Friday, September 8, 2023, Patti Varol

Theme: ID Theft

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's puzzle is a clever POW (play-on-words) that has three spots where the reveal (54-across. Demand from a suspicious bartender, and an apt title for this puzzle: "LET'S SEE SOME ID") is supported:

19-across. Matchmaker who's popular in all 50 states?: AMERICA'S CUPID. Remove the "ID" from this entry and you're left with "AMERICA'S CUP" - the erstwhile popular yacht race

27-across. Barriers on the ocean floor?: DEEP SEA DIVIDERS. Snip the "ID" from this and you have "DEEP SEA DIVERS" - and a SO of sorts to my gorgeous partner, Margaret, who in an earlier life was a certified SCUBA guide

48-across. Tearing the felt while attempting to put spin on the ball, e.g.?: ENGLISH ACCIDENT. Interesting clue; (and for me, a diversion) I believe the clue refers to how you'd apply backspin (aka "ENGLISH") to a cue ball (billiards/pool), but cause an "ACCIDENT" by tearing/ripping the felt from the pool table surface while trying. Here is a short video that shows the proper method for jumping the cue ball. Sorry, I couldn't find an instructor with an ENGLISH ACCENT ...

Today's puzzle is from the LA Times Crossword Puzzle Editor, Patti Varol. Maybe she will stop by to say "hello", and tell us what was her "seed" entry ...

Of course, Chairman Moe loves these kind of puzzles ... and couldn't help but wonder if these were other possible choices that Patti considered (remember to remove the "ID"):

Clue: Straight person who was accepted by their gay friend?: PRIDE APPROVED.

Clue: Fundraisers whose faces are plastered on billboards?: EVIDENT PLANNERS.

Here is the grid, and then on to the other clues/words:

Across:
1. Dexterous: DEFT. Not a word used often, but it fits

5. __+Zoe: fashion brand named for the founder's children: NIC. Perps to the rescue

8. Grills, briefly: BBQS. We just had one of the busiest BBQ days of the year this past Monday

12. Geometric reference line: AXIS. This (note, AXIS showed up this past Tuesday):

13. Former frosh: SOPHS. "Frosh" gave it away - Patti wanted an abbreviation. Freshmen = SOPHOMORES. Frosh is the abbr. of freshmen

15. Prado display: ARTE. Italian word for "art"

16. Small pie: TART. Would the Italian word for this be "tarte"? No, it's "crostada"

17. Prove useful: AVAIL.

18. Lean: LIST. Not lean as in slender; lean as in "tilt" - or when on a cruise liner, "LIST"

22. Credit card fig.: APR. Mo. for filing taxes would also fit as a clue

23. Initials for William or Kate: HRH. His or Her Royal Highness

24. Transcript fig.: GPA. I got mine above a 3.0 in my senior year in college ... after my SOPHomore year it was in the low 2's

33. Record producer Gotti who created the BET series "Tales": IRV. More perps; total unknown to me

34. Scent: ODOR.

35. Travels to an away match?: ELOPES. Sports fans ... "home" teams generally wear white ... so, at an "away" event (in this case, a wedding) would the bride wear gray?

36. Soho stroller: PRAM. Baby buggy in Britain

38. Shaver: LAD. Why is a little LAD called a shaver?

40. "By __!": JOVE. "I think he's GOT it!"

41. Pacific Rim nation: PANAMA. Nice clue mis-direction ... the southern border of PANAMA lies on the Pacific Ocean

44. Pastoral chorus: MOOS.

47. Transgression: SIN.

51. HST successor: DDE. Harry S Truman preceded Dwight D Eisenhower

52. UPC kin: SKU.

53. __ carte: à la. Frawnch. Unlike Splynter (who subbed for Melissa on Wednesday) I spell MY Frawnch without the "e" at the end ... ;^)

61. Texter's hedge: FWIW.

63. Midwest hub: O'HARE.

64. Plus: ALSO.

65. Flow slowly: OOZE.

66. __ friends: FURRY. Cats or dogs - our pets

67. Deck chair piece: SLAT. Found in these: (the wood thingies)

68. Honey bunch: BEES.

69. Counterpart of "thx": PLS.

70. "Lonely Boy" rock band the Black __: KEYS. Perps, again; I did not know this rock band ... I DO know that there are 3 dozen black KEYS on a piano, though

