Rituals, I think, are important on Sunday Mornings.And even though church is usually a part of those rituals, it is not as consistent as Will Shortz Sunday Puzzle on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.
When I lived in Cleveland and first listened to the local NPR stations, WCPN and WKSU, (because commercial radio was abysmal) I became a fan of the puzzle.
I enjoyed calling my sister Anne in Seattle, and since her NPR station was airing the identical program 3 hours earlier, we would do the puzzle together.
It's a simple mind-teaser that I look forward to all week long. And there's something strangely satisfying about getting Shortz' word pairs or common phrases right. I take a strange pleasure from scooping host Lianne Hanson on the correct answer, when the contestant is stumped.
But rarely do I get the challenge to qualify the contestant for next week's show.
I think I got the challenge this time! Here it is. See if you get it:
"Name a famous singer from the past, male or female, whose first name has six letters and last name has seven letters. Rearrange the letters of the last name, and add a letter from the first name to get a place the singer famously performed".
I think it's Maria Callas at La Scala.
But sometimes there's more than one correct answer. We'll have to wait until next week to see if I got it right.
I don't know why "playing puzzle" brings me such delight. But it does. Perhaps it's a little challenge as I sip my coffee and the dogs beg for bites of my breakfast. Maybe it's a ritual that links me to something thousands of others are doing. Or maybe it's something to help me forget I am, once again, waking up alone with only begging dogs as my companions.
Let's have another cup of coffee, shall we?
