NYT Spelling Bee

[ab_grp]

Congrats on the QB, Langue_doc! I'm so glad to hear you had a nice visit and got some puzzling and gaming in.  Tell us more about the puzzles and game if you can.  I spent a couple hours on a plane with a complete card shark who was six years old.  She boarded the plane with shades on, and I should have known I was toast at that point.  Anyway, I'm very happy to hear that you have had a nice time visiting.

[Langue_doc]

Jigsaw puzzles with the youngest (this was a 100-piece puzzle) and a simulation game with the oldest where you could be a hunter and kill/devour one of the other animals. The game seemed interesting, so I'll ask for the name tomorrow.

[cathwen]

Good morning!

Langue_doc, that sounds like a lovely visit with kids who are smart and fun to be with! 

Our daughter's visit was also very good, although her partner does not seem to be in good health, and we're a little worried.  Her physical condition curtailed some of the planned activities, but we had a great time anyway, talking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company.  Our home seems so merry whenever they come.

As for the puzzles:  SB is at Beta with the two pangrams.  I'm having a lot of trouble finding more words. 

My LB solution yesterday was the same as the "official" one—quantify-yokel.  I have found a 2fer today.

Happy puzzling!

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

I have three words left today but am still shy of Alpha.  Finally noticed there was another pangram, at least!

And I had the same schmofficial solution for LB yesterday.  It was tough finding a Q word that would work with anything.

Langue_doc, the puzzling and gaming sounds like fun! Do let us know about the simulation game.  I wonder if it's one my daughter plays.  Can you send the younger youngster over to help my mom with the jigsaw she's been struggling with?

Cathwen, I'm glad to hear your visit went well and that your daughter and her partner bring merriment when they visit! Sorry to hear about her partner's health, though.  I hope it's not serious.  Best wishes in that direction.

Gotta go pick husband up from the dealership, as they finally (allegedly) have the part in to do the recall on his truck fuel pump, or whatever. 

Happy solving!

[Langue_doc]

Evening!

QB at long last!

cathwen, glad to hear that you had an enjoyable visit, but hope partner is getting medical advice. ab_grp, hope you got the right part this time.

As for the games, these are on google play. Here is the link to the Ultimate Bird Simulator https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glutenfreegames.ultimatebirdsimulator&hl=en_US&gl=US

The others were Ultimate Dinosaur Simulator and Ultimate Wolf Simulator. Kid also had Minecraft and a galaxy game I was politely advised that these games were meant for kids and that these games could be played on an IPAD or a phone but probably not on a desktop. I was shown the different gestures and advised that pouncing was not a good strategy as this would expose the stomach of the animal to its prey.

Youngest watched the oldest complete the jigsaw puzzle on Sunday evening, so was able to put several pieces together yesterday. The puzzle, an atlas of the endangered species also had names of animals, countries, and oceans, so youngest found some pieces from the letters on them. Oldest came home from school took one look at the incomplete puzzle and promptly completed it. ab_grp, youngest would be happy to help your mother regardless of whether or not she could solve it and would tell your mother in a confident tone of voice where the pieces should go.

[ab_grp]

Congrats on the QB, Langue_doc! Husband and I did make it to team QB earlier, but we had to consult Shunn, and then he had to give me a hint on my last word, so very impure.  I'm glad you made it!

I am not very good with games not on desktop, and these don't sound super familiar, but I will see if they are on iOS since you mentioned ipad.   I'm glad you got some good advice... I can see how pouncing might expose a soft belly to gnashing teeth. 

Youngest sounds like quite a trip.  Using the letters is a smart strategy (as is peeping the solution and working off that).  And as for her possible contributions, sounds like she would make a great puzzle partner for my mom.  They would be quite simpatico.  Seems like fun youngsters to be around. 

And I haven't had any luck on LB yet.  And I totally forgot to congratulate cathwen on the 2fer! I do have some contenders, but there are a lot of yuck letters, and I'm so close b4ss.  Will try more this evening.

[cathwen]

Good morning!

Langue_doc, those kids sound amazing!  What fun!

And congratulations on the QBs, Langue_doc and ab_grp!  I also got to QB yesterday, albeit with some help from Shunn.

