google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, February 22, 2020, C.C. Burnikel

Gary's Blog Map

Feb 22, 2020

Saturday, February 22, 2020, C.C. Burnikel

Saturday Themeless Puzzle by C.C. Burnikel


Today we get a very nice themeless effort from our resident den mother C.C. Here you can see her with yours truly when Joann and I visited with her and Boomer in our hotel lobby in Minneapolis while we were there for a wedding. I'm not sure how often she wears that Husker shirt but I it gave me a lot of pleasure to give it to her.

She and this website has been an invaluable addition to my life after retirement. We have collaborated on a few puzzles but I really value our exchanges about themes, fill and titles plus events in our private lives.

C.C. also has served as a portal for me to make contact with the wonderful 35. Buddies, in slang: PEEPS who frequent this site. I am honored she has trusted me to take over the Saturday blogging. You can not imagine how patient she was with me when I started. She had more faith in my abilities than I did.

When I asked her about this puzzle and its seemingly random long fill, she replied, "I don't have any note for the puzzle. Sorry. The long fill for themeless are always random, unless there's a mini theme where two entries are placed symmetrically. The goal is just to get the smoothest fill possible."

Let's  see what Zhouqin has for us today:

Across:

1. Rubber-stamped item?: INK PAD.

7. Rose's record 14,053: AT BATS Every major league dugout has Rule 21, which you see below, posted in it. Among other things Rule 21 forbids betting on games. Pete walked past it on his way to every one of the AT BATS but he not only bet on games, he lied about it for years and so The Hall Of Fame continues to deny him entrance.



13. Dessert for one, maybe: MINI PIE.

15. Cotton farm threat: WEEVIL - Brook Benton's distinctive voice gives us a song about the Boll WEEVIL



16. Handlers for a mixologist: ICE TONGS - We tend to use our hands here at home

18. Joey of *NSYNC: FATONE - Any real fan would know which one he is. Uh, I don't, but will identify him at the bottom * if you're interested



19. Liquid meas.: GAL.

20. Mythical mount that flies: PEGASUS - A real find on American Pickers features this mythical mount



22. '90s sitcom "__ and Stacey": NED It ran for a year and a half

23. Maintained: HELD - Some views pols HELD years ago have come back to haunt them

25. Invalid: NULL and void


26. Steep projection: CRAG - Would you walk out on a CRAG like this?

27. Shocker on a cop's belt: TASER.


29. High words: ODE - Words of high praise

30. "All done!": THERE.

31. Light lunch choices: VEGGIE WRAPS 

34. Pinkish nail polish shade: CORAL - Redux from last Saturday

36. "That could work": NOT A BAD IDEA - 59. Sent revealing messages: SEXTED - Not so much!

38. Sheets, e.g.: LINEN and 45. One might be fit for a king: SHEET - Ah yes, we honor presidents with SHEET and LINEN sales in February

39. Score half: TEN - Honest Abe is the only reason we know that a "score" is 20.

40. Stadium souvenirs: STUBS - The average cost of Super Bowl ticket STUBS over the years



44. Some are random and kind: ACTS.

45. Alone, in a way: STAG - Going STAG is pretty rare for me now

46. Maui, for one: ISLE - I'd better take along a Snickers Bar




47. "Told ya!": SEE.



48. Hillary aides: SHERPAS - Five days after New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and his SHERPA Tenzig Norgay reached the crown of Mt. Everest in 1953, another crown was in the UK news


51. Springfield small business owner: MOE - Moe's Bar and not Apu's convenience store


52. Taste test need: TONGUE - that middle area sees playing time in our puzzles

54. Sun spot?: SOLARIUM 8. Hot spots?: TEAS - I suspect C.C. might have a spot of TEA daily in a Sun Spot SOLARIUM

56. Major course: ENTREE - My birthday ENTREE is a filet at Brother Sebastians in Omaha

57. Team on a football field: DEFENSE - "Push 'em back! Push 'em back! Waaay back!"


58. About 25% of California: DESERT.


Down:

1. "Maybe": I MIGHT.

2. City for which a creed is named: NICAEA - Constantine got Christian leaders together in 325 A.D. and they mostly agreed on the Nicene Creed. Dissenters were exiled.

