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Jiggity Jig
Impressive back-to-back road wins by the Blue Jays have tied up their series with Seattle. If the Jays can take the pennant, it’s the first time a team has come back from an 0-2 start at home since 2.5 years before Vlad Guerrero Jr., Toronto’s brilliant first baseman, was born (1996). Max Scherzer climbed out of the grave to pitch one more doozy for the Jays tonight. We’re gonna keep an eye on them.
The Golden Glove finalists have been announced — the awards for the best fielders in each league at each position. We’re certainly pulling for Max Fried among the AL pitchers. And Jacob Young of the Gnats is up for the GG at center field in the NL. It’s going to be tough for Young to cop the award with the brilliant Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubbies vying for it as well, but hope springs eternal. (I’ll bet the farm that whoever wrote that isn’t Jewish. Yup, Alexander Pope.] BTW, at Gnats games, when Young comes up to bat, his walk-up song is Dylan’s “Forever Young.”
David Sedaris popped by the puzzle yesterday. The first time, as far as I know. His clue was “Humorist who describes his stint working as a Macy’s Christmas elf in ‘Santaland Diaries.’” It probably doesn’t mean anything that he wasn’t far in the grid from WHAT A TOOL! If you have no idea who the hell he is, or only know him from his writing, take a look. (It rewards repeated viewing.)
At 24A, the clue was “Lively kind of saw for cutting intricate shapes?” and the answer was JIGGITY JIG. What?? Well, we know about “jig” saws, but “jiggity?” Rex made it his word of the day. It means “jerky, unsteady.” You are probably familiar with:
To market, to market to buy a fat pig,
home again, home again jiggety jig…Most solvers were not happy with it. This was my note: “Jiggety jig seems a bit higgledy-piggledy, but all in good fun. Cromulent enough for me.” (Cromulent is a word coined on The Simpsons and means “acceptable.”)
Guess who co-constructed the puzzle? Were you a fan of Parks and Recreation? Remember Ron? Nick Offerman. Very funny guy. Here he is with Mrs. Nick (actress Megan Mullally). Nick was contacted by Christina Iverson of the NYT puzzle staff and was thrilled to take on the task.
I learned what ALT TEXT is from the puzzle (I think). The clue was “Description of an online image.” Suppose you want to send someone a photo but their device can’t receive it as a visible photo. If you send it in the form of a whole bunch of text, that’s ALT TEXT. (That’s a bad clue for it in the puzzle, IMO.)
For example, here’s some text: https://images.alphacoders.com/875/875365.jpg
If you enter it into your search bar, this photo of some random woman will appear. So the text is an alternative form of the photo.
Today’s puzzle was unusual in that the longest answers had nothing to do with the theme. The revealer at 61A was “How whiskey might be served … with a hint to the answers to the seven starred clues,” and the answer was NEAT. If you drink drinks (and not just beer like me), you know that NEAT means “no ice.” In the case of the puzzle, it meant that in seven answers the letters ICE were removed. Impressively, what was left in each case was a word or phrase (that was unclued), not just random letters. So, e,g, at 5A, for the clue “Treat with kindness,” the answer was BE N[ICE] TO, but all you wrote into the grid was BENTO (like a bento box in a Japanese restaurant). That happened in seven spots. Another example: at 24A, for the clue “Expensive” the answer was PR[ICE]Y, and all you filled in was PRY, since you left the ICE out. Neat, right? If you’re leaving the ice out, you don’t really even need a glass.
Do you know what it means to be “red pilled?” In comes from the film The Matrix. At 25D, the clue was “What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix,” and the answer was RED PILL. And here’s Rex on it:
“‘Individuals who identify as ‘red pilled’ often espouse conspiracy theories, antisemitism, white supremacy, homophobia, and misogyny.’ (Wikipedia) You see, these chuds believe they’re enlightened (i.e. disconnected from the oppressive and conformist ‘matrix’ of … I don’t know, human decency, I guess), so they identify with Neo, which is a wild and flagrant misreading of the movie’s politics (a movie made by two trans women), though no one ever accused these folks of being particularly literate.”
[BTW, “chud” is new to me too. It roughly means “jerk” and is most often used by someone on the left to describe someone on the right, politically.]
GOP was in the grid too, at 37D, clued with “Something Lincoln once led, for short.” Putting it all together Commenter Natasha (and others) interpreted the puzzle to have an “abolish ICE” subtext.
OMG, The Onion was on fire today. Three items of vital interest to Owl Chatter readers.
Biologists Announce There’s Absolutely Nothing We Can Learn From Clams
WOODS HOLE, MA— “Our studies have found that while some of their shells look pretty cool, clams really don’t have anything to teach us,” said the Oceanographic Institute’s chief scientist, Francis Dawkins. “We certainly can’t teach them anything. It’s not like you can train them to run through a maze the way you would with mice. We’ve tried, and they pretty much just lie there. From what I’ve observed, they have a lot more in common with rocks than they do with us. They’re technically alive, I guess, if you want to call that living. They open and close sometimes, but, I mean, so does a wallet. If you’ve used a wallet, you know more or less all there is to know about clams.”
Grown Man Licking Ice Cream Cone Placed On Sex Offender Registry
And from the Sports Desk:
Dad Shushes Family While Focused On Jumbotron Hat Shuffle
See you tomorrow!
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400,000 Spirits
Happy Birthday (yesterday) to 84-year-old Newark NJ born Paul Simon. I’m claiming him for Jersey, but his family moved to Queens when he was 4 and he is much more associated with Queens. His dad was a professor (Education) at City College, CUNY, and his mom an elementary school teacher. Good blood! He has four children from an assortment of wives, all of whom (the children) are in the music biz. His wife since 1992 is Edie Brickell, also a singer, and she is 25 years his junior. Simon met you-know-whom when they were eleven years old, in sixth grade and were singing together by the age of 13. He graduated with a degree in English from Queens College, CUNY, and went to law school for one year.
She’s taller than him too. To 120, boychik!
Here is today’s Poem of the Day from The Writer’s Almanac. It’s by Mary Oliver and is called “The Poet Goes to Indiana.”
I’ll tell you a half-dozen things
that happened to me
in Indiana
when I went that far west to teach.
You tell me if it was worth it.I lived in the country
with my dog—
part of the bargain of coming.
