Sports Heroes
I was unable to find a trace of Samantha Podos Nowak in the LA Times database, nor anywhere else on the Internet (Google, Facebook, etc), so this looks like her puzzle debut.
The characters referred to in Samantha's theme originated in the comic fantasies of the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) and its competitor DC Comics (DC).
As a MCU/DC newbie, I can't begin to explain the world they live in,
nor their complex relationships, but the preceding Wiki links can get
you started if you're interested.
The themers all start with
the word "When" and end with a "_____" for you to fill in. The first
word of each fill is a character from one of the universes (MCU or DC),
followed by a second word giving a common phrase. The original comics
have long since morphed into many movies and video game adaptations and
are BIG business.
Several of the characters have appeared in multiple movies, and have
been played by multiple actors. I believe some of the characters have
occasionally appeared in both universes. Here are the themers:
19A. When one of the X-Men needs to communicate with the pitcher, __: STORM SIGNALS (MCU). Storm is a superhero who first appeared in Marvel Comics in May 1975.
Descended from a long line of African witch-priestesses, she is a
member of a fictional subspecies of humans born with superhuman
abilities known as mutants.
She is able to control the weather and atmosphere and is considered to
be one of the most powerful mutants on the planet, and one of the most
powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.
 |
| Storm |
 |
| Flash |
 |
| Vision |
You'll notice that each themer is also a reference to either baseball or football and hence the reveal:
50A. Idolized athletes, and an apt title for this puzzle?: SPORTS HEROES.
Let's finish with some real SPORTS HEROES in OUR Universe.
Here's the grid:
Now that we're back on Earth, we'll now consider the rest of the clues.
Across:
1. Intro to physics?: META. METAPHYSICS, a topic explored in depth in the 2005 Sci-Fi fantasy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Here's Deep Thought, voiced by Helen Mirren, with the answer to the meaning of life:
5. Fundamentals: ABCS. The metaphysics of OUR reality.
9. __ test: BETA. This type of test is often done by the programmers. All of the rest are done by YOU.
13. Monopoly token replaced by a cat: IRON. Betcha Hahtoolah had something to do with this.
15. Has status: RATES. Doesn't it depend on the RATING?
16. Breaking point: LAST STRAW. Here's the STRAW'S side of the story ...
21. App pop-ups: ADS. Do you get a lot of these when you read Corner comments on your cell phone?
24. "That's __-brainer!": A NO.
25. Called before: NEE.
26. Concentrate: FOCUS.
28. Achievement for a goal-oriented player?: HAT TRICK. Ever wondered why scoring three goals in one game is called a hat-trick?
36. Spanish Mrs.: SRA. Senora.
37. High-voiced Muppet: ELMO.
38. Allude (to): REFER.
39. "The Night Circus" novelist Morgenstern: ERIN. The Night Circus is a 2011 fantasy novel originally written for the annual writing competition National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) over the span of three competitions. The novel has a nonlinear narrative written from multiple viewpoints.
 |
| Erin Morgenstern |
40. Mushroom top: CAP.
43. Pronged spears: TRIDENTS. The TRIDENT is often associated with marine deities such as Poseidon and Neptune because the weapon was most commonly used for fishing. But they have other uses.
 |
| Poseidon |
 |
| Timex Ironman Classic |
47. Airport rental: CAR.
49. "__ Misérables": LES. Les Misérables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. The novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Examining the nature of law and grace, the novel elaborates upon the history of France, the architecture and urban design of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. Les Misérables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television and the stage, including a musical. Hand up if you've read the novel?
56. Uncanny: EERIE. 80% vowels!
57. Like a wide load: OVERSIZED.
61. Rise to the top of a news feed, say: TREND.
62. Ham or lamb: MEAT.
63. Sushi wrapper: NORI. Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from a red algae genus. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi ("Maki").
 |
| Drying Nori |
64. Nasty hangover?: SMOG. Clever clue.
65. Writer Bombeck: ERMA. Erma Louise Bombeck (February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers.
 |
| Erma Bombeck |
66. Vice president between Quayle and Cheney: GORE.
Down:
1. The Brewers, in box scores: MIL. The Milwaukee Brewers are members of the National League Central division and are named for the city's association with the brewing industry. Since 2001, they have played their home games at American Family Field, which was named Miller Park through the 2020 season and has a seating capacity of 41,900 people.
