Theme: OUT OF ORDER (62. Like a nonfunctioning vending
machine, or what the circled letters are, in two ways) - The circled
letters are anagrams of ORDER.
17. TV Mister with a "neighborhood": FRED ROGERS.
23. Regular cybersecurity measure: PASSWORD RESET.
40. Agatha Christie play set in Egypt: MURDER ON THE NILE.
51. Self-inflicted tennis mistake: UNFORCED ERROR.
Boomer here. Congrats to John on his crossword debut!
Last week Minnesota celebrated the election of Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat to the major league baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I think I may have mentioned that Jim Kaat used to ORDER pizza from a pizza restaurant where I worked at the time (mid 1960s). Later in the 1980s I used to run a fund raising baseball card show for a scholarship foundation in memory of my daughter. Debbie passed away too early at the age of ten. Mr. Kaat came to the show and signed autographs to those who requested. Also the organist for the Twins, Ronnie Neuman came that day and pounded out a few great songs on an organ I used to own and had hauled it up to the school on my pickup truck.
What a great memory I have of that day. I believe my foundation raised $2200.00 that year!
 |
| Kaat and Oliva |
Across:
5. Work on, as a bone: GNAW. I bought some boneless steaks, but I still had to GNAW.
9. Swedish pop group: ABBA. The members of the group are still alive - ages 71 - 76.
13. Pond plant with floating "pads": LILY. Remember MS. Tomlin on "Laugh In."
14. "West Side Story" heroine: MARIA. "Say it loud and there's music playing, say it soft and it's almost like praying."
16. Golf scorecard numbers: PARS. Sorry, you won't see too many
of those numbers on my scorecard. I remember C.C. carded 19 birdies in
one year. Back in healthier days for both of us.
19. MADD ads, e.g.: PSAS. Last reading, my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) was a bit high.
20. Achy from exercise: SORE. I have no problem getting SORE without exercise.
21. Italian half-dozen: SEI.
22. The "L" in "SNL": LIVE. "LIVE, from New York, It's Saturday Night !!"
27. Thurman on screen: UMA.
29. Crumpets drink: TEA. For Two
30. Enjoy a meal: EAT. Sometimes EAT and Enjoy do not go together.
31. Fulfill fully: SATE.
33. Things best not all put in one basket?: EGGS. Scramble a few.
36. Ocean levels: TIDES. In and out daily. I guess the moon causes them.
43. Identify as yours, as baggage: CLAIM.
44. College sports org.: NCAA. The big Basketball Tournament is coming. Place your bets.
45. Man or Wight: ISLE.
46. Spanish aunt: TIA.
48. First-aid set: KIT. Mr. Carson of the old west.
50. Cell pic taker: CAM. I am no good at this, I have a forty year old camera.
57. Get close to: NEAR.
58. Charlemagne's domain, for short: HRE. Holy Roman Empire.
59. Disney exec Robert: IGER. I have been to both Disneyland,
and Disney World. Fascinating places a long way from Minnesota. We
just sold a couple of key chains from each park on eBay.
61. Painter of limp watches: DALI.
66. Memorable lioness: ELSA.
67. Performance sometimes seen through glasses: OPERA. I have never been to one.
68. German article: EINE. When I was in Hardheim Germany, "Eine Bier" was a common order from the bar.
69. Rod partner: REEL. Well known in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"
70. "Jurassic Park" menace, briefly: T-REX. Tyrannosaurus rex.
71. "Halt!": STOP. These Octagon signs were all yellow when I was young.
Down:
2. Broadcasts: AIRS.
3. Antony's last spouse: CLEOPATRA. "When I think of Elizabeth Taylor...."
4. Monster slain by Hercules: HYDRA.
5. Modern food concern, briefly: GMO. Genetically Modified Organism.
6. Old horse: NAG. Mr. Ed was NOT a NAG !!
7. "Am not!" reply: ARE SO.
8. Electrical job: WIRER. The Job is a job. The guy who does it is an Electrician.
9. Drink replacing "mar" with an apt fruit: APPLETINI.
10. Foundation: BASIS.
11. Courageous: BRAVE. "Land of the free and home of the BRAVE."
12. Balance sheet item: ASSET. Bowling balls and golf clubs are NOT ASSETS.
15. "Step __!": "Outta my way!": ASIDE. "A SIDE" order of fries.
