Theme: Say It Again - The first parts of the theme entries are homophones.
6A. In general: BY AND LARGE.
61A. Bring on difficulty: BUY TROUBLE.
15D. Fluent in two tongues: BILINGUAL.
28D. "See you later": BYE FOR NOW.
Boomer here.
Hello Fred! Great to see a puzzle BY you again. Naturally we all miss working on your puzzles for the USA Today.
The great Paul Bunyan is residing in Brainerd, Minnesota wondering where his Axe is. Well the Big Ten worried about it and decided to reinstate the Gopher/Badger game last Saturday, It had been cancelled earlier due to COVID-19. What can I say? The Badgers won in overtime 20-17 so the trophy AXE will remain in Madison.
Across:
5. Source of French fries, informally: TATER. I'm a baseball
nut, and sometimes a home run is called a TATER, but I don't know why.
It sounds like something Yogi might have started.
10. In good physical shape: FIT. I've dropped a few pounds, but
my clothes still FIT. I've maintained my bowling and golf muscles but I
still go between XL and XXL
13. Glowing review: RAVE.
14. Mirror reflection: IMAGE. Really?? I thought it was I.
15. Army installation: BASE. There are three on a baseball diamond.
18. Aches and pains: ILLS. Not enough room to share my personal items on this blog.
19. Beachgoer's footwear: SANDALS. You may need these if you
book a day or two at the Island Resorts of the Florida coast. You may
need a high limit on your credit card also.
20. Cast-iron pan, often: SKILLET. My Mom had one of these. Weighed about 20 pounds.
22. Hardy's Miss Durbeyfield: TESS.
24. A bit teary-eyed: MISTY. The Crossword Corner Misty.
25. Air Force B-52, e.g.: BOMBER. I've been called this, but I prefer Boomer.
29. Worker with bricks: MASON. Lawyer named Perry. I guess I am old.
32. Does as told: OBEYS. Yes Sir!
33. Pre-Easter period: LENT. The church has relaxed the rules a bit on those forty days. Catholics were losing too much weight.
34. What you wear: GARB.
38. Post-it jotting: NOTE.
39. Loaded with beef, say: MEATY. We have received three boxes of four from Omaha Steaks. Thank you, Irish Miss.
40. App-based car service: UBER. Credit card only. You need to be at least 18 years of age to ride.
41. Unable to hear: DEAF.
42. Cruel creature of fable: OGRE.
43. Michael of "Alfie" (1966): CAINE. Drop the E and you have Abel's bro.
44. Beyond heavy: OBESE.
46. Like many margarita glasses: SALTED. I never drank a margarita, but I like peanuts and cashews.
47. Keystroke-saving shortcut: MACRO.
50. The "first" in "first and ten": DOWN. My oncologist's name
is Dr. DOWNS. Not sure if he's a football fan. He's waiting for a
vaccine at the VA, just like me. I guess the front line health care
workers in the COVID-19 section of the hospital receive it first. I and
Dr. DOWNS are a bit further DOWN the list.
52. Like the taste of much breakfast juice: ORANGEY. ORANGE
juice is a little tart. C.C. buys these small Mandarin oranges that are
a bit sweeter. That's the ORANGES! No one is sweeter than C.C.
55. Downloadable talk show: PODCAST.
60. Nevada casino city: RENO. Great City! They built a huge
bowling center there in the mid nineties so, of course, I visited there
for a couple of ABC/USBC tournaments. Bowling shot was a bit difficult
but the souvenirs were great.
 |
| Boomer is second from left. |
 |
| Boomer's Souvenir Coins |
63. From the beginning: ANEW. Not now, we are almost halfway there.
64. Need a Band-Aid, say: BLEED. I have not worn a golf glove on
my left hand since October. Sometimes the hand would BLEED when I took
it off. The glove, not my hand.
65. Dog-biting pest: FLEA. C.C. and I spent many weekend
mornings at FLEA markets in the past. I mostly sold baseball cards and
hand-crafted zipper pulls.
66. Young fellow: LAD. "When I was but a LAD of ten, my father
said to me. Come here and take a lesson from the lovely lemon tree.
Late 50s song. NOT performed by the Beatles.
67. Mails: SENDS. Post office says they are getting overwhelmed with Christmas cards and packages.
68. Govt. agents: FEDS.
Down:
2. Yucatán native: MAYA.
3. "Terrible" czar: IVAN. This is why no one names their kids IVAN any more.
