Friday, February 4, 2022, Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: Punny Portmanteaus

Clue: Excellent, risk-taking crossword constructor?

Answer: "RADVENTUROUS"

"Puzzling thoughts":

First off, I FIR and don't recall having to cheat or look up any answers. Most of the grid came together by either knowledge or perps. The "theme", OTOH, was something I scratched my "hairless head" about (yes, I am quite bald on top), but I think I got it

I could see, and definitely sussed the added "R" to four puzzle answers:

16 Across. Appreciation for Jay-Z's music?: RAPPLAUSE. RAP = Jay-Z's music genre; APPLAUSE is how many give appreciation

24 Across. Compilation of angry blog posts?: RANTHOLOGY. RANT = carrying on, angrily; ANTHOLOGY = collection of literary works, usually published. A compilation

34 Across. Jamaican drink garnish?: RUMBRELLA. My favorite of Pamela's R-words today! RUM = a drink staple in Jamaica; UMBRELLA = the little plastic garnish for many RUM drinks (see image below)

50 Across. Deckhand unable to raise the sails?: RIGNORAMUS. RIG = as an action verb, the making ready of a sailboat (raising the sails; adjusting the ropes/cables/shrouds/stays/halyards, et al); IGNORAMOUS = an ignorant person. Not a very pleasant word; a word that's rarely used or heard anymore, although Oxford Languages Dictionary indicates that its usage is on the rise

And the reveal:

60 Across. "In Rainbows" rockers, and a hint to what changes four puzzle answers: RADIOHEAD.

OK, just for the record (no pun intended), I was never a fan of the band RADIOHEAD. As I prepared for this recap, I googled the band, read the Wikipedia page, checked out the album "In Rainbows", selected the hit single "Nude", as it was supposedly one of their bigger hits.

Note to self: be careful when you do a google search using the word "Nude" and "YouTube" ...

I even sent an email to C.C. to see if I was missing something here. I tried reaching Pam via FaceBook Messenger, but it went unanswered; so unless she visits the blog today, we may never know if the RADIOHEAD reveal meant anything more than each of the four answers having an "R" at its "HEAD". And to a degree, all of the four entries created a punny portmanteau. But regardless, this puzzle was quite RADVENTUROUS

Here is the grid, and then off to the rest of the fill:

Across:
1. Colorful chatterbox: MACAW. Our regular Crossword Corner contributor, desper-otto, has said that he likes to have an easy-to-solve "1 Across". MACAW was not the first colorful chatterbox to come to my mind, but perps helped

6. Needing a refill: LOW. One thing that this sommelier never lets happen:

9. Either of two "Monday, Monday" singers: MAMA. MAMA Cass Elliot and MAMA Michelle Phillips. They sang background; PAPA Denny Doherty was the "lead" singer, and songwriter PAPA John Phillips added vocal harmony as well

Fun Fact: "Monday, Monday" was the group's only #1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and the first time in history, a song by a mixed gender group reached the top of the charts. This, according to Wikipedia. I would've included a YouTube video of this song, but I know that most of you are already humming the tune

13. Ohno in the Olympics: APOLO. Per wiki: APOLO Anton Ohno is an American retired short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist in the Winter Olympics. Ohno is the most decorated American Olympian at the Winter Olympics and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Today begins many of the events of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Viktor Ahn of Russia is perhaps the current, best speed skater

14. Mahershala of "House of Cards": ALI. According to Britannica, Mahershala ALI, original name Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, (born February 16, 1974, Oakland, California, U.S.), is an American actor who rose to prominence in the 2010s and won an Academy Award for his moving and nuanced performance as the fatherly drug dealer Juan in the film Moonlight (2016)

15. '50s vaccine pioneer: SABIN. SALK didn't fit, so it must be SABIN. But given some info I found on-line, I found these "fun facts": The polio vaccine comes in two types: the Salk vaccine, made with a killed virus and the SABIN vaccine, made with a live but weakened, or attenuated, virus

Another Fun Fact, which might disprove today's cluing of SABIN: Which came first Salk or Sabin? Jonas Salk (1914–1995) became a national hero when he allayed the fear of the dreaded disease with his polio vaccine, approved in 1955. Although it was the first polio vaccine, it was not to be the last; Albert Bruce Sabin (1906–1993) introduced an oral vaccine in the United States in the 1960s that replaced Salk's ... hmm?

18. Big name in Civil War fiction: O'HARA. Scarlett O'HARA. Rhett Butler. "I don't give a damn". Airport in Chicago

19. A play may have just one: ACT. Here are a few to peruse

20. Terminates: FIRES. Not a pleasant experience for either the FIRE'er or the FIRE'ee

21. Sanctioned by Islamic law: HALAL. This one filled with perps. "HALAL is an Arabic word that simply means lawful or permitted, but generally refers to what's allowed under Islamic law. It's the opposite of haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. ... That's largely because meat can be either halal or haram depending on how the animal was slaughtered." - according to Fine Dining Lovers dot com. Hmm, doesn't sound kosher to me ... or is it??

22. Kitchen address: CHEF. As in calling the cook by his/her title: "Hey, CHEF!" A good friend of mine was a basketball official for years. His court address? "Hey, REF!"

26. Fizz up: AERATE. To make bubbly

28. Rights wrongs: ATONES. Cute clue

29. Much of E. Europe, once: SSRS. I work with a crossword puzzle editor who absolutely refuses to use SSR or SSRS in his puzzles. Other "crossword-ese" he won't allow: AGEE, ALOU, ANIL, APSE, ASTA, EDO, ELO, ELY, ENO, ENOL, ERNE, NAE, OBIE, OLEO, OLIO, ORR, OTOE, OTT, RALE, RIA, ROUE, SDI, SERE, SLA, SSR, STEN, TSAR, or ULEE

Not saying that using these words are "bad", but it does make one think harder to come up with fresh fill

30. Squeal: TELL. The informal verb form of squeal = TELL or inform; usually by someone wanting to call out a wrong doer

33. Feb. NC hours: EST. Despite its length in miles (503 from east to west), the state of North Carolina resides totally within the Eastern Time Zone. During February, the state observes Eastern Standard Time (EST), or GMT -5

38-Across. With 15-Down, brow-wiping comment

15-Down. See 38-Across. Put these together and you get: "IT'S SO HOT". Really? In February in N America? Not too many places fit that description! But here are a couple of videos that might bring a grin when they ask, "How hot is it?" IT'S SO HOT ...

