Theme: TWIST TOPS (64.
Easy-to-remove caps ... or one way to get the starts of the answers to
starred clues?) - The first words are all anagrams of TOPS.
17. *Chooses not to partake in: OPTS OUT OF.
25. *Random quality-control measure: SPOT CHECK.
30. *Often herky-jerky animation technique: STOP MOTION.
45. *Rainbow-end rewards: POTS OF GOLD.
Boomer here. This is a TOPS of a puzzle.
I have been hinting for a while, and we finally pulled the trigger on a new Hyundai Santa Fe. We were looking at a white one, but when I sat behind the wheel, I could not resist shouting "Hi Oh Silver!" I also called the sales person Tonto. So C.C. decided that Navy Blue might be a better choice. The vehicle has all wheel drive which may come in handy after a Minnesota snowfall.
Speaking of Minnesota weather, it is 34 degrees this morning so I am giving my golf clubs a rest.
Across:
1. "I get it!": AHA.
4. Swamp, briefly: QUAG. Is this not a MIRE??
8. Trails through the woods: PATHS. Not sure if golf carts have all wheel drive. Maybe "Carts on paths only" is the rule of the day.
13. Zero, in soccer: NIL. I think NIL is between SLIM and less than NONE
14. "Star Trek" communications officer: UHURA.
16. Crosswise, shipwise: ABEAM. Only drove in the daytime so far so I have not used the ABEAM.
19. Cocoon occupant: LARVA.
20. Six-sided state: UTAH. I've driven through on I-80. Nice lake to the north.
21. What the big hand indicates: HOUR. TV news show "60 Minutes."
22. Part of PTA: Abbr.: ASSOC. Also part of our townhome management company.
23. North or South Asian country: KOREA. I think our vehicle is made in the good old USA, but the parent company is in South Korea.
27. Actress Behrs of "2 Broke Girls": BETH.
29. Wide shoe size: EEE. A Duck foot??
35. DNA test kit item: SWAB. Also used to test for the nasty virus.
39. Scarecrow material: HAY. "I could while away the hours,
conferring with the flowers, consulting with the rain. And my head I'd
be scratchin' while my thoughts they'd be hatchin' if I only had a
brain". "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
40. Stinker: SO AND SO.
42. Hurry, to Shakespeare: HIE.
43. Angry cat's warning: HISS. I may have heard a snake say this once or twice.
47. Cobbler's punch: AWL.
49. Small stream: RILL.
50. *Lickety-split: POSTHASTE. Sounds like a brand of toothpaste.
56. Front-end wheel alignment: TOE IN. Instruction on a pair of boots??
59. Second half of most musicals: ACT II. I learned "Sound of Music" only had 2 acts.
63. Showed again: RERAN. I watch a lot of "Law and Order" reruns during the afternoon.
66. Panfry: SAUTE.
67. Cocktail garnishes: ZESTS. Two or more bars of soap.
68. Boy king: TUT.
69. Key above Shift: ENTER. Only on the right side. I checked and "Caps Lock" is on the left.
70. Roof problem: LEAK.
71. UFO crew, they say: ETS.
Down:
1. Aimée of "8 1/2": ANOUK.
2. Aware of: HIP TO. "For a long time now I've been aware, that I'm so HIP the rest of the world is square." Chad Mitchell Trio.
3. Young acolytes: ALTAR BOYS. I never signed up for this job. I had many friends who did.
4. Quid pro __: QUO.
5. "Not a chance": UH UH.
6. Parking lot occupants: AUTOS. Lots of shiny new Hyundais on the dealer lot we visited.
7. Word after study or social: GROUP.
8. Royal residence: PALACE.
9. Embarrasses: ABASHES. You may get these if someone burns your ABS.
10. To the point: TERSE.
11. Wreak __: cause mayhem: HAVOC. Like a Viking's game.
12. Hit hard: SMACK.
15. Curly hairdo: AFRO. I do not have enough hair. Erik Agard and Kyle Troup (PBA Bowler) are very close.
18. Animal sheared for wool: SHEEP. Wake up! Little boy Blue!
24. Casino cash dispensers: ATMS. Gosh, who would have to use an ATM in a casino??
26. Stretching muscle: TENSOR.
28. Flashy publicity: HOOPLA. "Though it never made the New York Times, in the Daily News the caption read." Simon and Garfunkel.
