Happy Thursday everyone! Even though skunks are mostly active at night, they sometimes do look for food by day. This is most true in spring when skunks are out hunting for food to give to their new babies. Many people believe that seeing a skunk during daylight hours is a sign that it has rabies. In actuality, less than 10% of skunks are believed to have the disease. The way to tell if it has rabies is if it is acting very sick. Staggering, wandering aimlessly, avoiding puddles and foaming at the mouth are your biggest clues. If it looks like it is alert and moving with purpose, it’s most likely healthy, and engaging in normal daytime behavior.
I didn’t sniff out any new clue words this morning. Two of the anagrams returned as new, with GUCOH and RAAYIV being our repeats. RAAYIV sure put me through the wringer! My first “in-stink” was to put the Y at the end of the layout, but even with that it still took a good minute or two to see. Since it took the longest to solve, it’ll be my pick for today’s hardest anagram.
Today’s cartoon was so stinkin cute! We see Fido wanting to go inside, but he’s been freshly sprayed by a skunk so there’s no way mom will be letting him in. The dialogue indicates this isn’t the first time it has happened. Hopefully mom has some tomato juice or de-skunking shampoo left over from the previous incident. In a pinch, the ASPCA recommends using a mixture of one quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap to wash the odor away. A couple of fun details you may have overlooked were the knotholes in the fence boards and the tail of a skunk peeking out from behind the bush!
The final solve was an anagram consisting of 12-letters. The layout was incredibly cryptic, but I happened to notice an -ING suffix to get me started. With those letters removed I saw EKE, which gave me REEK, and the rest of the solution soon followed. “REEKING” HAVOC was previously used back on 9/8/16, but the cartoon featured a landfill so it wasn’t anything to get “scent-imental” over. On to tomorrow! Until then, be well and enjoy the day.
COUGH = Last used on 11/20/20 as GUCHO
GECKO = Last used on 04/29/21 as CGOEK
EXPAND = Last used on 01/25/20 as NXADPE
AVIARY = Last used on 11/06/20 as SAME ANAGRAM
“REEKING” HAVOC = Last used on 09/08/16 as KIENOEGRHCVA
GUCOH = Used on 10/12/10, 04/26/06, 10/16/01, 02/03/97, 10/08/93, 01/27/86, 04/15/81, 03/31/75, 02/24/70, 02/02/66
COEGK = NEW ANAGRAM
EPDXNA = NEW ANAGRAM
RAAYIV = Used on 11/06/20
COHGEKEANVIR = NEW ANAGRAM
Fun easy day! Mike mentioned the anagrams I found difficult and the puzzle solution was cute.
Maybe tomorrow will be harder.
Have a good night and an awesome tomorrow!!!
Good Morning, Everyone….. 🦨 REEK AND TOLL! 🦨
🎶 Just when I thought I had handles on this…I could soften my guard…Behind false confidence…I have no defense, I’m WREAKING HAVOC…WREAKING HAVOC and consequence…🎶 “Havoc” – Alanis Morissette 2012 https://tinyurl.com/yrwe53wu
🦨 I COUGH and I gag with a GECKO, so don’t ask how I’d EXPAND,
If there were Skunks who set up shop somewhere upon my land…
It’s bad enough I deal with birds who think my property,
Is their own AVIARY…that they’re free to share with me…
Poor Rover that we see here, he’s been dogged another day,
Tail ‘tween his legs fell victim to that nauseating spray…
I know a skunk would slay me…just the thought…it brings up dreck
So I sympathize with these Folks…for the skunks “REEKING” HAVOC! 🦨
Have a good one. Be well and stay safe. 🦨🙋🏻♀️
🦎 Since those GECKO commercials made her laugh so hard she’d COUGH, she thought to write to the ad agency suggesting they EXPAND on the idea of using wildlife, and create something involving an AVIARY, with birds WREAKING HAVOC in someone’s yard…🦎
💸 When the agent quoted him a price, a COUGH he couldn’t stifle,
And he thought that the GECKO rep spewed quotes quite far from trifle…
His AVIARY cost a ton, and money now was tight,
But car insurance this high? No, it just ain’t sittin’ right…
EXPAND he must his search for someone not so much a maverick…
‘Cause rates like this? His bank account? It’d def be WREAKING HAVOC!💸
Good morning. Very little trouble with the words as I remembered Gecko and Aviary from before. The cartoon answer took some time to get even starting with the first word ending in ING. Loved you facts on today’s subject Mike. Until tomorrow stay well and stay safe.
Thanks Paul. Enjoy the day.