41. Crew pair: OARS. SOCKS was too long of an answer to fit

42. Disney bigwig: IGER. Robert A. IGER is an American businessman who was executive chairman, chairman of the board, and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company

45. Exchange: SWITCH. Or, as we used to see all the time, bait and SWITCH:

48. Blue hues: AZURES. I'll take their word for it. As I kid I grew up with just 8 crayons in a box. These are the colors I know: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black

54. Moderate: EASE. I found a new website to explain this clue and fill

55. Bug: ANNOY. If you go back to the link in 54-Across and enter the words: BUG and ANNOY in the search window, you can see the WikiDiff between them

56. One following a point: TENTH. As in decimal point. The number to the right of it is called a TENTH. As in 98.6 degrees. The "6". Also can be 6/10; and that can be restated as 3/5. RRRGH!

58. Penn in NYC, e.g.: STN. Why is it that I always use STA to abbr. the word "station"? In crossword speak, it's STN

59. Online cash-back deal: EBATE. Moe-ku:

I've been wondering,
Is an on-line cash-back scam
Called: "E-BATE and SWITCH"?

62. Cubist Fernand: LEGER. All perps. Britannica dot com says: "Fernand Léger, (born February 4, 1881, Argentan, France—died August 17, 1955, Gif-sur-Yvette), French painter who was deeply influenced by modern industrial technology and Cubism. Today marks the anniversary of his birth. Coincidence?? LEGER developed “machine art,” a style characterized by monumental mechanistic forms rendered in bold colours. This one below is called: "Mechanical Forms"

63. Lager alternative: ALE. I did a double-take, and saw the word LEGER (see 62-across) alternative. Which made me think of this guy. But of course, it was "lager" - or a type of beer. IPA was my second guess - after Fau (see link) - and ALE finally showed after 51 through 53-down were solved

64. Tee choice: LARGE. I was thinking golf, and was trying to choose between "back", "middle", "senior", and "front"; or the corresponding colors: black, blue, white/green, or red. I left this blank until the perps solved it for me

65. March time: IDES. March 15, to be exact

66. Aleppo's home: Abbr.: SYR. Aleppo is a city in SYRia, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. with an official population of 4.6 million in 2010. Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; it may have been inhabited since the sixth millennium BC. Wikipedia. Of course our upstate New York contingent may have preferred to see a clue such as: "Upstate NY airport code"

67. Fourth circle of hell inhabitant, in Dante: MISER. Study dot com says: "The Fourth Circle of Hell is for those specifically guilty of avarice, who either spend or hoard too much money. This circle of hell is divided in half between the spenders and hoarders, who are constantly brawling with each other". A MISER is another name for a hoarder

Down:
1. Half a percussion pair: MARACA. A CSO to Lucinda, perhaps?? Fun Fact: What Are the Origins of MARACAs? Rattles similar to maracas have existed for millennia in Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. The Araucanian people, who live in what is now central Chile, may have been the first to use the word maraca to describe a gourd rattle around 500 BC. But the image below might belie that fact ...

2. Boeing 3-Down: APACHES 3-Down. See 2-Down: COPTERS. The Boeing AH-64 APACHE is an American twin-turboshaft attack heliCOPTER with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. First flown in 1975. Are there any of our veterans out there who are familiar with this, or have flown on one?

Fun Fact: Chairman Moe has never been on a heliCOPTER

4. Lofty peak: ALP. I think I had one similar to this a few weeks back. Jeffrey Wechsler was more specific and used MATTERHORN; a Swiss ALP. But today's image is that of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak in the Bavarian ALPs. Moe visited there in 1980 ...

5. Scarf (down): WOLF.

6. Michelle's White House predecessor: LAURA. LAURA Lane Welch Bush is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as the first lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. She is the wife of former President George W. Bush. Wikipedia Born: November 4, 1946 (age 75 years), Midland, TX

7. Worker with Lane and Kent: OLSEN. James Bartholomew (Jimmy) OLSEN is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Superman (Clark Kent), and has a good working relationship with his boss Perry White. Wikipedia

8. "Let Them All Talk" actress Dianne: WIEST. Dianne WIEST is a wonderful actor. I thought one of her better roles was as the "matron", Joan Short, on the TV series "Life in Pieces" on CBS. She co-stars with Meryl Streep and Candice Bergen on "Let Them All Talk"

I was not familiar with the movie from today's clue; here's why: "Let Them All Talk" is streaming exclusively on HBO Max. Right now, the only way to watch "Let Them All Talk" online is with a subscription to HBO Max.

