Melvin Hoagland

Fun puzzle! The title really helped to catch onto the concept, but I was looking for double hyphens for some reason. And my best Sunday time yet - under 29 minutes (28:59). I’d like to hear what times others have done - I have no idea if this is really short or just short for me. Honestly, I’m not a fast solver - I tend to plod along, but this one really flowed. (Streak is now at 744 games. Sorry for the bragging, but it’s been hard won - with three software glitches that wiped out my record (big thanks to the tech support team for restoring it!) and a 5-day hospital stay, I’m very pleased (and a bit surprised) I’ve been able to maintain it.) Thanks for reading - this community is a great break from the nonsense of the world. Happy New Year, everyone!

Brad and Nicole, don’t take the detractors too much to heart - your puzzle was fun and clever and breezy and you two are as cute as baby rabbitducks. Keep up the good work!

So sorry, Deb. A lovely story about your Dad. It really got to me - thank you for sharing it. My Mom and I would spend long car rides doing crosswords together. Those are some of my fondest memories of us together. This was a fun Thursday. Let’s hope our once-vaunted public education system can find its way back to its common core values.

I didn’t not like this one.

I don’t comment often, but I feel compelled to add a heartfelt thank you, Deb! Good luck with your new ventures and please try to let us know how (and what!) you’re doing. You will be missed! Melvin