18. Take a break: REST. Not yet, I am almost done.
24. Prophet: SEER.
25. Old West vehicle: WAGON. I noticed that they are running "WAGON TRAIN" reruns now on one of my cable channels.
26. Per-hour amount: RATE. It's been a long time ago since I worked "Per Hour".
27. "Semper Fi" org.: USMC. Thank you for your service.
28. Hammering tool: MAUL.
32. Opinion piece: EDITORIAL. I kind of skim by these pages. I am not interested in others opinion. Just the facts!
34. Health supplements co.: GNC. General Nutrition Center.
35. Vampire's undoing: STAKE.
37. Cast doubt on: DISCREDIT.
38. Scat legend Fitzgerald: ELLA. "The First Lady of SONG"
39. Apparently are: SEEM.
41. Mideast ruler: EMIR.
42. Win by a __: barely beat: HAIR. "Gimme a head with HAIR, Long beautiful HAIR. Shinin' Gleamin' Streamin' Flaxen Waxin"
47. Sneezing sound: ACHOO. KAZOO Height.
49. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, e.g.: TRIO. Chad Mitchell plus two. Became the Mitchell TRIO when Chad left and was replaced by John Denver.
51. Beneath: UNDER.
52. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE.
53. True-__ test: FALSE. Pretty easy. If you do not know the answer, you have a 50-50 chance.
54. Explode in rage: ERUPT. Billy Martin and an Umpire !!
55. Try to stop: DETER.
56. Shrek and family: OGRES.
60. City sometimes mistaken for the capital of Nevada: RENO. Been there quite a bit for the Bowling Center. It is HUGE. Not so much anymore.
63. Mined resource: ORE. Never been to Oregon.
64. Obsolescent document transmitter: FAX.
65. One ab crunch, say: REP. I never did these either.
Boomer
Notes from C.C.:
I'm so sorry to let you know that dear Spitzboov (Al) passed away last night. I'm just so devastated. He's such a generous, kind soul. He gave me so much advice over the years. He gifted me this flag when I became a US citizen.
I'm so lucky to have known you and collaborated with you on a few puzzles, Al, I'll always remember you! I also want to thank Al's son Peter for keeping me updated on his situation.
Please accept our deepest sympathies on your loss, Betty, Anita (Al's sister), Peter, Chris and Mark (Al's sons)!
 | ||
| Spitzboov and Betty at the US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT. 2012. |
53 comments:
Good morning!
Ripped through this one just as fast as I could write, using across clues almost exclusively. Had the circles, so it was easy to see the jumbled ORDERs. Nice debut, John. Enjoyed the expo, Boomer. (I miss those yellow stop signs -- much easier for a colorblind person to see. The red ones easily get lost in roadside shrubbery.)
MARIA -- What made Spielberg think that we needed a remake of West Side Story?
ABBA -- Last month they came out with their first new album in 40 years. There's also a "tour" with CGI avatars of the way they looked like back in the day.
CAM -- Also not my forte, Boomer. The only photo in my IPhone is my COVID shot record.
Happy feast day Lucina! ✝
I've got every thing OUT of ORDER today, as we're off to attend an early Christmas pageant at our grandchildren's school. News at Eleven!
Hi Y'all! Fun & fast puzzle, John. Hope you come again. Great expo, Boomer, hope you are feeling better.
I spent more time correcting my entries because the laptop imp was jumping back and forth and putting my letters that should have been across IN ORDER into the down position. Maddening.
Boomer said he has never seen an opera. I've only seen one LIVE on stage. My brother was a music major in college at Wichita State University. One year bro sang a part in the opera "Marriage of Figaro". The main part was sung by Samuel Ramey, who went on to have a successful full-time career as an opera singer worldwide. Sam had grown up in Colby, KS just a few miles from my brother's wife. They've kept in touch all these years. Now 79, Sam is a professor of opera at WSU.
A quick FIR for me too this Monday. Thanks, John, and welcome. We hope you'll come back soon with your interesting clue and word choices. The mixed up letters in the theme were obviously ORDER but the reveal still surprised me: OUT OF ORDER. Of course.
My almost pristine grid was marred by skipping a clue near the beginning and entering words in the wrong spaces. Drat! I noticed several CSOs to Cornerites or their pets: uncle FRED and LILY the cat. Thanks, Boomer, for your review and stories. I hope you are feeling better now. Hope everyone NEAR and far has a good day!
