THE PUZZLE CORNER: DECEMBER 3, 2022

😎 FUN FACT

Arctophiles collect teddy bears. 🧸🧸🧸

REBUS

It’s December and time to decorate The Free Choice E-zine office. What is so special about our Christmas tree?

WHAT’S THAT SONG?

Words from a tune of the past are below. All you have to do is give us the song title. Ready?

♫Dressed in a snow white gown, tap tap tappin’ at your window pane to tell you she’s in town.♫

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX🎁 and discover the results from the November 26, 2022 Puzzle Corner.

RHYME TIME⌛

The clue to something is below, but no matter how long your answer is, each word within it must rhyme. Ready?

Monster movie = Creature feature.

TRIVIA TIME⌚

November 26, 2022 would have been Charles Schulz’s 100th birthday. What was his original proposed name for the Peanuts comic strip?

Lil’ Folks, but the syndicate insisted on Peanuts, allegedly based upon Howdy Doody’s Peanut Gallery, where the kids sat.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: NOVEMBER 26, 2022

😎 FUN FACT

Being traditionalists, The Free Choice E-zine will not be posting holiday themed puzzles until next weekend when it’s actually December.

RHYME TIME⌛

The clue to something is below, but no matter how long your answer is, each word within it must rhyme. Ready?

Monster movie.

TRIVIA TIME⌚

November 26, 2022 would have been Charles Schulz’s 100th birthday. What was his original proposed name for the Peanuts comic strip?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📜 and discover the results from the November 19, 2022 Puzzle Corner.

COMMON BONDS

The items in each subset below have something in common. Do you know what it is?

01. {The Running Man, Predator} and yes we know they’re movies = both featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.

02. {Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Led Zepplin} and yes we know they’re rock groups = all contributed to financing production of Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

THE LETTER SHUFFLE

How many new words can you make out of the letters in THANKSGIVING?

A, aging, ah, akin, an, angst, as, at,

Gag(s), gain(s), giant(s), gas, gat(s) <old 1930's slang for guns>, gig(s), gin(s), gist, git(s) <Hillbilly slang for scram/get>, giving

Hag(s), haggis <a Scottish delicacy>, hang(s), has, hat(s), having, hi <short form of "hello">, hiking, hint(s), hit(s)

I, ink(s), in(s), inn(s), is, it, its

Kin, king(s), kit(s), knight(s), knit(s)

Nag(s), nigh, night(s)

Sag, saint, sank, sat, saving, shag <a type of carpeting>, sight, sighting, sign, signing, sink, sinking, sin, shin, shining, sit, skin, skit, snag, snit, stag, staging, stain, staining, stank, sting, stinging, stink, stinking

Tag(s), tan(s), tank(s), than, thank(s), thin(s), thing(s), think(s), this, tin, vain, vat(s), visit, Viking(s), (AND) vista.

Other words besides the 117 above might be possible. But IV (the medical term) didn’t count because it’s an abbreviation. The Roman numerals II and IV are debatable, but the cuss word for human waste was not listed since this is a family oriented E-zine.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: JANUARY 8, 2022

😎FUN FACT

Friendly reminder: There are coastal areas that accept used Christmas Trees🎄 to help rebuild sand dunes along the beach. Check with yours to see if this program is available in your area.

TRIVIA TIME⌚

Who was the only performer to have a speaking part in Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie?

COMMON BONDS

The items in each subset below have something in common. Do you know what it is?

01. {Antonio, Diego, Francisco}

02. {Adult, Robin}

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the January 1, 2022 Puzzle Corner.

THE 50/50 CHANCE

Just like a regular TRIVIA TIME question, except there are just two possible answers, hence the even odds of getting it right. Ready?

TRUE or FALSE: Charles Schulz has portrayed Adults within his Peanuts comic strip?

TRUE! If you count voices, as seen in this strip reprinted December 29, 2021. 

THE LETTER SHUFFLE

How many new words can you make out of the letters in NEW YEAR?

A, an, any, are, aye

Ear, earn, ewe, eye

Nay, nee, near

Ran, raw, ray, renew

War, ware, warn, way, wean, wear, weary, were, wren

Yarn, yaw, yawn, yea, yearn

New and Year don’t count because they were part of the original phrase. Other words than the 30 listed above might be possible.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: JANUARY 1, 2022

😎FUN FACT

Just before the clock struck midnight on December 31st, did you raise your left leg to make sure you’d start 2022 off on the right foot?😉

THE 50/50 CHANCE

Just like a regular TRIVIA TIME question, except there are just two possible answers, hence the even odds of getting it right. Ready?

TRUE or FALSE: Charles Schulz has portrayed Adults within his Peanuts comic strip.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE

How many new words can you make out of the letters in NEW YEAR?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the December 25, 2021 Puzzle Corner.

REBUS

We celebrated Christmas last weekend. Do you know what was represented by the image on the left?

♫Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.♫ (Rocks around the tree)

TRIVIA TIME⌚

What is the origin of the Gingerbread Man?

Guests at a dinner party of Queen Elizabeth 1 received Gingerbread likenesses of the foreign dignitaries present. Since all were male…

SUNDAY FUNNIES: ♫ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE♫ (Celebrity Quotes)

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here!
Tuesday is Valentine's Day, but as much as I love to tell jokes, it's been a while since I've posted any Celebrity Quotes, so I thought I'd combine the two.
When necessary, I respond in italics. Ready?

