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!