Good Morning:
What a fun and easy start to the week. The only unknown was Maul, as a hammer. If I ever knew this, I’ve certainly forgotten it. The theme and reveal just jumped right off the page, thanks to the easy to parse circled letters. This is definitely a good introduction to crosswords for newbies. As ATL Granny noted, Uncle Fred and Queen Lily got a nod, as did Ray O and Anon T (Sei), Lucina (Tia) Wilbur, Dennis, and brother, Jack (USMC), and all of our golfers (Pars). We were also treated to some cute duos: Tea/Eat, Seem/Seer, Rest/Reset, GMO/GNC, and Ella/Elsa.
Thanks, John, for a smooth solve and congrats on your debut and thanks, Boomer, for the usual chuckles and nostalgia. Enjoyed the background info on your Foundation. Hope you’re feeling better!
Wilbur, I’ll be thinking of you when I enjoy tomorrow’s delivery from Gloucester: Lobster, Steamers, Littlenecks, and Scallops. 🦞
Have a great day.
FIR with no erasure. only unknown was the Agatha Christie title, but that was easy with N_LE already in place.
I was hoping that Boomer would 'splain WIRER for "electrical job". I guess if you can have a lunchtime tryst and call it a "nooner", connecting that new video doorbell could be a WIRER.
FLN - WC, I went to the Marion County flea market Saturday. Just bought a few used novels, $2 paperbacks / $3 hardcovers. They had what looked like a new sign declaring "NO PETS ALLOWED", so we decided to take Zoe in and leave if anyone objected. She got a lot of fawning attention from fellow shoppers and vendors, and we were able to finish our browsing without so much as a dirty look. Damned near lost my DW though. She went to the loo and got lost on the way back.
Thanks to John for the gentle Monday puzzle. And thanks to Boomer for the tour. Hope you feel better soon. BTW, my score cards always have 18 PARS on them. But the numbers I pencil in rarely match those preprinted figures.
The circles revealed the jumbled ORDER right away. Not anagrams.
I was thinking of MAD magazine before perps led to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
I enjoy a one egg cheddar omelet several times a week.
I miss Lily Tomlin and the others in the cast of Laugh In. It was funnier than SNL is today.
I don't remember yellow stop signs. My research says yellow was the mandated color in the years before 1952.
STEP ASIDE brings to mind the song, Sixteen Tons. Johnny Cash and Ernie Ford sang it. I prefer Cash's version. "If you see me comin', better step aside
A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't get you
Then the left one will"
I have seen many more operas on TV than in real life.
This "post truth" era drives me mad. "You are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts" has gone out the window. Now pronouncements need no BASIS in fact.
There can be no meeting of the minds when each of us has "their" own facts. I rarely see the world in black and white. I believe each side has it's own errors and its own valid points. I like to read the opinion pages in the paper to see the point of view of the others. There are some factual points there, although some authors are more fact based than others. It helps me keep an open mind. If we melded the best of both sides we would have a saner world.
In Scrabble you can add ER to many verbs to mean the person who does. Wirer does not have to be a job title.
Took 3:46 today. As usual, I struggled with any playground retort, such as 7D ("Am not!" reply) and foreign words ("sei).
Oh joy, circles.
Quick Monday but a little crunchier than some as far as the clue/answer pair. Only slight hangup was starting out with Mace and having to change to MAUL - whenever an answer is the first fill there's always a chance that perps will necessitate a change. MURDER ON THE NILE was probably a seed entry - I enjoy an Agatha Christie mystery.
Back to work after 10 days in Seattle - I'm sure it won't be pretty today
I have seen a few operas in person and some on TV - I'm glad that these days they often have the translations from Italian or German on the sides so it is easier to follow what they are singing about. But sometimes I would rather listen than watch - especially when they are trying to convince us that the plus-size woman on stage is a young girl. I enjoy a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in English with all the wordplay more.
Thanks Boomer for a fun start and congrats to John for a creative puzzle!
Back to work after 10 days in Seattle - I'm sure it won't be pretty today
Thank you John Harrington for your easy Monday CW. It was quick, and I enjoyed it very much. Congratulations on your debut !
Thank you Boomer for your charming review. Hoping you are feeling better. It must be such a chore to do this, what with all your problems.
