LA TIMES CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Part of the fam 4 Caldecott Medal winner __ Jack Keats
8 Tree crowns,
collectively
14 “We come to this place ... ” theater chain
15 __ point
16 Pea family plant 17 Flaunts
19 Asks for more
Money
20 Pueblo people 21 Pickens of
“Blazing Saddles” 23 Retro hip beer,
for short
24 Fix
26 Common retirement vehicles
30 Like some
questions 31 YouTube genre that may cause tingles, for short 32 In the flesh? 33 Note of
recognition? 36 Tribeca Film Festival co-founder 38 Crushes on 39 Electric vehicle driver’s apprehension 41 Raisins, in an after-school snack
42 Forward thinker? 43 Me in C minor 47 __ Spy apples 49 Goo in some
31-Across videos 50 What “will be”
will be
51 Cut
54 Abbr. in quote
books
55 Point in the right
direction 58 Numbers like 3 and 14, but not 3.14
60 Loosen, as
skates
61 Not much 62 Fujairah fed. 63 Charged (with) 64 Setback
65 “i’m begging u”
DOWN
1 Apt rhyme of
slay and runway 2 Return
address? 3 Teacher defended by Darrow in 1925 4 Modem
terminals? 5 Menageries
6 “u slay me” 7 Initially
8 Roots rock band that started as the Blue Velvets, for short
9 Hebrew leader? 10 Pride banner with yellow, white, purple, and black stripes
11 Veto
12 The __ Charitable Trusts: NGO with a think tank
13 Brief closing 18 Hot spell?
22 Bob that may be a solution for post-pregnancy thinning
25 Prairie wanderer 27 Swap 3/23/24 Friday’s Puzzle Solved 28 Hubbubs 29 Fixed 31 Make-up
artists?
34 Wipe
35 “Obvi!”
36 Paul of “The
Fabelmans” 37 Inner workings? 39 Scrambled 40 Generational
portmanteau 44 Roster 45 Ethically
unconcerned 46 Prepares for
impact, say 48 Thus
52 Loving 53 School gps. 55 Openly queer 56 Component of
some vaccines 57 Conference
acronym 59 Mag staff
NORTH ♠ AKJ4 A J 972
♣ Q J 7 3
WEST
♠ 83
Q 10 8 5 2 Q 6 5
♣ A 9 8
EAST
♠ 97652 K 7
10 3
♣ 10 5 4 2
SOUTH
♠ Q 10 9643 AKJ84 ♣ K 6
Opening lead — 5
Dear Abby: My best friend since the 9th grade and I have always watched NFL football on Sundays. We have watched through the births of my children (he is the godfather to both; they are now adults), deaths in the family – everything. He has never married or had a significant other. He is very family-oriented, though. He has two sisters and two brothers.
Two years ago, his siblings moved to other states. It was a very sad time for him. The bond I thought would never be broken now has been. I completely understand his visiting them during Thanksgiving, Christmas and any special event, but my view is, besides those visits, he could see them at any time during the entire sixmonth offseason from football.
When I said this, he told me things have changed, and although he has been back both summers, he tells me it’s cooler and more pleasant to visit them in autumn. Of course, I am the one who drives him to the airport every time. I truly miss my best friend on those Sundays. I’m hurt and would like your advice on what I can do.
Lonely Sports Fan Out West
Dear Sports Fan: I understand your sadness and hurt feelings, but it’s time to start accepting reality. Your friend has explained that his family circumstances have changed, and you must accept it. The changes in his circumstances have nothing to do with you and everything to do with his desire to stay connected to his siblings.
It’s time to become proactive. Your next step should be to find ANOTHER sports fan who can watch (or attend) these sporting events with you, which will help to fill the void that now exists on football Sundays.
Dear Abby: My friends of 20-plus years bought their “dream home,” and they’re now 90 miles away. They have not cleaned the place even once since they moved in. Ten years ago, I lived with the wife and her parents for six months. I quickly realized that she and her family never cleaned their home.
I understand she had an injury from an accident several years ago, but I have chronic pain from arthritis and still find a way to clean my apartment. Her husband was enabled by his mother for the first 35 years of his life, so he never learned to do anything except pay bills and save money.
The moment you walk into their home, you are hit with a smell. And forget using the bathroom – the toilets have brown rings, and their shower is so cruddy I wait to return home to shower. I can hardly eat there because of the smell and the dirty tables and kitchen. Would it be awkward to send them a gift card for house cleaning? Also, how do I decline an overnighter? Meticulous Houseguest
Dear Houseguest: Why this couple hasn’t thought of hiring a cleaning service is anybody’s guess – unless the husband is so intent on saving money that he’s too cheap to spend it. By all means, send them the certificate, and after you do, postpone any return visits until you know it has been used.
Contact Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.