A Laddergram Puzzle

This "list" is a puzzle based on word game invented by British author Lewis Carroll on Christmas Day 1877.  To solve the "laddergram," change one letter of the previous word to move down each "rung" until you get to the final word.  We've given you the first two words as examples and the solution can be found at the bottom of the post.

shrimplike sowbugs = SCUDS

potatoes = SPUDS

manly men =

shocks =

v. hinder, arrest =

brain drain =

shall not =

prison weapon =

smelt =

tony's industries =

baby jaws =

well-dressed =

shrimplike sowbugs = SCUDS > potatoes = SPUDS > manly men = STUDS > shocks = STUNS > v. hinder, arrest = STUNT > brain drain = SHUNT > shall not = SHANT > prison weapon = SHANK > smelt = STANK > tony's industries = STARK (from Iron Man) > baby jaws = SHARK >well-dressed = SHARP

List of John Bellairs Books I've Read

I was introduced to John Bellairs through an "old friend," Edward Gorey, who provided illustrations for many of his gothic novels.  When the previews for "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" movie came out, I thought I should read the book that inspired it before I saw the film.  I did, and I was introduced to Lewis Barnavelt and Johnny Dixon and Anthony Monday and their friends and foes.  In January of 2021 (with some extra reading time in 2020 due to the pandemic), I completed all of Bellairs' book series, including the novels completed or written by Brad Strickland after Bellairs' death in 1991.  

One thing I appreciate in Bellairs' novels is the way faith is incorporated.  Lewis is Roman Catholic and recites prayers he learned as an altar boy.  Roman Catholic priests are characters in the Johnny Dixon series.  It's not a "bash you over the head with a Bible type thing", but a "faith is an important part of many peoples' lives kind of thing."     

The Lewis Barnavelt Series
01 The House with a Clock in Its Walls Jun 1973 John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
02 The Figure in the Shadows 1975 John Bellairs/Mercer Mayer
03 The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring Jan 1976 John Bellairs/Richard Egielski
04 The Ghost in the Mirror Apr 1993 John Bellairs & Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
05 The Vengeance of the Witch-finder Sep 1993 John Bellairs & Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
06 The Doom of the Haunted Opera Sep 1995 John Bellairs & Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
07 The Specter from the Magician's Museum Mar 1998 Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey *
08 The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge 2000 Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
09 The Tower at the End of the World Sep 2001 Brad Strickland/S. D. Schindler
10 The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost Aug 2003 Brad Strickland/S. D. Schindler
11 The House Where Nobody Lived Oct 2006 Brad Strickland/Bart Goldman
12 The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer Oct 2008 Brad Strickland/Bart Goldman

The Anthony Monday Series
01 The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn 1978  John Bellairs/Judith Gwyn Brown
02 The Dark Secret of Weatherend 1984  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
03 The Lamp from the Warlock's Tomb 1988  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
04 The Mansion in the Mist 1992  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey

The Johnny Dixon Series
01 The Curse of the Blue Figurine 1983  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
02 The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt 1983  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
03 The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull 1984  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
04 The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost 1985  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
05 The Eyes of the Killer Robot 1986 John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
06 The Trolley to Yesterday 1989  John Bellairs/Edward Goreys
07 The Chessmen of Doom 1989  John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
08 The Secret of the Underground Room 1990 John Bellairs/Edward Gorey
09 The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie 1994  John Bellairs & Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
10 The Hand of the Necromancer 1996  Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
11 The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder  1997 Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey
12 The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost 1999  Brad Strickland/Edward Gorey

Other
01 The Gargoyle in the Dump

About the cover of The Specter from the Magician's Museum, Brad Strickland writes, "Edward Gorey’s cover features a mysterious tombstone with a stone sphere, inspired by the Charles Merchant monument in Marion, Ohio. A five-ton globe on the Merchant tomb marker mysteriously revolves on its own, and no one knows why. I put a similar thing in the book. From Gorey’s sphere, enigmatic eyes peer as if gazing into your soul. The back includes one of Gorey’s splendidly spooky haunted houses, and hovering above it the form of a gigantic spider.

Strickland, Brad. An Unofficial Guide to New Zebedee: People, Places, and Things in the Lewis Barnavelt series Created by John Bellairs (p. 87). BrushMush Books. Kindle Edition. 