3. Solemn sounds: KNELLS Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard - The curfew tolls the KNELL of parting day," Thomas Gray

4. Date center: PIT - Same for a peach, apricot, et al

5. Each: A POP - The Michelin tires I bought last week were around $200 A POP

6. It goes with wine: DINE - I have never been wined and dined. I got a Big Mac once...

7. Really bad: AWFUL.

9. Get in the pool: BET - Pools like this were very common in our teacher's lounge 



10. Sellers of some beauty products: AVON REPS 

11. Problems for ones making notes?: TIN EARS - An observation from our crossword friend Ari I've used before



12. Heavy hitter: SLEDGE.

14. Starbucks holiday drink: EGGNOG LATTE - Yikes!



17. Many an Arab News reader: SAUDI.

21. Capsule for a nap: SLEEPING POD - Students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology can catch a safe and secure nap between classes in these PODS. I'll bet last week's constructor Julian Lim has studied the effectiveness of this practice 



24. Allocates: DEVOTES.


26. Flatbread similar to naan: CHAPATI - CHAPATI and Keema curry

28. Showed over: RERAN - When Sienfeld episodes are RERAN, Jerry and Larry David make millions

30. According to the poet's oldest son, it was written "by a window looking down a wooded hill": TREES Alfred Joyce Kilmer's poem

32. Shoot the breeze: GAB.

33. Unite: WED - An "L" can be inserted and the clue would still work 

34. What's inside: CONTENTS - Do you really want that Hungry Man Breakfast? 



36. "Impressive!": NICE ONE.

37. Sweeties: DEARS.

38. Went the distance: LASTED.



41. Where a lot of money is made: U.S. MINT - Will/should they quit minting pennies?

42. Top: BLOUSE 43. Appeared: SEEMED - It SEEMED Jerry agreed to wear this Pirate BLOUSE when he couldn't hear the "low talker" who asked him to



48. Litigant: SUER.

49. Bass and such: ALES - A 1953 vintage ad for Bass

50. Call at a base: SAFE - Some umpires maintain there is no such thing as "Tie goes to the runner". You're either SAFE or out

53. Hurdle for srs.: GRE - The Graduate Record Exam shows up here with the LSAT, PSAT, ACT, et al

55. Dog in the Reagan White House: REX - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel REX, takes first couple for a walk




Any comments for our Minneapolis sister?



*Joey is the second from the right on Justin Timberlake's right side

47 comments:

  1. DNF -- NE corner did me in. sTeAlS > AT BATS, SLug(g)er > SLEDGE, FAT ONE was completely unknown and inconceivable, NED was unknown, CHAPATI was unknown even with 6 perps in place.

    The place for a tryst is Château Hot SHEET,
    A cover hôtel where it's covert to cheat!
    There's clean LINENS on the bed,
    Clean ICE TONGS for the SEXTED --
    Just remember our slogan, "We're Hot Sh**t!"

    [Disclaimer, I spent years developing hotel accounting software, and the Hot Sheet Motel was my fictional test site.]

    Bellerophon flew riding PEGASUS!
    To soar on a horse is a special lust!
    They went on a tour
    Of each mountain tor;
    To plan their journey, they used CRAG's List!

    {R, A-.}

    ReplyDelete
  2. Boy, I can’t believe I finished a Saturday C.C. and FIR! I’m very proud of me. And I’m always glad to read Husker’s essays. Win-win today.

    My favorite today? ENTREE over DESERT. I know, I know; it’s not dessert, but it still looks cool.

    Second favorite? VEGGIE WRAPS over PEEPS. (Do you like your Peeps soft and fresh, or are you like my DW and slice open the package before putting it back in the cabinet for two or three weeks to get real stale?)

    The hardest part? In the northeast, where the crossing of FATONE and TINEARS held me up for waaay too long. Not knowing much at all about that band certainly did not help.

    Loved the misdirection in the clue for 48A!

    27A? Shocking.

    NICE ONE, C.C.!

    It’s bedtime. Bye.

    ReplyDelete
  3. FIR, but erased posse for PEEPS, solo for STAG, and avon lady for AVON REPS. My aunt sold AVON and Electrolux. She was a born sales REP - she sold a vacuum cleaner to a nurse while she (my aunt) was hospitalized following a heart attack.

    DNK MINIPIE, FATONE, NICAEA, EGG NOG LATTE or CHAPATI.

    OKL, I suspect that those twisted words of wit that make their way out through your fingers are influenced by your past encounters with FAT ONEs. But I could be wrong.