And there was a pond
with fish from, I think, China.
I felt them sometimes against my feet.
Also, they crept out of the pond, along its edges,
to eat the grass.
I’m not lying.
And I saw coyotes,
two of them, at dawn, running over the seemingly
unenclosed fields.
And once a deer, but a buck, thick-necked, leaped
into the road just-oh, I mean just, in front of my car—
and we both made it home safe.
And once the blacksmith came to care for the four horses,
or the three horses that belonged to the owner of the house,
and I bargained with him, if I could catch the fourth,
he, too, would have hooves trimmed
for the Indiana winter,
and apples did it,
and a rope over the neck did it,
so I won something wonderful;
and there was, one morning,
an owl
flying, oh pale angel, into
the hay loft of a barn,
I see it still;
and there was once, oh wonderful,
a new horse in the pasture,
a tall, slim being-a neighbor was keeping her there—
and she put her face against my face,
put her muzzle, her nostrils, soft as violets,
against my mouth and my nose, and breathed me,
to see who I was,
a long quiet minute-minutes—
then she stamped feet and whisked tail
and danced deliciously into the grass away, and came back.
She was saying, so plainly, that I was good, or good enough.
Such a fine time I had teaching in Indiana.
At 6A today, the clue was “Drove like mad,” and I filled in sped but had to change it to TORE. Per Son Volt, another apt VM selection (new to me).
The puzzle was cute today. It took a phrase you’d recognize and reimagined it as the answer to a question from your loved one. The best was: “What do you call a close-fitting hat, doll?” and the answer was BEANIE, BABY. One more: “What are oils and watercolors examples of, dear?” MEDIA, DARLING.
I made one up: “Do either of these dresses make me look fat, Hon?” THE BLUE, ANGEL. (It’s an old movie title.)
Egs added some with a twist:
Crossword themers from the Bickersons:
When’s your birthday, pea brain?
APRIL, FOOLWhat are you thinking we’ll do in bed tonight, dodo?
CRASH, DUMMY.What’s that holiday where everyone eats too much, skag?
THANKSGIVING, TURKEYI learned a new word. At 23A the clue was “Heavily edit with beauty filters, as a photo, in modern lingo.” Answer: YASSIFY. We asked our old friend Miriam Webster about it. She said: To yassify an image is to digitally edit it using a beauty filter or other AI-powered tools (usually in an over-the-top and unmistakable way). Yassified photos of people often feature exaggerated make-up, hair, and facial features such as eyes and lips. Yassify is also sometimes used more broadly to mean “to improve the appearance of” or “to make more glamorous.”
Rex went on a bit of a jag over “Beanie.”
I was distracted most by the phrasing of the clue on “BEANIE, BABY.” “What do you call a close-fitting hat, doll?” Me: “CLOCHE! It’s a CLOCHE.” I mean, if you’re gonna not know a hat name, it’s far (far) more likely that you would not know CLOCHE. Everyone knows the term “beanie.” Who is asking babe about “beanie?” That’s just sad.
Whatever. Here’s a pretty girl wearing a cloche.
Chris Wilson, who is clearly a very wild man, posted the following for the Dull Men’s Club (UK): Today, for the first time in my life, I deliberately opened a packet of crisps [chips] upside down!! I’m just wondering if anyone else on here took any unnecessary risks today?
Avi Liveson: Not clear from your post if the package was upside down or if you were upside down. Please clarify.
Melvyn Long: I criticized my wife’s driving.
Stu Davies: Thoughts and prayers. . .
Avi Liveson: Written posthumously?
Jane Lutman: I think the whole of Ireland could be at risk from rising sea levels, apart from Cork. [Get it? Cork!]
Fatima de Andrade: No. I’m risk adverse
Avi Liveson: Well, you risked misusing “averse/adverse.”
John Scotland: I treated fence posts and other lengths of timber with a suitable preservative, and left them out in the garden to dry overnight. The risk is that some unauthorised person might enter the the garden, under cover of darkness, and make off with my beautifully treated timbers. Not sure how well I shall sleep tonight, or what I might find in the morning…
Andrew Green: I’m sure no-one will take offence….
Phil tells us he’s concerned about our Ana’s romance with Tom Cruise. So are we. Just don’t trust the guy. Phil says if he hurts her, he (Phil) will kill him (Tom), but that just means Phil will do something drunk and only injure himself.
Relationship experts see a problem with Ana and Tom, and so do former high-ranking Scientologists like Karen de la Carriere, who said: “Tom Cruise’s love affairs are doomed. There is a honeymoon period with a lot of generosity and dazzling moments, and then reality sets in. Scientology is very bait and switch. It starts off OK, especially when you’re the girlfriend of a superstar like Tom Cruise. But then you get to the higher, confidential levels and you find out things like you have 400,000 spirits attached to you and you have to spend the next 30 to 40 years peeling them off.”
Yup. Hate when that happens.
See you tomorrow!
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Hasty Pudding
Where do Zay people go to meet each other? Zabar’s! OMG, Zabar’s is the best place in the world. We got the lox for our wedding there. (The bagels came from Avenue M in Brooklyn.) You want cheese? They have 800 cheeses. They roast their own coffee. Fantastic breads.
The business was started by Louis and Lillian (Teit) Zabar in 1934 as the smoked-fish department of a Daitch supermarket on Broadway. Oldest son Saul left college to come help in 1950 when Louis died. The store is on Broadway and West 80th Street now and does $55 million in business annually.
Saul passed away this week at the age of 97. That white paper they use to wrap sliced lox was folded over him prior to burial. (No it wasn’t.) The obit in the NY Times referred to him as one of New York’s leading lox-smiths.
Saul’s office doubled as a tasting room. He visited fish wholesalers to sample the latest catch. As legend has it, he got so angry once about a whitefish that didn’t taste right that he threw it on the floor and stepped on it. What did he look for in a fish? His Zen response: “It’s got to have taste. Not too this, not too that.”
In 2011 a scandal arose when it emerged that there was no lobster in the lobster salad. There was no intention to deceive, Saul said, and he cited a Wikipedia entry that defined crawfish, which the salad did contain, as “freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related.”
Nonetheless, he changed the name of the dish to “seafare salad.” But that didn’t work either, because crawfish aren’t saltwater fish. Alright, so let’s call it “zabster zalad.” Are you happy now? And the people rejoiced.