Well, I have no HBO Max subscription, nor do I want one. So I guess I have to be "teased" by the trailer

9. Island thanks: MAHALO. How do you respond to MAHALO? Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for “thanks”. If you don't want to respond in English, you can always use the Hawaiian phrase for “you're welcome” which could be either of the following: ʻAʻole pilikia (No problem), pronounced ah-o-lay pee-lee-kee-ah. Noʻu ka hauʻoli (The pleasure is mine), pronounced no-ooh-kah-how-oh-lee. And now you know

10. Sea otter prey: ABALONE. Is ABALONE related to an oyster? Abalone might be flesh inside of a shell, quite like an oyster, but it reportedly doesn't taste anything like one. Allegedly, abalone tastes like something between squid and a scallop, with a salty and buttery taste. It's remarkably delicious and has a very distinct flavor. And is quite expensive; a pound of it goes for about $125

11. They're not real: MIRAGES.

12. Handwriting __: ANALYST. What does your handwriting say about you??

17. Concession ending: AIRE. Or a dog breed beginning; AIREdale. Much different meanings as a suffix or prefix. -AIRE: a suffix that forms nouns denoting a person characterized by or occupied with that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from French; concessionAIRE. AIRE-: a prefix referring to the River Valley (Aire) in Yorkshire, England

23. Klinger on "M*A*S*H": FARR. Jamie FARR (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American television and film comedian and theatre actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom M*A*S*H. Wikipedia. FARR was born and raised in Toledo, OH. He made several references to his home town on M*A*S*H*, including this well-known hot dog place. Make sure you play the short video

25. Room access: HALL. As in HALLway. Two of our spare bedrooms in our house share a HALL. Now, when I saw the word "HALL", I immediately thought of Monty HALL, the erstwhile game show host on 'Let's Make a Deal'. If you recall, one of that game show's features was a contestant choosing among three closed doors or curtains. One of the three usually had a high-value item; the others not. The selection "process" even stumped many mathematicians which spawned a discussion about conditional probability and reasoning. Please click on the short video in this link

27. Volunteer State sch.: TSU. An HBCU. Tennessee State University (TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Wikipedia

30. Placeholder abbr.: TBA. According to Collins Dictionary dot com: TBA is sometimes written in announcements to indicate that something such as the place where something will happen or the people who will take part is not yet known and will be announced at a later date. TBA is an abbreviation for 'to be announced'

31. Goof: ERR. Crossword Corner Quiz: Who wrote: "To ERR is human; to forgive, divine"? Do you know the answer without looking it up? I didn't

32. Survivalist Stroud: LES. A CSO to our cruciverbalist north of the border, Canadian, Eh! LES Stroud is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman. Stroud was named Chief Scout by Scouts Canada on November 22, 2021. Wikipedia

35. Jay of "Last Comic Standing": MOHR. A 2:00 clip of one of his comedy bits

36. Lemon on "30 Rock": LIZ. Let's keep the comedy coming!!

37. Feverish feeling: AGUE. I'll probably jinx myself, but I have not suffered with AGUE since well before the pandemic. You? My last serious cold/flu/AGUE was in the late fall of 2018

38. Haifa native: ISRAELI. Haifa is a northern ISRAELI port city built in tiers extending from the Mediterranean up the north slope of Mount Carmel. The city’s most iconic sites are the immaculately landscaped terraces of the Bahá'í Gardens and, at their heart, the gold-domed Shrine of the Báb. At the foot of the gardens lies the German Colony, with shops, galleries and restaurants in 19th-century buildings. ― Google. It's also Israel's third largest city in population, behind Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I've been to all three of these cities; was there in 2007 and 2008 on a business trip

39. Hotel option: TWIN BED. Wow! How old is THIS clue?? Or should I ask, when was the last time you saw a TWIN BED in a hotel room?? FTR, a TWIN mattress is typically 38 inches wide by 75 inches long, and usually fits small BED frames, daybeds, and bunk beds. A FULL BED is 54 inches wide by 75 inches long; a QUEEN BED is 60 inches by 80 inches, and a KING BED is 76 inches by 80 inches

Crossword Corner Quiz: Back in the early days of television, especially on sit-coms, whenever there was a scene of a married couple's bedroom, it showed TWIN BEDS. Question: Who is the first married couple (on TV) to be shown sleeping in a FULL or QUEEN size bed?

40. Turnpike reading: SIGNAGE. Well, this clue was a bit obscure at first - for me, anyway. I was thinking, Arizona Highways, AAA Triptik, On The Road?? Oh, not THAT reading! What you might read alongside the turnpike, or overhead. Having lived in several areas where turnpikes exist, I'm quite familiar ...

43. They remove bad marks: ERASERS. Well, in some cases. Whenever I received a bad mark in school my teacher wrote it in pen - usually, a red-ink pen. There was no ERASER that could remove those bad marks

44. Bring back to Broadway: RESTAGE.

46. U.S. IOUs: T-NOTES. Could this have also been T-BILLS? Or T-BONDS?

Fun Fact: What is the difference between T-bills, T-bonds and T-NOTES? The major difference among them is the time you need to wait to collect your principal: Treasury bills have maturities of a year or less. Treasury notes are issued with maturities from two to ten years. Treasury bonds are long-term investments that have maturities of 10 to 30 years from their issue date - Google

47. More evasive: COYER. Whenever I hear or see the word "COY", I'm reminded of this tune. Third stanza, I believe; "Don't need to be COY, Roy"

48. Wine region near Cuneo: ASTI. Hey! A correct clue for this word for a change! Granted, Cuneo is not the most well-known city in the Piedmont

49. One might get a return: SENDER. Any Elvis fans? If so, listen and enjoy

51. Razor choices: ATRAS. Can any person (male or female) who visits this blog ever recall using an ATRA razor?? Not I. But based on the number of times the word ATRA (or today, ATRAS) appears in crossword puzzles, you'd think it was the brand to beat all brands ...

52. Devious: MEALY. I can see devious as a synonym for MEALY-mouthed; so can Dictionary dot com: "avoiding the use of direct and plain language, as from timidity, excessive delicacy, or hypocrisy; inclined to mince words; insincere, devious, or compromising". But just for MEALY? Hmmm

53. Ready for the operation: UNDER. As in UNDER sedation. So as not to feel the incisions made during a surgical operation. Something that DID happen to me during one. Fortunately more anaesthesia was given to me, "stat"

57. Ian of "The Hobbit": HOLM. Bilbo Baggins character in the LOTR trilogy. Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE, known as Ian HOLM, was an English actor. His death in 2020 at age 88 was attributed to an illness related to Parkinson’s disease

61. "Bali __": HA'I. Is Bali HA'I a real place? "Bali Ha'i" was based on the real island of Ambae (formerly Aoba Island). Ambae is located in Vanuatu (known as New Hebrides at the time the song was written). ... However, the scene was filmed on the north shore of Kauaʻi; Mount Makana was used as Bali Hai and is still known as Bali Hai today.