I had no trouble with the puzzle, except I thought of another word for MURDER ... before ON THE NILE. I thought of Orient ... from the Orient Express.
ABBA was my DW's favorite group because she could mouth the words ... some of the other pop groups slurred their words. Also the tunes were very catchy. Also Agatha Christie is my DW's favorite author ... she rereads the novels again, and again, and again ... because she's forgotten the endings in six months.
I could not understand WIRER, but the other words were solid, so I let it go.
I've seen a dozen operas from summer fare at the local univeristy school of music, but never in a theater. I'm afraid I cannot appreciate the high pitched songs ... and the foreign languages.
Have a nice day, and beginning of a new week, all.
I am very saddened by the news of Spitz’s passing. He was a truly honorable man and one of my favorite people on this blog. May he RIP. Sincere condolences to Betty.
I just now read CC's notes under the puzzle. I am so shocked and saddened that Al passed away. I have enjoyed his wit and intelligence. The blog won't be he same without him. He was an exceptional human being. Betty and family, please accept my deepest condolences.
Very sorry to hear about Spitz. I don't think that note had been posted when I read the blog early this morning. We'll certainly miss him. My condolences to Betty.
I just noticed the mentions of Spitzboov's death. It is so sad, especially when I expecting to see him back commenting on the blog in his interesting way. My thoughts are with his family and friends now.
Musings
-What a great story Boomer!
-I’m sure a lot of us thought of this OUT OF ORDER scene
-In the original film Natalie Wood played MARIA. Natalie had Russian parents and used makeup to look Puerto Rican
-My former principal had T-REX arms when it came to reaching for the check
-My detasseling crews made a genetic manipulation to corn but did not produce a GMO which is done in a lab
-My first job RATE was $.90/hr. Now as a substitute teacher, it is $22/hr.
-TRUE/FALSE test? Your first instinct is usually right.
-SNL today has many EDITORIALS
-So sorry to hear about Spitz. He added so much to our time here.
So sorry to hear about Spitzboov. My condolences to Betty and the family.
I'm terribly sorry to hear about Als passing. He contributed a lot to this space. Thanks for letting us know.
I babysat for 25 cents an hour when I was 14. Of course, prices were much lower in those days and I was only 14.
In college one of my psychology professors gave T/F tests with four devilish alternatives:
true/false/mostly true/mostly false. I thought sometimes the difference between mostly false and false was in the eye of the beholder.
When my struggling students had an aide, the aide would take a multiple choice test and cross out an almost plausible answer, leaving the correct answer and two inane ones. Easy peasy. I had one at risk student who bragged she never studied and still received an A or B. I argued with the child study team that the student was brighter than that and I won.
My heart is heavy with the news of Al's passing. He added so much to the enjoyment of the Corner. My thoughts are with his Betty & his family who were privileged to have this fine man.
Raced through this one, typical Monday except for Zora NEALE Huston crossed UNENFORCEDERROR. FIR, no inkovers.
Monday level theme as well
At first I thought replaced "mar" referred to the sea (Sp.) Almost tried "Atlantic" but didn't with "fruit" in the clue. Tempted to check rather than CLAIM my luggage but didn't.
Back from Orlando, a series of ups and downs...our daughter Catherine enjoyed "Breakfast with Mickey" on her 40th birthday. Next day DW had a kidney stone attack. Passed after a day in hospital. Yesterday had a surprise BD party for Catherine, relatives and friends who haven't seen each other for over a year. A gym buddy of mine died of Covid same day. Many of Catherine's special friends have congenital and chronic illnesses besides cognitive issues, one of her ARC friends died today. Unfortunately occurs every couple of years.
I last spoke to "Spitz", Al, Thursday when I was in Florida. A brief discussion for a number of reasons. As an intelligent man he knew the direction his illness was taking him. It was a pleasure and honor to have met him.
Hola!
I am so sad to hear about Spitz (Al). His intelligent, astute observations were a joy to read. Condolences to Betty and all the family.
Today's puzzle was quick and easy, thank you, John Harrington!
I'll take a CSO at TIA. I have a plethora of nephews and nieces as well as grands.
It is exceedingly frustrating to see an OUT OF ORDER sign on a vending machine when one is so thirsty and there's nowhere else to buy a drink.
I also like to read the EDITORIAL pages to broaden my horizon and learn others' opinions. I read the Letters to the Editor to see what my fellow citizens are thinking. Sometimes they give me a laugh or a shake of the head.
