We’ve been away for a bit — for some big doings, by our standards. First, the Gnats game at Shea on Thursday was terrific! We pulled ahead 3-0 early thanks to a three-base error when the Mets pitcher overthrew a bunt to first base, and two clutch two-out singles. But Miles Mikolas has been shaky so it was no surprise when new Met Melendez tied the game up with a three-run dinger. Gloom settled in when the Metsies pulled ahead by a run and the Gnats limped their way through the seventh. But the Met pen has been anything but reliable, and, sure enough, we pounced on Weaver in the 8th. With the leadoff runner on, Daylen Lile bounced a grounder to second – Oh, no! But he ran his little tuchas off and avoided the DP — a crucial point, since CJ followed with a dinger. Had Lile not made his all-out effort the homer would have just tied it up. Instead we had a slim lead, and six nail-biting outs later, the win! Bravo boys! I was proud to be sporting my curly W on the way home.

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We got up early on Friday and shot down to Philly where Sam, Sarah, and the boys were ensconced in an airbnb near Logan Circle. An old college chum of Sam’s was getting married and we were tapped for the babysitting. It was a perfect day! Cheesesteaks from a local spot for lunch with a cold beer. Yum! Then a great walk along Philly’s impossible-to-spell river to a neat playground. Would it have killed them to name it the Philadelphia River? And I negotiated a treacherous parking terrain brilliantly to avoid even a nickel in fees until 6:30 freed up the zone. (Pat on back.) The boys were adorable and took it easy on us: both in bed by 8! I can’t post their pix because mom and dad want to keep them off the internet.

Saturday morn we got up early and shot back up to Jersey where we were hosting Caity’s 40th birthday party. This was a high-stress affair because hubby Danny invited his family, which is 25 people including little ones. Yikes! Our house was chosen because of our big back yard — the kids can run around there. And it went amazingly well: the weather was better than predicted. The kids had a blast, the food was great (from Nonna’s in Florham Park), and the cake was incredible and enormous. Appy Bippy, Beaner!

Here’s Caitlin with Danny and four of her five.

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But enough about me. This paragraph by Nick Kristoff on you-know-whom and Iran stuck out for me:

“We’ve already won,” he said on March 7. Two days later, he asserted that the war would be over “very soon.” On March 11, he announced, “We’ve won.” On March 20, he said the US was considering “winding down.” Six days later, he said Iran was “begging to make a deal.” By April 16, the war “should be ending pretty soon.” The next day, he added that peace talks were going so well that “most of the points are already negotiated and agreed to.” And so on and so on. What does this mean? “The Americans clearly have no strategy,” Chancellor Merz of Germany said. “An entire nation is being humiliated.” [And it ain’t Iran.]

Ironically, Trump’s lie that under Biden and Obama the whole world was laughing at us has become true.

Couple Trump’s brilliant shoot-yourself-in-the-foot war with what the corrupt Supremes are doing to voting rights et al, and the insane gerrymandering and it’s finally boiled over for me. I’ve always dismissed it as empty prattle when folks talk about moving out of the country. Not anymore. We’ve taken it for granted in the past that we lived in a democracy, but Trump’s damage has made it unrecognizable. Even after the midterms and 2028, if all goes well, kinehora, there is enough malignancy in the system now to forestall recovery. For the first time in my life, I have to say if I were a young man just starting out and it were at all practical to relocate, I’d leave.

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Let’s get back to Crossworld ASAP. I “worked” with few words today:

“German actress Berger with a career spanning eight decades.” Answer: SENTA. “Catch in a sting:” ENTRAP. “Adds with a spoon, say:” STIRSIN. And “French financial institution:” BANQUE.

Here’s what I came up with:

I get the same tired speech from my otolaryngologist about my bad habits every time I see him. Frankly, I’m tired of the ENTRAP.
The actress Berger’s assistants: SENTA’s little helpers.
Failing to fold the egg whites into the batter carefully is a STIRSIN.
The curious Spanish tot asked so many questions, his mom had no choice but to BANQUE.

Alright, a little weak, but what can you do? Even [insert name] has off-days.

Sadly, yesterday wasn’t much better. I worked with “How an annoying conversation might go:” ONANDON; “Little girl, in Italian:” BAMBINA; and “Hand grenades, informally:” FRAGS.

My post:

Organization for folks who can’t stop talking: ON AND ON Anon

Wasn’t FRAGS one of the ten plagues? The Seders get fuzzy for me with those four cups of wine.

Wanna see the classic Disney film about that fawn whose mom gets killed?

BAMBI? NA. (Oops. Spoiler alert!)

Also noted: Nice combos: SWALLOW crossing WORDS, and MOONSHOTS atop AU NATUREL

Here’s the young SENTA. Hubba, hubba.

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This story from today’s Met Diary is by Mare Berger. Gotta love Brooklyn on those days.

Dear Diary:

It was April Fools’ Day, and the weather kept changing from sunny to drizzle, as if the gusty wind was moving the sun back and forth behind a cloud.

I put my jacket on and off as I walked along Prospect Park. The trees were still bare, but spring was slowly awakening with yellow forsythias, and every child walking by stared at my new purple hair, hungry for color.

A guy in the bike lane yelled, “Hey!”

I turned to him.

“Sorry,” he said, pointing to someone else. “I’m talking to this guy.”

“But you actually look familiar,” I said.

“So do you,” he said, laughing.

I entered the park to hear pop music near the band shell. Two people with a portable speaker were dancing.

I wanted to join the party, but I realized that I hear the music, so I’m in the party. I danced along from a distance.