Saul was often asked why they didn’t go into franchising, which would have been lucrative. “Money is not why we do this,” Saul answered.
He is survived by his wife Ann, three children, four grandchildren, and two brothers, all of whom drop by for half a pound of this or a quarter of that from time to time.
Rest in peace, Saul Zabar.
How stupid is this country? Columbus Day? SRSLY? Nobody said anything about what a monster he was? How could it go so far for so long?
Hey, everybody, let’s have a national Hitler Day!
OK, sure. Let’s ask Congress!
Congress: No problem! Everyone loves a Monday off. Let’s close the Post Office and Banks. Yay! Hooray for Hitler Day!
(A sh*tload of time passes.)
Um, guys — did you hear about this Holocaust thing? Maybe we were a little hasty with Hitler Day. I feel a little bad now.
Okay, listen, it just slipped by us. No big deal. Let’s just start calling it National Pancake Day — who doesn’t love pancakes?
Ever want to get rid of someone so badly you’d be willing to pay them money to go away? Yeah, me too. All the time. Penn State is paying their coach James Franklin $45 million to get the hell out of town. Jeez Louise, what did he do — strangle their cat? I saw him on a food show once — seemed like a nice guy. (There’s this great show (or was) on the Big Ten Network that went to cool eateries in the various college towns and met the owners and ate the food. They featured a great sandwich shop in Ann Arbor Sam and I made it our business to get to: The Maize and Blue Deli. Very good.) Anyway, if I were a donor or paying tuition to the school (or a PA taxpayer), I’m not sure I’d be pleased with their use of my funds.
Breaking News from The Onion:
Exit From Apartment Delayed 20 Seconds To Avoid Pleasantries With Neighbor
SAN FRANCISCO—Having already put on his jacket and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, 30-year-old Marcus Albright reportedly paused mere moments before opening his apartment door to leave for work Friday morning, delaying his exit some 20 seconds to avoid exchanging pleasantries with his neighbor across the hall. “I was just about to walk out, but then I heard Jeff [Wilhelm]’s door open and I heard him step out, so I just decided to wait inside for a few moments until he locked his door and left,” said Albright, who reportedly stood quietly in his entryway holding his keys in his hand for nearly half a minute to prevent a congenial and passing dialogue with his neighbor. “I figured if I just hung out there until I heard him go down the stairs and then waited for the click of the front door to the building closing behind him then I should be good.” At press time, Albright reportedly made an abrupt detour into a nearby convenience store after noticing Wilhelm waiting at his bus stop.
The puzzle theme today was FAST FOOD. But not the burgers and fries type. The theme answers were QUICK OATS, INSTANT RAMEN, and HASTY PUDDING. I suggested that runny eggs could have been included.
The clue for hasty pudding was “Thick porridge referenced in ‘Yankee Doodle.’”
Father and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Gooding
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty pudding.In British cuisine it’s wheat-based. In the U.S., it’s made with cornmeal (it’s grits in the South). I forgot how much I enjoyed this movie.
Commenter Barbara S. shared this:
A few years ago, I came across a mock-heroic poem that dates to the late 18th century. It’s by Joel Barlow who, as well as being a poet, was an American politician, with roles in both the American and French Revolutions. The poem is monstrously long and covers a lot of ground – it praises American culture, corn (the basis of HASTY PUDDING), and the life of the common people, and it criticizes luxury in all its forms. Here’s a taste:
Despise it not, ye bards to terror steeled,
Who hurl your thunders round the epic field;
Nor ye who strain your midnight throats to sing
Joys that the vineyard and the stillhouse bring;
Or on some distant fair your notes employ,
And speak of raptures that you ne’er enjoy.
I sing the sweets I know, the charms I feel,
My morning incense, and my evening meal,
The sweets of Hasty Pudding. Come, dear bowl,
Glide o’er my palate, and inspire my soul.
The milk beside thee, smoking from the kine,
Its substance mingled, married in with thine,
Shall cool and temper thy superior heat,
And save the pains of blowing while I eat.
34D was “Pull’s opposite.” (Turn it up!) See you tomorrow, Chatterheads!
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Indiana Wants Me
Remember that song? The Indiana football program has come a long way. Yesterday they beat powerhouse Oregon in Eugene, 30-20. Since football was first invented by Moses in Egypt over 100 years ago, Indiana had never beaten an opponent ranked in the top 5 nationally on the road. In a post-game interview Coach Curt Cignetti was asked what he said to his quarterback Fernando Mendoza after Mendoza threw a devastating interception. He said “I asked him if he was having fun.” Sounds like a good coach.
After the game, Cignetti was arrested on child molestation charges. (No he wasn’t.)
Michigan was on the road too, but fared much worse, getting schooled by USC 31-13. It might have been more lopsided: two turnovers prevented USC from additional scoring. We were ranked 15th before the game and USC was unranked. That should be turned around now.
Phil caught this shot of Michigan’s defensive line braced for a crucial third-down play.
At 4A today, for the clue “Words that might precede ‘Out, darned Spot!?’” the answer was BAD DOG. It led Anony Mouse to share this bad joke with us.
A sad-looking man walks into a bar. Tender asks what’s wrong. Man replies “I just found my wife in bed with my best friend.” “So what did you say to your wife?” “Honey, I want a divorce.” “And what did you say to your best friend?” “BAD DOG!”
On that dog clue/answer, above, here’s Rex: “This is doubly weird. First, the Macbeth quote is ‘Out, damned spot!’; why in the world would you bowdlerize it? And second, why in the world are you yelling “‘BAD DOG!’ at your dog? The dog’s not bad. Yelling at your dog only scares your dog. And yelling judgmental phrases (as opposed to commands the dog can understand) is basically useless. You’re not helping. Calm down.”
The puzzle really rubbed him the wrong way today, unfairly, IMO. The theme was “measure twice, cut once” and was pretty clever. There was a phrase that contained two units of measurement, following by a phrase in which the letters ONCE were “cut” by a little pair of scissors (left out). E.g., FENNEL BULBS, has LB in it twice, and then TO WHOM IT MAY C[ONCE]RN, has the letters ONCE replaced by a little pair of scissors. Good wordplay — what’s not to like?
