only a white shirt. :)

TEE TOT ALER

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Danny Reichert, for a fine puzzle. thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.

OwenKL: Happy Birthday, my Brother.

Puzzle went easily. I had to print it via mensa since cruciverb is out to lunch again.

Zipped right through this one. The theme eluded me. I guess I did not think too deeply. And, the plus sign in the center should have been a clue.

I even spelled OUIJA correctly.

I like IPAs, generally. Some they brew too strong, ie: high alcohol. I always read the label.

I don't get 43A, CGI.

LEGOs are neat toys for kids. Just don't step on one in your bare feet.

Off to my day. Lots to do.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

oc4beach said...


AOS (As Others Said) I ran through the puzzle quickly and didn't even see many of the down clues until I read Boomer's great write-up. I also didn't see the theme because the solve went so quickly. Mr. Reichert presented a nice easy Monday puzzle for us to get our week started.

Abejo @ 9:11 - CGI stands for Computer Generated Imagery. Most animated movies and TV shows are done with CGI these days instead of hand drawn CELS (a Crossword Staple).

When I was a kid the closest toy we had to LEGOs was American Bricks. I still have a set of them in the basement, along with my Erector Set, Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. Plus we still have thousands of LEGOs in a box from some of the LEGO sets that my kids played with. Someday I hope they come home and take them with them.

Have a great day, everyone.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A fun run for this math guy who got the theme but alas didn’t see the big + sign
-My TEE time washed out today with yet more rain here on the Great Plains
-I once ADDED “TO GO” while using a burger drive-thru. Doh!
-TURBO tax saves hours for me in this way too complicated process.
-SOBRIETY is a condition that escaped my dad until 1971 when persistent nose bleeds sent him to the hospital and the DT’s hit
-Bic Lighter : ZIPPO = Bic Pen : this old favorite of mine
-I played once with a guy who made us WAIT for at least 30 seconds over every one of his putts and he still missed by 10’
-My niece’s mom does not care for cats but she and her dad took in her CALICO kitty Lola. Guess whose lap Lola seeks out
-A pale, but sincere imitation follows:
Owen is our site’s muse
Employing every rhyme he can use
In celebrating three score and nine
His offerings still flowed like wine
Complementing my morning juice

CanadianEh! said...

Not ANOTHER manic Monday. Thanks for the fun, Danny and Boomer.
I was surprised that this was a themeless Monday. Oh, it wasn't! (Good observation about the plus sign in the centre of the grid, Abejo.)
I started thinking that the theme was going to be "Star-crossed lovers" with the 6D STARERS and 20A STARLIKE. But there was no more Shakespeare. (Actually one of you constructors might follow-up on that idea!?)

Learning moment today. I always thought it was TeaTotalers, thinking that they drank tea and not alcohol. But I'va did not fit the non-Italian 3D clue (AnonT will get this:)

I have used the Canadian version of TurboTax for years (started back when it was called Quick Tax). I agree with HuskerG about the time it saves (as it is your ADDER and more!).

This Canadian had to wait for BRAGG to fill with perps. We have had several forts lately; perhaps I should add them to my list of American things to memorize LOL.

My sons split up their large collection of LEGO and took them to their homes. Now the grandchildren are enjoying them.

Thanks oc4beach. I can never remember the meaning of CGI either.

HEYDAY is a fun word. Its origin per Google, apparently, is in 'the late 16th century (denoting good spirits or passion): from archaic heyday!, an exclamation of joy, surprise, etc."

Happy Birthday OwenKL!
Yes PK, I commented last night about missing YR. Hope there are no problems.

Wishing you all a great day.

PK said...

Spitz & AROD: LOL! Well, I guessed we milked TEETOTALING for about all it is worth, didn't we. Good ones, guys! Boomer is an inspiration for us all.

CanadianEh! said...

I forgot to comment on RIM which made me (like Boomer) think of basketball not drumming.
Raptors lost to the Warriors last night, 109-104, coming out flat in the 3rd quarter. Exciting series!
#WeTheNorth

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you, Danny and thank you, Boomer.

Solved the puzzle, read the review, and went back to sleep for a few more hours. All three were good.