Zora NEALE Hurston's book was really hard to read in the original dialect.
waseeley: Thank you. Yes, today is the feast day of St. Lucy and my baptismal day though its pure coincidence that I'm named for her. I was named after my grandmother, Lucina. Growing up I was called Lucinita to distinguish between us.
Yesterday my daughter and her family had a birthday celebration (another one!) for me and my youngest granddaughter whose birthday is the day after mine. She is with her father on alternate weekends so we have to plan strategically.
Have a fine day, everyone, even as we mourn the passing of one of our posters.
R.I.P. SpitZboov
So sorry to hear of the loss of Spitzboov, C.C. What a wonderful partner he was, for you, and for our community here--my heart goes out to you. And, Boomer, sorry to hear you lost a daughter at such a young age. Such losses are heartbreaking.
I loved this puzzle, John, and especially after learning that it is your debut! Congratulations for such a great start. And it's always a delight to see your commentaries on Monday, Boomer.
I loved watching FRED ROGERS for so many years on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." What a sweet, gentle man he was.
The clue "painter of limp watches" was funny for DALI.
Always nice to have ELSA the lioness turn up in a puzzle.
Have a good week, everybody.
Rereading flw, I saw an anomaly a few days ago: diesel less than regular- but not in Ocala area
Boomer, I envy your golf days with CC. Betsy wouldn't dream of spoiling a nice walk.
Yesterday it was NIT/NCAA
Jinx, where was Marion FLEA? Yep, everyone takes a dog at the 27/75 flea. I don't know what it's called.
Sad news about Spitzboov . My prayers go out to the family
WC
I'll miss Spitz's sea knowledge; much vaster than the much small body of knowledge I have a recreational sailor. RIP.
WC, Market of Marion is the big one locally. It is south of town on US-441, just north of SE 132nd Street. If you are going south and go past Camping World (can't miss their huge American flag), you have gone a little too far.
CE: the waves were a fitting tribute to Spitz. Thanks.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, John (congrats on your debut) and Boomer.
This CW filled quickly, and I saw the OUT OF ORDERS.
Two inkblots: one to change USCG to USMC (at least this Canadian was close with water), and Wires to WIRER (although the first made more sense with the clue!).
The new West Side Story movie has opened here but I haven’t had a chance to see it. Rita Moreno, the original MARIA, has a part that was written especially for her, in the new movie.
Maria
FLN- TTP, thanks for educating this Canadian about Nilla and NECCO wafers.
So sorry to hear of Spitzboov’s passing (thanks CED for those fitting waves!). Sincere condolences to Betty and the rest of his family. He will be missed.
Thanks to C.C. for letting us know, and to Ray-o for keeping in touch recently.
Wishing you all a good day. Make the most of each one given.
Ach! I am OUT OF ORDER today.
Rita Moreno played Anita. MARIA was played by Natalie Wood.
I am very sorry to hear of the loss of Spitzboov.
Seeing ORDER that was OUT OF ORDER was surprisingly slow for me. Learning moment about UNFORCED ERROR. FIR quickly.
Here we encountered a very realistic animated T REX in the creek side garden of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History!
Have others experienced these lifelike re-creations?
Here was my recent article on GMOs.
You might be surprised on my view.
I've returned from a morning of Christmas joy to the sad news that our beloved Spitzboov has died. We pray for the repose of his soul and for consolation for Betty, Anita, Peter, Chris and Mark. And also for you C.C. at the loss of your good friend. What a thoughtful gift he gave you.
From Yesterday:
PK, Vidwan, Wilbur Charles, AnonT Thank you for the kind words about my ARCHES NATIONAL PARK photos.
PK Yes the last two photos indeed show formations like people. It is eerie how these appear. Our brains are wired to see such forms.
Vidwan I only use real cameras, so I would not even know how to use a selfie stick or a camera on a tea kettle or a telephone! I was on a big road trip with my then lady friend.
Here was a photo of us together so you can see the mystery person behind the camera in the other photos!
AnonT Indeed, I often used to hike in flip flops if it was hot or if I needed to wade through water. In recent years I have plantar fasciitis which makes me wear proper shoes almost all of the time. What is really crazy is that I even used to unicycle in flip flops sometimes!
Hi all...