From high above, hundreds of blackbirds swooped down like falling peppercorn into the black-and-white woods ahead. As I got closer, I saw specks of tiny green buds emerging on each tree limb.

I left the park, passing three people who had converged because their dogs could not contain their joy. The people laughed like old friends, but within seconds they had walked off separate ways.

As I passed Seeley Street, I overheard a friend through the open window, cheering on a drum student.

I laughed. I should be getting home before the possible rain, I thought, but today, everywhere was home.

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There’s a wonderful warmth and strong sense of community in the Commentariat on Rex Parker’s blog. There is no more beloved figure than Lewis, who finds good in every puzzle, no matter how scathing Rex’s curmudgeonly review is. So I want to share with you some mildly scary news Lewis shared yesterday, and the outpouring of support (including from me, Liveprof) it engendered:

Lewis

Administrative note: I shall be away one-to-two weeks – ish – as I will be undergoing some big-time surgery (spine). I believe I’ll be able to scooch in my Favorite Clues list during this period. I‘ll miss you, gang, and I wish all at least one happy surprise in the interim!

7:28 AM

Carola

@Lewis, wishing you all the best!

7:29 AM

Anonymous

Best to you, Lewis. Wishing you a successful surgery and speedy recovery. Your reliably intelligent and supportive posts will be missed and I will look forward to your return.

7:40 AM

Rick Sacra

Wishing you a good result and no complications, and praying for your Doctors to “put you back the way you were made”…. : )

7:58 AM

SouthsideJohnny

Best of luck with the surgery. I hope all goes well and wish you the best with your recovery / rehabilitation (hopefully you will be equipped with an IPad and the NYT Games app!).

8:05 AM

RooMonster

Good luck and wishes your way, @Lewis. I had back surgery when I was 29, didn’t want to wait til I got older. Good decision on my part.
Hope all goes well.

Roo

8:06 AM

egsforbreakfast

Good luck on the surgery. We’ll all be missing you.

8:45 AM

pabloinnh

Good luck with the surgery. My wife is looking at her third back operation in about a week, the other two were a long time ago and what used to be a week in the hospital is now -same day surgery. Imagine that.

8:48 AM

burtonkd

Best wishes for a successful procedure and speedy recovery!

9:15 AM

Mothra

Hope your surgery goes well!

9:16 AM

puzzlehoarder

@Lewis, sorry to hear about your health issue and good luck with your surgery.

9:23 AM

Hugh

Wishing you a VERY speedy recovery @Lewis. You will surely be missed!

9:46 AM

Son Volt

Love and prayers Lewis – good luck!

9:55 AM

DAVinHOP

Joining those wishing you the best and a speedy recovery, Lewis!

9:56 AM

LAC

Best of luck with the surgery, Lewis! I always look to your positive and insightful takes on the day’s puzzle, and hope you’re back at it soon.

10:08 AM

EasyEd

Hope your surgery goes well. You will be misssed.

10:08 AM

Beezer

Wishing you a speedy recovery and that you will be doing your ASANAS soon!

10:08 AM

jb129

Thinking of you, Lewis & wishing you well 🙂

10:31 AM

Anonymous

You’re on the prayer list

10:33 AM

Yat

Best wishes and looking forward to your return!

10:48 AM

Anonymous

As a fellow spine surgery survivor, I say Godspeed and hurry back!

10:49 AM

Anonymous

Only sunny Lewis could put on such a brave face for back surgery. Your positivity will undoubtedly help you heal! We’ll all be pulling for you. Take good care,
Susan in Maine

10:53 AM

Gary Jugert

@Lewis 7:27 AM
Cheers my man. I’m rooting for a speedy recovery. We need you back ASAP.

11:40 AM

Dennis

Sending good vibes your way for the upcoming operation and then a speedy recovery, Lewis!

11:42 AM

A

Aha! I almost asked you if something was amiss when you didn’t point out Wednesday’s palindrome or Thursday’s semordnilap (both 5 letters!). 😉

Seriously, though, I’m so sorry you have to go through that. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a complete recovery. Hurry back!

Mimi L

12:02 PM

Anonymous

@Lewis, Go raibh biseach ort gan mhoill! 💚☘️

[Gaelic for feel better soon: I looked it up.]

12:15 PM

jae

Wishing you the best!

12:15 PM

Liveprof

We love you, buddy. You’ll be fine — these surgeons are incredible. Just stay away from spine-tingling movies for a bit. Hurry back.

12:27 PM

David Eisner

Good luck with your surgery, Lewis!

1:49 PM

Anonymous

Good luck with surgery Lewis, we’ll miss your insight and perspective in the meantime!

2:04 PM

Anonymous

Best wishes, LEWIS!

4:17 PM

Diane Joan

@Lewis
Lewis,
I will miss your sunny reviews. I hope your surgery goes well. Good luck with your recovery.
Diane Joan

4:19 PM

Juanita

Best wishes, Lewis, for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

4:19 PM

Masked and Anonymous

All the best wishes, Mr. @Lewis dude. Come back all better — with a much better back.
M&A

4:41 PM

dgd

As usual late Wishing Lewis good luck & a speedy recovery v

6:19 PM

CDilly52

Oh Lewis, I am so sorry to hear your news and wish you a successful and speedy recovery. We will miss your daily positivity and insight.

7:07 PM

Terra Schaller

❤ May God watch over you and help you heal fast

2:26 AM

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Yesterday, “‘Full House’ father” was DANNY. Let’s close with this rocker. See you tomorrow!

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Thanks for popping in!