4. Work behind, as the bar: TEND. Difficult job that I never
had. Our governor closed the bars for a month again around Thanksgiving
but he is contemplating an extension since our COVID cases are still
bouncing off the ceiling.
5. Boat's steering device: TILLER. Hmmmm. Years ago, my boat had a steering wheel.
6. Store up: AMASS. I have not been since the archbishop told me
not to go last March. Sometimes they email me a video, but now the
associate pastor has COVID. He is quarantined but doing okay.
7. Waterproofing gunk: TAR. Our driveway could use a replacement.
8. Omelet staples: EGGS. I can make the BEST - but it's too much trouble so I just have a bowl of cereal.
9. Stink to high heaven: REEK.
10. Niagara __: FALLS. Minneapolis has Minnehaha Falls. It's a bit of a trickle in the winter however.
11. Speck in the ocean: ISLET.
12. In a crabby mood: TESTY.
17. Goes out with: DATES. A great fruit to put on top of a cookie. Careful of the seed.
21. Texter's "I think": IMO. "IN MY OPINION" I am not sure.
23. Applied sloppily, as lipstick: SMEARED.
25. "__, James __": BOND. I saw all of the Sean Connery movies but then I couldn't keep up.
26. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.
27. Self-referential, in modern lingo: META.
30. Start the poker pot: ANTE. Great memories of nickel ANTE poker, when waiting in the caddy shack for a job.
31. Pig's home: STY.
33. Some chicken servings: LEGS. I'm pretty sure they are called drumsticks.
35. Slightly: A BIT. Some times we would win A BIT or lose A
BIT. But some guys would come off the course with their daily earnings
and blow it all in the poker game.
36. Russo of "Thor" movies: RENE.
37. Raised, as cattle: BRED. My great uncle Bill had no cattle. I guess you could say he BRED hens.
39. The bossy Stooge: MOE.
43. Like a positive attitude: CAN DO.
45. Where cranberries grow: BOG. Oh I thought they grew in cans.
46. Dueling weapons: SWORDS. I really liked the dueling banjos in "Deliverance"
47. Lesson from Aesop: MORAL.
48. Place for a concert: ARENA. The Twins have Target Field and the Timberwolves have Target ARENA downtown right next store.
49. Repaired with wicker: CANED.
51. __ out: declined: OPTED. I OPTED out of my bowling leagues
so far this year. Our governor has closed the bowling centers about a
month ago, so four weeks have been delayed or cancelled.
53. Flows back: EBBS.
54. Christmas season: YULE. "Deck the Halls" -- 'Tis the season.
56. Shirt sleeve's end: CUFF. The most difficult button to fasten on a shirt.
57. Having the skill: ABLE.
58. Vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED. In some places, but in Minnesota we kids ride them down hill with no help from doggies.
59. They accompany crumpets: TEAS. C.C. is the expert. I usually pour mine over ice.
62. Japanese coins: YEN.
Boomer
45 comments:
Good morning!
Fred served up a nice breakfast this morning with EGGS, TATER and SKILLET. (I had to swap my SPUDS for that TATER.) Learning moment: "First" is a DOWN, not a YARD. Boomer, good to see you in fine form this morning.
SKILLET: I've got a 12-inch cast-iron skillet that I use for pork chops. When does a skillet become a spider? Grandma always called hers a spider.
MASON: Just last night we watched The Case of the Crooked Candle.
DATES: Mom used to make Christmas cookies that were cooked dates sandwiched between two oatmeal cookie rounds. I miss 'em.
Good Morning, Boomer and friends. Easy puzzle to slide into the new week, although with the pandemic all days merge, so an easy puzzle reminds me that it is Monday! Nice to have the theme clues in both the Across and Down positions.
Lots of words were filled in before I even read the clues. I smiled at CAINE and CANE.
I listen to several PODCASTS. Sometimes I even learn something!
The days will be getting longer from here on in.
QOD: Since ancient times, [the garden] has been the place where the soul goes to exercise. ~ George Ball (né George Wildman Ball; Dec. 21, 1909 ~ May 26, 1994), American diplomat
Got an early start today and FIR, as confirmed by Boomer's review. Thanks for your cheery comments, Boomer. And thanks, Fred, for a good Monday puzzle. Had a couple of WOs: SaberS /SWORDS, eNoW/ANEW, and ISLEs/ISLET, all fixed by perps or second looks at the clue. Hi to MISTY today. And DO, do you suppose SKILLETs were called spiders back in the day when they had legs to stand on in the fireplace coals? My grandmother also called them spiders.