So sad to read of Spitz's passing. His posts - especially German lessons :-) - will be greatly missed. Condolences to Betty and the rest of the family.
With sad heart, -T
Requiescat in pace, Al.
I'm back from morning of ELEMHI Christmas skits and groaners and everything is back in ORDER, except that Al's not here.
Thank you John for a Monday morning walk in the park, and congratulations on your debut. You've come to the right place.
Looks like the skits this morning were a rehearsal for more GROANERS from our favorite Monday sherpa. Muchas gracias BOOMER!
Some favs:
18A LILY. One ringy dingy, two ringy dingies ... we don't have to care!
14A MARIA. One of my granddaughters. Horse crazy.
40A MURDER ON THE NILE. Guiness ranks Agatha Christie as the best selling writer of fiction in the world. DNK that this story started out as a play, but I can imagine that it would have been very difficult to stage and she then rewrote it as a novel.
61A DALI. Dali was known for more than just "limp watches" (a phase really), e.g. his The Sacrament of Last Supper, 1955, from a monumental series he painted later in life. This painting in the National Gallery in Washington D.C.
67A OPERA. A CSO to PK @6:26 AM To think that I am only 3 degrees of separation from the great Samuel Ramey. I've heard him sing many times on MET Broadcasts and have some of his recordings. This one's for you PK: "Non più andrai" from the "Marriage of Figaro"/ Here's the story and lyrics in Italian, with English translation.
42D HAIR. Or lose by a HARE.
Sadly,
Bill
Dear C.C. and other cornerites,
I was very sad to hear from you just now of Spitzboov's passing, as I'm sure so many of you are too. I regret haviang been missing in action for so long, but it's amazing how time flies and somehow disappears, even in a pandemic.
All the very best to you all.
CrossEyedDave @11:25 AM Thanks for that moving tribute to Spitz. I am sure he is now sailing calm seas and prosperous waters.
First off, RIP Spitz. I only know him from this blog, but enjoyed his witty comments. On to the CW, a wonderfully doable fun Monday level delight. Immediately saw the theme, which helped FIR in 13. I have a bicycle named TREX, but a T.Rex couldn’t ride it. I read your article on GMOs Picard and readily agree. PBS broadcast a very good program re GMOs that made many of the same factual points. They mentioned strawberries, which go bad very quickly after picking, as we all know. Turns out the strawberries have a gene already in them that when turned on resists the mold that makes them go bad so fast, but when a company turned on the gene, their strawberries were classified as GMO, and they couldn’t sell them. How dopey is that? So tons of strawberries continue to be wasted every year. Why do so many people fall for the BS they read on social media w/o checking if it’s factual? Pathetic. Off my soapbox now, to tell JH I enjoyed his CW creation, and look forward to more of his efforts. And to say thanx to Boomer for his (as usual) outstanding write-up.
I am quite saddened by the news.
R.I.P. Spitzboov.
Rest In Peace, Spitzboov. Thank you for the many, many good hours of elucidation and enjoyment.
Thank you, C.C., for informing us and for your memories, especially of the flag he gave you!
This was a cool PZL from Mr. Harrington, both for the unusual grid and for the sheer variety of its fills. Welcome to our Corner!
And thank you, Boomer, for your customary thoroughness and selectivity!
Hmm.
Pictures of both KIT Carson and Burton's Mark Anthony (accompanying Liz's CLEO).
Reminding me that in my acting days I got to play both Mark Anthony (in Julius Caesar) and KIT Carson (in Saroyan's The Time of Your Life).
One of the real joys of acting is to be able to walk in the shoes of so many different human beings.
~ OMK
_____________
DR: A full four diagonals today, three on the near end, and another in opposition.
And we have a JACKPOT!, a full anagram, 15 of 15 letters!
This may be found on the main diagonal, near side. It is a curiosity, to say the least. I have not baked many cookies in my time, but I am aware that you can include a variety of items in the baked gods. Fruits, of course, but even some veggies, can find their way into these treats, especially around holiday time.
But today's specialty requires extra imagination, for we are not only adding the rhizome of a plant but also the down of a duck!
Yes, it is time to enjoy an...
"EIDER GINGERSNAP"!