30. "Button it!": SHH.
31. Mai __: cocktail: TAI.
32. Confucian path: TAO.
33. Loan pmt. part: INT. I have no interest in loans with interest. I have paid enough.
34. Pigs out (on): ODS.
36. Musical symbol with no stem: WHOLE NOTE.
37. Feel sick: AIL. Luckily with all my AILments, I only felt sick once all summer.
38. Word with room or board: BED.
41. "Think nothing __": OF IT.
44. Quench: SATIATE.
46. Be a bad winner: GLOAT. No worries for me on the golf course. I never won anything.
48. Crybaby: WHINER. I never WHINED about not winning.
50. Break down, as a sentence: PARSE.
51. Arctic or Atlantic: OCEAN. Who might remember the first "Ocean's 11" with the Las Vegas "Rat Pack"??
52. Walk proudly: STRUT. Not me, I use a cart. 53. __ bath: therapy treatment: SITZ. Not a bath, but on a recent visit to the doctor I have been complaining about leg weakness. The doctor had me sit on the edge of a bed and he held my legs and asked me to push. I nearly knocked him off his chair, so he decided my legs were okay.
54. Sauna wrap, often: TOWEL.
55. Beethoven's "Für __": ELISE.
57. Contribution to the discussion: INPUT.
58. Egg holders: NESTS.
61. Whodunit pooch: ASTA. The Thin Man's dog.
65. Disapproving sound: TSK. You need three of these.
Boomer
59 comments:
Good morning Cornerites.
Thank you Craig Stowe for your enjoyable Monday CW.
Carol and I FIR in 19:03 min.
Thank you Boomer for your excellent review.
Ðave
On my clocks that have a big hand and a little hand, the big hand indicates the minute, not the hour.
FIR, but almost Naticked at IOLA/SITZ. Otherwise, Mondayish.
Good morning!
Got 'er done, once I realized it was RERAN, not RERUN. Even noticed all the STOP anagrams. I can't think of another 4-letter word with so many valid anagrams. Is it my imagination, or didn't somebody mention ANOUK Aimee just the other day? Maybe I dreamed (dreamt?) it. Enjoyable outing, Craig. Thanx for the tour, Boomer. Nice wheels!
IOLA "Embarass..": Two small towns in my home county back in WI.
OCEAN: Yup, I remember the original Oceans 11, Boomer. We've got it on DVD.
HOUR: Good catch, Anonymous, you're the man of the HOUR.
Took about 5 1/2 today. I got stuck at the crossing of Iola and Elise. Also saw hour was clued incorrectly.
At first I thought it was TWIST OFFS. TUT, TUT.
I only found the TOPS when I paused before reading Boomer's write-up. Right "off" the bat I inked OPTS not to. Haste makes mess
TENdOn was another wo. I thought the Stinker was a SCANDAL. HOOPLA is a cool word.
We've been WREAK(reek)ing HAVOC in the various puzzles lately.
FLN, Michael, you may have me on a technicality but my MacArthur clue still stands for PTO.
WC
Not only is Anon 5:23 correct about the "big hand/hour" c/a, there is another mistake in the answer for the stuffing for a scarecrow. Scarecrows are stuffed with straw, not hay. Hay is too expensive and needed to feed livestock over the winter months to waste on scarecrows.
Not an easy Monday for me. NW 1st quarter was a breeze but the other 3 quarters were ugly; similar Aaron Rodgers yesterday.
Maybe the hour hand should have been clued thick instead of big? It's definitely shorter on my old watch.
Interesting that Iola and Embarrass could make a puzzle without needing Waupaca clue
In the mid '60s, WCFL, "The Voice of Labor in Chicago," originated a mini radio drama series titled Chickenman. It was created by Dick Orkin, the Production Director at the station, along with morning man Jim Runyon and the station's female traffic reporter, Jane Roberts (Trooper 36-24-36). The series was an homage to the campy Batman TV series which was popular at the time. Orkin did all of the male voices, Roberts the female voices, and Jim Runyon provided the narration. If you're not familiar with Chickenman, here's a sample 2-minute episode. Runyon ended each episode with a "Well!..." comment.