Down:
1. Cellular plan component: DATA. Mine are unlimited

2. Prof's preparation: EXAM. QUIZ could've fit here

3. Marshmallow blackener: FIRE. How do YOU like your toasted marshmallows? My level of "toast":

4. Sandal style: T-STRAP.

5. Bossa __: NOVA. NOVA = "new"

6. Brewpub pours: IPAS. ALES also fits

7. Affectedly elegant: CHI CHI. On Wednesday we had just one "CHI" in the puzzle (Tae CHI). Today we get two CHI's. With the phrase "CHI CHI", though, you gotta be careful when using the plural term (CHICHIs) in certain Latin American countries ... CHICHIs is the slang term for breasts

8. Westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands: BALI. Another SO to my beautiful partner Margaret ... she lived in BALI back in the early part of the 21st Century in UBUD

9. Yoga backbend also called Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: BRIDGE POSE. This filled with perps, but the word "POSE" was easily sussed ... a bit of a nit here ... the letters "ID" are also found in this entry ... but to my knowledge, there is no such thing as "BRGE POSE" ... I guess the editor let Patti get away with this one ... ;^)

10. Liq. measures: QTS.

11. Firm: SET.

13. Revered: SACRED.

14. Hybrid breaking pitch: SLURVE. A Major League Baseball term

20. __ facto: IPSO. [Wikipedia] "IPSO facto is a Latin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself", which means that a specific phenomenon is a direct consequence, a resultant effect, of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a previous action. It is a term of art used in philosophy, law, and science. A CSO to all of our resident lawyers here

21. Genesis name: PHIL. I kept thinking of ESAU, ADAM, CAIN, ABEL, et al ... until it dawned on me ... GENESIS is a name of a rock group, and PHIL Collins was their drummer and lead singer ... clever

25. Musician Andre with four Oscars and 11 Grammys: PREVIN. [Wikipedia] "André George PREVIN (KBE) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved success, and the latter two were part of his life until the end. In movies, he arranged and composed music"

26. Approval: ASSENT. OK!

27. Went down a bit: DIPPED. "Tobacco" related clues are generally not allowed, so we wouldn't have seen "sampled some SKOAL" for this ... but it works!

28. Gofer trip: ERRAND.

29. Preach: EVANGELIZE. This one took me a few stabs before filling in. This word is not a first-timer, but it rarely appears in xword puzzles

30. Classic ISP: AOL. Oddly I was never an AOL user

31. Gossip fodder: DRAMA. Meh; but on Friday there needs to be more clues that are vague. Which also applies to a similar clue today: (49-down. Keep from spreading:) HUSH UP.

32. Org. headquartered at the RFK Building in D.C.: D.O.J.. Department Of Justice

37. Lousy start?: MAL. A CSO to my co-Friday blogger, MALodorous Manatee

39. OB or GYN: DOC. If the clue had been OB AND GYN the answer would be DRS

42. Fine spray: MIST. I use a MISTing spray device on my patio here in AZ ... it helps

43. Requests from: ASKS OF.

45. Sean whose first play debuted at the Abbey Theatre: O'CASEY. Another one solved via perps. [Wikipedia] "Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes"

46. Dairyland structure: SILO. Wisconsin skyscrapers

50. Fabric named for an Asian capital: DAMASK. [schumaker dot com] "DAMASK gets its name from the ancient Syrian city of Damascus and is one of the five basic weaving techniques from early Middle Ages-era Byzantium and the Middle East. Historians have pinpointed damask's origins to Tang Dynasty China, circa 300BCE (Asia reference)

55. Some sheep: EWES. RAMS also fits

56. Bluegrass legend Scruggs: EARL.

57. Isn't perfect: ERRS.

58. Actress Fanning: ELLE.

59. "My stars!": "I SAY".

60. Ellipsis trio: DOTS. A CSO to yours truly ... the "master" of the three DOTS ... found ad nauseum in Chairman Moe's blogs ...