PK, hon, you would say what's on your mind ? Direct and to the point ?

Happy Birthday, Owen !

Surprised to see so many fans of Bye Bye Love

Husker Gary, DW and I decided to try the new Sonic when it first opened. Yes, I said it too.

Boomer, how about those Twins ? They continue to impress, offensively and defensively.

I don't like slow play on the golf course. I am happy that the USGA has adopted many new rules this year designed to speed up play.

SwampCat said...

Thanks Danny for a quick and easy enjoyable puzzle. I loved SAINT crossing STABLER because Snake STABLER ended his football career in New Orleans. People bemoaned his being past his prime but he was still fun to watch.

Boomer, your sparkling expo was fun , as always. I had no idea TEE could be used in so many ways.

Owen, happy Birthday and thanks for all the gifts you give us!! You are such a blessing to us!

desper-otto said...

Jeopardy! watchers -- today's the day that James Holzhauer eclipses the dollar total racked up by Ken Jennings. Or does he?

Misty said...

Perfect Monday puzzle, Danny--many thanks. I zipped right through this one and had to slow down a little only as I neared the bottom. When I was done I wondered if I had missed the mention of the theme along the way. Couldn't find it and realized we had to figure it out on our own. So I went to all the longer items and there it was: TOTALER, COUNTER, ADDER, and SUMMER! Only I foolishly didn't see the huge PLUS in the middle of the grid until Boomer pointed it out. Great fun, and I noticed that the puzzle also had a very positive life focus, with SAINT, SOBRIETY, ENABLE, ENNOBLE, LEIS, and others. And I enjoyed your always delightful commentary, Boomer--many thanks for that too.

BYE BYE LOVE is going to be a new ear-worm for me, I suspect. That'll actually be a help. Ever since watching a TV special with Archie and Edith Bunker singing their theme song, I've been waking up every morning with that one in my ear. Only BYE BYE LOVE is such a sad teenage song, isn't it?

C.C. thank you for the picture of Owen, and have a wonderful, wonderful birthday, Owen.

Have a great week, everybody.

Old Okie said...

Another typical Monday puzzle, fairly easy. You guys up north may still be in a frozen tundra, but here in Oklahoma we are mowing grass, in between rains, I mow the biggest part of five acres and when it rains every other day it makes it difficult.
At least my pond is full, the fish like it.

CrossEyedDave said...

Breezed right thru this Monday puzzle so fast I forgot
to look for the Theme...
(Oh well, at least I didn't get Addled...)

Boomer said:
20. Resembling a classic sheriff's badge: STARLIKE. Did sheriff Andy Taylor give one to Barney Fife? Of course he did!

SIberian DOgs?

Oy! I am way to familiar.
Yesterday she dug a hole in the backyard
so deep I thought she was going for China.
Hmm, in relooking at the angle of her descent,
she might have been going for Siberia after all...

Happy Birthday OwenKL!

ACtually, I was thinking you might prefer a birthday gift with more "teeth" to it...

desper-otto said...

CED, I thought you were offering OKL some bitey DOGgerel.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Happy birthday, Owen! I'll add my wishes for more poetry and fewer days of gloom for you as well as a long life!

Thanks to Danny Reichert for the sparkly fill and Boomer for the chuckles! I saw the theme! I scanned the grid and it all ADZE up. Ooh, sorry about that. I'm just trying to keep up with all your punning.

This was quick and fun. It filled faster than I can write and I didn't notice the plus sign in the middle! Thank you again, Boomer.

I'll take my leave now.

Have yourselves a splendiferous day!



Bill G said...

Thanks and various good wishes for Danny, Boomer, CC, Owen, Rich and anybody else who deserves our gratitude and/or may need a little boost.

jfromvt said...

Entertaining write up Boomer! Loved all the sports references!

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. Just the opposite from several of you, I did notice the big black plus in the center of the grid but TOTALLY missed the theme. I also noticed there seems to be A LOT of plurals in the puzzle.

Happy birthday, Owen. Good catch on the European peaks, European viper, and Peak. By the way, I failed your quiz.

I really liked the virtuoso guitar playing of the Everly Brothers, especially evident in Bye Bye Love and Wake Up, Little Suzie. Just good playing and singing, no electronic enhancement.

Good wishes to you all.

Picard said...

I wanted to thank Wilbur Charles from last Wednesday for the shout out about ENTERPRISE and Picard. And to thank Jinx for the shout out last Friday for the TNG reference.

Today we have USS as in "USS ENTERPRISE" which was an actual Navy ship as well as the ship commanded by Picard.

Thanks for thinking of me. I do still read the Crossword Corner. Those two days were also full of political conflict which is why I will rarely be posting.

Here is an article I wrote on a wonderful art event we had here over Memorial Day weekend. I hope it does not cause any conflict.

I was surprised yesterday's CC puzzle coverage got so few comments. Thanks for the humor today, Boomer. Especially connecting LATKES and golf. LATKES are delicious and I hope you get a chance to have some!

Happy Birthday Owen!

AnonymousPVX said...


This was a clever Monday puzzle.

No real issues, but...

Markovers....ZILCH/ZIPPO....Big on that like a hungry fish.

I had no idea that so many here are Friends of Bill, whether formally or otherwise. I don’t imbibe by choice, I dislike the taste of alcohol. The only drinks I like are ones like Long Island Iced Tea, where the liquor is almost tasteless. And those are brutally effective, too much so. So I just don’t.

I prefer more herbal relaxation in the comfort and safety of my home.

We’ve been mowing lawns now for a couple months. At least the 100° has gone.

See you tomorrow.

OAS said...

A good day to all.
Quick fun run through the puzzle this morning , thanks Danny Reichert and Boomer.
Happy birthday OwenKl. Always a pleasure.
Yesterday's History,
Tomorrow a Mystery ,
So have fun today !

Cheers

Haiku Harry said...


Two statisticians
Argued about pencil lead;
They had a GRAPH fight ...

Golf course hires non-
Drinkers, to count bags of pegs.
They’re TEE TOTALERS ...

Haiku Harry

Ol' Man Keith said...

Yay, Owen! ~
HBD Man! You're getting on Up There In Years, right?

Today's pzl: Probably the fastest time I ever did. No misdirections, no "clever" cluing. Just whizzed on through!

What theme? Who knew? Thank you, Boomer, for breaking out the theme fills for us, but nothing in the LA Times gave us a hint that anything was afoot.
Except of course for the marvelous "Plus" sign in the middle of the grid. Yes, I see it now.

Misty ~
Funny--your mentioning the Archie/Edith duet--"Those Were the Days"--as your waking-up song. Same here! I had it so stuck in my head I had to go on line to be sure of all the words. Then I sang it around the house--and for sure had it in my dreams as I woke up for 2 or 3 mornings.
We can't be the only ones. There must be something especially mnemonic about a song one heard decades ago being repeated after a long absence.
I wonder if maybe half--or even a quarter--of the millions who watched the show's revival had the same experience?!
(Strouse & Adams may be gnashing their teeth over lost royalties...)
~ OMK

Lucina said...

Picard, it's good to see you! The artwork is stunning! Thank you for sharing that with us. I've missed the kinetic activity from your town as well as your many pictures.

Yellowrocks said...

Happy birthday, Owen and here's to a healthy happy year for you.
This ADDed up to a fine puzzle, although I didn't notice the clever plus sign in the middle.
One of my favorite dishes was (is) PA Dutch potato pancakes. Growing up in rural PA, I never met a Jewish person until I attended college. There I first heard of latkes and realized that latkes are very similar to our potato pancakes.
Welcome back, Picard. I missed you. I love chalk paintings, as well as sand art. Thanks for the pics. I, too, stopped posting whenever I might raise any objections or disagreements. Bland seems to be the order of the day. Better to hang back.
CE DAVE, lovely dog.
I hear quite a few college applicants do not write their own essays or else they have them punched up and greatly edited by better writers. My parents valued independence and self sufficiency in their offspring.
Thank you, PK and Canadian Eh! for your concern. I am alive and well. Alan is doing great and is very happy. We talk on the phone a couple times a day and he comes home on weekends. 24-7-365 is actually not as sane or pleasant as this type of moderation.

Mike Sherline said...

Picard - good to see you post. Great pictures and article, as always. All the best.

Mike Sherline said...

Owen - I hope you're able to get on top of that depression and have a happy birthday, young man.

OwenKL said...

Birthday? I don' need no steenking bir'day! 😠

My poetry quiz: Limerick and couplet were easy, but did anyone notice the acrostic?

HG: Thank you for the poem!! Not quite as good as mine (he says faux-humbly) but a very good piece of poetry!

Do the black squares of the + sign get included in the theme letter count? They should!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this STABLER,

Wish I'd had LEGOs when I was a kid. I had Lincoln Logs and two types of toy bricks -- one hard white plastic, one soft red rubber -- that didn't fit with each other, and were never enough for the castles I wanted to build.

PK-- liked your political comment! 🙂

C,Eh! --Star-crossed lovers? Romeo, Juliet, Kate, Petruchio crossing Betelgeuse, Altair, Sirius, Vega?
I thought it was TEA-TOTLERS.

CED-- Ooh, I do love chocolate!

Lucina -- ADZE LOL!

Picard -- don't stay away so much! That art festival was magnificent!
YR-- ditto!

Haiku Harry: Very good, as always. Loved the GRAPH fight!

A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister
Walked into an alley sinister.
There they shared
How they were "spared"
From gutter balls by a coaching kibitzer!

A drunken old roue of a sailor
Staggered into a whorehouse from his whaler
He slurred his request
For T. or A., the best:
"Wha' I want is some TEET O' TALER."

Ol' Man Keith said...

Owen ~
Well, yeah, we notice the acrostic NOW.
But at first I was searching for the meaning of BTTBT!
(Guess I needed your fingers on the other side of that planchette...)

And did you happen to notice the flat-out solution answer in my b'day greeting?
~ OMK

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Danny for the fun puzzle; thanks Boomer for the lively expo to kick-off the after-party. //Like D4 said, your "PEERS" aside was particularly funny.
Thanks too Boomer for pointing-out Danny's extra touch with the + in the middle.

WOs: Hand-up thinking it was TEa* TOTALER; LATKaS, NItch.
ESPs: RAVEL
Fav: BLACK ADDER [2:19]

{A, B+, A |B, LOL} //I know you don't like the B-word, so... Always wishing you the best, esp. today.

Picard - Thanks for stopping by The Corner with your article. I thought the images in 3D were really neat.

PK, Spitz - LOL your alternate definitions of TEE-TOTALER.
Haiku Harry - LOL GRAPH fight!

Oc4 - I had American Bricks too. Pop and I still like playing with them. In fact, he keeps buying more whenever he comes across them at a flea-market or when a client says, "I'm getting rid of this stuff, want any?"

PVX - I had to lookup Friends of Bill. While I was at it, etymology of teetotal [Wiki]

Great, now I gotta go lookup acrostic.

Cheers, -T
*I'va feelin', C,Eh! is-a makina' funna da way I tawk :-)

OwenKL said...

OMK: Indeed I did! Sorry I forgot to mention it. Ironic that the _J had a birthday theme on the nativity of a birthday hater!

CanadianEh! said...

I see that Boomer actually pointed out the plus sign. I missed that.

Good to hear from you Picard. Beautiful art. Keep posting even if only occasionally.

YR, glad all is well with you and Alan. You can certainly enjoy this new stage of life.

Husker Gary said...

Owen, I knew you would appreciate the effort and the quality was what it was. :-)

Jayce said...

Picard, thanks for the post.

Misty said...

Ol'Man Keith, how amazing that you too had "Those Were the Days" in your head after hearing it on television. Yes, it would be fascinating to find out if others had the same experience. Really interesting possibility!

Haiku Harry said...

Anonymous T:

Thanks for the LOL at my haiku.

FYI, in case you hadn't looked it up: an acrostic (generally, a limerick poem) uses the first letter of each line to spell a word. Owen used the word OUIJA to start each of his poetry/limerick lines in his first offering.

Limerick Larry mentioned these, and if I remember correctly, he used one when he last commented here.

Happy belated birthday, Owen