    C-Eh! wishes we would learn to spell DEFENcE. UNTIE!

    From my memories of my drinking days, the answer to "it goes with wine" should have been "everything". I've enjoyed a lot of vendor lunches with Diet Coke, and a few vendor dinners with good, expensive wine. But my favorites were vendor golf with hot dogs and beer at the turn, and vendor Cowboys games with finger food and open bar in the sky box.

    Thanks to CC for the fun challenge. And thanks to Gary for another good review, and for the insight to the Corner empire.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good morning!

    That A in TEAS/FATONE was my final fill, and a WAG at that. So is it FATONE or FAT ONE? ENTREE caused NaomiZ to question the English language yesterday. Nice outing, C.C., and I enjoyed the tour, as always, Husker. (Be careful whose meal you eat.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Easyish for a Saturday, but it still was a challenge. Very tricky cluing made this a real treasure hunt. Loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Most of the puzzle was nice and steady for me - but the NW was a challenge - partly because I had TSP before GAL; and though I knew of the Nicene Creed - I had no idea how to spell it - I would have guessed Nicea which was too few letters- so I had the NI and the A for quite awhile it took longer to fill in the rest with perps!

    The EGGNOG LATTE filled pretty quickly - though my personal favorite holiday drink is the Peppermint Mocha!
    I was obviously thinking medicine for the capsule in SLEEPING POD - so started with SLEEPING AID - but SHERPAS corrected that! I also had AL HITS for Pete Rose before AT BATS not having a good feel that 14,000+ would have been a lot of hits!!

    Nice Saturday combo with HG and CC! I have never met either in person - but I feel like I know them well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good morning everyone.

    What a nice surprise from C.C. Very smooth themeless with the appropriate degree of chewiness for a Saturday. Only 5 cells needed to be whited out, Finally saw BLOUSE. A liitle problem parsing the NE but once I settled on CRAG, CHAPATI and PEEPS, it all came home. Favorite clue was for TIN EARS.
    SHERPAS - SEEMs to be one of C.C.'s favorite words. Good choice.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hola!

    It's so good to be back home solving crosswords and reading your interesting comments once again!

    Thank you, C.C., for this nice Saturday challenge. It started slowly for me but once I had some fill, WEEVIL, NULL, etc, the grid blossomed nicely.

    I have heard of Joey FATONE but never knew why he is famous.

    The emergence of NICAEA was slow because I wasn't sure of the spelling but perps helped.

    It was surprising to see SHEET in the puzzle and #38 sheets as a clue.

    Thank you, Gary. Your work is always well done.

    It's raining here today and will likely LAST all day.

    Have a splendid day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unlike earlier in the week to have any chance at a Saturday finish a lot of WAGing is a must so an inky-less mess is a NICE IDEA but hardly ever happens..hoped IMIGHT FIR and it SEEEMED I succeeded

    Minipop to MINIPIE. Couldn't think of a flying "mountain" (NICE ONE). Favorite clue "hot spots" ...(CHAPATI a new word for me)

    ...why wont AVON "lady" fit? and ..oh..it's not"the" MINT.

    The "light lunch" answer should end in "salad"? nope. I tried and failed to WRAP that one up at first.

    The liturgical weekly recited NICene creed originates from NICAEA. Plus 2 other "NICE" answers as well...interesting.

    The original part of our hospital maintains its spacious bright SOLARIUM on each floor.

    Taking a SLEEPING "aid" just to take a nap made no sense..the P from SHERPAS fixed that.

    Does the Starbucks holiday EGGNOG drink cost a LATTE?

    Have a fun weekend to all my cornerite PEEPS.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I found this a little easier than most Saturdays,
    probably because I stuck with it longer because of the Constructor.

    (or because I had the red letters on,
    but I always have the red letters on on Saturdays...)

    Curiosity got the best of me re:
    Goes with wine...

    what could possibly NOT GO with Wine?

    I take exception at #5, Chocolate
    Many wine tastings include chocolate & various cheeses
    to enhance the wine...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fun puzzle. Despite betting on himself, Pete belong in the Hall of Fame. At least he didn’t like the Astros.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Stubs (that I’ve kept... 40A)


    First Baseball Game: Giants v. Cubs JUL 10 1964 Wrigley Field


    First Hockey Game: Canadiens v. Hawks APR 5 1970. Chicago Stadium. Google this game. (Very interesting story to the game.)


