"Scale Back" - April 29, 2022

[Bonnibel]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Not sure I can blame my impaired solving ability to Covid brain but I am just not seeing my way to the shore. Feeling OK about it since my focus is really on staying healthy. We are quarantined and I've had plenty of time to analyze this puzzle. I sure wish I had been a better piano student!

Re Covid, we are very fortunate to have been given Paxlovid - new Pfizer drug just approved - it works wonders! I am mid course and feel pretty good though still a bit fatigued.That being said, 24 hours after his last dose, my hubby is today experiencing a relapse. So we are not out of the woods after all. Hope this message helps anyone out there should Covid come knocking at your door. Paxlovid is amazing but please remain cautious.

I only have a few hours left till the Sunday deadline and I just don't think I will solve it in time. I can't have a drink anyhow, so it will just be water on the rocks.

XOX

[iggystan]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Not sure I can blame my impaired solving ability to Covid brain but I am just not seeing my way to the shore. Feeling OK about it since my focus is really on staying healthy. We are quarantined and I've had plenty of time to analyze this puzzle. I sure wish I had been a better piano student!

Re Covid, we are very fortunate to have been given Paxlovid - new Pfizer drug just approved - it works wonders! I am mid course and feel pretty good though still a bit fatigued.That being said, 24 hours after his last dose, my hubby is today experiencing a relapse. So we are not out of the woods after all. Hope this message helps anyone out there should Covid come knocking at your door. Paxlovid is amazing but please remain cautious.

I only have a few hours left till the Sunday deadline and I just don't think I will solve it in time. I can't have a drink anyhow, so it will just be water on the rocks.

XOX

My wife and I attended a funeral two weeks ago (had to travel by air) and toward the end of last week we both had cold symptoms. We were thinking that's all it was until my sister, who also attended the funeral, texted me that she was feeling poorly and did a home test twice and the results were positive. So my wife and I did home tests and, sure enough, we were positive. Our symptoms remained cold-like and I consulted with our physician, who said to self-quarantine for five days and wear a mask for five days after that. As you mentioned, we, too, have spent 2+ years of being ever so careful because my wife is a diabetic and one of our sons, who lives nearby, has a pulmonary embolism. Oh well, you can't win them all.

[hcbirker]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Not sure I can blame my impaired solving ability to Covid brain but I am just not seeing my way to the shore. Feeling OK about it since my focus is really on staying healthy. We are quarantined and I've had plenty of time to analyze this puzzle. I sure wish I had been a better piano student!

Re Covid, we are very fortunate to have been given Paxlovid - new Pfizer drug just approved - it works wonders! I am mid course and feel pretty good though still a bit fatigued.That being said, 24 hours after his last dose, my hubby is today experiencing a relapse. So we are not out of the woods after all. Hope this message helps anyone out there should Covid come knocking at your door. Paxlovid is amazing but please remain cautious.

I only have a few hours left till the Sunday deadline and I just don't think I will solve it in time. I can't have a drink anyhow, so it will just be water on the rocks.

XOX

Feel better! It seems to be getting more contagious with each variant.

[BarbaraK]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Did you see this article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-than- ... lewebshare

I was feeling like a reckless fool for having caught this. After reading the article, maybe I was actually more careful (or luckier) than half my age group.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Bonnibel]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Not sure I can blame my impaired solving ability to Covid brain but I am just not seeing my way to the shore. Feeling OK about it since my focus is really on staying healthy. We are quarantined and I've had plenty of time to analyze this puzzle. I sure wish I had been a better piano student!

Re Covid, we are very fortunate to have been given Paxlovid - new Pfizer drug just approved - it works wonders! I am mid course and feel pretty good though still a bit fatigued.That being said, 24 hours after his last dose, my hubby is today experiencing a relapse. So we are not out of the woods after all. Hope this message helps anyone out there should Covid come knocking at your door. Paxlovid is amazing but please remain cautious.

I only have a few hours left till the Sunday deadline and I just don't think I will solve it in time. I can't have a drink anyhow, so it will just be water on the rocks.

XOX

My wife and I attended a funeral two weeks ago (had to travel by air) and toward the end of last week we both had cold symptoms. We were thinking that's all it was until my sister, who also attended the funeral, texted me that she was feeling poorly and did a home test twice and the results were positive. So my wife and I did home tests and, sure enough, we were positive. Our symptoms remained cold-like and I consulted with our physician, who said to self-quarantine for five days and wear a mask for five days after that. As you mentioned, we, too, have spent 2+ years of being ever so careful because my wife is a diabetic and one of our sons, who lives nearby, has a pulmonary embolism. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Hope you all continue to be well. We got the drug because we are both over 70. And we have to remain cautious. Unfortunately I think Covid is here to stay. Cheers!

[Bonnibel]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.

Did you see this article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-than- ... lewebshare

I was feeling like a reckless fool for having caught this. After reading the article, maybe I was actually more careful (or luckier) than half my age group.

Hope you feel better soon!

Yes I did see that... our son went with his dad to the convention and he did not get Covid. He had the Delta variant last fall (prior to that he was double vaxed and boosted)... maybe that gave him added immunity because he did not catch it this time around? He did tell me that no one wears a mask in Florida and we chuckled about that because here in California the mask mandates are everywhere! Who knows anything anymore? I feel like we are still learning as we go here.

[HunterX]

My brain is still not dialed in to the proper channel. Alas, we have struggled with Covid at our house this week, after 2+ years of being *ever so careful* too! Well, my hubby went to a convention last week in Florida and it came home with him. So there it is. And 3 days after him, I had it too.
.......

My wife and I attended a funeral two weeks ago (had to travel by air) and toward the end of last week we both had cold symptoms. We were thinking that's all it was until my sister, who also attended the funeral, texted me that she was feeling poorly and did a home test twice and the results were positive. So my wife and I did home tests and, sure enough, we were positive. Our symptoms remained cold-like and I consulted with our physician, who said to self-quarantine for five days and wear a mask for five days after that. As you mentioned, we, too, have spent 2+ years of being ever so careful because my wife is a diabetic and one of our sons, who lives nearby, has a pulmonary embolism. Oh well, you can't win them all.

You can add me to the list of "Careful as all get out for two years, then got it" as well. Got my second booster early April, exactly 2 weeks before flying to Europe. With one exception, early in the trip, I was super careful. Had to wear N-95 masks in most places anyway. But there were, of course, dinners in restaurants, or coffee in the Viennese coffee houses. Tested negative before the return flight, as required. Got symptoms the day after returning. Tested negative again. Felt like bad allergies--sneezing, runny nose, cough from post-nasal drip, which caused me to lose my voice. Throat never got that sore (so far) and I still can smell and taste. Tested again today... Positive.

And, oddly, I don't feel too badly at all today. Just the runny nose, mostly. Some sneezing. Good thing the positive result was after my flight home. I'd hate to have to get stuck in a hotel room for a week. (Truth be told, I took a couple of long books with me, just in case.)

[iggystan]

Hope you all continue to be well. We got the drug because we are both over 70. And we have to remain cautious. Unfortunately I think Covid is here to stay. Cheers!

Hope you and your husband get well soonest, too. My wife is over 70 and I’m a little farther behind in my mid-60s, so we’re still cautious and will remain so. We’ve both been 2nd boosted and were before our trip.

[CopperRiver]

Beached! Finally! My first inclination was correct last Friday but I had to keep working at it from a different direction which I found because I had an incorrect answer for one of the clues initially when filling out the grid. I looked back at my prior scratched out mess of a grid and saw it.

Great puzzle and meta mechanism!

[Beth C]

Finally got it! Ashore.

[eagle1279]

I'm declaring myself ashore after exploring too many rabbit holes on and off over the weekend. I feel that my answer has to be correct, but I'm lacking one piece that would make it absolutely so.

Having returned to Indiana from Arizona, it's nice to be back in the Eastern time zone -- feels like I have three extra hours to solve, and I needed it!

[Colin]

Time lapse solution.
Fascinating miracle!
Respectfully done!

[HunterX]

Ashore thanks to the 8pm Zoom call. Good job with the subtle leading without giving it away. Nice that we all got to have our own A Ha moments.

Thanks all!

[katnahat]

Finally ashore after assistance from the friendly muggles on the Last Call Zoom (aka Last Chance!), and of course, I won't submit. I don't think I'd have put it together all by myself, though at one point over the weekend, I started down the right path without realizing and unfortunately abandoned it to some silly rabbit holes. Have a wonderful week, Muggles!

[Hidden in 3D]

Hey @Bob cruise director: if you're still keeping record at this point in the weekend, I am totally LOST AT SEA! Just too busy to give this the time it deserved. Thanks for all you do, kind sir!

[Fishoutowater]

Ashore after a couple of rabbit holes. Fun one. Good luck to all!

[Bob cruise director]

Good evening muggles

It was good to see some new faces on the Last Call zoom call

So we end with 18 on the ship and 154 on the shore.

Good luck to all who submitted winning the mug

[LadyBird]

Once again, I AM in a sERIous meta slump--I see nothing beyond the first step as I sCAN the grid. I was sAVing my bird post until the end, in hopes that I could say I was swimming through the OCean on my way to shore. And yET, here I am--still at the bar. Maybe lightning will strike in the next few hours.

I even went to a concert this afternoon (handbells), but no meta inspiration.


Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Nevada, April 2012

[Ben B]

A late night miracle! Must have been the rum punch but count me ashore captain!

[JoeS]

AHA! Count us on the shore. After staring at this all weekend, I was resigned to let another meta slip away. But as I climbed in bed and took one last look, the first piece just hit me. Very clever from Mike. A hot toddy will do.