PUZZLES Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Now I See by Jeffrey Wechsler Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Warm up on a treadmill 4 Most common volcanic rock 10 Obscene writing 14 Gibbon, for one 15 Is compatible (with) 16 “Please, please, please?” 17 Halloween critter 18 Result of an oil shortage at KFC? 20 What may give a burger crunch 22 Toucan’s pride 23 Sends forth 24 Buddhist spiritual leader 26 Certain medical fee 27 Fast-food outlet with excessive expenses? 32 Add on 33 Suburban street sights 34 Shakes, like a tail 35 “Jurassic Park” creations, informally 36 The ___ of the earth 40 Funny Viking 41 Drive to action 42 Something discussed during an indoor cycling course? 45 Overcharge 46 Seeks information 47 Word before “coffee” or “stew” 48 Westernmost U.S. territory 51 Dig into? 54 Euclid’s “Elements,” for example? 57 Grand ___ Opry 58 Dog in “Garfield” 59 Like Switzerland, topographically 60 Kick oneself for 61 Legendary loch 62 Turn a corner in Monopoly 63 Enhdangered fish DOWN 1 Vaccinations, informally 2 Multicolored gemstone 3 Be compatible (with) 4 Good buddy, for short 5 Device that a crash test tests 6 Eyelid affliction 7 Where the Mekong flows 8 Join together 9 1987-94 “Star Trek” series, briefly 10 Buttery shrimp dish 11 Song featured in “Flashdance” 12 Cohesiveness 13 Repetitive motions 19 Low-level workers 21 Uses the kiddie pool 25 Cake recipe instruction 26 Pros and ___ 27 Hound’s “hand” 28 Genetic messenger 29 Set straight 30 Hawaiian island near Maui 31 Bound by oath 35 Hamlet, nationality-wise 36 Prepare, as Nova lox 37 Marketplace with many free offerings 38 Necklace on 30- Down 39 Doting attention, briefly 40 Impressive note for a soprano to hit 41 “___ not fair!” 42 “Looks like you’re right” 43 Hypes, as a product 44 Playing “Madden NFL,” perhaps 45 Letter from a teacher? 47 “There’s my cue!” 48 Big bash 49 Org. challenged by email 50 Warts and all 52 Hint for Holmes 53 Dog walker’s command 55 Track circuit 56 Corp. leader Get a Grip! by Christina Iverson Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 Join together 7 “War and Peace,” for one 11 Not well-lit 14 One giving a speech 15 ___ or false 16 Music genre associated with black eyeliner 17 *Completely immoral supervisor? 19 Financing letters 20 Metallic fabric 21 Burden 22 Bad throw at a casino 23 Like the wolf in a fairy tale 24 *Weaving instructor? 27 Irritates 29 Points of view 30 Like some people who read closed captions 31 Tightly stretched 35 Vessels with spigots 36 *Some under-the- table flirting? 39 (OMG!) 41 Maker of Thick & Fluffy waffles 42 Wyatt of the Wild West 46 Actress Sorkin 48 Closer, in a guessing game 50 *Evidently fake jewel? 54 Slippery, as a street 55 Pixar movie with talking vehicles 56 Sporty auto roof 57 Angel costume headwear 59 ___-man band 60 Mess up ... and a hint to 17-, 24-, 36- and 50-Across 63 Lead role in “How I Met Your Mother” 64 Last number in many prices 65 “Am not!” response 66 Popular show letters 67 High cards in royal flushes 68 Yards’ relatives DOWN 1 ___ story (sad- sounding tale) 2 Nutty confection 3 Layered pasta dish 4 Something in your cart 5 Make a visit 6 Notable span 7 Was surrounded by wavy lines, in a comic 8 Quarrel 9 Party attendees 10 ___ Lingus 11 Start of a letter to a longtime advice columnist 12 Influences 13 Shape-shifts 18 Thumbs-down votes 22 More like sea salt than iodized salt 23 Like the wolf in a fairy tale 25 Regarding, in a memo 26 “Regarding, in a memo” or “Counterbalances” 28 Counterbalances 32 Enjoyed a buffet 33 Big name in boots 34 “You’re it!” 37 Certain column in the paper 38 Like freshly cut grass 39 Dad joke, e.g. 40 Sauce for fettucine 43 “Has the meeting started?” 44 Change the hue of 45 Inquire nosily 46 Broad neckties 47 Kind of acid in fertilizers 49 Stick (to) 51 Make amends 52 Shuffles around aimlessly, say 53 Decide 58 Words before and after “is” 60 Ancestry.com test subject 61 Spiral-cut meat 62 ___ Altos, California East Oregonian A15 HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 Projections of Venus in Scorpio In these first degrees of Venus in Scorpio, what sometimes passes for love is not love at all, but a projection of what we wish love to be, streaming in yellow light from the click and whirr of old-timey mechanics within our own hearts. If we’re to experience the real world of other people outside the theater doors, we must turn off the movie. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Today brings you an abundance of original ideas. Regardless of how good they are, because of the speed by which they pour in, they will be quickly forgotten unless you capture, contain and catalog them. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re a natural leader and you’ll shine with executive ability, which is to say you’re good at running the show. You can be tough, tender, warm or direct as you adapt to the show you’re running. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Misreading a situation can cause minor mistakes or major pain. You can avoid any and all trouble with this by paying close attention, and then paying attention from a distance as your awareness grows with every new angle on it. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your world is saturated with an overabundance of opinions. Your restraint on the matter will lead to serenity. It will come as a relief to hear to share fewer opinions, and to find that you have fewer of them to share. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You have a choice about how to encourage follow-through with the actions that will net a desired result. You can motivate through fear or inspiration. Fear is faster. Inspiration is healthier and more pleasant. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Even though you can’t change another person, as you change yourself, if the other person has the least bit of awareness and empathy, a countermove will be made to adapt to yours. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Life is the kind of teacher whose lectures seem to drift off-topic, but there’s magic in this. You’ll get a clue as to your most profitable move -- a sign from the natural world pointing your mind to an answer. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Life is a song. Sometimes you dance to it and sometimes you sing along, but right now, you’re in the mood to listen, learn and see what happens when others make the moves. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don’t have to accept what’s in your head as the truth. You can change your thought, pick a new one or create one from scratch. Whatever your mood, you are one thought away from lifting it. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Love’s display isn’t always a bouquet of romance or a glamorous foreign holiday. You’ll give your love in doses as small as a spoon, as diligent as washed a dish and as moving as a carpool. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Wanting isn’t wrong or right. It probably can’t even be helped. While you can’t effectively command yourself to want what’s good for you, you can at least notice what you want and steer your desire toward the best option. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You don’t have to resonate with everything you come across. There are some emotions that are unhealthy to steep in. Your empathetic skills are on point, including the ones that keep you from unhealthy empathy. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (SEPT. 15). You manage most areas of your life with a hands-on approach, mixing into what matters, unafraid of a little mess and sweat. Being extremely careful about what you delegate, you won’t miss out on golden details. You’ll feel loved. Your heart is open to receive it. You’ll join with others to improve what’s around you. Gemini and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 4, 44, 47 and 18. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 Materialism Under a Solar Trine Success doesn’t always go hand in hand with material good fortune. Believing those two states are interchangeable will only lead to dissatisfaction and missed purpose. What’s truly valuable is life- and health- enhancing. Much material wealth doesn’t fall into the category -- something to ponder under the solar trine to Pluto. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Keep repeating the action that’s going so well for you until you can do it no longer. Like the weightlifter who works the muscle until it fails, you will see results not despite that last exhausted effort but because of it. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Long-lasting friendships are important to you, so you’ll make extra efforts, especially when life pulls you and a friend in opposing directions. You’ll find new parallels and commonalities that help you stay on the same wavelength. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re like a divining rod for hot spots, so you mostly end up where the fun is. But even the most skilled diviners sometimes come up dry. In that case, your best bet is to cut out early and keep looking. CANCER (June 22-July 22). While some would use charm as a manipulation, you employ your charisma for the sole purpose of stirring up the playful energies of delight, without which existence would be dull indeed! LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Even though your leadership is typically sound, right now you’ll be more comfortable without followers. This path is new. You’ll be more adventurous when you know you’re the only one affected by your choices. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Meditation and mantras are not for everyone. In a way, whatever you do to feel more like yourself is your spiritual practice. Repetition with reverence is one key to making it a ritual. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re willing to slog it out until the bitter end, but what if the end isn’t bitter? You just may slog it out to a savory end or a sweet one. In any case, definitely do slog it out, because the end will be worth it. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Now it is effortless for you to maintain the steady flow of supportive communication that facilitates good relationships, but this is only because you worked at the skill. Others might need some time to catch up. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You may not be sure where to set your sights. You want to stretch yourself, and you’re not afraid to fail, but you’d rather not reach for something that doesn’t exist. Ask around to find out what’s possible. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Who you are in the bigger view of society is not who you really are, and yet it does influence how you feel about yourself to a degree. You are in charge of the degree. Dial it down. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You think you know your function within a group, but your notion of this is limited to how you see yourself. The others have their own view of you, and in some instances, it is greatly expanded from yours. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The rules have changed many times over the last few years, and they’ll change once more today. Even so, the values and principles that guide you will remain steadfast through the ages. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 16). The sparkle of charisma you ride through the year sparks many a lucky interaction. Your phone buzzes, and your calendar fills with engagements, both lucrative and friendly. Love deepens as you alternate between making sacrifices and allowing others to rise to the occasion to give to you. Libra and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 2, 22, 18 and 38. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS