google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday January 9, 2022 John-Clark Levin

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Jan 9, 2022

Sunday January 9, 2022 John-Clark Levin

Theme:  "Across America" - The first word in each theme entry consists of state abbreviations.

23. Tournament pairings in Fort Wayne, Denver and Kennebunkport?: IN CO ME BRACKETS.

33. Regular observance in Bangor, St. Louis, Providence and Mobile?: ME MO RI AL DAY.

50. Bread spread in Montgomery, Jefferson City and Fargo?: AL MO ND BUTTER.

66. Tableware in Boston, South Bend, Baton Rouge and Bismarck?: MA IN LA ND CHINA.

86. What can capture Santa Barbara, Grand Forks and Boise?: CA ND ID CAMERA.

98. Olympiads in Little Rock, Fresno and Dover?: AR CA DE GAMES.

114. Traffic cone color in Quincy, Minot, Bentonville and Bloomington?: MA ND AR IN ORANGE

Wow, I'm so impressed by the theme and the execution, esp those 8-letter entries. Just amazing. There are some state dupes, unavoidable for a Sunday grid.

The fill is also so good. Look at those stacked 10's in Downs.

Across:

1. Band with horns: CHICAGO. Three horns.

8. Some fits: SPASMS.

14. "Or perhaps less": IF THAT.

20. Go on a rampage: RUN RIOT.

21. November pardon recipient: TURKEY. Google shows that JFK was the first president to pardon a turkey.


22. End of a sentence: PAROLE.

25. Without delay: AT ONCE.

26. Personnel groups: STAFFS.

27. A 20-sided one may be used in Dungeons & Dragons: DIE.

28. Bit of Lab love: LICK.

30. Pericles foe: CLEON. Wikipedia says he was an "Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War."

31. Hot Wheels item: TOY CAR.

35. Grandpa Simpson: ABE.

38. Cheering noise: RAH.

39. Fill up: SATE.

40. They may have EIKs: APTS. EIK = Eat-In Kitchen. Xi'an is still under strict lockdown. Total 42 cases yesterday. Several officials were fired already. Here the officials are picking up the vegetable package for residents. I can see Napa cabbage, daikon radish & green onions. Staple in Xi'an winter cooking.


41. They may be uncut: GEMS.

43. __ Díaz de Vivar (El Cid): RODRIGO. I only know El Cid, not his real name.

46. Reddit Q&A sessions: AMAS. AMA = Ask My Anything.

47. Bagel topping: LOX.

52. Showed the way: LED.

53. "Murder, She Wrote" setting Cabot __: COVE. Is this gimme to you?


54. Formal topper: TIARA.

55. Screenwriter James: AGEE.

56. Fronts divide them: AIR MASSES.

58. Cleave: HEW.

59. Hilton rival: OMNI. I don't remember seeing one Omni in Minnesota.

61. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom: MOAB. In modern-day Jordan.

64. Far less friendly: ICIER.

65. "A Wrinkle in Time" director DuVernay: AVA.

70. Old draft org.: SSS.

72. Amazon's sector: E-TAIL. Boomer likes this walker I got from Amazon. He needs it to get around our house. It has a seat in the middle. Thanks again for the recommendation, Nina!


74. Did: APED.

75. Base opposite: ACID.

76. Cable station for 45 yrs.: SHO.

77. "Shape of You" Grammy winner: ED SHEERAN. British singer.


80. Moderate, with "up": EASE.

82. Religion of Mecca: ISLAM.

84. Some Kias: RIOS.

85. Gadot of "Wonder Woman": GAL.

89. Journalist Curry: ANN.

90. Cry hard: BAWL.

91. Pasta order: AL DENTE. I start to like Thin Spaghetti, thicker than Angel Hair.


92. Shoe part: HEEL.

93. Route-finding app: WAZE.

94. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.

95. Contractor's no.: EST.

97. Power-washing meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

102. Modesto Nuts' baseball level, historically: CLASS A.  Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.


105. Tackle neighbor: GUARD.

106. Giants manager Kapler: GABE.


107. Orc, to an Elf: FOE.

108. JFK's 109: PT BOAT.

112. Name of six popes: ADRIAN. When Boomer was at the VA hospital, two chaplains visited him regularly.

117. Supply: SELL TO.

118. Big Easy cuisine: CREOLE. I never had jambalaya or gumbo.

119. Coffeehouse job: ROASTER.

120. Implored: PRAYED.

121. Patronizing words, maybe: OK DEAR.

122. Mountain wind: ALPHORN.

Down:

1. NFL analyst Collinsworth: CRIS.
 

2. Track: HUNT.

3. Atahualpa, e.g.: INCA. Atahualpa was the last Inca Emperor.

4. Lara of "Tomb Raider" games: CROFT.

5. Try to achieve: AIM FOR.

6. Homers, in baseball lingo: GOES YARD.

7. Gambling initials: OTB. Off-Track Betting.

8. Part of a flight: STAIR.

9. Purplish shade: PUCE.

10. Target of Indy's quest: ARK.

11. He-Man nemesis: SKELETOR.


12. Relaxing bubble bath, say: ME TIME.

13. Food service giant: SYSCO. Jeannie, who commented on our blog in the earlier days, worked for Sysco.

14. Pub pick: IPA.

15. Campaign funders: FAT CATS.

16. Online harassers: TROLLS. Thank you for ignoring them. You make my and TTP's life easier.

17. Worked to perfect: HONED.

18. Big name in metal: ALCOA. Stock symbol AA.

19. Itsy-bitsy: TEENY.

24. Food label fig.: RDA.

29. "Seinfeld" doofus: KRAMER.

32. Greek-style yogurt brand: CHOBANI. Sometimes we see OIKOS, the Dannon brand.

33. Old wizard: MAGE.

34. Small tablet: IPAD MINI. Agnes might be on iPad Mini 5 or 6.

35. First name in mystery: AGATHA.

36. Trusted: BELIEVED IN.

37. Hermione Granger portrayer: EMMA WATSON. Argyle liked her.


39. Browsing blueprint: SITE MAP.

42. Campus org.: SOR.

44. Started eating: DUG IN.

45. Hwy., e.g.: RTE.

46. Clay became him: ALI.

47. Worries too much (over): LOSES SLEEP. Stacked with 48. Evokes a "TMI," say: OVER-SHARES.

49. Strikes (out): XES.

51. "Moonlight" actress Harris: NAOMIE. British actress. She was also in a few Bond movies.



53. TV forensics letters: CSI.

56. Easy as __: ABC.

57. Maine coastal park: ACADIA.

60. Feminist film-criticism subject: MALE GAZE. And 99. Less tactful: RUDER.

62. __-horse town: ONE.

63. Riders, e.g.: ADDENDA. Legislative riders.

67. Office PC linkup: LAN.

68. Invites over: HAS IN.

69. Summer quencher: ICED TEA. Hong Kong-style. Plenty of lemon slices. Sugary.


71. Kenyan's neighbor: SOMALI.

73. "I see" reactions: AHS.

77. Important period: ERA.

78. Caesar salad dressing ingredient: RAW EGG. Wow, really? I never made Caesar salad dressing.



79. Tie word: ALL. One-all.

81. Gator's tail?: ADE. Gatorade.

83. Texter's "No way!": SMH. Shaking My Head.

86. Lurched: CAREENED.

87. Donation to the poor: ALMS.

88. Corruption metaphor: CESSPOOL. The Ryan Reynolds movie is "Deadpool".

90. Disappointing social outing: BAD DATE.

93. In a watchful way: WARILY.

94. Head to sea: EMBARK.

96. Sandal style: T-STRAP.


98. Audibly shocked: AGASP.

100. "Cheers" waitress: CARLA. Played by Rhea Perlman. 


101. Big name in transmission repair: AAMCO.

102. Apple pie-making tool: CORER.

103. Welcoming garland: LEI. Lucky to have received a bouquet of fresh lei.

104. Bring shame to: ABASH.

107. FDR's Scottie: FALA.


109. Not duped by: ONTO.

110. New __: AGER.

111. Migratory seabird: TERN.

113. Quiet go-ahead: NOD.

115. One looking for a buck?: DOE. Great clue.

116. Food service trade org.: NRA.

 

 
Boomer left the VA hospital last Monday, earlier than what was recommended, but he was so frustrated. It's unfortunate that he landed there during the holiday periods. VA kept a skeleton crew and PT just took a few days off. Thankfully the kind doctor did not put AMA (Against Medical Advice) on his discharge papers. 

We went back to VA last Thursday (1/6/2022) for a consultation with the radiation doctors. Boomer was tattooed and he'll have 5 sessions of radiation from Jan 24th to Jan 28th to shrink the bad cells (impossible to eradicate them). After that, he'll have new chemo. He had been taking oral chemo every day.

Next Tuesday, Dr. Downs will let us know more details. The week after, Boomer will have a few sessions with the PT and the OT.

I'm sure we have a rough road ahead. Please continue to keep Boomer in your thoughts and prayers.

C.C.

39 comments:

  1. Guess who? Yup it's the old cripple. C.C. is absolutely amazing as she put together today's Sunday blog while tending to a 74 year old cripple around the home. Yes, I have to go back to the VA and let professionals (That do not work on holidays) think about what to do to get my legs back. Right now if you asked me to kick a football, it would travel about 5 yards in the air before I fell flat on my back. But as Dorothy once said as she was standing in OZ - "There's no place like home." Boomer

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  2. Good morning!

    Good to see the "old cripple" up so early, at home, and in a good mood. We're all pullin' for you, Boomer.

    Caught onto the postal abbreviations early on. Methinks it would've been better if the clues had used unique city names -- there's a Quincy in CA, MA, IL, and WA. EIKS (d-o thought that I was an L), GOES YARD, and that R in SKELETOR were learning moments. And, yes, Cabot COVE was a gimme. Thanx for the outing, John-Clark, and for the expo, C.C.

    NAOMIE: She played a sassy Miss Moneypenny in Skyfall and Spectre.

    OMNI: There was an OMNI just down the road from our offices in West Houston. We had a few corporate luncheons there. D-o picked a good time to retire. The company has since fallen on hard times.

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  3. So good to see Bommer has made it home and brought his sense of humor along. Continued prayers and best wishes.

    FLN; hang in Bill G. and I agree both TV shows you have chosen are very good. ENDEAVOR is sometimes hard to follow but the actors are all very good.

    Wendybird, as I am now even with my Medicare advantage plan paying much more than my Social Security warrants for my Xarelto, please keep us posted on your adjustment to the Watchman device.

    We have had a few other iterations of state official postal abbreviations being combined.

    Happy Sunday all

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  4. Lots of love and prayers to you guys. Been there with past wife. Be gentle with yourselves blessings…

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  5. Drat, I forgot about the postal code possibility and didn't get the theme at all today. I know we've had something similar before. Oh well, that was not my only problem today. Four bad squares for a FIW. Thanks, John-Clark, for the challenge today.

    I carelessly put ABASe/ABASH and didn't catch ALPHORN, which I know very well having tried to play one. My biggest problem area though was the NE where I had several naticks. A learning experience today for me! Thanks, C.C. for clearing up my questions.

    So good to hear from you, Boomer, and know you are happily at home. Hope your treatment keeps going well. COVID effects plus holidays do cause annoying delays.

    FLN: Thanks for coming by Bill G and sharing how you are doing. Our thoughts are with you. And welcome Chicago Steve. Come back soon.

    Hope everyone has a special Sunday!

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  6. Thank you C.C. for the explanations on the theme fills. I filled them correctly but had no idea how they related to the clues. But it was a FIW and DNF for me. My band was a CHICANO band, not CHICAGO. I'd never heard the term GOES YARD, which crossed the unknown RODRIGO. I've seen MAGI but not MAGE and just left two blank spaces for RODRIGO- R&G.

    NAOMIE Harris, SMH, MALE GAZE, SKELETOR, GABE Kapler, APED, Cabot COVE, AMAS, CLEON, DIE and definitely APTS for EIK for 'eat in kitchen'. Formal dining rooms are a waste of space to build, heat, cool, & furnish. Very few people (including us) ever eat in them. Just like a formal living room.

    Big Easy Cuisine- CREOLE (which has a 100 definitions). More Italian, Chinese, Mexican, seafood and surprisingly sushi places. The fancy restaurants in the Quarter and downtown are for tourists.

    Gumbo- two basic types in South LA. Seafood or gumbo made with chicken, pork, & sausage. Make a roux, add okra, plenty of seasoning, and add whatever meat you want. No two restaurants taste the same. DW always adds Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce to hers when it hits the table.

    Jambalaya- just buy a box of the mix (rice & seasoning) and add chicken & sausage.

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  7. Good Morning:

    It took a few minutes to catch on to the theme, but it was fun when I realized all those varied words were comprised of state abbreviations. I hit some roadblocks at the usual unknown proper names, although there weren’t that many for a Sunday grid: Chicago, Cleon, Rodrigo, Skeletor, and Naomie. I tripped over Wail/Bawl, Sage/Mage, and Pie/ABC. I think Erma’s appearance was the third this week, but she’s always welcome. As I’ve said before, Sunday puzzles can sometimes be more of a chore to solve than a pleasure, but today’s was an enjoyable and satisfying solve.

    Thanks, Jack-Clark, for brightening my day and thanks, CC, for the expert analysis. I’ll have to return later as none of the photos were visible.
    BTW, my iPad Mini bit the dust awhile ago and I replaced it with an iPad 7. Boomer, your legs may be weak but your spirit and humor are very much intact! Good luck with your upcoming treatments and PT. Kudos to CC for taking such good care of you, not to mention us!

    FLN

    WendyBird, glad your procedure went well and that you’re blood thinner-free. I have been on Eliquis since I had a blood clot in my leg when I was in the hospital last September. I’m very lucky that I wasn’t on these meds when I lost my fight with a watermelon in 2020.

    Chicago Steve, welcome! Stay and join the fun.

    CanadianEh, thanks for sharing the beautiful photos.

    Leo III, I sincerely hope Mr. Kizzy has recovered from his cat fit vis a vis Darling Lily! 😺

    Bill G, I was very happy to see you back and hope that you won’t be a stranger. I, too, am very much hoping that ACGAS will continue to delight and entertain us.

    Our roller coaster weather continues. Today’s high, 36; Tuesday’s high, 8. Oh, well, at least the white stuff has been minimal, although that will soon change, I’m sure.

    Have a great day.

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  8. Hello Boomer. You are old enough to know that government employees seem to disappear around all holidays. That's why most of the 'government holidays' are now on Monday. In days past if the holiday fell on a Tue, Thur, or Wed. the workers would just make it a 4 or 5 day weekend.

    Your tax dollars NOT AT WORK.

    Hope you feel better now that you are home because there is no rest in a hospital.

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  9. Just lurkin'

    Boomer, keep up the positive attitude, remember "laughter is he best medicine" (well maybe not the best but at least no copay)😉

    Continued improvement...🙂

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  10. Boomer ~~ so glad to see you leading off the comments today and that you are convalescing at home with the TLC of C.C.! In keeping with your movie quotes, Scarlett said with much optimism “Tomorrow is another day!” and I will keep you in my prayers for your continued recovery.

    John ~~ very nice creative CW today, thank you for the mental exercise to start my day!

    Deciphered the theme early on so the first part of the themers went smooth. I could see how it may be a bit more of a challenge for Canadian Eh etal north of the border unfamiliar with U.S. Postal codes. I had to change PERIOD to PAROLE for end of a sentence. Also had a few unknowns as I wasn’t familiar with EIK, NRA in that context, but perps helped with the overall fill for a FIR. ED SHEERAN has made several appearances lately, and ALPHORN was recently used (first time I saw it I thought the PH was an F sound until I saw the picture in the expo of the actual horns, went completely over my head.)🤦🏻‍♂️

    Thank you C.C. for your enlightening commentary today and your updates on Boomer!

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  11. It's not terribly satisfying to complete a puzzle and not understand the theme. This one is clever but impossible --- at least for me.

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  12. Musings
    -Today’s puzzle wins the “Initial theme obscurity that eventually made the puzzle as EASY AS ABC” award
    -MALE GAZE (had to be) is a thing and I’ll take a “got ‘er done” out of petty cash
    -If I as a sub see a very weak STAFF member, I keep it to myself
    -Interesting info about XIAN in your lovely write-up, C.C.
    -I watched an AGATHA Christie/David Suchet episode about GEMS last night. The murderer turned out to be a character who was on screen less than five minutes before the “reveal” in the hour-and-a-half show.
    -Canadian Eh can keep her AIR MASSES up there all winter! :-)
    -My friend’s girl’s team was behind 52- 0 before the other coach EASED up and took off his press
    -KRAMER
    -Nebraska has the ultimate ONE-HORSE-TOWN

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  13. Boomer Welcome back! Hope your legs are working well soon!

    I loved this theme! Plenty of work for the constructor and a breeze for us solvers. Once it was grasped. Impressive construction! I have travelled ACROSS much of AMERICA, but there are still states in the middle I have not visited. Yet.

    CC Glad you have discovered thin spaghetti! That is all we eat. It used to be called spaghettini, but American shoppers must have had trouble noticing the slight spelling difference.

    Last to fill was NW. Struggled to get BAND WITH HORNS. Surprising, since...

    Here we were honored to pose with the BAND WITH HORNS - CHICAGO!

    A very special treat to enjoy their HORN playing and then meet them up close! This was in Thousand Oaks, near Los Angeles. They have a wonderful small theater where they don't bug you if you take photos.

    Learning moment about NAOMIE HARRIS. Struggled with that unusual spelling. Very beautiful. Texting TLAs mean nothing to me. Thanks for explaining SMH. You couldn't pay me enough to poke on a tiny screen.

    NRA for food seemed wrong. But I was mistaken. FIR!

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  14. From Yesterday:
    CanadianEh Wow! Thank you for your MATTERHORN photos! I think you are a better photographer than I am!

    From way back on December 30:
    AnonT I think I forgot to thank you for your praise of my DEPOT article. Thank you! I hope someday our country can get adequate rail service and our museum piece DEPOT can be restored to active use!

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  15. Boomer, I hope you are warm and comfortable and getting some good rest at home. Too cold to be outside kicking a football anyway. Nerf football inside maybe, but you'd better ask C.C. first. We had freezing rain. Everything outside is glazed over and shining brightly in the morning sunshine, but the temp is steadily falling, so it's a good day to stay inside and watch football.


    ATLGranny, I meant to, but did not read the article Canadian Eh linked the other day on the difference between ABASE and ABASH, but I did read her summary. Today though, there was no confusion because of ALPHORN, and for you to miss that one, it was indeed a silly mistake. You must have been thrown way off your game by not seeing the theme.

    Nice pics yesterday, Canadian Eh.


    Unknown Daryl C from yesterday. Try the steps here.

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    Replies
    1. This is Darryl C again. I didn't complete my respy yesterday. I wanted u say I'll happy you're out of the hospital, Boomer. I'm a "boomer" too as am 67 years of age. Fortunately, I'm in pretty good health except for some blood pressure and kidney issues. I didn't see the theme while I was doing the puzzle but managed to fir anyway. After seeing C.C's commentary, it was obvious

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  16. The theme almost always goes over my head, no matter the puzzle. Today's? Even more so. Wow! I did finish it, albeit still clueless - ha ha. After I read the theme "reveal" I'm highly impressed at Mr. Levin's constructing skills. Makes my brain hurt just reading the reveal!

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  17. Hang in there Boomer!

    Someone at the LA Time Crossword really likes Ed Sheeran as he shows up often. I had no idea who he was until he appeared in the movie "Yesterday" as himself, and then he was the musical guest on SNL (SO MUCH better than most of the horrid singers/groups they have on).

    I was surprised at Raw Egg in Caesar Salad dressing. I thought raw egg was removed from Mayonaisse to keep us safe. I did a search and found a homemade recipe that says this: "Unlike authentic Caesar dressings which are made with olive oil and thickened with raw eggs, this one has a mayonnaise base, which means no raw eggs so you don’t have to worry about giving it to your kids."

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  18. FIW, carelessly missing cAR x MANDRIc ORANGE. I knew both, but when I finished wrestling with my Natick SHEERAN x NAOMIE I just hit the "reveal grid" button.

    Naomie, wouldn't it be great to simplify your life by eliminating the superfluous "E"? If you figure out how, be sure to let Sarah Silverman, Matt Stone, Graham Greene and the great rock group Manfred Mann know how you did it.

    CLASS A is the category of our motor home. My favorite CLASS A BB team name was the Savannah Sand Gnats. They are now the Columbia Fireflies.

    When I read "they may be uncut", my first thought was related to "bris".

    I loved "Murder She Wrote" and remembered Cabot COVE. If someone will give me the address, I'll surrender my man card.

    I think of OK DEAR as being the key to a happy marriage, instead of being patronizing.

    I haven't ever been accused of corruption (at least to my face), but I have been told that I am like an outboard motor in a CESSPOOL. I will admit that I like to stir stuff up.

    Wendybird, as a fellow afib patient I am also interested in the Watchman system. My Xarelto is not very expensive, about $1 a day until I fall into the doughnut hole in October when it goes up to about $3 per day.

    Thanks to John for the fun puzzle. I would not have come close to finishing if not for the theme, which I picked up at MANDRIN ORANGE. And thanks to CC for the always informative tour. Glad Boomer is home.

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  19. Thanks for the update CC. Always enjoying hearing about Xian. I managed to complete this and get the theme. It was very well constructed. Glad Boomer is home. Tell him I'll bowl a couple of games for him. Thoughts and prayers to you both. GC

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  20. Great puzzle! Even though I FIW, I enjoyed the challenge and learned a few new words - skeletor, mage, etc. I had PERIOD for PAROLE, so the NE was a mess for a while.

    Thanks for the challenge, John-Clarke, and thanks for the tour, C.C. You and Boomer are in our prayers.

    FLN regarding my Watchman. My surgeon says 96% of the clots that cause strokes use the path that the Watchman will block. I have had A-fib, but it is well controlled. I am glad to eliminate the exhorbitant cost of Eliquis as well as some undesirable side effects. I will take baby aspirin from now on, - cheap and minimal side effects. The Watchman has gone through a few iterations to eliminate some initial problems. I am reassured it is now problem free. I did a lot of research and got 2nd and 3rd opinions before I decided to go ahead.

    Excited to start the 2nd season of All Creatures Great and Small! Beautiful photography and excellent acting.

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  21. Puzzling thoughts:

    FIR

    Prayers to Boomer and CC

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  22. From Last night ....
    Bill G. its nice to hear from you. Living alone can be very stressful because of the drastic change it causes in ones lifestyle. I don't know how I could do it, if it came to that, but I'm sure many of us will have to go through that phase, at some time in our lives.
    Keep Faith in yourself, and in God, and find other pursuits to occupy your time, your mind and your raison d'etre. Prayers for you.

    Boomer, it is very nice to see you improving, and thanks to the great care you are getting from CC at home, my hopes and prayers that you will be able to get back to your jolly old self very soon.

    Canadian Eh! thank you for the wonderful pictures of the Matterhorn.

    Thank you John-Clark Levin for a very wonderful puzzle, that made my Sunday pastime. The long answers were a mystery but the perps helped enormously so I could finish. I enjoyed the puzzle very much. When I came to this blog, I was able to make rhyme of the long answers and I was very charmed and fascinated at all the state intials and how it all fit in.
    What a marvellous construction, and a novel idea !

    Thank you CC for a very clear explanation blog. Hope things improve even more, soon.

    I had a little trouble with EIKs and GOES YARD, and SKELETOR ... but it was all good. I also confused EIK for Elk, and thought of Abejo. ALMOND BUTTER is one of DW's favorite bread toppings.

    Have a nice Sunday, you all.

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  23. I enjoyed this fun theme - which after theme answer was filled out - made the puzzle a quicker than usual solve for me.

    With the increase in salmonella in eggs over the years - there are a lot of Caesar salad dressing recipes that forego the raw eggs fortunately.

    Thanks for the blog CC and J-C for the amusing puzzle!

    Prayers continue for Boomer for healing and CC for taking time for self care to prevent caregiver burnout!

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  24. Sunday Lurk say...

    Thank you, C.C. for the update on Boomer. Chemo is not easy on the body (FIL had it) but at only 74, Boomer's got the strength. You & Boomer will remain in our loving thoughts and hopes.

    Nice to read your fun "First Post!" Boomer. Keep on keepin' on.

    FLN - Lovely to read you BillG. I thought about you when thinking about my buddy (SOTU Baby!) who also when to CMU. And, hey, if you're feeling low / lonely come play with us - we may even let you post six times in a day :-)

    Re: The theme - I can only think of writing a program to look for state-abriv names in even-lettered dictionary words and then build a phrase around them. John-Clark, is that how you did it or are you that good with words in your head?

    Fav: CHICAGO [25 or 6 to 4] //have seen and am still jelly of the you & Chicago pic, Picard.

    Runner-up: CSO to BigE and my second fav fare: CREOLE
    //Mark Knopfler say 'they play CREOLE' [Dire Straits - 4:26]

    Jinx - Murder She Wrote is as evil as Matlock. Three seconds of watching either and you're on the hook for an hour. MMEB's Blinded by the Light ala The Vacant Lot.

    BigE - I think you'll agree: Gumbo is all in the roux and spice, not just any sausage but andouille, seafood adds depth/umami , and... Crystal is better :-)

    Re: Pasta: Thin Spaghetti is for meatless tomato-sauces whereas a bolognaise needs a real noodle. Angel-hair is for pestos and garlic/oil tossings. Fat noodles, like linguini, are for cream sauces or larger chunks of meat (see: shrimp & clams!). For a serious bite (and melted cheese), rigatoni, ziti, or lasagna #Yummers!
    Other foodies -- Critique.

    smh - I had to ask one of our new (Millennial) analysts what she meant when she typed that in our NSFW (not safe for work) CyberSec Discord channel.
    //the channel is mostly used to share memes or to make fun of vendors' pitches IRT (in real time)

    I enjoyed reading every one today and wishing all y'all more good health in 2022*

    Cheers, -T
    *who else is still writing '21? I put that on a bag pre-seasoned chicken breasts (it was on sale!) I froze yesterday. Took me about 25 min to realize my err.

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  25. Moe, did you see that ? Black and Gold.

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  26. Difficult puzzle for me today so I appreciated CC'S excellent review. Also good to hear about Boomer's progress. Any news about CC's brother in Xian?

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  27. I liked this puzzle and learned a few new things such as what an EIK is, and the term GOES YARD. Yep, Cabot COVE was a gimme for me, and the name RODRIGO emerged fully formed from the recesses of my memory. The name CLEON did not, however, nor did the name SKELETOR which I will forget by tomorrow. Hand up for changing PERIOD to PAROLE. I also had to change SOLE to HEEL, PIE to ABC, and BARISTA to ROASTER. NAOMIE is an example of a name you probably could not guess because of its spelling unless you already knew it.

    So good to read the news about Boomer, who has been in my thoughts and prayers. That rollator looks like a nice one!

    It was also good to see you posting, Bill G. I wish you well. Do you still (in good weather) bike down to the cafe to enjoy a sandwich and a macchiato once in a while?

    Picard, I remember it used to be called spaghettini.

    Good wishes to you all.

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  28. Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, John-Clark and C.C. (Continued prayers for you and Boomer. Glad to see you here bright and early today, Boomer.)
    Well, YooperPhil was correct (thanks for thinking of me). This Canadian was definitely at a disadvantage. (Rich probably did that today to keep me humble after two CSOs and a Canadian constructor yesterday!) But once I got the idea of the State abbreviations, I dug deep into my memory of American city names from my travels Across America. I've visited or been near Kennebunkport, Fargo, Boston, Bismarck, Grand Forks,and Boise. Others were not known (Minot, Bentonville) but I figured them out.

    Unknowns included EKI (thanks for explaining C.C.), RODRIGO, SMH, those CLASS A Modesto Nuts, ADRIAN, SKELETOR. CHOBANI is not as familiar to me as OIKOS.

    We just saw SHEERAN, but FALA has not been here recently.
    Did=APE was a little meh!
    I wanted ADE for the summer quencher, but it was ICED TEA.
    Hand up for Sole to HEEL, period to PAROLE.
    Did anyone else want Apex for the "base opposite". Chemistry not geometry today.
    That TURKEY didn't need a PAROLE after the pardon. Was he a ROASTER?

    Yes, HuskerG, we are supposed to get some AIR MASSES that are ICIER tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow how low we get.

    FLN- I posted photos of the Matterhorn. (I see some have enjoyed them already. Picard, I should not have said "my" photos, as DH gets the credit for taking them. I just download and organize.) After seeing ALPHORN again today, I added a photo from Stadtkeller Folklore Restaurant in Lucerne showing ALPHORNs, and will link again.
    MatterhornAlphorn

    BillG - we missed you. Please join us often.

    Wishing you all a good evening.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I just never get tired of looking at photos of the Matterhorn. It has such a distinctive shape. Thank you for posting the photos, CanadianEh! Nice to see it from the various different points of view.

    ReplyDelete

  30. Moe, how about it ?

    No ties.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Haven't been frustrated by a Sunday LAT for many-a-moon, but today's entry did me in. Two hours of angst before I finally tossed it, only half finished. I still don't understand the "theme". Am I the ONLY one to be so confused??

    ReplyDelete


  32. Yes, Bobbi, you are the only one. Except for every one else that didn't quite get it.

    BTW, look at my link at 11:36 for tips so you can be once again Bobbi, instead of just another "Unknown" Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I got the theme, but am terrible at geography, even U.S. geography, especially the east coast. But I finished it, one cell blank, didn't wiki anything but it took me all day. Like six hours. I got out of my PJs at 4 P.M. But isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? I just hold constructors in high esteem.

    Boomer, I'm glad you're home and I hope everything goes well for you and C.C. Whoever said it, "Keep on keeping on."

    Becky

    ReplyDelete
  34. I never thought FIR was possible as North was mostly white. Then I groked the theme, TURKEY and that PUCE (FLN+) V8ed.

    In the NW I only had CRIS +CROFT; finally the GOES YARD fell.

    I wasn't sure how to spell AAMCO but I knew the obscure GABE(but not ANN+ ABE)

    I did know CLEON,MOAB,RODRIGO and (fln+) Ed SHEERAN)

    S/o* MALE GAZE. Yesterday I had to wo ogles for LEERS

    Picard, I liked that pic esp the lovely Merlie. I'm with you on rail and other public trans. Big Oil and Auto bought out a lot of it after WWII

    Definitely needed the theme but I only got it late. Boomer, I have a bet you'll break 500 soon on the lanes. BillG voice from the past.

    WC

    ** Speaking of. Fln+= Sometime in the last week or so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Started real late and this wasn't a sprint. Btw .

      Besides baby aspirin I take fish oil and COQ10

      WC

      Delete
  35. Boomer & C.C., I will continue to pray for strength for you both and healing for Boomer. Not an easy start to 2022. Bless you.

    BillG: haven't seen your post, but glad to know you tuned in.

    2022 has been an ordeal for me already. I haven't been able to do the puzzles for several days and wasn't online.

    Best wishes for all my blog friends.

    ReplyDelete
  36. This is Darryl C. I posted this response earlier because was not sure it got in. Boomer, I'm glad you're out of the hospital and doing okay. I'm a "boomer" too as I am 67 years old. In pretty good health, except for some blood pressure and kidney issues. In spite of the fact that I didn't grasp the theme while I was working on the puzzle, I fir. After seeing C.C.'s commentary, it became obvious.

    ReplyDelete

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