I miss Spitzboov already. Shocked and deeply saddened to learn he died last night. Always enjoyed reading and learning from his comments. He exuded dignity and honor. Condolences to Betty and their family.
waseeley, I told the Sam Ramey story thinking you might know of him if anyone did. Thanks for the aria. He was the epitome of determination to get where he got in his career from what I am told. He had no early rich benefactors. His wife worked hard to support him. Such a talent. My brother had a great voice too and still does, but he had more practical ideas with what he wanted in life. Went to work for IBM.
I will bake Mom's sand tarts tomorrow, paper thin, crisp, melt in you mouth buttery. I have baked them all but 3 or so years since 1960.They are a tricky and time consuming labor of love. I am hoping it will not be too difficult in my small apartment kitchen. Probably I will need to come up with workarounds. Sand tarts are David and Alan's favorites. The guys also are hoping for pinwheel cookies which I have made almost as frequently. If the sand tarts work well I will do the buttery pinwheels.
I had my first birthday party last week. The whole community celebrated the month's birthdays at a party. In a drawing of 20 some people with Dec birthdays I was chosen to win a bottle of Champagne.
Today our wing of the Oaks is having its own Holiday party. We each are asked to bring an appetizer or sweet and something to drink. I am bringing crab dip and Cabernet. We have many new residents and I am eager to meet them.
Have a delightful holiday season.
CED, I wrote this earlier but, apparently, forgot to hit Publish. Thank you for the poignant tribute to Spitz.
So very sad to hear about Spitzboov’s passing. His distinct voice on the blog will be greatly missed. I always seemed to learn something from him, whether puzzle-related or just life in general. My sincere condolences to his family. RIP dear man.
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Spitboov, and is erudite knowledge of the various Germanic languages. and is extensive knowledge of naval prowess and sea worthiness. Pray for his soul and for peace and some closure for his dear relatives that he left behind.
CED ... You outdid yourself, in that tribute about the ship weaving through those high waves !
That tribute was apt, and so meaningful !
( It scared the Dickens out of me, and I was sitting at my work table ... I am never going to sea again.)
Picard, Robert, I read your article and was quite amazed and admiring of the stand you took in defense of the GMOs and Monsanto. Although it is a political matter, I salute your courage and determination to confront all the half lies and untruths, that one hears nowadays. I'm glad you took such a strong rebuttal for your beliefs ... together with your academic qualifications and scientific bent. Too often, we hear only one side of the story.
Had to check in after C.C. told me the news about Al. I'm so very sorry to hear that he's gone -- he was just an incredibly nice human being who always had a good word for everyone. One thing that struck me about him was how he would remember events and things about people from years past, which showed how authentic a person he was. The world is a lesser place with his passing.
Far winds and following seas, Al.
Dennis, How wonderful to 'see' your comment. Its been a long long time.
You can take a man out of the Crossword Corner, but you cant take the blog out of the Man.
Glad to know you're still there and hopefully in hale condition. Your post used to be generally the first one, every day - now taken up by Desper Otto and sometimes OwenKL, the poet and Limerick man.
Everyday, you would find out something special about that day ... say, National Lollipop Day, or National Snowplow Day ... and I miss that.
Enjoy your sunny climes....
Yellowrocks!
What?! No EIDER GINGERSNAPS in your recipe book?
I don't suppose they could compete in favor or flavor with your Mom's "sand tarts," and it might be tough to find ALL the ingredients.
~ OMK
OMK @10:02 PM I wonder if you could substitute HORSE FEATHERS for the EIDER DOWN?
Hi All!
Thanks John for the quick Monday grid. I liked the theme / reveal; clever.
Congrats on the LAT debut.
Thanks Boomer for kickin'-off the after-party. Hope you're feeling better soon.
WOs: wrong SEaM and I spelled TRIO like my trusty Palm [review from Saturday's C|NET]
ESPs: SEI, NEALE
Fav: The long downs were a nice touch - especially on a Monday
CED - A very fitting tribute.
Enjoyed reading everyone today work lulls.
Cheers, -T
*during work lulls... sigh, long day. -T
Picard @ 1:03 --
'GMO' is much more ancient than that. Long ago, maybe 10,000, maybe 20,000, years ago a man and a wolf were talking across a fire (we both like warmth), and the human said, "I'll take care of you", and the wolf said, "I'll take care of you". And so the great compact took place. And we have been modifying each other ever since.
CED @ 11:25:
An amazing tribute to Spitzboov ... but now you see why I was Army.
May his memory be eternal before the throne of the Most High!
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