3. Lean-__: TOS.
4. Aardvark meal: ANTS. By pure co-incidence, ANT-MAN just happens to be a member of the Marvel Comic Universe.
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5. __ Martin: ASTON. Sean Connery chased Dr. No around Jamaica in an Aston Martin in last Thursday's puzzle. And somebody just bought it last summer for $2.4 million bucks.
6. Beast of burden: BURRO. Not this guy (lyrics) ...
7. Stuff: CRAM. Best not to try stuffing it the night before the exam.
8. Follows a pattern, say: SEWS.
9. Stadium sign: BANNER.
10. "The Wallflower" jazz singer James: ETTA. Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". Here she sings "The Wallflower" backed up by "The Peaches" ...
11. Turquoise kin: TEAL. Here they are. Below each color are the "RGB codes" you can use to reproduce the precise hues with a computer:
12. Egyptian snakes: ASPS. Last week it was MAMBAS, this week it's ASPS. Maybe we should get St. Patrick in here and drive 'em all out.
15. Webster's shelfmate: ROGETS. I found only one synonym for ROGET in the online Thesaurus.plus and it led me to this.
 |
| Peter Mark Roget |
17. Secret supply: STASH. FLASH keeps his secret STASH in his ring.
20. Future resident: INTERN. An INTERNSHIP is actually the first year of a RESIDENCY.
21. Change: AFFECT.
22. Buck: DOLLAR.
23. Garlicky dish: SCAMPI. Here's a recipe.
27. Gp. for the troops: USO. United Service Organization. Here's Mr. USO himself with Francis Langford and Patty Thomas entertaining the troops in 1944 ...
28. Old audio systems: HI FIS.
29. Chevy subcompact: AVEO. The Chevrolet Aveo (sold as Chevrolet Sonic in North America and parts of Asia since 2011) is a subcompact car manufactured since 2002 (by Daewoo from 2002 to 2011). The second generation Sonic began with the 2012 model year and was also marketed as the Aveo; production ended in October 2020.
 |
| 2011 Chevrolet Aveo |
30. Mideast birthplace of actress Gal Gadot: ISRAEL. Gal Gadot-Varsano (born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress, model, and former Miss Israel. Her first international film performance was in Fast & Furious (2009), where she played Gisele Yashar. By another pure co-incidence it turns out that she's our puzzle's 5th superhero, joining the Justice League in the film Wonder Woman 1984 released in 2020:
 |
| Gal Gadot |
31. React to an awkward moment, say: CRINGE.
32. "The Wizard of Oz" setting: KANSAS. Here's Dorothy on her way from KANSAS to OZ ...
34. Gin and tonic: DRINKS. Cocktail wouldn't fit.
35. Staff symbol: REST. Take 5 and check this out.
39. Dartboard wood: ELM. For some reason I always thought they were made of cork. Here's the history of dart boards. Two weeks ago I was indebted to CrossEyedDave for posting the epic "joke scene" in Roxanne that resulted when Charlie Wales (played by Steve Martin) lost a game of darts. For those of you who missed it ...
41. __ interest: VESTED. Show me a politician without any VESTED interests, and I'll show you a one handed lawyer.
42. Facial mask targets: PORES. Clever clue.
44. Willing to take risks: DARING. The cost of living. See 59D.
47. Half of half-and-half: CREAM.
48. Vital blood vessel: AORTA. Everything you might want to know about the AORTA (except maybe for you MD's out there).
50. Hardens: SETS. Before mixing 5 minute epoxy, make sure you have a PLAN.
51. Make waves?: PERM. "To PERM?"
52. Cookie with a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavor: OREO. Just in time for today's dessert!
53. Word before and after sweet: HOME.
54. "Best. Day. __!": EVER. Thank you Google ...