61. Electric key: FOB. [businessnewsdaily] "A key FOB is a physical device small enough to attach to a keychain that opens or unlocks doors electronically. A mainstay of keyless electronic door lock systems, the key fob has gone through many iterations since its inception in 1983." So now you know that the electric key FOB has been around for 40 years!

62. Heartache: WOE. WOE is you ... no Moe-kus today :-( ... but LOTS of ellipsises ...

Despite the few unknowns (clues/words) this one filled fairly easily. The theme and entries weren't too difficult. So, in keeping with my MOES [sic] Hardness Scale rating ... (and since our editor's first name begins with "P" and ends with an "I") I will give this a 3.14159265359 ... see you in a couple weeks ... please offer your thoughts and comments below ...

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 Patti Varol

Let's Go Shopping!  The last word of each two word phrase is a place to go shopping.  The first word matches with the purchaser.

17-Across. Place where a contractor buys sheet rock?: WALL OUTLET.

27-Across. Place where Uncle Sam buys his red, white, and blue garb?: NATIONAL MALL.

45-Across. Place where the military buys silver stars?: GENERAL STORE.

59-Across. Place where Paddington buys marmalade sandwiches?: BEAR MARKET.  Origin of the terms Bear and Bull Market.

Across:

1. Garden soil: DIRT.

5. __ broke: risk it all: GO FOR.

10. Ranch measure: ACRE.

14. Far offshore: ASEA.

15. Moan and groan: WHINE.

16. Unoccupied: FREE.

19. Dejected mood: FUNK.

20. Civil rights org. with Image Awards: NAACP.  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established in 1909 as an interracial organization to advance justice for African Americans.

21. Write off over time, as an initial cost: AMORTIZE.

23. Vapor trail locale: SKY.

24. Sought office: RAN.

26. __ and tear: WEAR.

32. Grow molars, e.g.: TEETHE.

35. Tennis great Sampras: PETE.  Pete Sampras (né Petros Sampras; b. Aug. 12, 1971) is regarded one of the greatest tennis players of all time,  He officially retired in 2003.  [Name # 1.]

36. Soccer great Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is another sports figure.  [Name # 2]

37. Launder: WASH.

38. Pickle holder: JAR.

39. Many a sci-fi fan, stereotypically: NERD.

40. Way to the www: ISP.  ISP = Internet Service Provider.

41. Etc. kin: ET AL.

43. "I, Tonya" Oscar winner Allison: JANNEY.  Allison Janney (née Allison Brooks Janney; b. Nov. 19, 1959) also starred as C. J. Cregg, the White House Press Secretary, on West Wing. [Name # 3]

48. Obama-era immigration policy, familiarly: DACA.  DACA = Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.  Enough said.

49. Sense of self: EGO.

50. Fail to share: HOG.

53. "Please, this is too much": OH, STOP IT!

56. State known as Down East: MAINE.  You cahn't get theyah from heyah.  There is a very distinct Down East accent.

58. French cheese with a rind: BRIE.  Yummers!

61. House of Lords title: EARL.

62. "Rizzoli & Isles" actress Harmon: ANGIE.  I remember Angie Harmon (née Angela Michelle Harmon; b. Aug. 10, 1972) from her role as Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order.  [Name # 5.]

63. Beef, e.g.: MEAT.

64. Some craft beers: ALES.

65. Bird's perch: ROOST.

66. Every 12 mos.: YRLY.  Yearly.

Down:

1. Daybreaks: DAWNS.

2. "Wicked Game" singer Chris: ISAAK.  Time for a musical interlude with Chris Isaak (né Christopher Joseph Isaak; b. June 26, 1956).  [Name # 6.]

3. Baton-passing race: RELAY.

4. Very soft mineral: TALC.

5. D.C. school named for a president: GWU.  As in George Washington University.

6. MVP pitcher/hitter Shohei: OHTANI.  Shohei Ohtani (b. July 5, 1994) plays professional baseball with the Los Angeles Angels.  He was named Most Valuable Player in 2021.  [Name # 7.]