    Best Concert: FLEETWOOD MAC MAY 1 1977 Folsom Field @ CU (2 mos. after RUMORS came out. An incredible Day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oooh, always a treat to see a C.C. puzzle, even on a Saturday when it's likely to be a bit of a toughie. But I was delighted to get the whole southwest and more without any problems for a start, and then slowly other bits here and there. I put in NICENE but also wanted HELD and TASER, so that took a bit of adjusting. Got WEEVIL and AVON, but never heard of FATONE (who or whatever that is). Got PEGASUS right away and that helped with SAUDI and AWFUL. And so it went. My favorite answer was SHEET for 'fit for a king'--got that one right away and laughed out loud. So, many thanks for a fun Saturday morning, C.C. And I loved your kind commentary on both C.C. and your friendship, and on the blog, Gary--many thanks for that too.

    Have a great Saturday, everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hand up enjoyable ride with CC and Husker. Hand up that whole area of FATONE to CHAPATI was a challenge. Mr FATONE must have had to deal with a lot of grief growing up in the US.

    Learning moment about CHAPATI. I often eat Indian food but did not know this word. Learning moment about NICAEA. Hard to avoid religion with that creed. And learning moment about the word CRAG.

    Here I was on the tip of our Lizard's Mouth CRAG on a recent Sierra Club hike that I led.

    I knew words like "overhang", "outcropping" and "ledge" but now I know the correct word is CRAG!

    I have plenty of CORAL photos, some of which are at MAUI. And plenty of California DESERT photos, too. Another time.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi everybody. Gary and CC, very excellent!

    I don't like Pete Rose. It's not analysis or logic, just an emotional reaction to his attitude and personality.

    Yes, I think the mint should stop producing pennies.

    ReplyDelete

  16. Got the solve for this Saturday grid, but not without effort.

    Lots of misdirection, perfect for Saturday.

    Write-overs....NICENE/NICAEA, KEPT/HELD, SAT/GRE, CLEF/ALES. I thought it would be worse.

    Jinx....we called a FAT ONE a Fattie....if we're talking about the same thing.

    I’m of the opinion that both Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose both belong in the HOF. And there should be no winner for those World Series “won” by the Astros AND the Red Sox....just vacate them.

    “Hey Dad...how much does it cost to win the World Series?”
    “ Five million dollars, son...but only if you get caught cheating.”

    ReplyDelete
  17. From Thursday
    Wilbur Charles glad you finally got to see the Sammy CAHN Thoroughly Modern Millie credit. You said the latter is IRA with an asterisk. What was that supposed to be?

    I am curious if anyone looked at my photos of the LAVA TUBE? There was so much discussion of it that I thought it was worth the effort to gather that photo set.

    Steve I did indeed read Moby Dick in my freshman humanities class. My best friend at the time stood on the steps of the Harvard library shouting out "Hast thou seen the White Whale?" He later tore all the pages out of the book and tossed them from the top of the MIT entrance lobby. He was truly an eccentric genius.

    ReplyDelete
  18. In 2007, I was on a crag in Virginia with a granddaughter, a daughter, and a son-in-law. We were training for a hike up Half Dome. Somehow I was nearest to the edge.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Husker: I am always impressed with the number of "link" you put into a write-up.
    GOOD JOB !!!

    Kinda enjoyed my CSO at 11-d, TIN EARS. LOL
    (Especially since my "real" initials are ARI.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sorry, never heard the word "sexted" before...but,since it's in my spell check, I guess it's commonly used now-a-days. What will the techies come up with next??
    Also, a "STUB" is a really lame souvenir from a game. I speak as a parent/grandparent who's taken many a kid/grandkid to many sports events ...though, to think about it, it's a much CHEAPER souvenir!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I loved this puzzle. Such creative imagination! "Fit for a king" indeed. Also, as WikWak said, "I’m always glad to read Husker’s essays. Win-win today." Agreed.

    I didn't spell NICAEA correctly at first even though I have heard of the creed. I learned CHAPATI today. I don't have a TIN EAR but I still can't sing worth a hoot; would that be a "tin voice"?

    Speaking of KNELL, there was a category "Silent K" on Jeopardy recently. Sure enough, every answer was a word that started with KN, such as kneel and knock. Very easy, but it made me wonder if there are any English words with a silent K other than as the first letter followed by N, and I could not think of any. (Knickknack doesn't count, of course.)