Re: “Measure twice, cut once,” I commented: At last, a theme a mohel can relate to.
I crashed at the crossing of 75A and 75D. 75A asked for “‘The Facts of Life’ girl.” I guessed Clair because I had the “lair.” But it’s BLAIR. Then, 75D asked for “Men who marry later in life.” Again, no idea. It’s BENEDICTS, but I had it started with that C from Clair. According to Rex, the term comes from the character Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, but did not become a general term for “confirmed bachelors” who finally get married until the 19th century.
My favorite clue today was at 36A: “Lampshade-shaped candy piece.” Never thought of it like that before: ROLO. Yup, I can see it.
Here is a line from a poem that did not make it past the Owl Chatter guard puppies:
I have never been novel, but in the days of impending volcanos, I walk throwback, the doyenne of novices.
[What the hell are you talking about?]
It was opening day of the season for the NJ Symphony and the band was as sharp as ever. The brilliant pianist Joyce Yang blew the crowd away (to the extent a concert hall full of 90-year-olds can be blown away) with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. For an encore, she played Grieg’s Knockwurst. No, wait. Nocturne, sorry. Quite lovely. Let’s class up the joint for a few minutes with it.
It was a good way to get the taste of the Jets’ sixth straight loss out of my head. New Coach Aaron Glenn still seems not to appreciate the sheer horror of his position. I love the Coach’s post-game nonsense as he sinks lower and lower into the abyss. “We worked our butts off today, guys.” Yup, 0-6 now. Keep at it.
About 30 years ago, in a post-loss interview one poor Jets coach (Bruce Coslet) “guaranteed” a win the following week. When the Jets lost (of course), the press asked him “what happened to your guarantee?” And he said: “What am I supposed to say — we’re gonna lose?” Good answer.
See you tomorrow, Chatterheads!
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Annie Hall
Trump had his physical exam this week. When the doctor told him he had the body of a sixteen-year-old he said “Please leave Epstein out of this — I never touched that girl!!”
This is true though: Trump boasted about his performance on a cognitive test, saying he “got every answer right.” Have you seen those tests? The questions are like “What day of the week is it?” and “Can you name the President of the U.S.?” Still, I’m surprised he got them all right. May be lying, of course.
When I saw that Sam Ezersky was the constructor of today’s puzzle, I knew I was in for a battle. And I was right. At 45A, “Meet face to face?” turned out to be HEAD BUTT. Ouch! His clue for SOAPY was “Serialized and melodramatic, as a show.” I cry foul! Fifteen yards for unnecessary toughness.
It didn’t help that I was up late watching the Tigers take two minutes under five hours to lose to the Mermen 3-2 in fifteen innings! Torres, Greene, Tork, and Keith (in the 2 thru 5 spots) went a combined 0 for 23! Yeah, you heard me — 0 for 23. And our old buddy Kyle Finnegan, late of the Gnats, came all the way from DC to blow the lead in the seventh. Ouch. He’s a Detroit boy too. Mariners star Cal Raleigh summed it up in his post-game interview: “It took so long, holy shit.” (not kidding, that’s a real quote)
Phil recorded the scene for us but was so drunk by the 15th inning, he pretty much missed everything of significance.
So we move on, inexorably. Rooting for Toronto, and whoever will face LA (Cubbies or Milwaukee). But I don’t really have any more dogs in the hunt.
At 46D, for “Some spring nursery purchases,” the answer was BULBS. It led Son Volt to share this song with us. There is not enough joy in our lives: I say that despite having seven incredible grandchildren who are the embodiment of joy (even the teenager). This song will give you four minutes of joy. Turn it up!
Owl Chatter friend Newton Don had a poster of Van Morrison up in his room back in college or law school. And a cleaning lady pointed to it and asked him: “Is that you?” Don thought she asked “Is that yours?” so he said “Yes.” So there’s a 90-year old Black woman somewhere telling her great-grandchildren about this musician she once met.
In some comments about a puzzle, the commenter tells us a little about him or herself by way of explaining why he or she had so much (or little) trouble solving it. Puzzles sometimes favor older generations or younger, e.g., with, respectively, old movies or song references, or texting terms or computerese. Here’s how one Anony Mouse described himself today: “Hi, I’m a 72-year-old Caucasian with a master’s in history. The newest music I listen to is the early work of John Adams, I have four different pairs of glasses for various distances, and the opinions of anyone who owns a cell phone are invalid.”
And get off my lawn!
A reply included these emojis which I took to be those four pairs of glasses: 🧐🤓😎🥸
The NYTXW’s fascination with boobs was on full display again. (Not complaining.) Earlier this week we had NO BRA DAY, and today the clue at 51A was “‘Longest ____ chain,’ 2019 Guinness feat set by a cancer awareness cause (196,000+ items, 120+ miles).” The answer was BRA. Looks like a lot of fun was had for a very good cause. (Bra)va, ladies!
Material in Rex’s blog inspired Commenter Natasha to construct a puzzle of her own today which she shared with us and it was very good! In particular, take a look at the clue for 32A from it: “Language(s) of the unheard.” I completely whiffed on it, thinking of things like sign language, i.e., for the deaf (the unhearing).
So I tracked it down and learned it’s an MLK Jr. quote from his speech at Stanford, “The Other America,” in April of 1967. (And the answer was RIOTS.)
“Let me say as I’ve always said, and I will always continue to say, that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. … But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again.”
Back to the NYT puzzle. There was a lot of grumbling about 26D: “Like typical frat boys, informally.” The answer was BROEY, a word (if it is a word) that is new to me. Some folks really hated it. Called it “trash.” Lighten up kids, it’s just an XW puzzle having fun with some wordplay. Sheesh.
Worthless knowledge you can only get here at Owl Chatter (or by doing the puzzle): At 41D: “With fewer than 11,000 people, the world’s second-least-populous country, after Vatican City.” It’s TUVALU. SRSLY. How have we lived so long without knowing that? It’s a country in Oceania, which raises the question, What the hell is Oceania? Well, get this — Oceania is a geographical region including Micronesia and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, with Mainland Australia regarded as its continental landmass. Getting back to Tuvalu, it’s roughly 10 square miles in size (NJ is 8,700), and here’s its flag:
Our Phil got friendly with some of the friendly Tuvalu women. Hi ladies! Love the outfits!