7. Movie: FILM.

8. Boast in an ad for a used car: ONE OWNER.

9. Relaxing destination: RETREAT.

10. Validate: AFFIRM.

11. Santa __, California: CRUZ.

12. Russo of "Thor": RENE.  Rene Marie Russo (b. Feb. 17, 1954) began her career as a fashion model.   [Name # 8.]

13. Shriek of fear: EEK.

18. Media mogul with a book club: OPRAH.  Who doesn't know of Oprah Gail Winfrey (b. Jan. 29, 1954)?  [Name # 9.]

22. Folk story: TALE.  I initially tried Lore.

25. Had a snack: ATE.

27. To the __ degree: NTH.

28. Australian gems: OPALS.  Everything you wanted to know about Opals but didn't know to ask.  Hi, Kazie!

29. Prayer ender: AMEN.

30. Old Italian coins: LIRE.

31. "Poker Face" singer __ Gaga: LADY.  Lady Gaga (née Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta; b. Mar. 28, 1986) selected her moniker from Radio Ga Ga, a Queen song.   [Name # 10.]

32. Small stick: TWIG.

33. Peace of mind: EASE.

34. "College GameDay" channel: ESPN.  As in Entertainment Sports and Programming Network.

38. Pungent pepper: JALAPEÑO.  Everything you wanted to know about these hot peppers but didn't know to ask.

39. SSW's opposite: NNE.

41. The "E" of Q.E.D.: ERAT.  Today's Latin lesson.  Q.E.D. is an abbreviation for Quod Erat Demonstrandum.  According to Dictionary.com, it is just a fancy way to show off that you logically proved something.

42. Buffet featuring tortillas and fillings: TACO BAR.  Yummers!

43. "__ my memory": "Give me a hint": JOG.

44. Fragrance: AROMA.

46. Unpopular Fords of the late 1950s: EDSELS.  The Ford Edsel first went on sale in September 1957.  The car was named after Henry Ford's only son, Edsel (né Edsel Bryant Ford; b. Nov. 6, 1893 ~ May 26, 1943), who had died over a decade earlier.  [Name adjacent.]

47. 2023 biopic about the creation of a video game: TETRIS.  I used to play the game, but wasn't aware that it was now movie.

50. Trail follower: HIKER.  Hi, Inanehiker!

51. Actress Tatum: O'NEAL.  Tatum O'Neal (née Tatum Beatrice O'Neal; b. Nov. 5, 1963) received an Oscar for her role as Addie Loggins in the 1973 film Paper Moon.  [Name # 11.]

52. Los Angeles museum, with "The": GETTY.  A brief history of The Getty. [Name adjacent.]

53. __-B: dental brand: ORAL.

54. Add to the staff: HIRE.

55. Othello's false friend: IAGO.  Iago makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He is a character in the play Othello by Willie the Shakes.  Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. [Name # 12.]

57. Military force: ARMY.

58. Actress Arthur: BEA.  Bea Arthur (née Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009) also makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  By now you must know that she served in the Marines during World War II.   [Name # 13.]

60. Bumped into: MET.

Here's the Grid:

 

חתולה

Monday February 6, 2023 Patti Varol

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's theme is:              Bee Happy!

Bobby McFerrin sings Don't Worry Be Happy (1988)

May I suggest you click the 'play' button for some background music as you check out the blog?

First things first, a CSO to our Crossword Corner Wednesday Queen Blogger, Melissa Bee!

Our constructor today is none other than the editor of the Los Angeles Times Crossword herself, Patti Varol. The grid shows Patti's constructing experience. Rows 3, 6, 10, and 13 all have 15-letter, bee-themed answers plus there is a "bee" Easter egg nestled in the center at 29 Down.

Here are the 4 grid-spanners:

17 Across. Bee with fabric squares: QUILTING SESSION. A quilting bee is a get-together for people who sew and quilt to work on their individual or group projects with like-minded individuals.

26 Across. Bee on TV: ACTRESS SAMANTHA. You can book her for $100-200K here.

multi-talented, Canadian American SAMANTHA Bee

48 Across. Bee in a classroom: SPELLING CONTEST.

2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee Winning Moment (6:18 min ... but you can FFWD)

These spellers are so impressive!

62 Across. Bee near flowers: POLLEN COLLECTOR.

bees collecting POLLEN in slo-mo (1:42 min.)

