Puzzles at Pi May 29, 2017

Pi is a quieting-down place, where sky and hours expand and linger.  And here is where my puzzle mania is allowed to unfold. 

In San Francisco, I am wedded to the daily New York Times puzzle, as the paper arrives on my doorstep, and, after all, what’s a girl to do while the coffee is perking at 6 a.m.?  But here at Pi, I dig into an assortment of downloaded PDF puzzles. 

Of course, there is the Sunday NY Times crossword, but far more fun are the Saturday Variety Puzzles from the Wall Street Journal.  Patrick Berry and Mike Shenk delight me with their elaborate word weavings, with titles like “Trail Mix”, “Correspondence”, and “Labyrinth”.  I’m particularly keen on Berry’s occasional “Rows Garden” because I have to think in only 6-letter increments. 

Then there is a step-up in difficulty with all kinds of cryptic puzzles by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon – oy! – these can be very hard to complete!  Another set of cryptic puzzles comes from The Nation by Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto.  These don’t have the added craziness of not knowing where to put the answer (ala Cox and Rathvon), but the deciphering itself can be trickier.  Any of these cryptics can take me hours, if not days, to finish, and in truth, an answer or two almost always eludes me.  One of the things I love about the cryptics is the sensation of getting inside the head of the composer, a sort of time-delayed telepathy. 

My home here is littered with puzzles – clean from the printer, half-finished and awaiting inspiration, or completed but so messy as to be almost unreadable.  As I sit out on the deck to take in the late afternoon sun or cuddle under the covers and see the stars, there is usually a puzzle and a pencil near at hand, waiting for that next quantum of insight.  They are like friends, and I am so grateful for their company.