Sadly, one commenter noted, Tuvalu is also known as the first country in the world likely to disappear due to climate change. The highest elevation on it is something like 4 meters; rising sea levels will submerge it by the year 2100.
Sadly differently, we just learned that Diane Keaton passed away today at the age of 79. She never married but had two kids, adopted in her 50s. She said motherhood completely changed her and was the most humbling experience she ever had.
Keaton had relationships with Woody Allen, Al Pacino, and Warren Beatty and stayed on good terms with them all. She took Allen’s side in his ugly battle with Mia Farrow. Of Pacino, she said: “Al was simply the most entertaining man … To me, that’s, that is the most beautiful face. I think Warren [Beatty] was gorgeous, very pretty, but Al’s face is like whoa. Killer, killer face.”
I forgot that she won the Oscar for Best Actress for Annie Hall. Part of her allure was she was very pretty but didn’t hit you over the head with it. She was graceful and natural with her good looks.
One review said of her acting: “It’s hard to play ditzy. … The genius of Annie (Hall) is that despite her loopy backhand, awful driving, and nervous tics, she’s also a complicated, intelligent woman. Keaton brilliantly displays this dichotomy of her character, especially when she yammers away on a first date. The subtitle reads, ‘He probably thinks I’m a yoyo.’ Yo-yo? Hardly.”
Thank you for all of the good work, and the laughs, and for putting yourself out there for us to enjoy so much. Rest in peace.
See you tomorrow, readers. Thanks for dropping by.
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Boom!
First they came for James Comey. Next for Letitia James. You’d have to be a moron not to see they are coming after everyone with James in their name. Etta James, James Earl Jones, James Earl Ray, LeBron James, Sweet Baby James, James Baldwin, James Dean, James Mason, Bill James, Elmore James, James Garner, James Taylor, Jesse James, five Presidents, for sure: Madison, Monroe, Polk, Buchanan, Garfield. And the Jimmies! — they’re all Jameses too! — Jimmy Kimmel (yikes!), Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy John’s sandwiches. Nobody and nothing is safe!!
I ask you, readers – why is this man being targeted?
Did you know that James Taylor has a son named Rufus? That’s him, below, bearded, with JT, his twin brother Harry, and his mom Caroline. Caroline and James have been married for 24 years. It was eleven with Carly Simon before that, and ten with actress Kathryn Walker before that. JT had children Sally and Ben with Carly. Happy Birthday, Whomever! Nice shot, Phil.
I noted yesterday that my note on Rex’s blog (that placing Dolly Parton in the puzzle along with NO BRA DAY sent me running for my heart pills), led Anony Mouse to call me out by posting: “So unnecessary. And juvenile. And offensive.” I get that from time to time, especially when I post a joke or comment that is juvenile and offensive. So it doesn’t bother me (much).
But get this – later in the day, another Anony Mouse came to my defense with the following: “No, no it’s not. Please stop being offended by everything. Please.”
How nice is that? Must be some other drooling old timer who likes big boobs. Thanks, Mate!
At 26A today, the clue was ‘Someone who spends a lot of time baking?,” and the answer was BEACH BUM. (Get it? “Baking” in the sun.) So I shared this (true) story on Rex’s blog:
“The first baseball game my oldest granddaughter ever attended was in Traverse City, MI. The team was called the Traverse City BEACH BUMs back then. There was a triple play – men on first and second, hot grounder to third, step on third, fire to second, then to first. The team later changed its name to the ‘Pit Spitters’ in recognition of the region’s large cherry growing industry, and it’s in a college summer league now.
“We were up in Traverse City visiting my son Sam who was working at his first job — I’ll never forget his saying the five most beautiful words a parent can hear: ‘Dad, I got a job!’ It was a beautiful area and I was a little sad when he left for a better position near Detroit. The Traverse City firm commissioned an analysis of its operations shortly after Sam started there, and it concluded that employee morale was low. The first step they took was to cancel the Christmas party, figuring ‘What’s the point?’ It took him a few minutes to convince me he wasn’t kidding.”
Oy, we better put the whole city of Philadelphia on suicide watch. It was a night of historic lows for the Phillies and Eagles. The 4-1 Eagles flopped badly losing to the 1-4 Jints in Jersey 34-17. The Eags looked like a shadow of their Super Bowl-winning selves. But even worse was the Phil’s season-ending loss to the Dodgers on a dreadful play on a grounder back to the mound in the eleventh inning. The bases were loaded with two outs. Pitcher Kerkering bobbled the ball briefly but still had a easy out at first. Instead, he panicked and threw home wildly — game and (season) over. As LA whooped and hollered (deservedly so), the Phils gathered around their poor pitcher in consolation. The first video, below, shows what happened. The second (just ten seconds long) is a study in contrasts — the Dodgers celebrating as Kerkering settles into despair.
A loss has many fathers, though. Kerkering should not be too hard on himself. Luzardo could have not walked Betts to tie it up in the first place. And Trea Turner and so many other Phils could have gotten hits when it mattered. LA was held to one stinking run — you couldn’t beat them in nine, guys?
At 38D, for the clever clue “Part of a film studio’s overhead?,” the answer was BOOM MIC.
Romance novelist Nora Roberts turned 75 today, kinehora. She said: romance novels “are a celebration of relations, finding love, overcoming obstacles, and making commitments. I think that is something very worthy of respect. They’re not just about naked pirates, although what’s wrong with a naked pirate now and again?”
At 34D, “One of a kind individual” is a RARE BIRD. You’ll find one in this one-minute song by WIRE.
Nick Renouf, of the Dull Men’s Club (UK) tells us: I lost one of my screwdrivers this week. Distraught, I purchased a replacement within 24 hours; one with a longer shaft (stop sniggering at the back) was 15p cheaper than another which was shorter, so that was rather good. The question is, when will my missing screwdriver mysteriously reappear?
Gareth Dunley: When is a difficult question, but you can be certain that you will find it somewhere that you have never taken it, and probably a location with no accessible screws at all. In fact, it will most likely be somewhere you have never previously been. You may also find 15p in loose change along with it.
Rick Bedford: And yea, it was decreed that upon the third day it shall be seen, there upon the bench, behind the holy pot of wd-40 just where you left it. And it was good. And the people did rejoice.