No problem with the anagrams but the puzzle solve ended up “Reeking Havoc” on my poor brain. To Expand on the experience, my allergies cause me to Cough near an Aviary but not my Gecko. What eyes Mike must have to see that skunk’s tail in the bush! Short story from O-Town: A longtime Nebraska horse racing favorite named Skunktail died at the age of 29 in 2015. Named for the white stripe down his tail, the horse got an exemption and raced until he was 13. Skunktail won 12 stakes races and placed in 19 other stakes while setting three track records. He spent his retirement years on an acreage near Wahoo. You can look it up.
Kind of a tough day at the Jumble…No blind solve which broke my record of a few days. Anagrams came easily. And like Mike, saw the ING which helped solve the puzzle….initially saw ING COVER which was wrong, but then luckily spotted REEK and the rest followed. Congrats, Angela, for finding a song that fits.
Tks, Terry. Enjoy your day! 🦨🙋🏻♀️
My Mom always did the JUMBLE when I was still in grade school and got me hooked…that was 60 +/- years ago…Thanks for all the FUN!!!
That’s awesome, Wayne! I’m sure Jeff and David will enjoy hearing this. Thanks for checking in.
At the sight of that black and white streak
-The thought of it’s not for the meek –
While humans run away
Dogs think they can play
Then come home with a terrible reek!
Good Morning, Helen…🙋🏻♀️
🦨 Think of skunks and there’s really one thought,
That their odor def leaves a man fraught…
But Rover tried cross path,
Just to incur it’s wrath…
Now the odor for days will be fought! 🦨
Clever puzzle this morning. No problems with the anagrams and a slight pause on the cartoon. I too saw the “ing” first then havoc popped out so that left reek. Hope all of you have a good Thursday.
You too Betty! Enjoy your evening. 🙂
Anagrams went quickly especially given the gecko insurance commercials .I also saw the first cartoon answer ending in ing,but I couldn’t fill in the reek prefix or the havoc second word,as the cartoon caused me havoc as well.
Hi all – Got the words ok with AVIARY taking a second look. I didn’t have any idea about the answer, but in the letters I thought ING might end the second word. I saw COVER in the remaining letters, but then finally saw REEK and HAVOC to get the clever pun. Phew!
Good wishes to everyone.
“The GECKO tried to EXPAND his living space to include the AVIARY, but picked up a bad COUGH from bird flu.”
Smooth as honey, Steve! I just noticed CHOKE in the letter layout. It was probably more of a coincidence than misdirection. Take care.
Jumble Answers 
Happy Thursday everyone! Even though skunks are mostly active at night, they sometimes do look for food by day. This is most true in spring when skunks are out hunting for food to give to their new babies. Many people believe that seeing a skunk during daylight hours is a sign that it has rabies. In actuality, less than 10% of skunks are believed to have the disease. The way to tell if it has rabies is if it is acting very sick. Staggering, wandering aimlessly, avoiding puddles and foaming at the mouth are your biggest clues. If it looks like it is alert and moving with purpose, it’s most likely healthy, and engaging in normal daytime behavior.
I didn’t sniff out any new clue words this morning. Two of the anagrams returned as new, with GUCOH and RAAYIV being our repeats. RAAYIV sure put me through the wringer! My first “in-stink” was to put the Y at the end of the layout, but even with that it still took a good minute or two to see. Since it took the longest to solve, it’ll be my pick for today’s hardest anagram.
Today’s cartoon was so stinkin cute! We see Fido wanting to go inside, but he’s been freshly sprayed by a skunk so there’s no way mom will be letting him in. The dialogue indicates this isn’t the first time it has happened. Hopefully mom has some tomato juice or de-skunking shampoo left over from the previous incident. In a pinch, the ASPCA recommends using a mixture of one quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap to wash the odor away. A couple of fun details you may have overlooked were the knotholes in the fence boards and the tail of a skunk peeking out from behind the bush!
The final solve was an anagram consisting of 12-letters. The layout was incredibly cryptic, but I happened to notice an -ING suffix to get me started. With those letters removed I saw EKE, which gave me REEK, and the rest of the solution soon followed. “REEKING” HAVOC was previously used back on 9/8/16, but the cartoon featured a landfill so it wasn’t anything to get “scent-imental” over. On to tomorrow! Until then, be well and enjoy the day.
COUGH = Last used on 11/20/20 as GUCHO
GECKO = Last used on 04/29/21 as CGOEK
EXPAND = Last used on 01/25/20 as NXADPE
AVIARY = Last used on 11/06/20 as SAME ANAGRAM
“REEKING” HAVOC = Last used on 09/08/16 as KIENOEGRHCVA
GUCOH = Used on 10/12/10, 04/26/06, 10/16/01, 02/03/97, 10/08/93, 01/27/86, 04/15/81, 03/31/75, 02/24/70, 02/02/66
COEGK = NEW ANAGRAM
EPDXNA = NEW ANAGRAM
RAAYIV = Used on 11/06/20
COHGEKEANVIR = NEW ANAGRAM
Fun easy day! Mike mentioned the anagrams I found difficult and the puzzle solution was cute.