Doctor visit today to see if I can do without the cast on my arm. Hope you all have a productive day! Enjoy!
Hola!
Of course my newspaper referenced a different constructor, Brian E. Paquin. So thank you, Boomer, for setting that right and thank you, Fred Piscop.
Yes, if I hadn't known this was Monday the puzzle would have alerted me. It almost filled itself. It was over before I knew it.
I give this puzzle a RAVE review. Not only was it quick and easy, but contained only real words. YULE is a timely fill.
I'll take a CSO at BILINGUAL although I haven't had a conversation in Spanish in a long time. I wonder if I can. Sometimes I listen to one of the Spanish TV channels just for practice.
Hahtoolah, I can't believe you've never had a margarita! I love margaritas! It's my favorite mixed drink. Mmmmm.
Yesterday I completed most of the puzzle and it was attributed to Ross Trudeau. I'll have to check on the accuracy of that. It was a busy day and I finished all my shopping and wrapping. Now it's time for baking.
Misty, that's a wonderful photo of you!
Thank you, Boomer, for the excellent review!
Take pleasure in the day, everyone!
I'm sorry, Susan, I thought it was you who hadn't tasted a margarita.
ATLGranny, maybe that's it, though I don't remember Grandma's "spider" having legs. But it was a long time ago, and I've mis-remembered a thing or five since then.
Believe me, I have had more than my share of margaritas!
Thanks, Fred and Boomer. This was a good Monday puzzle that went down in usual Monday time for me. ORANGEY was the only head-scratcher and that was made a bit quicker than it might have otherwise been because I have a couple of good friends who have a cat with that name. It is always good to see MOE drop by.
Good Morning:
Well, this was a stroll in the park. Easy, breezy with no junk and only a smattering of three letter words, which always makes me happy. Cute, obvious them and nice CSOs to Misty (Lovely photo, BTW) and Moe. Liked the Legs and Eggs duo.
Thanks, Fred, for a silky start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for the fun and facts. I hope those steaks please your palate!
Well, guess whose battery bit the dust. Again! Between the virus and the snowstorm, I haven’t used the car. (I rarely use it even under normal circumstances.) I did start it before the storm came but, apparently, didn’t let it run long enough and I’m sure our frigid temps didn’t help. I’m almost at the point of deciding to sell it.
FLN
Welcome back, Jayce. Hope you’re back in good health.
Have a great day.
Not bad for Monday, a few errors but FIR. Clues fair and sensible as expected early in the week.
But like the boy band NYNC "Bye, Bye, Bye" to the undetected theme
Chairman MOE at the wheel in "Gents Without Cents"
NIAGARA FALLS
Jumped the gun with a double Inkover: terse/tense/TESTY plus some difficulty writing in the letters of BILINGUAL vertically (longitudinal mental freeze ).
Find staples in omelets?? Change restaurants!! Once again Shrek decries OGRE "shaming" (cruel creature). What happened to "no personal attacks"?
"Alfie" (1966) was on my film bucket list. Watched it online a few months ago erroneously expecting a comedy....wrong! CAINE was excellent but the film disturbing and depressing......SWORDS? not the usual ay-pays?
One who disOBEYS a diet may become an OBESE ORB (and unable to play an OBOE?). fables/MORALS another inkover. How many YEN BUYTTROUBLE in Tokyo?
Save cash, _______ quantities....BYANDLARGE
" _____ the cat outta the bag"....ISLET
"Can I, Pop? Yes you" ____ MASON
"Any suggestions for a Russian leader?" _____ idea!...IVAN
Nice pic of Misty, and you made it into the puzzle ☺
Boomer: Nice write-up. Cool coins.
Well this was an easy Monday solve.
All done getting ready for my visit from Santa.
I leave out a "joint" and a Rum ... Neat, of course.
Hope everyone is also ready. Safe & Sound.
Cheers!
Neat, of course.
A Glendronach, here.
Good morning everyone.
Easy today. Only one wite-out; I had 'yard' before DOWN. D'uh.
Thanks Boomer for another breezy intro.