At the risk of drone-ing on, let's look at the remaining clues:

Across:
1. Oxygen's atomic number: EIGHT. I could not remember the number offhand but felt confident I could work it out with just a perp or two.

6. "It all happened so fast" memory: BLUR.

My Sonic Song feat. Thora Daughn It's All a Blur

10. Sailboat pole: MAST.

American author Richard Henry Dana wrote Two Years Before the MAST about his experiences onboard the Pilgrim as it sailed from Boston in 1834, around the Cape Horn, then north to the California coast.  Goodreads link

14. Philosopher Kierkegaard: SOREN.

15. Church recess: APSE.

APSE at the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie in Bayonne, France

16. Beauty store chain: ULTA.  I remember encountering this in one of my previous blogs but I needed a couple of perps to stimulate my memory.

You can find XWD favorites Dior and Estee Lauder here.
Probably some aloe-based products, too!

20. Car care brand: STP. what STP stands for

My big brothers told me STP stood for Super Toilet Paper.
I still think of that every time I see the logo.

21. Letting in air, as a door: AJAR.

22. Safe URL starter: HTTPS.

"Technically, the http:// (or https:// if the site is secured) is required but the browser will add it for you. This part of the address is known as the “protocol” (HTTP stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol) and it defines the communication rules that the web browser and the server use when exchanging web pages." (source:  webdancers.com)

23. Grover's buddy: ELMO.

ELMO (red) and Grover (blue)
(not a political reference 😊)

25. Watery expanse: SEA.

34. Frock: DRESS.

35. Numero di colori on the Italian flag: TRE.  Italian for 3 (colors) Italian Flag history & meaning

36. Nanny __: GOAT. So obvious but not my first thought so it took a bit.

 and 67 Across. British baby carriage: PRAM. 

Pram is short for PeRAMbulator, "one who walks or perambulates," which gained the meaning "baby carriage" in the 1850s. 

This nanny GOAT is pushing a PRAM.

37. Cacophony: DIN.

38. Shows respect to, in a way: SALUTES.

42. Fib: LIE.

43. "Insecure" star Rae: ISSA. Constructors like both her first and last name but what about her middle name? It turns out that ISSA Rae is her middle name. She was born Jo-Issa Rae Diop on January 12, 1985 but is credited professionally as ISSA Rae.

45. Longtime Dodgers announcer Scully: VIN.  (1927 - 2022)

some of VIN's most legendary calls (3:25 min.)

46. Hollers: YELLS.

52. Passing craze: FAD.

Pet rocks were a FAD that started in 1975 and lasted about 6 months (including Christmas, of course).

53. St. Louis landmark: ARCH.  It's the smallest National Park and other fun facts.

54. Like Andean pyramids: INCAN.  I was trying to think of a word to describe their "step-y" shape. Sometimes I overthink the clues....

57. Fitzgerald of jazz: ELLA.  Here is the fabulous Ms. Fitzgerald singing Cheek to Cheek (Berlin 1935). Listening to this recording sent me on a tangent thinking about what else was happening in Berlin in 1935.

59. Actor McKellen: IAN.

Sir IAN McKellen played Gandalf in LOTR.
Notice the staff, identifying headpiece, beard, wise eyes, and draped cloak.

66. Norwegian saint: OLAF.

St. OLAF, Patron Saint of Norway
Notice the staff, identifying headpiece, beard, wise eyes, and draped cloak.

68. Letter after beta: GAMMA. Could "beta" be another Easter egg? Let's see what CanadianEh! thinks. She is good at spotting them.

69. Journalist Bash who co-hosts CNN's "State of the Union": DANA. 

There is a new rule that limits bloggers to just one DANA per review. Please see Richard Henry DANA of 10A.

70. Not minding one's manners: RUDE.

71. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN.  WandaVision explained

Down:
1. Lawyer's letters: ESQ. This is an abbreviation for ESQuire. The other choice, ABA, would have required the atomic number for oxygen to begin with the letter "a".

2. Informal promises of repayment: IOUS.  I Owe YouS

3. Stubborn determination: GRIT.

In this iconic scene from True GRIT (1969), Marshal Rooster Cogburn holds his reins with his teeth and goes after the bad guys (3:50 min.) Watch for stars John Wayne, Glenn Campbell, Dennis Hopper, and some excellent horse stunts.