Not sure why Chairman Moe is all about songs and show tunes today, but we'll end today's blog with this rendition from the play "South Pacific"

Thursday, February 3, 2022 Lewis Rothlein, Nancy Stark

 

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers

Constructors Lewis Rothlein and Nancy Stark have both contributed puzzles to our Corner before, but I believe this is their first collaboration here.   

The themers and reveal of their puzzle today describe a zero-sum game, which in game theory and economics is defined as a situation involving two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and a loss for the other, e.g. the game of baseball.  There are also non-zero sum games, e.g. cooperative ventures such as the stock market, where investors pool their resources in hopes of mutual gains.  

I think we'll see that overall, this puzzle is really a non-zero sum, "win-win" game, in which Lewis and Nancy reward our efforts with a clever theme and lots of clever clues and fill. Let's start with the two part reveal:

68A. With 71-Across, possible result of my gain ... and what four long answers have undergone?: YOUR.  and  71A LOSS.  Each themer has undergone the LOSS of YOUR, resulting in fill with a different meaning:

20A. Psychiatry?: MIND BUSINESS.  A metaphor for a profession involved in a non-zero sum game.  While we tend to think of business in general as a competitive zero-sum game, it takes co-operation and a lot of hard work to MIND YOUR BUSINESS:

32A. A noble title and entrée into high society?: COUNT BLESSINGS.  While the last few years have been rough on our society and tragic for some, it never hurts to look on the bright side and to stop and COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

42A. Passion of a well-trained city dog?: CURB ENTHUSIASM.  I always thought dogs liked fire hydrants?   Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American TV sitcom that has been produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000. It was created by comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer  Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself.  I reviewed quite a few video clips to insert here, but Larry's jokes all seemed to be at the expense of someone else, and that curbed my enthusiasm.

58A. Blue plumage, say?: SWALLOW PRIDE.  I'm sure most of us have had to SWALLOW OUR PRIDE at some point in our lives.  Eating CROW seems to be the metaphor for this favored by constructors.  But the clue connotes FEATHERS that a SWALLOW could be PROUD  of.   SWALLOWS are in almost perpetual flight, and their blue plumage is not as bright as that of Jays and Bluebirds, so it's not as noticeable. But here's one proudly taking a brief rest on a fence: 

Tree Swallow

Here's the grid:

Now let's see what other games we can find:

Across:

1. Goes on and on: JAWS.

5. Like storytelling: ORAL.  In celebration of the recent start of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger, here's a children's story called There's a  Tiger in the Garden:

9. Continued violently: RAGED.

14. Spiky succulent: ALOE.  In addition to its utility to crossword puzzle constructors, there are at least 7 Amazing Uses for Aloe Vera.

15. Half a salon job: PEDI.  The other half being a MANI.

16. Prize: ADORE.  "That's not AJAR, that's ADORE!"

17. Failed to honor: RENEGED ON.  In the view of some, Britain and France RENEGED ON their promise to Poland in early 1939 to provide military assistance in the event that it was invaded by Germany.

19. Like some diets: VEGAN.  What's the difference between VEGAN and VEGETARIAN diets?
 

22. Like a pin?: AS NEAT.  Unlike my office.

25. Hockey great Phil, to fans: ESPO.  Philip Anthony Esposito born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian broadcaster, and a former professional ice hockey player, and coach.   He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and is the older brother of fellow Hall-of-Famer Tony Esposito, a goaltender.  He also played for Canada in international competitions.  A CSO to CanadianEh!!

Phil Esposito

26. Golfer's support: TEE.

27. L.A. commuter org.: MTA.

28. Remind over and over: NAG.

30. Neighbor of Greece: Abbr.: ALB.  Albania, Northwest of Greece, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps.  Although she was born in neighboring North Macedonia, undoubtedly the most notable person of Albanian heritage was St. Teresa of Calcutta.   She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and from 1952 until her death in 1997, ministered to the dying in India.

Albania

38. Father: SIRE.

39. Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO.  Here's everything you want to know about EMO.   Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona (a CSO to Lucina, CMOE, and Yuman!). The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind.  Here's their first big hit, "The Middle", a place we all find ourselves from time to time.

40. R&B artist India.__: ARIE.  India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over 5 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.  Here's her breakthrough single "Video":

47. Alternative to email: FAX .

48. German grandpa: OPA.  We miss you Spitzboov.

49. '60s war zone: NAM. 

50. Speaker in a typical Swifty: TOM. Named for Tom Swift, the main character in six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. First published in 1910, the series totals more than 100 volumes and many are still in print.. Swifties are a form of humor Tom is credited with creating, but which seems to have fallen into disuse in recent years.   But they're overdue for a revival and if nothing else, they're fun and "they'll help keep your mind sharp - as Tom would say, pointedly".  I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this.

53. Craft brew choices: IPAS.  India Pale Ales. (see 2D).  We seem to imbibe them regularly on the Corner. 

56. How Mona Lisa smiles: SUBTLY.  Certainly the most famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, if not the most famous in the world.

Mona Lisa, circa 1506
The Louvre, Paris

61. Many pop soloists: ALTOS.  Our featured  ALTO is Adele singing the theme song from the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall:

62. Settings for hiking and running: GRIDIRONS.  Could this be a reference to football?

66. In again: RETRO.   “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” - Oscar Wilde.  But don't worry, it'll be back again in another 6 years.  Teri tells me that these are back:

67. Comfort: EASE.

69. "The Dancing Couple" painter Jan: STEEN.  Jan Havickszoon Steen (c. 1626 – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humor and abundance of colour.  The Dancing Couple was painted in 1663 and is currently in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The Dancing Couple

70. Place for pupils: EYES.

Down:

1. Mason __: JAR.  We canned some Salsa Verde this past Fall.  I hope I didn't put too much SRIRACHA sauce in the recipe.

2. It may be blonde or amber: ALE.  See 53A.

3. Captured: WON.

4. Note below F?: SEE ME.  Not a musical note.  A note on your last math test. 
 
5. Drinks may be put on one: OPEN TAB.

6. Funny Foxx: REDD.  John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor.  Probably best known for the TV series Sanford and Son.

John Elroy Sanford

7. Spanish for "mudbrick": ADOBE.  Adobe  is a building material made from earth and organic materials. While we associate it with the American Southwest, it is used throughout the world, e.g.in this Mosque in Djenné, Mali, Africa:
 

Great Mosque of Djenné

8. "House intellectual" in "Peanuts," per Schulz: LINUS.  Schulz, has said of the character, "Linus, my serious side, is the house intellectual, bright, well-informed which, I suppose may contribute to his feelings of insecurity."

9. Pockets usually stuffed: RAVIOLI.  You can make your own!

10. Mideast port city: ADEN.  Aden is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some 170 km (110 mi) east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb.

11. Fetch: GO GET.

12. Totally remove: ERASE.

13. Hard to get through ... or get through to: DENSE.  Like some people?

18. Oracle Park player: GIANT.  The home of the San Francisco Giants.  Hand up if you're a Giants fan?

21. Places for 15-Acrosses: SPAS.  A CSO to Lucina.  Any other ladies who take a respite in these frequent crossword oases?

22. Old Ramblers, briefly: AMCS.  Teri used to drive her spiffy AMC Rambler Classic over to my house to give me driving lessons.  Unfortunately the lessons were in my father's '57 Buick Riviera with manual steering and it drove like a tank.

23. Stiff-upper-lip type: STOIC.  Very British!

24. Tiny Pacific nation: NAURU.  Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru is an island country in Oceania, in the Central Pacific.  With only a 21 km² (8.1 sq mi) area, Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic as well as the smallest island nation.

Republic of Nauru

29. Scottish lowland: GLEN.  While the word originated in Scotland, most English speaking countries also use it.  A GLEN is a type for a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. It is also used in place names such as Glen Burnie and Glen Arm not too far from where we live.  There is also a Glen at the center of Towson University, Teri's and my Alma Mater.

31. "Sons of," in temple names: B'NAI. B'NAI is not only used in synagogue names, but other Jewish organizations as well.  The most well-known of these is probably B'nai B'rith, literally the "Sons of the Covenant".  B'nai B'rith is the oldest and largest Jewish organization in the world, with associations in many countries. It began in 1843 in New York and has its main office in Washington, DC. It is a cultural, social and educational organization that also supports hospitals and gives help after disasters. In 1913 it created the Anti-Defamation League to fight unfair treatment of Jews and others

33. Indoor ball brand: NERF.

34. Lifesaver, briefly: EMT.

35. Carnaby Street's district: SOHO.  This particular district is in London, but New York City also has a district in Manhattan ("South of Houston Street") called SOHO.
 
36. Johnson successor: GRANT.   A Civil War hero who, later went on to become President, Ulysses S. Grant succeeded Andrew Johnson who became President when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  And BTW, Ulysses is actually Grant's middle name, the "S" having resulted from a clerical error on his application to West Point. 

37. Scratching post material: SISAL.

41. Part of EGOT: EMMY. The others being GRAMMY, OSCAR, and TONY.

43. Abandons in a crisis: BAILS ON.

44. Fairly large fair: EXPO.  The first international EXPO was the Great Exposition of 1851, held in the Crystal Palace in London.  I have a personal connection to this event, as my great great uncle, potter Felix Pratt of Fenton, England exhibited this ceramic plate depicting the scene described in Matthew 12:1-8:

Christ in the Corn
Jesse Austin, engraver
Victoria and Albert Museum

 

45. Silver linings: UPSIDES.

46. Medina resident: SAUDI.  Medina, Saudi Arabia is considered the second holiest city in Islam.

50. Makeup of a long Russian line: TSARS.

51. Parliament newcomer?: OWLET.  This was new to me.   Until I looked it up I thought it was Brit slang for a  new member of the House of Commons.  but this "Parliament" is a collective noun for owls, and of course OWLETS are baby owls.

52. Photo finish: MATTE.  A horse race?  No, not even close.

54. "What a shame!": AW GEE.

55. Surf feature: SPRAY.

57. New Hampshire state mineral: BERYL.  Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine.  Depending on impurities it can take a variety of other colors:

59. Stories to pass on: LORE.

60. Hike: RISE. A noun not a verb.

63. Castle queenside, in chess notation: OOO.  Every thing you need to know about chess notation.  See the TOC on the sidebar for how to notate castling, which involves two moves.

64. Xi preceders: NUS.  Not the current Chinese premier, but Greek letters:

65. Prom gp.: SRS.  And a lot of us folks.

And thanks as always to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, Susan Gelfand

Theme: TAKE A SEAT

21A. Seat for a hooligan?: PUNK ROCKER.

55A. Seat for a gala attendee?: PARTY CHAIR.

3D. Seat for an amphibian?: TOADSTOOL. The odd-man out, all the others are two words.

34D. Seat for Tiger?: GOLF SWING.

Susan has us sitting pretty today on 2/2/22. All the theme answers end with a different kind of seat. These kinds of themes must be especially challenging to develop because, as here, the phrase itself has nothing to do with chairs. 

Melissa here. I think it's fun when the theme answers are both across and down. No reveal so I had to search a bit for the hidden seats. How'd you do?

Across:

1. Epsilon followers: ZETAS. Greek alphabet.

6. Reference: CITE. Verb, not noun.

10. Apple tablet: IPAD.

14. Reason for a food recall: ECOLI.

15. River Severn tributary: AVON. River Avon, also called Upper Avon or Warwickshire Avon, river, eastern tributary of the River Severn that rises near Naseby in central England and flows generally southwestward for 96 miles (154 km) through the counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. 

 

 

 

16. Violin holder: CASE.

17. Old will?: SHALT. Biblical language.

18. Actress Krakowski of "30 Rock": JANE.

 
19. Gaelic language: ERSE.

20. Fuss: TO DO. Much to do about nothing.

23. Violinist Isaac who performed the solos in the movie "Fiddler on the Roof": STERN. Below, accompanied by the paintings of Chagall and Van Gogh.

 

 

 

25. Whirl: GYRATE.

 

26. Fast watercraft: JET SKI.

28. Editor's concern: STYLE.

30. Kitchen gadget brand: OXO.

31. Ready for a refill: EMPTY.

33. Pulitzer-winning writer James: AGEE. His Pulitzer was awarded for A Death in The Family, based on  events that occurred to him in 1915 when his father went out of town to see his own father, who had suffered a heart attack. During the return trip, Agee's father was killed in a car accident. Ironically, Agee was in New York City when he suffered a fatal heart attack in a taxi cab en route to a doctor's appointment on May 16, 1955. A Death in The Family was not quite complete when he died.

37. Dalmatian marking: SPOT.

39. Pals, slangily: PEEPS.

41. MLBer Manny who was a Dodger coach for 34 seasons: MOTA.

42. Bagel center: HOLE.

43. Cleaned, in a way: SWEPT.

45. USPS unit: LTR. Letter. United States Post Office. I am there six days a week.

46. Many Wikipedia articles: LISTS. List of lists of lists.

49. More than you want to hear, probably: EARFUL.

51. Put aside: SHELVE.

54. Open-mouthed stares: GAPES.

58. Mop: SWAB.

61. Gillette razor: ATRA.

62. Indian royal: RAJA.

63. "Mostly Ghostly" series author: STINE. Also the Goosebumps series.

64. Poet Silverstein: SHEL. We see him here a lot. (Not alot.)

65. Panache: ELAN.

66. Reddish-brown dye: HENNA.

67. Cooked: MADE.

68. Smartphone receipt: TEXT. Sneaky.

69. Beaten by a nose, say: EDGED.

Down:

1. Pizzazz: ZEST.

2. It'll come back to you: ECHO.

4. Gives in portions: ALLOTS. 

5. Dog command: SIT.

6. Louisiana cuisine: CAJUN.

7. Author Turgenev: IVAN. Russian novelist. Turgenev, unlike Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, lacked religious motives in his writings, representing the more social aspect to the reform movement. He was considered to be an agnostic.

8. Honky-__: TONK.

9. One side of an Einstein equation: ENERGY. E = mc2. What Does Einstein’s Most Famous Equation Mean?

10. It may be in a cone: ICE CREAM. What else comes in a cone?

11. Winter warmer: PARKA.

12. Strong suit: ASSET. As in strength.

13. Caterpillar rival: DEERE. Heavy contstruction equipment makers.

21. Gussy up: PRIMP.

22. Olive __: OYL. Susan tricked us - referring to the cartoon character, not the cooking oil. Olive Oyl was a main character for 10 years before Popeye's 1929 appearance.

24. Squeeze (out): EKE.

26. "Milk" Oscar nominee Brolin: JOSH. 2008 film about California City Supervisor Harvey Milk. Milk was played by Sean Penn, and Brolin played Dan White, who assassinated both Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in November 1978.

27. Trade show: EXPO. Seems like there's a trade show for everything now. Even prisons.

28. Simmered dishes: STEWS.

29. Kind: TYPE.

32. Gnat or nag: PEST.

35. Famous almost-last words: ET TU. What Shakespeare has Caesar say in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, meaning, "and you (too)."

36. British nobleman: EARL. A member of the British peerage ranking below a marquess and above a viscount.

38. Like Poe's title heart: TELL-TALE. One of Edgar Allan Poe's shortest short stories. Moral: a guilty conscience will take control.

40. Stick a fork in: SPEAR. Haha.

44. Dance genre: TAP. Not very popular any more. 10 Best movie tap dance sequences.

47. Columbia, for one: IVY. The Ivy League, (also known as The Ancient Eight), is a group of elite colleges with connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism. Its members are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University.

48. Like some agents and Santas: SECRET.

50. Took a break: RESTED.

51. Muscle contraction: SPASM. Most commonly caused by fatigue and overuse.

52. Yoga variety: HATHA. The practice involves breath, body, and mind.

53. Miscalculated: ERRED.

54. Oversized and then some: GIANT.

56. Healthy: HALE.

57. Warrior son of King Telamon, in myth: AJAX.

59. Donovan in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame: ANNE.

60. Bracelet ball: BEAD. Oh ... tiny ball.

63. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE. Never heard of them.

See the four seats?

Tuesday, February 1, 2022 // Julian Lim

White Rabbit and Happy Chinese Spring Festival!

Sweet Anticipation.  Any second now, you will espy the word Any in the circles the theme answers.

17-Across. Poseidon's companions: SEA NYMPHS.  In Greek mythology, Poseidon was one of the 12 Olympians.  He was the god of the seas, storms, earthquakes and horses.

23-Across. When a major might be chosen: FRESHMAN YEAR.  And again in the Sophomore Year, and again in the Junior Year.  Some students take years to settle on a major.

39-Across. Query from "Test Man" in old Verizon ads: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?  When I stand behind a podium, I have to ask: Can you see me now?

50-Across. Oscar-winning actress for "12 Years a Slave": LUPITA NYONG'O.  Lupita Nyong'o (b. Mar. 1, 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress.  She was born in Mexico City, where her father was teaching at the time.  She holds dual Kenyan and Mexican citizenship

And the unifier:

62-Across. "It's about to happen" ... or what each of the four other longest answers in this puzzle has?: ANY MOMENT.

Across:

1. iOS computers: MACs.  As in Apple computers.

5. Inbox annoyance: SPAM.  Also a brand of canned meat parts.

9. Increase: ADD TO.

14. Texter's modest "I think ... ": IMHO.  Textspeak for In My Humble Opinion.  Often the opinion offered is not done in a humble manner.

15. Trendy berry: AÇAÍ.  These berries, native to South America, have become very popular in both foods and in the crossword puzzles.

16. Stadium levels: TIERS.

19. Rushed: RAN AT.

20. How ballerinas dance: ON TOE.  //  And 68-Across. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.

21. Surprise from hiding: STARTLE.

27. Watson's creator: IBM.  Everything you wanted to know about Watson, but didn't know to ask.

31. About to arrive: NEAR.  Are we there yet?

33. Road crew supply: TAR.

34. Netflix series set in central Missouri: OZARK.  Ozark is a dark crime series.

43. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.

44. Purchase: BUY.

45. Californian wine valley: NAPA.

46. Territory that became two states: DAKOTA.  I had a similar clue in a recent puzzle and provide you with the history of the reason behind the two Dakotas.

49. Floral greeting: LEI.  A crossword staple.

56. Turn to mist, in Manchester: ATOMISE.  On this side of the pond, the word would be spelled Atomize.

57. Cocktail cubes: ROCKS.  Hi, Tinbini.  We miss you.

61. Brunch hr.: TEN AM.

66. __ de cacao: CREME.  Creme de Cacao is, as its name suggests, a chocolate liqueur.

67. Insightful: DEEP.

69. __ fit: tantrum: HISSY.

70. Work with notes: SONG.

71. URL opening: HTTP.

Down:

1. Japanese soup: MISO.  Sometime's it's best not to know how the sausage is made.

2. Sermon-ending word: AMEN.

3. Brit : chin-wag :: Yank : __: CHAT.  Other British idioms that might confuse those of us on this side of the pond.

4. "__ a gun!": SON OF.  American idioms that might confuse the Brits.

5. "Stay With Me" singer Smith: SAM.

6. Angel dust letters: PCP.  It's formal name is PhenylCyclohexyl Piperidine.

7. "Feels amazing!": AAH!

8. Returning lover's question: MISS ME?

9. Unsystematically: AT RANDOM.

10. Anne Frank journal: DIARY.

11. Al __: pasta order: DENTE.  Today's Italian lesson.

12. Cheerful refrain: TRA LA.  Probably a few more LA's will follow.

13. Long-time kitchen products brand: OSTER.  I know of their line of blenders, but the company makes a whole host of other kitchen items.

18. "__ out!": ump's call: YER.  Think baseball.

22. Sunbather's goal: TAN.

24. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU.  Today's Latin lesson.

25. Ousted Iranian ruler: SHAH.  The ousted Shah of Iran makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

26. Call to a pooch: HERE, BOY!

27. Ancient Cuzco resident: INCA.  Cuzco is found high in the Peruvian Andes.  It has an elevation of over 11,100 feet.  You will definitely get altitude sickness if you aren't careful.  Cuzco is near Machu Picchu, which is actually at a lower elevation, so visitors to Machu Picchu often spend some time in Cuzco.  It's a beautiful city and well worth the visit.

28. Boo Boo or Yogi: BEAR.  Hanna-Barbara cartoons.

29. Salon service, briefly: MANI.  Hi, Lucina!

32. Bread for corned beef: RYE.

35. Extremely chill: ZEN.  I am not sure I would describe Zen this way, but ...

36. Like neat freaks: ANAL.

37. Lasso: ROPE.

38. River in a 1957 movie title: KWAI.  I think there is a bridge over this river.  But did you know that the movie was based on the book Le Post de la Rivière Kwaï, by Pierre Boulle?

40. Quaint: OLD TIMEY.

41. One on the road: AUTO.  //  And 65-Down. 41-Down efficiency stat: MPG.  As in Miles Per Gallon.

42. Meg of "The Women": RYAN.  I am not familiar with this movie.

47. Remote batteries: AAs.  The batteries are far away in the Remote Control, which is never within reach.

48. Works with dough: KNEADS.

50. Fastening feature: LATCH.

51. Gestation sites: UTERI.  Usually one per woman.

52. Corn breads: PONES.  According to the Hillbilly Housewife, the dough of a pone need not be corn, it just needs to be baked in a cast iron skillet.

53. Muslim officials: IMAMs.

54. Miracle-__: garden product: GRO.  It really does help my flowers grow.

55. Zing: OOMPH.

58. Boston NBAer: CELT.  When I lived in Boston, I went to a few games in the Garden.

59. Work with needles: KNIT.  Hi, Madame Defarge!

60. Dance class move: STEP.

63. Three-time role for Keanu Reeves: NEO.  Think of the Matrix films.

64. Japanese coins: YEN.

~~~

And no, I didn't forget an across clue:

30-Across. Closing words: THE END.

חתולה

Six more weeks of winter?  Will the Ground Hog tell us tomorrow?

Monday January 31, 2022 Will Tobias

Theme: GIS (70. USO show audience ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues)

20. *The Bible's golden calf, e.g.: GRAVEN IMAGE.

26. *Giving a higher mark than students deserve: GRADE INFLATION.

48. *It's not always the same as one's assigned sex at birth: GENDER IDENTITY.

56. *Intuition, often: GUT INSTINCT.

Boomer here.  

GI stands for Government Issue.  It's been a long time since I wore some of those clothes.  However I did finish with my Government Issue Radiation last Friday. I sure hope it will produce the desired result. 

Let's see? Coming to a TV set near you! Winter Olympics and a Super Bowl. Not even a COVID pandemic can cancel these money makers. 

 Across:

1. Relaxing retreat: SPA.  Never been to one.  I do have a recliner in the basement of our home.

4. Picket line crosser: SCAB.  Nasty slang.  Sometimes I get one underneath a Band-Aid.

8. Tied, as sneakers: LACED.  I remember Government Issued Combat boots.  Took about ten minutes to lace them up. 

13. Work like heck: TOIL. A la Elon Musk.

15. Arrived: CAME.  Got there.

16. Old piano key material: IVORY.  Soap that floats!

17. European car brand that sounds sort of like a Western greeting: AUDI.  Young Mr. Doody ?

18. Ordered like dictionary words: ALPHABETIC.  Long word for an Across answer.

22. Sound of fear: EEK.

23. Roadside haven: INN.

24. About 1/2000th of a euro, in 2002: LIRA.  I never really learned the value of the LIRA.

33. Slimy substance: GOO.

34. Dolphin family "killer": ORCA.

35. Inventor Otis: ELISHA.  Also the first name of Mr. Gray who invented the telephone within hours of Alexander Graham Cracker Bell.  Mr. Bell beat Mr. Gray to the patent office by a matter of minutes.  Mr. Bell suggested that his invention be answered "Ahoy".  Mr. Gray suggested "Good Morning Graybar!"

36. Roman moon goddess: LUNA.

38. Tease: KID.

40. Site of Napoleon's exile: ELBA.  Elba was indeed the site of Napoleon's exile.  But it also happens to be a small town in Minnesota.

41. Where Amin ruled: UGANDA.

44. Puffin relatives: AUKS.  You may call it an AUK if you like, but it looks like a penguin to me.

47. Geological time span: EON.  Half a billion years. The time it will take the Vikings to win a Super Bowl.

51. What a coach gives a base runner: SIGN.

52. Corn unit: EAR.  Well-known at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.

53. Suffix with script: URE.

62. Cape Cod and Baja: PENINSULAS.  I usually think of Florida.

64. Former Neet rival: NAIR. Neet is now Veet. I just use a razor.

65. Two in a deck: DEUCE.  Actually there are four in every deck.

66. Evening, in ads: NITE.  NIGHT did not fit I guess.

67. Required bet: ANTE.  I think the ANTE actually precedes the betting.

68. Rubbed out, gang-style: OFFED.

69. NBA conference: EAST.

Down: 

1. Male deer: STAG.  They're the ones with the Antlers.

2. Serve the wine, say: POUR.  No thank you.  I never liked WINE.

3. Verdi classic: AIDA.

4. Medical diagnostic device: SCANNER.  Yup, I know what these are.  I have had MRIs, CT scans, and bone Scans. MRIs are the biggest hassles,  and I have another one coming up very soon.

5. Colombian metropolis: CALI.

6. Alarm clock toggle: AM PM.  I usually can figure it out by looking out the window.

7. On __ of: representing: BEHALF.

8. Loose, like a translation: LIBERAL.

9. D.C.'s Pennsylvania, e.g.: AVE.  1600 is the White House.

10. Pigeon shelter: COTE.

11. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE.  Lake ERIE is the 4th largest Great Lake 

12. Flemish painter Sir Anthony van __: DYCK.

14. Wife of Augustus: LIVIA.

19. Light-footed: AGILE.  I used to be fairly AGILE.  But then I got old.

21. Prefix with scope: ENDO.

25. "It's __": "Nobody wins": A TIE.  It's what I wear to the Graybar banquets.

26. Charge triple, say: GOUGE.  Gasoline around here is a little over $3.00 per gallon.  Of course I remember the 60's when it was around .30 cents.

27. Journalist Farrow: RONAN. Mia's son.

28. "Disgusting!": ICK.  YUCK did not fit.

29. Water nymph: NAIAD.

30. Speck in the ocean: ISLET.  Sounds like Hawaii?

31. "That's exciting!": OH BOY.  Alan Sherman - "We'd like to know what you think"  OH BOY.  Thunderbirds and Cadillacs, OH BOY !! April 15 Income Tax  OH BOY.

32. Indian bread: NAAN.

33. Water cooler sound: GLUG.

37. "No ifs, __ or buts": ANDS.

39. Payable now: DUE.  Income Tax is coming soon.  They expect payments of taxes due before the refunds are coming out.

42. Condescended: DEIGNED.  "Deign to be great !!"

43. Jason's shipbuilder: ARGUS. "Jason and the Argonauts".

45. Israeli parliament: KNESSET.

46. RBI or ERA: STAT.  Wins, Losses, Strikeouts, Walks, Stolen Bases, Baseball has more stats than football games have commercials.

49. On key: IN TUNE.  "Tiptoe through the tulips"  Tiny Tim was not.

50. Russian supermodel Shayk: IRINA.

53. High hairstyle: UPDO.  I remember the old days when all hair fit under the football helmets.

54. Great Barrier __: REEF.

55. Plenty, phonetically: ENUF.  Okay, ENUF fake words.  It's only Monday.

57. Pelvic bones: ILIA.

58. D.C. baseball team: NATS.  Replaced the old Senators who became the Twins after moving.

59. Vietnam's Da __: NANG.  "DaNANG, Da NANG me"  (Robin Williams.)

60. Banking giant: CITI.  Never used this.  We have local credit unions that do the job.

61. Uno y dos: TRES.

63. Rapper __ Cube: ICE.  Or ICE T on Law and Order SVU.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Bill G! So happy to see you on the blog from time to time, Bill! We all care about you and miss your posts when you're away.

Here is a picture of Barbara, Bill and their three grandkids. This picture was taken long time ago when Bill still went out daily for his bike ride and coffee.