CROSS WORDS

DATE: OCTOBER 13, 1999

Dar (my pop) is a crazy, crazy old man. Everyday he filches and HIDES the newspaper's daily crossword puzzle, like a miser. He'll sock it away and later take it out and pore over it for hours.

This morning, I went into his room to romp about. He was stretched out on his bed, reading the paper and trying to look casual. With all my cavorting, I suddenly felt a crackly something under his blanket. I slipped my hand in and sure enough, it was the crossword puzzle. No sooner had I reached in, then Dar SCREAMED. I didn't even have time to pull my hand out---he started swatting at me insanely.

He threw his entire body on top of my hand and started pinching me very fiercely. He grabbed my leg and tried to wrench it out of its socket. All this time I'm hollering like a banshee, but not letting go of the puzzle because it's obviously worth its weight in gold.

In the end, he blackmailed me to release it, saying he wouldn't help me rip up my carpet if I didn't let go. So I let go. Free labor is hard to come by. Geez, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT about---or wanted---the grotty crossword if he didn't make such a production out of it.

Now he's wandering about the house with the munched-up crossword tucked safely under his arm.

I made Kate's (my sis) famous chicken wraps for dinner, and they turned out reeeeall good, ma'am. I didn't really flatten the chicken, as such (like the recipe calls for), but ended up pulverizing it with our marble rolling pin. I'm very impatient when it comes to any fine cooking and all the rigamarole it requires.

But they tasted great in the end and all who partook were very happy that they weren't the ones who had to make din-din.

I also made a yummy apple crisp. And normally, I do NOT like cooked apples---the SLIME! But I made the crisp with Ida Red apples (the BEST, not too slimy) from New Harmony and we ate it with vanilla ice cream.

I must go---I have to tear carpet up and administer to other various acts of destruction.