4. "Look for the __": advice from Mr. Rogers: HELPERS.

Fred Rogers, an American treasure

5. Dynamite letters: TNT.

6. Bluegrass strings: BANJOS.

Edie Brickell sings When You Get To Ashville (2013),

accompanied by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

7. Lexi Thompson's org.: LPGA.  Ladies Professional Golf Association

Lexi and her winning smile ... and shoulders
official website

8. World power in many spy-fi novels: USSR.  Fiction is abbreviated, so is Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Which is your favorite spy-fi novel?

9. Drummond of the Food Network: REE. 

This is Pioneer Woman REE and this is her recipe for Chicken Spaghetti.

10. Ford that's the namesake of the "pony car" class of autos: MUSTANG.  Did you know... "As the automotive industry moves away from sedans and toward electric vehicles, Ford will mainly sell trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Since the beginning of 2021, Ford has only been making one car: the Ford Mustang. That means there won’t be any new Ford Fiesta, Fusion, Focus or Taurus models released in upcoming years."?

11. Landed: ALIT.

12. Discontinue: STOP.

13. Shades on the beach: TANS.

"shades" Get it? Haha!

18. Veterinary Formula brand: IAMS.

19. __ butter: SHEA.

24. Not as expensive: LESS.

25. "Peter Pan" pirate: SMEE.

Mr. SMEE did not seem the pirate sort.

26. __ Ababa: ADDIS.  the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. Its elevation is 7,726 ft. (2,355 metres or 1.46 miles), the highest of any African capital.

27. Like fresh lettuce: CRISP.

Have you heard of "salad tables"? They are simple to build, easy to tend, and provide handy greens to enhance your meals.

28. Far from relaxed: TENSE.

29. Wounded by a bee: STUNG. a nicely positioned Easter egg.

Reading The Honey Bus by Meredith May increased my (already high) appreciation of bees. According to May, a bee knows it will die upon stinging someone. It will only do so when it feels it has no other options. So who was wounded?

30. Museum collection: ART.

31. "The Power of Now" writer Eckhart: TOLLE.  4 stars on Goodreads

32. Comes (from): HAILS.  as in, "Adam originally HAILS from the Garden State."

33. "This is only __": A TEST.

39. Like devoted fans: AVID.

40. "His Dark Materials" actor __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.  This multi-award winning writer/performer might best be known as the creative brains behind Hamilton.

41. Match, as sound and video: SYNC.

a  really bad overdub (2 min.)

44. Sprouts source: ALFALFA.

47. Guided by good: ETHICAL.

49. Bowler's assignment: LANE.  This is a CSO we all like!

50. Blondie hit with the lyric "Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any way": CALL ME.

Blondie CALL Me (1980) from the soundtrack to American Gigolo

51. __ hygiene: ORAL.

54. Apple gadget: iPOD.

55. Mardi Gras city, familiarly: NOLA.  New Orleans, Louisiana  (Hi, Big Easy!)

This year Fat Tuesday is 2/21/23.

56. Family unit: CLAN.

57. Off-white hue: ECRU.

58. Dryer capacity: LOAD.

60. Cash dispensers: ATMS.

61. Coastal Alaskan town: NOME.

North to Alaska by Johnny Horton (1960)

"They crossed the Yukon River and found the Bonanza gold

Below that old white mountain, just a little South-East of Nome."

63. "Morning Edition" network: NPR.  This 2-hour radio show airs weekdays. You can listen to segments here.

64. Sense of self: EGO.

65. Skedaddled: RAN.  "Skedaddled" is a fun word!

This is the last answer so...

Just a quick PSA before I sign off....

It's now tax season in the States. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. This will be my 5th year as a VITA preparer. (I like putting numbers in boxes even more than I like putting letters in boxes!)

If you know someone who needs assistance with filling out and filing their forms, perhaps recommend they try VITA. We do both Federal & State income taxes. Certain complicated returns are out-of-scope. This is the link to find an IRS VITA location near you:  VITA free tax prep

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts!