All hints are in the comments!

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Mar. 17, 2020

|| || kiosk, spurn, county, larger, press your luck.
Image from the Internet.

The opening poem contains all the words (or variations of them) from today's Jumble.
Comments are welcomed!
Do not explicitly reveal any of the actual answer words until after closing time, but embedding them surreptitiously in comment sentences is encouraged.

12 comments:

OwenKL said...

It's coming to your county, town or city.
It's called corona virus, and it isn't pretty.
We're warned it's a pandemic, and to spurn
Gatherings of crowds where the viri* churn.

Schools will be changing how they'll train young minds.
Classes will be taught by teachers all on-line.
When the crisis ends, will this change the normal?
Or will larger classes become rare and formal?

Automated kiosks may replace human sellers,
Just as A.T.M.s already supplant banking tellers.
Are we being pressed into a future without touch?
If you wish to be a hermit, you're in luck!

*Viri is not a proper plural for viruses. But it is a Latin plural roughly meaning people, so crowds are where infected people churn. So says Humpty Dumpty!.

Ol' Man Keith said...

An excellent opener, Owen, well suited to the times.
We are indeed in luck for "hermitting," given that technology brings multiple forms of entertainment into our homes. I just wrote to my sons that we seem to be at a classic step in evolutionary adaptation, now that TV, eBooks, social media, and streaming movies help us endure being forced indoors by the new plague.

My offering:
The comedienne wasn't sure how well her joke about St. Patrick and the talking snake would fare with an Irish pub crowd. So she asked her pal, Seamus O'Hannigan, if she could test her yuck on him.
~ OMK

Ol' Man Keith said...

One more:
At Jenny's graduation party, her uncle raised a toast to her in which he wished her "all her virtues" as she prepared "to meet life's challenges." Jenny cornered him later and asked what he had meant.
He told her she would need all her best qualities when facing tough problems, that, if even one was missing, its absence could weaken the others. He asked her how she thought she would handle herself if, for instance, she lacked courage.
"What if you had to manage in a truly difficult situation with your good looks in place," he asked, "as well as your physical strength, your moral fiber, but less your pluck? How do you think you would fare?"
~ OMK

Misty said...

A thoughtful, sobering poem for this difficult time, Owen--many thanks.

After doing so well on my other three puzzles, I just prayed that I would also get the Jumble. Got the first three words quickly and had to work a little on the fourth, and then Voila! the solution to the sweet and funny St. Patrick's Day Jumble popped right up! The cartoon is hilarious, as is Ol'Man Keith's double tribute to it. No problem, OMK, Jenny will fare just fine and have plenty of good luck in her life.

Sandyanon said...

I did the jumble today without much difficulty.

Your poems are very topical lately, Owen. That's good, essentially, and I admire your ingenuity. But, to be honest, I am so depressed for my family that it's difficult for me to appreciate your humor.

Sheltering in place is kind of how I've been living my life anyway. I do worry about food delivery in the future, but know that worrying isn't helping me.

Enough of that! I do very much appreciate having this electronic outlet. Thanks to all.

Misty said...

Sandyanon, my heart goes out to you, with your worries about family and food delivery. I'll cross my fingers and pray that all goes well, and that you have no crises in the coming weeks during this difficult time. Stay strong, and let us know if we can do anything to help.

Sandyanon said...

Thanks, Misty. I'm actually better off than most, for sure.

Wilbur Charles said...

Misty, you think you've got problems, look what happened to Bilbo...

Bildo'd thought pilching a purse would win renown
He'd snuck into the troll's kiosk without a sound.
He hadn't expected a purse to be talking
Or the hazards of troll pick pocketing.

He'd spurned his saner Baggins brain
Now he was in the clutches of the larger of the Twain
Of giant trolls. "You had to press, your luck,you fool!"
"You were sent to reconnoiter, not for jewels.

He's awoke that morning from a wild and crazy dream
Of goblins, dragons, dwarves and treasure hunting schemes
But upon observing the remains of his larder's bounty
He'd hoped the dwarvish crowd were all in the next county.

WC

Ps, I'm hoping laughter is medicine for troubled hearts

Wilbur Charles said...

I meant Sandy, but if it applies elsewhere have a "Yuck"

Sandyanon said...

Laughter is always goid, Wilbur. Thanks to you and Bilbo.

Wilbur Charles said...

The jumble entertainers appreciate being appreciated. Owen who never fails us and grades a C+ on a Chez d'oeuvre, Keith who has mastered an entirely new Branch of rhetoric: The gloss(*y) Spoon.

Et finalement, moi for whom if I can get a chuckle or even a raised eyebrow my mission is complete
.
Btw, I reversed my ride this morning. South of Ocala I spotted a Dunkin donut sign. "I've just got to have my DD decaf, I told my passenger, Mr Stupidity
.
After I'd cut off two lanes of traffic, I parked and pulled on the door. "Aaarrgggh!!! Closed except for, wait for it, the dreaded drive-thru.

I went for it, five cars deep. "Decaf milk only, 2 for 4 bagels: one raison, one sesame,cream cheese on side: one strawberry,one regular.
.
Ten minutes later $6.50 please, keep the change. And. Everything exactly as ordered, except...

As I motivated south on 75
I began to realize
This singing to the Beatles spiel
This urge to poet-a-size
This jazz and jive
Egad, not decaf she gave me REAL!!!

WC

Misty said...

Yes, yes, yes, you got more than one laugh from me this morning, Wilbur.