    Although I don't remember Joey FATONE from *NSYNC I do remember he was on Dancing With the Stars a few years ago (back when LW and I used to watch it.) He explained that while his last name is Italian ("Fah-tone") he was regularly called "Fat One" while he was growing up and that he can laugh it off now. Lately he has been hosting a food show on the Live Well Network called My Family Recipe.

    I don't think I would go out onto a CRAG like that. Apparently that Lizard's Mouth CRAG is strong enough to hold 5 people.

    Owen, I loved your verses today. I'm impressed you worked developing hotel accounting software, but I gotta ask: why didn't the bank just buy off-the-shelf accounting software? (I suspect I already know the answer.)

    Lucina, welcome back.

    Wishing you all a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you, Jayce.

    It felt very special to come home to a C.C. puzzle! And though I cringe at sports clues, they emerged nicely.

    Today we are going to a Sweet Sixteen party for a great-great niece. It should be fun.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Always a great Saturday combination to have Gary reviewing a C.C. themeless effort. I am late to the comments, but for those of you who do not the talent of Mr. Fatone, here he is on THE MASKED SINGER . He may not be JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE but he can sing.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Gary, you make the case plainly. Question is "Is 30+ years a lifetime?". Shoeless Joe never bet, he just never RATted out his teammates (Something that some MLB'ers are condemning Mike Fiers for doing)

    I just got "Half a score"

    [Agreed]"on the Nicene Creed." Dissenters were exiled". Including Bishop Arius for whom half the empire went on to follow. Apparently over a NIT that can only be understood in Greek
    .
    Re. 6 D .. Check out the J today

    I used to manage a no-money NFL pool. I came up with a computer entry that beat the odds regularly.

    Ari's ex was Aria Maria Callas before Jackie. Btw, Ari, where were you on 11/22/63?

    53. Hurdle for srs.:??! I had AGE

    Gary, am I supposed to know which one is JT?

    Owen, solid W's. Ex programmer, eh. Me too

    As I write I'd guess "FA-Tony". Jinx, were you at Sanchez Ave this morning?

    Picard, I was comparing him to last week's(shudder) clue, IRA Gershwin. My point(I forgot to footnote) I'd guess was they were both superb lyricists. "George's lyrical sibling" would've been a better clue.

    Which exemplifies how nicely clued CC's Saturday xword was. I managed to FIR. I finally got "Spot of TEA" when I got my McDonald's and sat down for a "Spot of" iced tea.

    WC

    ReplyDelete
  25. Bobbi, the TB Ray's have done away with paper tickets. Ray Romano, Sportswriter was lamenting the fact and fondly remembers his events by the stubs he has kept "as souvenirs".

    WC

    ReplyDelete
  26. WC, I wasn't there. I swear. And if anyone saw me there I have a good explanation.

    My grey CRV's Virginia vanity license plate contains "ZOE", so if you see me pull me over.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jinx, there were 50-60 fellow travelers there.

    And Bill W was there in spirit

    WC

    ReplyDelete
  28. Like desper-otto, I am now wondering how to pronounce FATONE. There is quite a range of possibilities.

    My last fill was 7A. Until the very end I did not know which "Rose" was being referenced. Clearly, I am not a baseball fan. Sure, I'll watch games if the Dodgers make the playoffs.
    But I gave up on baseball when those bullies, the Giants, came west and replaced my old PCL San Francisco Seals.

    I really enjoyed C.C.'s pzl. I had several write-overs, but had fun wrestling with it throughout. Several surprises kept tickling me, especially GRE and SHERPAS. (Did they really wake up the queen to tell her the news?)

    And I got a kick out of the clue for TREES. It included the quote, "by a window looking down a wooded hill," a metrically intriguing line--nearly perfect dactylic hexameter.
    (I wonder if the full quote starts with another syllable, thus converting it to an iambic line? Owen, Wilbur...?)
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh, and Happy Washington's Birthday, everybody!
    (Pooh on Presidents Day...)
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have heard Joey Fatone pronounce his own name on that food show on TV that I mentioned. He calls himself Joey "Fah tone." Rhymes with phone.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi All!

    What WikWak said re: NE. Plus, I had WEaVeL [sic] way too long.

