My mother was good with crossword puzzles. Perhaps I should say adept. Or proficient. Back in the seventies one arrived in the Sunday edition of the New York Times, which was actually paper, and Mom carried it from room to room over the week while she filled in boxes. With a pencil. You shouldn't be too cocky. Answers about Shakespeare or historical figures came more quickly than those concerning sports. But she managed. If she had no reference for 34 down she could rely on 34 across, with reinforcements from 42 to supply a letter. Even the most obscure clue had threads of connection. 

 

This was of course before the internet, and cheating wasn't possible. You could call a friend who was a baseball buff, or check an almanac about weather but mostly you relied on your own brain. The answer key did not appear until the following Sunday. 

 

Our family has entered a binge phase of online crossword puzzling. Someone posts that they have started, and whomever isn't engaged in gainful employment, or warming up lunch, or a nap, might jump in. The platform allows us to see each other as well as the board. It is a faster pace than what happened on folded up newsprint with coffee spills. The person who is logged in scrolls through a hundred clues in two directions, while siblings call out guesses with varying levels of certainty. She or he types them in. When the final vowel is entered the screen blinks with applause. 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

 

The benefit of a medley of people is the breadth of experience. If a question delves into aviation, we prod Micah to respond. All things technical are in Lukas's purview, and Mercy knows a thing or two about real estate. If it involves Spanish Aurelle has suggestions. John is an encyclopedia when it comes to Biblical references. Recently Hope's boyfriend Charlie has joined who is a whiz at maths. 

 

Quilting has not yet been helpful. 

 

We do this freely. It is a strain of recreation that is allowable within the pandemic. Plus we enjoy the cleverness and humor embedded within the questions. 

 

It occurs to me that we are in a global puzzle.

 

Trace the spread of the disease. 

Untangle the conditions of contagion. 

Carry on with your job without leaving the house. 

Have a meaningful conversation without acrimony. 

Buy groceries without touching anything. 

Celebrate holidays while keeping your distance. 

Position your mask while unfogging your glasses and adjusting your ear buds. 

 

These are goals that can be at cross purposes. Yet there have been events that filled in the blanks we are facing with surprising success. 

 

As for knowing how we scored, we may have to wait until the following year. I wonder if some morning next October the skies will erupt with the sounds and colors of acclaim.