Senior Band Mix Tape

 Side 1

--Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses)

--For You | Humberto Gatica Mix (Michael W. Smith)

--A Night on Bald Mountain (Modest Mussorgsky)

--Swing Low, Sweet Marlowe (Jason, Dave, Tom and Dennis)

--Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks)

--Unbelievable (EMF)

--Swing Low | Pizza Hut Mix

--Talk Dirty to Me (Poison)

--Always (Atlantic Starr)

--Swing Low | Okay, We'll Try It Again Mix 

--Babe (Styx)

--For You | Ken Scott Mix (Michael W. Smith)

--Swing Low | Last Time If It's Good Mix

Side 2

--Wasted Rock Ranger (Great White)

--Best of Friends (?)

--Tommy the Cat (Primus)

--To Be With You (Mr. Big)

--For You (Michael W. Smith)

--Darkside (Performed by the Great Swahili Polka Band)

--Heartbreak Hotel (Performed by the Great Swahili Polka Band)

--Friends (Michael W. Smith)

--Come Sail Away (Styx)

--Horn Dog (Senior Bandies)

3M Bookshelf Games

Acquire  3 - 6 player board game

Backgammon  2 player board game

Bazaar  2 - 6 player token trading game

Breakthru [Hnefatafl]  2 player board game

Challenge Bridge  4 player tournament simulation card game

Challenge Footballb2 player simulation dice/card game

Challenge Golf at Pebble Beach 1 - 4 player simulation dice game

Chess  2 player board game

Contigo [Mancala] 2 - 4 player board game

Events 4 - 8 player trivia game

Executive Decision  2 - 6 player board game

Facts in Five 2+ player trivia game

Feudal 2 or 4 sides, 2 - 6 player board game

Foil 2 - 4 player Challenging Game of Words and Wits

Go 2 player board game

High Bid 2 - 4 player card and dice game

Image 2 - 6 player card game

Jati 2-handed board game (prototype only)

Jumpin 2 player board game

Mr. President 2 - 4 player card game

Oh-Wah-Ree [Mancala] 2 - 4 player board game

Phlounder 2 - 6 player board game

Ploy [chess] 2 or 4 player board game

Point of Law 2+ player game

Quinto 2-4 player board game

Stocks & Bonds 2 - 8 player card game

TwixT  2-4 players A Brilliant Battle of Barriers

Jumpin 2 player board game Mr. President 2 - 4 player card game Oh-Wah-Ree[9][Mancala] 2 - 4 player board game Phlounder 2 - 6 player board game Ploy[9] [chess] 2 or 4 player board game Point of Law 2+ player trivia game Quinto 2-4 player board game Stocks & Bonds[9] 2 - 8 player card game TwixT[9] 2 player board game

List of Tips for Parents of Twins & Triplets

4. Never say 'no' to help.  For some, it is easy to accept assistance with a newborn, others have a more "I/we can handle it" attitude.  Advice given to us was "never say 'no'".  Some of the best gifts we were given: friends took our older son to the swimming pool; older ladies from church came in the afternoons so we could take naps; and a few blessed saints were even willing to come for a late-night shift (10 p.m. to 3 a.m.) so we could get some sleep. 

3. Try different products, then buy lots of your favorites.  My favorite spoon is the Munchkin spoon seen on the right.  Other spoons are too short or too big or too skinny.  Same with bottles.  With our oldest son, we used the Avent (3 or 4 pieces) brand.  With the triplets, we've used the Playtex VentAie Advanced (a 5-piece system).  The key, though, is to have lots of the same; that way the parts are interchangeable.   

2. You can never have enough bibs.  You might think you do, but you don't.  My favorites (for the baby food stage) are cloth with an elasticized hole for the neck.  We bought a bunch when our Thrifty-White Pharmacy was down-sizing, but we should have bought every single one of them.  When they reach the solid food stage, a plastic bib with a pocket along the bottom are nice, because the pockets catch a lot of crumbs. 

1. Buy a Nose Frida.  Yes, at first it appears gross (okay, not quite as gross as the Windi), but it can be your best friend when the little ones are congested.  Don't wait--order one or more now! http://www.fridababy.com/shop/nosefrida/

List of Interesting Places I've Visited

World's Fair Sites
Tower of the Americas - San Antonio HemisFair '68
The Sunsphere - Knoxville World's Fair '82

Highest Peaks
Tennessee - Clingmans Dome

List of Fun Names

People
Hunter Greene
Mabel Syrup
Al Coholic
Crystal Ball
Justin Time
Justin Case

Products
Splendor tm
Crackle Barrel tm