♫All you need is love.♫—The Beatles.
"All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."—Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts.

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds around my neck."—Emma Goldman.
Maybe, but a full food dish for your pet(s) at meal time doesn't hurt either.

"Valentine's Day, or as men like to call it: Extortion Day."—Comedian Jay Leno.
Showing your love any signs of affection isn't extortion, unless February 14th is one of the few times you ever do it.

"Even in the very beginning when she would bump into George Valentine and people would start taking pictures of her, she never thought, 'I'm with George Valentine. I need to get a picture with him.' She's like 'oh that's funny. Everyone's taking pictures!'"—Actress Bérénice Bejo, although in all honesty I have no idea who she's refering to in that quote.

"It's funny, I was talking to somebody who writes for a cop show, and he was saying how they aren't allowed to acknowledge Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc.; just because it has to be able to play forever in syndication."—Actress Hannah Simone.
Well, they may be "seasonal", but thankfully there's already plenty of material available on all those holidays.
Yet love SHOULD be eternal.
Shouldn't it?

And on that note, I sincerely hope you get to spend February 14th and the rest of time with the one you love, and please be back here again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.—AtP.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: DECEMBER 10, 2016

FUN FACT
While they didn't start gaining popularity until the early 1800s, the Christmas Tree can trace its roots (no pun intended) back to the 15th Century.

FAMOUS FIRSTS: ♫THE CAROL EDITION♫
While who recorded the best rendition of a beloved Christmas classic is debatable, some Christmas tunes date back a lot farther than you think.
Can you name the very first performer to record the following songs?

01. Frosty the Snowman
02. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
03. Here Comes Santa Claus
04. Jingle Bell Rock
05. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
06. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
07. Santa Baby
08. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
09. Silver Bells
10. White Christmas
11. Sleigh Ride (as an instrumental)
12. Sleigh Ride (with lyrics)

We’ll reveal all next weekend, but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results from the December 3, 2016 Puzzle Corner.

TRIVIA TIME
Where are the Peanuts characters based? In other words, where do they live?
Creator Charles M. Schulz always considered them in Minnesota, where he grew up.

REBUS
We're putting up our Christmas tree, but something's wrong.
Do you know what it is?
There is NO L (Noel).

SUNDAY FUNNIES: CELEBRITY CHRISTMAS CITINGS (Christmas themed celebrity quotes)

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here.
Yes, that's an old, but appropriate picture of me, because thankfully we've yet to receive any snow in my neck of the woods, despite it being that time of year.
I've yet to do any celebrity quotes  of late, so let's see what they think of the holidays...

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."—Author Norman Vincent Peale.
Considering some of the headlines of late, that's a very nice thought sir.

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values."—Thomas S. Monson.
A beautiful thought, but most retailers have other ideas, I'm afraid.

"I love the excitement, the childlike spirit of innocence and just about everything that goes along with Christmas."—Singer Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum.
"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"—Singer Andy Williams.
That it is, no matter how much they try to commercialize it!

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."—Roy L. Smith.
"When there's that forgiveness present and compassion, it just helps you give so much easier."—Actor Craig T. Nelson.
True. I even bought a present this year for my rotten brother, who always digs up my bones whenever he visits, no matter how well I bury them!

"Before we took down the tree each year, Dad would always say a prayer that we would be together the next Christmas. I cling to that prayer, which serves as a reminder that it's important to be grateful in the present for the people you love because, well, you never know."—Actress Catherine Hicks.

Well... he is family.

"Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone else."—Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz.
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another."—Famous author Charles Dickens, from A Christmas Carol.
Despite how much he ruffles my fur, I do love my brother. After all, we have the same parents.

"Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection."—Pindar, lyric poet of ancient Greece.
Good! So he won't object to the new flea collar I got him.


Folks, no matter how many jokes we tell in the course of this column or whatever happens this holiday season, please remember to be kind and love one another. After all... regardless of your personal beliefs, we are ALL members of the family of mankind!—AtP.

The Sunday Funnies will return next weekend. Take care everyone!

SUNDAY FUNNIES: PETS AND PEOPLE

Hello Everybody. Autumn the Puppy here, and let's do something we haven't done during a Sunday Funnies installment in quite a while: actually look at the comics!
But while doing so, we'll see how the pets are treated in these June 1, 2014 strips.

We start with a Classic Peanuts installment by the late Charles Schulz. Snoopy is on top of his doghouse sound asleep when it starts raining. He finally manages to wake up Charlie Brown to let him in, and in the last panel, Brown complains about being wide awake and his room smells like a wet dog.

Now, I'm going to assume it was a nice night when Snoopy went to bed, for no responsible pet owner would let a dog sleep out in the rain, and I can't fault Charlie Brown for being asleep when the rain started. As to the rest, why didn't he dry Snoopy off somewhere else?

Meanwhile, the neighborhood kids dressed Farley in some of Elly Patterson's underwear during a classic For Better or For Worse reprint by Lynn Johnston. Farley did keep his cool under pressure, but I could tell he wasn't happy with the situation.

So what is the point of all this?
Folks, fictional or not, animals are living beings too.

We have emotions and needs, and are far more dependent upon others for our care and upkeep; because unlike kids and the elderly, we'll need each other for our entire lives.
With summer coming, make sure your pets are in shade, don't overheat, and have plenty of water.
You take care of us, and we'll give you our love and gratitude for our entire lives.

Please be responsible pet owners, and join us again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.--AtP.