Thank you Fred Piscop for a very easy puzzle, and Boomer for your tongue in cheek review. I love your low keyed jokes and old age jokes. I finished so fast, it surprised me. I must be better than I thought I was.
You did not put a header for the picture of the nice gentleman on the blog. Is that the constructor Mr. Fred or Mr. Paul Bunyan ? I looked all over for his axe nearby.
I just might try my hand and mouth at making a Margarita, but I've got to buy a bottle of Gin first...
Have a nice day, all.
Doesn't get any easier than today. Back into the 70's today and tomorrow. Ho hum. I'll take it any day over years of shoveling snow and scraping windshields.
Musings
-RAVE reviews enticed me to watch disappointing Breakfast At Tiffany’s
-Go get a mirror to read this IMAGE as seen in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code
-A huge B-52 Stratofortress takes up a lot of space inside the SAC Air and Space Museum just outside of Omaha
-Elizabeth II vowed to OBEY Phillip in their wedding vows. Meghan Markle had that word OMITTED when she married Harry
-Vows on a Post-It NOTE were featured in Grey’s Anatomy
-DEAF w/o hearing aids? No, I can sense someone is talking but can’t understand it
-My comment on Jeffrey Wechsler’s Halloween puzzle: 6. Number before Number?: SIX - SIX is the Number before the word Number in this "META" clue. Wow, getting the fill here was pretty easy but making the connection took me a while!”
A good Monday one, finished in under 5 minutes. I like the feeling when you get into a rhythm, hopping from square to square.
Is TESS a permanent resident of the crossword section now? Has she left her native book and moved into the column? Because I'm sure we saw her twice last week, and here she is again.
Woohoo! Thank you, Fred, for citing Misty, and thank you, Boomer, for posting a picture of my slightly younger days! And I enjoyed your kind comments, Granny, Lucina, Ray, and Irish Miss. Sorry to hear about the car battery, Irish Miss, and the terribly cold weather.
Enjoyed seeing the variations on the BY theme, with BI and BUY. ORANGEY was a fun word to get in a puzzle, and I liked the BOND, James BOND reference. And yes, TESS is getting to be a regular these days.
Lucina's and my papers are still having constructor mix-ups--ours was listed as Brian Paquin this morning. Wish we could figure out how to fix this.
Have a good Christmas week coming up, everybody.
I was surprised that a spider could be any iron skillet. In my experience spiders have legs and a long handle. I find them in old time novels and at campfires. The dictionary accepts both.
I only wear my hearing aids for ZOOM. They get caught in my mask. Between the mask, the glasses and the hearing aids, I am afraid I will lose one aid. The mask gets caught on hook earrings, too, which used to be my favorite kind.
I like frozen margaritas. You can't drink them too fast. Ice cream headache.
Nice pic Misty.
Okay, I had to know....
A "spider" is a long handled frying pan with 3 legs. It was used extensively around the fire to catch drippings from roasting meat and to saute vegetables. The long handle provided some space between the fire to cook.
So now I know...how much you wanna bet some clever constructor will pick up on it?
I haven’t been to many weddings lately, but I cannot recall one where the bride said “obey” in her vows. And why should she?
Doesn’t seem like Christmas this year. My sons are both 30+, this will be the first time I don’t spend the holiday with them. I’m toughing it out, but don’t think it doesn’t hurt. Plus I’ll be solo at home. Me and the cats.
Super easy Monday puzzle, not a complaint.
ATLGranny, D-O, Yellowrocks and PVX,
Among the pieces of cast iron that was passed down to me was this Spider Cast Iron Skillet.
I also have four different flat bottom cast iron skillets ranging from 12" down to 6", a cast iron dutch oven, a cast iron pot, and the round beveled (convex) insert for placing in the hole in the top of a wood burning kitchen stove or pot bellied stove so semi concave bottom pots could be used. It also had a dual purpose as a trivet for hot pots and pans. I pretty much only use the 10" skillet these days.
Puzzling thoughts:
My one and only write-over was having FABLE/MORAL in 47-down; other than that, a very straightforward and Monday-worthy puzzle by Brian E. Paquin ... oh, wait just a darn minute ... it was Fred Piscop! Boomer said so!
Not sure when our printed edition of the paper will finally get the constructors and their puzzles “NSYNC”
Nice CSO to MISTY
Ray-O —> LOL @ the Stooges clip; classic. And yes, the milepost to Niagara FALLS was a bit misleading
MM —-> the MOE-man is always lurking if not posting!