    I got started at 2d with NIC??A (I knew it but couldn't spell it [Hi Inane!]) and worked out from there.

    Thank you C.C. for this hard (but fair) puzzle. If Smooth is your goal, you nailed it!
    Also, it's been a long time since I FIR on Sat :-)

    Fun expo HG! C.C. picked the right man for out Saturday SHERPA.
    // re: going out on a CRAG - Not no, but hell no. At Yosemite's Glacier Point, I saw people doing that and my legs were shaking. Picard, I would be one of the guys w/ a low center of gravity crab-walkin' my butt out there; that you're standing?!? You too Hungry Mother!?!

    WOs: Pards b/f PEEPs, WEEVIL [see: above]
    ESPs: FAT ONE, CHAPATI, started Pumpkin or Peppermint @14d w/ just the P - didn't help me at all getting TONGs.
    Fav: NICAEA over NICE ONE made me chuckle.

    {B, A} //I told DW of your fictional motel; she thought it cute too.

    Welcome back Lucina! Of all Cornerites, I'd expect you to know how to spell 2d :-)

    Jayce - I hope Spitz pipes up on this... I think it's the German origins of words we've incorporate that silent the Ks & Gs (also w/ an N, but you GNU that).
    The GHTs MIGHT be part of that etymology too.

    CED - I don't know who wrote that "what won't pair" but
    a) fry your artichokes [had those in ROME's Jewish ghetto - WOW!]
    b) any Red goes well w/ bleu cheese, and
    c) are they kidding? No wine w/ Chocolate? That's no way to do Valentines Day.

    My favorite TREES ODE. [RUSH - 5:07]

    Have a great eve. Me? I'm going to find a SLEEP-POD (or couch) for a quick nap b/f dinner.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  32. OMK, here's the full quote about Trees from Kenton Kilmer; sorry, there's more than one syllable preceding the quote :-)

    "It was written in the afternoon in the intervals of some other writing. The desk was in an upstairs room, by a window looking down a wooded hill. It was written in a little notebook in which his father and mother wrote out copies of several of their poems and, in most cases, added the date of composition. On one page the first two lines of 'Trees' appear, with the date, February 2, 1913, and on another page, further on in the book, is the full text of the poem. It was dedicated to his wife's mother, Mrs. Henry Mills Alden, who was endeared to all her family."
    "Trees (poem)" on Wikipedia.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Go ahead, Ol'Man Keith, Owen, Wilbur--tell us what you think.



    I wonder about the trees.
    Why do we wish to bear
    Forever the noise of these
    More than another noise
    So close to our dwelling place?
    We suffer them by the day
    Till we lose all measure of pace,
    And fixity in our joys,
    And acquire a listening air.
    They are that that talks of going
    But never gets away;
    And that talks no less for knowing,
    As it grows wiser and older,
    That now it means to stay.
    My feet tug at the floor
    And my head sways to my shoulder
    Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
    From the window or the door.
    I shall set forth for somewhere,
    I shall make the reckless choice
    Some day when they are in voice
    And tossing so as to scare
    The white clouds over them on.
    I shall have less to say,
    But I shall be gone.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jayce -- I was doing my programming in the 80's, hoping mine would become the off-the-shelf software. Originally on the Atari ST [for SixTeen bit] platform, named my program Estée Fred, then ported to PC clones as Chloé Fred. I was in the hotel business, which I first loved, but came to hate with a passion. And my computer skills which I once rated as guru, are so out-of-date I now consider myself marginally computer-illiterate.

    Re -- CNS abbreviation from a few days ago. I just ran across this meme about it, and belated as it is, couldn't resist sharing. (Sorry, you may need to have a Facebook account to see that).

    ReplyDelete
  35. Misty -- The Sound of Trees, by Robert Frost -- I had to look it up, as it's not a poem I was familiar with, but Frost was my first thought for TREES in the puzzle. But his titles, Stopping by Woods or the Road Not Taken, were too long. I have mixed feelings about Frost. His poems, like this one, seem contradictory. He doesn't like the sound of trees, but he he thinks the sound of trees is good. He doesn't think building walls is good, but he builds walls with his neighbor. He thinks the path he took was right, but also wants to know what the other path would have led to. I like Frost, but I don't really like Frost. Frost is a one-word oxymoron.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Super Saturday. Thanks for the fun, C.C. and HuskerG.
    I am late to the party today. I don't always get time to do a Saturday CW, but this was great. I FIRed with one Google trip and several inkblots.

    I'm with inanehiker in wanting Nicea (Google added the a).
    My first thought for hot spots was an Oven, but no room for plural -TEAS was brilliant.
    I had Kept before HELD; hand up for Solo before STAG.
    Somehow, I pulled CHAPATI out of the depths of my memory bank. (And it crossed WRAPS)
    I liked the random ACTS of kindness. This world could use a few more.

    Yes, Jinx, I had to change DEFENcE to DEFENSE when BLOUSE perped. I'm not sure why you Americans cannot spell properly LOL.

    Hungry Mother and Picard - I'll just echo AnonT about those CRAG photos. I get dizzy standing 10 feet from the edge!

    Enjoy the evening.

    ReplyDelete
  37. With all the discussion about TREES poetry, I'll give you the lyrics (by Neil Peart) for AnonT's Rush link.

    There is unrest in the Forest
    There is trouble with the trees
    For the Maples want more sunlight
    And the Oaks ignore their pleas.
    The trouble with the Maples
    (And they’re quite convinced they’re right)
    They say the Oaks are just too lofty
    And they grab up all the light
    But the Oaks can’t help their feelings
    If they like the way they’re made
    And they wonder why the Maples
    Can’t be happy in their shade?
    There is trouble in the Forest
    And the creatures all have fled
    As the Maples scream ‘Oppression!’
    And the Oaks, just shake their heads
    So the Maples formed a Union
    And demanded equal rights
    ‘The Oaks are just too greedy
    We will make them give us light’
    Now there’s no more Oak oppression
    For they passed a noble law
    And the trees are all kept equal
    By hatchet,
    Axe,
    And saw…

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anot -T and Jayce - re: KN anomaly:

    Not much to add; we've shared examples here before. Some glaring examples to me:

    English. German cognate

    knave. -- Knabe (boy)
    knight. -- Knecht (servant or laborer - both the k and the ch are pronounced)
    knob. -- Knopf (button)
    knee. -- Knie
    knock. -- Knochen (bone)


    knot. -- Knoten (also for the nautical mph)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Fun puzzle. The sports-related clues always are a help to me.

    JJM - I remember listening to that hockey game, almost 50 years ago! I was a big Bruins fan (they ended up winning the Stanley Cup that year on Orr’s famous goal), so had a lot of interest in who they were going play in the playoffs based on that game. And I hated the Canadiens.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Running late due to ferrying DW & granddaughter around to ride on a Mardi Gras float and then have to pick them up when it was over. Mucho traffic.

    First, congratulations C.C. And I'm glad the perps were solid. NICAEA (And Nicene Creed), CHAPATI, NED and Stacey, and Joey FATONE- never heard of any of them. I was thinking that maybe there was a singer nicknamed Joey "FAT ONE". But I finished in less time than usual for a Saturday.

    C.C., if you would like I can send you a shirt in YOUR SIZE that says, LSU- NATIONAL CHAMPS.
    Gary, What was Nebraska's record again?

    ReplyDelete
  41. Let us not forget
    Shout out to old Cornerite:
    Where is Chairman MOE?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thank you, 9mile Skid, for your helpful information on "Trees:, and thank you Owen, for you very interesting response to Frost. Lots of fun poetry discussion on this Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Misty ~ The Frost poem makes me think of the trees I wake up to.
    When we moved into our current home in University Hills (Irvine CA) I liked the stand of tall trees outside our bedroom window. By our second year I knew I wanted to trade our tiny windows for a balcony connecting to us via a large glassed door flanked by tall windows. I knew this would let us see more of the trees.
    Well, now when I wake up, I see a full panorama of trees. I can't imagine anything more pleasing than our wall-to-wall "tree-scape."
    We usually have a light breeze, enough to activate all the trees. There they are every day, waving me up from bed.
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  44. AnonT:
    I might have known how to spell NICAEA in the past but, alas, time is the great eraser.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Ol'Man Keith, how wonderful that you have great and beautiful trees that you enjoy everyday. No wonder you like the "Tree" poems!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Judging by today's poem, Haiku Harry is ready to be outed. So may I introduce Chris Gross, A.K.A. Haiku Harry, Limerick Larry, Chairman Moe, and (maybe, this one I'm not sure of) O. N. Kale.

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.