Maybe tomorrow will be harder.
Have a good night and an awesome tomorrow!!!
Good Morning, Everyone….. 🦨 REEK AND TOLL! 🦨
🎶 Just when I thought I had handles on this…I could soften my guard…Behind false confidence…I have no defense, I’m WREAKING HAVOC…WREAKING HAVOC and consequence…🎶 “Havoc” – Alanis Morissette 2012 https://tinyurl.com/yrwe53wu
🦨 I COUGH and I gag with a GECKO, so don’t ask how I’d EXPAND,
If there were Skunks who set up shop somewhere upon my land…
It’s bad enough I deal with birds who think my property,
Is their own AVIARY…that they’re free to share with me…
Poor Rover that we see here, he’s been dogged another day,
Tail ‘tween his legs fell victim to that nauseating spray…
I know a skunk would slay me…just the thought…it brings up dreck
So I sympathize with these Folks…for the skunks “REEKING” HAVOC! 🦨
Have a good one. Be well and stay safe. 🦨🙋🏻♀️
🦎 Since those GECKO commercials made her laugh so hard she’d COUGH, she thought to write to the ad agency suggesting they EXPAND on the idea of using wildlife, and create something involving an AVIARY, with birds WREAKING HAVOC in someone’s yard…🦎
💸 When the agent quoted him a price, a COUGH he couldn’t stifle,
And he thought that the GECKO rep spewed quotes quite far from trifle…
His AVIARY cost a ton, and money now was tight,
But car insurance this high? No, it just ain’t sittin’ right…
EXPAND he must his search for someone not so much a maverick…
‘Cause rates like this? His bank account? It’d def be WREAKING HAVOC!💸
Good morning. Very little trouble with the words as I remembered Gecko and Aviary from before. The cartoon answer took some time to get even starting with the first word ending in ING. Loved you facts on today’s subject Mike. Until tomorrow stay well and stay safe.
Thanks Paul. Enjoy the day.
No problem with the anagrams but the puzzle solve ended up “Reeking Havoc” on my poor brain. To Expand on the experience, my allergies cause me to Cough near an Aviary but not my Gecko. What eyes Mike must have to see that skunk’s tail in the bush! Short story from O-Town: A longtime Nebraska horse racing favorite named Skunktail died at the age of 29 in 2015. Named for the white stripe down his tail, the horse got an exemption and raced until he was 13. Skunktail won 12 stakes races and placed in 19 other stakes while setting three track records. He spent his retirement years on an acreage near Wahoo. You can look it up.
Kind of a tough day at the Jumble…No blind solve which broke my record of a few days. Anagrams came easily. And like Mike, saw the ING which helped solve the puzzle….initially saw ING COVER which was wrong, but then luckily spotted REEK and the rest followed. Congrats, Angela, for finding a song that fits.
Tks, Terry. Enjoy your day! 🦨🙋🏻♀️
My Mom always did the JUMBLE when I was still in grade school and got me hooked…that was 60 +/- years ago…Thanks for all the FUN!!!
That’s awesome, Wayne! I’m sure Jeff and David will enjoy hearing this. Thanks for checking in.
At the sight of that black and white streak
-The thought of it’s not for the meek –
While humans run away
Dogs think they can play
Then come home with a terrible reek!
Good Morning, Helen…🙋🏻♀️
🦨 Think of skunks and there’s really one thought,
That their odor def leaves a man fraught…
But Rover tried cross path,
Just to incur it’s wrath…
Now the odor for days will be fought! 🦨
Clever puzzle this morning. No problems with the anagrams and a slight pause on the cartoon. I too saw the “ing” first then havoc popped out so that left reek. Hope all of you have a good Thursday.
You too Betty! Enjoy your evening. 🙂
Anagrams went quickly especially given the gecko insurance commercials .I also saw the first cartoon answer ending in ing,but I couldn’t fill in the reek prefix or the havoc second word,as the cartoon caused me havoc as well.
Hi all – Got the words ok with AVIARY taking a second look. I didn’t have any idea about the answer, but in the letters I thought ING might end the second word. I saw COVER in the remaining letters, but then finally saw REEK and HAVOC to get the clever pun. Phew!
Good wishes to everyone.
“The GECKO tried to EXPAND his living space to include the AVIARY, but picked up a bad COUGH from bird flu.”
Smooth as honey, Steve! I just noticed CHOKE in the letter layout. It was probably more of a coincidence than misdirection. Take care.