Crossword Puzzle World

Our league winning soccer team of about 12 years ago. My co-coach, the crossword puzzle creator, is in back of Naomi, in red as she was our goalie. The tall blonde in front of me I took along with Naomi on a week long bike ride. By then, they were both 5'10" and highly motivated to get to camp as fast as possible and kicked my butt. The African-American girl I have in front of me was one of the best athletes our high school ever had. She now is a man, a shock to see. I remember her fondly as the cutest little girl

My neighbor and former co-coach has made it to the big time now with at least four published New York Times Crossword  Sunday puzzles, as good as it gets in Crossword Puzzle World. He has numerous daily puzzles in the NYT and in lesser publications. A math teacher by day (both Shanna and Josh had him for calculus) and a father of 4 girls, the 2nd oldest is right in front of Naomi, I am surprised he has time for these. I love crossword puzzles, especially the NYT Sunday ones. I am getting speedier at solving them. There is movie WordPlay, about the current NYT puzzle editor, which I found fascinating. Who writes these things anyway? Not English majors with their repository of arcane knowledge but mathematicians.

I recently found a website in which creators discuss the thinking behind a given puzzle. My neighbor, for instance, had published the recent Mother's Day puzzle. Diagonally, the black spots made out the letters MOM. Now this is against the rules which say that the black spots have to be symmetrical. But then the letters would spell MOW which would not be consistent with the theme. In the review they show his picture, which does not look a bit like above. In it he has thick black hair and a beard. Now he has sandy , graying hair, a very handsome man. I guess he was in his 20s in the photo.

I did buy the glass pretty for my patio but it took two trips. I went there yesterday with Maya thinking she would like to see the pygmy goats and the Shetland ponies, no she did not (prefers our bunnies, squirrels and chipmunks). Unfortunately the stake came out of the assembly as I was wrestling with it to bring it to the counter. They had to call in the maker of this later in the day for me to pick it up today. I also got a few more perennials to fill in the missing ones in my rock garden. My edelweiss of 5 years? Gone, baby, gone.

And another beautiful day to bike and run. This week alone, I have propelled myself over a hundred miles between running and biking (not to mention my hike). You'd think I'd be skin and bones but

No!

I blame the alcohol. I have switched to gin and tonics to sip while Steve and I sit on the patio in the evening. Obviously I should give it up.

Tomorrow: hopefully a long bike ride before the rain, a visit to Josh's family and then a Orange is the New Black marathon.

Josh texted me this today of him and sweet Allie