Ray-O —> feeding off your *NSYNC video, my Moe-ku du jour:
Boy Band’s top seed at
Tennis match lasted one round.
Was a “bye-bye”, bye.
TTP —> @12:56 (and any others who’d care to chirp in)
I just bought my first 12” cast iron SKILLET. I read and viewed a few posts after a Google search as to how best to season a cast iron skillet before using. The plan I followed was to give it a brief cleaning (dish soap, sponge, warm water, thoroughly dry) to remove the “factory coating”. I then lightly brushed Avocado Oil on the entire skillet and baked it in the oven @ 375 deg F for about an hour. After it cooled I gave it a second coat, and repeated my steps. Upon removing the skillet and allowing it to cool, I notice that the surface is more sticky than smooth. I was kind of expecting the skillet to have more of a baked-on finish.
What have I done right or wrong? Is it ok to use as I described, or should I start over?
If you’d rather take this offline to discuss my email is in my “blue” profile. Thanks!
And from the archives:
My Winter Solstice pun. Has nothing to do with Dec 21, and is not a haiku ...
Aesop liked to grow mushrooms.
Which explains why his fables
Featured "the morel of the story".
🍄🍄🍄
C-Moe, I trust advice from these folks who bring you America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country.
Csst Iron - The original nonstick cookware.
Thanks for that article, D-O. I noted that my unused skillets could probably be cleaned and reseasoned. I'll pick up some flaxseed oil and try that method.
I was just going to post the oven method. That's what I was taught and that's what I've always done, but with two exceptions. 1) I've always used vegetable oil. 2) I've always done them in an oven at 350 or so for an hour, and then let them cool down in the oven overnight. Repeat as needed. The only issue is the initial stinking.
Once properly seasoned, they're good to go unless you abuse them or scour them.
I abused them when I got on a blackened redfish and blackened steak kick. Blame Paul Prudhomme and my buddy in Houston. You heat the skillet up as hot as you can get it (the surface starts to turn white), and then you drop your heavily seasoned redfish filets or steak down on that screaming hot surface. After maybe 5 seconds for the fish or 20 seconds for the steak, flip it over for the same amount of time. Done, and incredibly full of flavor. Probably not the healthiest to eat food cooked that way very often, but oh what an indulgence !
I liked this puzzle. As Lucina pointed out, "Not only was it quick and easy, but contained only real words." (Except for IMO.) I, too, appreciate that. Happy Monday.
Hope you all have clear skies tonight to view the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.
You can find them both in the southwestern sky just after sunset, located some 20 degrees above the horizon at 6 P.M. local time..
Conjunctions happen when two celestial objects appear to pass close to one another as seen from Earth. Of course, those objects aren’t necessarily physically close, they simply look that way because of their orbital alignment.
Conjunctions are extremely common, though. Throughout the year, the Moon regularly appears alongside a number of planets and bright stars. And two or more planets come together relatively frequently. However, having two bright planets like Jupiter and Saturn pair up is extremely rare.
What I like about my MIL's cast iron skillet 🍳 is you can prepare, bake, and serve in it 🥘. (Make a mean Chicken pot pie)
I try to limit cleaning to hot soapy water,dry,then add a small layer of water and heat on the stove till it evaporates. I read this somewhere, not sure what it accomplishes.
Actually George Scott with the Redsox popularized the term "Tater" for HR.
As Anon-T will attest, META Data was data about data. ie Five chars.
Invariably, some would cheat in those kids card games. Especially Acey-Deaucey where one partner would deal the other the Ace of Spades. Now, at the Colonel's hooch in Marble Mountain the game was clean. Stay away from Staff NCOs !
If I'm not mistaken, Vidwan, you'll need tequila for that marguerita(sic)
I'm not fussy about style of clueing, only accuracy where the wording is off.
This was a straightforward Monday. Fell for the fable/MORAL trap and never stopped to catch the theme. I like to see the clues I miss on the write-up. Which was, as usual, OK.
I flew through and immediately solved Tuesday which wasn't so easy
I listed constructors but I saw no interest. If anyone would like the list I'll post it.
Btw, beyond wrong constructor, the TB-Times had the 12/13 xword duplicated.
WC
D-Otto and TTP:
Thanks for the advice. I’m going to label you as my SKILLETon Crew! 🤡
Back to the oven ...