John Stockton: If you want to see ‘screwy’ again leave £25 in unmarked coins in a brown bag behind the third toilet along at…. Oh darn it! You can see my email address…. Just forget about him. He can have a new life here with me.
Avi Liveson: It should have shown up as soon as you bought the replacement. The universe must be broken. Maybe you can fix it with your new screwdriver.
Avi Liveson again: Wait. Is this it?
See you tomorrow! Thanks for popping in.
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The Burghers of Calais
It’s the end of the line for the 2025 Yankees: bridesmaids again, no brideship since 2009. A crippling error by the very likable Jazz Chisholm Jr. coupled with the inability of bullpenner Devin Williams to get a key out gave the Pinstripers too steep a hill to climb in the waning innings. Toronto was the better team: to a man, they rose to the grand occasion. This was no fluke; it was a drubbing.
Joan Kennedy (nee Bennett) passed away yesterday at the age of 89. It was not an easy life, marked by severe alcoholism and a bad marriage to you-know-whom (Ted). I didn’t know she was a brilliant pianist and gave a recital with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1970 that was very well reviewed. She taught classical music to children.
She deserved better than Ted’s flagrant infidelities and they eventually divorced. She was considered the best-looking of the Kennedy wives by the family, not that we are shallow enough to even mention that. Here she is, first as a bride, and then famously appearing at a formal dinner at the Nixon White House in a minidress. Gasp.
01AP053R; 
She is survived by her sons Patrick and Ted, Jr., nine grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and her sister. Joan’s daughter Kara passed away in 2011 at the age of 51 from a heart attack. Rest in peace.
The puzzle stuck its foot right into our Dirty Old Man Dept today. At 35D the clue was “Annual breast cancer awareness observance,” for NO BRA DAY. Toss in Dolly Parton at 12D (“Dolly Parton and others”) for BLONDES, and you’ve got me running for my heart pills. (NBD is Monday, btw.)
Classing up the joint further was the sculptor Auguste RODIN, clued via his work “The Burghers of Calais.” (Not to be confused with “The Burgers of McDonalds.”)
The monument commemorates the heroism of six leading citizens of the French city of Calais. In the fourteenth century, at the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, they offered their lives to the English king in exchange for the lifting of his siege of the city.
Yesterday’s puzzle, you may recall, was a love note from the constructor to his wife Ruby. It reminded Rex of a puzzle he constructed years ago for his grandmother’s 90th birthday. The theme answers all had the letter combination XC in them, e.g., BOXCARS, roman numerals for 90, of course. His earliest memories of crossword puzzles were of his grandma working on them. He gave his tribute puzzle out at the big family party for the occasion and soon regretted not making it easier as the entire family started working on it and cursing him (in good spirit).
The party was held in St. Maries, Idaho, where she lived. He said the first thing you see as you drive into the town center is “a jolly, two-story-tall axe murderer.”
Here’s a nice shot of him with Grandma and the dictionary he found on her fridge. Since Rex is a guiding spirit of Owl Chatter in a way, you might as well see what he looks like.
We love minor league baseball. For years we made an effort to take in games all over the place: Buffalo, Rochester, Columbus, Richmond, Trenton, Hagerstown (MD), Frederick (MD), Norwich (CT), Pawtucket (RI), Burlington (VT), Waterbury (CT), Newark (NJ), Wilmington (DE), Syracuse, Madison (WI), South Bend (IN), Somerset (NJ), Staten Island, Pittsfield (MA), Williamsport, Aberdeen, Bowie (MD), Holyoke (just this year!), Portland (ME) and Portland (OR), New Britain (CT), Traverse City (MI), Vancouver (Canada!), Indianapolis, Toledo, Lansing, Albany, Reading (PA), Sussex County (NJ), Altoona, Harrisburg, and who the hell can remember where else?
In Burlington VT we saw Ken Griffey Jr lace a double to right field on his way up to Seattle and, eventually, the Hall of Fame, and a nice player handed little Caity in my arms a ball. In Altoona, I grabbed a foul ball that landed near me. In Vancouver, for a few minutes, half the stadium shouted “Tastes Great,” with the other half responding “Less Filling.” The Traverse City Beach Bums game was Lianna’s first ever ballgame and they pulled off a triple play. (They have since changed their name to the Pitspitters, in recognition of the vast cherry production in the region.) In Pittsfield, Mookie Wilson signed a ball for Caity.
So it shouldn’t surprise you to learn I subscribe to a newsletter on minor league ball put out by Benjamin Hill called Baseball Traveler. He likes to find the crazy stuff, of which there is rarely a shortage. Here are a couple of awards he gave out at the end of the season (in categories he made up).
Most Purr-fectly Named Concession Item: The Litter Box Sundae (Omaha Storm Chasers)
Hill says: It only resembles the contents of a litter box and fortunately doesn’t taste like one (not that I would know). This feline-omenal dessert — featuring vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup atop a bed of graham cracker dust and rainbow sprinkles — comes with its own scoop. It’s featured on cat night — when cat owners are encouraged to bring their cats to the ballpark.
Most creative use of a common household item: Toilet Paper Night (Charleston RiverDogs)
This promotion was originally staged in 2021 as a response to the previous year’s COVID-era toilet paper shortage.
As you know, Portland Oregon has turned into a war zone requiring military intervention. Here’s a report from the front:
Get this: My observation on Rex’s blog that the puzzle’s inclusion of Dolly Parton and No Bra Day has sent us dirty old men scurrying for our heart pills, elicited the following response from Anony Mouse: So unnecessary. And juvenile. And offensive.
Ouch! Guilty as charged!
See you tomorrow! Thanks for stopping in.
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Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Will You Be Mine?
Remember your Magic Eight Ball? You’d ask it a question and shake it up and get an answer. Loved it, right? Today’s constructor, Daniel Trujillo Diaz, says he never used one for important decisions, but his decision to center today’s puzzle on one was spot on. He asked one three times whether Ruby would go to the prom with him. First it replied (at 16A), MY SOURCES SAY NO. Ouch! Don’t give up Dan! Next it said (at 32A), ASK AGAIN LATER. Hope! Finally, third time’s the charm, it said (at 37A), WITHOUT A DOUBT. Yay! He made clear what was going on at 55A: “Provider of the [above] answers:” MAGIC EIGHT BALL.
Here’s the adorable backstory. Every year, Daniel constructs a puzzle for his wife Ruby on the anniversary of their meeting. This year is the 8th anniversary, so he used the “magic eight ball” as the theme. And the Times accepted this one for publication, his first acceptance! Bravo!
Rex and several commenters shared a bunch of “Ruby” songs for the occasion. If you don’t like , or are unfamiliar with, Tom Waits, maybe this will win you over.
The song inspired the Nobel prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro into changing some events of the climax of his novel “The Remains of the Day.” He stated: “Ruby’s Arms is a ballad about a soldier leaving his lover sleeping in the early hours to go away on a train. Nothing unusual in that. But the song is sung in the voice of a rough American hobo type utterly unaccustomed to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. And there comes a moment, when the singer declares his heart is breaking, that’s almost unbearably moving because of the tension between the sentiment itself and the huge resistance that’s obviously been overcome to utter it. Waits sings the line with cathartic magnificence, and you feel a lifetime of tough-guy stoicism crumbling in the face of overwhelming sadness.”
And how about this one? Any 75-year-old punk rockers out there?
BTW, according to commenter Lewis, the Magic Eight Ball has 20 possible answers: 10 positive, 5 noncommittal, and 5 bad news. If you are flying with one, you better check it in your bag — TSA won’t let it through security with you. You can take a live lobster on board, though, in a clear plastic spill-proof container. This guy looks like fun. Take him.
Commenter Bob M. said: Never heard of a MAGIC EIGHT BALL. Definitely a puzzle for the younger generation.
Anony Mouse 1: The younger generation meaning boomers? The magic 8 ball was a cultural phenomenon in the 1950s and 60s.
Anony Mouse 2: Did you go to the prom with Cleopatra? Magic 8 Balls have been out since the 50s, and have been referenced in countless movies/tv shows/etc.
Anony Mouse 3: I’m 78 and we had magic eight balls in elementary school.
Anony Mouse 4: The 80th anniversary edition of Mattel’s Magic 8 Ball is available online.
OC: Yup. On Amazon for $11.
At 14A, “European capital with canals,” seemed easy to me, since we were just there in April: AMSTERDAM. But it raised a bit of a stir. In defense of the puzzle, The Constitution of the Netherlands states that “the King shall be sworn in and inaugurated in the capital city, Amsterdam”. But that is the only reference in the document stating that Amsterdam is the capital. The Hague is the seat of all governmental functions. The Royal Palace is in Amsterdam, but the King does not live there. He hosts state visits there.
We’ll give Trump credit for one thing — he doesn’t exclude women from his inner circle of monsters like Hitler did. So we get Noem and Bondi. Bondi is quite attractive — almost as pretty as Pete Hegseth over at the War Dept.
If you saw even a minute of Bondi’s sh*t-show on Capital Hill yesterday, you have our sympathy. Historian Heather Cox Richardson, who seems able to stomach all of it, called attention to the following. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) asked: “There has been public reporting that Jeffrey Epstein showed people photos of President Trump with half-naked young women. Do you know if the FBI found those photographs in their search of Jeffrey Epstein’s safe or premises or otherwise? Have you seen any such thing?” [I’d also be interested in which half.]
Bondi, who says she has seen the files, would not answer “no.” Instead, she accused Whitehouse of “trying to slander President Trump.” Da noive!
IMO, nothing will come of it. We will never see the files, even if the Supremes order it. The victims will need to come forward with names.
Let’s close with this final Ruby song. See you tomorrow!
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Polysemic Elasticity
In connection with a Shakespeare quote in the puzzle today, Commenter Kitshef remarked about a party she attended once where a requirement for entry was that you recite a poem from memory. I posted the following note by way of reply:
@kitshef. What a nice idea for a party — the poem. The ones I used to go to just required we bring beer or, worse, a casserole. The closest I came was when my sister Bonnie threw a 70th-birthday party for my brother-in-law and asked us each to write a poem for the occasion. I still remember my limerick. (Mitch was a physicist.)
A young man in science well-versed
Won our Bonnie’s heart from the first.
She married the guy
Then two children came by.
All in all, she could have done worse.I didn’t include the haiku I also wrote. The party was up at Mohonk, a gorgeous resort north of NYC. Here it is:
Driving to Mohonk
Mitch is turning seventy
Hope there’s no trafficMay they both rest in peace. I miss them.
The quote in the puzzle was at 16A: “It is ‘an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken,’ per Shakespeare.” The answer, you may know, is LOVE. Awwww.
It’s from Sonnet 116, which was the poem Kitshef memorized and recited for the party.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
SPA is one of those words that’s often just filler in a puzzle. But I was stopped short by its clue today: “Belgian resort renowned for its mineral springs.” It turns out that Spa is a municipality and city in Wallonia in the province of Liège, Belgium. Its name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative powers. (Wikipedia) That’s where the word “spa” comes from.
At 34A, the clue was “Mysterious way to vanish,” and the answer was INTO THIN AIR. It reminded me of Richard M., who came to work at The Journal of Taxation back when I was on the editorial staff (1978-82?) He was obese. He made me look not heavy. No one made fun of him, certainly not I. But he didn’t like it there, and the day after he received his first paycheck he was out, and never came back. About a week later, someone from the printer stopped by and asked after him. He just left without saying goodbye, someone noted. And I added: “He disappeared into fat air.”
The owls have requested more birds in our posts. Can’t say no to those two.
At 54D, for the clue “Material for some gloves and balloons,” the answer was LATEX. Per egs: In honor of my first wife who is now deceased, I’m painting my house in LATEX.
There was some muttering about 29A: Clue: “Diaphanous.” Answer: LIGHT. Rex started it: “The most confused I got today was at 29A: Diaphanous (LIGHT). I thought something ‘diaphanous’ was characterized by the interplay of light on its surface, or the way light shined through its delicate substance … yeah, it’s basically ‘translucent.’ Of fine composition. Airy. I would not have thought of it as LIGHT (adj.) meaning ‘not weighing much.’ I guess by implication diaphanous things wouldn’t weigh much, but I dunno. Weird to use LIGHT as an adjective here and change the meaning of the ‘light’ normally associated with ‘diaphanous’ (which is the noun kind of light, the kind that shines through a diaphanous … thing).”