Today I am one word away from QB.  Perhaps it will come to me as if by magic, as yesterday's last word did.  I was watching TV and all of a sudden the word catacomb came to my mind.  Aha!  That was the last word. 

I got the "official" solution for yesterday's LB—whom-marketplace.  I have a 2fer today as well.

Thanks for the good wishes for my "daughter-out-law", as I affectionately call my daughter's partner.  She is getting medical care, but I am still concerned.

Time to stop loafing!  Happy puzzling, everyone!

[ciao_yall]

Morning! Back from vacation, with some extra wine and desserts to work off! Mostly relaxed and hiked and ate and napped. Back to reality.

Achieved genius and 3fers while gone but not much more than that. I did find quantify-yokel one morning pretty quickly. Yesterday I missed one word for QB - noncombatant. ARGH! Got a 3fer lawmaker-rap-potch before going on to other adventures.

Jobs to apply for, grades to correct, and exercise to do. Blahhhhh.

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

Good luck, cathwen! You're almost there.  I got to QB but got a hint from husband that there was a dumb word in there (what I consider to be dumb, at least), so that helped with my final word.  I hope yours comes to you! Congrats on the QB yesterday! And congrats on your 2fer.  I had some reasonable words but no luck.  I certainly understand the concern for your daughter-in-law and will continue to send good wishes her way.

I hope to have better LB luck today but also have to fix one computer while joining multiple concurrent conference sessions on another, but luckily they are all being recorded.  And husband has to go back on site full time next week. :-( I will miss his company! It was definitely a bright part of the last year and will be an adjustment. 

On preview: welcome back, ciao_yall! It's great that you had a relaxing vacation.  Ugh about noncombatant! I had written it off because I thought there was only one pangram, but luckily husband encouraged me to recheck that assumption.   

Happy solving!

[ciao_yall]

Genius with pangram, 2fer.

Hope it's not some crazy "bee special" keeping me from QB.

[Langue_doc]

Evening!

One word short of QB.

Youngest is indeed quite a trip. When I visited a couple of years ago, youngest decided that the house was being invaded and spent the first couple of days using a blanket to shield her face from visitors as she ran in and out of the living and dining rooms. It didn't help that she was using the blanket that I had sent her for Christmas to "protect" herself from me and the other visiting relatives. In the past oldest would ask me to read to her, but now that she can read, I'm no longer asked to read.

Looks like changes and adjustments for ab_grp and ciao_yall.

[ab_grp]

Langue_doc, the "logic" of children of different ages can be very entertaining (and weird).  That is so funny about the blanket you sent and that she used as her shield! Maybe you could have oldest read to you now.  Good luck with your word! I really hope everyone is not stuck on the dumb one.  The final one for me was 6 letters, if it helps.  It has been in there before, but I feel that it is very inconsistent about accepting "words" like that but not other "words" like that.  Maybe others are the issue for the rest of you.

Congrats on your 2fer, ciao_yall! I hope you get to QB as well.

Still no real luck on LB, but I listened to more conference sessions and cleaned my desk off a bit.

[Parasaurolophus]

Yesterday, it didn't care for 'affine'.

I'm still on my losing streak, but maybe today is the day I break it and return to the ranks of the regular geniuses and occasional queens!

[cathwen]

Good morning, all!

Parasaurolophus, I'm sending you genius juju! 

Ciao_yall, welcome back!  Relaxing, hiking, drinking wine, and indulging in desserts sounds like a lovely way to spend time.  Good luck on the job search!

I made it to QB, finally, with that annoying last 6-letter word:  fanfic.  I tried it in desperation, remembering the term from a web series that our youngest daughter was in about a young woman who writes fan fiction.  To accept that, but not others...well, we've groused about that before.

Today's SB is at genius with the pangram.

My LB solution yesterday was the same as the "official" one—shift-trampling.  Did anyone get anything else?

I have a 2fer today, but it took me a while to find it.

Happy puzzling!

[ciao_yall]

Morning!

One word short of QB: fanfic and it's a new one for me. Let's see what today unfolds.

Yesterday's LB was the official one shift-trampling but I really wanted to do something with gaslight.

Job I was going to apply for, which was a long shot anyway, required 3 letters of reference. So I decided not to bother.

More SB and yoga today.