The Saturday puzzle was lambasted by the gang as too easy. I don’t know about that — it gave me enough of a ride.

Some of the cluing was clever. How about: “”It resurfaces after 20 minutes?” Since a period in a hockey game is 20 minutes long, the answer was ZAMBONI — the big lumbering machine that “resurfaces” the ice. One commenter imagined a slow highway chase scene led by a Zamboni with all the cars behind it slipping off the side of the road.

“One growing up in a cave?” was STALAGMITE. A discussion arose on how best to remember the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite. My favorite is that the G in stalaGmite says it grows up from the Ground, while the C is stalaCtite says it grows down from the Ceiling. If the two meet they form a “column.” If it’s by Maureen Dowd it’s an Op-Ed column.

“November 13, e.g.,” was the clue for IDES. Did you think it’s the 15th, because March 15 (we all know) is the famous “Ides of March?” Well, the “ides” fall on the 15th only in March, May, July, and October. For all other months, the ides fall on the 13th. Also, if you are wondering whether it’s correct to say “the ides fall,” or “the ides falls,” they are both right. (Whew.)

Did you know there is an OREO THIN? “Certain cookie spinoff.” They are billed as “crispy,” but I don’t really see the need for them. They look like there’s no cream inside, but there is a small amount.

In the grid they show up near DIPPIN’ DOTS: “Ice Cream of the Future.” I’ve only seen them at ballgames and I’ve never tried them.

Speaking of snacks, did you know that most of the Snickers bars in the U.S. are produced in WACO TEXAS? That’s what 20A posits. It’s also where Dr. Pepper comes from. BTW, what medical school did Dr. Pepper go to? Musta been U. of Minnesoda, no?

God, this is a boring post. I’m writing it and even I’m bored. Time to zhuzh things up a bit. How about 25A?: “Grammy winning actress Carrere” is TIA. Yikes! Fellas — don’t google her swimsuit pix — you’ll have a stroke!

“Hernandez of Team USA gymnastics” is LAURIE.

And “Hollywood’s Ryan” is, of course, MEG, famous for the funniest ever scene in the movies in When Harry Met Sally. The older woman at the end of that scene was Rob Reiner’s mother. Here’s Meg before whatever happened happened.

One of the jobs of a constructor is to come up with a fresh clue for a word that has appeared a zillion times before. This clue was good: “Peter or Paul, but not Mary,” for TSAR. When you’re talking about a guy from the old days in Russia it’s “tsar.” When you’re using it in a current meaning (Energy Czar, Drug Czar), it’s “czar.” At least that’s the convention in Crossworld.

“Rabbi, is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?”

“Yes. May the Lord bless and keep the Tsar — far away from us!”

The big Sunday puzzle announced itself with a bad pun — Sweet! The clue for 1 across was “Sell, as bicycles?,” and the answer was PEDDLE. Ouch. But everyone’s favorite was at 13A: “What might prompt a run for congress?” The answer was LIBIDO, with “congress” given it’s sexual meaning. (It was wrongly capitalized (IMO) in the print version.)

The theme was pretty clever with BUMPER CROPS and FRANKENFOOD as dual “revealers.” At six locations in the grid, across and down answers contained letters that formed two foods when they “bumped” into each other and took a turn. So, e.g., when MEETs intersected BELONg, MELON and BEET were formed.

The puzzle was a “pangram,” i.e., the grid contained all 26 letters of the alphabet. The Q came from AQUANET, that horrible sticky hair spray that someone noted is still sold at CVS. The clue says it first appeared in the 1950’s. The Z came from ZANIEST, and the J came from the 1993 song: HEY MR DJ, by Zhane, pronounced jah-nay. And the X came from AXE HEAD, clued as “It might be stuck on the chopping block.”

The only tuchas sighting was in ASTRO, clued as “Prefix with biology.” But the Rex commenter who had been keeping up the tuchas watch (He said he’s putting an end to it), said: “If I were still doing the daily ASS-derivative tally, REARUP presents some interesting possibilities.”

I am predicting the Jets will not lose today — you can count on it!

It reminds me of the time Jet coach Bruce Coslet “guaranteed” a Jet win on the upcoming Sunday. When, of course, they lost, he was hit over the head with his guarantee by the press. And he replied: “What do expect me to say: We’re gonna lose?”

D-Day in D-town. Special shout-outs to Barb, Bob, Dan, David, Ellen, Jeff, Justine, Mary, Nancy, and Sandee for schlepping down or up to Doylestown, PA, for a nice mini-reunion yesterday. Linda and I had a good time!

(FYI: Spellcheck insisted on the “c” and the second “p” in schlepping.)