Southside J. noted: “I did a search for ‘diaphanous’ and one of the first definitions that popped up was LIGHT, so I’m guessing that it just caught Rex off guard, as it definitely seems legit.”
But Anony Mouse countered: “No, Rex is right. Yes, diaphanous fabric is light, but its characteristic quality is translucency. You would never simply swap out LIGHT for ‘diaphanous.’ Without the fabric context, the clue is clumsy.”
Finally, gregmark really let it all out, to wit:
“Rex does this, as do many xword solvers, as I do in my not-best moments, waxing all doctrinaire about the fixed, impenetrable borders of definition when it’s convenient, forgetting that modern crosswords are all about idiomatic misdirection and the infinite polysemic elasticity of English.
“Okay, that last point is precise but likely not easily understood—I mean that English wordplay is as expansive as we allow it to be; words would never evolve otherwise. If Rex was able to consider ‘airy,’ he should have been able to land on LIGHT faster than he did. But that’s very hard to impossible if, like Rex, you apply a super-hard mode approach to solving puzzles on easy days.
“So the fabric context is optional and you absolutely would swap in DIAPHANOUS for ‘light’ if so you chose to do—one need only click their slippers three times and dream it.”
[Owl Chatter note: Me? Forget that “modern crosswords are all about idiomatic misdirection and the infinite polysemic elasticity of English?” Not in a million f*cking years, Mojambo! How dare you!!]
I’m too upset to go on. Taylor — we’ll chat about the new album tomorrow. Say Hi to Trav for us.
See you next time Chatterheads!
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Four Strong Winds
The writer Tim O’Brien turned 79 this week. He was drafted and sent to Vietnam out of college, and described his hometown as “a town that congratulates itself, day after day, on its own ignorance of the world: a town that got us into Vietnam. Uh, the people in that town who sent me to that war, you know, couldn’t spell the word ‘Hanoi’ if you spotted them three vowels.” But he saw a silver lining there — it gave him something to write about. This is how one of his short stories starts:
“First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack. In the late afternoon, after a day’s march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending.”
O’Brien’s (and wife Meredith’s) two sons were born when he was 56 and 58. Here’s the mishpocha.
Andy Spragg, of the Dull Men’s Club (UK), writes:
A few days ago, I persuaded management [the wife] that our frying pan and wok were both long overdue to be replaced, and I hotfooted it to Robert Dyas in Thame before she could change her mind. It cost me about £30 for a pair of quality replacements, for things we use several times every week, and what deep dull joy came my way when I used them for the first time. Polenta slices – guaranteed to stick like sh*t to a blanket in the old frying pan – sliding around like friction hadn’t been invented yet. Fried eggs – no more tearing them to shreds in the battle to flip ’em over – once the underside had set, over they went. I’m here to tell you, folks, don’t hang on to old hobware.
Victoria Tredwell: Cast iron. No Teflon.
Andy Spragg: Why are so many people equating “non-stick” with “Teflon?”
Victoria: Probably because that’s what is usually sold
Andy: I wouldn’t know where to start picking fault with that particular statement.
Victoria: Stupid reply.
Janette Bremner: DON’T FLIP YOUR EGGS: you’ll be having people think you’re American.
Andy: Even Americans get some things right.
Avi Liveson: Not lately.
Ade Brownlow: I lived in Thame. The Robert Dyas is obviously new. One of the pubs had great wooden benches that acted as resonators when you farted on them. That still work?
Andy: Do you remember the name of the pub, or where it was? Asking for a friend.
Shaun Gisbey: I know the place, it was called the Farting Bench and Whistle.
Ruth Hunt: We have several saucepans that are pre WW2.. they will never EVER be referred to as “hobware.” They are all “pans” named for their designated purposes….sauce pan, frying pan, etc.
[OC note: I can’t find anything on the word “hobware.”]
We pride ourselves at Owl Chatter at improving the lives of our readers. Teaching things. So, e.g., today let’s learn about “prone” and “supine.” The clue in today’s puzzle was “Facedown,” and the answer was PRONE. If you lie facedown, you are prone. If you lie on your back, you are “supine.”
How to remember the difference? Supine and spine are close: So if you are lying on your spine (your back), you are supine. [I told this to my daughter-in-law Sarah and she said she knew that from yoga. So the yogis among you may already know this.]
Here’s today’s quiz: This pretty girl is: ??
Sublime!
At 26A the clue was “Delight,” and the answer was SEND. One commenter didn’t see the connection, and was referred to the following:
“Home of Banff National Park” at 27D was ALBERTA. If you don’t know this song, you oughta. Gives me goose bumps. Ian Tyson wrote it. Neil Young is singing it here. It’s called “Four Strong Winds.”
Think I’ll go out to Alberta
Weather’s good there in the fall
I got some friends that I could go to working for
Still I wish you’d change your mind
If I ask you one more time
But we’ve been through this a hundred times or moreFour strong winds that blow lonely
Seven seas that run high
All those things that don’t change, come what may
If the good times are all gone
Then I’m bound for movin’ on
I’ll look for you if I’m ever back this way
The trip has been great! Incredibly perfect weather. We visited the Frick Museum in P’burgh — very nice. Terrific Thai food at Noodlehead including a first for us — a Duck Curry that was out of this world. Happy to see the Tigers and Yanks advance. Saw Michigan best Wisconsin with Sam (on TV). Good times.
Let’s close with this poem by W.S. Merwin called “The Pinnacle” from today’s Writer’s Almanac.
Both of us understood
what a privilege it was
to be out for a walk
with each other
we could tell from our different
heights that this
kind of thing happened
so rarely that it might
not come round again
for me to be allowed
even before I
had started school
to go out for a walk
with Miss Giles
who had just retired
from being a teacher all her lifeshe was beautiful
in her camel hair coat
that seemed like the autumn leaves
our walk was her idea
we liked listening to each other
her voice was soft and sure
and we went our favorite way
the first time just in case
it was the only time
even though it might be too far
we went all the way
up the Palisades to the place
we called the pinnacle
with its park at the cliff’s edge
overlooking the river
it was already a secret
the pinnacle
as we were walking back
when the time was later
than we had realized
and in fact no one
seemed to know where we had been
even when she told them
no one had heard of the pinnacleand then where did she go
See you tomorrow, Chatterheads! Thanks for popping by.
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