And yes, it definitely stinks the first time
Oh, $hit ... my brain just went berserk with the pun in the response to D-Otto and TTP. Maybe a Moe-‘lick for a change?
When the restaurant owner was through,
With his layoffs he certainly knew,
That his clients weren’t thrilled
With few choices; just grilled.
He was left with a skillet-on crew.
Videan827, gin won’t help you. You need tequila and triple-sec plus lime juice. And salt for the rim. I can hardly wait to get my COVID-19 shot to head to my Shooter’s here in FLL for a Margarita with salt. Not the frozen kind, either!! Yes, I KNOW I’ll still hafta wear a mask. But being 76 y.o. and disgustingly overweight, I’ll feel better about going out after that first shot!
Great CW, thanx Fred, although like Lucina, my copy listed Brian E. Paquin as the constructor. My CWs have been listing the wrong person for WEEKS now. Anybody know why? Anyway, fun CW, and fast solve, makes me feel like I’m good at CWs....which,really, I’m not, I usually struggle to get them done. This one I really enjoyed!! As usual (DOH!!) I missed the theme until Boomed ‘splained it to me. Terrific write-up, too, Boomer, thanx!!
Hi All!
Thanks Fred for a fine Monday puzzle. Thanks Boomer for the entertaining recap and posting Misty's pic; looking good Misty!
WOs: SMEARon, na-> Yard -> DOWN (Hi Spitz!)
ESP: CAINE (oh, yeah, him)
Fav: I'll go with SANDLES - that's all I've worn (unless working out w/ tennis shoes on) since March 14th.
Cute ku (and other odes) MOE.
PVX - Sorry you'll be alone Friday... Many of us will virtually visit w/ you here at The Corner.
D-O: Funny -- Our breakfast was scrambled EGGS (in a SKILLET) w/ left-over chili tossed in at the end and then smothered with cheese. Also had leftover fried-TATERs from yesterday's breakfast, tomato juice, ORANGE(y???) juice, and coffee.
//and thanks for the article on Seasoning a cast-iron skillet - I will never use vegetable oil for mine again.
Yuman - I've been watching Saturn & Jupiter the last few nights (when it was clear). I'm hoping the wispy clouds won't obstruct too much tonight.
Um, Vidwan WEES - Tequila goes in a margarita. Save the gin for tonics and martinis. BTW, you know what's surprisingly good at Christmas time? - Beefeater & diet coke. Something about the juniper and darker cola together that tastes Chirstmasy (hey, if Fred can do that to Orange... :-)).
Cheers, -T
Unclefred, no one knows why. The Tribune Content Agency distributes the puzzles to all the papers that receive them in syndication. Some papers apparently processed correction files and others have not. Best to ask you paper.
Nice Moe-lick, Chairman Moe.
Here's one of (two) Cajun Cookers I wrote about a few weeks ago, along with the large skillet. It's made from (new stock) oil field pipe. Bought the skillet at Montalbano Lumber in Houston when I bought my pit smoker. This setup, along with the deep fry pan and basket is great for camping at the lake, as well as for deep frying outside at home. Cajun Cooker and Large Skillet.
I learn so much doing daily crosswords!
Today Boomer told us we need to use a credit card for Uber (I'm a taxi man myself, so Who Knew?!)
And there's a bowling alley in the middle of RENO Nv.! My Dad used to go there a lot. No, not the alley.
(I'm a Vegas man myself.)
~ OMK
____________
DR: Two diagonals today, one per side.
The BIG NEWS IS that the main front-end diagonal uses all 15 letters in the anagram--for a JACKPOT score!
This refers to the sensation that creeps all over anyone who witnesses a kitten who plays on piano keys,
or who dangles from a transom over the caption, "Hang in there!"
or who, darn it!, just gets tangled with a ball of yarn!
We know this feeling as...
"CAT ADORABLENESS"!
(Count 'em--FIFTEEN!)
Nice easy puzzle today. Thanks Fred and Boomer.
Oh, did I mention it took me over two hours to do it (for those of you who keep track of time)? There I was rockin’ and rollin’ along at breakneck speed, three-quarters of the way finished, when the toilet in the master bathroom got flushed and proceeded to make the loudest racket. Heard it all the way on the other side of the house.
“A pipe’s broken! A pipe’s BROKEN!!!”
Quick inspection…. One more noisy flush confirmed ‘twas nothing but time to replace the guts in the tank.
