Monday June 27, 2022 Will Pfadenhauer

Theme: HOLY TRINITY (59. Christian doctrine of divinity, and the starts of the answers to 18-, 29-, and 45-Across?) - Holy can precede the first word of each theme answer.

18. Age-old method of long-distance communication: SMOKE SIGNAL. Holy smoke!

29. Triple-A baseball team based in Ohio: TOLEDO MUD HENS. Holy Toledo!

45. Atmospheric patterns that resemble fish scales: MACKEREL SKIES. Holy mackerel!

Boomer here. Congrats on Will Pfadenhauer's LA Times debut!

Another week of healthcare appointments coming up.  Our round trip to the VA medical center is about 60 miles.  The Hyundai is fairly frugal on gas, and our price at the pump is around $4.70.  This week will be 5 trips but I'll deal with it.  Maybe grab lunch at the cafeteria again.

Across:

1. Sandwich made with Peter Pan and Welch's, for short: PBJ. No Welch's for me.  I use strawberry J. 

4. Like an unruly kid: BRATTY. My son's name is Bret, not Brat.

10. Open-handed hit: SLAP.  A hockey player may use both hands.

14. Flamenco shout: OLE.

15. Nanny who may live in an in-law suite: AU PAIR.

16. "Field of Dreams" state: IOWA.  I visited there once.  Kevin Costner is one of my favorites.

17. Macadamia __: NUT.  Sometimes you feel like a NUT.  Sometimes you don't. Almond Joy.

20. Bus terminal: DEPOT.  We have made a number of purchases at Home DEPOT.

22. Each: PER.

23. "Been __, done that": THERE.  Here THERE and everywhere.

24. Computer that generates Bitcoin, e.g.: MINER.  Bitcoin drives me nuts.  Every time I go to CNBC they are constantly showing changes.

26. Younger of the NBA's Curry brothers: SETH.

28. 45-Down, e.g.: RED.   45. Dry wine choice: MERLOT.  I do not care for wine.

32. __ goo gai pan: MOO.

33. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Never been there.

34. Director Roth: ELI.

35. Some summer workers: INTERNS.  Quite a few at the VA.

38. Find My iPhone logon need: APPLE ID.

42. Kanga's joey: ROO.

43. Dean's list no.: GPA.  Grade Point Average.  I was never smart enough to figure mine out.

44. DVR forerunner: VCR.  Obsolete.

49. Female sheep: EWE.

51. Lotto variant: KENO.  About ten legal casinos in MN. Most do not have keno. Las Vegas seems to have deleted the game also.

52. Sends with a stamp: MAILS.  We finally used up our Yogi Berra stamps.

53. Midafternoon: THREE.  Blind Mice.

55. "Dear old" parent: DAD. 43. Reacted to a joke told by 55-Across, probably: GROANED. Hope all DADs had their day last Sunday.

57. Pulls hard: YANKS.  I heard that Aaron Judge settled last week.

62. Grab a bite: EAT. If you grab it, it may not be edible.

63. __ vera: ALOE.

64. Route: AVENUE.  We live on a street.

65. Pigpen: STY.  But not in a sty.

66. Lacrosse targets: NETS.

67. Pie servings: WEDGES.  Also for a shot less than 100 yards.

68. Netflix's "__ Education": SEX.

Down:

1. "On Golden __": Hepburn film: POND.  A wedge can get you over it.

2. Brewer known for its Belgian White ale: BLUE MOON.

3. Many a "Top Gun" aviator: JET PILOT.  I heard that Airlines are having trouble staffing pilots.  Many cancellations at MSP airport recently.

4. Kept moist, as a roast turkey: BASTED.

5. __ and Coke: RUM.  Away, Away with rum by gum ...

6. Each, informally: A POP.

7. Starts, as a new hobby: TAKES UP.  Try baseball cards, rewarding!

8. Like tall wedding cakes: TIERED.  Most baseball parks.

9. 12-mo. periods: YRS.

10. Weary sound: SIGH.  I do this sometimes working a crossword.

11. Folks who keep to themselves: LONERS. Add an A and its a bank.

12. Cognizant (of): AWARE.

13. Lost some color: PALED.

19. Service provided by the Geek Squad: IT HELP.  Best Buy.

21. Unspecified person: ONE. For the money, two for the show.

25. Southwest Virginia city: ROANOKE.  Interesting name for a city.

27. Steakhouse chain with a skinny tree in its logo: THE PALM.

29. Texter's "Sorry, did I overshare?": TMI.

30. L.A. Galaxy's org.: MLS. Major League Soccer

31. Nada: NIL.  Nothing

36. Timeline stretch: ERA.  Earned Run Average.

37. Simple firework: ROCKET.  Red glare, bombs bursting in air.

38. __ Escape: PlayStation game featuring monkeys: APE.

39. Depravity: EVILNESS.  Losing 1-0.

40. Item of equipment for the NCAA's Frozen Four: ICE SKATE.  I think every kid in Minnesota had a pair.  I had mine.

41. ER staffers: DRS. Seen many. VA ER found my cancer in 2018.

46. Curly salad green: ENDIVE.

47. Verbally approve: SAY YES. Or just nod your head.

48. Korean automaker: KIA.  A brother of Hyundai.

49. Actor Hawke: ETHAN.

50. Complete: WHOLE.  She's got the whole world, in her hands!

54. Looks over: EYES.

56. Minor dent: DING.  Minor dents are no longer cheap to fix.

58. River of Hades: STYX.

60. Like sashimi: RAW.

61. Election time: Abbr.: TUE.  Coming soon for governors.

Boomer