55. Join the chorus: SING.
58. Herpetologist's employer: ZOO. We could use one to keep track of all the ASPS, ADDERS, COBRAS, and MAMBAS slithering around the blog.
59. __ on the side of caution: ERR. We should "ERR on the
side of caution" if there is a significant risk of a negative outcome.
Thus tests for cancer should be designed with the lowest possible
margin for error: a false negative (type 2 error) would result in a case going undiagnosed and untreated, whereas a false positive (type 1 error) would likely lead to retesting. Here's more about these types of errors.
60. Game cube: DIE. The end!
Cheers,
Bill
As always, thanks to Teri
for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
We wish you all a Happy, Blessed, and FILLINGFUL Thanksgiving!
 | |
| Freedom From Want Norman Rockwell 1943 |
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteFell asleep early last night, and at 3:45 my eyes popped open, and I had to get up. Enjoyed this pzl, even though I know zip about the X-Men or Avengers. In my day you only had Superman, Batman, Archie, Henry, Baby Huey, and Casper. Thanx, Samantha (nice debut) and Waseeley. (So a hat trick is scoring three times in one game? Who gnu?)
MIL: My one and only MLB experience was watching the Milwaukee Braves play at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Earl Gillespie did the radio play-by-play and shagged foul balls with his butterfly net. No idea who the Braves were playing, or who won.
CRAM: Anyone else try CRAP? I was thinking of George Carlin talking about his stuff and your crap.
34 down clue should have been plural gin and tonicS - threw me off when it did not agree
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased ranks for RATES, infer for REFER, clef for REST, and rolex for OMEGA.
ReplyDeleteHand up for not knowing any of the comic characters.
Anon @ 5:45 - That was my first thought too. But we were in ERR. "Tonic" is a drink, as is "gin". In this case, they are served separately, making the clue correct.
Sam could have stopped at "cookie" without adding "with a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavor" and we would have still gotten it.
I was so sure of RAnkS that I thought "oh no, a singer "James" that isn't ELLA. Occam ruled, and I ceded to RATES.
Programmers are supposed to perform unit tests. Other IT specialists are supposed to perform system tests. A limited number of end users are supposed to perform BETA tests. I'm not too sure Windoze follows that process. (Heathkit had fabulous BETA testing. When they developed a new kit, they would assign clerical staff to build a few of them without help before the kit was marketed.)
When I lived in LA, a common bumper sticker was "I don't trust air I can't see!" SMOG was present before European settlers got there, but it has been aggravated by internal combustion byproducts.
We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday so that my stepson can get back to work in Baltimore tomorrow. I hope all Cornerites will have as great a time today as we had. Today for us is just food, junk food, and desserts to go with some parade in New York and football.
Thanks to Samantha for the fun, easier-than-I-first-thought puzzle. And thanks to Bill and Teri for the fine tour.
Rough start inking astr/META forgetting it was four letters
ReplyDeleteMy pop-up ADS tend to cover the name of the poster. Hence my WC at the end
I read a chapter en francais as a Soph. I think I read the book in English later
NORI had two dwarf brothers: Ori and Dori
SMOG hangs over LA
Cy is known for his 512 Wins but the Cy Young Awaed is weighted towards ERA
I had CAbS but lobes/PORES was missing the P for PLANS
The Boston Braves took a detour leaving St Petersburg in 1953 and ended up in Milwaukee. Since jumping was what they did they jumped to Atlanta in 65. The Pilots of Seattle then jumped to Milwaukee c. 1970
Agree with anon on lack of Plural on Gin and Tonic(s)
Not too bad on the pop-cul and perp-friendly. I knew STORM and FLASH but not VISION
WC
Maybe I’m stupid (after all , I am a “sub” genius) but I still don’t see what the themed answers have to do with sports, much less sports “heroes.” Nevertheless, the puzzle was fair and eminently solvable, and I FIRed, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR, and Happy Thanksgiving. This was a challenge for me since I know nothing about super heroes. Thank goodness for the perps.
ReplyDeleteSubG, Just to expand on waseeley… fe. 19A. A catcher uses SIGNALS to 'communication' with the pitcher. A football team moving the ball is on a DRIVE. The manager's line-up card is his game PLAN
ReplyDeleteWC
ReplyDeleteThank you, Samanatha, and thank you, waseeley.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Samantha, for some fun to start this feast day. Perhaps your first? Congrats. I didn't know the heroes here, but I was able to work it all out with the crosses and some clues to get me started.
Thank you, Bill, for an extensive tour.
D-O: My thoughts exactly at CRAM. I, too, migrated to George Carlin and his "my stuff and your crap." Additionally, in that bit he talks about how much money Americans spend storing their "crap." So naturally, I think of him often given the vast number of storage facilities embellishing our landscape.
Happy Thanksgiving. I remain grateful for all the fun here even as I find less time to comment than in the past. Enjoy this day.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThumper and I are out of sorts this morning but we do wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Samantha, and thanks, Bill, for the usual enlightening and entertaining summary. The Straw/Camel cartoon was my favorite. Thanks to Teri, also.
Wilbur, I always thought the Cy Young Award was given to the pitcher with the best Won/Loss record.
FLN
TTP and Anon T, thanks for reminding me of the travel factor. I finally remembered late yesterday.
Have a great Thanksgiving Day!
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill and Samantha, for getting the day off the a great start.
This is indeed my first published puzzle! Hope you enjoy it and happy Thanksgiving to all 😊🦃
ReplyDeleteSamantha @9:15 AM Congratulations and thanks for stopping by! I certainly learned a lot (and how little I know) about cartoon universes.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving Cornerites! If you watch the Macy's parade - Marching Mizzou (Univ of Missouri's band) is in the parade today!
ReplyDeleteSince I'm in my jams doing this puzzle, I forgot it was a Thursday puzzle and expected a themeless.
I thought the theme was amusing - I know about the X-men though I haven't seen the movies - I think Halle Berry played STORM and Hugh Jackman was Wolverine and Jennifer Lawrence was Mystique.
VISION was a pretty 2 dimensional character in Avengers: Age of Ultron - but became more 3 dimensional in the TV series Wandavision. Paul Bettany has had a wide range of roles- for me most memorable in "A Beautiful Mind"
When I lived in Wisconsin I went to see the Brewers like D-O at County Stadium- I've never been to the newer field but you can see it easily from the highway with lots of lights.
Thanks Bill & Teri for the fun blog and Samantha for the puzzle!
Musings
ReplyDelete-A hilarious take on The FLASH
-My first trip to central Florida with teenagers was my BETA version. The 22 ensuing versions got much better.
-I used to FOCUS sunlight to a point with my 60 cm (24”) parabolic mirror and kids were amazed at what happened to objects I put at the focal point.
-I had/have no idea who ERIN is but this “The novel has a nonlinear narrative written from multiple viewpoints” reminds me of Pulp Fiction
-Spring and fall bring many pieces of OVERSIZED farm equipment onto the roads
-Gotta love “Called before” and “Nasty hangover”
-ROGET would be very frustrated today with a print copy of his work in a time where words seem to appear or morph in minutes
I contacted Samantha and got her permission to post that she
ReplyDelete1. Went to Princeton
2. Works for Google
3. Lives in N.J.
4. Has two little boys inspired this puzzle as they are experts in the Super Hero category. She said they help her when they appear in the NYT puzzle.
5. Said Carly Schuna, our circus trainer/constructor in Wisconsin, helped her get started in puzzles.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, everyone! The festivities will soon commence so I need to hurry.
As children we thrived on comic books and at the time I knew the current HEROES, Superman being the most prominent followed by Batman. Comic books then cost $.10 at the local drugstore.
Do modern people even know what in IRON is or what it's for?
My s-i-l is a big fan of Batman.
ERMA Bombeck moved here from Ohio.
The only Morgenstern I recall is Rhoda from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Have a happy day, everyone!
A nicely themed puzzle although I didn’t really get the correlation with sports till Wilbur C explained it, thought it may have been team nicknames as in Seattle STORM, but could find no leagues that had VISION or FLASH, although they would be good names. Also really not familiar with the MCU/DC superheroes, as D-O heretofore stated I grew up with Superman, Archie, Richie Rich etc. But for all the unknowns the perps were generous andI managed a FIR in a little over 13 minutes. Hand up for CRAP before CRAM. All in all a fair CW with good clueing. Thank you Samantha for the morning entertainment and congrats on your debut, thanks for stopping by the Corner!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the clue for gin AND tonic is correct, they are both drinks on their own, if it would have been singular it would have been stated as gin OR tonic.
Bill and Teri ~~ as always, another stellar review, thank you for your time and effort!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! 🦃 Among my many blessings I’m also grateful to all the puzzle constructors, bloggers and commenters, I may not post everyday but I always come here to read and am never disappointed. Peace!
I stumbled through this puzzle, but eventually got it, in spite of knowing nothing about super heroes. Unlike Samantha, the constructor, I don’t have any little kids around the house.
ReplyDeleteELM trees have been getting quite a work out lately. I too was certain RAnkS was the right entry, then realized my mistake. But that’s the fun of good CW puzzles.
Loved that straw/camel joke.
Happy Thanksgiving. Try not to OVERSIZE(d) your helping of holiday goodies.
Yopper, gin and tonic can be singular as well, similar to rum and coke. If singular, they are two types of mixed DRINKS; if plural, they are four standalone DRINKS.
ReplyDeleteWatching the parade with DW today. I finally know who crossword-favorite HODA is. Where's the NFL early game from Europe when we really need it?
🦃.....
ReplyDeleteDW: "Ray! What do you think you're doing!"
Me: "I'm doing the crossword. And then will add my usual incredibly witty comments to the blog."
DW: "Oh no you're not. Put down that newspaper and start peeling those potatoes and stirring that gravy."
Me: "Yes....Dear"... 😲
........
Happy Thanksgiving to all our Cornerite Turkeys....😊
Two days in row I FIR and have absolutely no idea what the theme fills refer to. I've heard of FLASH (no nothing about it) but VISION and STORM, never. ERIN and ELM for dartboards were unknowns filled by perps.
ReplyDeleted-otto- I know less lthan zip about the X-Men and Avengers. Nada.
Lucina- I remember Rhoda Morgenstern.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Samantha (congrats on your debut and thanks for dropping by)and waseeley(and Teri).
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time and saw the theme (sorta?) (it didn’t help that I thought LAST STRAW and perhaps even OVERSIZE) might be themers. The clues have to do with sports and Marvel heroes, but not the actual answers??
15x15 dartboard today (ELM again!).
Canadian, Simu Liu, (from Kim’s Convenience fame) portrays the warrior Shang-Chi in Marvel’s first Asian superhero movie, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
We get our ABCs today, but in Greek, with BETA and OMEGA ( and can we use ET(T)A?).
And this Canadian noted a ZED at the very end of the grid (57A)!
BETA following close after META was good too.
BURRO, not Ass, today.
I smiled at the clue for CREAM.
It took me some head-scratching to see “Shoot= ASK”. Okay, go ahead and ASK me= SHOOT.
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.
May you have The Best Day EVER,
The puzzle?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been into Marvel since I was 12, so I have lost track of all the (newer) superheroes.
(What the heck is an ant man? And why should I care...?)
So the puzzle was a bit tougher than most for me.
Waseely, thanks for the CSO!
I just post what I like, but it's kinda hit and miss.
Just yesterday, I was all excited and tried to explain something to my neighbor,
And he was like, what's so exciting about bicycle coaster brakes, and why should I care?
Anywho,
I would be remiss, if I did not post on Thanksgiving,
And miss the chance to flip you all the bird...
28 to FIR. I know none of these “super-heroes”, so this was a real slog for me. To me heroes are people that get amazing, positive things done WITHOUT super-powers. Anyway, W/Os MONOS:HIFIS, CLEF:REST, which made an unholy mess out of the middle. Thanx for this challenging CW, SPN. And thanx too to Bill for his super-hero write-up. No time today to read everyone’s comments. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone. Everyone loves Thanksgiving….except for turkeys, who HATE Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteEdward in Los Angeles:
ReplyDeleteI am colorblind. So both examples of 11D should be GRAY.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Samantha! And Happy Thanksgiving, everyone...I give thanks for all the Cornerites!
Delightful debut puzzle, Samantha, and thank you for checking in with us on Thanksgiving Day. Have a wonderful day, and we'll look forward to seeing you again in the future. And, Bill, your commentaries, with those great pictures, are always a delight. We're giving thanks to you for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, on Thanksgiving it's time to PLAN an OVERSIZED meal of Turkey MEAT or maybe SCAMPI, along with vegetables--a lovely annual TREND, isn't it? Let's hope it's not the LAST STRAW and that we'll all have enough DOLLARs to enVISION another great Thanksgiving next year, maybe with some NORI and OREOs for dessert. I'm already looking forward to it.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving today, and let's all give thanks for all the great times we had on this blog all year!
Hi Y'all! I am thankful for the CW instructors and all our congenial bloggers & commenters. You light up my life!
ReplyDeleteHowever, since most of us lost interest in "superheros" after childhood, I wonder what age group Patty Varol is trying to attract to doing crosswords by choosing this theme? Know any 12-yr-olds who are doing the cw each morning in their capes & masks? PEW! PEW!
That said, I did get this filled & enjoyed all the words that I recognized.
Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to waseeley for bringing us Ms. Nowak's PZL to brighten the morn!
I believe the treat of the day is the fine reasoning employed to explain "Gin and tonic" as plural DRINKS.
Yes, indeed, it is correct.
Quite a legal brain.
"-istic," that is.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diagonals, far side.
The central diag has only three vowels. Turning to the top line, we find an anagram (13 of 14 letters) that identifies the physical & mental status of a typical pubescent youth...
"TEEN AGITATION"!
My s-i-l, who is 45 years old has on his wish list for Christmas 1. any Batman comic book and 2. any Superman comic book. Now, the challenge is to find them! Looking on the internet I see that there are several comic book stores here in Scottsdale! Who gnu, as D-O says. He also is deeply interested in the history and culture of Japan so those books are already here, too. He wants The Complete Book of Fighters and it weighs at least ten pounds!
ReplyDeleteI have been chased out of the kitchen by my daughter and granddaughter so here I am catching up on your antics and comments. I did trim the green beans to prepare them for cooking.
My youngest granddaughter, age 12, set the table.
I hope you all have the very best feast possible and enjoy your family and friends today as well as the FB game if you watch.
HG @9:36 AM Thanks for the mini-bio on Samantha. Surfing the web is my weak suit. In fact I have closets full of them.
ReplyDeleteOn Thursdays I can't just sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting for comments to gush in so I always try to do at least one David Alfred Bywaters puzzle. For those who complain about Crosswordese, myself included, you owe it to yourself to try your hand at his Alphabetical Cavalcade of Crosswordese. He has managed to fill almost the entire puzzle with crosswordese, including much of the short fill and all of the long fill constructed from preposterous puns strung together from crosswordese. OREO was conspicuous by its absence. You can either solve it online or print out a copy from the preceding link.
Late on 11-1 I posted to the Corner. Lucina replied.
ReplyDelete"David It's good to hear from you. How are you faring?"
I have delayed answering her query because the creative juices hadn't flown until today, a day of thanks giving.I am thankful for the points that follow:
Online friends like Lucina who I have known for years.
My caregiver Lynn (20) years
Wesley Manor Retirement Community which she found for me.
My apartment here, "The Chez" in which I putz 24/7.
My heart attack in 2018, after which I was seated in the dining room at a table...
with my "mother", Martha to my right, My neighbor Rosalie across, and a woman named Carol to my left
The quote that I started "A rose by any other name..." and Carol completed "would smell as sweet."
The friendship that developed and continues to strengthen between Carol and myself
My acceptance into her family especially by her daughter Patty
My healthcare team of doctors who help me to live as well as possible
The hand of God which guides me constantly
Many other Blessings
Lucina, I am faring well !
Ðavið
FIR. Thank you, Samantha, for your clever puzzle and for posting on the Corner. I hope to see another puzzle with your byline soon!
ReplyDeleteSo manyFAVS CRAMmed into today's grid:
Follows a pattern, say
Webster's shelfmate
Word before and after sweet
Buck (took a lot of perps before I caught on!)
Gin and tonic (I like that I immediately wanted to pen in "drink" but I had to pause because of the number of letters.)
Nasty hangover?
waseeley: Thank you for the great write-up! We are Timex Ironman watch twins
= )
Interesting puzzle but nothing special for Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Samantha Podos for the grid and congrats on the LAT debut.
Nice job on the sparkly expo, waseeley. I click more links tonight after everyone goes to bed.
WO: gElS -> SETS
ESPs: AVEO, ERIN
Fav: Nasty Hangovers == SMOG.
D-O: hand-up for stuff == CRAP. Took me forever to see CRAM.
MdF - LOL what we spend on Storage. We had a modest unit for the kids' baby clothes & Christmas goodies. Then, when we moved, we got another unit for the stuff that didn’t 'fit' with the new house. Oy!
//When Youngest gets her apt., anything left in Unit #2 goes to Good Will.
FLN & the travels -- I think Pop forgot I was in San Francisco at 2 hours behind him. He woke me at 4:30a PST with a "Happy Thanksgiving" :-)
Heading over to DW's Aunt's house - read y'all (post 10:21a) later.
Cheers, -T
Guess I've said it before, but the range of knowledge and range of knowledge gaps on this blog always amazes me. Here am I, for example, at 82, having seen some, by no means all, of the superhero films, but I am familiar with most of the names. And I see them mentioned in the media pretty frequently. Surprised that so many posters describe complete ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, wide range of knowledge. A diverse group.
Sandyanon @4:2$ PM There's only so much some of us can CRAM in our noggins.
DeleteIM think of the Cy as a pitcher's MVP. Analytics is fashionable vs the old W-L record
ReplyDeleteYes, but who had a dime in those days. Barbershop stocked them
Sorry, G&T is a drink. G&Ts are DRINKS
And Lucina, that's games, three of them
Sandy I'm amazed at the pop-cul knowledge and likewise lack of same for all things Sports related. Also…
I don't know a soul who could solve Saturday xword.
WC
I was ready to agree with you, Wilbur, about G&Ts.
ReplyDeleteBut then I read the reasoning. Using traditional crossword logic, it wins.
Sorry, but ...
~ OMK
D4E4H:
ReplyDeleteDave, I'm so glad to hear that you are faring well! It's wonderful that you are treated so well. It does my heart good to see your post. I hope we hear from you more often.
I can still hear echoes of jocularity even though my family departed quite some time ago. It seems that all ate well, joked plenty and enjoyed themselves all day. I was forbidden to enter the kitchen. My daughter and granddaughter donned their Star Wars aprons and went to work assembling our dinner. It was all delicious and we even have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow and possibly beyond. I had prepared the turkey and put it in the oven before they arrived but they cooked the rest: mashed the potatoes, green beans, yams, biscuits, etc. We even have some pie left, too. Altogether we numbered eleven around the table. Besides the family, some friends of my granddaughter were here, too. And Mark came because one of his granddaughters is sick and he didn't want to chance also getting sick.
I sincerely hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
Tomorrow I have to shop for the secret Santa name I got from our church tree and not because I want to.
To Wilbur: yeh, but … Gin is a drink; tonic is a drink; so gin AND tonic ARE - DRINKS ;-D
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