"May I finish the puzzle first and post on the blog???"
"NO!"
Now, I’m neither a handyman nor a plumber, and at my advanced age, I have a little trouble getting up and down – especially in cramped spaces, and I was working on a 20-year old toilet with probably 30-something year old guts repair kit that I found out in the garage, so it took me a little longer than it would take most people, but all is well now. I imagine the other one will go any day now.
Rant: My favorite nit to pick! NO! NO! NO! The Army has POSTS! The Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard have BASES! Of course, since so many neighboring military installations are now consolidated into “Joint Base Whatever” (Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson AK, where I luckily learned to drive, because it was on ice and snow), it’s pretty much a moot point. Still, it galls some of us old Army brats. End of rant.
And yes, after I had mentioned going to the Chicago Tribune for the Sunday LAT puzzle, the Trib printed the wrong puzzle yesterday. What to do? What to do? Maybe go to the prime source??? Yesh!!! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could print the correct puzzle out from the LAT website. Buh-bye, Trib! (I don't particularly like Chicago anyway. Sorry, TTP. The list is long and distinguished.)
OMK:
I am so amused by your dedication to finding anagrams! It is a wonderful supplement to the puzzle and comments.
And to day I learned so much about skillets! Thank you all so much.
Good evening Cornerites.
This afternoon I was thinking of writing to let you know that I received my first of 2 Pfizer vaccines.
Carol was to be DC'd tomorrow to here, but after successfully avoiding COVID-19 thru the hosp. and rehab, she tested positive.
She is now in their COVID unit for 14 days. She has no symptoms, and is in good spirits.
Please pray that she stays free of symptoms and strong enough to be released here at the end of 14 days. She will have been away from here for a month tomorrow.
:) :) :) :) Ðavið
AKA D4E4HE2C9C3H
LeoIII @ 1753 - Re: Rant. I checked the Army website on our nearby Fort Drum; home of the 10th Mountain Division. Officially it seems to be called "Fort Drum". In the description of the installation they refer to it as a BASE. The Norfolk naval base is called Naval Station Norfolk. The smaller base at Saratoga is called Naval Support Activity, Saratoga Springs. I don't think one size fits all here.
Yo! TTP!
This is what I have been screaming about for the past year!
The Mysterious, uncontactable, "Syndicate" that the
papers say they is to blame for the constructor name game...
Thank you for identifying them for me!
but, now that I know who to blame,
I am afraid to contact them...
Anyone want to press their luck?
Also, had to look up Spider skillet.
not what I expected...
& the theme?
reminds me of this...
Oh, & sticky cast iron = too much oil.
gotta wipe down to a millimeter coating
& repeat heating/coating many times for a non stick surface.
In the Summer, after camping, when it was to hot for the oven,
I just put mine in the Gas BBQ (upside down!) for an hour...
Spitz: I know what you mean. I was speaking more in the generic context, which is the way it is always clued in puzzles. Yes, the legal names of the installations can vary. Back in the good old days, if one referred to an army post as a base.... Well, it just wasn't done. Any of the kids who said BASE had to be from Elmendorf.
Part of it is the "NEW" military. I can't believe how much it has changed. I went to what would have been my 50th class reunion (lucky me, Dad got transfered back to the DC area in the middle of my senior year), and we drove out to Fort Rich to see if we could get onto the post. We did! All that the AIRMAN needed to see was our driver's licenses. We drove past our old quarters, and we were SHOCKED! SHOCKED, I say! There were kids' bikes and playthings all over the yards. Had our yards looked that way when we lived there, our dads would have gotten written up so fast, they wouldn't have known what hit them.
Granted, having an all volunteer force has probably resulted in some relaxation from what we knew, or maybe Fort Rich is/was an exception, but it surely was an eye-opener.
Like I said, it's just my little nit. Hey, I have to have something to complain about.
D4 - Let's hope Carol's test was just a false positive.
Youngest follows the Try Guys on YouTube. Today she saw this crossword one and thought of us.
Earlier tonight, we drove out to George Ranch (next time I'm there, gonna look for a Spider Skillet) to look at Jupiter and Saturn tonight. That shot was taken w/ my iPhone though 12 x 42 binoculars.
Cheers, -T
My goodness, more kind comments on Misty's pic from Anonymous T and Chairman Moe--many thanks to your both--I really appreciated it--made my day.
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