Mary

I finally broke my longest streak record with this one. Streak of 17!

19 day streak but the big news is: 2000 Puzzles Solved! Thought you fellow cruciverbalists could appreciate that! Nice puzzle

I look forward to Thursday puzzles and I like rebuses! It's all part of the puzzle challenge. Happy Halloween and thanks for the monster mash!

I love rebuses! They are part of a puzzle

Concerning Fridays: reading today's comments here just got me remembering my first successful Friday puzzle! I was working on a presidential campaign 20 some years ago. A fellow volunteer and I were sent to do some errands. He drove and I navigated. Someone in the office must've had the Times and I grabbed the crossword. We did not know each other. He had just started doing the crosswords. Together we managed to complete the Friday crossword. A fun memory. Wish I had saved that puzzle. Have a good day everybody and thanks for a fun puzzle today.

Fun puzzle! My streak keeps going at 21!

Today broke my previous streak record coming in at 24! Finished in 2/3 of my average. I share this with you fellow puzzlers because who else would even care? Have a good birdwatching day all

Wow! I loved this puzzle. It took about five minutes over my average but that's OK. I actually laughed when the added letters appeared at the end. Surprised? Disappointed? That so many comments here were negative. Good work Damon!

Lots of fun and very clever

xoxo

Clocked in at 2/3 of average for a Friday, in between my average times for Wednesdays and Thursdays. I like that many of us found it on the easy side and others found it hard. Perhaps a generational difference as some have noted. Thanks for the group chat. Thanks for a fun puzzle.

Great puzzle! I'm having fun pursuing my streak which started on August 1. Coming into today at 21 and despaired of getting to 22. Bit by bit it came together. I told myself the time did not matter. What mattered was finishing the puzzle which I did in slightly above average so that's OK. proud as a peacock (peahen?) to get to 22. Glad to have people I can share puzzling with. Never heard Havana which is now my ear worm. (thanks a lot Deb! Ha ha) very catchy tune. Have a great day all.

Very good puzzle. As others have said not too hard, not too easy. I loved kindasortamaybe. Finished just a few minutes above average

Great, fun and fast puzzle. So perfect for Earth Day.

I felt good when I completed this puzzle in 12 seconds less than my average. It had its challenges; I would not call it easy. I call it satisfying. Different strokes for different folks. How many times have I found a puzzle difficult when others breeze through it? Did not "know" many of the answers but the crosses helped get me through.

I finished it about 25% above my average. But that's OK because I am now tied with my all time longest streak of--Wait for it--16! Hoping to keep this streak going. Don't know how I ever got that 16 back in the beginning of Covid. Happy puzzling to all

At 133% of my average, proud to have finished this! A good challenge. I think I'll have an iced latte, with lots of whipped cream of course.

Oh Sisyphean streaks. We watch the golden stars accumulate. Our excitement mounts as they increase. Will we reach our current record? Will we surpass it? Letter by letter, clue by clue, We trudge on. A new record! Just one letter ends the streak. Down to the bottom we go To start all over again

Brava for best actresses! Every year the Oscars presumably build up to the most anticipated award--with the final award always going to the best actor. I like to advocate for building up to the final award of best actress! Or at least alternate them by year.

Fun puzzle! I love it when there is a recipe. I think a previous one was for guacamole. Thanks

Proud of my nine day streak! Which includes two Saturdays! Almost afraid to look at the next puzzle... Thanks for a fun puzzle.

About 50% over average for me. Was very pleased when I finally got it. Thanks for a fun puzzle.

A fun puzzle. Did not know "Back in black." Completed most of the puzzle without filling in "Black" mentally. Could not understand why a courageous person needed "bone." Loved that red carpet attire was "less dress." Actually laughed out loud at that one! Actually using "back in black" (not exactly the way Matthew did but close enough) helped with "outback," "back pedal," and "didn't hold back" and I finished the puzzle in less than my average. I loved the square of L's in the southwest. Well done, and, as at least one other person said, appreciated all the more when I saw the complete answers.

I echo Shaun--so great to have Will back and many thanks to Joel and the rest for keeping us going.

My time today was 25 percent above average. I was glad I finished. Looked pretty iffy for a while there. Proud to have a nine day streak. Fun puzzle

Very clever and fun puzzle. Thanks

Thanks for a perfect Groundhog Day puzzle! I repeat...

Great and fun puzzle! Finished in 130% (see what I did there?) of my average. As a math teacher in a previous life, I remember a student saying to me--you don't yell at us when we make a mistake. Wow! Why would I? Here's to math and math teachers!

Hard to finish the puzzle when you have cassock instead of hassock. Even so managed to figure in slightly less than average. A fine puzzle

Good fun puzzle; finished slightly below average. I literally groaned out loud at bowtie alternative! Ha ha. Have a good day everyone

Well gosh I guess I have no complaints to contribute here. I thought it was a cute and fun Thursday, finished in a little over half my average. Enjoy the day.

I had fun with this puzzle. Two minutes below my average. I knew nazca--sort of. I spelled it with S and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Couldn't figure out what a laser mase was. Then I put in the Z and all was well. Thanks for a fun puzzle

A fine puzzle. Was afraid it might wreck my streak, but it did not. As predicted here by Francis I made it to 14! BTW, writing this with speech to text as I usually do.

Fun puzzle. I had no idea what the theme was but kept plugging along and managed to finish a little under my average. When I looked at the theme answers I got it. I thought it was very clever. Thanks to the constructors.

At first it seemed daunting if not impossible. Bit by bit I was able to chip away at it. Was very pleased when I saw the bottom half filled in. I knew the composer as I have seen his name and heard his music many times when I listen to the Peaceful Piano Stream on Your Classical on American Public radio. However I could not have spelled it without the crosses. I had gas and ice reversed. I had pawn which of course did not work with Hunan--what to do? I'd run across those rolled chips from Mexico thanks to my niece and her friends. I was very pleased with myself to finish this below my average. Thank you Alex for a great and fun puzzle.

Sisyphus back to a streak of one. PSST! (when you know, you know) couldn't resist. Happy Valentine's Day all.

A satisfying a Saturday solve. Thought it would never come together and then bit by bid it did less than average time

Fun and clever puzzle. Thanks.

Enjoyed the puzzle. SW was the last to fall. I was proud to get Salinas--from only the AS at the end. About 25% above my average. Thanks for a good puzzle

Yes, the beloved rebus. As I have said before I like a rebus. And I must say only four minutes above my average today--pretty good for one handed after shoulder surgery. Fortunately it is my dominant hand that is free. Fun puzzle

Cute puzzle

Lots of fun and interesting comments today

I am enjoying all you from "Vinca" Italy (I had Vinca!) and your thoughts about panini/ panino! EYEtalian, from NJ etc. It comes to mind what I once learned (not TIL but OIL?) on that well-loved, long-gone acrostic: graffito! who knew? Buona giornata

Thanks for a clever and fun puzzle

This puzzle was super hard for me! Well more than twice my average solving time. The north east was my killer, but proud of myself for having finished it to bring my streak up to--tada--12!

Zipped right through this one which was pleasant. A little over 1/3 my average for Saturday. I come to this column periodically, not regularly. I think now is a good time for me to say that people talk about puzzles are harder, puzzles are easier. Without actually looking at my archives, off the top of my head I'll say maybe since February I have gotten many more blue stars each month than I had previously. Is it just me? Is it the puzzles? Who knows? Happy puzzling!