What brought this whole thing to mind this morning was an episode I recall which ended, "Well!...Wreak Havoc. Where have we heard that name before? Have we heard that name before? I don't think so." Maybe you had to be there.
AHA! FIR this morning. Last fill was SO AND SO. Guessed BETH would be right and assumed HOTP_ _ until perps straightened me out. What's all the HOOPLA? AWL thank you. My other writeovers involved SATIsfy/SATIATE, TENdOn (like WC) and STOP acTION. By the third theme answer, my suspicions about the theme were confirmed. In general the puzzle was fun, not a QUAGmire, thanks to Craig. Thanks, Boomer for your jolly review. I didn't catch the hour hand mistake. Kudos to those who did.
Enjoy the day and stay well.
Fun, but a typically easy Monday. At least this was a bit of a challenge, as opposed to the Monday Sudoku in my paper.
Do agree on the clueing/answer errors for HOUR and HAY.
Nice Monday speed run. At first I thought TENSOR was going to be TENDON - but knowing it wasn't a muscle I waited for the perps to fill it in. ANOUK Aimee was in my brain from somewhere, but I don't think I could have come up with a movie she was in.
IOLA was a gimme for this Kansas girl - it's on the same route 169 that we took through Chanute (which was an answer a few weeks ago) and then through Coffeyville to visit my aunt in Bartlesville, OK. They had a great little diner there with wonderful pies!
Thanks Boomer and Craig!
I finally watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" last night - I had seen so many references and clips before but never the whole movie. Lots of fun and chuckles about the 80s technology and scenes of Chicago - movie was set during the years we lived there!
Chicken man was hilarious. What a way to start a Monday.
Re. HAY? How about "For horses?"
Gheesh? Hi Jayce. And y'all thought NATICK was obscure.
IH, I have clues my FERRIS (Fain)* trivia question off of Bueller. The second half of his career was in Chicago. I suspect that's where the name cane from. If my folks named me Ferris I'd've taken more than one day off. I took one and got caught when I tried for two.
WC
*Hondo got it right away
Ps, I pulled a Newhart in the office, the AVP was supposed to be gone for the day (hence the mass escape) and he pulled into the parking lot and opened the car door where we were all smoking. He then called my actual number and as an afterthought questioned my previous hooky. Disaster for po'po' Wilbur
Good morning everyone.
FLN - On WC and Michael's back-and-forth on the Pacific. Nimitz was made 5 star about the same time as MacArthur. MacArthur had the western Pacific including New Guinea and Philippines ops. Nimitz had the Central Pacific. Both signed the instrument of surrender on the Missouri on 9/2/45. Plenty of pictures of that. I've never seen the ABBV. of their commands in puzzles the way ETO is, Just my 2¢.
A bit crunchy but easy enough. No searches were needed. Didn't really focus on the theme. The fonts led me to misread the SAUTE clue as pantry vs panfry. Drew myself a sketch of UTAH in the margins to confirm the 6 sides.Got it all without error.
Stinker - I don't use the SO AND SO word if I am sufficiently ired.
HAY - German Heu, L. German Hau, Dutch hooi. (In the 1st and 3rd, the vowel sounds like the oy in boy. Vowel in Hau is like ow in how.)
SHEEP - German SCHAF, L. German Schaap. Dutch is schaap, but sch has sk sound.
TOWEL - We did not use one as a wrap at a sauna in Helsinki.
Thanks Boomer for unpacking today's puzzle. Always a delight.
Boomer: Nice write-up. 34 degrees ... I would probably die. LOL
Remember, In Florida we consider 51 degrees to be "freezing."
ALL "True Floridians" say at that temperature" "It's F**King Freezing outside.
I wear "2 Gold Pop Tops on a Gold chain around my neck" ... they have not been "off" in over 34 years.
So, Yes I enjoyed today's theme.
At the Library ... so I voted today.
Cheers!
Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Craig and Boomer.
I FIRed, but time was a little longer than the usual Monday. Was this a little crunchy or am I not awake this morning?
Seeing the TWISTED TOPS enabled me to fill in some of the themers.
PTA today, not PTO. Don't we usually have the abbrev. as ASSN?
Cars changed to AUTOS, castle to PALACE, Abases to ABASHES, Punch to SMACK.
BETH and IOLA were all perps.
Jeopardy RERAN a show from Feb. 2020 on Saturday; final answer was Charlotte, not ANNE or Emily Bronte.
Wishing you all a great day.
Good Morning:
i finished in normal time but there was a bit of a crunch for a Monday. After filling in the second theme answer, I saw the S P O T sequence but didn’t know if the reveal would revolve around Spot, Stop, Pots, Opts or Tops. Hand up for Tendon before Tensor. A few cute pairings with Tai/Tao, Tut/Tsk, and Parse/Terse.
Thanks, Craig, for a fun start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for a neato review. Congrats on the Santa Fe-it’s a sharp looking ride!
Is anyone watching the new (to me) series on PBS, Flesh and Blood and The Trouble With Maggie Cole? I’m enjoying both. Our frequent crossword visitor, Stephen Rea is in Flesh and Blood, as is the fabulous Imelda Staunton.
Have a great day.
AHA, I just noticed:
The lack of a J prevents a pangram today.
I smiled at AIL beside BED (plus SWAB to determine the AILment!)
That LEAK might require the TOWEL that is crossing it (perhaps more than one).
TSK and TUT TUT, plus SHH can be used to ABASH (or perhaps more accurately Abase).
I always thought there was only one POT OF GOLD at the end of the rainbow. But I suppose that a one at each end would give us POTS.
Finally got AWL the right answers but not eggzackly a typical lickety-split Monday challenge. Inkovers: Sera/SWAB (it's not a plural clue. Shoulda knowed better)...hepto/HIPTO. You fill the tub full of water then you SITZ in it?
Had this issue before. A cocoon occupant is a pupa not a LARVA.
STOPMOTION: "Gumby" comes to mind
I Imagine only those of us of a certain age would remember ANOUK Aimée
Scarecrow material...RAY? (As in Bolger), naw...HAY
Rainbow-end find? POTSOFGOLD?..no just Bluebird droppings. Add SHH to the CW circular file along with AHA, oh, oho, owie, etc. (TSK is hanging on by a thread.) Thought SHEEP (sheared for wool) too obvious but it is only Monday
Less obvious..
"Are those Von Bismarck's cars? Yes they're" ____ AUTOS
Throws wild parties.....ABASHES
Male and female cat litter box labels "____" and "hers"..HISS.
Darn, I spilt a cocktail all over my __ TAI.
PETA: "Hope you're not wearing real für?" ____, ELISE
Belly aching sommelier.....WHINER.
Finished over 6:00, as having stinker / SOANDSO in the middle of the puzzle forced me to need perps before I caught onto this likely archaic clue, or at least archaic for this 48 yr old.
Agree that HOUR and HAY were mis-clued.
QUAG was unfortunate, but didn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the puzzle.
Bob
Makes sense. After all, hours are bigger than minutes.
Well,
I learned a lot this monday puzzling.
It is a lot more fun without the red letters...
I never saw the twisted tops theme again,
Probably because I didn't need to know it to complete the puzzle.
The big hand does not point to hours!
Scarecrows are filled with straw!
I never gave one Iola about towns in Kansas until I started doing Xwords...
The "I" in Iola/Sitz was my last fill, and a total WAG which surprised me when the congratulations
Screen popped up.
Which brings me to the point of this post...
Hmm, I don't have a point!
Except perhaps I can never "return" to Iola
because I have "never" been there...
I totally missed the SPOT theme as per usual, but flew through this one nonetheless. Only change was satisfy to satiate. I could have done this right-handed today. (I'm a lefty.)
Musings
-The 1933 version of King Kong used STOP ACTION wonderfully
-“Carts on PATHS” only really help me get in my “steps”
-I took a cognitive test last month where I had to draw the hands on a clock to show 11:10 and it was a little bit of a struggle. Now, let’s see, the big hand…
-I tried 2 Broke Girls twice but the sarcasm, put downs and stereotyping put a stop to that
-Name that tune – “I’d be a silly SO AND SO, If I should ever let go”
-Answer the phone with no caller ID? UH UH!
-20 miles from here, Woodhouse Ford in Blair, NE sells so many AUTOS/Trucks it has to park them like this on both sides of Hwy 30
-Last month, I did AIL with four Covid symptoms but the SWAB shoved to the back of my skull showed it was just a cold
For those who might want more:
twisted tops...
I struggled mightily with this one, given that it was a Monday. SITZ, IOLA, and ASTA really bogged me down.
Thanks Craig for an interesting puzzle. Loved the theme. Boomer, the tour was great.
I guess I must address that Swamp answer first. In all my many years around swamps I have never not once heard QUAG. That said, if you must use those letters I can’t imagine how you’d clue it. I’ll hold my nose and give Craig points for creativity. Fair enough.
The HAY vs straw question is another of those not quite right clues we have been getting more of lately. Too many to mention and we all fuss each time.
FLN, I don't want to start, or join, WWIII but The National WWII museum has a whole floor for European Theatre (no operation) and another floor for Pacific Theatre. MacArthur and Nimitz are both in the latter. This doesn’t solve anything, but adds to the discussion (confusion??)
C Eh, I put ASSN first and usually see it that way.
C.C. I use a thick pillow to sit on in my Toyota. I see someone gave you specifics, but I have used several different kinds and they all work well for me.
CSO to Picard at the gorgeous UHURA.
Can’t resist my 2 cents worth at HOUR. The Big hand is usually fatter and the minute hand is long but thin. I certainly understand the confusion. How did we even learn to tell time way back when?
I do the puzzle online so ENTER was right there by my right pinky.
Hola!
Si! Si! I agree. This was a bit crunchy for a Monday, but fun. Thank you, Craig Stowe. I spotted the STOPS in anagram form.
Silly me, my first fill for young acolytes was ASPIRANT which is what I and my companions were called because we were still in high school. ALTARBOYS soon replaced it; wite-out to the rescue. Once we graduated, we were Postulants then Novices.
Yes, I saw that episode of Jeopardy when Charlotte was the required answer not ANNE.
HIE and POSTHASTE amused me today but not my recollection of a SITZ bath which helped to soothe hemorrhoids when I was pregnant.
Hand up for thinking of TENDON before TENSOR and not liking QUAG. UHURA came to mind immediately.
I have never seen any of the OCEAN movies. Would I like them? And yes, I have been watching Flesh and Blood on PBS. Lots of suspense to find out what happened.
I believe it was in Turkey that we saw women unraveling the cocoons to use their silk for rugs. Huge looms were set up for that purpose.
Boomer, that's a nice car! And it sounds like you are doing well. Thank you for the fun today.
Have a great day, everyone!
Delightful Monday puzzle, Craig--many thanks. And Boomer, your write-ups are always a pleasure. You always leave me with music in my ear for the rest of the day--this morning it was the "Rainbow" song.
Alex Trebek doesn't have an AFRO, does he? Oh, no, it's the guy next to him.
My German came in handy with "Fuer ELISE," and also with getting the SITZ bath, a tub in which you'd be sitting and not laying on your back.
Never heard of IOLA, but always happy to see TUT turn up in puzzles every week.
Have a great week coming up, everybody
Lucina @ 11:47 ~ Lots of red herrings in Flesh and Blood heighten the suspense, methinks! I highly recommend The Trouble With Maggie Cole. Last night was the first episode which you can get on On Demand, if you have that feature.
Owen has been absent for a long time. I hope he returns soon. PK, as well.
I think it’s rather sad that a crossword puzzle creator AND a crossword puzzle editor can no longer figure out how analog clocks work.
I looked it up, QUAG is a word, although archaic.
For what it's worth:
quag (n.)
"marshy spot," 1580s, a variant of Middle English quabbe "a marsh, bog," from Old English *cwabba "shake, tremble" (like something soft and flabby).
Obsolete apparently but when did that ever stop a constructor.
Re. PTO. I do think the far east war was referred to that way. Somewhere.
HG, that SO AND SO phrase sounds familiar but I can't quite place it.
WC
Puzzling thoughts:
After blogging about ANAGRAMS last week, lo and behold we have another to start THIS week. My mind is tuned into anagrams, so today’s TWISTed TOPS came quite easily.
A couple of spelling errors kept me from having a clean ink on paper grid
FLN: I’m still not understanding why my SO and I appeared on 92-across/down “HINTS AT”, despite Dash T’s explanation. MalMan, I am as stumped as you are
Shankers: yes, I live in Mesa, East of the 202
Today’s Moe-ku:
What does boy King and
The word TSK share? I think they
Have TUT, in common (Tutankhamen)
C-Moe, DW and I lived in Mesa from 1976 to 2012 when we moved to Scottsdale. In fact we moved here on bicentennial day, 7/4/76. Easy day to remember. Our last house in Mesa was one block NE of the corner of Dobson and Guadalupe where the drive-by shooting of seven people occurred the other night. Scary to say the least. If it could happen there, it could happen anywhere.
FIR, but it did take a bit longer than Monday normal time. It was nice to see an auto alignment reference. I though that the culinary references side by side were tasty. Hadn't heard the term SITZ bath in a while. The QUAG, QUO, UHURA, HOUR section is a bit difficult to stare at without going "HUH?" IOLA and ENID should be sister cities.
-Wilbur, here’s the Silly SO AND SO song
C Moe at 12:59 PM
About your picture turning up again yesterday at 92 down "implies: HINTS AT." CC gave me a thumbs up so I assumed she was referring to my question of the identity of the loving couple in the picture on Friday. Of course, I was more than hinting when I asked.
Finished the puzzle early this morning, just as Boomer was finishing his review. Needed sleep!
Couldn’t come up with IOLA, so that little section in the mid-south was my downfall. Hate it when that happens on a Monday, especially when everything else went so well! I mean, it seems that I look at/read MAPS like other people read BOOKS, so I should have caught IOLA.
I actually got the theme, though.
I’ve only been to Kansas three times. The first was when I was a kid, and we were on one of our numerous trips from Dad’s last duty station to his next. The only thing I remember about it was I think that the only time he ever let my mother drive the car for a while was in Kansas. (Uh, I’m the same way! The only people I’m really comfortable riding with are my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my two daughters --- because I taught the latter two how to drive - stick shifts, even --- and their husbands).
Oh, the other two times were airplane rides on business. Flew Denver to Wichita and back once. IIRC, leaving Wichita, we couldn’t buy a beer on the plane until we crossed the state line back into Colorado, because Kansas was dry. Wonder if that is still the rule? The third one was a short business trip to Overland Park from Houston, with nothing strange about that trip --- just a GREAT steak in Kansas City.
Looks like my photography "Places to Shoot" Excel spreadsheet does include about 150 (and counting) targets of opportunity in Kansas, including the Allen County Courthouse in Iola. %#@#%@# PANDEMIC! My cameras are STILL cussing me!
I also thought TENDON before TENSOR.
Short hand up for HOUR hand. Ditto for HAY, but I didn’t know exactly why STRAW was really correct, other than there are so many hay fields in Texas. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! Which leads us to...
d-o --- I haven’t thought about "CHICKENMAN" in years! I forget where I was when I used to hear it. It was probably in the early ‘70s back in Denver. Thanks for the reminder! (For those who came in late, "They're everywhere!" was one of the catch phrases.)
As advertised, I was quite busy Friday through yesterday. Got all three puzzles done (sorta --- varying degrees of succeess), but I haven’t had a chance to catch up on the Corner chatter. Still have things to do today too. How can RETIREMENT be so BUSY???
Well, I had to hold my nose as I filled some of the answers today. I, too, had TENDON at first, and what with the HOUR, LARVA, and HAY answers I figured, "What the heck. A tendon is not a muscle but I'll accept it as the answer anyway." QUAG is a stinker. I had CLAYMATION, then SLOW MOTION, before finally arriving at STOP MOTION. I learned about SITZ baths from my Dutch friend, from whom I also learned about LITZ wire. Is "panfry" one word? Does anyone ever do anything with HAVOC other than wreak it?
C.C. and Boomer, nice car! I'm glad you finally pulled the trigger and I'm glad you got all wheel drive. An extra seat cushion or two and C.C. can even see out! Oh, and I think POST HASTE is also one of the theme entries.
DW and I have been watching and enjoying "Flesh and Blood" and "The Trouble with Maggie Cole." Frankly, I sometimes have a hard time keeping track of all the convoluted relationships among the many characters, who is shagging whom, who is the kid's real father, why is SOANDSO so evasive, and so on.
DW and I finally got our first Shingrix injections last week, and while we were there we got flu shots as well. I got one in each arm; that night I couldn't decide which side to sleep on because both arms hurt. In February, 4 months from now, we're supposed to call them and if they have the vaccine available we'll get our second dose. If they're out, we have to keep calling once a week. Sheesh. Ah, and we have voted!
Good wishes to you all.
I enjoyed this CW but was astonished when I looked at the time it took me to do it. I’m no CW whiz, but even then usually do a Monday in 9 or 10 minutes. Today was 19 minutes!! Could hardly believe it!! Anyway, enjoyable CW, thanx Craig! And very nice write-up, thanx Boomer! Whenever I hear or see “wreak havoc” it always makes me wonder if anything else gets “wreaked” besides “havoc”. Anyone know if anything else gets “wreaked”?
Today's puzzle was TOPS: lots of fun with just a little crunch. Boomer's review was very entertaining! Congrats on the new wheels. Long may you ride.
CED@ 10:18 -- Thanks for the tour of Iola ... why, it looks like they even have a traffic light! But why would there be a California state flag flying there? Another mystery....
This is another iPad test linkage,
This website will not let you share,
But I am trying an iPad workaround.
Note that it may be the wrong comic tomorrow
thinking of OwenKL
Why is it we never tire of Beethoven's most famous piano pieces, "Moonlight Sonata" and "Für ELISE"?
I would add the "Emperor Concerto" to his Piano Hall of Fame. Dear Ol' Ludwig...
Although this was easy as pie, as yielding as a wet paper bag, I nevertheless enjoyed punching my way through.
Thank you, Mr. Stowe!
And thanks as always to you, Boomer!
~ OMK
____________
DR: We have two pure diagonals today, one on each end.
The near side diagonal offers several anagrams. I like the one where the experienced space explorers challenge the credentials of the newest, fresh-faced members of their unit, with four loud syllables:…
“ASTRONAUTS? HAH!!”
-or-
Maybe the anagram designates a devilish evil spirit in familiar animal form, the…
“SATANIST RAT”!
Your choice.
On the opposite end, the anagrams aren’t so plentiful. I guess my fave on this side is the one honoring a Japanese artist, a certain…
“HAIRLESS ONO”!
Jayce @ 3:09 ~ Re Flesh and Blood, I agree that keeping track of the characters and their shenanigans isn’t easy and, IMO, some of them are not very likable. I’m not sure what child and unknown father you’re referring to, but I may have missed something because I binge-watched episodes 2 and 3 in the wee hours this morning. I was a tad surprised by some of the suggestive scenes and explicit language; I thought PBS was more staid in this regard. I really enjoyed TTWMC; can’t wait to see how she repairs the havoc she wreaked after one too many G and T’s!
Good ol' G and T’s! When someone says G and T I automatically think of an English woman. The only other alcoholic beverage I have ever seen a female character in a British show drink is white wine. Well, okay, sometimes red wine when at home.
Oh, the question of which child is which adult's biological offspring is in so many shows I forget which ones. I can't think of that being an issue (yet?) in F&B or TTWMC.
Jayce & Irish Miss ~ For a moment I thought you were talking about Flesh and the Devil (1926), which I just watched last week. Good old silent, with Garbo and Gilbert.
This new one sounds juicy too. I like my G'n'Ts, so maybe I should give it a watch--eh wot, ol' beans?
~ OMK
HungryMother - I FIW at your guessed-it-right natnik. I had A left over from SALT (SITZ? That's a word?)
Hi All!
Thanks Craig for the TOPSy Turvy puzzle. Crunchy for a Monday (thank you, IM!)
Fun Expo Boomer!
WOs: ALTeR BOY (oooh, ASPIRANT - that's a new context for the word Lucina!), [hand up!] TENdOn (yep Jayce - had the same thougth), and SALT which lead to a twist in my drink @67a.
ESPs: ANOUK, RILL, QUAG(?), BETH
Fav: They love to watch her STRUT. [Bob Seger].
OMK - #3!
C. Moe - I ran down to share w/ DW.... Well,... I thought it funny.
@5:23 - DOh! I missed the big-hand / little-hand thing. Youngest is proud because she one of the few her age that can read an analog clock.
Inanehiker - Just now getting around to Ferris Bueller? I loved that movie.
In HS, DW (before we were engaged) played my Aunt to check me out of school early :-)
//She took the GED in January of our Sr. year so she could get on with college (and bail me out of Civics).
CED - OMG! That's the words to Kansas' song? IOLA? :-) Loved it.
Today is Pop's [2 years ago] 70th.
Wish we could travel and all us be together.
Cheers, -T
ATLGranny @ 12:59 —> got it! Thanks for ‘splaining...and yes, I kinda thought you were “more than hinting”!! Margaret feels like a celebrity now that she’s been captured twice in a blog 😀
DashT - ya win some ya lose some!! 🤡
C.C. and Boomer,
It's a good thing to have all-wheel drive on your suv. My Lexus is front wheel drive which means the rear wheels go into the next lane if I have to brake suddenly. Be safe!
Anon T @ 5:33 ~ I remember that picture of your Dad because I commented that I hoped you inherited his handsome head of hair! I can’t imagine being unable to read an analog clock anymore than I can envision not being able to write (or read) cursive.
I’ve noticed Madame Defarge’s absence, but it just dawned on me that she must be in Maine for her annual October stay. I’m sure she’ll check in upon her return.
I just found out that our monthly association fee is increasing from $280.00 to $333.00 per month. This is a result of long-term incompetent management and inexperienced board members. There are only 44 units and no amenities so this fee is much higher than most larger developments. The fee covers landscaping, snow removal, common areas lighting, and reserves for roofs and structural maintenance. I’d like to move but I don’t think I have the mental or physical wherewithal, at least not while we’re under such onerous restrictions. (I’d love to know the reasoning behind the $333.00 vs $330.00 or $335.)
Dear IM:
You're right, about the association fees. At first I thought this was some across-the-board percentage, but $333 is a 18.9% raise over your current amount, which makes no sense. Plus, the cost of living has only risen by a hair over 1% for 2019 to 2020, while snow removal, etc., cannot have gone up almost 20% in a year. The new annual total will be $3996, versus $3360 ... ouch!
IM - I still have a full head of (much to the chagrin of my Younger bro) dark hair. Pop's went white at 55. I've still got time! :-)
For Pop's B-Day all five of us got on the same call and then called him. Mayhem! :-)
//My sibs are vicious in a loving / funny way ["you can't fool me - that's not an egg-beater Sis" (use your imagination)].
Army Bro called me back an hour after the call - he (finaly!) got his Covid test back. Negative, in a positive way.
Hope everyone had a fun eve too.
Cheers, -T
IrishMiss:
As a resident you have the right to know how the Board of Directors arrived at that figure. You can ask for the minutes of the meeting or a recap from one of the Board members. They can't keep you in the dark about it. You should if possible find out what the laws are in your state regarding HOA's.
You also have a right to see the financial reports which should be examined every month by the Board. Here in AZ we have very strict laws concerning HOAs. Possibly your state does as well. A few years ago we established a Web site which, with a pass word, any paying member (not renters) can access. The financial report is listed on the site monthly.
Post a Comment